Parent swap changes...

[larryz]

But they don't know what they're missing. Even with this change, it's only one less kid per family, that participates in parent swap, that gets to ride. I don't think it's going to change your experience much.

That makes it OK?

 

[MinnieWaffles]

But they don't know what they're missing. Even with this change, it's only one less kid per family, that participates in parent swap, that gets to ride. I don't think it's going to change your experience much.

What's one more kid riding twice with rider swap? What's one more guest going to the front of the line with the GAC? What's one more guest pushing in front of me at Cosmic Ray's? What's one more guest cutting in line in the toilets? What's one more guest pushing a double-decker bus sized pushchair through Magic Kingdom? What's one more guest starting a punch up in Fantasyland? What's one more guest punching Mickey in the face? It's a slippery slope.

Eventually one more is the tipping point on a huge problem, and this is why Disney changes policies.

 

[mgf]

Which was never the point of the system in the first place. As a poster above showed, the language describing rider switch says the second parent or guardian is supposed to board with others who did not ride previously.

You view this change as tacky, which it may be from a timing perspective with paid Fast Passes on the horizon, but I personally find not observing basic line etiquette to be tacky. True, it is generally no skin off my nose when it happens, and I’m certainly not going to confront someone over it, but you are prioritizing your time and experiences over those of others when you do it. Allowed by Disney or not, I think it’s inconsiderate, even if it’s mild and falls under the “tolerably inconsiderate and totally understandable from a parent’s perspective of wanting more for their child” category. Still, you’re inflating the wait time of others and may be making them late for a reservation or reducing the total number of rides they can visit in a day. Minor inconveniences to them in the grand scheme of things, but inconveniences nonetheless that I would personally avoid by abiding by the spirit of this rule rather than taking advantage of it in the way that most benefits me personally.

It is fine if you don’t care the policy is changing (potentially) but the letter of the policy *right now* allows the waiting parent to bring two guests. Let’s at least be honest about what is currently allowed by the literal letter of the policy before claiming the behavior is inconsiderate.

 

[mgf]

While that depiction of a “first-time” experience sounds nice, one parent already has to miss that magical moment. The bonus ride is just that, a bonus.

I have a feeling many of the people complaining have experienced these attractions multiple times anyway - they just enjoyed getting two rides for the wait of one.

Well, I hope you’re never concerned about the loss of a “bonus” benefit because you’ve already been to Disney more than once.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Well, I hope you’re never concerned about the loss of a “bonus” benefit because you’ve already been to Disney more than once.

As I've noted multiple times in this thread, been there, done that, got over it.

My "bonus" benefit long gone was being able to use FP any time through park close. I took great advantage of this when allowed, but I can't argue that FP/FP+ became more efficient once Disney closed the loophole, particularly in the evening hours.

 

[James Alucobond]

It is fine if you don’t care the policy is changing (potentially) but the letter of the policy *right now* allows the waiting parent to bring two guests. Let’s at least be honest about what is currently allowed by the literal letter of the policy before claiming the behavior is inconsiderate.

I can legally do many things that are inconsiderate, and I don't need Disney to tell me that sending my children to the front of the line a second consecutive time for their benefit at the expense of the time of others isn't the most considerate behavior. Again, their written policy states that you can bring up to two riders who didn't ride previously along with you as the swapped-in guardian. The fact that Disney did not bother to enforce this operationally and that it was apparently an open secret that you could use this to double-up on rides does not mean that you cannot be judged based on basic social norms.

And I realize that sounds dramatic; I don't mean to say that people who were doing this are bad people or that they were doing significant harm. They were trying to get the maximum benefit they could out of an expensive trip, and the way Disney handles this in the parks allows them to extract additional value by exploiting this system in a specific way. I'm just kind of shocked by how many people think cutting to the front of the line is an intended entitlement and that, because Disney doesn't actively do anything about it, it's okay to abandon the etiquette we use literally everywhere else that we stand in line in our daily lives.

 

[Homer fan]

I can legally do many things that are inconsiderate, and I don't need Disney to tell me that sending my children to the front of the line a second consecutive time for their benefit at the expense of the time of others isn't the most considerate behavior. Again, their written policy states that you can bring up to two riders who didn't ride previously along with you as the swapped-in guardian. The fact that Disney did not bother to enforce this operationally and that it was apparently an open secret that you could use this to double-up on rides does not mean that you cannot be judged based on basic social norms.

