Rider Switch with Standby question

Stefien Quix

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jan 16, 2018
Just want to make sure I understand this correctly, let's say hypothetically, that I was unable to get FP+ for Slinky Dog Dash and I know my child (as well as myself) will be disappointed to skip it. But I'm also SUPER dubious about getting everyone out and ready in time for a rope drop run for it. AND said child is not..*cough* well known for her patience skills. :rolleyes2

Are there any "hacks" to say me standing in the Standby line and getting a Rider Swap for my wife and child so they can use the FP line after?
 
Do you have a child that is too small for the ride? You have to show someone who cannot ride to get a rider swap pass.

Rider swap applies to anyone with a guest in their party who does not wish to ride, not just guests who can not ride. https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/rider-switch/

The problem in your case is that you would all have to wait in the standby line in order for your DH to get the rider switch, so you're not circumventing the issue with waiting in the standby line. They have to put the rider switch pass onto his magic band or park ticket, so he'd have to be there when you get to the front of the line.
 
Just want to make sure I understand this correctly, let's say hypothetically, that I was unable to get FP+ for Slinky Dog Dash and I know my child (as well as myself) will be disappointed to skip it. But I'm also SUPER dubious about getting everyone out and ready in time for a rope drop run for it. AND said child is not..*cough* well known for her patience skills. :rolleyes2

Are there any "hacks" to say me standing in the Standby line and getting a Rider Swap for my wife and child so they can use the FP line after?

Rider switch is for someone who can't ride due to the height restriction and also offered (on a case by case basis) for those who choose not to. However since you all want to (and can) ride Rider Swap isn't an option for your party. Before giving you the swap the CM will want to see the non rider - the non rider will not be given the pass on his/her band.

If your dd is tall enough you won't get the electronic rider switch, if she isn't tall enough then you are eligible using the standby or FP line.

Alternately just keep checking again for FP+ especially if there is a change in the park hours.
 
Rider switch is for someone who can't ride due to the height restriction and also offered (on a case by case basis) for those who choose not to. However since you all want to (and can) ride Rider Swap isn't an option for your party. Before giving you the swap the CM will want to see the non rider - the non rider will not be given the pass on his/her band.

If your dd is tall enough you won't get the electronic rider switch, if she isn't tall enough then you are eligible using the standby or FP line.

Alternately just keep checking again for FP+ especially if there is a change in the park hours.

The height is the primary thing, yes. But it is not the only reason they will issue a rider switch. You can get a rider switch in the case of a person who does not want to ride. My son CAN ride Tower of Terror/ Space Mountain and so on, but he will not go on them (chooses not to ride). We have had no issue getting a rider switch. The issue with what the OP wants to do is that they would all have to wait in line to get the rider switch, so there's no point because in that case all three of them will have been waiting in line anyhow.
 
The height is the primary thing, yes. But it is not the only reason they will issue a rider switch. You can get a rider switch in the case of a person who does not want to ride. My son CAN ride Tower of Terror/ Space Mountain and so on, but he will not go on them (chooses not to ride). We have had no issue getting a rider switch. The issue with what the OP wants to do is that they would all have to wait in line to get the rider switch, so there's no point because in that case all three of them will have been waiting in line anyhow.

You have been lucky - many of us have not - as most of the time a CM won't issue a rider swap if a child is eligible but chooses not to ride. (which is why I said case by case basis)

We have been offered a switch at the ride when the child is tall enough but not a rider swap pass - digital or paper. - again my personal experience not for the sake of argument.

Agree that the OP can't use RS in the way they thought as the rider swap will be issued at boarding at which point everyone who wants to ride will have waited in line already :)
 


You have been lucky - many of us have not - as most of the time a CM won't issue a rider swap if a child is eligible but chooses not to ride. (which is why I said case by case basis)

We have been offered a switch at the ride when the child is tall enough but not a rider swap pass - digital or paper. - again my personal experience not for the sake of argument.

Agree that the OP can't use RS in the way they thought as the rider swap will be issued at boarding at which point everyone who wants to ride will have waited in line already :)

It definitely isn’t Disney’s policy but I’m not surprised that results vary. We may have had better luck because we did plan to have me ride right after DH did (not coming back in an hour for example).
 
You have been lucky - many of us have not - as most of the time a CM won't issue a rider swap if a child is eligible but chooses not to ride. (which is why I said case by case basis)

We have been offered a switch at the ride when the child is tall enough but not a rider swap pass - digital or paper. - again my personal experience not for the sake of argument.

Agree that the OP can't use RS in the way they thought as the rider swap will be issued at boarding at which point everyone who wants to ride will have waited in line already :)
This has been our experience as well. We have been allowed for all to go through the line and then 1st party rides while 2nd stays in loading are a with kid tall enough but doesn't want to ride and then swap, but that's very different than a rider swap. - Inconsistency is really the only constant with Disney, but I'd say the way you and I have experienced it is much more common than getting a saw with a tall enough kid.
 
The height is the primary thing, yes. But it is not the only reason they will issue a rider switch. You can get a rider switch in the case of a person who does not want to ride. My son CAN ride Tower of Terror/ Space Mountain and so on, but he will not go on them (chooses not to ride). We have had no issue getting a rider switch. The issue with what the OP wants to do is that they would all have to wait in line to get the rider switch, so there's no point because in that case all three of them will have been waiting in line anyhow.

