Could somebody help me efficiently plan FP+ with rider switch?

[DavidNYC]

Ignore anyone who says otherwise: what people have said about having each parent get a FP for a different height restricted ride is what to do with a selection at each park (with the riding child getting it for one of two as well). I'd suggest using 1 pass split like that and using two where you all get for a ride you can carry the baby on so you can all ride together.

When MIL joins she basically just gets a FP for one of the two as well. If MIL is willing to watch baby - would allow the three of you to ride together on as well on one of the height restricted rides. (I.e. MIL/Kid get Soarin and Dad and Mom get TT. At Soarin - MIL and KID ride and parents get switch which they can bring kid on a 2nd time. At TT kid would only be able to ride once on the swap but you can ride together).

Not against rules and completely anticipated - makes up for all the extra time you lose in a day touring with a child who can't ride some rides. Since child in under 1 I'd plan the height restrictred rides for a time you anticipate a nap in the stroller. ALso remember you can use the swap anytime that day (and typically any time rest of month) so if you want to hold the swap pass and come back later when the child is napping it works. My wife and I used to hoard them and then when the nanny took the kids to the child room to nap for an hour we made a whirlwind tour of the rides we had swaps for.

Everyone who said this is extra fastpasses is wrong. You get 3 fastpasses just like anyone else. The rider swap is an entirely different thing. Even the fact that the made the swap passes good for the entire month shows they're trying to give guests with under height children a lot of flexibility. People have yelled at me for suggesting coming back later despite the fact that disney explicitly allows this because it didn't meet "their" view of how the system should work. It's your vacation - take advantage of what they allow you to do with swaps.

 

[ShirikiUtundu]

Disney hasn't put a stop to it, but it is definitely not usage in the way that Rider Switch was intended, even according to Disney's own website. The spirit of Rider Switch is to mitigate two standby waits for the same party due to the restriction for the child(ren).

 

[disneymagicgirl]

And here goes the debate again...lol. Just agree to disagree.

 

[ShirikiUtundu]

And here goes the debate again...lol. Just agree to disagree.

Not sure what you are rolling your eyes at. There isn't anything to debate about the fact that usage in this manner is an unintended loophole that Disney has yet to close (and may never close).

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

The thing is no one knows what Disney intended or intends. They haven’t spelled it out one way or the other. And they know it is going on. Tacit approval. All they have to do is update the description or TOS like they did with the other prior big FP debate. Until they make it clear it is up to the user to decide for themselves if it’s something they feel is ok or not.

We have a case in our family where DD9 loves, loves PW. We fast pass it every year and go on it multiple times. My DH gets vertigo so he can’t go on it. We could have gotten rider swap many times and come back later with me riding with DD again. Nothing says I can’t do that. We never felt that was appropriate to do so we never did it. We felt it was outside the spirit of RS. But that was our choice. On the flip side, several times we got RS in the first hour of operation and came back in the middle of the day. Was that an intended use by Disney. Maybe? Maybe not. I assume so because they don’t put an hour long return time on it - which they could. But it’s all open to interpretation unless Disney says otherwise.

 

[ShirikiUtundu]

The thing is no one knows what Disney intended or intends. They haven’t spelled it out one way or the other...Until they make it clear it is up to the user to decide for themselves if it’s something they feel is ok or not...But it’s all open to interpretation unless Disney says otherwise.

I read the Rider Switch page of Disney's website. Seems fairly clear to me.

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

Here is our crew:

-Mom (me)
-Dad
-Kid 1 (age 5, tall/brave enough for all thrill rides)
-Kid 2 (age 9.5 months)

THEN, midweek we add:

-MIL

I have the general gist of using rider swap to maximize FP+ but I'm still sort of confused as to how we should book. If somebody could kindly guide me using say....Epcot (we are interested in TT, Soarin', Frozen) or AK (FOP, Everest, and....whatever) as an example, I'd be super appreciative!

We’re also a family of four with both a tall-enough child and too-short child. Like you, we always try to put Rider Swap to use in a way that best mitigates the extra time it takes to for each parent to experience the height-restricted attractions with the older child.

We book FP for one parent and the older child and obtain RS Pass when they enter the FP line. Then the remaining parent and younger child will have a concurrent FP for a nearby (no height restriction) ride.