And I realize that sounds dramatic; I don't mean to say that people who were doing this are bad people or that they were doing significant harm. They were trying to get the maximum benefit they could out of an expensive trip, and the way Disney handles this in the parks allows them to extract additional value by exploiting this system in a specific way. I'm just kind of shocked by how many people think cutting to the front of the line is an intended entitlement and that, because Disney doesn't actively do anything about it, it's okay to abandon the etiquette we use literally everywhere else that we stand in line in our daily lives.

Yes, but I, and I bet most, didn't know the parent swap pass was only intended for people who didn't ride the first time. How would you know? No one tells you and it's not like anyone looks up the policy before going to the parks. So you get the pass, see you can bring 2 additional people and you take your kids again. It's not like you didn't wait in line already and if the third kid was tall enough, the people behind me in line would've waited longer anyway.

Some of you are overly dramatic about this.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

Or like the TTA as an attraction itself. Used to be a hidden gem you could always walk on, then it became a hit with the influencer crowd, started garnering consistent 25-30 minute waits, and eventually broke down for what felt like forever. Ironic that it became a victim of its own success.

That said, at least MK still has a PeopleMover. Poor DL...

what does TTA stand for?

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Yes, but I, and I bet most, didn't know the parent swap pass was only intended for people who didn't ride the first time. How would you know? No one tells you and it's not like anyone looks up the policy before going to the parks. So you get the pass, see you can bring 2 additional people and you take your kids again. It's not like you didn't wait in line already and if the third kid was tall enough, the people behind me in line would've waited longer anyway.

Some of you are overly dramatic about this.

For those of you who could take advantage, I’m glad you got some extra magic out of it while you did, but Disney never owed your group more rides than the number of people in your party.

Back in my day (that’s a new one for me), I was scared to try basically all WDW’s thrill rides after a traumatizing log flume ride elsewhere (way more intense than Splash - really warped my expectations as a seven-year-old). When I didn’t want to ride, I waited by the attraction exit while my party rode. Not ideal or recommended, but it’s what we did.

This other solution Disney offers is a courtesy, and for years they’ve been extra generous about it. It’s time to just accept it as a regular courtesy that makes the experience smoother for everyone else.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

what does TTA stand for?

Tomorrowland Transit Authority (aka the PeopleMover).

To me it’ll always be the attraction you just walk right on when you’re tired of standing - I can’t believe the waits it can generate now.

 

[James Alucobond]

Yes, but I, and I bet most, didn't know the parent swap pass was only intended for people who didn't ride the first time. How would you know? No one tells you and it's not like anyone looks up the policy before going to the parks.

How does someone know the perk exists in the first place without looking up the policy before going to the parks, word of mouth aside? I agree that much of the fault lies with the way this is enforced in the parks and perhaps with what CMs are telling folks, but I would definitely feel like I was getting away with something if I were somehow able to double-up on rides and would not be in the least bit surprised if rules were eventually tightened to stop it from happening because I would understand implicitly that it was unfair to others.

Some of you are overly dramatic about this.

I'm self-aware enough to know that some of the examples I put forth come off as dramatic, but my surprise here is mostly with the implication in the initial article that this was an intended "magical benefit" when it wasn't very magical to begin with for the majority of people whose wait times were extended. I bear you no ill will for using this benefit as you did, but I find it difficult to fathom that anyone would be surprised that Disney would change up their enforcement regardless of their potentially questionable motives re: FastPass Premier Access.

 

[Missing20K]

Heaven forbid a parent or *gasp* a grandparent waiter in a family of three or greater children want to get to ride with more than a single child.

Presciently “More relevant”

Unbelievably “More timeless”

Heaping gobs of “More Disney”

A giant, GotG sized box of “More family”

 

[Tom Morrow]

This will most likely be one of those things where the CM doesn't want to deal with the arguments and just says fine, whatever, you can bring two people with you.

 

[Demarke]

I may be misreading the situation, but part of the argument against the change keeps seeming to be that it’s unfair that the waiting parent or grandparent can’t ride the ride later with all the kids, almost as if that was going to be the only ride that the family could do for the entire vacation. Just rotate who waits for the rides with height requirements, there are plenty of rides with Photopass so that each parent can get a picture with their taller children and, even better, many rides and shows that are small-child friendly that an entire family can ride together. It’s not the end of the world if one parent rides with the kids on 7DMT and Splash Mountain, while the other rides with the kids on Space Mountain and BTMRR, then everybody can go ride PotC together and get their picture, and Jungle Cruise together, and Small World, etc…

Like the others, I don’t begrudge anyone for maximizing their rides within the rules as they were. But it seems like the kind of rule I would use thinking “I can’t believe our luck that the kids get to go through every highest demand ride a second time all trip long, skipping past everyone else waiting!” and be sad that the loophole closes, but not surprised or angry.

