Fast Pass & Child Swap

[PurplePizza1]

My DH and I will be bringing our DD, age 6, who is not the daredevil just yet. I'm planning on us doing child swap on about half the rides she feels brave enough to stand in line for, but not brave enough to board once the time comes.

If I understand this correctly, we only need a fast pass for the first group, which would be 2 people(?). The second group (DH alone) would just swap with us once I am done riding the ride? Does that mean technically he could get a Fast Pass for a different ride, so that when we're done with this ride, we'll already have a Fast pass for a different ride.

However, since there's only 3 of us, do we all need to get Fast Passes even when we're child swapping? I've seen on some blogs that some people just get half the group Fast passes to one ride and the second group gets Fast passes to a different ride, but still get to ride just after the Fast pass first group goes because they're doing child swap. And then the first group that went first on the original ride are the waiting group going second on the next ride. Does this make sense?

I've been getting advice from everywhere, and I'm just trying to figure out what exactly we're supposed to be doing. Believe me, we won't be riding but 1-2 of the popular rides per park. Most of the time we'll be doing things that don't have a Fast pass.

 

[Pooh'sBuddy]

We almost did the child swap on RNRC. The CM explained to us that the first person had to stand in the regular line while the other parent waited with the non-riding child. When the first person was done and swapped parental unit responsibilities, the second person got the fast pass. So, if I'm understanding your scenario, yes, you could get Fastpasses for a different attraction. The CM just gives the second parent a card to use as the "fastpass."

 

[PurplePizza1]

This whole thing is confusing. Isn't there a Fast Pass line and a regular line? How would that work if only one part of your group got the Fast Pass? Wouldn't that end up with my DH in the regular line and we'd be waiting after (theoretically) I rode the ride, having gone through the Fast Pass line, for him to get done? Doesn't sound like a good plan to me. Is that how it works?

Or, since I'd have the Fast Pass and my DD, would he get a child swap ticket and get with us in the Fast Pass line? Then when I pass him DD and ride the ride and comes back, he passes me DD and rides the ride immediately? I'm terribly confused LOL.

 

[RandomPrincess]

If your DD is tall enough to ride the may not let you use Child Swap. It is generally only given out for rides that your child doesn't meet the height limits.

As for your FP question a better use would be for the one person to get a FP and go through the line while everyone waits with the CS ticket. Then the two remaining people and your daughter wait. Then have the 2 people ride using the CS ticket. This way you could be holding single FPS for multiple CS rides. Using 1 FP at each ride plus a CS.

 

[PurplePizza1]

Ohhhh. So what happens if she simply chickens out? It's just my husband and I and our daughter. So my husband and I would never be riding together without her. There'd be no one to watch her.

If she chickens out, wouldn't that be a child swap? That would be the only reason we'd ever be doing child swap -- if she chickens out. My husband and I won't be riding roller coasters or anything terribly frightening. We both have bad necks.

So what would happen if she chickens out? One of us doesn't get to ride at all??

 

[RandomPrincess]

This whole thing is confusing. Isn't there a Fast Pass line and a regular line? How would that work if only one part of your group got the Fast Pass? Wouldn't that end up with my DH in the regular line and we'd be waiting after (theoretically) I rode the ride, having gone through the Fast Pass line, for him to get done? Doesn't sound like a good plan to me. Is that how it works?

Or, since I'd have the Fast Pass and my DD, would he get a child swap ticket and get with us in the Fast Pass line? Then when I pass him DD and ride the ride and comes back, he passes me DD and rides the ride immediately? I'm terribly confused LOL.

Your DD is not allowed in the line at all with CS. One parent goes through the line FP if you have on SB is you don't and then when he returns the remaining riders get to go through the FP line with CS ticket.

 

[Pooh'sBuddy]

You go up to a CM and ask to do child swap. Either that CM will give the waiting person the card or will direct you to a CM who will. At RNRC, we talked to the regular line CM. When the first person is done, the parents swap off and the second parent "redeems" the child swap card to go in the fastpass entrance.

