Rider Switch

[MrInfinity]

I'm guessing DisMax is just trolling.

We've used baby swap a lot (pre-FP+), and every single time we've had to have the kid with us. In our experience, there's no way they just would randomly give out baby swap pass by saying "oh, the kid's with grandma".
About 25% of the time, they actually watch and make sure the first group of adults get in line (Fp or standby) right away, although they seem to be less strict with that.

Agreed. Troll. I've used RS a ton on our last 3 trips, and in every case we've been required to have the baby present, and in most cases the CM actually talks to you a bit, briefing you on how it works and feeling out that you're legit, then observes that you enter the line, and hands it to the person not entering the line. Overall I'd say it's pretty reasonably enforced to keep it effective for its intended users.

 

[mistysue]

Did the waiting parent have to scan a FP+ as well before the CM gave the RS pass, or just the parent riding first? There have been conflicting reports on this and I'd really like to know for sure what the policy is.

Not sure how that story got started that everyone needs a fp+, maybe there were confused CM's at the beginning, but it seems consistent now that they aren't requiring it.

Thanks for the clarification on what you encountered with FP+. There were numerous reports that CMs at 7DMT especially were requiring all members of a party, including the waiting parent, to scan a FP+ before they'd issue a Rider Swap pass. If this is no longer the case, or seems to be isolated to that one ride, I may split up our FP+ ressies. Now to decide if I want to go through the trouble of redoing all my reservations...

Never once did our waiting parent need a fp+. What did happen was they would scan the first parent and those riding, then gave the pass to the other parent. About half the time they waited until we got a few steps away.

Honestly, I think this idea of checking both parents happened to one or two people in June. Then everybody started saying "numerous" and people started chiming in about how they should check because everybody using riderswitch gets to scam the system too easily. I started asking right before my trip and couldn't find anybody it had happened to- just people saying "numerous reports" when I could only even find one or two people anywhere saying it happened to them.

For the record we did 7DMT with fastpasses and getting a rider swap 3 times on 3 different days. We went to switch a different fastpass time one afternoon and it popped up as an option!

 

[wn01aa]

We used rider swap a few times between 8/15 and 8/21, and never encountered the lanyards. Maybe it's just on certain rides? We used it for Star Tours, Soarin and the Mine Train. Walked up (all of us together, just in case) and asked for a rider swap. In each case, they asked which parent was going first, had them swipe their band and gave the pass to the other parent. The second parent was never asked if they had a fastpass. (that said, I'm a worrier. I always had FPs for both adults, just in case something went wonky. Honestly, the crowds were low enough last week that we didn't even need our FPs much of the time, so I wasn't worried about "wasting" them).

Agreed. I had a FP for both parents because of earlier reports that they began checking, but looks like that report was either false or just one random CM in all of Disneyworld. The 2 rides that had the lanyards were Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain. They told me it was a new way they started. I would assume it is to make sure the first party actually goes all the way to the ride boarding area to get the rider swap ticket. Otherwise, someone might get the ticket at the entrance, go in the standby line, and walk back out a minute later keeping the ticket.

 

[cakebaker]

Honestly, I think this idea of checking both parents happened to one or two people in June. Then everybody started saying "numerous" and people started chiming in about how they should check because everybody using riderswitch gets to scam the system too easily. I started asking right before my trip and couldn't find anybody it had happened to- just people saying "numerous reports" when I could only even find one or two people anywhere saying it happened to them.

I agree with this-

I tend to be a suspicious person so..... There are more than a few people who don't like the use of the rider swap much. There is an advantage you get- you can have up to 3 riders on the swap as well as not having to have a fp to get in the fp line for the second riders. Of course you get the disadvantages as well. I thought pre-baby it was a great thing and I think it even more so now that we have a little one!

But, ( and here's my cynical outlook coming this tends to make people irritated and so they're likely to quickly believe and pass on inaccurate information- Not saying it didn't ever happen, but when it did, it shouldn't have and I think it was very rare and just got blown out of proportion.

 

[DopeyDame]

Never once did our waiting parent need a fp+. What did happen was they would scan the first parent and those riding, then gave the pass to the other parent. About half the time they waited until we got a few steps away.

Honestly, I think this idea of checking both parents happened to one or two people in June. Then everybody started saying "numerous" and people started chiming in about how they should check because everybody using riderswitch gets to scam the system too easily. I started asking right before my trip and couldn't find anybody it had happened to- just people saying "numerous reports" when I could only even find one or two people anywhere saying it happened to them.

For the record we did 7DMT with fastpasses and getting a rider swap 3 times on 3 different days. We went to switch a different fastpass time one afternoon and it popped up as an option!

