FP logistics questions

[JennyAnne]

Hi there! We will have four kids on our trip: 3 year old twins, an almost 2 year old, and a 7 month old. A couple of questions:

1. If we go on a FP ride and we all want to ride, does everyone need a FP (including the baby)?

2. If we wait in line with our FPs and one of the kids freaks out when we get up to the actual ride, can we still do the parent swap? Or does the parent swap only happen in the regular lines?

Thank you!! :mickey:

[WDWdriver]

1. The almost 2 year old and the baby will not have (or need) a FP because they are too young to have a park admission ticket.

2. This depends on the layout of the ride. Most rider switches take place outside of the attraction entrance and before you enter the queue. In this case, if a child refuses to ride at the last minute there is little that can be done. A family member would have to exit with the child.

Some attractions do the rider switch in the loading area, which would allow you to have a family member wait there with the child while the others ride, and then switch. There is no single answer to this situation.

[JennyAnne]

1. The almost 2 year old and the baby will not have (or need) a FP because they are too young to have a park admission ticket.

2. This depends on the layout of the ride. Most rider switches take place outside of the attraction entrance and before you enter the queue. In this case, if a child refuses to ride at the last minute there is little that can be done. A family member would have to exit with the child.

Some attractions do the rider switch in the loading area, which would allow you to have a family member wait there with the child while the others ride, and then switch. There is no single answer to this situation.
Thank you so much for the info! So one more question...just trying to wrap my head around things...if most rider switches take place outside the attraction and before the queue, doesn't the parent riding 2nd just end up waiting in the line all over again?

[sacandjac]

I think the second set of riders with child swap pass enters the fast pass line.

[JennyAnne]

Thanks Jill!

[IloveJack]

I think the second set of riders with child swap pass enters the fast pass line.

Yes, and due to this, you can use that adult's FP for something else (i.e., Mom rides with older kids using FPs, Dad waits with babies. Dad then uses rider switch and can ride again with older kids using no new FPs.) In effect, you can double your FPs, if you don't have multiple adults wanting to ride.

[JennyAnne]

Yes, and due to this, you can use that adult's FP for something else (i.e., Mom rides with older kids using FPs, Dad waits with babies. Dad then uses rider switch and can ride again with older kids using no new FPs.) In effect, you can double your FPs, if you don't have multiple adults wanting to ride.

If it comes to pass that we need to do that (I'm hoping it's not too much of an issue) is it easy to rebook your FPs on the run? Or are they usually gone by mid-day? I know that will vary greatly on crowd levels and such. We're going in early June.

[Goofy4TheWorld]

I used the rider switch a lot last October, and while I always obtained the pass back at the FP entrance (since we always had a FP for all of the rides we used rider switch on) I am absolutely positive that if you have to abort and take the chicken exit, either someone inside the loading area will give you a rider switch as you are leaving, or if not simply go back to the entrance line, explain what happened, and I have no doubt they will hand you a rider switch. There is no way you won't get one. The CMs like to see the entire family together, but there were times I forgot to get the pass before DW and DS1 were already in the line, and never once was I refused a rider switch.

[IloveJack]

If it comes to pass that we need to do that (I'm hoping it's not too much of an issue) is it easy to rebook your FPs on the run? Or are they usually gone by mid-day? I know that will vary greatly on crowd levels and such. We're going in early June.

Yes, providing that the app is running well that day, and that the FPs aren't all gone already. We did it a lot on our trip in December.

[JennyAnne]

Thank you all so much for your help! I think I'm starting to understand this whole FP thing a bit better. :mickey: