Rider switch - response from Disney re:Fastpass+

[Tink_83]

I wanted to post the response I got from Disney regarding rider swap and Fastpass+. This is simply to provide additional information to families planning their Fastpass+ selections. I’m not trying to get into a debate on the issue. I hope this information helps others with planning, I know it helps me...

Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World® Resort!

Rider Switch is available at select attractions at all four Walt Disney World® Resort Theme Parks. With Rider Switch, if a child does not meet the height requirement or a Guest does not wish to board a particular attraction, one adult can wait with the non-rider (or riders) while the rest of the party enjoys the attraction. When the other adult returns, they can supervise the non-riding Guests, and the waiting adult can board the attraction without having to wait in the regular line again! Upon arrival at the participating attraction, please speak to the Attraction Host or Hostess for assistance.

Please note, that each Guest wishing to use Rider Switch through the FastPass+ line must have a FastPass+ selection otherwise they would not be eligible to have been in the line for a Rider Switch. You may be pleased to know that typically it is not needed to use Rider Switch when you have a FastPass+, as you have an hour to redeem a selection.

For additional information and list of attractions, please visit, Rider Switch. Please note, attractions are subject to change without notice.

If you have any other questions or challenges, please do not hesitate to contact us by calling us at 407-W-DISNEY (407-934-7639) or by chatting with us in the Help Center of the Walt Disney World® website. Cast Members will be happy to assist you further.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

 

[jenPSU]

Thanks for posting this. It says the waiting adult can ride without waiting in the line again ... I thought up to three could ride with the rider switch? Does this imply that they ride alone?

 

[Tink_83]

Thanks for posting this. It says the waiting adult can ride without waiting in the line again ... I thought up to three could ride with the rider switch? Does this imply that they ride alone?

I don’t think so because they link to the official rider swap page that states you get one plus 2 can go with you if you wait alone. I do think it implies that at a minimum the one getting the swap has to also have a Fastpass. Which could impact people if they have already booked fastpass and assumed the waiting adult doesn’t need it.

 

[wendlle]

THanks for the info. Very helpful.
My question is, we are a party of 4, 2 Adults and 1 3yo and 1 10month old. We are going to be using the rider swap a little bit for rides that the baby can't go on. So we will all get FP for those rides. The only ride that 3yo won't go on is FOP. Now my question is do we still get FP for all 3 of us? Even though she isn't riding? Because if we don't wont that mess up our FP for the rest of the day? It will say she has one when we don't.
I'm really confused about this.

 

[Tink_83]

THanks for the info. Very helpful.
My question is, we are a party of 4, 2 Adults and 1 3yo and 1 10month old. We are going to be using the rider swap a little bit for rides that the baby can't go on. So we will all get FP for those rides. The only ride that 3yo won't go on is FOP. Now my question is do we still get FP for all 3 of us? Even though she isn't riding? Because if we don't wont that mess up our FP for the rest of the day? It will say she has one when we don't.
I'm really confused about this.

I think that if you got her a FP even if she doesn't ride you could always just have them scan it so that it shows her as having used it... Or you could just swap that FP out when you get there for what the rest of you will ride if you are trying for the 4th and 5th FP of the day.

 

[wendlle]

I think that if you got her a FP even if she doesn't ride you could always just have them scan it so that it shows her as having used it... Or you could just swap that FP out when you get there for what the rest of you will ride if you are trying for the 4th and 5th FP of the day.

Thankyou. This is exactly what we were planning to do, so good to know someone else is thinking the same thing. I think it will be easier if we all get the same FP so I'm not confused.

 

[Hank Scorpio]

I did the rider swap last week on Wednesday at Flight of Passage (which is the ride everyone said was the most troublesome). Group 1 (me, father in law, 6 year old)... non-rider, 4 year old son.... Group 2 (wife, mother in law, 6 year old again).
Group 1 had fast passes..... group 2 did not have fast passes... i repeat, no fast passes for FOP for group 2.
We went up to the line, asked for rider swap, they saw what we were trying to do and put a rider swap on each of Group 2's magic bands, including 6 year old son who still had not ridden the first time yet... no issues at all.
Group 1 went... we met group 2 in the exit gift shop and Group 2 went with no issues.
It worked exactly how it was supposed to work with no issues at all. Good luck to ya'll and hope it goes smoothly for you.

 

[Lilsia]

How frustrating to have conflicting stories. If it is Disney's official stance that everyone must have a FP, then I would not risk it. Things change daily there and I would hate to go off of some people's experience about not need a FP for everyone and then get there and they say otherwise. I would just go with the Disney policy by getting everyone a FP and not stress about it. Thanks for posting their official response. Now we all know where Disney stands on this.

