Rider Switch clarification at Disneyland

[Gamegrl1]

Hi - we're going to DLR in November and it'll be my first time with Rider Switch (never been with kids and my sister's 8 year old twins are going. They are tall enough to ride everything but I anticipate they may be timid about the roller coasters as this is their first visit.). I read about Rider Switch on the Disneyland website and I want to understand it thoroughly. We will have 5 adults and 2 children total. I've cut and pasted directly from the DLR website, in blue:

2. Upon arriving at the selected attraction, approach the greeting Cast Member with your entire group. Members will be divided into 2 parties—“Party 1” includes those riding the attraction first, while “Party 2” consists of non-riders and their supervising Guests.
3. The supervising Guests of Party 2—which can include a maximum of 3 people— will have their admission media/tickets scanned and must wait in the designated area—usually outside the attraction—while Party 1 waits in line to experience the attraction.
4. After Party 1 experiences the attraction, they’ll assume supervision of the non-riding Guests.
5. The supervising Guests of Party 2 should then return to the appropriate attraction entrance (e.g., attraction exit) to have their admission media/tickets re-scanned by a Cast Member for the Rider Switch entitlement. At this point, Party 2 may enter the appropriate attraction return line and board without waiting in the regular queue.

My questions are:
1. Do the CM's scan your paper ticket? (they're still handing out paper tickets upon arrival at the park, right? That's what they did for us 2 weeks ago when we went to the Oogie Boogie Bash). They don't scan anything on our phones, right? Do you get any kind of paper ticket in return, similar to how FP was, with a return time stated on it? Or does it appear on your phone?

2. Where on earth does Party 2 wait? Is it a holding area or are they free to walk around the park and come back at a designated time?

3. Since it sounds like "the supervising Guests of Party 2" don't have to wait in the standby line, is it best to have them be 3 people max? I want to be within the rules of this system but if we could have two of us wait standby for, say, Space and then have the other 3 adults ride after using Rider Switch that'd be great. I think this is the point (!!) but don't want to misunderstand.

4. Finally to clarify point #5 above, when Party 2's return time comes up they would likely enter the attraction exit (in most cases I'd bet this was true although we could check with a CM at the different rides), get scanned and up to three "supervising guests of Party 2" would ride while Party 1 watches the kids.

Thanks in advance...I'm pretty much the sole planner for this vacation so I'm trying to understand as this is new to me.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

YMMV (especially with CMs stretched thin), but technically you don’t qualify for rider switch when they’re tall enough to ride (especially at age 8, where they can also wait for you alone at the ride exit).

My daughter is 8 and decided she didn’t want to get her shoes wet shortly before we boarded Splash once this summer (we hadn’t brought flip flops like normal). They just checked her age and had her stand off to the side and wait for us near the exit.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

I’m going to come back and explain a bit more since this always seems to cause confusion/controversy.

“Rider switch” essentially amounts to 3 “front of the line” passes for a ride. So if there’s no regulation/requirement to use it, that means that my family of 3 could go up and claim we need “rider switch” all the time, get our three tickets scanned, and just come back when our time starts, and bypass the line. Obviously that would be a problem.

So, when you claim you need Rider Switch, the CM is supposed to make you produce the child you’re “switching” for. If the kid is clearly too small to ride, great, they’re good, scan away. If the kid is maybe tall enough but still looks young/scared/whatever, they’ll probably just go ahead and do it. But your case shouldn’t qualify.

Now, even in the best of times, CMs didn’t always check, and you certainly may be able to get some who will just scan three tickets without checking anything. But technically, that’s not supposed to happen.

I’d suggest the kids wait in line and “chicken exit” at the end if they don’t want to ride, and then just wait for you. Perhaps you can hand off an adult’s phone to them in case of an emergency, like a ride breakdown. Have fun!

 

[miksicnarf]

We were a party of 3 adults and 2 toddlers, and we encountered total inconsistency regarding rider switch at DL and DCA. Many CMs didn't themselves know exactly what to do. We'd be told one thing, then when we followed that another CM would say "that's not what you should have done." At times we were told to ask someone else. However, in the end we were always able to successfully switch but it never felt like there was a solid rule. Good luck!

