Rider Switch changing (Started June 16th)

[jlwhitney]

There really will never be a perfect system. We also will probably never fully know Disney's reasoning for the change other than they have been moving everything to digital and in the app so this change follows suit of that.

While I do love Universal's system I do not know if it would work at Disney as well with the sheer number of family with infants and young kids that are too short. Universal has far fewer babies and young kids. We went over labor day weekend and there was rarely more than 3 families at one time in the rider swap area.

The 1 hour time limit makes sense to me, and I can't think of once it took an 1 hour to get through the FP line and ride the ride. FOP is probably one that takes the longest but even then its still not an hour.

My only concern is in the past they never cared what 3 people rode with the rider swap, so hoping that basically doesn't change. Its nice for the one that waits first to get to ride with someone even if its the kid that rode once already. Yes odd numbers wont directly ride next to family/friends on all rides they will still be right near by and get to have someone with them in line and so on.

 

[KYMickey]

No way a toddler will hang in a line without being constantly carried, with no stroller. My kiddos are really well behaved and will wait patiently but you can only ask so much of a 2 year old.

Pardon Me, but I have to ask, how much does a two-year-old really enjoy Disney? Wouldn't they and the rest of the family be much better off if they just stayed with grandma and came on the next trip? They get tired, they get cranky, slow everyone else down to what's the point?

 

[QueenHeather]

For us this change amounts to “nothing to see here.” The purpose of the RS system is to allow one parent to watch the smaller children while the other rides with the bigger ones, then switch places without getting back in the standby line. That’s the way we’ve done it and will continue to do it. It wasn’t designed to allow people to go to lunch and hit the pool before they get back in line. To be clear I have absolutely no problem with the people who do this. Loopholes were made to be exploited.

What difference does it make if a family uses the rider swap immediately or later in the day? I really don’t see how this is a “loophole.” The ability to come back later in the day does not give the family some sort of advantage over those families with no young children.

 

[Disneyliscious]

The concept used to be, one parent rides then the other. No reason for it not to be an hour limit.

This ^

Pardon Me, but I have to ask, how much does a two-year-old really enjoy Disney? Wouldn't they and the rest of the family be much better off if they just stayed with grandma and came on the next trip? They get tired, they get cranky, slow everyone else down to what's the point?

My entire life, nearly 30 years of which have been visiting Disney off and on, I left my kids home with grandma and grandpa. I never regretted it and my vacations were so much more enjoyable because I didn't take a tired, cranky, whiney kid. My rule was that I took no one under 7 years old. Never had to push a stroller or any of that nonsense while in the parks. It didn't matter because they wouldn't remember it anyway. I took my boys when they were 10+ and we had a great time, every time.

And then I got a grandchild. And everything changed for me.

My granddaughter will be just shy of 3 when we go this time. I don't mind pushing a stroller or taking her to a shaded area to let her nap or calm her down while her parents enjoy the rides. In fact, she will have a 6 week old brother then too (and he will be going with us). I don't mind lugging the car seat, stroller, bags, etc on the plane. The thought of all that doesn't bother me in the slightest even though I'd have stayed home before I did that with mine when they were little.

My moment of change was when someone once told me...."It's not about what they will or won't remember. It's about what YOU will remember." These are memories I want to have with my granddaughter. I don't care that she won't remember it. Because I will

 

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

Pardon Me, but I have to ask, how much does a two-year-old really enjoy Disney? Wouldn't they and the rest of the family be much better off if they just stayed with grandma and came on the next trip? They get tired, they get cranky, slow everyone else down to what's the point?

I used to ask myself those same questions until we brought our DS when he was two. I can only speak for my family, but our DS absolutely had a blast at WDW. The video footage of his interactions with characters is something we cherish and treat like a family heirloom. Talking Mickey (may God rest his soul ) was THE highlight of his first trip. For him to see, meet, and talk with his favorite character from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (in real life!) was something he enjoyed very much.

Mad Tea party had him smiling ear to ear. Once shown how, he immediately took over the controls on Dumbo, Magic Carpets, and Triceratops Spin and played “pilot”.

And our family photos just wouldn’t be the same if he wasn’t in them.

I do find truth in one point you made. Babies and toddlers do tend to slow down the rest of the family considerably, but the reward far outweighs the cost.

 

[DizneyMommy]

Pardon Me, but I have to ask, how much does a two-year-old really enjoy Disney? Wouldn't they and the rest of the family be much better off if they just stayed with grandma and came on the next trip? They get tired, they get cranky, slow everyone else down to what's the point?

