kid swap questions

[3BratsToDisney]

our DS has become abit more 'scared' of certain rides lately, even though he rode some of them previously with no problems. In anticipation of our upcoming trip to the world I was curious about the kid swap at rides. He is 5 so not a baby of course, are we still allowed to take advantage of kid swap on the rides? I notices there is a list of certain rides on the official site where kid swap is offered, space mountain and 7DMT were not on the list does this mean its not possible to swap on those rides? Anyone familiar with how exactly this works?

 

[stevehousse]

It will work for those rides and you can use it no problem. My advice would be for u and ur husband to schedule different rides for yourself that ur kid won't go on. If u both schedule a FP, and use child swap, u will basically end up with an unused FP. Here's an example of what to do.

Schedule a FP for yourself for splash mountain. And schedule a FP for your husband for BTMR. Utilize the child swap at both rides. This way, instead of u both wasting 2 FP, it only counts as 1 against each of u, thus making room for additional FP that the whole family can enjoy! Hope that's not too confusing...

 

[Weather_Lady]

It will work for those rides and you can use it no problem. My advice would be for u and ur husband to schedule different rides for yourself that ur kid won't go on. If u both schedule a FP, and use child swap, u will basically end up with an unused FP. Here's an example of what to do.

Schedule a FP for yourself for splash mountain. And schedule a FP for your husband for BTMR. Utilize the child swap at both rides. This way, instead of u both wasting 2 FP, it only counts as 1 against each of u, thus making room for additional FP that the whole family can enjoy! Hope that's not too confusing...

I thought the CMs were policing this now, such that anyone who was going to ride using child swap had to have a valid FP to enter the FP line (meaning that if a family of 2 adults and 1 child showed up at BTMRR and only one adult had a FP for it, only that adult could enter the FP line). Is that not the case? Maybe I misunderstood the question...

 

[stevehousse]

But that is how it works...so your husband can go ride first, and then u and your kid could use the swap pass next. Or vice versa. Have u and the child schedule the FP and your husband use the child swap. Regardless, whenever u use a child swap pass, you will use the FP line...I have never heard of them policing it so that's not allowed!

 

[Weather_Lady]

I have read about it, somewhere on these boards, I thought -- where CMs stopped adults who tried to enter the FP+ line without a valid FP+, even as they waved a baby around and pleaded, "child swap," since the point is not to give extra rides to anyone who has a non-rider in their party, but to allow adults who otherwise have a valid reason for being in the standby line (because they waited through it once) or FP+ line (because they hold a valid FP+) to skip waiting in that line a second time, so that they can take turns riding while one of them keeps an eye on a non-riding child. A bonus is that if there's an older child or even an additional adult in the party, they get an extra ride with the parent who waited around the first time, thanks to the generous "waiting adult + guest" part of child swap. However, the program has never been advertised or presented as an appropriate way for adults to get a "free FP+" for an attraction by using one person's FP+ to allow additional, non-FP+-holding adults to crash the FP+ line.

Even if CMs do allow people in the FP+ line when only one of the riders in the party actually has a valid FP+...I know many of us here feel like it's okay to bend the rules in the name of maximizing your Disney experience, but mis-using child swap as a FP+ doubling system for grownups is, in my opinion, a jerk move. As everyone has a different idea of what meets that standard, YMMV.

 

[stevehousse]

I don't think u understand how this works still lol...

U do know that when u do child swap u are given a paper pass for the child swap. U don't just go up and say child swap and they let u in...

 

[Weather_Lady]

I do understand that -- I was paraphrasing someone else's account above, not relating a personal experience. My real point was simply that I, personally, think it's dishonorable to cheat the system by utilizing child swap for the purpose of multiplying Fastpass entitlements for adult riders who are not otherwise entitled to use the Fastpass line for a given attraction. I also understand that others take the opposing view, but I won't belabor it further since I've already strayed off topic.

 

[George]

When you swap rugrats, try and make sure that you get ones that are better behaved than the set you started with or else you may be unhappy.

 

[boilerpicc]

The child swap works on all rides that have a height restriction and a fastpass line. The way it should work is: You show the attendant that you have a child. They give you a pass. The first group waits through the standby line. When they come back, the second group uses the pass to go through the fastpass line, thus avoiding having to wait through the standby line again. If everyone in the group has a fastpass, they should not give out a child swap pass since everyone already has access to the fastpass line.

The way it actually worked the last time I was there: You show the attendant that you have a child. They don't ask about fastpasses and give you a child swap pass. The first group uses their fastpasses to go through the fastpass line. The second group uses the child swap pass to go through the fastpass line.

I have heard that people have been told they have to use the standby line after receiving a child swap pass. I haven't experienced that, but things might have changed since FP+. I'll find out in a month. Either way, you will be able to go on rides without your son and not have to wait in line twice.

