About this rider swap...

[i luv the duck]

We are looking at visiting DW next June. It will be myself, DH, DD (teenager), DS (preteen), and DD (toddler). We've been to DW many times but never with a toddler. If we want to do rider swap and we have a FP, do we just go to the FP line and tell the CM at the line entrance we want to do a rider swap? Does that CM tell the CM loading the ride or do we relay that to them as well? Also, if we don't have a FP do we go to the standby line and tell the CM at the entrance or do we wait and tell the CM that is loading the ride? Do the other kids get to ride the ride twice (once with each parent)?
Thanks for your response!

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

You go up to the CM before you get in whichever line (so if you have FP, go up to the CM in front of the FP line. If riding standby, approach the CM in front of the standby line). All of you go up to the CM and tell him/her that you would like to get rider swap. Tell them who will be riding second. You can have up to 3 people ride the second time, so both older kids could ride twice. They may ask to measure the too short kid to ensure she is too short to ride. Then they will add the rider swap to everyone's magic band that will be riding second. The first group rides, you meet up and then the second group enters the FP line. They scan their magic bands and the rider swap on them acts as a FP.

There's no need to tell the CM at boarding anything. The rider swap is taken care of by the CM outside the line. Make sure you do get it added to Group 2's bands before Group 1 gets in a line as it cannot be taken care of once they are in the line.

 

[i luv the duck]

Great, I think we can handle that. I actually thought it was a bit more complicated. Thanks for the response.

 

[Gafnorin]

They’ll walk you through it. Make sure the toddler is near enough they can verify you have a shorty. Usually there’s a cast member just to the side of the line taking care of these so just ask where to go for rider swap and they’ll tell you.

 

[DopeyDame]

I've used child swap zillions of times, but not since the new window policy and not since needing the magic bands to be scanned.
For the MB scanning part, do all three people physically have to be there, or can we have one person with all three magic bands?

 

[Gafnorin]

I've used child swap zillions of times, but not since the new window policy and not since needing the magic bands to be scanned.
For the MB scanning part, do all three people physically have to be there, or can we have one person with all three magic bands?

From what I overheard with other parties trying to do it they want everyone there to scan MBs and to see the kid who’s not riding. You can get to them from the side so as not to clog the line, they basically give party #2 a fast pass for later then they’re free to go and party 1 goes into the line. Sometimes there was a line specifically for rider swap but usually 2-3 families.

For party 2 if you go into the MDE app it shows up with instructions on when you can go. Mine had a start time (basically when party 1 would be done), I didn’t see an end time.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

Rider swaps are only valid for an hour after the start time. This was a new change when it switched to digital.

 

[Jkesmom]

When I was at DW in October, there wasn't an end time listed in MDE for the rider switch. I had a few CM tell me the window was an hour. I also had one CM tell me it could be used any time that day, after the start time. Mostly we used them right after the first group rode, but we did use a couple long after the hour window would have expired. You can only have one rider switch at a time though.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

When I was at DW in October, there wasn't an end time listed in MDE for the rider switch. I had a few CM tell me the window was an hour. I also had one CM tell me it could be used any time that day, after the start time. Mostly we used them right after the first group rode, but we did use a couple long after the hour window would have expired. You can only have one rider switch at a time though.

Interesting. Yours is the first report I've read of this. It was widely publicized that it was only going to be valid for an hour, but I wonder if they quietly changed that due to complaints.

 

[Jkesmom]

Well, YMMV, but it would be nice if there is no time limit. The fact that you can only have one at a time is enough incentive to use it quickly, but sometimes you have to eat, do bathroom breaks, etc. I'm trying to recall the ride/ park where the CM told me we had all day. I can tell you that one of the rides we came back much later was SDD. We had FP on the other side of the park for Beauty and the Beast and Tower of Terror. And then we did Disney Jr stuff. We went back well afterwards. I didn't mind if it expired because we did the Toy Story morning magic on one of our HS days.
Another odd thing that happened with RS - when we went to EE, the CM asked if we all had FP (only ride I was asked that, but we didn't ride FOP. ) I said we did, but it was close to the end time so it might expire. The CM replied, " It won't expire here." I asked him to just give me the RS anyway in case. He did, but I ended up riding before the FP expired. So, now I'm wondering if expired FP can be used on certain rides?

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

Rider swaps are only valid for an hour after the start time. This was a new change when it switched to digital.

That seems like a tight time frame.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

That seems like a tight time frame.

It doesn't begin until after Group 1 is expected to be done riding.

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

It doesn't begin until after Group 1 is expected to be done riding.

Thanks for the clarification

 

[Chancery8]

Interesting. Yours is the first report I've read of this. It was widely publicized that it was only going to be valid for an hour, but I wonder if they quietly changed that due to complaints.

I was just there last week and had the same experience of rider swaps being valid all day. When getting the rider swaps, the cast members only told me the return start time, no mention of an end time. The cast member at FOP actually told me that it was valid all day. Accordingly, MDE listed all the rider swaps with start times, but no end times (just the date it was valid for). The only ride where I was told verbally that there was an hour limit was at ToT. We used the ToT one in the hour window, so not sure if it would have worked like the rest of the swaps, considering MDE listed it as valid all day as well.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

I was just there last week and had the same experience of rider swaps being valid all day. When getting the rider swaps, the cast members only told me the return start time, no mention of an end time. The cast member at FOP actually told me that it was valid all day. Accordingly, MDE listed all the rider swaps with start times, but no end times (just the date it was valid for). The only ride where I was told verbally that there was an hour limit was at ToT. We used the ToT one in the hour window, so not sure if it would have worked like the rest of the swaps, considering MDE listed it as valid all day as well.

Thanks for the report! I'll be curious to see if others continue to report the same experience.

 

[sandym718]

We were also there last week. At some rides we were never told any times and I never checked in the app. Our 2nd group just went on after the 1st was done. The only time we were given a time was at 7 Dwarves. It was a start time only and there was no end time in the app.

We were also able to do 7D, BTMRR, RnRC and Splash Mountain with only the first group having FP+. At the others we either all had FP+ (FoP) or none of us did when we used Rider Swap (Soarin). We were never told all week that we all had to have FP.