Rider Switch for My Family

Walt Disney World
#1

We’re going Feb 2/2 - 2/8. Park days are 2/3 - 2/7. We have park hoppers as well. Our party consists of: Me33, DW32, DD5, DS2, DGP65, DGM64.

Question - With DS2 being 2 yrs old at the time of the trip and not having a ticket, will he get assigned FP+ reservations like the rest of us? Will his name show up on the MDE app when booking FP+ 60 days before trip? Or, will he just get to ride in the FP+ line with the rest of the group bc he’s 2 yrs old?

Rider Switch - My understanding is that this applies when there is a child that does not meet the hint requirements. I’ve also read it could apply if a child (DS2 or DD5) is too scared but I don’t want to depend on that.

I’m nervous about depending on rider switch to try and ride more rides with FP+ bc I’m not sure if it truly applies to our situation.

So, I’m trying to determine if for example, we are at Space Mountain which DS2 cannot ride (height). If we all (Me33, DW32, DGP65, DGM64 and DD5) have FP+ but DS2 is not riding, normally, I would think DW32 and Me33 would ride with DD5 while DGP65 and DGM64 stay with DS2. Then, DW32 and I stay with DS2 and DD5 while DGP65 and DGM64 ride.

However, with rider switch, could DGM64 just stay with DS2 and get a rider switch so that DW32, DGP65, DD5 and Me33 ride first, then DGM64 uses her rider switch FP+ to ride with 2 other guests (i.e. DGP65 and DD5) while DW32 and Me33 stay with DS2? If so, then what happens with DGM64’s original FP+ that we booked 60 days before trip? My mind goes to … well, we should not book a FP+ for DGM64 bc she doesn’t need it bc she could use a rider switch FP+. Then, I think… well does it even make sense for us to use rider switch? I understand that if we didn’t book a FP+ for Space Mountain originally for DGM64, she would have an extra FP+ to use later that day but I’m not sure how valuable that would be for us.

I’d love to have more rides that we could use a FP+ for OR be able for DD5 to ride a ride twice with her parents and grandparents but I’m really having a hard time wrapping my mind around how to use rider switch for my family. I’m nervous about a cast member saying we can’t use rider switch bc DGM64 already has a FP+ for the ride or a cast member saying we can’t use it bc grandparents could just stay with our youngest son.

Anybody go with grandparents or something similar that could offer advice?

#2

If you are going to use RS with a ride that you are using FP, then all riding guests, including those using RS, must have FP as well. While there are reports of people managing to do it without, it isn’t the norm.

Reason for using Rider Switch is simply that a person doesn’t want to ride who can’t be alone. Height requirement doesn’t matter. If a person is just too scared, and that person couldn’t be left alone, for example, that’s perfectly valid/acceptable.

#3

In the example of all having FP, it is true that you wouldn’t have to RS, however, getting it allows the person waiting with the 2 year old not to ride alone or if both grandparents wait, they both can ride with the granddaughter.

RS takes a lot of time, but can be very helpful.
As far as booking FP. Your DS2 will show up in your party, and no he doesn’t have a ticket, nor does he need a FP. He can go with anyone on any ride he is tall enough for. My DS2 road SDD a lot this way. You do have to remove him from the group when you book FP or they won’t go, that can get kind of annoying, but not hard to do.

#4

Since you mentioned Space, I wanted to give you an example my husband and I had this summer.
Just he and I and our DS2 made it to the park that morning. We went to ride Space, He went with FP and I stayed with our son. The cast member, was reluctant to give me a RS, since I had FP and didn’t need it. I told her our son wouldn’t want to wait for two people to ride and our FP would expire, she gave me the RS so I could come back when he napped, and told me to modify my original FP to something else.
Also, I know everyone says you should all have FP, but there were many times we used RS so we wouldn’t have that hanging FP for the person waiting. So if we were doing a big ride, we would get a FP for the waiting person to something close by so our son wouldn’t just have to wait all day.

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#5

Is this a recent change? Because that is not what the policy said last I looked and my experience is very few reports that all people were required to have fpp.

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#6

Just reporting what I’ve read here.

#7

I don’t think this is true. I think it is the opposite … the norm is that guests are using RS this way, but there a few stories of CM’s at 7DMT and FOP asking if everyone has FP.