Also, at first glance one might think the mid-week addition of your MIL would complicate this strategy. Sure, it does require a little more strategizing. Truthfully though, it presents even more favorable options when considering how best to deal with the unfortunate requirement of your family having to split up if choosing to take your older child on the height-restricted rides.

Also worth noting, and this is only my own personal experience, we have even obtained Rider Swap passes for attractions with no height restrictions when our youngest was sleeping in the stroller. Most recently Frozen Ever After.

...and just in case you weren’t aware, Rider Swap passes are good for up to 3 people to return and enter the attraction via the FP line (this is important to keep in mind when trying to maximize your FP strategy). They also expire at the end of the month in which they were obtained. So if, for example, you obtain a RS Pass for Test Track and you plan to visit Epcot another day later in your trip, you don’t have to use it that day. You can save it for your next Epcot day as long as that next Epcot day falls within the same calendar month.

And if this next idea appeals to you, one way to spread some pixie dust to strangers is to give RS passes to other guests in the park. We did this several times with FoP RS passes recently. We went to the end of the FoP standby line and looked for the last group of 3 or less we could find and gave them the pass.

Have fun planning and strategizing! And have a great trip!

 

[otten]

For Epcot I would suggest using FEA for your tier1, rope dropping TT and getting a swap pass then head over to Soarin and getting a swap pass there. Then you have two swap passes to use at your leisure later on.

 

[jk and ek]

We’re also a family of four with both a tall-enough child and too-short child. Like you, we always try to put Rider Swap to use in a way that best mitigates the extra time it takes to for each parent to experience the height-restricted attractions with the older child.

We book FP for one parent and the older child and obtain RS Pass when they enter the FP line. Then the remaining parent and younger child will have a concurrent FP for a nearby (no height restriction) ride.

Also, at first glance one might think the mid-week addition of your MIL would complicate this strategy. Sure, it does require a little more strategizing. Truthfully though, it presents even more favorable options when considering how best to deal with the unfortunate requirement of your family having to split up if choosing to take your older child on the height-restricted rides.

Also worth noting, and this is only my own personal experience, we have even obtained Rider Swap passes for attractions with no height restrictions when our youngest was sleeping in the stroller. Most recently Frozen Ever After.

...and just in case you weren’t aware, Rider Swap passes are good for up to 3 people to return and enter the attraction via the FP line (this is important to keep in mind when trying to maximize your FP strategy). They also expire at the end of the month in which they were obtained. So if, for example, you obtain a RS Pass for Test Track and you plan to visit Epcot another day later in your trip, you don’t have to use it that day. You can save it for your next Epcot day as long as that next Epcot day falls within the same calendar month.

And if this next idea appeals to you, one way to spread some pixie dust to strangers is to give RS passes to other guests in the park. We did this several times with FoP RS passes recently. We went to the end of the FoP standby line and looked for the last group of 3 or less we could find and gave them the pass.

Have fun planning and strategizing! And have a great trip!

THANK YOU! This is exactly the kind of info I was looking for! Very much appreciated!!

 

[anomamatt]

I don’t know why people (here) always claim RS + FP is against or skirting the rules. If WDW didn’t want them used together, why on earth would the FP CMs have the lanyards?! Anyway:

To use the combination best:

1. Book Ride A for parent + kid. They both ride using FP and grab a RS by bringing baby to FP CM.

2. Other parent + kid ride using rider swap.

3. Book ride B FP for second parent. Bring baby to FP CM and get a RS. Parent has to ride this one alone (if kid2 is under 3).

4. Parent + kid ride via RS.

Unfortunately one parent has to ride one ride alone. Unless the too small kid is over 3.

 

[Wish Upon A Starbucks]

And here goes the debate again...lol. Just agree to disagree.

Maybe Disney will just ban children under 44 inches from entering the parks and that will solve the issue. Where is that popcorn eating emoji when you need it?

 

[KrazeeK120]

Not sure what you are rolling your eyes at. There isn't anything to debate about the fact that usage in this manner is an unintended loophole that Disney has yet to close (and may never close).

The person is probably rolling their eyes because this debate happens every. Single. Time. A thread about RS is started.

There’s really nothing to debate. If Disney wants to close this so-called loophole, they will.

