Rider Switch changing (Started June 16th)

[tlmadden73]

Well .. if abused as much as it sounds like then it should help decrease line waits .. right?

 

[QueenHeather]

I just don't understand why it's so hard to do something with your other child. Nothing about this sounds like that is going to happen. It sounds like maybe your pass isn't going to last for days/weeks but I don't believe this one hour thing will come into play as folks think because Disney knows many of these rides they are talking about have a wait time that long.

But even if I were expected to do back to back rides, I never had trouble doing something with a child, occupying them in a positive way ... and I still have to handle this situation.

I don't need my pass to last for days or weeks. But Disney's system just stinks compared to other parks. It's bad now with the current system and now they are making it worse by forcing us to ride back to back. I would much rather be together with my whole family and entertain my children during the length of one wait time + 2 ride times like most other theme parks, versus splitting the family up for over an hour (which has happened many times on many rides. Getting through FP line plus pre show plus ride time twice takes a while). We will most likely just end up skipping the second ride. Say what you will about being a parent means sacrifice and all that, but I find it disappointing that Disney does not try to make it easier for families with children to still enjoy all rides in the park.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

I have never waited an hour with a FP+ and I have done FoP quite a few times, with FP+. At most I would say we spent 30 minutes from the time I entered until I got off. The only other ride I can think of that cause me to wait close to that may be TT, and then the safari due to the nature of the ride but I don't think it has R/S.

That said Disney is fully aware of their wait times in both lines and would have to be beyond stupid to not factor that in to their new system. We don't know for sure what this "one hour" means so I would like to wait and see how it is all set up rather than get all upset.

Going digital gives them many more parameters they can add to the old system. Just like the DAS, change is hard, folks get upset, but the system is quite fair, runs smooth and handles the need.

WE ALL make decisions about when we go to Disney for our luxury vacation. If a young child is going to impact your touring plans then maybe wait. I've gone to Disney with my kids since they were 4 mos old and we make it work and have never had a bad trip because a child was too small to ride. It is not Disney's job to plan my trips to my likes.



I just don't understand why it's so hard to do something with your other child. Nothing about this sounds like that is going to happen. It sounds like maybe your pass isn't going to last for days/weeks but I don't believe this one hour thing will come into play as folks think because Disney knows many of these rides they are talking about have a wait time that long.

But even if I were expected to do back to back rides, I never had trouble doing something with a child, occupying them in a positive way ... and I still have to handle this situation.

If back to back is the only option, it means you’re stuck in whatever area for at least the first groups ride. Sure I can entertain my kids if I have to, but I prefer to be able to do something with them that they can do because we’re in Disney and don’t want them to be stuck waiting around for taller riders Longer than they have to.

Some areas are not conducive to hanging around with toddlers like others are, even if it’s possible to make it work. Splash/Thunder area for example is nice, because it’s got a little playground. Soarin’ though? That one is much tougher. You can’t bring strollers in so you’re already out of luck if it’s nap time, and there’s not a ton to do if you want to stay in the building other than waiting in a potentially long line for living with the land.

Like I’ve said a few times, this likely won’t impact us and if it did oh well, just means one of us probably would miss out on a few big rides, but the current system is no doubt really helpful for families with young kids in a way the new one doesn’t seem to be if the time restrictions are true.

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

Well .. if abused as much as it sounds like then it should help decrease line waits .. right?

I think it will decrease FP booking availability for the most popular attraction in each park as those families that would normally book a FP for only one parent might now be inclined to book for both parents (when applicable).

Conversely, it will probably increase FP booking availability for the remaining attractions.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

Maybe I’m wrong but I feel like rider swap is such a drop in the bucket in terms of total FP line users that the only people feeling any sort of impact are the users of rider swap.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

WE ALL make decisions about when we go to Disney for our luxury vacation. If a young child is going to impact your touring plans then maybe wait. I've gone to Disney with my kids since they were 4 mos old and we make it work and have never had a bad trip because a child was too small to ride. It is not Disney's job to plan my trips to my likes.

yes, but at the same time Disney wanting to do something to make it a bit more convenient for those with small kids (which is a large part of their demographic) I don't' think that is outlandish - and just desiring a bit more flexibility in return time I don't think is super demanding

At the same time, it won't "ruin our trip" or anything, but just something else we will have to adapt to ... we have just appreciated in the past being able to rider swap a bit later rather than just hanging out in the same area for what could be 20 mins or what could be 60+ (and I have had that with Space Mountain at WDW and with Indy in Disneyland) ... part of the challenge it not knowing exactly how long it will take.