Been refused with obviously disabled tall enough DS.

Rule of thumb : ALWAYS have a back up plan! :thumbsup2
 
Been refused with obviously disabled tall enough DS.

Rule of thumb : ALWAYS have a back up plan! :thumbsup2

That is awful! Definitely always have a back up plan.

Sadly, it's right in Disney's policy online and seems to be another example of how it's interpreted and enforced differently by whichever CM is encountered that day. I know in our case, I have asked "Can I wait here with 11 yo who doesn't like this ride, and then ride when DH gets back?" and that has not been an issue (and half of the time they have issued me a rider switch to leave and come back but I have not done so). I have not asked if I can come back at another time (as is more traditional with rider switch). My success rate might be in the way I am phrasing the question (that's the only guess I have).
 
That is awful! Definitely always have a back up plan.

Sadly, it's right in Disney's policy online and seems to be another example of how it's interpreted and enforced differently by whichever CM is encountered that day. I know in our case, I have asked "Can I wait here with 11 yo who doesn't like this ride, and then ride when DH gets back?" and that has not been an issue (and half of the time they have issued me a rider switch to leave and come back but I have not done so). I have not asked if I can come back at another time (as is more traditional with rider switch). My success rate might be in the way I am phrasing the question (that's the only guess I have).

So you are saying that "half the time" they are just letting you go in the FP+ line with no FP+ or RS pass in hand?

They just override and let you go through?
 
So you are saying that "half the time" they are just letting you go in the FP+ line with no FP+ or RS pass in hand?

They just override and let you go through?
No, this does not involve FP, and no one overrides anything. I think the issue is that people frequently combine RS and FP and that’s not at all what I do.

For attractions where we have FP and one of the kids isn’t riding then DH rides with 14yo and then either DH or 14 yo uses 11 yo’s Magic Band (containing FP) to ride with me (who did not yet use FP). No need for RS at all- we ride in parties of 2 using FP.

For attractions where we don’t have FP that DO offer RS we will all wait in the standby line and tell CM that 11 yo doesn’t want to ride and depending on the ride and how it’s configured they will either give me a RS so I can walk 11 yo to the exit, meet DH and then ride OR they will have us wait right there until DH is off the ride and then I can go.

We don’t use RS to try and double our FP, and RS isn’t intended to do that.
 
Can 2adults w FP go as group 1and 2differnt adults and 1child whose tall enough go as group 2 without a FP since RS acts as the FP?
 
Can 2adults w FP go as group 1and 2differnt adults and 1child whose tall enough go as group 2 without a FP since RS acts as the FP?

Technically only one of the first two would be necessary/counted towards the RS,, but as I understand it, RS enables as many as three people to get the RS "FP", so I believe so.
 
Can 2adults w FP go as group 1and 2differnt adults and 1child whose tall enough go as group 2 without a FP since RS acts as the FP?

Yes. Everyone who is using RS much get their band scanned. For instance at FoP, we sort of did that exact scenario. My older daughter and DH had a FP for FoP. They went to get in line, and we got a RS for myself, my mom, and my older daughter who rode twice. That was no problem. Just scanned our all of our bands and gave us a return time.
 
Yes. Everyone who is using RS much get their band scanned. For instance at FoP, we sort of did that exact scenario. My older daughter and DH had a FP for FoP. They went to get in line, and we got a RS for myself, my mom, and my older daughter who rode twice. That was no problem. Just scanned our all of our bands and gave us a return time.


Did your group 2 folks have a Fastpass? I wouldntthink it would be necessary though as if they did they would just FP the ride and therefor not even need rider swap... am I right?
 
Did your group 2 folks have a Fastpass? I wouldntthink it would be necessary though as if they did they would just FP the ride and therefor not even need rider swap... am I right?

Group two had a FP for a different attraction. In that instance, group 2 had Navi River Journey FP. My mom typically would have used her FP for the big attraction and just one of us would go on the other ride and use RS with the children who are too short. However, my mom wasn't sure if she actually wanted to do FoP so I put her on Navi with me and two children who were too short to ride Fop. Doing it this way always my older kids to ride twice. With FoP, my 4 year old is too short to ride that anyway although she can ride most attractions now.

We pretty much always do this when we have a kid too short to ride. We will schedule FPs for the larger ride for everyone except one adult and the too short child or children and use those FP for a nearby attraction. For instance, Soarin' - I scheduled FP for everyone but myself on Soarin and used my FP for Living with the Land. My son is only one so he doesn't have a ticket. I got a RS and took my son on Living with the Land while everyone else did Soarin'. On our last trip Living with the Land was a fairly short line so DH, my mom and my son also did Living with the Land while I used the RS for Soarin. My girls who had ridden Soarin' and also gotten a RS opted to ride Soarin again with me instead of doing Living with the Land. They rode Soarin' twice.

It takes some planning, but it is nice that little kids have that option. My son who is one really doesn't care if we just sit there and wait, but my four year old who was already miffed that she was too short would not have handled a long wait well. She would have had to wait while each group went through and experienced FOP. It was nice that she could do Navi with me and then she got a snack with DH while group two did FoP.
 
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