Also, try checking out the single rider lines on the rides that have them. Those sometimes go even faster than fastpass.

 

[PARichards]

@Weather_Lady your account is concerning as I have just adjusted FP+ choices in order to do just as @stevehousse suggested. We have 4 DDs ages 8, 6, 4, and 4. The 4yr olds are officialy 39" tall in their shoes, and as our trip is in 20 days, we are no longer counting on them to make the height requirements. So, on one of our trip only, we have FP+ for BTMR for DH, DD6, and DD4 (1), and FP+ for Splash for myself, DD8, and DD4 (2), thinking to use rider switch/swap/whatever. Resulting in that the older girls would get to ride each coaster twice, while DH & I switch... would you have a link to the thread discussing this policy?

 

[stevehousse]

I am glad that worked for u! U will have no problem getting those ride swap passes and u will have a blast and so will the kids with getting to ride twice! Please let us know how everything worked out!

 

[Weather_Lady]

@Weather_Lady your account is concerning as I have just adjusted FP+ choices in order to do just as @stevehousse suggested. We have 4 DDs ages 8, 6, 4, and 4. The 4yr olds are officialy 39" tall in their shoes, and as our trip is in 20 days, we are no longer counting on them to make the height requirements. So, on one of our trip only, we have FP+ for BTMR for DH, DD6, and DD4 (1), and FP+ for Splash for myself, DD8, and DD4 (2), thinking to use rider switch/swap/whatever. Resulting in that the older girls would get to ride each coaster twice, while DH & I switch... would you have a link to the thread discussing this policy?

I Googled around a little and I'm not finding it. The fact is, I follow a couple dozen different WDW sites and message boards, and I can't figure out where it came from, which means I can't say how reputable the source was (or whether my memory of it served me correctly). If using child swap to double your fastpasses is something you're comfortable with trying, then I wouldn't change your plans now, since there are people on here saying that it works that way -- first-hand knowledge, in this case, would trump, "I remember I read it somewhere on the internet." The thrust of my posts was more the voicing of a moral objection than anything else, anyway.

 

[PARichards]

Thanks, @Weather_Lady , I had rearranged our FP+ as I had posted, after reading another WDW site that had essentially outlined their use in such a particular way. Was thinking of doing the same with Soarin' and TT on our Epcot morning so we wouldn't need to rush at RD to make it to TT- without a FP+, the idea was to use ride switch anyway, just using the standby line for the first 3 riders instead of one of our FP+ choices. But, honestly, so much hassle- we really plan on being there for RD, AND it's the most recommended park in a middle-of-September morning... I think I like our standby chances with the crowd predictions so I will probably only keep the split FP+ for BTMR and Splash and keep the rest of our FP+ as they are. (And, ACTUALLY, my plan includes convincing the fam to ride those both at RD on standby so we can move our FP+ to the Speedway for our return to MK after nap, as I just read that that is one ride not to be waited on in the standby line if one can help it! It's our very first day at MK, and first real experience with coasters, so not sure how eager the girls will be to jump right in to those rides )

 

[MMDVC]

http://www.disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/rider-switch/
I googled this by searching Disney Rider switch but it is always better to learn the rules from the official site than assorted blogs/forums. Disney also lists the way it works and the specific attractions at each WDW Theme Park. Hope the link works.

 

[stevehousse]

It doesn't say anything about if u have a FP, but like I said earlier, u can get a pass regardless if u have FP or standby...

 

[Grumpy-Fan]

Ok, so here goes; In our group we will have one 2 yr. old. My question is; Can more than one adult wait with the 2 yr. old so that the waiting adult doesn't have to ride alone.

 

[stevehousse]

Ok, so here goes; In our group we will have one 2 yr. old. My question is; Can more than one adult wait with the 2 yr. old so that the waiting adult doesn't have to ride alone.

Of course! When u do kid swap the swap pass is usually good for up to 3 people. So splitting your group in half would not be a problem.

 

[stevehousse]

Also a suggestion, if you are gonna use child swap passes for te big rides. Schedule half of your fast passes for one big ride and the other half for another big ride. Make sure the people chosen with a FP at te time scan ther bands and have the poeple that didn't get scheduled use the swap pass. It's a great perk to essentially get a few extra FPs!!!

 

[YoJDew]

Here's what I did for our upcoming trip (will let you know how it works!):
Day One:
-Scheduled FP+ for 7DMT for me
-Scheduled simultaneous FP+ for Barnstormer for DD and DH
-Scheduled two other FP+ for all three of us
Day Two:
-Scheduled FP+ for 7DMT for DH
-Scheduled simultaneous FP+ for Dumbo for DD and me
-Scheduled two other FP+ for all three of us

No child swap needed, and no "odd man out" on Dumbo and Barnstormer!