 

[tamerbelles]

I think there needs to be clarification in this conversation

Abuse = Selling paper FastPasses. Totally.

Abuse =/= Parents using their FastPasses in a way that is conducive to making the most of their time.

Think about it. If both parents need a FP to use Rider Switch ... then what's the point of RS unless you're riding standby?

Example: Johnny is too small to ride 7 Dwarves Mine Train. Under current system, Johnny's dad gets a FP and asks for Rider Switch. Johnny and his mom book FastPasses for the same time to ride Peter Pan. When they're done, Johnny's mom rides Mine Train. Everyone has used 1 FP. Johnny' mom just got an extra ride.

If Johnny's mom had to have FP to ride Mine Train, then poor Johnny would be left to ride Peter Pan alone! Oh wait, that's not allowed. Actually, he can't ride anything alone ... So either you're losing the kid's FP when you go rides with height restrictions, or you're using the "loophole" to get an extra ride. It's not abuse, it's just smart.

I will be watching for clarification on how this plays out with digital RS ... If the "loophole" is closed, then we'll have to waste my kid's FP every time we want to FP a ride with a height requirement.

 

[gap2368]

If they're using the same machines for RS that they currently do for DAS, lord help us all. They are the most temperamental little things, we got more paper DAS return times in April than we ever have since the system went digital. I can't imagine having two or three times the number of people using them than currently do.

I do not go with any kids at all and I have 30 rider swap passes all from the thing not giving me a DAS retrun time. and the line to get a DAS and or RS will be long

 

[Minniemouse07]

Yes! This exactly! The only saving grace of Disney's system was the flexibility and the ability to take the non-riding children to do something else while we wait. If you take those perks away, then Disney's system pretty much stinks. I too would rather have a system similar to Universal and other parks.

Agreed, we were at Universal a couple of summers ago and their rider swap system was SO easy to use. While waiting, family members were able to sit down in air conditioning and in most cases could also watch television.

While my kids are now older we used the RS system heavily when they were younger and my youngest is a non thrill ride kid (he has some severe sensory issues). So while he now is tall enough to ride, he isn't old enough to wait by himself for an hour or more while the rest of the family rides.

If they were going to change the system, they should have changed it to something that works BETTER for families, not worse.

 

[jade1]

Well .. if abused as much as it sounds like then it should help decrease line waits .. right?

You got me wondering.

Wasn't there some really big clamp down on FP+ months back? Does anyone know if availability increased from that? Or was there any noticeable effect in any way?

More curious than anything.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Agreed, we were at Universal a couple of summers ago and their rider swap system was SO easy to use. While waiting, family members were able to sit down in air conditioning and in most cases could also watch television.

I agree. We thought the rider swap rooms at Universal were great when we used them.

It's interesting to me that Disney hasn't been building them into their newer rides. I guess they are just going to keep everything consistent

 

[dlavender]

I agree. We thought the rider swap rooms at Universal were great when we used them.

It's interesting to me that Disney hasn't been building them into their newer rides. I guess they are just going to keep everything consistent

We prefer Uni's as well.

WDW used to have them. One example was at Space Mountain. We preferred that as well.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I agree. We thought the rider swap rooms at Universal were great when we used them.

It's interesting to me that Disney hasn't been building them into their newer rides. I guess they are just going to keep everything consistent

Yes they are awesome! It was so nice to be able to keep our backpack, sit down, enjoy the A/C and some HP movie time

 

[jlwhitney]

Agreed, we were at Universal a couple of summers ago and their rider swap system was SO easy to use. While waiting, family members were able to sit down in air conditioning and in most cases could also watch television.

While my kids are now older we used the RS system heavily when they were younger and my youngest is a non thrill ride kid (he has some severe sensory issues). So while he now is tall enough to ride, he isn't old enough to wait by himself for an hour or more while the rest of the family rides.