 

[DisSurfer878]

I’m going to come back and explain a bit more since this always seems to cause confusion/controversy.

“Rider switch” essentially amounts to 3 “front of the line” passes for a ride. So if there’s no regulation/requirement to use it, that means that my family of 3 could go up and claim we need “rider switch” all the time, get our three tickets scanned, and just come back when our time starts, and bypass the line. Obviously that would be a problem.

So, when you claim you need Rider Switch, the CM is supposed to make you produce the child you’re “switching” for. If the kid is clearly too small to ride, great, they’re good, scan away. If the kid is maybe tall enough but still looks young/scared/whatever, they’ll probably just go ahead and do it. But your case shouldn’t qualify.

Now, even in the best of times, CMs didn’t always check, and you certainly may be able to get some who will just scan three tickets without checking anything. But technically, that’s not supposed to happen.

I’d suggest the kids wait in line and “chicken exit” at the end if they don’t want to ride, and then just wait for you. Perhaps you can hand off an adult’s phone to them in case of an emergency, like a ride breakdown. Have fun!

Also you can get it for a person who is unable to ride and cannot be left alone for medical reasons.
For example we know someone whose child has epilepsy and it is not safe for them to ride Space Mtn, but because of their condition they can't just be left unattended. So long as they produce their child and explain, the CM has been fine.
This has also applied to people who can't transfer from a wheelchair and can't be alone

 

[Skyegirl1999]

Also you can get it for a person who is unable to ride and cannot be left alone for medical reasons.
For example we know someone whose child has epilepsy and it is not safe for them to ride Space Mtn, but because of their condition they can't just be left unattended. So long as they produce their child and explain, the CM has been fine.
This has also applied to people who can't transfer from a wheelchair and can't be alone

Yes, thank you for mentioning that!

The goal is supposed to be that the CM verifies, “Ah yes, there is a person in this party who is clearly unable to ride/be left alone.” Which can cover a lot of circumstances, but not technically OP’s.

 

[Gamegrl1]

That is a complete surprise. I don't mean Disney is being unfair as they get to set the rules, I just didn't realize it was all down to a height requirement. We certainly do not want to cheat...I just thought that would be a way to enable the adults to ride when the kids were too chicken. I guess what I need to do is clarify with an actual CM (or CM's) once we arrive since it sounds like there's not necessarily a hard and fast rule. What I don't want is for anyone other than the kids mom to be left out of riding a coaster and stuck watching the kids. That's the mom's responsibility. I can imagine Grandma (my mom) being her usual sweet self and offering to watch the kids while my sis rides but that doesn't seem fair to have her miss out as she's still super spry and loves coasters...she even rides the Incredible Hulk at Universal!

I'd appreciate more posts who can kindly verify if this is what is done in actual practice. Then I can tell my sis that and she can adjust her mind to the fact that she's either going to miss out on riding things the kids won't ride (we don't want to push them if they're genuinely frightened...I've heard from other parents that can be a recipe for disaster!) OR the kids may have to suck it up, wait in the line with Mommy and use the chicken exit. Heck, I believe that's what we did when we were little!

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Another option is the adults can ride in groups. One group of three waits in a line and rides something while a group of two goes with the kids to do something else, then trade off and let the other two adults ride while the group of three does something with the kids.

As a mom myself, I personally expect to sit out any rides if my child cannot or will not ride.

 

[Gamegrl1]

“Rider switch” essentially amounts to 3 “front of the line” passes for a ride. So if there’s no regulation/requirement to use it, that means that my family of 3 could go up and claim we need “rider switch” all the time, get our three tickets scanned, and just come back when our time starts, and bypass the line. Obviously that would be a problem.

So, when you claim you need Rider Switch, the CM is supposed to make you produce the child you’re “switching” for. If the kid is clearly too small to ride, great, they’re good, scan away. If the kid is maybe tall enough but still looks young/scared/whatever, they’ll probably just go ahead and do it. But your case shouldn’t qualify.

