Rider switch and FP+

[mommytothreeboys]

I am sure this has been addressed but I am getting a lot of conflicting answers and want to get it all straight! A few clarifications...

1. I called WDW and the CM told me that Rider Switch is 1 for 1. Meaning the person who sits out then has to ride alone. Is this new? In the past, we got a pass for the sit-out rider and two additional passes for company.
2. If the rest of the party is using the FP+ line, does the sit out rider also need a valid FP+?
3. If the sit out rider does have a valid FP+, can he/she use the rider switch AND the FP+?
4. If the sit out rider wants to go to, say Dumbo, and ride that with the little one while the rest of the party rides the other ride, can she come get her Rider Switch pass, go use her Dumbo FP+, then use the switch pass at another time?

I am not trying to scam the system here, I promise. I just need correct information so I can book our FP+ accordingly. I have not been to WDW with a large party with a little one since the implementation of the FP+ system and I don't want to get there and find out I messed it all up!!

 

[mesaboy2]

I am sure this has been addressed but I am getting a lot of conflicting answers and want to get it all straight! A few clarifications...

1. I called WDW and the CM told me that Rider Switch is 1 for 1. Meaning the person who sits out then has to ride alone. Is this new? In the past, we got a pass for the sit-out rider and two additional passes for company.
2. If the rest of the party is using the FP+ line, does the sit out rider also need a valid FP+?
3. If the sit out rider does have a valid FP+, can he/she use the rider switch AND the FP+?
4. If the sit out rider wants to go to, say Dumbo, and ride that with the little one while the rest of the party rides the other ride, can she come get her Rider Switch pass, go use her Dumbo FP+, then use the switch pass at another time?

I am not trying to scam the system here, I promise. I just need correct information so I can book our FP+ accordingly. I have not been to WDW with a large party with a little one since the implementation of the FP+ system and I don't want to get there and find out I messed it all up!!

I can tell you this is absolutely incorrect.

The best explanation out there is at http://wdwuntangled.com/rider-switch/

 

[mommytothreeboys]

Well, that is what I told her and thought maybe she was misunderstanding me. She assured me that it was 1 for 1 and also that the sit-out rider is to stand in the queue with the rest of the party then ride when they get off. Also not what I remember. She told me a lot has changed since FP+.... I am so confused!

 

[mesaboy2]

Well, that is what I told her and thought maybe she was misunderstanding me. She assured me that it was 1 for 1 and also that the sit-out rider is to stand in the queue with the rest of the party then ride when they get off. Also not what I remember. She told me a lot has changed since FP+.... I am so confused!

As far as rider switch is concerned, that's "WDW Phone CM" Strike 2. Almost nothing has changed. The link I provided explains more and should be trusted more than a call-center CM.

And typically the "sit-out rider" is too short for the ride, meaning they won't be allowed in the queue. The information you are getting is woefully bad.

 

[mommytothreeboys]

I can tell you this is absolutely incorrect. The best explanation out there is at http://wdwuntangled.com/rider-switch/

Perfect. The only question it does not answer is the FP+ AND rider switch issue. If the sit out guest has a valid FP+, what happens to it if she uses the switch pass instead. (Just thinking about leaving a FP+ unused and how that impacts the ability to book additional FP+ at the park. ). For example, we book her a FP+ for 7DMT and the toddler ends up being too short...he's close at this point so not sure he'll make it!

I thought I was getting bad information... Thank you for confirming! I tried to tell her she wasn't making any sense but she got tired of talking to me and pretended we had a bad connection! Lol! First bad experience I've ever had with a phone CM.

 

[mesaboy2]

Perfect. The only question it does not answer is the FP+ AND rider switch issue. If the sit out guest has a valid FP+, what happens to it if she uses the switch pass instead. (Just thinking about leaving a FP+ unused and how that impacts the ability to book additional FP+ at the park. ). For example, we book her a FP+ for 7DMT and the toddler ends up being too short...he's close at this point so not sure he'll make it!

If the person with the FP is too short for the ride then they cannot enter the queue, their FP will not be used, and can be changed for something else.

 

[mommytothreeboys]

If the person with the FP is too short for the ride then they cannot enter the queue, their FP will not be used, and can be changed for something else.

Sorry, not the too-short rider, the person who sits out with the little one. If I book a FP for her and she uses the switch instead....??

 

[mesaboy2]

Sorry, not the too-short rider, the person who sits out with the little one. If I book a FP for her and she uses the switch instead....??

Good question, I'm not sure. I would think they would not need to use their FP either, so in that case it would be another one that could be rescheduled. Perhaps someone else--maybe doconeill--could chime in.

 

[merina888]

I'll chime in. The Rider Switch pass acts like a fastpass for the adult who waits for with the child. You can book a fastpass for something else. Or if you do book the fastpass, you can reschedule it for something else if you decide not to use it.

 

[CountyMounty]

I asked pretty much the same question a couple days ago after finding conflicting information. To me it appeared that there may actually be two different types of rider switch or swaps, one that involves issuing a paper rider switch return pass and one that is an actual switch that takes place near the ride loading kind of like what they due at universal. While I am still not completely clear on everything one thing for certain is that a child too short for a ride will never be allowed to enter the queue line and wait with the adult who is waiting to switch.

After reading through everything again it seems very likely that the waiting adult does not need a FP+ but I was not 100% convinced to a point where I gave up those FP+, so while it is very likely that we may be "wasting a FP+" for one of us who is waiting to swap I did not want to take the chance and end up not being able to do the rides like SDMT or TT.

 

[2goofykiddos]

We just returned and have used rider swap every time. Unfortunately how it was given varied for each ride. Sometimes we just showed them the child and got the pass. Then the other parent could use their FP for something else. Sometimes they gave us a lanyard to walk up to the front, without the rest of the party, to get the pass.

Also the passes are good for the entire month. That's great if you don't get back to the ride that day but will be in the park later in your trip. And it's definitely still good for 3 guests b

 

[CountyMounty]

We just returned and have used rider swap every time. Unfortunately how it was given varied for each ride. Sometimes we just showed them the child and got the pass. Then the other parent could use their FP for something else. Sometimes they gave us a lanyard to walk up to the front, without the rest of the party, to get the pass.

Also the passes are good for the entire month. That's great if you don't get back to the ride that day but will be in the park later in your trip. And it's definitely still good for 3 guests b

In the cases where you were given the lanyard to walk up to the front and get the pass was the pass the same exact thing just got it in a different place and could the other other parent still use their fastpass for something else?

Also when you say just use it for something else do you mean that you just went on your phone and switched it out for another attraction?