Fast pass Needed for Rider Switch

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Yeah..I don't think you understand.

You're not using someone else's ticket to get yourself a FP. That was the old way. Where you used someone (normally a fake person on MDE) to get more FP. That is not allowed. The person has to physically be in the park and into order to do that they would have to use their ticket entitlement to do so.

I'm not a fan of big drops but I know my husband loves ToT and I've been on ToT before including the trip back in 2011. I decided when it was time for our FP on our 2017 trip to not go on it but my husband did. When he came out he used my MB which had my FP on it and went. I sat outside and waited for him.

There is no doubling down. Sorry. Unfortunately I can only guess that you're misunderstanding people and what they are talking about. Because the old way is against the rules I cannot go too far into specifics.

As far as change FP..no that is actually an option that was removed from the app recently. Therefore change FP via the app is no longer allowed to be talked about on the DIS boards. I *think* change FP is allowed at the moment on the website.

I always specify that currently, at the moment, etc Disney does not care if you use a MB from someone else in your traveling party on a ride provided that person entered the park with you.

I'm not going to go back and forth with you on this. You can stand your ground if you want to but it's not an issue at the present moment. If you don't want to ever do that fine..no one was telling you you had to anyways.

We actually asked a CM on our trip in 2016 what to do when one of our kids had a FP for something and she was sleeping. She couldn’t ride but the ride didn’t offer rider swap because there was no height requirement. The CM told me to wait back with the sleeping kid, DH and ODD went in the ride via FP. Then when they finished, I gave ODD the baby’s MB and she and I went via my FP and the baby’s. It’s not gaming the system, it’s using your allotted FPs. Everyone is allowed 3, and using those 3 up is not adding anything, it’s just common sense. Which is why the CM told us to do it that way, so I could still ride and ODD just got to do it twice, no big deal. It really doesn’t matter if she uses it or her sister, same number of passengers on the ride.
 
FP’s are linked to a ticket which is linked to a specific person. If you are getting a FP for someone else and then using it yourself, you ARE using their ticket to get it, no matter how you slice it.
 
We actually asked a CM on our trip in 2016 what to do when one of our kids had a FP for something and she was sleeping. She couldn’t ride but the ride didn’t offer rider swap because there was no height requirement. The CM told me to wait back with the sleeping kid, DH and ODD went in the ride via FP. Then when they finished, I gave ODD the baby’s MB and she and I went via my FP and the baby’s. It’s not gaming the system, it’s using your allotted FPs. Everyone is allowed 3, and using those 3 up is not adding anything, it’s just common sense. Which is why the CM told us to do it that way, so I could still ride and ODD just got to do it twice, no big deal. It really doesn’t matter if she uses it or her sister, same number of passengers on the ride.

That is totally different IMO than pre-planning your fastpasses with someone else’s ticket because they won’t ride a specific ride. Someone mentioned doing that in advance planning to use them for hard to get rides. You asked permission and they said yes, I see nothing wrong with what you did.

Each person is allotted FP, for themselves. They aren’t pooled among a family. It’s not about it totaling up.
 
I just think that pre-planning to use FP’s in someone else’s name goes against the spirit or the intent of the FP. That’s my opinion. And officially at least it is clearly against the rules. If Disney intended them to be pooled among a family they would have done that.

When people do things like this policies get changed it and ruins it for the rest of us. Just because you don’t get caught speeding, doesn’t make it less illegal.

That’s just my opinion.
 
When people do things like this policies get changed it and ruins it for the rest of us.

Except CMs don’t care one bit that it’s being done.

Really, they COULD easily enforce the policy if they wanted to without impacting anyone using FPs “correctly.” They’re simply not worried about enforcing a policy that affects...no one.

Lastly, the website isn’t the gospel truth. The website says that people can get RS for not wanting to ride a ride. In practice, that’s not always what’s done. This is another one of those situations where what’s written and what’s practiced differ.

You’re definitely entitled to your opinion, and the rest of us are entitled to a differing opinion.
 