 

[JamJamFam]

It's one thing to maximize rider swap and do all of the rides by having one adult ride alone and then get the rider swap. It's another thing to have one kid sitting in the stroller bored to tears while one adult enjoys the ride individually (while the other watches 2 kids) and then the other gets to ride it with their other child. On a family vacation, I'd rather enjoy the rides riding with my entire family instead of by myself.

We only did 1 rider swap per park and had something for the non riding child(children) to do each time while they waited for one rider swap to finish.

Soarin - The Land
Star Tours - Meet Olaf
Seven Dwarfs - Tea Cups or Carousel
Dinosaur - Meet Donald

I get what you’re saying but OP’s Young child isn’t even a year old. A baby can be easily satisfied by Mommy or Daddy making silly faces for half an hour.

 

[whiporee]

The person is probably rolling their eyes because this debate happens every. Single. Time. A thread about RS is started.

There’s really nothing to debate. If Disney wants to close this so-called loophole, they will.

It's not every time about RS is started that this comes out -- it's every single time someone says they plan on using RS to get additional FPs. People are full of lots of good information about how the system works, what to expect, how to ask for it, stuff like that. The debate occurs every singe time someone says they've figured how to use this policy to get additional FPs for their family. Or get a second Tier 1 FP. It doesn't happen when someone asks a question -- it happens when someone celebrates its ability to get additional FPs for their group by using a system that doesn't appear to be designed for it.

As for your second sentence, there are two points. The first is just because something is within rules doesn't make it moral -- it's not illegal or even against any contract to cheat on your lover, but most would agree it's not admirable behavior. So if someone is going to ask, or brag about doing this for their own benefit and the detriment of others who are waiting in line, some of us are going to point it out. Opinions are not changed by silence, and proponents of it are also clear to voice their positions and people can decide for themselves where it fits on their personal spectrum. But if no one contests the original statement, then the OP assumes that it's all hunky dorey, and to some of us, it's not.

Second is that WDW will eventually close the loophole -- probably within a year -- and that will suck for a lot of families who want to use it as its intended. Hopefully when they do close the loophole, they'll do it in a manner that's fair.

 

[KrazeeK120]

It's not every time about RS is started that this comes out -- it's every single time someone says they plan on using RS to get additional FPs. People are full of lots of good information about how the system works, what to expect, how to ask for it, stuff like that. The debate occurs every singe time someone says they've figured how to use this policy to get additional FPs for their family. Or get a second Tier 1 FP. It doesn't happen when someone asks a question -- it happens when someone celebrates its ability to get additional FPs for their group by using a system that doesn't appear to be designed for it.

As for your second sentence, there are two points. The first is just because something is within rules doesn't make it moral -- it's not illegal or even against any contract to cheat on your lover, but most would agree it's not admirable behavior. So if someone is going to ask, or brag about doing this for their own benefit and the detriment of others who are waiting in line, some of us are going to point it out. Opinions are not changed by silence, and proponents of it are also clear to voice their positions and people can decide for themselves where it fits on their personal spectrum. But if no one contests the original statement, then the OP assumes that it's all hunky dorey, and to some of us, it's not.

Second is that WDW will eventually close the loophole -- probably within a year -- and that will suck for a lot of families who want to use it as its intended. Hopefully when they do close the loophole, they'll do it in a manner that's fair.

Ok, maybe not every time, but pretty close to it.

I’ve seen very little that I would see as bragging about getting extra FPs. I’ve seen people say they do it, but it’s generally in a factual manner.

And comparing extra FPs to cheating on your significant other is a bit of a stretch, IMO.

One could also argue that by not getting FPs for all members of the party, that they’re leaving FPs on the table for other guests to obtain. Also, it takes an insanely long time to use RS...at least 45 minutes at some attractions. By spending all of that time doing rider switch, the family is not clogging up lines elsewhere. In addition, this is not a loophole that is going to benefit any family forever. Children do grow up, after all.

I see both sides of this, and I still am not sure where I fall. There are logical arguments on both sides. I visited many times as part of a childless couple (when this loophole clearly wouldn’t have benefitted me) and now with a toddler. We have chosen not to use FP in this way because it simply takes too much time in our opinion.

