Rider swap / baby switch. New rules?

[Nimbus]

Originally Posted by fiffio

Please help me understand! There 4 of us inc a 5 month old and 4year old. So for fast passes for the bigger rides that the 3 of us want to do we do the following:

-Book FP for 1 adult and our 4 year old
-turn up and get rider swap for remaining adult and 4 year old can ride again
- first adult and 4 year old ride
- second adult and 4 year old ride using FP from rider swap

Is this right?

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Yes, I believe so. Hopefully someone will correct me if that's not the case.

Originally Posted by fiffio

So at Epcot 1 adult can have test track fp and the other can have a soaring fp so using this method the 3 riders technically have fast passes for both these tier 1 rides?

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Close but not quite. Your 4 year old would have to have a fastpass for both Test Track and Soarin' if they wanted to go on with both parents. And they wouldn't be able to do this.

It's possible they could get on using the Rider Switch pass - so they would go on, say, Test Track twice (once using their fastpass and once using the rider switch pass with a parent) but only go on Soarin' once (just using the rider switch pass).

[Floridasun]

I thought I read that Disney were stopping this soon and if you wanted parent swap in a fastpass queue the person swapping also needed a fastpass? Thought I read it on a Dibb post but perhaps it was a facebook one?

[Nimbus]

Originally Posted by Floridasun

I thought I read that Disney were stopping this soon and if you wanted parent swap in a fastpass queue the person swapping also needed a fastpass? Thought I read it on a Dibb post but perhaps it was a facebook one?

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Not according to some DIBBers and their recent experiences (apparently).

There was talk of some CMs doing similar to what you say, but it seemed a bit variable. The thing is, it doesn’t make a huge amount of sense. If everyone in your party has fastpasses then everyone can enter the fastpass queue, half at a time, anyway. So they wouldn’t need the Rider Switch pass to enter the fastpass queue. Also remember that rider swap at Disney is done outside the ride and before you enter the queues, unlike Universal.

Still, perhaps Disney are going to change things?

[Guest]

Originally Posted by Floridasun

I thought I read that Disney were stopping this soon and if you wanted parent swap in a fastpass queue the person swapping also needed a fastpass? Thought I read it on a Dibb post but perhaps it was a facebook one?

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I think that some people have just been confused by the cast members setting up child swap. We were asked if we had fastpasses, but it was so that they knew who needed the rider switch passes. It threw me the first time because it sounded like they were saying that I needed a fastpass too.
As Nimbus said, it really wouldn’t make sense to have both a fastpass and rider switch.

[yonyon]

This is also confusing me. I saw somewhere (I think on a touring plans blog?) that there is generally consistency that the second adult wouldn’t need a FP even if the first adult and child did except on Avatar and 7DMT. It said that on all other rides the whole party didn’t need FP only party 1, then party 2 could just join the FP queue using the rider switch pass.
This is what I’m confused about because our FP window opens on Wednesday and I don’t want to risk eg not being able to go on 7DMT if I only book FP for adult 1 and child 1 and they say I need it too to use the rider switch, it’s balancing that against the risk of using one of my FP when I don’t need to and can use for a different ride, which my husband and eldest child can then benefit from using rider switch.

Does anyone know the ‘official’ standing on this. I can’t believe Disney would allow CM to make up their own rules for different attractions.

[Charlie30]

I’ve booked 2 adult fastpasses for TSM and FOP just to be safe. Our older 2 can then ride once with their own fastpass and then rider switch with their dad (his FP is booked for about half an hour after ours starts to accommodate waiting time)
I didn’t want to take a chance on one of us missing out on FOP!

[yonyon]

I called Disney internet helpline last night for an official view, but they don’t have one as such. She just said yes CM May be ‘protective’ over certain popular attractions and may require you to have your own, the only 2 she would say were 7DMT and Avatar. She wasn’t even sure about Slinky dog or other popular ones. So I think I’ll do what you suggest @Charlie30 - good idea too about staggering the FP times!

[QueenElsa]

in 2017 we used rider switch for 7DMT. They checked all adult bands for FP before allowing the switch.

This was the only ride they did it for. However, when we went to use the switch they allowed 4 people on (the waiting adult as they had proven they had the FP - and then invited 3 others so there wouldn't be lone rider)

[joanna23]

I’ve mentioned this a few times but in Summer 2018 I had only booked the minimum number of FP for each ride. The only ride over 21 days that questioned it was Big Thunder Mountain. We had no issue on any of the newer rides at all. However, I know they do change things regularly. I’m going to do it same way for this Summer though.

[Donz23]

We have just come back and we had no issues only booking 1 FP and getting rider switch put on the 2nd adults band. Only ride we didn’t do was 7 DMT so can’t comment on that.

In fact at FOP one time we did both have a FP and they still added a rider switch onto my band as I was 2nd rider so I got to ride twice - once with my FP and then straight back on to use my rider switch pass (I was worried my FP would expire while OH was riding so went up to the cast members to get rider switch just in case)

We encountered no issues only having 1 FP. some cast members would ask if we both had a FP, we would say no only 1 of us, they didn’t bat an eyelid just asked who needed the rider switch on their band. It was a very simple easy process!