If they were going to change the system, they should have changed it to something that works BETTER for families, not worse.

We

We loved universals rider swap. Plus many of them had water fountains and changing tables if need be. Also liked the fact that they don’t police it to only too short. Families could use it if they had a kid to scared to ride also. They only downside is the group riding second has no choice what seat they get on the ride. So if front row or something is important enough to wait extra then it won’t work.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

If back to back is the only option, it means you’re stuck in whatever area for at least the first groups ride. Sure I can entertain my kids if I have to, but I prefer to be able to do something with them that they can do because we’re in Disney and don’t want them to be stuck waiting around for taller riders Longer than they have to.

Some areas are not conducive to hanging around with toddlers like others are, even if it’s possible to make it work. Splash/Thunder area for example is nice, because it’s got a little playground. Soarin’ though? That one is much tougher. You can’t bring strollers in so you’re already out of luck if it’s nap time, and there’s not a ton to do if you want to stay in the building other than waiting in a potentially long line for living with the land.

Like I’ve said a few times, this likely won’t impact us and if it did oh well, just means one of us probably would miss out on a few big rides, but the current system is no doubt really helpful for families with young kids in a way the new one doesn’t seem to be if the time restrictions are true.

But if it really does take so long for the ride, people are saying it takes almost an hour, you have that entire time to do something with the kids.

In Epcot, there are numerous things to do while you wait, all close by. Check out Nemo, or the fish. In Pandora, not as much, but still plenty if you look.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

But if it really does take so long for the ride, people are saying it takes almost an hour, you have that entire time to do something with the kids.

In Epcot, there are numerous things to do while you wait, all close by. Check out Nemo, or the fish. In Pandora, not as much, but still plenty if you look.

the challenge is you dont' know how long it will take - I guess you could tell from line length if it will be super quick or if it would be a while ... but hard to tell sometimes if it would be 20 mins, 40, 60, etc.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

But if it really does take so long for the ride, people are saying it takes almost an hour, you have that entire time to do something with the kids.

In Epcot, there are numerous things to do while you wait, all close by. Check out Nemo, or the fish. In Pandora, not as much, but still plenty if you look.

Some take a long time, some don’t. In my experience a ride like Soarin’ takes about half an hour per group, give or take. Not quite enough time to even go to the seas for longer than a few minutes before you’d have to be back for a back to back ride.

And personally, I don’t like having to just do what’s convenient with the too short to ride kids, Disney time is precious, you know? When planning our days it’s important to me to try and balance a smart touring strategy with mixing in fun for the toddlers in the morning (they napped in the afternoons when we were there). That’s why it was so convenient to be able to accumulate RS passes and not have to ride immediately.

 

[DizneyMommy]

Those of you in love with US’s RS... you have clearly not had to wait 3 hours for Harry Potter with a 2 year old and NOT allowed to take the stroller in the line! Their policy resulted in me basically riding nothing the entire last trip. The lines were all 90+ minutes, most more like 2 hours, and strollers not allowed in line.

 

[HopperFan]

I don't need my pass to last for days or weeks. But Disney's system just stinks compared to other parks. It's bad now with the current system and now they are making it worse by forcing us to ride back to back. I would much rather be together with my whole family and entertain my children during the length of one wait time + 2 ride times like most other theme parks, versus splitting the family up for over an hour (which has happened many times on many rides. Getting through FP line plus pre show plus ride time twice takes a while). We will most likely just end up skipping the second ride. Say what you will about being a parent means sacrifice and all that, but I find it disappointing that Disney does not try to make it easier for families with children to still enjoy all rides in the park.

What are these other parks and could you explain their systems so we can see how much better they are and how Disney could improve?

I don't like Universal's system. I don't want to drag my non-rider through a long long line when we could be enjoying some entertainment, getting a snack or riding something with a shorter line. That is punishing my non-rider. Specifically due to the Universal program we didn't go there until everyone was tall enough to ride (and there were only a couple rides that our adult non-rider didn't go on).

If back to back is the only option, it means you’re stuck in whatever area for at least the first groups ride. Sure I can entertain my kids if I have to, but I prefer to be able to do something with them that they can do because we’re in Disney and don’t want them to be stuck waiting around for taller riders Longer than they have to.

