what is baby swap?

[kylie&haley'smom]

how does it work? does it help. It will be me,dh,dd7,dd10months. my dd will get to ride twice right? what do you when you get in line and hav a stroller?

 

[Disney1fan2002]

Most of the rides allow you just inform the CM at the entrance that you want to do a "baby swap" They give you something to indicate the baby swap. i.e a ticket stub. You will be directed to a designated area to wait. Some of the rides allow you to go in through the exit path directly to the loading area ( Test Track, Space Mountain) and others may require you to use the Fast Pass entrance ( Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror). But to answer your questions, yes, your 7 year old gets to ride twice, and no, you do not have to all stand in line. Just the first riders have to wait in line. The person with the baby just has to wait in a desiganted area for however long the 1st two riders are in line for.

 

[disneychrista]

Also, not all rides will allow this. For the most part it is just for those with Ride Restrictions. So if the "baby" is scared of the dark and doesn't want to ride HM or POTC, then you will be stuck waiting in line twice or FP (but then the second adult will have to ride alone).

 

[Disney1fan2002]

Originally posted by disneychrista
Also, not all rides will allow this. For the most part it is just for those with Ride Restrictions. So if the "baby" is scared of the dark and doesn't want to ride HM or POTC, then you will be stuck waiting in line twice or FP (but then the second adult will have to ride alone).

I am willing to bet, if asked, Disney would allow a baby swap on those two rides especially. One of the great things about Disney is, they literally go out of their way to make sure you have a pleasant vacation experience. POTC AND HM are known to frighten small children. They would understand I am sure. I cannot recall what ride it was, but my dd did NOT want to go it, whether it was because she was afraid, or just in a "mood" she was not going on. It had a pretty long line, and the rest of us really did want to go. So I approached the CM and explained my problem. Without hestitation, he pulled out a blank FP stub and wrote BS on it, and told me to wait at the exit point and then come back through the FP line with my other two kids once my DH got off with them. This was not even a ride that would scare her. It was a ride any age could go on. I wish I could recall the exact circumstance, then I could tell you what ride it was.

 

[Barb D]

There are stroller parking lots at every ride (and outside the buildings at EPCOT; you can't take strollers inside.) The CMs sometimes move the strollers around.

 

[kylie&haley'smom]

has anyone ever had a stroller stolen at wdw?

 

[Disney1fan2002]

Originally posted by kylie&haley'smom
has anyone ever had a stroller stolen at wdw?

Nope! and I have never heard of it happening either. I have such a "safe" feeling when I am at Disney, I have been known to leave my digital camera and camcorder IN the stroller while I go on the rides. And everything is just as I left them. I am not the only one either. When you get there, pay attention to the things people leave in their strollers, I have seen purse, cameras, expensive stuffed animals...Now I am sure people have had stuff 'lifted", but it is more than likely an isolated incident. Not to worry about your stroller. It will be fine!

 

[Kermit]

Yes, people have had their strollers stollen. It doesn't happen all the time, but people do post about here from time to time.

If you have a really nice stroller and want to be sure it won't be taken, take some type of lock to lock the wheels. You can't lock it to anything (due to fire laws), but if you lock 2 wheels to each other, the person taking it would have to pick it up and carry it rather than push it, so they'd take some other person's stroller instead.

Most of the time, strollers aren't actually stolen. They're just moved by CMs to make areas look neater. Be sure to look all around if your's appears to be missing.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Our first (and only so far) family trip our youngest was unable to ride almost ALL the rides, and a few that she would be able to- she didn't want to. We did the "baby swap" on almost every single ride there- and at US/IOU also. I didn't know some of them wouldn't allow a baby swap just because the child is meeting the height restriction?? First I've heard of that...

 

[pixiemomma]

I love WDW but I think they could learn from US/IOA's babyswap practices. We tried the babyswap on Test Track and the attendent wanted me (the second rider) to get in the single rider line. (which had a 1 hr wait) We tried it on Space Mountian and the attendent gave me a ticket ( fast pass ) and the person who took over for them closed the line! We didnt even bother with it after that. Of course we had fun anyway.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Test track? I thought that was the one that had the little room for us doing the baby swaps to stay in and swap and get right back on? Maybe I'm thinking of another one.... ??

Space Mountain IS the only ride I believe I remember us having to go through the fast pass line (each parent seperately with our oldest child who was the only one big enough to ride it) but fortunately the fast pass line was much faster than that- even though it was Christmas day!

 

[Disney1fan2002]

Test track? I thought that was the one that had the little room for us doing the baby swaps to stay in and swap and get right back on? Maybe I'm thinking of another one.... ??

No you are not mistaken. The baby swap area of test track has a little seating area right at the end of the exit ramp ( where you can buy pictures) when your party comes down the ramp, you and the person who is going to ride again just go up the ramp and go through a door right into the loading area. You may have to wait for the group in front of you, but the test track has one of the fastest baby swaps.

I believe Tower of Terror sends you through the FP line, as does Splash Mountain, Space Mountain has it's own baby swap waiting area, and like TT, you go back through a door to the loading area.