As an analogy, when I go back soon, my gf will still be in a walking boot post-ankle surgery (and may or may not need a wheelchair), but won’t be able to stand for extended periods. If DAS still allowed front of line access like they used to, I’m sure we would have used it to our advantage, but I can’t reasonably make an argument that the current “return after waiting” system isn’t more fair to everyone.

 

[James Alucobond]

Heaven forbid a parent or *gasp* a grandparent waiter in a family of three or greater children want to get to ride with more than a single child.

Presciently “More relevant”

Unbelievably “More timeless”

Heaping gobs of “More Disney”

A giant, GotG sized box of “More family”

Nothing is stopping them from riding with one another. Get in the queue again like literally everyone else has ever done since the dawn of lines, or ride together on the next ride. Again, the implication that the magic of Disney is evaporating because children in certain families can no longer ride twice in a row without waiting their turn is ridiculous. Please pick a different topic (or a different part of this conversation, e.g. the FastPass portion) for your barbs if you want anyone but the most cynical of the cynical to take them seriously.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Yes, but I, and I bet most, didn't know the parent swap pass was only intended for people who didn't ride the first time. How would you know? No one tells you and it's not like anyone looks up the policy before going to the parks. So you get the pass, see you can bring 2 additional people and you take your kids again. It's not like you didn't wait in line already and if the third kid was tall enough, the people behind me in line would've waited longer anyway.

Some of you are overly dramatic about this.

Whenever I have been with a group using Child Swap, when it was time to scan tickets the Cast Members always said “Let’s start with the kids who will be re-riding.”

 

[James Alucobond]

Whenever I have been with a group using Child Swap, when it was time to scan tickets the Cast Members always said “Let’s start with the kids who will be re-riding.”

They have never said this to us, but I admittedly only go every few years.

 

[Homer fan]

How does someone know the perk exists in the first place without looking up the policy before going to the parks, word of mouth aside? I agree that much of the fault lies with the way this is enforced in the parks and perhaps with what CMs are telling folks, but I would definitely feel like I was getting away with something if I were somehow able to double-up on rides and would not be in the least bit surprised if rules were eventually tightened to stop it from happening because I would understand implicitly that it was unfair to others.


I'm self-aware enough to know that some of the examples I put forth come off as dramatic, but my surprise here is mostly with the implication in the initial article that this was an intended "magical benefit" when it wasn't very magical to begin with for the majority of people whose wait times were extended. I bear you no ill will for using this benefit as you did, but I find it difficult to fathom that anyone would be surprised that Disney would change up their enforcement regardless of their potentially questionable motives re: FastPass Premier Access.

I heard about it through a friend initially and the first time I used it, I went on Tower of Terorr by myself, thinking the kids couldn't go again. I thought it was unfortunate I had to go by myself and not experience it with my kids. The next time I used it at FOP, I asked the cast member of my son could come with me and he said yes, you can take 2 additional people with you. From then on, I did. It wasn't like I got home and researched the policy, I just assumed I could take 2 with me after my wife got off the ride with my older kids.

 

[James Alucobond]

I heard about it through a friend initially and the first time I used it, I went on Tower of Terorr by myself, thinking the kids couldn't go again. I thought it was unfortunate I had to go by myself and not experience it with my kids. The next time I used it at FOP, I asked the cast member of my son could come with me and he said yes, you can take 2 additional people with you. From then on, I did. It wasn't like I got home and researched the policy, I just assumed I could take 2 with me after my wife got off the ride with my older kids.

Which makes sense. Again, word of mouth, cast members apparently causing confusion, etc. I just think your initial reaction (e.g. kids shouldn't go again without waiting) would be my default and I wouldn't be surprised or terribly disappointed if that were eventually more strictly enforced.

 

[Homer fan]

Which makes sense. Again, word of mouth, cast members apparently causing confusion, etc. I just think your initial reaction (e.g. kids shouldn't go again without waiting) would be my default and I wouldn't be surprised or terribly disappointed if that were eventually more strictly enforced.

Ya, I agree, it's fair with this limit...but we did view it as some extra magic (although I understand not every kid was able to take advantage)