Rider Switch (sometimes called "Child Swap") is Disney's system that allows people with small children to take turns riding the bigger rides while the other person/people wait with the child.
Here's how it works...
In this article
Update: Rider Switch has gone Digital
Update: As of June 19, 2018, Disney has begun to transition from paper Rider Switch passes to all digital using your MagicBand or RFID enabled ticket.
Aside from the Rider Switch being digital, the process is very similar to the previous method in all aspects except for the return time.
As you encounter a ride that has a height requirement, your whole group should be present and you can tell the Cast Member that you'd like to use Rider Switch.
The Cast Member will then scan the MagicBands or tickets of the waiting portion of your group (Group 2). For those people they will see the Rider Switch added to the FastPass section of their My Disney Experience account.
The riding portion of your group (Group 1) will proceed through the line.
Previously guests had anywhere from until the end of the day to, in some cases, the end of the month to redeem their Rider Switch pass.
This new digital method, however, utilizes a return window that is 1 hour long (with a 10 minute grace period).
Note: The new return time restriction is something you'll want to keep in mind when planning out your FastPass+ reservations.Â
Recommendation: Use Rider Switch with FastPass+
Just like with paper FastPasses I still highly recommend that you use FastPass+ for only the first group. This means that you'd get FastPasses for just the number of people riding in Group 1.
Once your group shows up during the FastPass window (the whole group should show up, including the non-riding child), the Cast Member will scan the MagicBands or tickets of the rest of the group (Group 2). Group 2 will then have the Rider Switch pass added to their My Disney Experience account. That Rider Switch pass will then allow Group 2 to use the FastPass+ line.
This method effectively doubles the number of FastPass+ reservations you can get since the Rider Switch passes work like FastPasses. Here's an example of how this could work for a family.
| wdt_ID | Ride | Mom | Dad | 8-year-old | 3-year-old |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seven Dwarfs Mine Train | Get FP+ for this | Ride using Rider Switch | Get FP+ for this (and can also ride using Rider Switch) | |
| 2 | Space Mountain | Ride using Rider Switch | Get FP+ for this | Ride using Rider Switch and use 3-year-old's FP+ to ride | Get FP+ using 3-year-old's ticket although 3-year-old won't be riding |
| 3 | Big Thunder Mountain | Get FP+ for this | Ride using Rider Switch | Get FP+ for this (and can also ride using Rider Switch) | |
| 4 | Splash Mountain | Ride using Rider Switch | Get FP+ for this | Ride using Rider Switch and use 3-year-old's FP+ to ride | Get FP+ using 3-year-old's ticket although 3-year-old won't be riding |
| 5 | Barnstormer | Get FP+ for this | Ride using Rider Switch | Get FP+ for this (and can also ride using Rider Switch) | |
| 6 | Stitch's Great Escape | Ride using Rider Switch | Get FP+ for this | Ride using Rider Switch and use 3-year-old's FP+ to ride | Get FP+ using 3-year-old's ticket although 3-year-old won't be riding |
| 7 | Total # of times on these rides: | 6 | 6 | 12 | 0 |
The old paper passes did not have a time specified on it, however, the new digital versions do specify a return time with an hour and 10 minute long window. You'll be able to see your return time in the My Disney Experience app.
Chance to ride twice
Each time that the too-young-to-ride child waits on the rest of the group to ride, they only need 1 adult to stay with them. That means there is an opportunity to allow the rest of the group (if you have more than 2 adults) to ride twice.
Let's say you have a family with 2 adults and 3 kids and only the youngest child isn't riding. The first group can have 1 adult and 2 older kids while the other adult and youngest child waits. The second group can have the other adult and the 2 older kids (Rider Switch allows up to 3 people). This means the 2 older kids get to ride twice.
What to do while waiting
One of my biggest pet peeves in all of Disney World is when people make their small children sit and wait while older people ride. You're at Disney World - there's lots of things to do!
