Rider Swap Rules

[dwbrewster]

I've debated entering into this discussion and ultimately figured why not.

As multiple people have said the policy is what the policy is, but it is ultimately up to CM discretion which is consistently inconsistent.

In July we used RS quite a bit since we have an infant and we had FP+ for everyone in the group because I was nervous with the exception of two rides, SDD and Alien, mostly because I could only get FP+ for SDD for 2 of the 5 of us.

For SDD I indicated that me and DS4 were group 1 and the rest were group 2. She was confused why group 1 was only 2 people and I flat out said "because I could only get FP+ for the 2 of us" did she turn us away? negative, instead the 2 kids from group 2 were given FP+ and then all 3 were given RS to ride with my DW. Pretty much the same thing in reverse happened at Alien where I rode with all 3 kids that met the height requirement and then DW rode a second time with all 3. (I get it that this was special magic and should not be expected).

For some rides since we all had FP+ they would not give the adult a RS and would make the 3 kids "Group 2" and for others, like Splash the CM adamantly refused to do that and the adult with FP + 2 kids were group 2. Which is correct? I'm not sure but the standard was all 3 kids being made "group 2".

I'll note that DS4 was too short for FOP and SM and I hear that FOP is the strictest when it comes to requiring all have FP+.

 

[CT Disney]

Reading this thread, two things are clear to me:

1. Some people really don’t understand the loopholes that exist and the advantages that can be gained when combining FP+ and rider swap.

2. Some people completely understand the loopholes and the advantages and they use it to their advantage.

I’m especially irked at the larger groups with only one or two little kids who use the system to double up on fast passes and skirt the limitations in tiered parks.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

In June, everyone in my party was required to have a FP to do rider swap with the FP line. My CM cousin said it was because of people using the rider swap to get more FP’s for the adults.

 

[Disneyliscious]

In June, everyone in my party was required to have a FP to do rider swap with the FP line. My CM cousin said it was because of people using the rider swap to get more FP’s for the adults.

But no one is getting "more" FP's. Every party that enters any Disney Park in the WORLD can either choose to ride together or choose to ride apart. Rider Swap does NOT mean people are getting in to ride rides faster. In fact, RS means you wait LONGER. I have pointed this out above in a different post. Even WITH a FP, the parents on RS STILL wait LONGER than anyone else using FP. Period.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

But no one is getting "more" FP's. Every party that enters any Disney Park in the WORLD can either choose to ride together or choose to ride apart. Rider Swap does NOT mean people are getting in to ride rides faster. In fact, RS means you wait LONGER. I have pointed this out above in a different post. Even WITH a FP, the parents on RS STILL wait LONGER than anyone else using FP. Period.

Yes, they are getting more FP’s. They basically get 6 instead of 3. Parent A goes through the FP line with their FP while parent B does something else with the LO. Then Parent B goes through the FP line with RS and doesn’t have to use up one of their 3 FP’s. Then they repeat, with Parent B using a FP and Parent A not using one. The party gets to make 6 FP reservations instead of 3. That is more. Period.

 

[Disneyliscious]

Yes, they are getting more FP’s. They basically get 6 instead of 3. Parent A goes through the FP line with their FP while parent B does something else with the LO. Then Parent B goes through the FP line with RS and doesn’t have to use up one of their 3 FP’s. Then they repeat, with Parent B using a FP and Parent A not using one. The party gets to make 6 FP reservations instead of 3. That is more. Period.

I highly recommend you go back and read my post about how much time families who use rider swap actually spend waiting in lines and then you’ll understand that FP’s are not the same for them. Because of the additional time involved with riding each ride twice, (even if the other parent goes and does something else) that family still is not being able to do that ride in the same amount of time as others who do not use RS.

Disney knows this and that’s why they don’t enforce their “rule” (which isn’t even a clear rule).

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

I highly recommend you go back and read my post about how much time families who use rider swap actually spend waiting in lines and then you’ll understand that FP’s are not the same for them. Because of the additional time involved with riding each ride twice, (even if the other parent goes and does something else) that family still is not being able to do that ride in the same amount of time as others who do not use RS.

Disney knows this and that’s why they don’t enforce their “rule” (which isn’t even a clear rule).

You spend less time waiting in a FP line twice than you do in a standby line once. I know, I’ve done it. So having a guarantee of 6 FP rides per person because of RS versus is only 3 FP rides is a benefit of the loophole.

 

[GoingSince1990]

I highly recommend you go back and read my post about how much time families who use rider swap actually spend waiting in lines and then you’ll understand that FP’s are not the same for them. Because of the additional time involved with riding each ride twice, (even if the other parent goes and does something else) that family still is not being able to do that ride in the same amount of time as others who do not use RS.

Disney knows this and that’s why they don’t enforce their “rule” (which isn’t even a clear rule).

Your point is that with a 40-minute standby line and a 15-minute FP line, both of the following take the same total amount of time (40 minutes):

1. A, B, and C wait in the standby line for 40 minutes to do the ride together;
2. A and C wait in the FP line for 15 minutes to do the ride, exit, meet B 10 minutes later, then B and C wait in the FP line for 15 minutes to do the ride.