Something just isn't ringing true. The Disney website does say: "If a Guest doesn’t meet the boarding requirements or doesn’t wish to experience a particular attraction, it’s not a problem for family and friends who do!" It also explains that part of the process is for the whole party (7 of us, incl. 2 kids) to approach the CM at the ride, divide into two Parties and have Party 1 wait standby. It doesn't make sense that any party would be allowed, per Disney's Rider Switch guidelines, to *stay* as one party, ignore the standby line and come back via the exit for a short wait instead of properly waiting standby. That *would* clearly be not allowable. It would seem that as long as the CM abided by the Rider Switch guidelines on the website that guests tickets would be properly scanned and only the proper person/people would be allowed to ride with a short wait while the non-riders do something else. Heck, her kids *just* turned 8 last week and they can't help it their mom and dad are Amazons! and that the family couldn't afford to go to a theme park before this. I'm interested to hear more "on-the-ground" experiences.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

The Disney website does say: "If a Guest doesn’t meet the boarding requirements or doesn’t wish to experience a particular attraction, it’s not a problem for family and friends who do!"

I think the part about "or doesn't wish to ride" is to account for kids who might meet the height limit (like my 2 year old who is 39 inches and will soon be able to ride Space Mountain if he wants to!) but are too scared to ride and too little to be left alone.

I have been using rider switch for four or five years now. I've never had any issues but I've never tried to rider switch with a child who was tall enough to ride and old enough to wait at the chicken exit. Actually, I'm really looking forward to this so I can ride Incredicoatser while my tall-enough-but-not-brave-enough child waits for me on the platform.

@Skyegirl1999 Is it 7 when you can let them wait for you at the chicken exit???

 

[Gamegrl1]

As a mom myself, I personally expect to sit out any rides if my child cannot or will not ride.
[/QUOTE]

I like that. I think what is bugging me is that I know my sis tends to be selfish and act like it's all about her and the kids. When we were planning this (pre-COVID is how long we've been waiting) she said "This trip is all about the kids." Um...yeah, no it's not, not when you have 4 other adults going along who are not the kids parents. They have been waiting a long time and have to spend a bunch of money, time off work, etc. for this so let's make sure EVERYONE has fun. Don't get me wrong, her girls are very sweet (otherwise I wouldn't go!), but an issue we have is needing to be considerate of others, knowing it's everyone's vacation. For her it can be about the kids first - that's what a good mom does, but a kind, considerate person thinks of everyone, not just themselves. So all this time she's been saying that it's about the kids but then last week busts out with "but I want to ride Space Mountain!" (eye roll). Maybe what I need is for someone to point out the DISboards thread re: crazy family members and I will post there...hahaha.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

I'd appreciate more posts who can kindly verify if this is what is done in actual practice.

It really, really, really varies. Refer to this post above:

We were a party of 3 adults and 2 toddlers, and we encountered total inconsistency regarding rider switch at DL and DCA. Many CMs didn't themselves know exactly what to do. We'd be told one thing, then when we followed that another CM would say "that's not what you should have done." At times we were told to ask someone else. However, in the end we were always able to successfully switch but it never felt like there was a solid rule. Good luck!

“Total inconsistency” is about right. You’re going to get a wide variety of procedures no matter what. Like I said, you can probably use it, but you might get some confusion, at the very least… and just be prepared for the procedure to vary from ride to ride.

Is it 7 when you can let them wait for you at the chicken exit???

Yes! 7 is the magical age of riding independence on both sides.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Yes! 7 is the magical age of riding independence on both sides.

Well, this IS exciting news!!!

 

[Gamegrl1]

We were a party of 3 adults and 2 toddlers, and we encountered total inconsistency regarding rider switch at DL and DCA. Many CMs didn't themselves know exactly what to do. We'd be told one thing, then when we followed that another CM would say "that's not what you should have done." At times we were told to ask someone else. However, in the end we were always able to successfully switch but it never felt like there was a solid rule. Good luck!