 

[PurplePizza1]

You go up to a CM and ask to do child swap. Either that CM will give the waiting person the card or will direct you to a CM who will. At RNRC, we talked to the regular line CM. When the first person is done, the parents swap off and the second parent "redeems" the child swap card to go in the fastpass entrance.

So the second parent will be waiting in line again?

 

[RandomPrincess]

Ohhhh. So what happens if she simply chickens out? It's just my husband and I and our daughter. So my husband and I would never be riding together without her. There'd be no one to watch her.

Depends on the CM we had this problem with my 8 yo niece. Most CMs let us wait at the exit when she chickened out at the ride and one person rode and then the other. Some CMs said to bad you are out of luck.

 

[RandomPrincess]

So the second parent will be waiting in line again?

Yes but in the FP line.

 

[PurplePizza1]

Your DD is not allowed in the line at all with CS. One parent goes through the line FP if you have on SB is you don't and then when he returns the remaining riders get to go through the FP line with CS ticket.

I don't understand what you're saying. What's SB?

 

[Pooh'sBuddy]

So the second parent will be waiting in line again?

But going through the fastpass line.

 

[PurplePizza1]

Yes but in the FP line.

So if we do this child swap, we could be in line double time for each ride we want to swap? Yikes. That takes the fast out of fast pass, doesn't it? My kid would get awfully cranky waiting for two parents to ride singly.

 

[RandomPrincess]

I don't understand what you're saying. What's SB?

SB = Standby Line

 

[PurplePizza1]

Okay, I've never been to Disney, hence all of my questions. :-0

How long is the Fast Pass line usually? We're trying to plan our days so we don't have to deal with meltdowns from a cranky kid waiting for parents to ride rides she won't ride.

 

[PurplePizza1]

Depends on the CM we had this problem with my 8 yo niece. Most CMs let us wait at the exit when she chickened out at the ride and one person rode and then the other. Some CMs said to bad you are out of luck.

Wow. That's not a very magical experience LOL.

 

[RandomPrincess]

So if we do this child swap, we could be in line double time for each ride we want to swap? Yikes. That takes the fast out of fast pass, doesn't it? My kid would get awfully cranky waiting for two parents to ride singly.

Yup that's the way it works. That's way many parents either drag their kids on or skip the rides until they are ready to ride.

 

[RandomPrincess]

I just noticed you said you would not be riding coasters. CS is only available for rides with a height limit. I sounds like you will be riding the more gentle rides anyway. I would work on getting your DD over her fear of rides. Many parents have had success showing their kids videos on You Tube of the rides and talking them through them so they can see there is nothing to bad going on. Most kids it's fear of the unknown.

 

[PurplePizza1]

I'm getting concerned.... it sounds like we're going to have a very different experience than I thought we would have. This sounds positively awful. Double Fast Pass lines? Maybe told 'sorry you just miss out on the ride because your kid changed her mind." Our Disney travel person said it was soo easy to do Child swap and it was sooo fast and there would be short lines because we were basically going to be doing Fast Pass rides. Now I'm feeling like it's absolutely not like that at all.

I have a 6-year-old (i.e. impatient, impatient, impatient). That means my DH and I won't be doing much of anything for our vacation except trying to avert meltdowns and whining. I'm very disappointed and now very frustrated. Wishing we hadn't planned this trip and spent all this money to not be able to do much of anything. My kid is awful at waiting. I've been coaching her for months about Disney World, and how it's hurry up and wait for rides, but until we get there and she sees it and experiences it, I won't know how she will handle it. This sounds like a seriously bad situation.

 

[PurplePizza1]

I just noticed you said you would not be riding coasters. CS is only available for rides with a height limit. I sounds like you will be riding the more gentle rides anyway. I would work on getting your DD over her fear of rides. Many parents have had success showing their kids videos on You Tube of the rides and talking them through them so they can see there is nothing to bad going on. Most kids it's fear of the unknown.

You mean CS is only for rides where she's not tall enough to ride? I believe she's tall enough to ride everything at 45".