I would say that even though the total time for each scenario is the same, I would much prefer to do the second one compared to the first, as walking around, shopping, having a snack, and relaxing is much more enjoyable than being stuck in the standby line. Also, in the second scenario C gets to ride twice. And finally, many times the standby line is considerably longer than 40 minutes which would also give the second scenario an advantage in terms of the total time spent.

 

[Disneyliscious]

You spend less time waiting in a FP line twice than you do in a standby line once. I know, I’ve done it. So having a guarantee of 6 FP rides per person because of RS versus is only 3 FP rides is a benefit of the loophole.

You are not understanding what I’m saying. It doesn’t matter if a party has 3 FP or 6 FP when the FP’s can’t Be completed in the same amount of time as people who do not use RS. People who have to use RS wait in line twice for every ride. By doing so, it doubles (or more) the time spent in line as any other person. You are so focused on being worried that some family is going to have a loophole that nets them a thread of some imaginary benefit that you can’t see the fact that they are spending more time in line. If you’d look at the overall picture and time spent instead of the number of FP’s then you could understand that FP’s aren’t gaining RS families anything other than the mechanical ability to swap out places on a ride due to a small child.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

You are not understanding what I’m saying. It doesn’t matter if a party has 3 FP or 6 FP when the FP’s can’t Be completed in the same amount of time as people who do not use RS. People who have to use RS wait in line twice for every ride. By doing so, it doubles (or more) the time spent in line as any other person. You are so focused on being worried that some family is going to have a loophole that nets them a thread of some imaginary benefit that you can’t see the fact that they are spending more time in line. If you’d look at the overall picture and time spent instead of the number of FP’s then you could understand that FP’s aren’t gaining RS families anything other than the mechanical ability to swap out places on a ride due to a small child.

And you can’t see that even if they have to wait 20 minutes each time they go through the FP line (so 40 minutes total plus ride time), it’s still a benefit to be guaranteed 6 rides with a 40 minute wait instead of 3 rides with a 20 minute wait and everything else being 45-60 minutes plus waiting standby. You are so concerned with making sure people don’t think it’s a loophole that you don’t see the loophole.

 

[CT Disney]

You are not understanding what I’m saying. It doesn’t matter if a party has 3 FP or 6 FP when the FP’s can’t Be completed in the same amount of time as people who do not use RS. People who have to use RS wait in line twice for every ride. By doing so, it doubles (or more) the time spent in line as any other person. You are so focused on being worried that some family is going to have a loophole that nets them a thread of some imaginary benefit that you can’t see the fact that they are spending more time in line. If you’d look at the overall picture and time spent instead of the number of FP’s then you could understand that FP’s aren’t gaining RS families anything other than the mechanical ability to swap out places on a ride due to a small child.

Imagine a family of 5 going to Magic Kingdom:
Dad, Mom, Big Brother who can ride everything, Big Sister who can ride everything, and a baby. Baby is happy to ride in stroller, eat, sleep, be held, and take in surroundings.

Dad and big brother get fast passes for Big Thunder Mtn, Splash Mtn and SDMT. They use rider swap on each ride so that Dad rides once, Mom rides once, Big Brother rides Twice, and Big Sister rides once

Mom and big sister get fast passes for Space Mtn, Barnstormer, and Tomorrowland Speedway. They use rider swap on each ride so that Mom rides once, Dad rides once, Big Sister Rides Twice, and big brother rides once.

So, to recap, Dad got 6 rides, Mom got 6 rides, Big Brother got 9 rides, and Big Sister got 9 rides...all with minimal wait through the FP line

Now, imagine another family of 5 at MK on the same day:
Dad, Mom, Big Brother who can ride everything, Big Sister who can ride everything, and their elderly grandpa. Grandpa doesn't ride any rides. He's happy to watch the kids enjoy themselves and be with the family, but he's got mobility issues and can't be left alone.

Dad, Mom, Big Sister and Big Brother get fast passes for Big Thunder Mtn, Splash Mtn and SDMT. They can't use rider swap so they split into groups of two. They each ride once.

They also use Grandpa's 3 fast passes to ride Space Mtn...so Dad, Big Sister and Big Brother ride once.

So, to recap, Dad got 4 rides, Mom got 3 rides, Big Brother got 4 rides, and Big Sister got 4 rides.

Both families are in a very comparable situation. Sure, the first family took longer to ride, but they got SO many additional rides. Seriously, the kids got 9 rides...that's a huge advantage! Why should family 1 benefit so much more than family 2??

 

[Disneyliscious]

all with minimal wait through the FP line

That is the first issue. They have to wait in the FP line twice, which makes it not a FP.

They also use Grandpa's 3 fast passes to ride Space Mtn

Pretty sure grandpa has to still pay the same for his ticket as anyone else, even if he doesnt ride rides. Therefore he is entitled to the same amount of FP as anyone else. Whether grandpa or his son use the FP makes no difference in the numeric count of a line.

