Fast/max pass and rider switch

Chause

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jun 30, 2017
Does anyone have experience using fast/max passes in conjunction with rider switch? Weve never used rider switch and will be for this upcoming trip. If rider switch was used in conjunction with fast passes for the first set of riders, does the second set of riders have to provide fast passes for access? I know if the same scenario didn’t involve fast passes for anyone in the group, the second set of riders would be allowed in the fast pass entrance to complete the rider switch. Trying to decide if we can get away with purchasing max passes for just those initial riders, or if everyone in the party needs them. Thanks!
 
Does anyone have experience using fast/max passes in conjunction with rider switch? Weve never used rider switch and will be for this upcoming trip. If rider switch was used in conjunction with fast passes for the first set of riders, does the second set of riders have to provide fast passes for access? I know if the same scenario didn’t involve fast passes for anyone in the group, the second set of riders would be allowed in the fast pass entrance to complete the rider switch. Trying to decide if we can get away with purchasing max passes for just those initial riders, or if everyone in the party needs them. Thanks!
Like PP said, you would only need FPs for the initial riders. I know families who do exactly like what you said - get Maxpass for part of the group and not the rest. Maxpass can also easily be used by different people in the same group as long as they are all loaded into the app together.

So, the current process is:
1) Initial riders: either get a FP or decide to ride Standby.
2) Go to a ride attendant before entering the queue and let them know you want to do RS. They will need to scan the tickets for the people who aren't riding in the initial group. They don't match up ticket names to faces, so you can just use the tickets of people who aren't in the initial group. It will pop up in the app as if the second group has a FP for the ride with a 1-hour return time. The start of the return time is given based on how long the initial riders will need to wait - if they ride standby, then it should give the current wait time; if it's Fastpass, then its whatever wait time in the FP line.
3) Initial riders go on the ride; rest of people wait or do something else in the vicinity.
4) Swap the second group with the initial group. Again, some people can re-ride, they just will use someone else's ticket to scan in at the FP queue. The FP return timing should be done in a way that they can immediately ride.
5) Second group rides.

Rinse and repeat.
 


Yup, I second that. We did buy maxpass for everyone in our group above age 3. We had a group of 7 with 1 toddler. We'd book a fp for 7 and get a rider switch pass added to any 3 tickets. 1 person would stay with toddler. Then we'd switch and I'd take my 3 big kids again using the 3 rider switch and 1 left over fastpass. Big kids got to ride twice. It's easy.
 
It's super easy, the most difficult part if you have a large group is keeping track of which tickets have the rider switch loaded on them (we bought from LMT and couldn't add names to the tickets, and we had 7.)
 
Disney IT can always add names after the fact if you have problems. Now for all tickets, even LMT, when you scan the ticket into the app you add the name of the person and it includes the last 4 of the ticket as well.
 


So, here’s how I’m planning to “work the system”...please tell me if I understand and can do this.

We have 5 adults and 2 babies in our group...
I’m thinking of buying MaxPass for 2 adults and not the other 3. I’ll pull MPFPs for 2 electronically for rides far from where we are, and then use the paper tickets to grab 3 different FPs for rides we’re walking past....
Theoretically, we’d go to the ride with the 2 MPFPs, do rider switch and the 2 ride, then the other 3 ride...then we go to the paper FP ride and do the same thing...in theory this seems to work, but would need the rides to be somewhat near one another. Not sure if it’s worh it? Or if just doing MP for everyone and then riding the rides twice would make more sense?

Anyone with 3 teens and a few littles who have done this have practical advice? I’m always trying to find the most efficient ways to ride and maximize our time. With a double stroller it’ll be a bit more challenging this visit...we’ve never done a double stroller before, but figured it’ll be easier than 2 separate strollers if only 1 person skips the ride.

Any thoughts or feedback are welcome! Thank you!
 
in theory this seems to work, but would need the rides to be somewhat near one another. Not sure if it’s worh it? Or if just doing MP for everyone and then riding the rides twice would make more sense?
In theory I think that would work, but the timing of the FP return times might not always line up the way you want them to. Just so you know, if you decide to buy MP for everyone you don't have to ride the same ride twice. When you go to use MP in the app you choose which tickets you want to book for. So you could follow the same plan you already have (use half the tickets to get FP for one ride and the other tickets to get FP for a different ride, and use rider swap so everyone gets to ride) except you wouldn't need to walk to the kiosks.

I'm not speaking from experience, but I feel like doubling up on FP all day with babies in tow would get a bit exhausting. If I were you I would probably start off buying MP for two tickets, and add it for the rest if we get tired of walking to the kiosks. Either way, I would use half the tickets to get FP with quick return times (whatever we feel like riding next), and I would use the other half to get FP for the evening. That way while one set of tickets is ineligible for FP because of a late return time, you can still use the other half to keep riding.
 
So, here’s how I’m planning to “work the system”...please tell me if I understand and can do this.