Ummmm, it’s a FAMILY vacation? The point is to spend time as a FAMILY. We are AP’s at DL, my kids have been going since they were 2 months old. Because I wanted to go, or older siblings wanted to go. They aren’t a burden, they are my kids. And I love seeing DL and WDW through their eyes. And my 2 year old is obsessed with Minnie right now and she absolutely loves going to Disney. We tour differently when we have a toddler. Because we want everyone to enjoy their trip, including her.

Do you even have kids?

 

[amcc]

Pardon Me, but I have to ask, how much does a two-year-old really enjoy Disney? Wouldn't they and the rest of the family be much better off if they just stayed with grandma and came on the next trip? They get tired, they get cranky, slow everyone else down to what's the point?

It’s a theme park based on fairy tales and cartoon characters. Your same question can be posed about adults.

 

[FrankieWinthrop]

Pardon Me, but I have to ask, how much does a two-year-old really enjoy Disney? Wouldn't they and the rest of the family be much better off if they just stayed with grandma and came on the next trip? They get tired, they get cranky, slow everyone else down to what's the point?

I agree with the grandma above - it's what YOU remember. I took DD when she was 2 and having Anna ask if her name wasn't "Ahh-nabelle" instead of "Anabelle" was priceless! She called herself "Ahh-nabelle" for the rest of the trip. She made a cast member cry by singing Do You Wanna Build a Snowman for Anna, too. And seeing her see the parade!? It's worth every moment of changing diapers and pushing the stroller. We're back at the end of the week with DD (now 4) and her 2 year old brother. He's been a couple of times since we did APs this year and he already has big plans of riding Dumbo and the Teacups! And I don't think strollers are a pain at all (but that's just my opinion).

As far as rider switch goes, I'm glad it's same old same old for this trip, but I am curious what will happen for our final AP trip in September.

 

[Fantasia79]

Pardon Me, but I have to ask, how much does a two-year-old really enjoy Disney? Wouldn't they and the rest of the family be much better off if they just stayed with grandma and came on the next trip? They get tired, they get cranky, slow everyone else down to what's the point?

One of those things that changed for me with a kid. Brought my daughter when she was 2.2. Incredible trip. We all cried when she kissed Minnie on the nose. Loosing her mind over princesses & characters, eating fries on the monorail with her eyes closed (to hide from strangers). Just to name a few. Now, it’s difficult to take her many other places because there just isn’t as much for her to enjoy (we still take her other places too).

My plan was to take her after diapers, then some friends convinced me it’s actually much easier with diapers & a stroller. They were right. You can’t predict what she’ll enjoy as much as you could with an older kid, but, you realize the parks are designed for kids of all ages. My buddy who took his infant kids said their eyes lit up when on dark rides because it’s something they’ve never experienced before. The exposure and stimulation really is great for them and fun. Parents still had fun too, grandparents get to spend time with kids as well.

Yea, you go back to the room more for nap and pool time. But, that was a lot of fun too. I think I appreciated and experienced the resorts much more than usual. But, different things for different families. No wrong decision or wasted opportunity. Though, not paying for her ticket when she was 2 was pretty sweet.

 

[Fantasia79]

Probably said over and over on this thread. People selling them certainly took it too far.

It’s not the end of the world or going to destroy a family trip. Like most FP’s & Reservations, CM’s do listen if something happened causing you to be a bit late. I can see it evolving again after a while on digital RS.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

Pardon Me, but I have to ask, how much does a two-year-old really enjoy Disney? Wouldn't they and the rest of the family be much better off if they just stayed with grandma and came on the next trip? They get tired, they get cranky, slow everyone else down to what's the point?

Why do we do ANYTHING with a toddler? Tired, cranky, and pokey can basically sum up their mood on a number of days, at home, at daycare at the zoo, on their birthday, at Disney, etc. I always ask people who question taking young children to Disney if they celebrate holidays with them, celebrate birthdays, take them on play dates, take them to the zoo, etc? Of course the answer is always yes. Disney isn’t any different.

I think literally anything would be easier to do without a toddler in tow. But sometimes families include toddlers in them, and you can’t really leave them home with a bowl of water and some food so off to Disney they go!

 

[rteetz]

Pardon Me, but I have to ask, how much does a two-year-old really enjoy Disney? Wouldn't they and the rest of the family be much better off if they just stayed with grandma and came on the next trip? They get tired, they get cranky, slow everyone else down to what's the point?

