Rider switch, trying to maximize our park time for the best of all in our party

[Mousefan mom]

Hello folks--

We are a family of 5 with two teens and a youngest who is very afraid of roller coasters. This is mostly an issue in MK, where the rest of the family would prefer to ride the mountains, 7D's, etc. I have heard that there is a new digital rider switch now (all of this is new to us so no idea what the "old system" was--but just asking for those of you who might not be aware of the new change), and we'd still like our youngest to get to enjoy some rides of his choosing on Fast pass as well (classic disney, etc.).

From what I understand, if we do rider switch, its best to fast pass those in our party who go on the first, and they will then give the other adult and up to two others in the party (which I would just have my two teens ride with me again, and their father the first time), a pass to come back and ride at a later time. Since our youngest does enjoy riding--just not the scary rides, I would use his/my fast pass for a ride he would enjoy. How do you do this and space it out so we don't time out on the hour window of his fast passes, not knowing when they will give us times to come back and do the rider switch? I hope that makes sense. Not trying to "game the system" I just don't want him to spend all day waiting around on us to ride thrill rides and loose out on his fast passes...Advice?

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

How tall is your youngest? If they are tall enough to ride, you will most likely not be given a rider swap. You could perform a swap at boarding so he wouldn't have to ride, but he would then need a FP if the rest of your party has them for that ride, even though he wouldn't be riding.

 

[Mousefan mom]

I don't think so. He is 9, and tall enough, but terrified of them. From what I am hearing they honor rider switch for that. It sounds like they give you a time to come back (up to 3 of you total) and the person who could not ride, can then ride with a couple others in the party--i.e. no one has to ride alone (which is very nice!). I would just split our FP's but the confusion I'm having is what happens if I am on a FP ride with the 9 year old--and our "time" comes up for me to use the rider swap with my teens? Does Rider swap last only one hour or is there flexibility? As far as I can tell--you can have only 1 rider swap at a time.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

If he's tall enough to enter the queue, they are unlikely to give you the kind of rider swap pass that you are talking about. Numerous people on here have posted about being denied rider swap for someone who was tall enough but too scared to ride. The rationale is that if you are tall enough to enter the queue, then there is no need for a rider swap as everyone is tall enough to wait in line together, regardless of whether or not everyone will end up riding.

As stated above, you can perform a swap at boarding and that's likely what they will tell you to do if you ask for a rider swap with someone who is tall enough to enter the queue. Should you decide to do that, everyone would wait in line together (and if you use FP, everyone would need them), and when you get to the boarding area, you tell a CM that you want to perform a swap there. 1 adult waits with the 9 year old while everyone else rides. Then when they return, the other adult can ride.

The rider swap that you are talking about is generally only given when a child is too short, as then they are not permitted to enter the queue. You can only have 1 at a time and they are advertised as only being valid for an hour, but there are varying reports on being able to use it beyond that time frame. Again though, I would strongly caution you against planning on getting this type of rider swap with a tall enough kid, as they generally only grant a swap at boarding in that circumstance.

 

[Mousefan mom]

That is interesting, because there is a lot of conflicting information on this. I'll call Disney and ask, but especially on You Tube, people refer to Rider switch for kids who are too short or too intimidated to ride. In fact there are several videos out there who said they all did the FP for it, and the cast members actually canceled the fast pass for those who would ride in party B (2nd riders), because it was unnecessary. We are not planning to use this for rides we would wait in que for--but for perhaps a few FP rides we plan in advance for MK only (we don't have the issue in other parks--its more 7D, and the mountains). Everything I find on the rider switch states they don't make anyone ride by themselves (just no more than 3 in the party can do the rider switch)--and I do know only one at a time.

 

[lanejudy]

That is interesting, because there is a lot of conflicting information on this.

You're right that there is a lot of conflicting information. The policy has been in flux for a bit, with some changes and tweaks, but what has been discussed here is the most current info.

Disney's website does indicate that "Rider Swap" is available for those who are unable to ride. I think what the PP is trying to get across is that there are 2 ways "Rider Swap" may be handled at WDW: 1) for those who are too short, the digital pass is utilized because the too-short non-rider is not allowed into the queue; and 2) for those who are tall enough but for whatever reason choose not to ride, they are allowed through the queue and the "swap" occurs at the boarding area. One or both of your other children may be allowed to ride again in this scenario as well, or the CM may recommend the kids split and 1 ride with data while the other rides with mom. Many families with tall-enough-but-scared kids have been denied a Rider Swap pass, even if the child has special needs and cannot do the ride for whatever reason.

Ultimately, how it is handled at a particular ride is up to the CM at that time. They may issue a digital pass, but I honestly wouldn't plan on that. Consider it pixie dust.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[Mousefan mom]

Thanks for the reply. I'll probably email them so I can have the written response on how its handled if needed. I suspect they probably make it unclear too because so many people would try to "game" the system. In our case we are just trying to make a family vacation as enjoyable as possible for all family members. No one wants to ride alone, and the little guy would still love to use some FP on Dumbo, Pan, etc. if possible (my teens will do those, but they would much prefer some space mountain, lol). They make you plan everything out, so when there are things left to chance, it does suck for that.