Fast Pass vs Rider Swap

Meghan McCrary

Member
Original Poster
I am having a hard time with this. We are going to WDW in March. It will be my husband, daughter (4), and son(2) staying at The Contemporary for 5 nights. I can book fastpasses on Jan 8, and I am having a hard time balancing the Fast Pass vs Rider Swap. I'd originally though to do a Fast Pass for some of the bigger rides (Space Mountain) so that my husband & I could ride those quickly. However, is this a complete waste of a Fast Pass? Would it be better suited for us to just do Rider Swap?
 

nickys

Premium Member
I am having a hard time with this. We are going to WDW in March. It will be my husband, daughter (4), and son(2) staying at The Contemporary for 5 nights. I can book fastpasses on Jan 8, and I am having a hard time balancing the Fast Pass vs Rider Swap. I'd originally though to do a Fast Pass for some of the bigger rides (Space Mountain) so that my husband & I could ride those quickly. However, is this a complete waste of a Fast Pass? Would it be better suited for us to just do Rider Swap?

You can use rider switch with or without a fastpass.

You will be given a return window of an hour, starting roughly when the first rider will finish the ride. It’s added to the magic band /hard ticket of rider #2 before rider #1 enters the line (whether stand-by or fastpass). Rider #2 then gets to use the FP line within that return window.
 

PplMover

Member
I am having a hard time with this. We are going to WDW in March. It will be my husband, daughter (4), and son(2) staying at The Contemporary for 5 nights. I can book fastpasses on Jan 8, and I am having a hard time balancing the Fast Pass vs Rider Swap. I'd originally though to do a Fast Pass for some of the bigger rides (Space Mountain) so that my husband & I could ride those quickly. However, is this a complete waste of a Fast Pass? Would it be better suited for us to just do Rider Swap?
Balance it out... do you for space, your husband for thunder & rider swap
 

Gitson Shiggles

There was me, that is Mickey, and my three droogs
You will not waste your Fast Passes. Ask the CM at the FP+ entrance for rider switch when you get there. Make sure those who are riding the second time are present with you. They will have their Magic Bands scanned, and then they can wait while you are on the attraction—or vice versa.
 

Andrew M

Well-Known Member
We have 3 kids (5,4&2) and take full advantage of riderswap while we still can. The second 'set' of riders using the riderswap does not need a fastpass for the ride, so you can effectively double your fastpasses. For example if we want to ride Splash Mtn & BTMRR, I book a fastpass for myself and kid A for Splash Mtn and my wife and kid B for BTMRR. We take turns riding while the other watches the baby and can knock out both rides for all 4 of us who can ride in under an hour total. So your sample Fastpasses could look like this:

For people A, B & C (assuming C is the 4yr old)

9am Space Mtn - 1 Guest (A) - A Rides, uses riderswap for B & C
9am Seven Dwarves Mine Train - 2 Guests (B & C) B & C Ride, uses riderswap for A & C
10am Peter Pan - 3 Guests (A,B,&C) - No Riderswap, so everyone must book a fastpass
11am Splash Mtn - 1 Guest (A) - A Rides, uses riderswap for B & C
11am Big Thunder Mtn Railroad - 2 Guests (B & C) B & C Ride, uses riderswap for A & C

It also works great for booking two of the same 'Tier' of ride, as long as both have Riderswap, for example Frozen & Soarin' in Epcot.
 

larryz

I'm Just A Tourist!
Premium Member
We have 3 kids (5,4&2) and take full advantage of riderswap while we still can. The second 'set' of riders using the riderswap does not need a fastpass for the ride, so you can effectively double your fastpasses. For example if we want to ride Splash Mtn & BTMRR, I book a fastpass for myself and kid A for Splash Mtn and my wife and kid B for BTMRR. We take turns riding while the other watches the baby and can knock out both rides for all 4 of us who can ride in under an hour total. So your sample Fastpasses could look like this:

For people A, B & C (assuming C is the 4yr old)

9am Space Mtn - 1 Guest (A) - A Rides, uses riderswap for B & C
9am Seven Dwarves Mine Train - 2 Guests (B & C) B & C Ride, uses riderswap for A & C
10am Peter Pan - 3 Guests (A,B,&C) - No Riderswap, so everyone must book a fastpass
11am Splash Mtn - 1 Guest (A) - A Rides, uses riderswap for B & C
11am Big Thunder Mtn Railroad - 2 Guests (B & C) B & C Ride, uses riderswap for A & C

It also works great for booking two of the same 'Tier' of ride, as long as both have Riderswap, for example Frozen & Soarin' in Epcot.
Aha. That explains all of those "Rent-A-Kid" shops on US-192...
 

Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
Aha. That explains all of those "Rent-A-Kid" shops on US-192...

I thought I had read somewhere that the use of rider swap to "double your FP+" in the way @Andrew M described was something Disney had recently cracked down on, and that the riders in a party who wished to swap/switch from the FP+ line now had to all have FP+ for that attraction. Can anybody confirm whether that's the case?

UPDATE: I found an article (dated June 2018) stating that Disney has changed rider swap/switch to a digital form, and is officially requiring that all riders using the FP+ line and intending to swap/switch at that attraction must have FP+ for the attraction already. Unfortunately, the article is on a site that is blocked by this forum, so I can't link to it. (You can find it by Googling the article's title, " Walt Disney World Switching To Digital Rider Switch Pass or Baby Swap At Attractions To Combat Fraud.") At least one of those who commented on the article confirmed that the rule is now being enforced (although in the interest of full disclosure, other commenters claimed that such enforcement is spotty): they tried to enter the 7DMT FP+ line to do rider swap with just some (not all) of the intended riders having FP+ for it. The CM insisted on scanning everyone's MagicBands to confirm that all of the intended riders had FP+ for the attraction, and those that didn't were denied entry to the FP+ queue (and would have been offered a rider swap window that wouldn't open until after the current standby wait time had elapsed).

Obviously, YMMV.
 
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Drewdifu

New Member
I thought I had read somewhere that the use of rider swap to "double your FP+" in the way @Andrew M described was something Disney had recently cracked down on, and that the riders in a party who wished to swap/switch from the FP+ line now had to all have FP+ for that attraction. Can anybody confirm whether that's the case?

UPDATE: I found an article (dated June 2018) stating that Disney has changed rider swap/switch to a digital form, and is officially requiring that all riders using the FP+ line and intending to swap/switch at that attraction must have FP+ for the attraction already. Unfortunately, the article is on a site that is blocked by this forum, so I can't link to it. (You can find it by Googling the article's title, " Walt Disney World Switching To Digital Rider Switch Pass or Baby Swap At Attractions To Combat Fraud.") At least one of those who commented on the article confirmed that the rule is now being enforced (although in the interest of full disclosure, other commenters claimed that such enforcement is spotty): they tried to enter the 7DMT FP+ line to do rider swap with just some (not all) of the intended riders having FP+ for it. The CM insisted on scanning everyone's MagicBands to confirm that all of the intended riders had FP+ for the attraction, and those that didn't were denied entry to the FP+ queue (and would have been offered a rider swap window that wouldn't open until after the current standby wait time had elapsed).

Obviously, YMMV.

This is a very interesting topic and can make or break your trip depending on how you book your FP+. Can anyone confirm these 2 senarios?

Family of 4. Dad, Mom, Girl 5, Boy 2 (not tall enough)

1) Dad and girl book a FP for Splash mountain. Girl and Mom scan bands for child swap? Dad and girl go on ride and then mom and girl get to go on ride? Girl rides twice!

2) Dad books FP for Splash Mountain and goes on ride by himself. Mom and Girl get scanned for Child swap. Mom and girl get to use riderswap with never wasting a FP?

Will both of these scenerios work? You hate to book an entire trip around this to find certain faimly member miss out on rides. Essentially if senerio 2 works you could do the same with thunder mountain and get 4 rides on 2 rides while only using 2 FP+.

Thanks!
Drew
 

nickys

Premium Member
This is a very interesting topic and can make or break your trip depending on how you book your FP+. Can anyone confirm these 2 senarios?

Family of 4. Dad, Mom, Girl 5, Boy 2 (not tall enough)

1) Dad and girl book a FP for Splash mountain. Girl and Mom scan bands for child swap? Dad and girl go on ride and then mom and girl get to go on ride? Girl rides twice!

2) Dad books FP for Splash Mountain and goes on ride by himself. Mom and Girl get scanned for Child swap. Mom and girl get to use riderswap with never wasting a FP?

Will both of these scenerios work? You hate to book an entire trip around this to find certain faimly member miss out on rides. Essentially if senerio 2 works you could do the same with thunder mountain and get 4 rides on 2 rides while only using 2 FP+.