Well... my first Disney trip was when I was 8 months old. Do I remember it? No. Is that the point? No. My parents sure remember it and have plenty of photos of it. I will never buy the argument that people should wait until kids are older to enjoy the parks.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Probably said over and over on this thread. People selling them certainly took it too far.

It’s not the end of the world or going to destroy a family trip. Like most FP’s & Reservations, CM’s do listen if something happened causing you to be a bit late. I can see it evolving again after a while on digital RS.

This is exactly how I feel - I think them showing up eBay is the big thing Disney wants to change and also feel that despite me probably being one of the bigger "complainers" about the potential 1 hour limit it won't ruin or trip or anything - just something else we will have to adapt to and having some flexibility certainly can be helpful is all

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Pardon Me, but I have to ask, how much does a two-year-old really enjoy Disney? Wouldn't they and the rest of the family be much better off if they just stayed with grandma and came on the next trip? They get tired, they get cranky, slow everyone else down to what's the point?

take a two year old - or heck a two month old - on Small World and see their face light up and I think you'll get your answer ... not to mention when they meet Mickey or a princess. Hearing Ariel ask "who's this little guppy" at my young daughter is something we will always remember. Plus we have the photos and videos to look back on

Also, not everyone has a "grandma" they can just leave the kids with anyway.

Now, every family is different and if for you or others it works better to not take the younglings then that is great - but the original vision for Disneyland was a place the entire family can spend time with together and have fun so I don't think it is out of line to want to take all your kids there

 

[jlwhitney]

Pardon Me, but I have to ask, how much does a two-year-old really enjoy Disney? Wouldn't they and the rest of the family be much better off if they just stayed with grandma and came on the next trip? They get tired, they get cranky, slow everyone else down to what's the point?

Actually my 2 year old loves going. We went 2 months ago and he still asks to go ride certain rides. Both of mine have gone from a young age and do really well for the most part. Sure there are some rough moments but we work through them. We don't do long days, but more few hours, hotel and back (which is the same way we did things before kids..LOL )

They may not remember it all, but we sure do.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

With the amount of adult tantrums that happen at Disney, maybe we should ask kids why they take their parents.

 

[Fantasia79]

This is exactly how I feel - I think them showing up eBay is the big thing Disney wants to change and also feel that despite me probably being one of the bigger "complainers" about the potential 1 hour limit it won't ruin or trip or anything - just something else we will have to adapt to and having some flexibility certainly can be helpful is all

I had a NRJ Riser Swap we didn’t use because the line was too long for FP return last summer. Let me tell you, temptation....

Ended up being a cool bookmark (though it would be cooler if it was FOP).

 

[MrInfinity]

I can certainly see both sides of this ^ this debate. If you want to leave your baby with grandma, do so! If you want to bring her with, do so! No one's going to judge you either way on this decision as both options are perfectly good. Just don't bring her, then complain about how you can't be expected to wait with your baby. You're obviously going to have to do that -- a lot. Should plan on ways of making spending time with your baby something you're content to do and have fun with. Someone above was complaining about how RS was unworkable now because he'd have to wait around with his baby. Well... What else would you do in that half hour if not waiting there? You'd be waiting, pushing a stroller, or rocking your baby somewhere else. I do cringe when people say they can't be expected to wait in line at a theme park because their toddler would get cranky. ROFL. That's most kids. And even more parents. No one is entitled to skip a line because you're impatient. (Not referring to disabilities here for which there are accommodations -- just regular impatience and crankiness of kids -- and adults)

 

[DizneyMommy]

With the amount of adult tantrums that happen at Disney, maybe we should ask kids why they take their parents.

You just won this post.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

I can certainly see both sides of this ^ this debate. If you want to leave your baby with grandma, do so! If you want to bring her with, do so! No one's going to judge you either way on this decision as both options are perfectly good. Just don't bring her, then complain about how you can't be expected to wait with your baby. You're obviously going to have to do that -- a lot. Should plan on ways of making spending time with your baby something you're content to do and have fun with. Someone above was complaining about how RS was unworkable now because he'd have to wait around with his baby. Well... What else would you do in that half hour if not waiting there? You'd be waiting, pushing a stroller, or rocking your baby somewhere else. I do cringe when people say they can't be expected to wait in line at a theme park because their toddler would get cranky. ROFL. That's most kids. And honestly, even more parents. No one is entitled to skip a line because you're impatient. (Not referring to disabilities here for which there are accommodations -- just regular impatience and crankiness of kids -- and adults)

Nobody has said anything about being entitled not to wait, or getting angry they needed to wait.