Riderswap issue today at SDMT

[North of Mouse]

Guess my head has been in the sand - thought everyone had to have a FP to ride unless they waited in regular line. Why should OP's grandparents ride without waiting like everyone else - doesn't sound like 'baby swap' to me! Yep, 'everyone' should have to wait in line - I call foul!!

 

[North of Mouse]

Last Fall on SDMT they were not giving out rider swap passes. You had to go thru the FP or standby line with the child that was not riding, then they would take you and the child off to the side, let the rest of your party ride, and then swap when they returned.

Now, to me, this is the way it should be!

 

[anomamatt]

But, I have to wonder how people would react if Disney suddenly started extending a distinct advantage to other subsets of people and other scenarios. Say, unlimited free Mickey bars for families with teenagers or front row parade viewing for all parties with senior citizens. After all, those things would make people happy.

Or like, gasp!, free entrance and no need for kids under 3 to have fast passes at all! And they eat for free too!

Sorry for the sarcasm, but I don't understand the mentality that RS is some huge benefit. Do you know what a pain it is to have a kid who isn't tall enough to ride (and another kid who wants to ride)?

Disney offers RS (and free entrance under 3) because they want families with young kids to come -- and they want them to be repeat customers as their kids age.

If they did offer free Mickey bars to teens, cool. I would have no problem and I have no teen. And I would certainly not begrudge them offering seating for senior citizens... Just because I'm not getting a benefit doesn't mean I immediately have a problem with it.

 

[KrazeeK120]

Or like, gasp!, free entrance and no need for kids under 2 to have fast passes at all!

Sorry for the sarcasm, but I don't understand the mentality that RS is some huge benefit. Do you know what a pain it is to have a kid who isn't tall enough to ride (and another kid who wants to ride)?

Disney offers RS (and free entrance under 2) because they want families with young kids to come -- and they want them to be repeat customers as their kids age.

Even more appalling is that they actually allow free entrance under the age of THREE!!!!

 

[anomamatt]

Even more appalling is that they actually allow free entrance under the age of THREE!!!!

haha, yeah, I fixed my error.

when my youngest was 2.5, those were the days!

 

[CT Disney]

Do you know what a pain it is to have a kid who isn't tall enough to ride (and another kid who wants to ride)?

Disney offers RS (and free entrance under 2) because they want families with young kids to come -- and they want them to be repeat customers as their kids age.

Yes, I do know. We went to Disney a handful of times when one kid wasn't tall enough to ride the faster rides and the other kid was tall enough. Most of the time we just did things we could all do together. Occasionally we split up...Mom and big kid on rollercoaster; Dad and little kid on a smaller ride. And, for what it's worth, it wasn't a pain. Being in a family means compromising. I look back on those days and I would never classify our time there as a pain.

 

[CT Disney]

Sorry for the sarcasm, but I don't understand the mentality that RS is some huge benefit.

I've seen too many posts that indicate RS is a pretty big advantage to those that game the system. This question from another poster a few years ago sticks out in my mind:

"Here was my thought for my group of 12, tell me what you think:

RD: 5 people head to TT 5 head to Soarin. I will be the runner with the toddler (in a safe jogging stroller) and will initially get a rider switch at TT and then run with the toddler & stroller over to soarin to get another rider switch for that group. I will then ride The Land with the toddler while waiting for them to get off of Soarin. This way we wouldn't have to use any FP for the initial ride, saving them for later in the morning or day. When we use the FP, we could then get another set of rider switches for each ride, giving us a total of 6 people who can use a rider switch on each ride. Thus, we could ride TT & Soarin 3 times without much of a line at all.
Correct?"

This particular poster was looking to double up on fast passes for 11 adults by shuttling the toddler back and forth across Epcot. This pretty much sums up the mentality of people like me who feel that Disney needs to tighten up this program.