It is flat out explained to be against the rules on their website. Have you ever asked a CM if it is allowed? I’ll bet their answer is no. Doing something just because you don’t get caught doesn’t make it ok.

Using someone else’s magic band to double up FP’s is not cool, and I really hope they figure out a way to stop that way of gaming the system. There are tiers and limits for a reason, finding ways to get around them is inconsiderate to everyone else who plays by the rules.

Yes, I have. No, they do not care.

There is no advantage to anyone, no extra FP+ used, no doubling up, not using someone's ticket .... not gaming the system.

I think the example given with the website is typical poor Disney writing where no one read it back out loud. Of course we shouldn't use someone else's MB to access tickets. In direct contradiction to the statement, if I use my MB to use up 4 adult DDP entitlements rather than we each buy our own, I am in essence using something assigned to someone else and not me. I think beyond the tickets, as long as the usage is within the same family group, Disney does not care. The problem comes when you use the system to gain additional FP+ above and beyond OR if you are doing something perceived as "selling" to another party.

Gaming the system is to gain an advantage or seek additional FP+. Some people use the R/S system to game the system and gain double or more FP+ for their group. The problem is R/S was designed when there was no such thing as FP, it was to help families in what is now the Standby lines. Disney has not kept up their policies with their services.
 
It is flat out explained to be against the rules on their website. Have you ever asked a CM if it is allowed? I’ll bet their answer is no. Doing something just because you don’t get caught doesn’t make it ok. Using someone else’s magic band to double up FP’s is not cool, and I really hope they figure out a way to stop that way of gaming the system. There are tiers and limits for a reason, finding ways to get around them is inconsiderate to everyone else who plays by the rules.

Actually we have. Their response? "As long as it lights green- that's all we care!"
 


Okay, so I'm curious as to what people think is the moral thing to do when I have 6 FoP FP with only 4 people tall enough to ride. The options would then be...
1. Give up the 2 FoP FP for the nonriders, and I guess us the 4 FP in two groups of 2 (adult 1 and kid 1, adult 2 and kid 2)? The nonrider's FP will be useless, since they can't go on something by themselves.
2. Use all 6 FP in two groups of 3 - adult 1 and two kids, adult 2 and two kids. But there are those on this thread who think that would be wrong?
3. Forfeit the 2 nonrider FP, adult 1 and two kids ride with FP and adult 2 uses their FP to get a rider swap which they can use with the two kids? The only problem is that the nonriders don't get a benefit from it and neither does anyone else. I agree you should keep the swapping of FP to a minimum, but when you've got kids who can't go on things, I think it's a little perk that can help even your odds, since you've got that disadvantage of, you know, having little kids. You've paid for the tickets and each comes with 3 FP. It's not like you bought an extra ticket for a non-person (as we know, they've already monetized extra FPs in Club Level....). I think you should be free to use them however is best for your family. So long as you're not using the bands to get extra FP beyond the first three, I just don't see a problem with it.
 
I think people get so hung up on “we get 3 fastpasses and it isn’t fair if we can’t use them” Plenty of people never use their FP’s, it is a convenience offered to guests but not something you are paying for. It is not a disadvantage if you don’t use a complimentary convenice provided to you for a child who couldn’t ride the ride in the first place. And you can get same day FP once you use up that first 3, so it is a fluid thing. I think honestly the “I paid for this they have to let me use it” attitude makes it more stressful for you. We have 3 kids, at some point there is always someone too short to ride something. I don’t have this burning desire that she has to use every single FP available to her. We ride and tour as a family, if someone is too short an adult hangs out and waits with them, ride something else in the standby line, have a snack, etc. We use rider switch sometimes and sometimes the other adult doesn’t care about the ride and we move on. Maybe it is from being a DL AP for many many years but I just don’t get the hang up with having to use every single FP.
In the scenario above, I would just get FP for everyone so that you burn up your initial 3 at the same time and can move on to SD FP’s when those first 3 are done. Then use Rider Switch if needed. That’s what I’m doing. I have a child with a heart condition that can’t (shouldn’t) ride one or 2 things. I got her FP along with everyone else so that when we get done with our first 3 we can get more for everyone.
FP are not pooled like dining, and you aren’t entitled to use your child’s FP’s if they are too short for something you want to ride. That’s just not the point or spirit of the FP.
 
