EPCOT FP+ with little kids

[mdubm]

We will be driving into town the morning of our first day at Epcot (2.5 hour drive). It will be me, hubby, 4 yo daughter, and 14 month old son. My plan is:

FP
Frozen (me + kids) Soarin' (Hubs, then Rider Swap)
Character Spot
The Seas with Nemo

Does this seem like a good plan? My daughter is into the princesses, but we are doing lunch at Akershus. I didn't think the other rides would really appeal to them, unless someone can give me a good argument for any others.
Do we really need to get there at Rope Drop if we are going to FP Frozen and Soarin'? Not doing Test Track or MISSION:Space.

 

[jaklgreen]

You have the main ones that I would recommend getting a FP for. You don't say what time of you that you will be going but unless it is the super busy time of year, you should be able to do what you want during your time there. I recommend Living with the Land. It is in the same building as Soarin and my kids have loved it since they were little.

 

[DryerLintFan]

It's my understanding that everyone involved in a FP+ rider swap has to have a fast pass for that ride, but I could be wrong.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

It's my understanding that everyone involved in a FP+ rider swap has to have a fast pass for that ride, but I could be wrong.

If everyone has a FP for a particular ride, then there's really no need for a rider swap. Rider swap and FP are separate, except that the people using the pass use the FP line as a way to speed boarding. First group rides (FP or standby), second group uses the rider swap pass to go through the FP line.

 

[DryerLintFan]

If everyone has a FP for a particular ride, then there's really no need for a rider swap. Rider swap and FP are separate, except that the people using the pass use the FP line as a way to speed boarding. First group rides (FP or standby), second group uses the rider swap pass to go through the FP line.

From everything I've read, you don't get a rider swap ticket until you get to the front of the FP queue, which means everyone needs a FP+ to get to that area. Then one party rides while the other waits with the kid, they switch out and the other rides while the first one waits with the kid.

If only one adult needs a FP+ but both adults can essentially FP the ride with rider swap, that might change my touring plans!!

 

[Cosmic Commando]

From everything I've read, you don't get a rider swap ticket until you get to the front of the FP queue, which means everyone needs a FP+ to get to that area. Then one party rides while the other waits with the kid, they switch out and the other rides while the first one waits with the kid.

If only one adult needs a FP+ but both adults can essentially FP the ride with rider swap, that might change my touring plans!!

Everything happens at the entrance to the queue. You tell the cast member you want to do rider switch, you show them who won't be riding, and then they give the pass to the first group as they get in line. I haven't heard about any changes, and this is how it worked when I last did it in fall of 2015. You essentially get extra fastpasses, if you schedule things properly.

 

[popcenturylover]

Everything happens at the entrance to the queue. You tell the cast member you want to do rider switch, you show them who won't be riding, and then they give the pass to the first group as they get in line. I haven't heard about any changes, and this is how it worked when I last did it in fall of 2015. You essentially get extra fastpasses, if you schedule things properly.

This^ is exactly how it works. We were there last month & it hasn't changed.

 

[DryerLintFan]

This is amazing!! Thank you guys!!

 

[Patcheslee]

Everything happens at the entrance to the queue. You tell the cast member you want to do rider switch, you show them who won't be riding, and then they give the pass to the first group as they get in line. I haven't heard about any changes, and this is how it worked when I last did it in fall of 2015. You essentially get extra fastpasses, if you schedule things properly.

If theory does that mean if there are 2 adults that want to ride, and have to swap, meaning being single rider in our case, can we can grab a couple random ppl to join us?

 

[Cosmic Commando]

If theory does that mean if there are 2 adults that want to ride, and have to swap, meaning being single rider in our case, can we can grab a couple random ppl to join us?

The Disney website says that the rider swap pass is good for two people, but my memory says the actual pass said for the holder AND two people. Yeah, you could grab someone else to take with you. At the very worst, two people can ride on the pass, but I remember three.

Say you have a husband, wife, and baby. Husband gets fastpasses for rides 1,2, and 3. Whole group goes to the queue entrances of those rides when the husband uses those fastpasses, gets the rider swap passes, and the wife can ride those rides at her leisure. Wife has fastpasses for rides 4, 5, and 6. Same deal with roles reversed. If they have other people traveling with them, those people can take turns riding with the person that has the rider swap pass.

 

[popcenturylover]

The Disney website says that the rider swap pass is good for two people, but my memory says the actual pass said for the holder AND two people. Yeah, you could grab someone else to take with you. At the very worst, two people can ride on the pass, but I remember three.

Say you have a husband, wife, and baby. Husband gets fastpasses for rides 1,2, and 3. Whole group goes to the queue entrances of those rides when the husband uses those fastpasses, gets the rider swap passes, and the wife can ride those rides at her leisure. Wife has fastpasses for rides 4, 5, and 6. Same deal with roles reversed. If they have other people traveling with them, those people can take turns riding with the person that has the rider swap pass.

Yeah, it's for the rider & two others. The rider swap passes are usually good all week. So, if you are going back to the same park later in the week you can use it then. If you don't want to use it that day.

 

[PrincessJulia1207]

I didn't think the other rides would really appeal to them, unless someone can give me a good argument for any others.
Do we really need to get there at Rope Drop if we are going to FP Frozen and Soarin'? Not doing Test Track or MISSION:Space.

Soarin' is the MEGA-ticket attraction (other than Frozen) and usually sees 60+ minute waits. It's awful that they have Frozen, Soarin, and Test Track in the same FP+ category

Also great for young kids: Journey into Imagination with Figment (almost like a "Barney" ripoff haha--they sing about using the senses with your imagination), Turtle Talk with Crush (a Finding Nemo/Dory interactive show), Disney and Pixar Shorts in 3-D, Gran Fiesta Tour Ride in the Aztec Temple in Mexico (based on the Donald Duck movie The Three Caballeros). They usually have fairly short wait times (I'd say max 20-30 mins, and thats usually only the case for "Figment")

And for your daughter: Belle, Snow White, Jasmine, Mulan, Aurora meet in various spots in the World Showcase (as well as Alice and Mary Poppins); arrive at these meet and greet spots early, and their schedules are difficult to plan around with one another so prioritize if you plan to visit them! (Mulan, for example, is less likely to appear at Akershus) Joy and Sadness, Baymax, and Daisy meet in Future World. Anna and Elsa meet all day in Norway, and they've been doing a good job of keeping wait times low with these Meet-and-Greet using "Disney Magic"; last month I went at night to their M&G spot after my dinner reservation and the wait was less than 10 mins (I'm not sure if that's a norm or if I got lucky, but based on my experience, nighttime was a better time to drop by). I don't believe Anna and Elsa appear at Askerhus.

My argument for bringing them on more rides: your 18-month-old is reaching the height of his language development--exposure to words from repetitive ride audio will help! haha