 

[anomamatt]

I've seen too many posts that indicate RS is a pretty big advantage to those that game the system. This question from another poster a few years ago sticks out in my mind:

"Here was my thought for my group of 12, tell me what you think:

RD: 5 people head to TT 5 head to Soarin. I will be the runner with the toddler (in a safe jogging stroller) and will initially get a rider switch at TT and then run with the toddler & stroller over to soarin to get another rider switch for that group. I will then ride The Land with the toddler while waiting for them to get off of Soarin. This way we wouldn't have to use any FP for the initial ride, saving them for later in the morning or day. When we use the FP, we could then get another set of rider switches for each ride, giving us a total of 6 people who can use a rider switch on each ride. Thus, we could ride TT & Soarin 3 times without much of a line at all.
Correct?"

This particular poster was looking to double up on fast passes for 11 adults by shuttling the toddler back and forth across Epcot. This pretty much sums up the mentality of people like me who feel that Disney needs to tighten up this program.

There are certainly abuses, no doubt. But there are also legitimate uses that people with older kids are discounting. I said earlier in the thread I’d be happy with RS fixes (require everyone to have a FP is an obvious fix).

I’m not advocating to leave the potential loopholes alone. I just don’t like the attitude that any use of RS is somehow cheating.

 

[hiroMYhero]

I've seen too many posts that indicate RS is a pretty big advantage to those that game the system. This question from another poster a few years ago sticks out in my mind:

"Here was my thought for my group of 12, tell me what you think:

RD: 5 people head to TT 5 head to Soarin. I will be the runner with the toddler (in a safe jogging stroller) and will initially get a rider switch at TT and then run with the toddler & stroller over to soarin to get another rider switch for that group. I will then ride The Land with the toddler while waiting for them to get off of Soarin. This way we wouldn't have to use any FP for the initial ride, saving them for later in the morning or day. When we use the FP, we could then get another set of rider switches for each ride, giving us a total of 6 people who can use a rider switch on each ride. Thus, we could ride TT & Soarin 3 times without much of a line at all.
Correct?"

This particular poster was looking to double up on fast passes for 11 adults by shuttling the toddler back and forth across Epcot. This pretty much sums up the mentality of people like me who feel that Disney needs to tighten up this program.

The example you’ve presented from a ‘few years ago’ is outdated.

Guests who request a RS Pass are now given a lanyard and must enter the ride line. They then receive the RS FP, good for any 3 riders, before they are loaded onto the ride. Whether it’s 1 person or a group who are the initial riders, they have to ride to receive the Swap Pass.

 

[Wubar]

The example you’ve presented from a ‘few years ago’ is outdated.

Guests who request a RS Pass are now given a lanyard and must enter the ride line. They then receive the RS FP, good for any 3 riders, before they are loaded onto the ride. Whether it’s 1 person or a group who are the initial riders, they have to ride to receive the Swap Pass.

Do they have to use up the swap pass within a certain time frame? Does it expire at the end of that day?

 

[hiroMYhero]

Do they have to use up the swap pass within a certain time frame? Does it expire at the end of that day?

The RS FPs are valid until the end of the current month. If it’s close to the end of the month when the Swap FP is issued, it’ll have a specific date on the Pass.

There are a number of DISers who pixie dust others with their RS FPs. Some even post that they have leftover RS FPs and mail them out to whomever replies. Those who are gifting them have never said potential recipients declined due to the gift-giver having ‘gamed the system.’

 

[Wubar]

The RS FPs are valid until the end of the current month. If it’s close to the end of the month when the Swap FP is issued, it’ll have a specific date on the Pass.

There are a number of DISers who pixie dust others with their RS FPs. Some even post that they have leftover RS FPs and mail them out to whomever replies. Those who are gifting them have never said the recipients declined due to the gift-giver having ‘gamed the system.’

I can't imagine they would have said anything negative from the system - after all, they benefited from its existence! True to form.

 

[Hope Soda]

We don’t use rider switch because both my kids are too small for most things with a height restriction yet. DH and I have decided to only do the things they can do for now.

I don’t doubt that people are abusing the system. But I do believe there is a potentially legitimate way to use rider switch in a FP line.

SDMT. 2 parents. 2 kids. 1 is tall enough 1 is not.
-Mom gets FP+ to ride SDMT with older child. Gets rider switch for Dad.
-Dad gets FP+ for PP so that the younger child has a 3rd FP like everyone else. Then uses rider switch to get on SDMT.