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I think people get so hung up on “we get 3 fastpasses and it isn’t fair if we can’t use them” Plenty of people never use their FP’s, it is a convenience offered to guests but not something you are paying for. It is not a disadvantage if you don’t use a complimentary convenice provided to you for a child who couldn’t ride the ride in the first place. And you can get same day FP once you use up that first 3, so it is a fluid thing. I think honestly the “I paid for this they have to let me use it” attitude makes it more stressful for you. We have 3 kids, at some point there is always someone too short to ride something. I don’t have this burning desire that she has to use every single FP available to her. We ride and tour as a family, if someone is too short an adult hangs out and waits with them, ride something else in the standby line, have a snack, etc. We use rider switch sometimes and sometimes the other adult doesn’t care about the ride and we move on. Maybe it is from being a DL AP for many many years but I just don’t get the hang up with having to use every single FP.
In the scenario above, I would just get FP for everyone so that you burn up your initial 3 at the same time and can move on to SD FP’s when those first 3 are done. Then use Rider Switch if needed. That’s what I’m doing. I have a child with a heart condition that can’t (shouldn’t) ride one or 2 things. I got her FP along with everyone else so that when we get done with our first 3 we can get more for everyone.
FP are not pooled like dining, and you aren’t entitled to use your child’s FP’s if they are too short for something you want to ride. That’s just not the point or spirit of the FP.
Absolutely plenty of people never use their FP's. I talked to someone a few weeks ago who cut my hair, they had just been to Disney World and didn't even get their passes linked until half way through their trip. They had a good time but also did a lot more waiting than I would have done. To each their own. Whether you're paying for it or not (and it costs money to maintain the system, so it has to be factored in there somehow), you get the 3 FPs. No, I don't have a burning desire to use them all. In fact, that same day, we have 3 4PM FP for Dinosaur we probably won't use, and 3 FP for Rivers of Light that we most likely won't stay for. I won't get SD FP that day, and probably won't get many any other day. Your examples of things you do while a young kid isn't riding, these are all things we do. I'm not sure what any alternative is. Park them in the stroller unattended and see if maybe they'll take a nap while everyone else goes? :-)
 
Nope that's not at all what I'm "hung up on" but okie dokie.
Same here. It's not always useful to use all your FP depending on your plans. The point is, you are given resources to make your experience more pleasant. Deciding which ways using those resources is fair, moral, ethical, smart, it's a huge can of worms, and I don't think there are any good answers. Getting additional FP beyond your first 3 takes away resources from others who might need them more than you do, but nobody argues about this because Disney lets you do this and it's all fair game. Is it fair to use a FP for your child that you paid for to get an extra FoP FP? Is it fair to pay to stay at CL and pay 500 a day to get more? Your only guidelines are what Disney says you can and can't do, and that's so inconsistent that you'll never get anything from that. Based on Disney's policy, I'm completely within the rules to - as I mentioned in a previous post above - use my 6 FP to get an additional 2 swap passes (and there are a thousand articles and videos out there detailing that). How do you decide when following the rules is still gaming the system? Or when doing something Disney says you aren't supposed to do (using someone else's band, maybe?) is okay?
 
It’s the same thing at DL, I cannot give my 13yo my AP to go use a FP I saved on it. She has to use her own. If she isn’t eligible for a FP she has to wait.