I’m not sure why you think this loophole will be closed. It’s been open the entire time FP+ has been in existence, and no one can provide evidence that it has an appreciable impact on wait times. I’d honestly be surprised if it causes a noticeable uptick in wait times.

 

[marcar12]

This is our first time visiting WDW since FP+ has been implemented, and I have a question along the lines of the OP.

We are a family of 6.... 2 adults, 3 children tall enough to ride most rides, and 1 toddler.

If we aren't able to get FP+ for FoP for 5 people at the same time, would it be an option to just get 3 FP+ for it, then have 1 adult and 2 children ride it together, get a RS pass for the other adult, and then have that adult ride it with the 1 child who didn't ride it yet? Or is that against the rules?

Either way we have will have to ride it in 2 separate groups due to the toddler.

 

[subtchr]

This is our first time visiting WDW since FP+ has been implemented, and I have a question along the lines of the OP.

We are a family of 6.... 2 adults, 3 children tall enough to ride most rides, and 1 toddler.

If we aren't able to get FP+ for FoP for 5 people at the same time, would it be an option to just get 3 FP+ for it, then have 1 adult and 2 children ride it together, get a RS pass for the other adult, and then have that adult ride it with the 1 child who didn't ride it yet? Or is that against the rules?

Either way we have will have to ride it in 2 separate groups due to the toddler.

Yes, that is definitely allowed.

In fact, one of the two children who rode it the first time could ride it with the two using the rider swap (if you could decide which one would get to do it!).

 

[jwolfpack]

I've been off of these boards for a year or so between trips and I see some things never change!

We are a family of 5 with 2 adults, 2 kids 44+, and 1 pre-schooler. We use rider swap + FP+ strategically when we can absolutely without guilt. Generally, we book one FP+ for the 2 older kids and 1 adult on rides with height requirements and a different FP+ for the other adult and toddler nearby. Just remember the younger child has to go to the entrance of the ride with a height requirement in order to request Rider Swap. They do not have to wait in the line.

Here's an example: The older kids and dad will have a FP+ for Mine Train. The baby and I will have a FP+ for Pooh at the same time. We all walk to the entrance of Mine Train and tell the CM there we'd like to rider swap. They give my husband a lanyard to pick up the rider swap voucher later in the line, the baby and I wave bye and walk over to ride Pooh. We all meet back up at Mine Train. The older kids and I can then ride Mine Train right away using the Rider Swap voucher or we can save that voucher to use later in our trip whenever it is convenient.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

It’s a giant pain in the butt to send two parties on rides like TT and Soarin that have significant waits after the merge point. Getting “extra” FP because of rider swap still puts those of us with small children at a disadvantage, I’m not going to miss it once all my kids are tall enough to make things easy and have us all ride together.

Anyways, we’re only really using this strategy at Epcot and MK. Our Epcot plan is FP+ FEA one day (all of us) and another day half do Test Track and half do Soarin’. We plan to FP test track in the afternoon during my littles nap so they aren’t missing out on park time waiting for us. Soarin’ we’ll do earlier in the day and they’ll ride living with the land with the other half of our party.

At MK, we have one of our FP choices split between Splash and Thunder in the afternoon again during a nap.

Remember you need to bring the small child with you to the line initially, so account for the ability to bring them during something like a nap (it’s why we do Soarin’ in the morning).

 

[DGsAtBLT]

It’s a giant pain in the butt to send two parties on rides like TT and Soarin that have significant waits after the merge point. Getting “extra” FP because of rider swap still puts those of us with small children at a disadvantage, I’m not going to miss it once all my kids are tall enough to make things easy and have us all ride together.

Anyways, we’re only really using this strategy at Epcot and MK. Our Epcot plan is FP+ FEA one day (all of us) and another day half do Test Track and half do Soarin’. We plan to FP test track in the afternoon during my littles nap so they aren’t missing out on park time waiting for us. Soarin’ we’ll do earlier in the day and they’ll ride living with the land with the other half of our party.

At MK, we have one of our FP choices split between Splash and Thunder in the afternoon again during a nap.

Remember you need to bring the small child with you to the line initially, so account for the ability to bring them during something like a nap (it’s why we do Soarin’ in the morning).

Forgot to add at MK we also have another split, half at Mine Train and the other half at Pooh at the same time.