Thank you Kim, that's really helpful. In my experience at Disney I can sometimes tell when a CM is unsure of what they're saying or if my instincts are telling me something is "off". Then I just go ask someone else until I get a different answer. Thanks again, this helps me be better prepared, knowing ahead that it'll be kind of a crapshoot!

 

[DisSurfer878]

That is a complete surprise. I don't mean Disney is being unfair as they get to set the rules, I just didn't realize it was all down to a height requirement. We certainly do not want to cheat...I just thought that would be a way to enable the adults to ride when the kids were too chicken. I guess what I need to do is clarify with an actual CM (or CM's) once we arrive since it sounds like there's not necessarily a hard and fast rule. What I don't want is for anyone other than the kids mom to be left out of riding a coaster and stuck watching the kids. That's the mom's responsibility. I can imagine Grandma (my mom) being her usual sweet self and offering to watch the kids while my sis rides but that doesn't seem fair to have her miss out as she's still super spry and loves coasters...she even rides the Incredible Hulk at Universal!

I'd appreciate more posts who can kindly verify if this is what is done in actual practice. Then I can tell my sis that and she can adjust her mind to the fact that she's either going to miss out on riding things the kids won't ride (we don't want to push them if they're genuinely frightened...I've heard from other parents that can be a recipe for disaster!) OR the kids may have to suck it up, wait in the line with Mommy and use the chicken exit. Heck, I believe that's what we did when we were little!

Disneyland considers 8 year olds old enough to be alone. They will let them step through the line and wait for you at the exit.

 

[Epicnemesis]

I hope you don’t mind a slight derail, but how does rider swap work in a small group? I have a 5 1/2 year old that loves the big rides and her brother is 2 weeks old. How will this work when we eventually bring him with us? I assume the process is similar but does my wife have to go solo or can she bring my daughter with her (effectively letting my daughter ride twice, once with each parent)

 

[Skyegirl1999]

I hope you don’t mind a slight derail, but how does rider swap work in a small group? I have a 5 1/2 year old that loves the big rides and her brother is 2 weeks old. How will this work when we eventually bring him with us? I assume the process is similar but does my wife have to go solo or can she bring my daughter with her (effectively letting my daughter ride twice, once with each parent)

Your daughter can ride twice!

 

[Epicnemesis]

Your daughter can ride twice!

Nice! Going to be fun seeing my daughter make her go on space mountain. It took an act of god to get her to go on it when we didn’t have kids

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

Given the situation with your sister, sounds like the chicken exit is the perfect choice. That way you all only wait in line once, all the folks who want to ride ride, and the children are only alone for exactly the duration of the line, and then right at the exit where you will see them. Since the rides aren't too long, and the kiddos are 8, it should be doable - of course every child is different! Not every 8 yr old is really ready to be alone even if it is just a short while.

 

[Gamegrl1]

I hope you don’t mind a slight derail, but how does rider swap work in a small group? I have a 5 1/2 year old that loves the big rides and her brother is 2 weeks old. How will this work when we eventually bring him with us? I assume the process is similar but does my wife have to go solo or can she bring my daughter with her (effectively letting my daughter ride twice, once with each parent)

Hi Epicnemesis! I was just getting back on to say that I should have just looked not only at the Disney website (which I did) but also do an internet search for "Disneyland Planning Tips". The forum will not let me post the web link nor the name of the company but do that search and select the article called "40 Tips to Maximize Your Time At Disneyland". Tip #14 refers to Rider Switch. This answered all my questions and did so without the judgemental answer by another poster claiming that our party "doesn't qualify for Rider Switch" because we have tall kids. Tall, but timid and freshly-minted 8 year olds...just turned 8 last week! That kind of verdict needs to be left up to the CM's, IMO. Besides, both the Disney website and the other site I mentioned reiterate the statement that it's not just about the height requirement but specifically mentions if kids *don't want to ride*.
The post I referenced specifically addresses a small group like yours. I hope you find it helpful and that your family has a wonderful trip.