Rider Switch: How to use this Disney feature

Going to Disney on a trip with the kids can be a problem if you don't have the Rider switch.

It is a special and extremely useful Disney feature for those traveling in a group with young children.

As Rider switch, you will have some advantages in queues and you will be able to enjoy Disney attractions better. Want to know more about it? Then keep reading!

What is Rider Switch and how does it work?

Let's start from the beginning: The problem.

Those who have small children (not necessarily babies, but up to 7 years old) know that not every toy at Disney is recommended for children.

Whether by height or movement, some attractions require certain requirements from children.

When it's not possible for the youngest to go on a toy (or they don't want to), parents usually take turns in line.

One of the parents goes first, while the other waits with the child outside. Then they exchange: whoever waited goes on the toy and the other stays with the child.

But the queues at Disney are huge, right? If you have to re-enter, it takes too long.

The Rider Switch Solution:

The solution is the Rider Switch. With it, whoever is “taking care” of the child can join the FastPass+ queue to go on the toy when it is their turn.

It works like this:

The parent (or group) goes to the ride operator and tells them they are going to use the Rider Switch on that ride.

The Disney collaborator then activates the feature on his Magic Band of those who will be waiting outside with the children.

After a part of the group has already gone on the toy, those with the Rider Switch can take the FastPass+ queue and enjoy the attraction.

A nice detail: the Rider Switch doesn't JUST work for one person. Think like this: it would be very boring to wait alone or go on the toy alone.

So Disney breaks a branch and allows the Rider Switch to cover up to 3 people.

That is: you and two others can wait and then go together through FastPass+ in the attraction.

This makes the resort ideal for those traveling in large groups, typically with more than one family. That way, some are waiting while others go on the toy and then switch, without wasting much time.

An example: suppose a group travels with two couples aged around 28 years old and a couple between 50 and 60 years old. They take together two children of 5 years each.

They arrive in one of the Rider Switch-enabled rides. In that case, one adult from each couple can go on the toy, while the others take care of the children. Then they switch: whoever waited goes with the Rider Switch and the others keep the newest ones.

Which attractions allow the use of the Rider Switch?

Let's start from the beginning: not every attraction allows the use of the Rider Switch. check the list updated by Disney below:

Epcot

• Frozen Ever After
• Mission: Space
• Test track
• Soarin'

Magic Kingdom

• The Barnstormer;
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train;
• Splash mountain;
• Tomorrowland IndySpeedway;
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad;
• Space mountain;

Animal kingdom

• Dinosaur;
• Kali River Rapids;
• Avatar Flight of Passage;
• Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain;
• Primeval Whirl.

Hollywood Studios

• Alien Swirling Saucers;
• Slinky Dog Dash;
• Twilight Zone Tower of Terror;
• Rock'n'Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith;
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue.

Tips to enjoy the Rider Switch

The Ride Switch, as you can see, is a very cool and interesting feature for those going to disney with kids.

Only those who have been through this experience know what it's like: you wake up a little earlier than everyone else, try to organize your bags to take to the parks, pack some snacks and coffee, wake up the kids, try to organize them to get ready to go … anyway, it's a battle.

At least, with this feature, parents can enjoy a bit of Disney without limitations because of their children, right?

An interesting tip to increase the efficiency of this feature is to plan ahead and try to do all the rides that allow Ride Switch on the same day.

For example, suppose you have booked two days of your trip to the Magic Kingdom. Try to put all rides with Ride Switch on the same day.

Thus, you can save on the amount spent with FastPass+. Only one of the adults buys such a ticket, and the other uses the Ride Switch perks to enjoy the same benefit. In practice, it's as if both had FastPass+, but paying only one.

Do I need to pay anything extra to use this feature?

No! That's one of the beauties of the Rider Switch: you don't pay anything extra for it.

How it works is very simple: just find a Welcome Employee at the attraction in question and tell them that you want to use this function. Then it will activate the feature on your Magic Band and you can use it.

Ah, worth a note: you have a certain time to use the function and you need to notify each employee of each attraction, ok? It's no use activating it on toy X and then wanting to use it on Y, which won't work.

And that's the Rider Switch. As you can see, it is a very cool and very useful resource for those traveling in large groups with children. With this function, parents, uncles and grandparents will not miss anything from Disney to take care of their children, nephews and grandchildren: you can take turns and everyone can enjoy all the toys in peace.

So, what did you think of the news? Leave a comment with your opinion below! 

Kisses and see you tomorrow guys!

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