I am trying to remember all the rides. I have never done R&R Coaster baby swap ( DH and I rode this on our kid-free trip to Disney 2 years ago)Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain we had to go through the FP line, Alien Encounter is back through FP, but that is a show, so you are guaranteed in for the next showing.Goofy's Barnstormer, you get to wait right outside the exit gate, and the person riding stays right in the ride, and you are loaded before the regular line. In AK, the Kali River rapids has a designated baby swap area, and you get in line from that point, so a little bit of a wait. Dinasour ride has an exit return,Star Wars in Epcot has an exit return. My memory is fading, because my kids are getting bigger. 3 yo may actually hit 40 inches by November! WOHHOO...do you know how many baby swaps we get get rid of??????

 

[pixiemomma]

I WAS NOT DIRECTED TO ANY BABYSWAP AREA. I SWEAR ON A STACK OF BIBLES. THE TEST TRACK CAST MEMBER WASN'T HELPFUL AT ALL. NOT ALL OF THEM ARE A BIG BOWL OF JOLLY. AT IOA SOMEONE ACTUALLY TOOK US TO THE BABYSWAP AREAS. (NOT JUST US, I MEAN ANYONE WHO WAS DOING THE BABYSWAP THING.)

 

[Disney1fan2002]

Originally posted by pixiemomma
I WAS NOT DIRECTED TO ANY BABYSWAP AREA. I SWEAR ON A STACK OF BIBLES. THE TEST TRACK CAST MEMBER WASN'T HELPFUL AT ALL. NOT ALL OF THEM ARE A BIG BOWL OF JOLLY. AT IOA SOMEONE ACTUALLY TOOK US TO THE BABYSWAP AREAS. (NOT JUST US, I MEAN ANYONE WHO WAS DOING THE BABYSWAP THING.)

I guess maybe I have not had a probelm with each ride and it's baby swap, because I am of the personality where I NEED to know what the situation is. I refuse to be left confused. There were times when my less-than assertive husband would come back to me and say "they don't have a baby swap area, we have to wait in line" That is not acceptable to me. I am not going to stand in line for 45+ mins. in a line with small children who can't even ride. So, I go up to the CM working the line( The one with the height stick) and I tell him/her that I want to do a baby swap, but I am not going to wait in a long line with the kids, where can I wait? That is when they will tell me how to do the baby swap.

I learned this the hard way, before I knew better. Disney may not advertise it, but don't you let them tell you you HAVE to wait in line with your kids before you are shwon to the baby swap area. ALL rides with a height restriction have a baby swap. SOme of the CM's will tell you you have to all wait in line and when it gets to your turn for the ride, the show you to the baby swap. NOPE. Be assertive..ask the CM for a baby swap ticket ( it is usually a blank FP stub with BS written on it) and then ask them to direct you to the baby swap area. Explain that you do not want to wait in line with a baby who can't ride. That is just DUMB.

And, the beauty of this is, once I know where the baby swap area is, I take the younger kids on another ride ( if say my DH and son are in a 45 min + line at Test Track or something) then I come back to the waiting area. So the younger kids don't have to get bored just sitting there waiting.

I have not had a problem with any baby swaps, and maybe the reason is with some of them, I am calling the shots. We pay BIG BUCKS for my family to enter those parks, and Disney knows this, that is why if you just tell them you are not going to wait in line ...BINGO..you are shown the baby swap area and they explain how the baby swap works. Don't let them tell you, you tell them you are not going to wait in line and please direct you to the baby swap.

 

[pixiemomma]

I will be assertive. I will be assertive. This will be my mantra. You make a good point because after the vague kinda brush off I recieved I just gave up. I'll admit my fault in the situation. Since my older son will be tall enough go on most of the rides but my younger son will not (i think) I'll have good reason to t ake advantage of the babyswap. And my newfound boldness

 

[Mickeyluver37]

Disney1Fan2002-

I'm confused. You're saying you refuse to wait in a long line. Do you mean that you refuse to wait in a long line *twice*? Or do you mean that if the posted time is one hour neither you nor your dh should have to wait in the line but get right on using baby swap? If so, I'm pretty sure that's not how it's supposed to work.

 

[tebright]

I'm hoping I can utilize the baby swap concept when we go in December but maybe someone here can answer a couple of questions.

I know the baby swap is really for children who don't meet the height requirements but I have an 11 yr old autistic DS and he will no way ride TOT, RRC, MS and a few other rides that me, DH and DD want to ride. Do you think they will let me do the baby swap? I will have a GAC pass to prove that he some problems. Unfortunately if a CM looks at him, he looks completely fine except for some of his stimming behavior.

Any help from anyone with older special needs children that might have done baby swaps, please please respond.

 

[disneychrista]

From reading Disney1Fan2002 post, I understand it as that she and the child not riding should not have to stand in line waiting. Not that her entire party should not have to.

 

[BevS97]

we did the baby swap on loads of rides, including things that my dd could have ridden on but didn't want too. We generally waited in line once as a group, and then 1 parent and my dd were shown to an exit area, and we waited while the other parent rode and then we swapped.

At IOA/Universal we did find that there were a lot more designated baby swap rooms, I think maybe because it is a newer park so they can build them in, whereas MK for example is older and this is a new facility? Anyway, while we did find Universal to be better, I had no complaints at WDW.

Bev

 

[pixiemomma]

I agree that the babyswap concept/facilities at IOA/USF are better for the simple fact that it is newer. Would you say that the facilities are at least comparable between the newer rides at WDW and those at USF/IOA?