When Your Child "Chickens Out" on a FastPass?

[Coaster Lover]

So my oldest son (who will be 6 when we go on his first Disney vacation in August) is just starting to get into some of the bigger rides/coasters, however, he has been known to "chicken out" on some rides (he'll see photos and video of the ride online before we get to the park and be all intent on saying he wants to ride it, but when we get there, he changes his mind). We don't want to force him onto any ride he isn't 100% sure he wants to ride, but at the same time, if we can book FastPasses for some of these bigger rides (which generally have the bigger lines) it will allow us to get on so much more in a given day.

So my question is, if we book a FastPass for all of us for a bigger ride (like Thunder Mountain or Tower of Terror) and we get up to the ride and he decides not to ride, what are our options with his FastPass? I know we can simply not use it, but I've heard that if you lapse on using a FastPass, it can prevent you from booking a 4th FastPass (is that true?) Can you just hand his MagicBand off to someone else in the group and allow them a re-ride using his FastPass?

 

[Schneewittchen]

When my kids or DH chickens out, we scan the MagicBand for the chicken, but the chicken never actually gets on line. Did this at least twice during my last trip two weeks ago. As soon as the scan happens, I've was able to book more FPs. I've booked my 4th FP, while still standing on line to get on my 3rd FP ride.

 

[Rob562]

So my oldest son (who will be 6 when we go on his first Disney vacation in August) is just starting to get into some of the bigger rides/coasters, however, he has been known to "chicken out" on some rides (he'll see photos and video of the ride online before we get to the park and be all intent on saying he wants to ride it, but when we get there, he changes his mind). We don't want to force him onto any ride he isn't 100% sure he wants to ride, but at the same time, if we can book FastPasses for some of these bigger rides (which generally have the bigger lines) it will allow us to get on so much more in a given day.

So my question is, if we book a FastPass for all of us for a bigger ride (like Thunder Mountain or Tower of Terror) and we get up to the ride and he decides not to ride, what are our options with his FastPass? I know we can simply not use it, but I've heard that if you lapse on using a FastPass, it can prevent you from booking a 4th FastPass (is that true?) Can you just hand his MagicBand off to someone else in the group and allow them a re-ride using his FastPass?

I guess it depends on what end-result you want, and where the "chickening out" happens.

If the chickening-out happens *before* your initial tap at the ride entrance, then someone else could use his FP+ reservation by using his MagicBand or park ticket to tap into the FP+ for a second time around.

If he chickens out and *no one* uses it, it will auto-expire at the end of the FP+ window. If this was your first or second FP+ of the day, it's no big deal unless you wanted to try to move your later FP+'s into an earlier timeslot that would overlap with the now-unused one.
If it happens to be your 3rd FP+ of the day, this single unused FP+ would keep you from booking your 4th rolling FP+ until after it auto-expires (or someone uses it for a second ride as above).

If you use your FP+ and then he doesn't chicken out until the boarding platform, you're likely out of luck with that FP+. Once the FP+ is tapped at the FP+ reader, it's marked as "used". At most attractions the CMs at the boarding platform have no way of knowing who got there via FP+ and who got there by Standby. A sympathetic CM *might* give you a paper FP to use elsewhere, but don't 100% plan on that happening. The most you can expect the boarding platform CM to do is to facilitate a last-minute Child Swap situation.

-Rob

 

[correcaminos]

As said as long as there is no tap at entry, you can pass it to someone else or you can let it remain unused and expire. You can also change just a few members of the group to a different FP that is available if you want.