We have 5 adults and 2 babies in our group...
I’m thinking of buying MaxPass for 2 adults and not the other 3. I’ll pull MPFPs for 2 electronically for rides far from where we are, and then use the paper tickets to grab 3 different FPs for rides we’re walking past....
Theoretically, we’d go to the ride with the 2 MPFPs, do rider switch and the 2 ride, then the other 3 ride...then we go to the paper FP ride and do the same thing...in theory this seems to work, but would need the rides to be somewhat near one another. Not sure if it’s worh it? Or if just doing MP for everyone and then riding the rides twice would make more sense?

Anyone with 3 teens and a few littles who have done this have practical advice? I’m always trying to find the most efficient ways to ride and maximize our time. With a double stroller it’ll be a bit more challenging this visit...we’ve never done a double stroller before, but figured it’ll be easier than 2 separate strollers if only 1 person skips the ride.

Any thoughts or feedback are welcome! Thank you!

Honestly, this sounds like WAY too much work to save $30/day. I was skeptical about MaxPass before we went but it was the best $70/day we spent! It is so much more convenient to just pull up the app, choose the people to get passes for and that's it. All done. No running around and it is SO much easier. Seriously. It is amazingly easy. Even Like Niltac said, you can split your group up into 2 groups while booking FP - 2 people for ride #1 and 3 people for ride #2, use FP for ride #1, rider switch 3 people for ride #1, then head over to ride #2 and do it again while also remembering to book your next Fastpass as soon as you possibly can. Remember you have to use your Rider Switch within an hour of getting it and you still will have to wait in the Fastpass line. And rushing from ride to ride might get a bit tiring. The teens can also put the app on their phone and do their own Maxpass booking if you let them go on their own. If you are going at a busy time of year (which is basically every day, ha), MaxPass will definitely allow you to book more rides since you can pick up ones that people cancel.

We had 4 adults and 4 kids ages 10, 8, 6 and 1. We generally just booked one ride at a time and used rider switch if it was a favorite ride. My parents aren't into a lot of the bigger riders so we didn't use rider switch much. And we were super fortunate to go on a very low crowd week so standby times were low and there were plenty of Fastpasses plus we got a ton of multiple experiences passes from rides breaking down.
 
True...good point! It’s probably worth the $30 to have all the FPS together anyway. But like you said, I think the teens will want to go off on their own at some point. If I have all the tickets scanned in my app on my phone, can they still scan theirs on their own phone? Would they need a separate login for the app? Like maybe they want to ride Splash mountain but we want to take the babies on pirates...if there are FPS for pirates even? Not sure how that would work if I’ve picked up MPFPs for splash and by chance the windows work for pirates too? Just not sure that it won’t be confusing having tickets on different phones in different places?
 
They can have your account open on their app or they can scan their tix into their own account. I'd advocate for having it all on one so you can keep an eye on it. Just be sure to know that they can also charge stuff using your credit card on file with the app's mobile ordering.
The app keeps track for you. It won't let you add a FP if you're not eligible and it'll tell you when each ticket is eligible. It's really very simple.
And no, pirates doesn't have to since it's a fast moving line for a high capacity ride.
 
Yes, you can make a fp and send your kids to the line with their physical ticket.

Our experience with rider switch...the kids couldn’t wait that long. You have to ride back to back. We didn’t use it.
 
Our experience with rider switch...the kids couldn’t wait that long.

What does this mean? Does it mean the kids didn't want to wait to scan in their tickets an extra time to get the rider switch passes? Or something else?

We will have a one-year-old on our upcoming trip, but our tendency is similarly to get MaxPass and not use rider swap much, if at all. So I just want to understand what you are saying. It does seem like the one-hour window for rider swap is the worst of all worlds now. You have to ride back-to-back, but you also have to wait an extra ~10 minutes in the FP line. At least at, say, Busch Gardens, everybody has to wait in line (including the baby) but then you immediately swap at the ride vehicles, so everybody only waits once and the kids ride twice.
 
@Bluewild79 - thanks! I trust them, but that’s a great point! They can log in on their own phones for whenever they want to wander off...probably at night when the little ones fall asleep and they want to ride the faster rides...I’m sure it’ll make sense when I’m using the app in the park, but I can’t auite figure out how it knows so much? :)


What does this mean? Does it mean the kids didn't want to wait to scan in their tickets an extra time to get the rider switch passes? Or something else?