Here are some things to do if you are in the waiting group.
| wdt_ID | Ride | Height Requirement | What to do while waiting |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MAGIC KINGDOM: | ||
| 2 | Seven Dwarfs Mine Train | 38" | Ride the Carousel or Mad Tea Party |
| 3 | Big Thunder Mountain Railroad | 40" | Ride the Walt Disney World Railroad around, starting at the Frontierland station and/or play in the play area located just under the train station |
| 4 | Splash Mountain | 40" | Ride the Walt Disney World Railroad around, starting at the Frontierland station and/or play in the play area located just under the train station |
| 5 | Barnstormer | 35" | Casey Jr. Splash ‘N’ Soak Station, Dumbo |
| 6 | Space Mountain | 44" | Tomorrowland Transit Authority |
| 7 | Stitch's Great Escape | 40" | Tomorrowland Transit Authority |
| 8 | Tomorrowland Indy Speedway | 32" to ride | Tomorrowland Transit Authority |
| 9 | |||
| 10 | EPCOT: |
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The speed at which you tour depends on how busy the parks are, when you arrive, what you're riding, how fast you move and if you are using Rider Switch. As you can probably guess, riding the same ride twice will slow you down quite a bit. Keep this in mind as you create your touring plans.
325 Comments
Hi guys,
I was wondering, would this work for an older child who just doesn’t want to ride? I have a 10-year-old nephew who is scared of a lot of the rides. would we be able to do rider swap with him? (meaning to have someone wait with him). My reasoning behind this is to take full advantage of the fastpasses! lol
Has anyone tried this recently? Can you only have 1 parent with a fastpass and the other get a riderswitch without a fastpass? I would love to use this as to not waste our fastpasses…
I would love to know too. I don’t want to follow and then get turned away.
Would this work for a family of 3? Mom, dad and a 19 month old
By the way, I will be getting names of which employees enforce both groups needing fastpasses to see if it is specific castmembers enforcing the rule differently. Does anyone know the name of the rogue castmember from Seven Dwarves Mine Train?
I have a Florida annual pass and recently tried out the rider switch at Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom. It did work and wasn’t too confusing because it is me, my husband, 7 year old who is tall enough for all the big rides and 2 year old. I can’t wrap my mind around how to juggle more people than that and how it would work.
There are some varying rules that I still don’t full understand and it is enforced differently depending on the cast member or perhaps park? In Animal Kingdom we used rider switch for Everest, DINOSAUR, and Primeval Whirl. For example my husband and 7 year old would have a fastpass for the ride. All family members present to the fastpass line and ask cast member for rider switch. They promptly ask who is staying behind with the youngest child and will oldest child be riding again. What they did was scan my card/magic band and 7 year old. Then hubby and oldest child use fastpass like normal. When they are done, me and oldest child go through fastpass lane using magic band/card like normal. The adult staying behind did NOT also need a fastpass and this is how customer service explained it to me as well. At Primeval Whirl I was told the second group (me and oldest child) could not go on in less than 40 minutes, I suppose this may have been what the standby wait was. So we just went on Triceratops Spin while we waited. No other ride gave any time restraints min or max.
At Magic Kingdom we did this same method at Thunder Mountain Railroad. The castmember said all people are supposed to have a fastpass and “they are starting to crack down on this because people are abusing the system and basically getting more than 3 fastpasses”. He did let us on the ride but said in the future that all would need fastpasses. He was a white male in mid to late 20’s or early 30’s perhaps. I did not get his name. I wonder if this is the same guy who others have reported enforce this same rule on the Seven Dwarves Mine Train. I am going to keep using the method as explained on this webpage.
If we all need fastpasses, then what is the point? We can do our own rider switch within the fastpass window. And what about my oldest child getting to go on twice regardless? Is that not getting an extra ride/fastpass? My theory is that the rider switch is an old program that was grandfathered in and some people who don’t have kids don’t like it. It is definitely not an advantage going to Disney with young children when it already takes twice as long to do everything.
Melanie, thank you. We’ve always done it this way and a recent post on another page said the entire group needed FastPass (we’ve always done group A with FP and group B different FP for the little one (dumbo, tea cups etc). ) so I was worried we all needed one and the 3 yr olds FP would be wasted
I recently spoke with a representative from Walt Disney World who told me that it is now required that all members of the party have a Fastpass for the ride that rider switch is being used on. So they are cracking down on people getting more than 3 Fastpasses by using rider switch.
Going in 1 month with an infant, do I need to follow the new FP rules or the original child swap?