 

[annadreamsofdisneyworld]

I was just at Disney World and utilized fast pass plus rider swap at 7DMT on August 24th. We had 3 fast passes and a too short 2 year old. We arrived halfway through our FP window and asked for rider swap in case the first group didn't make it through in time for the last person to take a turn. The cast member completely understood and said of course she would do that for us. She asked my older child if she would like to ride twice. My daughter said yes, and the cast member updated our band's with a rider swap for me and an extra ride for my daughter. Everything worked smoothly.

 

[annadreamsofdisneyworld]

Imagine a family of 5 going to Magic Kingdom:
Dad, Mom, Big Brother who can ride everything, Big Sister who can ride everything, and a baby. Baby is happy to ride in stroller, eat, sleep, be held, and take in surroundings.

Dad and big brother get fast passes for Big Thunder Mtn, Splash Mtn and SDMT. They use rider swap on each ride so that Dad rides once, Mom rides once, Big Brother rides Twice, and Big Sister rides once

Mom and big sister get fast passes for Space Mtn, Barnstormer, and Tomorrowland Speedway. They use rider swap on each ride so that Mom rides once, Dad rides once, Big Sister Rides Twice, and big brother rides once.

So, to recap, Dad got 6 rides, Mom got 6 rides, Big Brother got 9 rides, and Big Sister got 9 rides...all with minimal wait through the FP line

Now, imagine another family of 5 at MK on the same day:
Dad, Mom, Big Brother who can ride everything, Big Sister who can ride everything, and their elderly grandpa. Grandpa doesn't ride any rides. He's happy to watch the kids enjoy themselves and be with the family, but he's got mobility issues and can't be left alone.

Dad, Mom, Big Sister and Big Brother get fast passes for Big Thunder Mtn, Splash Mtn and SDMT. They can't use rider swap so they split into groups of two. They each ride once.

They also use Grandpa's 3 fast passes to ride Space Mtn...so Dad, Big Sister and Big Brother ride once.

So, to recap, Dad got 4 rides, Mom got 3 rides, Big Brother got 4 rides, and Big Sister got 4 rides.

Both families are in a very comparable situation. Sure, the first family took longer to ride, but they got SO many additional rides. Seriously, the kids got 9 rides...that's a huge advantage! Why should family 1 benefit so much more than family 2??

The second family finished their 3 fast passes early and booked more throughout the day. By the end of the day both families rode the same amount of rides.
Seriously it really does waste a lot of time to go through lines twice in order for everyone to ride when you have a too short child.

 

[CT Disney]

The second family finished their 3 fast passes early and booked more throughout the day. By the end of the day both families rode the same amount of rides.
Seriously it really does waste a lot of time to go through lines twice in order for everyone to ride when you have a too short child.

The last two times we visited WDW were Christmas week and a very hot and crowded week in July. It’s not always easy to score additional fast passes on the bigger rides. When we were there Christmas week there were virtually no additional fast passes to be had. And during that hot week in July, it was impossible to get additional fast passes for Splash Mountain and the other mountains. Rider swap offers guaranteed extra rides.

Plus, stack rider swap with fast passes in the tiered parks and you’ve got a definite advantage. When we were there in July, there were absolutely no additional same day fast passes for tier 1 rides like slinky dog, frozen ever after, FOP, and test track. There’s no denying that rider swap and splitting fast passes gives families an advantage in tiered parks.

Sure, rider swap families have to go through the line twice...but their kids get two rides. In my example above, the family with the baby got 9 rides for their kids where the exact same family without a baby would only get 3.

 

[Christine]

I think one thing to point out about the advantage is that, say you have a family of 6, and you want a high demand ride like FoP or SDMT. You go to book 6 fastpasses but you can only get 3. People with young children who need rider swap do get an advantage over a family of 6 who cannot use rider swap and must book a total of 6 passes.

 

[paisleys]

Why are they even giving anyone with a FP a RS anyway? Wasn't the original idea to have people avoid waiting standby twice? Only people waiting standby should get a RS, then the RS goes straight to the FP line is the way it should work.

 

[GoingSince1990]

Why are they even giving anyone with a FP a RS anyway? Wasn't the original idea to have people avoid waiting standby twice? Only people waiting standby should get a RS, then the RS goes straight to the FP line is the way it should work.

Imagine two parents with an older child and a baby. Both parents and the older child have FP. So one parent and the older child could ride using their FPs while the second parent stays with the baby, and then the second parent could ride alone, using their FP, while the first parent stays with the baby and the older child. But what RS would do here is to allow the older child to ride twice, once with each parent, so neither parent has to ride alone.

 

[KrazeeK120]

Imagine two parents with an older child and a baby. Both parents and the older child have FP. So one parent and the older child could ride using their FPs while the second parent stays with the baby, and then the second parent could ride alone, using their FP, while the first parent stays with the baby and the older child. But what RS would do here is to allow the older child to ride twice, once with each parent, so neither parent has to ride alone.

Yes, this.

Also, it could be useful on some longer rides (like FOP) if you arrive later in the FP window and risk the window closing before the second person gets to ride.

 

[stewart715]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1170739748803096576

Still the policy they are advertising (90 minutes ago).