If you have at least one kid who’s too young to ride, it’s worth it to find out everything you can about Disney’s Rider Switch. Here are some great tips and tricks to take advantage of Child Swap or Baby Swap at Walt Disney World.
Rider Switch is a complementary service they offer to parents of young kids (or parties with anyone who is physically unable to ride).
On most rides with a height requirement (you can find a downloadable list here), Disney offers this child swap service. Adults get to take turns riding the ride without having to wait in line twice.
How Rider Switch Works
Your whole party will go to the entrance of the ride – for this example we’re going to say Mom, Dad, Big Sister, and Baby Brother head to the front of Space Mountain.
Once the cast member sees that everyone is there, Mom and Big Sister (Group 1) will wait in line to ride while Dad and Baby Bother wait outside. Dad (Group 2) will scan his Magic Band and a ‘Rider Switch’ entitlement will be added to his account, which can be used for a certain amount of time on the same day.
When Mom and Big Sister get off the ride, Dad hands off the baby (swaps), scans his Magic Band to use his Rider Switch, and then gets to wait in the shorter FastPass+ line. Up to three people in your party can scan their Magic Bands to be in Group 2 (so if you have two adults, two older siblings, and one baby; the two older kids can ride twice).
FAQ
Does Disney still offer paper Rider Swap tickets?
They moved to a digital rider switch system in 2018. So now all Rider Swaps are connected to Magic Bands. They will show up in the FastPass+ section of your My Disney Experience App
How long to we have to use Rider Switch?
You will have a wait equal to the posted wait times and then an hour long window with a 10 minute grace period to redeem your Rider Swap.
Can you have more than one Rider Swap?
Only one set of Rider Swap tickets may be held at a time. They have to be used before you can get more Rider Switch entitlements. If you try to get a second set of Rider Swap tickets, the first set will be deleted.
What do we do while we wait?
You can grab a bite to eat or ride another ride like Dumbo or Pooh. There are several splash pads and playgrounds in the Disney parks like The Boneyard in Animal Kingdom and Casey Jr. Splash and Soak. If you have a really little one, you can visit a Baby Care Center to take a break in the AC.
What other questions do you have about rider switch? Have you used it recently – I would love to hear your experience!
GET INSTANT ACCESS TO MY LIBRARY OF FREE DISNEY WORLD PRINTABLES!
Sign up to receive FREE Walt Disney World printables, available exclusively to subscribers!
Leave a Reply