Some areas are not conducive to hanging around with toddlers like others are, even if it’s possible to make it work. Splash/Thunder area for example is nice, because it’s got a little playground. Soarin’ though? That one is much tougher. You can’t bring strollers in so you’re already out of luck if it’s nap time, and there’s not a ton to do if you want to stay in the building other than waiting in a potentially long line for living with the land.

Like I’ve said a few times, this likely won’t impact us and if it did oh well, just means one of us probably would miss out on a few big rides, but the current system is no doubt really helpful for families with young kids in a way the new one doesn’t seem to be if the time restrictions are true.

Back to back is the Universal way after waiting in a long long line, back to back was the Disney way before they had the paper pass and you had to stand at the exit until they came out and swap with CM supervision, or you lose. And again we don't know how this will actually be presented. The article is not clear, WDWNT was less informative and seemed to just be a copycat post.

yes, but at the same time Disney wanting to do something to make it a bit more convenient for those with small kids (which is a large part of their demographic) I don't' think that is outlandish - and just desiring a bit more flexibility in return time I don't think is super demanding

At the same time, it won't "ruin our trip" or anything, but just something else we will have to adapt to ... we have just appreciated in the past being able to rider swap a bit later rather than just hanging out in the same area for what could be 20 mins or what could be 60+ (and I have had that with Space Mountain at WDW and with Indy in Disneyland) ... part of the challenge it not knowing exactly how long it will take.

We still don't know what the rules will be, if this hour even comes into play, and if so how. Everyone is getting upset over something Disney hasn't even put out there. If Disney is reigning R/S in it's because the system was broke and they were trying to gain some control over it, especially before Toy Story Land opens. It's because they saw some abuse/overuse and just like many other changes that some hate - we all have to adjust our trips.

I think there needs to be clarification in this conversation

Abuse = Selling paper FastPasses. Totally.

Abuse =/= Parents using their FastPasses in a way that is conducive to making the most of their time.

Think about it. If both parents need a FP to use Rider Switch ... then what's the point of RS unless you're riding standby?

Example: Johnny is too small to ride 7 Dwarves Mine Train. Under current system, Johnny's dad gets a FP and asks for Rider Switch. Johnny and his mom book FastPasses for the same time to ride Peter Pan. When they're done, Johnny's mom rides Mine Train. Everyone has used 1 FP. Johnny' mom just got an extra ride.

If Johnny's mom had to have FP to ride Mine Train, then poor Johnny would be left to ride Peter Pan alone! Oh wait, that's not allowed. Actually, he can't ride anything alone ... So either you're losing the kid's FP when you go rides with height restrictions, or you're using the "loophole" to get an extra ride. It's not abuse, it's just smart.

I will be watching for clarification on how this plays out with digital RS ... If the "loophole" is closed, then we'll have to waste my kid's FP every time we want to FP a ride with a height requirement.

When Rider Switch started there was no FastPass ... so you are right in the broad picture, it's not needed anymore.

Yes you might have to waste some FP+ if you want all your adults to go on every big ride using your first 3. I have the same situation. But in the end we roll that 4th FP+ all day long and there isn't a ride DS doesn't get to go on that he can. We look at those FP+ as a lump, use them up particularly on the tough ones, then just roll the rest of the day. Easter week, super crowded, our group did everything at Epcot and that was booking our first three on arrival. Our longest day we rolled around 20. MK, did everything. Skipped AK that week. Little Johnny doesn't have to miss out on anything.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

Well .. if abused as much as it sounds like then it should help decrease line waits .. right?

I'm not going to hold my breath on that one.

You got me wondering.

Wasn't there some really big clamp down on FP+ months back? Does anyone know if availability increased from that? Or was there any noticeable effect in any way?

More curious than anything.

I think that would be really hard to see for anyone other than Disney. People are always changing up their FPs day of, power users are zipping through their prebooked FPs and scooping up additional ones. And CL people have 6 a day now. Too many small ups and downs to see a difference. While the population of people using that loophole was obviously large enough to catch Disney's attention, I think it was probably relatively small compared to the number of people using FPs.