If you are traveling with small children, the Rider Switch Pass at Walt Disney World will help you to have a more enjoyable vacation. Also known as Parent Swap or Rider Swap, the Rider Switch Pass works similarly to a Fastpass, giving both parents the opportunity to experience an attraction that their younger children can not.
There are 2 different ways to use Rider Switch, one is when your party has a Fastpass and one is when your party enters through the regular queue.
Using The Regular Queue Line
Approach the Cast Member at the entrance to the regular queue with your entire party. They will need to see your small child. Let the Cast Member know that you want to use the Rider Switch option. The parent staying with the small child will be given a Rider Switch Pass credit and the other parent and the rest of your party will be allowed to enter into the line to ride the attraction. The 3 people riding with the parent do not need a Fastpasses to ride. The Rider Switch card works as a Fastpass for up to 3 people.
When your family returns from the ride, the parent who stayed with the small child can now return to the Fastpass line with the Rider Switch card and 3 members of your party to ride again. Present the Rider Switch card to the Cast Member at the entrance to the Fastpass line and 3 of you will be ushered into the Fastpass return line and onto the ride with minimal wait.
Using A Fastpass
Obtain Fastpasses for your entire party for the ride you wish to ride. During your return window for the Fastpass, approach the Cast Member at the entrance to the Fastpass queue with your entire party. They will need to see your small child. Let the Cast Member know that you want to use the Rider Switch option. The parent staying with the small child will be given a Rider Switch Pass credit and the other parent and the rest of your party will be allowed to enter into the Fastpass line to ride the attraction. The ones riding will need to surrender their Fastpass at this time.
When your family returns from the ride, the parent who stayed with the small child can now return to the Fastpass line with the Rider Switch card and 3 members of your party to ride again. Present the Rider Switch card to the Cast Member at the entrance to the Fastpass line and 3 of you will be ushered into the Fastpass return line and onto the ride with minimal wait. The 3 people riding with the parent do not need another set of Fastpasses to ride. The Rider Switch card works as a Fastpass for up to 3 people.
Here are some important things to remember:
- Rider Switch is for those with kids who are either too short to ride or who are still very young and afraid to ride. It is not intended for parents with older children (such as teenagers) who just aren’t interested in riding.
- Rider Switch is available at all of the rides that feature Fastpass. It is also available at a handful of rides that do not feature it. Always ask a Cast Member if you are unsure if Rider Swap is available on that attraction.
- You do not need a Fastpass for your partner or your small child who is not riding. You are only required to have a Fastpass for those entering the ride the first time around.
- Your Rider Switch credit, connected to your MagicBand, expires 1 hour from issue.
- Guests can only have 1 Rider Switch credit at a time, if they get another one after already having one, it will cancel out the first one.
My Experience: When Jacob was small, he hated Big Thunder Mountain. When we were at Walt Disney World in 2009, Jason got a Fastpass for us. When it was time to ride, Jason, Emily, Jacob and I all approached the Cast Member at the Fastpass entrance to Big Thunder and let them know that we wanted to do Rider Switch. She gave me a Rider Switch card and Jacob and Emily entered the Fastpass line with their Fastpasses. I took Jacob to play at the playground under Splash Mountain. When Jason and Emily returned from the ride, we went and ate lunch at Pacos Bill’s. Then Emily and I went to the Cast Member at the Fastpass entrance to Big Thunder, showed her our Rider Switch pass and entered the Fastpass line.
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Chelsea says
This upcoming trip will be the first time I’ve used the Rider Switch so I want to make sure I understand.
Adults A & B and children C, D and E go through the line (fast pass or not). Adult A rides with child C and D while Adult B and child E get a pass to come back later. When the group arrives later, Adult B gets to ride with child C and D while adult A waits with child E? Is there a way to just switch the adults out as soon as they get back from their ride? I don’t understand why they would have the family come
Back and wait in the line all over again.
If you use the fast pass, does the second parent get to use the fast pass option when they return to ride again? How Kong is the window to return?
Rebecca says
Did you ever get a response on how this works exactly? Sounds like we have the same dynamics and I’m trying to figure out how this will work.
Melinda says
Hi! Thanks for writing about this. I just want to be clear. My 4 year old will technically get to ride the ride twice, once with me and once with my husband while my infant waits with one of us during the switch. That’s awesome for my older one!
Heather says
Love this… I went to Disneyland for the first time many, many (let’s face it I need another “many” in here) years ago. I was 6 years old and not a big fan of roller coasters and thrill rides. My mom, my teenaged brother and my uncle wanted to ride Big Thunder Mountain together, but with my fears being very visible, my mom was going to stay with me. Snow White happened to be nearby and offered to take me to the ride’s exit and wait for my party with me. The young lady was very nice and not only stood with me, but engaged me in conversation, never breaking character. Even with all of the rides, that was one of the most memorable things I experienced that day. I know that there are not enough characters for every scared child in the park and in the current day and age leaving your child with a stranger, even if they are screened by Disney, is a not so happy thought. I love that they have come up with these passes and makes me so much more excited for the day when I take my kids to the Magic Kingdom for the first time!