We will have a one-year-old on our upcoming trip, but our tendency is similarly to get MaxPass and not use rider swap much, if at all. So I just want to understand what you are saying. It does seem like the one-hour window for rider swap is the worst of all worlds now. You have to ride back-to-back, but you also have to wait an extra ~10 minutes in the FP line. At least at, say, Busch Gardens, everybody has to wait in line (including the baby) but then you immediately swap at the ride vehicles, so everybody only waits once and the kids ride twice.
My guess is they mean the kids can’t wait through 2 rotations of the ride (one parent then the next parent, even through the FP line takes time!)
We did it last year with one baby, 8 month old. We found rides nearby for the baby to enjoy after getting the RS pass...but we didn’t have to be there in an hour last time. So, for Space we’d do Buzz or Nemo, then switch and the offer parent would do the same...or go change the diaper and do snack or bottles during the first rider and then have them go to the next line or destination while the second parent rides. It’s not too hard to entertain during the ride if you’ve got a FP going in.
This time with 2 little ones (one a VERY active 2-yo) it’ll be more challenging and I’m hoping the teens will help manage them (divide and conquer!). I think we’ll just buy MP for everyone and have the older teen have my app on her phone and hope we can navigate the crowds with minimal chaos. Best laid plans...but we’ll see. :)
 
@julieheyer - It will make sense once you start using it! It makes life so much easier. Also, make sure to read like the entirety of Disneyland Daily's website and How to start your day at Disneyland/DCA articles. She's so savvy and we had a great trip by following her advice!

We would grab 7 Fastpasses using Maxpass for say Radiator Springs Racers. Then the 3 other adults plus my 3 big kids would go on the ride so I'd get Rider Switch scanned onto 3 of our tickets when they checked in for their Fastpasses. I would stay back with the toddler and go on a nearby ride like Luigi or Mater. By the time we were done with our ride, the other big group would also be done. Then I'd grab my 3 big kids (using our leftover Fastpass plus the 3 rider switch) and the other adults would take the toddler on another ride. Big kids got to ride twice while toddler got to ride something nearby twice. We didn't use Rider Switch all that much since we didn't always have everyone wanting to ride a ride (like Guardians (eek!) or the Incredicoaster (Hubby hated it, lol). Plus we went on a slow week and were very fortunate to have short wait times and plenty of Fastpasses to play with.

We originally planned to only get 4 MaxPasses since $70/day for 5 day really adds up BUT it saved so much time and sanity. It's totally worth it just to be able to go on our favorite rides as much as possible. It is also nice to be able to cancel Fastpasses that just don't end up working. Being flexible is important when you have toddlers and sometimes naptime takes too long and you know you're going to miss a Fastpass so I'd cancel it so someone else could grab it.
 
@julieheyer - It will make sense once you start using it! It makes life so much easier. Also, make sure to read like the entirety of Disneyland Daily's website and How to start your day at Disneyland/DCA articles. She's so savvy and we had a great trip by following her advice!

We would grab 7 Fastpasses using Maxpass for say Radiator Springs Racers. Then the 3 other adults plus my 3 big kids would go on the ride so I'd get Rider Switch scanned onto 3 of our tickets when they checked in for their Fastpasses. I would stay back with the toddler and go on a nearby ride like Luigi or Mater. By the time we were done with our ride, the other big group would also be done. Then I'd grab my 3 big kids (using our leftover Fastpass plus the 3 rider switch) and the other adults would take the toddler on another ride. Big kids got to ride twice while toddler got to ride something nearby twice. We didn't use Rider Switch all that much since we didn't always have everyone wanting to ride a ride (like Guardians (eek!) or the Incredicoaster (Hubby hated it, lol). Plus we went on a slow week and were very fortunate to have short wait times and plenty of Fastpasses to play with.

We originally planned to only get 4 MaxPasses since $70/day for 5 day really adds up BUT it saved so much time and sanity. It's totally worth it just to be able to go on our favorite rides as much as possible. It is also nice to be able to cancel Fastpasses that just don't end up working. Being flexible is important when you have toddlers and sometimes naptime takes too long and you know you're going to miss a Fastpass so I'd cancel it so someone else could grab it.
I read Disneyland daily yesterday! It was very helpful!!
Thanks for the example! It’s helpful to see how you used it :)
We’ll be there the first Saturday that the Christmas decorations are up, so I know it’ll be packed! We’re only doing Disneyland so there’ll be lots of baby friendly rides for out little ones to ride. Good point on naps and plans! Our 10mo usually naps twice, and our 2 year old usually naps in the afternoon...but I’m hoping the parade and a late lunch at Cafe Orleans will help offset that with breaks? I’m planning to ride most of the biggies in the morning (rope drop) and hopefully the other kids rides won’t be too insane. Last time we rode the big 3 (space, Matterhorn and BTMRR) in the early morning and just enjoyed the others throughout the day. It’s gpnna be impossible to see it all in 1 day, but we hope to hit the main ones (pirates, small world, dumbo) midday :).
 
What does this mean? Does it mean the kids didn't want to wait to scan in their tickets an extra time to get the rider switch passes? Or something else?

We will have a one-year-old on our upcoming trip, but our tendency is similarly to get MaxPass and not use rider swap much, if at all. So I just want to understand what you are saying. It does seem like the one-hour window for rider swap is the worst of all worlds now. You have to ride back-to-back, but you also have to wait an extra ~10 minutes in the FP line. At least at, say, Busch Gardens, everybody has to wait in line (including the baby) but then you immediately swap at the ride vehicles, so everybody only waits once and the kids ride twice.
Yeah. Our 2 & 3 yo couldn’t wait for the Rider swap 2nd ride.
 

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