3 Likes
#8

First simpler question, your 2 y/o won’t show up in MDE. He doesn’t have a ticket and won’t have access to FP+. He’ll just piggyback into whatever line you guys do.

We went with my family this exact week this February. We had myself, DH, DD8, DS6, DD4, DD2 and both of my parents. DD2 was way under many height requirements and DD4 was under 44” so we sometimes had two non-riders.

I utilized the heck out of RS/FP+. I’ll use AK as an example:

Tier 1s:
FOP FP - Myself, DH, DD8 and DS6. We have them add RS onto my parents’ bands and DD8’s band.
RS - my parents and DD8 ride FOP with their RS FP
NRJ FP - while DH and I take the big kids on FOP both of my parents, DD2 and DD4 ride NRJ w/ FP

Tier 2s
KS FP - ALL
EE FP - DH, DDad, DS6 ride with pre-booked FP. We have them add RS onto my, DD8 and DMom’s bands. DMom and I wait with the little girls while the guys ride.
EE RS - Myself, DD8 and my mom ride with our RS FPs. DDad and DH wait with the little girls.
KRR FP - DMom, DD8, me and DD4 ride with pre-booked FPs. We have them add RS onto DH, DS7 and DDad’s bands. The guys wait with DD2 while we ride.
KRR RS - DH, DS7 and DDad ride with their RS FPs while my mom and I hang with the girls.

It’s all so complex and complicated to do it this way. I had a whole page in my Excel spreadsheet dedicated to lining up RS and FP and to be honest it’s kind of a PITA. RS in general takes a lot of time but it’s nice to have with little ones. I’d utilize RS when you can instead of just having everyone use their FPs simply from a time issue (if your FP window expires while Group 1 is riding Group 2 may get turned away with their FP when they go back for their ride).

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#9

This. If everyone needs a FP, then the young child (who is too short to ride the big ride) essentially loses a FP since that child can’t ride anything alone.

My understanding (I could be wrong) is that the return time for RS is different depending on whether the second group has a FP or not.

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#10

Yup.

2 Likes
#11

Perhaps…but it comes to the same end, I suppose.

#12

Whoa, that’s a lot to digest. I’ll give this a shot. The answer is…no.

#13

We did similar things.

#14

It really did work great except it made it feel like it took so long to tour the parks this way. DD4 (now DD5) has hit the 44” mark since February and I’m hoping that by our next trip DD2 (now DD3) will hit 40”. I can’t wait for a day at WDW without RS! :laughing:

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#15

In the case of Space Mountain, would it be faster/easier to go old school with RS?

That is, everyone gets in line. But when the line is near the back wall/chicken exit, the main group goes ahead, and the other person just allows others to go ahead of them. Once they first group gets off the ride, one of them goes up the chicken exit ramp and the non-rider just exits the line from there. The person they were waiting with can just go ahead and ride.

It works, and avoids having to wait for going all the way up the exit and back around…although slightly annoying to just let people keep passing by in line.

#16

A child who is too short won’t be allowed to enter the line.

But yes, that would be much faster if allowed.

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#17

Oh, right. Didn’t think about that.

#18

It doesn’t really come to the same, it’s just 2 rides where occasionally people are asked if they all have FPs.

#19

Thank you to all who responded.

One follow up regarding a slightly different way to use RS. DW32 is saying our first Disney Trip does not need another spreadsheet. If I just book everyone to have 3 FP+'s per day and my Touring Plan says the following:

Space Mountain (FP 10-11AM) - arrive at 10:44 AM … at this point, instead of having Me33, DW32, and DD5 ride SMnt while DGP65 and DGM64 wait with DS2 and b/c their FP from 10-11 is likely to expire, could we have DGP65 and DGM64 use Rider Switch before Group A rides? Would the CM give them/Group B a longer window (10 min from when Group A enters) to ride using RS FP+ instead of their original FP+? Then, DGP65 and DGM64 could ride Space Mountain with or w/o DD5 (maybe I get a second ride w/ my in-laws).

Also, does anybody know if getting rider switch to prevent Group B from missing their FP+ window is acceptable?
Was their consensus on whether your RS FP+ replaces your original FP+?
Would you have to tap the original FP+ after you ride?
Or, could you modify the original FP+ to another ride later in the day?

#20

We were there two weeks ago, and my 4yo was never once measured at the beginning of the line. Some rides have a place you can measure yourself, but a CM never checked her until we were nearly boarding.