Awesome! The more recent reports like this have just made my day! Now I'm going to have to rethink some fast passes - I had just gotten everyone a FP for everything, just to be on the safe side.
Thank you!

 

[wilkeliza]

I agree with this-

I tend to be a suspicious person so..... There are more than a few people who don't like the use of the rider swap much. There is an advantage you get- you can have up to 3 riders on the swap as well as not having to have a fp to get in the fp line for the second riders. Of course you get the disadvantages as well. I thought pre-baby it was a great thing and I think it even more so now that we have a little one!

But, ( and here's my cynical outlook coming this tends to make people irritated and so they're likely to quickly believe and pass on inaccurate information- Not saying it didn't ever happen, but when it did, it shouldn't have and I think it was very rare and just got blown out of proportion.

When I reported the checking all fastpasses was because I saw it happen and then went to work and saw updates about it. It perhaps could have been a test of sorts since it seems like it was for a short time in June.

 

[Angel Ariel]

But, ( and here's my cynical outlook coming this tends to make people irritated and so they're likely to quickly believe and pass on inaccurate information- Not saying it didn't ever happen, but when it did, it shouldn't have and I think it was very rare and just got blown out of proportion.

I am in no way irritated by the use of RS as it has always been. I also specified that it was rare, and there are reports since that are the opposite. I'm not trying to blow anything out of proportion. As I said, I would and have used RS with one parent FPing the ride, so I certainly see.nothing wrong with it.

 

[cakebaker]

I am in no way irritated by the use of RS as it has always been. I also specified that it was rare, and there are reports since that are the opposite. I'm not trying to blow anything out of proportion. As I said, I would and have used RS with one parent FPing the ride, so I certainly see.nothing wrong with it.

I wasn't referring to you or anyone on this thread, no need to take offense.

I'm talking about the rather large number of posts I saw where people were saying you needed to have the fp+ as a matter of fact and it was based on nothing more than a couple of posts where guests had it happen. These weren't actual eye witness reports or posts from people who actually experienced it.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

Those photos were never included with the meal anywhere other than CRT and Akershus. If you got photos at 'Ohana or Tusker House, you paid for them (it was $30 or $35). The only exception was if you had Photopass Plus or Memory Maker.

But I totally agree that it's awful how they want people to plan 180 days out then keep throwing changes at people last minute. It stinks.

Yeah I had forgotten about paying when they brought the photos to your table. But I'll tell you, I do prefer them bringing them to your table. In July, we had reservations at Chef Mickey's and 'Ohana. Chef Mickey's was when the old policy is in place and we have out photo proudly displayed. Our 'Ohana reservation was the day the new policy took place and we still haven't been able to get out photos ordered due to the website crashing, running slow and timing out, etc. What a pain.

 

[BecBennett]

Sorry to flog a dead horse, but just to confirm, it is the general concensus that only the people riding first need fp+, the adult taking advantage of RS does not need it?

 

[Lavitz]

Sorry to flog a dead horse, but just to confirm, it is the general concensus that only the people riding first need fp+, the adult taking advantage of RS does not need it?

I'd say yes. Like others mentioned, I've been trying to keep up on this since it effects how I use FP+, but almost never seen someone with first hand experience of it happening to them (needing FP for rider staying behind). Almost always this has "happened" to someone else. So I'm leaning towards it being a extremely rare to almost unheard of experience, if it is even happening at all. And if it is happening it looks like it may not be a change in official policy, but more likely bad training/confused CM.

If my trip was happening tomorrow, right now I feel sure enough that I'd keep scheduling FPs for only one parent. There is a very, very small chance in my mind this could backfire, but it doesn't outweigh the extreme likelihood I can basically double the FPs for my family.

 

[Mommy2Corinne]

Awesome! The more recent reports like this have just made my day! Now I'm going to have to rethink some fast passes - I had just gotten everyone a FP for everything, just to be on the safe side.
Thank you!

It is awesome if true. But...I initially had all my FP+ set up for only 1 adult needing one. Then I read about the changes and switched everything around. Now...exactly 7 days from our trip it looks like I need to try to switch everything back. Ugh. What a PITA.

 

[Ava]

It is awesome if true. But...I initially had all my FP+ set up for only 1 adult needing one. Then I read about the changes and switched everything around. Now...exactly 7 days from our trip it looks like I need to try to switch everything back. Ugh. What a PITA.

You could just leave what you have, and if you get there and the waiting adult is not asked to scan a FP he or she could go on the app right there and change that FP to something else. The choices might be slightly more limited, but we're also heading into a less crowded time of year so FP likely won't be as crucial as it is in the crowded summer months.