Has anyone tried this recently? However we will be doing something a little unique. The last weekend in June we are flying into LA and have a 12 hour layover and were planning on going to Disneyland, has anyone experience combining them at disneyland? It seems pointless to have to have both of us have fastpass when we can have our own rider switch with these…
And the we fly to orlando and have another 10 hour layover there and are planning to go to disneyworld . really kind of crazy…
(then finally to our actually destination of london 🙂
Are the rides listed for the child swap up to date? Wondering about the slinky dog ride. Thanks!
I was wondering if anyone has done this lately. Im planning a trip in Nov 2019 and I will have 4 adults and 3 kids (7 years, 5 years and 1 year old) so we will have to do rider swap with the 1 year old and I wanted to do optimize my fastpass+ with all the people we have.
I have a question. Family of five and two grandparents going to disney. We are booked on all our fastpasses, and the grandparents are booked with us. If they decide they don’t want to ride a coaster, can we use their bands? Can we switch bands around to ride more than once using their fastpass? Thanks!
Yep! You can use somebody else’s MagicBand for a FastPass as long as they’ve entered the park that day with you.
I’m confused….how would they allow the 8 y/o to use the fast pass of the 3 y/o?
The 8 year old can use the 3 year old’s MagicBand.
We did this method when we went in September 2017, and are hoping to use it again in September 2019. We only had a few significant wait times for our whole trip and it was fantastic. Yes, having 3 older kids means they have to take turns sitting out for the second ride. But, they all got to ride twice on a few rides.
Question: we are hoping to do a pre park opening breakfast at Be Our Guest and then ride Seven Dwarves. Will they give rider switch passes to our party before park opening?
I seem to be getting a lot of conflicting reporting… Does both mom & daughter have fast pass, does dad also need to have a fast pass to do the child swap? Please clarify. And daughter could ride again with dad?
I have used this method one our last two trips with great success! However, since the rollout of digital rider switch, I have seen cast members on many forums (many who say they work at attractions like Mine Train and Flight of Passage) all say that they are denying rider switch to groups where all party members don’t have the fastpass. I have emailed guest services twice and they say that all party members must have the fastpass to use rider switch.
I want to keep using this method, but I am afraid of having our trip ruined by getting turned away every time we try to use rider switch. You responded to a comment about this back in July. Is there any new info that confirms/denies you can still split FP+ like this?
Yes, we hear from readers all the time who use it like this and many of the trip reports on the podcast have mentioned it. If everybody has a FastPass, what’s the point of Rider Switch?
I completely agree, there’s no point in rider switch if everyone has to have the fastpass! It’s not just that you can’t “double up” using this method, but every time you use rider switch (with all riding adults having a fastpass) the child(3 or older) who sits out sacrifices their fastpass, because no adult has a spare fastpass to take them on something else!
I’m so sorry, I’m not quite sure what you meant by “yes.” Are you saying “yes, they are making everyone have the fastpass now,” or “yes, you can still split fastpasses.”
Help, so confused!!!
I’m a single parent of four — three kids tall enough to ride and an infant. We are staying on property so I can get fastpasses 60 days in advance and I plan to get them for Mine Train.
I have a friend who is going to join us one day of the trip to help with the rides with height restrictions as there is apparently no way we can ride those otherwise with me being the only adult. (I assume they won’t allow my 12 year old to be the second “adult” and wait with the baby, assuming there is a place safe for them to wait (i.e. beside the cast member)?)
So here’s my situation. This will be the only time we can ride this. My friend lives in the area and will just have a one day ticket so can only get fps 30 days out and it is unlikely therefore that she’ll be able to get a Mine Train fp.
So we all go up to the fp Mine Train line, me and my three kids have fp’s and my friends waits with my baby. Will my friend still get the Rider swap pass even though she probably won’t have a fastpass, and be able to return through the fp line? And my understanding is that rider swap is only for three guests. This means only two of my three big kids will get to ride again with her, which seems horribly unfair to the one child who gets left out considering that like I said this is the ONLY time during our whole trip we will be able to ride this ride. Do they ever make an exception to this rule? It seems odd to make the return pass for three only, when most rides seat two…
If you link your friend in the my disney experience app she should be able to get fast passes 60 days out when you do.
Is there any way to more effectively use parent swap when there are two adults, a 7 year old, a 2 year old, and a 1 year old? Anything I map out leaves each adult with an unused FP. Please help!
WOW…simply WOW. I’m so gracious to understand this. It’s so helpful in planning. I recommend this site to ANYONE planning a trip. Seriously!