We are in this position with the 44" rides. My husband and 7 year old have FP+ for FOP, while me and our littlest guy have FP+ for NRJ. For Space Mountain, our FP+ are split between that and Space Ranger Spin. For Everest, we've got simultaneous FP+ for Kali River Rapids. I'm not trying to game the system, so much as trying to do the thrill rides I want to do, while making sure that my kids have something fun to do at the same time that isn't going to take more time than my ride.

I really hope I get to do FOP...

 

[CT Disney]

I've seen too many posts that indicate RS is a pretty big advantage to those that game the system. This question from another poster a few years ago sticks out in my mind:

"Here was my thought for my group of 12, tell me what you think:

RD: 5 people head to TT 5 head to Soarin. I will be the runner with the toddler (in a safe jogging stroller) and will initially get a rider switch at TT and then run with the toddler & stroller over to soarin to get another rider switch for that group. I will then ride The Land with the toddler while waiting for them to get off of Soarin. This way we wouldn't have to use any FP for the initial ride, saving them for later in the morning or day. When we use the FP, we could then get another set of rider switches for each ride, giving us a total of 6 people who can use a rider switch on each ride. Thus, we could ride TT & Soarin 3 times without much of a line at all.
Correct?"

This particular poster was looking to double up on fast passes for 11 adults by shuttling the toddler back and forth across Epcot. This pretty much sums up the mentality of people like me who feel that Disney needs to tighten up this program.

The example you’ve presented from a ‘few years ago’ is outdated.

Guests who request a RS Pass are now given a lanyard and must enter the ride line. They then receive the RS FP, good for any 3 riders, before they are loaded onto the ride. Whether it’s 1 person or a group who are the initial riders, they have to ride to receive the Swap Pass.

I don't think you read the post correctly. This group of 12 was splitting up, riding the ride (once at RD and again with FP) and collecting RS each time. It would have worked with the lanyard. They were shuttling the toddler across the park so the CM could see him before each group actually got in line.

As for the lanyards, I've seen inconsistent use of them. Some people are still reporting lanyards aren't always being used.

And...there are lots of threads where people were unable to get Fastpasses for their whole party for FOP, but then they realize 'Hey! We've got a too-short kid. We just need one FP and the remaining people actually get something even better than a FP since it's good for up to a month.

I'm not saying that RS doesn't serve a purpose for certain families who need it. It's just way too lucrative in its administration right now. It's time to put some better parameters on it, especially in combination with FP+.

 

[hiroMYhero]

I don't think you read the post correctly.

Thanks! Trying to scan through quickly as we’re now on the 7th page and no one has posted experiences similar to the OP’s... and the OP did receive a RS FP for 7D.

 

[CanuckGirl78]

We are in this position with the 44" rides. My husband and 7 year old have FP+ for FOP, while me and our littlest guy have FP+ for NRJ. For Space Mountain, our FP+ are split between that and Space Ranger Spin. For Everest, we've got simultaneous FP+ for Kali River Rapids. I'm not trying to game the system, so much as trying to do the thrill rides I want to do, while making sure that my kids have something fun to do at the same time that isn't going to take more time than my ride.

I really hope I get to do FOP...

I’m in a similar situation. I we have a 45” DS (5yo) & 37” DD (2yo). I really want to ride FOP whereas my DH doesn’t care. I don’t know if my DS will be too scared to ride FOP or if he will love it. I know my DD generally prefers to go with me (she’s in a mommy-phase like most 2yo goes through!).

Option 1: Ideally, I would do FP for FOP for all of us, but can’t, so this isn’t an option.

Option 2: FP for FOP for DS & me, and FP for NJR for DH & DD. But if my son gets too scared to go on, I also will feel really bad he can’t even do NJR as he won’t have a FP, and not sure if my DD will have a meltdown going through a dark ride without me. So I foresee this as the option where no one will be happy!

Option 3: all get FP for NJR. Viable option and one I considered for a long time, but after reading all the DIS reviews, this doesn’t even seem to really be a tier 1 ride...

Option 4: DH & I get FPs for FOP, & skip NJR altogether but DS (& DD) will not get to use a FP as they can’t get on a ride by themselves. So this is not an option.

