We’ll be heading to the world next summer - 2 adults, DS (15), DS (8), DD (4). How would switching off work with this size family? OR do you just ride as pairs and the other pair hang out with the 4yo?
Any way you want really. You could have one adult stay with the 4 year old when needed to do RS, and the other adult go with the 15 and 8 year old. Then, on the swap, the other adult could go with both the 15 and 8 year old, so they can ride twice (you can have up to 3 people go on the swap).
Or, you could pair up, and on ride 1, one adult goes with 1 kid, and on the swap, one goes with the other kid. Really your choice.
Also keep in mind that at 4, there’s probably a bunch of rides with hight restrictions that your daughter will be able to go on if she’s comfortable doing so (Alien Swirling Saucers, Slinky Dog, and 7 Dwarfs have low height requirements, for example).
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Also, depending on the ride and your sizes, some rides you can triple up. For example, not Space, but Buzz. I think we also squeezed in on HM, UtS, TSMM, Splash (me, DS7, DD9). No squeezing in on RnR, maybe BTMRR? Maybe Barnstormer? You can google WDW ride seating and find some good references. CM’s will also be helpful.
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Also DS15 and DS8 can ride together without an adult, I believe-but someone else should chime in. Course those ideas only help on those where DD4 meets requirements too.
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This is true. You must be 14 to ride with a younger child.
This is true if the child is under 7. Ages 7 and up can ride alone or with other kids 7 and up. So DS15 can ride with DD4 but DS8 can not ride alone with DD4, although DS8 can ride alone.
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Is that true for all attractions? Can we not stick our DS9, DS7,and DD5 on Barnstormer via FP and just wait for them at the exit?
DD5 would not be able to ride without someone 14 or above.
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It’s technically true by Disney policies, but they don’t always enforce it. Specifically for Barnstormer our kids at ages 5 & 9 were allowed without a parent. Both are small for their age, so were not being mistaken for older. At another ride it wasn’t allowed, so I think it’s partly just luck.
It probably is luck. My then 12 year-old (who is really tall and thus looks older) was asked at Barnstormer and Buzz Lightyear if he was 14 when trying to ride with my youngest who turned 6 on our trip. For Barnstormer, older brother age 15 was riding as well in another car so they let it go, but CM refused for Buzz even though parents were riding at same time in another vehicle. We didn’t know the exact rule at the time and didn’t consider safety an issue especially for non-thrill rides as the 12-year-old was certainly responsible enough. But we also didn’t try to get around the rule once we knew what it was.
In SOME rides, the issue is one of safety. In other cases, it is a concern over maturity. While a ride might be safe enough for a rider in terms of height, if a young child suddenly gets scared, the might try to do something uncharacteristically dangerous, which is why they ultimately also have age-based rules in place.
But, since a lot of parents will try to skirt the rules and lie about their age, I don’t think they can be 100% sticklers about it. This isn’t meant to be permission to skirt the rules…only that some battles aren’t always worth the fight. After all, for years (up until about 2 years ago) EVERYONE always thought our daughter was older than our third son, despite the fact that he was nearly 2 years older simply because she was so much taller for her age, and he was short for his age. Now, at 16, he’s taller. 
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I agree. I felt my 12-year-old was mature enough to ride with my 6 year old but that is not universally true. Disney has the right to make their own rules on this matter. I respect the rules and generally don’t try to get around them. I’m actually surprised that 7 year olds are considered old enough to ride alone. If just in a different vehicle it seems reasonable and I would assume not many parents are sending their 7 year old through SB alone but maybe. I guess Disney wants to be as safe as possible and at the same time help families with multiple smaller kids. So a family with 8, 5, and 2 year olds can have one parent take 2 kids while the other waits with the shortie as opposed to having to go through 2x (although they would if both parents wanted to ride)
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My DD8 rode Barnstormer by herself yesterday and got asked twice how old she was.
That’s perfectly within Disney rules. 7+ can ride by themselves.
Yes, I know. I was just indicating that they do ask, even on rides that are “tame.”
Well, I sacrificed one of our 7DMT FP’s (3rd set) to get an extra Barnstormer FP so that I could ride with DD5 while DD7 and DD9 ride together. So, semi-moot point now.