Thanks!
Drew


It should work fine.

Personally, I wouldn’t risk it for rides like 7dmt or FoP, just because there have been some reports of CMs at those rides refusing a child swap if not everyone has an FP.
 

Andrew M

Well-Known Member
It should work fine.

Personally, I wouldn’t risk it for rides like 7dmt or FoP, just because there have been some reports of CMs at those rides refusing a child swap if not everyone has an FP.

It worked fine under the paper system obviously. I did some research with the new system since I had my doubts in line with @Weather_Lady was saying. However since Disney Parks Moms Panel is an official source, I'm screen-shotting this and keeping it handy in case any CMs say anything:

https://disneyparksmomspanel.disney...ap-everyone-party-need-fastpass-go-fp-373883/

Therefore, the members of the second group to ride do not need a FastPass+ to bypass the Standby line; the Rider Switch entitlement will gain them entrance to the FastPass+ line.
 
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Drewdifu

New Member
It worked fine under the paper system obviously, but did some research with the new system since I had my doubts. However since Disney Parks Moms Panel is an official source, I'm screen-shotting this and keeping it handy in case any CMs say anything:

https://disneyparksmomspanel.disney...ap-everyone-party-need-fastpass-go-fp-373883/

Thanks! That def clears up one part. But still the question of “beating the system” and getting only 1 FP+ for just myself, and then my daughter and wife getting to go on with the rider swap. Essentially 3 rides for 1 FP. The other safe option is to have a FP+ for myself and daughter, then riderswap for my daughter and wife. Essentially 4 rides for 2 FP. And my daughter gets to ride twice.

Comes down to 1 question is the new electronic rider swap good for up to 3 people like the old paper one was?
 

nickys

Premium Member
It worked fine under the paper system obviously. I did some research with the new system since I had my doubts in line with @Weather_Lady was saying. However since Disney Parks Moms Panel is an official source, I'm screen-shotting this and keeping it handy in case any CMs say anything:

https://disneyparksmomspanel.disney...ap-everyone-party-need-fastpass-go-fp-373883/

Well actually, under the old system I saw far more reports of CMs refusing rider switch unless everyone had an FP.

And the Disney Mom’s Panel is not official. Disney do not vet the info put out, and I shudder at some of the misleading and even downright incorrect information they give in their answers. Even contradictory answers within a day of each other.

Truth is, there is no written policy.
 

Meghan McCrary

Member
Original Poster
The only place I am planning to 'try' to do the Fast Pass switch-a-roo is Hollywood. I am doing a fastpass for my husband for Aerosmith & Tower for me. My husband informed me 2 days ago he didn't care about riding rides by himself, so I am not as worried about it as I was. I am planning to ride rides by myself, so he can be on kid duty a few times!! I book in the morning - fingers crossed!!
 

Andrew M

Well-Known Member
Well actually, under the old system I saw far more reports of CMs refusing rider switch unless everyone had an FP.

And the Disney Mom’s Panel is not official. Disney do not vet the info put out, and I shudder at some of the misleading and even downright incorrect information they give in their answers. Even contradictory answers within a day of each other.

Truth is, there is no written policy.

Interesting on both accounts.

Must have just depended on how the CMs day was going. I never had an issue with the paper system, infact on multiple occasions was given extra riderswap tickets from strangers in the parks. I also have noticed that some don't even bother making little kids (3-5yr olds) scan their MBs for a FastPass, there were a few occasions where we had to stop because my kid WANTED to scan his band after the CM waved them by.

I thought the Disney Moms Panel pretty much got the info from an official Disney source and then sugar-coated it to death. Good/concerning to know haha.

And goodluck @Meghan McCrary !
 

Drewdifu

New Member
The only place I am planning to 'try' to do the Fast Pass switch-a-roo is Hollywood. I am doing a fastpass for my husband for Aerosmith & Tower for me. My husband informed me 2 days ago he didn't care about riding rides by himself, so I am not as worried about it as I was. I am planning to ride rides by myself, so he can be on kid duty a few times!! I book in the morning - fingers crossed!!

I will prob plan on doing the same. FP for everyone on the rides we do not want to miss and the single FP on rides like rockin and dinosaur. Another thing to take advantage of are the rides that offer single rider! No need for a FP for everest if the kids are too small.
 

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