Option 5 (the route we’re doing): FP for FOP for DH even though he doesn’t care about the ride. FP for NJR for DD, DS, & me. We get RS for FOP, and then my DH reports back on whether he thinks DS will love it it hate it. I use RS and take DS on who will hopefully love it.

So yes, I guess if you consider it gaming the system that DS & me might ride two tier 1 rides, sure you can say that. But that wasn’t our intent (especially as it seems Disney has no problem with us doing this!). And our other FPs are for KS and Finding Nemo, not the big ones like EE or Kali.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Honestly though, how many people seriously leave their kid in a stroller all day while they ride rides? Using rider switch takes a long time, especially at certain rides.

Are there people using a loophole to their advantage? Sure, but it’s not a permanent loophole for anyone. Eventually, the kids will grow and be tall enough to ride. Is it causing inconvenience to others? Unlikely. I don’t think it’s making a real dent in wait times. Is it worth worrying about? Absolutely not.

I agree, probably not many, but there are definitely some. Remember the couple that was arrested in MK a few years back because they, literally, left there 3 year old ALONE in a stroller while they went on rides?! I've seen some wacky, rule-breaking stuff in WDW. People do all kinds of stuff to try to game the system. WDW is obviously cracking down. They changed the GAC/DAS system because it was being abused. Changed the MB/linked tickets/day-of FP+ rules, etc. It sounds like RS may be next.

I'm not worried about it at all. It doesn't affect our vacations. When DS was little we never used RS because we all wanted to ride together which meant sticking to rides that didn't have height restrictions. I didn't ride the bigger rides again until he was tall enough.

 

[lovethesun12]

There are certainly abuses, no doubt. But there are also legitimate uses that people with older kids are discounting. I said earlier in the thread I’d be happy with RS fixes (require everyone to have a FP is an obvious fix).

I’m not advocating to leave the potential loopholes alone. I just don’t like the attitude that any use of RS is somehow cheating.

Agree. Or the fact that if you ride a ride your kids can't ride you're a bad parent or something. Sometimes small kids like to spend some time at a playground, baby center, multiple "kid' rides, splash pad, or diversion. Why not use the time for one parent to try out a ride?

Many of those rides you would need a FP+ for have a single rider line anyway that gets you there just as fast.

 

[Jasten]

We are in this position with the 44" rides. My husband and 7 year old have FP+ for FOP, while me and our littlest guy have FP+ for NRJ. For Space Mountain, our FP+ are split between that and Space Ranger Spin. For Everest, we've got simultaneous FP+ for Kali River Rapids. I'm not trying to game the system, so much as trying to do the thrill rides I want to do, while making sure that my kids have something fun to do at the same time that isn't going to take more time than my ride.

I really hope I get to do FOP...

I know its a matter of opinion, but to me this is the very definition of gaming the system. You had to chose between using a fp+ on a family friendly ride like navi or the ride you wanted fop and you chose a method to get both. Other families make these hard choices all the time and make three fp+ selections work. If you truly cared that much about fop, you should be using a fp+ on it.
When peole use the system to double their fast passes, the line times grow for everyone. So not only are the families who are sticking to three fp selections getting longer lines, but also less rides. Not sure why anyone thinks that is fair....

The only aspect im torn on is a little one with a paid ticket getting thier fast passes. I think maybe in this case the parent(s) should be able to ride with them on a fp line (non height restricted ride) without having fp. So, i know its semantics, but if you had booked fp+ for little one on navi, then rest of famiy booked fp+ for fop, it seems less hacky to me. If they changed the system to this, people wouldn't be able to use a child to get on two adult rides using 1 fp+.

 

[North of Mouse]

Sorry for the sarcasm, but I don't understand the mentality that RS is some huge benefit. Do you know what a pain it is to have a kid who isn't tall enough to ride (and another kid who wants to ride)?

Yes, we certainly 'do' know!! We had two (3 years apart) before RS was available, and do you know what? We rode separately!! I'll repeat, having a young child that can't ride does not/should not give anyone the right to pull in others that aren't waiting, to ride!! Wait together, in SB line, or FP together to get RS, period!!

I really do believe that is/was the intended use of RS, and of course, there are those that will always find the loop holes, and then whine when they're closed!