I believe FP at the California parks works somewhat differently than FP+ at the Florida parks. At WDW, what you present above would not be a problem -- your 13-yr-old could use your FP+ regardless of what ticket type you used to enter the park as long as you used it to enter the park. It's your FP+ and you are welcome to give it to another member of your party by letting her use your MB. I haven't done so, but I believe you can transfer it to her through MDE so she doesn't need to take your MB; either is allowed. I can't speak for DL/DCA common practices or rules.

Enjoy your vacation!
 
I recently wrote Disney about this and their response was to get FP for all who want to ride to guarantee they will be able to ride. This is disappointing because it penalizes the too short kid. Obviously, he/she cannot use a FP to ride another ride by him/herself.

"Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World® Resort! We are excited that you are going to be visiting us!

A "child swap" procedure is in place at our Theme Park Attractions, which enables parents to take turns experiencing our rides when a small child is in the party. After proceeding through the standard queue area at each Attraction, one parent experiences the presentation while the other remains behind with the child or children who cannot ride. At the conclusion of the ride, the parents simply change places, permitting the second parent to also experience the Attraction. However, in fairness to all Guests, we ask that only those individuals who did not ride with the first parent accompany the second parent riding. The following Attractions offer "child swap" procedure at this time. Magic Kingdom® Theme Park: Frontierland® Area: Splash Mountain® Attraction Big Thunder Mountain Railroad® Attraction Fantasyland® Area: The Barnstormer Attraction Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Tomorrowland® Area: Tomorrowland® Indy Speedway Space Mountain® Attraction Stitch's Great Escape! Attraction Epcot® Theme Park: Mission: SPACE® Attraction Test Track® Attraction Soarin'® Attraction Disney's Hollywood Studios® Theme Park: Star Tours®-The Adventure Continues Attraction Rock 'N Roller Coaster® Starring Aerosmith The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™ Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park: Kali River Rapids® Attraction Expedition Everest-Legend of the Forbidden Mountain® Primeval Whirl® Attraction Dinosaur Attraction Attractions are subject to change without notice.

When booking your FastPass+ selections, you should still book a FastPass for your husband even if doing the Rider Switch so as to guarantee that he will be able to participate in all of the rides.


If you have any other questions or challenges, please do not hesitate to contact us by replying to this email or by calling us at 407-939-7765 and we will be more than happy to assist you further.

Sincerely,

Perry Rohm
eCommerce Sales and Service Team

PLEASE NOTE: All information is subject to change without notice and should be confirmed just prior to your visit."
 
I'm not surprised they gave this answer. It doesn't really mean anything. It's one of those many Disney things that varies based on the day and time and cast member and weather and who knows what else. It might be an interesting thing to take data on and try to find the odds on how often you might be denied rider swap when using FP, and how that might vary by attraction, but either way, it's never a sure thing. I should make a collection of things at Disney that are never a sure thing. I can tell you we had a cast member at Splash who wouldn't give us a standby rider swap at rope drop because "it's walk on". Generally they will just give you one anyway, because it being walk on right now isn't the point. Add it to the list of you never know.
 
I'm not surprised they gave this answer. It doesn't really mean anything. It's one of those many Disney things that varies based on the day and time and cast member and weather and who knows what else. It might be an interesting thing to take data on and try to find the odds on how often you might be denied rider swap when using FP, and how that might vary by attraction, but either way, it's never a sure thing. I should make a collection of things at Disney that are never a sure thing. I can tell you we had a cast member at Splash who wouldn't give us a standby rider swap at rope drop because "it's walk on". Generally they will just give you one anyway, because it being walk on right now isn't the point. Add it to the list of you never know.

That is standard here at DL. If the ride line is under a certain point, I think it is about 10 minutes based on experience, they never give us a RS. We always ask anyways. If we think baby will throw a fit before party 2 can get on, or we have to get somewhere else and will come back later and we ask really nicely they will sometimes give it to us.
 