 

[Tink_83]

How frustrating to have conflicting stories. If it is Disney's official stance that everyone must have a FP, then I would not risk it. Things change daily there and I would hate to go off of some people's experience about not need a FP for everyone and then get there and they say otherwise. I would just go with the Disney policy by getting everyone a FP and not stress about it. Thanks for posting their official response. Now we all know where Disney stands on this.

I think some CMs are allowing people to do it and then clearly others are not... I personally will just be following the policy, in part because making separate FP for the family is more planning then I really want to attempt.

I’d be interested to see if others ask do we all get the same or different responses. I also would prefer if Disney just updated their website to clearly explain the FP policy with rider swap... oh well, I’m not sure if that will happen anytime soon...

 

[mobie]

I did the rider swap last week on Wednesday at Flight of Passage (which is the ride everyone said was the most troublesome). Group 1 (me, father in law, 6 year old)... non-rider, 4 year old son.... Group 2 (wife, mother in law, 6 year old again).
Group 1 had fast passes..... group 2 did not have fast passes... i repeat, no fast passes for FOP for group 2.
We went up to the line, asked for rider swap, they saw what we were trying to do and put a rider swap on each of Group 2's magic bands, including 6 year old son who still had not ridden the first time yet... no issues at all.
Group 1 went... we met group 2 in the exit gift shop and Group 2 went with no issues.
It worked exactly how it was supposed to work with no issues at all. Good luck to ya'll and hope it goes smoothly for you.

We had the same experience today with both Everest and FOP. I was nervous bc we booked our FPs before I heard about the new policy of both adults needing them for rider swap. We had no issues. In fact with both rides I asked what my time restriction was for using the rider swap FP and I was told I had until park close.

 

[Tink_83]

Another thing to keep in mind - an email from Disney does not necessarily qualify as policy... it’s not like they have the explanation on the website... again I posted because there have been conflicting posts from people regarding how it worked for them and since I wasn’t able to find an answer on the website I thought I’d ask...

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

I think some CMs are allowing people to do it and then clearly others are not... I personally will just be following the policy, in part because making separate FP for the family is more planning then I really want to attempt.

I’d be interested to see if others ask do we all get the same or different responses. I also would prefer if Disney just updated their website to clearly explain the FP policy with rider swap... oh well, I’m not sure if that will happen anytime soon...

If anyone cares to do a search on this forum, many of us have posted responses we've gotten from Disney, through phone calls, online chats, and emails. Some have insisted everyone needs FP, others have assured that only the first group needs them. What everyone needs to understand is the people who are answering these calls, emails, and chats are just people working in a call center, and they often don't have the slightest clue how things actually happen in the parks. You can't really take this email as "Official Policy" when others have received emails, calls, chats, etc saying the exact opposite. Frankly, it doesn't really matter what any of these emails, etc say. What matters is how it's handled at the rides.

 

[Tink_83]

If anyone cares to do a search on this forum, many of us have posted responses we've gotten from Disney, through phone calls, online chats, and emails. Some have insisted everyone needs FP, others have assured that only the first group needs them. What everyone needs to understand is the people who are answering these calls, emails, and chats are just people working in a call center, and they often don't have the slightest clue how things actually happen in the parks. You can't really take this email as "Official Policy" when others have received emails, calls, chats, etc saying the exact opposite. Frankly, it doesn't really matter what any of these emails, etc say. What matters is how it's handled at the rides.

Agreed. The issue seems to be that it is handled differently at the rides... or at least that is what some people seem to be reporting.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

Agreed. The issue seems to be that it is handled differently at the rides... or at least that is what some people seem to be reporting.

Right. I try to pay attention to actual accounts of people who either didn't have FP for Group 2 and received rider swap without a problem or who were denied a rider swap because group 2 didn't have FP. So many people post that they were asked if they had them, or told they needed them, but those people always seem to have FP for everyone anyway, so it really doesn't indicate what would happen if Group 2 didn't have FP. Those who don't have FP for everyone always seem to report that they had no problem receiving rider swap, and on here at least, it doesn't seem that anyone has actually been denied rider swap due to Group 2 not having FP.

 

[Tink_83]

Right. I try to pay attention to actual accounts of people who either didn't have FP for Group 2 and received rider swap without a problem or who were denied a rider swap because group 2 didn't have FP. So many people post that they were asked if they had them, or told they needed them, but those people always seem to have FP for everyone anyway, so it really doesn't indicate what would happen if Group 2 didn't have FP. Those who don't have FP for everyone always seem to report that they had no problem receiving rider swap, and on here at least, it doesn't seem that anyone has actually been denied rider swap due to Group 2 not having FP.

Ok. I thought there were reports of some who were denied... but maybe I was mistaken. Clearly on this thread we have 2 reports of families with group 1 with a FP and group 2 without using rider swap without an issue. Which says a lot about how CMs were handling the situation recently. I’ll keep that in mind as I plan FP for my group (3 riders and a under 3, so I’m not sure it helps us that much anyway). I do appreciate the first hand accounts!

 

[chris1212]

We were just there in January and had no issues getting RS for the second group without them having FP's. The CM just asked if Group 1 had a FP so they knew how to set the return time on the RS. We used RS on almost every ride with a height restriction without a problem!

 

[Disneylovingmomof2]

I’ve read so many of these posts and I feel more confused every time...we were just there in January and used rider swap because I have a toddler. I booked FPs for the rest of us. When we went up to get the swap they would put an extra 30-60 minute window on my daughter’s band because she was the one riding twice. They always asked if we had FPs or were riding standby but I never understood why we’d be up there getting the swap if we were doing standby???
I’m also very confused about why groups doing rider swaps should get double the FPs which is what sounds like is happening? The one poster on here said only half the group had FOP FP - that means he could book that way for every ride and technically get six instead of three? How is that ok?

 

[Brian4891]

I will be there next week and have been monitoring this issue for months now. The vast majority of reports confirm what people in this thread are saying, that Group 2 does not need a FP. I agree it would be nice if the policy was black and white on the website, but I think it is safe for people to assume this is how it will work when planning their FPs. I hope my experience next week is in line with what others have posted here, as I booked FPs assuming Group 2 would not need them.

With some planning, it is true that a group can make this system work to double their FPs. I understand that people feel like that is unfair, and I can't really argue with that point. However, as long as this is how it works, I'm not going to ignore an opportunity to make my trip a little easier.

Rider swap really makes a lot more sense as it applies to the standby line. If Group 1 is waiting in the standby line, then Group 2 should not have to also wait in the standby line after they just waited for Group 1 to finish. I think everyone can agree on that, and I bet that is how the idea for rider swap originally started out. Rider swaps don't really make that much sense when the whole group has a FP since group 2 can already get in the FP line anyway. Really the only benefit to using rider swap when everyone has a FP is that someone in Group 1 gets to go a second time.

 

[Disneylovingmomof2]

I will be there next week and have been monitoring this issue for months now. The vast majority of reports confirm what people in this thread are saying, that Group 2 does not need a FP. I agree it would be nice if the policy was black and white on the website, but I think it is safe for people to assume this is how it will work when planning their FPs. I hope my experience next week is in line with what others have posted here, as I booked FPs assuming Group 2 would not need them.

With some planning, it is true that a group can make this system work to double their FPs. I understand that people feel like that is unfair, and I can't really argue with that point. However, as long as this is how it works, I'm not going to ignore an opportunity to make my trip a little easier.

Rider swap really makes a lot more sense as it applies to the standby line. If Group 1 is waiting in the standby line, then Group 2 should not have to also wait in the standby line after they just waited for Group 1 to finish. I think everyone can agree on that, and I bet that is how the idea for rider swap originally started out. Rider swaps don't really make that much sense when the whole group has a FP since group 2 can already get in the FP line anyway. Really the only benefit to using rider swap when everyone has a FP is that someone in Group 1 gets to go a second time.

I’ve never thought about it from the perspective of it only really has a benefit if you ride standby - meaning that for group 2 they get to go in the FP line? The benefit to me was always that I get to ride with my daughter (FP line) then DH gets to go back on with her (FP line again). Neither of us have to ride alone, DD gets to ride twice and we don’t have to wait however long in a standby line are the benefits.
The way it’s sounding is I shouldn’t be getting a FP for DH from now on, since Disney is not requiring it. This means I can get him a FP for something else and he still gets to go on the ride we are swapping for (FOP, any roller coasters, etc). This means that technically he is getting two for one as far as FPs go, which I don’t think is right but if that is what’s being allowed then I suppose I should reframe my thinking on this.

 

[sponica]

I will be there next week and have been monitoring this issue for months now. The vast majority of reports confirm what people in this thread are saying, that Group 2 does not need a FP. I agree it would be nice if the policy was black and white on the website, but I think it is safe for people to assume this is how it will work when planning their FPs. I hope my experience next week is in line with what others have posted here, as I booked FPs assuming Group 2 would not need them.

With some planning, it is true that a group can make this system work to double their FPs. I understand that people feel like that is unfair, and I can't really argue with that point. However, as long as this is how it works, I'm not going to ignore an opportunity to make my trip a little easier.

Rider swap really makes a lot more sense as it applies to the standby line. If Group 1 is waiting in the standby line, then Group 2 should not have to also wait in the standby line after they just waited for Group 1 to finish. I think everyone can agree on that, and I bet that is how the idea for rider swap originally started out. Rider swaps don't really make that much sense when the whole group has a FP since group 2 can already get in the FP line anyway. Really the only benefit to using rider swap when everyone has a FP is that someone in Group 1 gets to go a second time.

I think next time around, I'm just staggering the FP times on our party. This time around, we had a designated non rider. I'm not sure if that will be the case the next time around. And since my daughter may not want to ride once, let alone twice, overlapping FPs seems like a better idea.