I'm back from my trip and wanted to report my experience on this. We had only two experiences where they said the waiting party had to have FP. The first was 7D, and the second was Everest. I wasn't there for Everest, so I can't say exactly how this went firsthand. My wife took my band with her to go on it with my use (using hers and his). She said they went ahead and scanned mine, as I was required to have one, but said next time I had to be there to do that. Yeah, okay. :-)
We got swaps without scanning for Test Track, Soarin, Kali River, Star Tours, Splash, Thunder, and the big one, Flight of Passage. In fact, though my wife was standing with our kids to the side (waiting for them to ask to scan her band), at FoP, they didn't see her or ask if my party was there or anything. Just distractedly handed me the lanyard. I also got a Thunder swap pass without my waiting party being there. Not only that, I was a minute past the grace period. It turned blue but they didn't say anything about it, just gave me the swap pass when I asked.
In conclusion, as I guessed, it's just going to vary, but in most cases, you'll probably be okay without needing to scan if it isn't 7D. If your party can't be there, go ahead and try asking for one anyway. We only did that a couple times, but since it worked both times, I'm concluding they probably don't tend to care. That might actually work better for something like 7D. If I just said my party wasn't there, maybe he wouldn't have said they needed to scan...
 
I'm back from my trip and wanted to report my experience on this. We had only two experiences where they said the waiting party had to have FP. The first was 7D, and the second was Everest. I wasn't there for Everest, so I can't say exactly how this went firsthand. My wife took my band with her to go on it with my use (using hers and his). She said they went ahead and scanned mine, as I was required to have one, but said next time I had to be there to do that. Yeah, okay. :-)
We got swaps without scanning for Test Track, Soarin, Kali River, Star Tours, Splash, Thunder, and the big one, Flight of Passage. In fact, though my wife was standing with our kids to the side (waiting for them to ask to scan her band), at FoP, they didn't see her or ask if my party was there or anything. Just distractedly handed me the lanyard. I also got a Thunder swap pass without my waiting party being there. Not only that, I was a minute past the grace period. It turned blue but they didn't say anything about it, just gave me the swap pass when I asked.
In conclusion, as I guessed, it's just going to vary, but in most cases, you'll probably be okay without needing to scan if it isn't 7D. If your party can't be there, go ahead and try asking for one anyway. We only did that a couple times, but since it worked both times, I'm concluding they probably don't tend to care. That might actually work better for something like 7D. If I just said my party wasn't there, maybe he wouldn't have said they needed to scan...

While I'm happy that you mostly didn't run into issues, I don't like that CMs are giving rider swaps without at least seeing a too short child. That leaves it way too open for anyone to get a rider swap. When the new digital policy is fully in place in a few days, that won't be an issue though. Paper passes will no longer be handed out so they will need everyone up there to add the pass to their magic band.
 
I'm not sure what this digital policy is, I haven't heard of that. But I do agree it could really get abused. It would be nice to do something similar to DAS passes. You have something on your account that says you have a kid that's too short (however you go about getting that on your account...), so you scan it and they say okay, you can have a swap pass. While I don't want the system to be abused, it's nice to not have to truck your entire family to a ride just to get a swap pass.
 
I'm not sure what this digital policy is, I haven't heard of that. But I do agree it could really get abused. It would be nice to do something similar to DAS passes. You have something on your account that says you have a kid that's too short (however you go about getting that on your account...), so you scan it and they say okay, you can have a swap pass. While I don't want the system to be abused, it's nice to not have to truck your entire family to a ride just to get a swap pass.

There's a 40 page thread about it on the Rumors Board. Here ya go:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/rider-switch-changing.3685933/

Basically,in a few days, they are getting rid of paper rider swap passes. If you want to swap, the entire party will have to go up to the CM at the ride, tell them you want a rider swap. They will ask who is going to be using the rider swap to ride on the second group (up to 3 people and can include people in the first group of riders), then they will scan the magic bands for those people and add the rider swap pass to their bands. The first group rides, then the second rides as usual through the FP line. The rider swap passes will only be valid for an hour, so you basically will have to use the swap immediately after the first group is done riding. Also, you cannot have more than one RS at a time, so no more saving them up for later.
 
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