Disney Rider Swap Guide: How It Works, Tips & Eligible Rides

Walt Disney World is the place for ALL ages and all heights! Traveling with a party with many different heights or ages and worried about being able to ride the attractions? Don’t be! Disney has a program that let’s everyone in your family be able to ride each attraction! Parties with people not tall enough will definitely want to utilize Disney’s Rider Switch Program! We’ll cover how the Rider Switch program works here!

A quick overview: Both parents want to ride an attraction that their children (or child) can not (or does not want to) ride. One parent waits in line to ride it, while the other parent waits with children/child, and then after the first parent is done riding, they “swap” with the other parent which then rides with a shorter wait time.

Who can use Disney’s Rider Switch?

Rider Switch is available for any guest who will not ride because they:

Do not meet the boarding requirements (for instance, too short!) can’t wait outside the queue on their own
Have a service animal that cannot board the attraction or does not want to use a provided kennel
Meet the boarding requirement, but don’t want to ride and cannot wait outside the queue on their own

How does Disney’s Rider Switch Work?

At the attraction, bring your WHOLE party to the greeting Cast Member. It is VERY important to do this before getting into the attraction line! Look for a Cast Member with an Ipad or a Cast Member near the Lightning Lane touch points, you also can ask any Cast Member around that area, and let them know that you will be needing a Rider Swap. The Cast Member will then issue the Rider Swap through your My Disney Experience account (either through a Magic Band, MagicMobile, or ticket card).

First, the first group of riders will go on the ride. The second group will wait while they are riding. (HELPFUL HINT: Feel free to wait in a comfortable spot or grab a cool drink while you wait – just make sure your party lets you know when they’ve finished riding. You can also find a different near by attraction to ride on while waiting.)

Then after riding, the first group will meet up with the second group and exchange supervision of the non-riding member or members. The second group of riders then will redeem the Rider Switch pass to ride. This second group will be allowed to enter the attraction through the Lightning Lane (or seeing a Cast Member if the attraction does not have a Lightning Lane) so they do not have to wait the full time in line again. If there is only one person in this second group, they can take one person from the first group with them to ride again.

Which rides offer Disney’s Rider Switch?

The official list can be found on Disney’s webpage. Most rides do offer a rider switch, especially if a height requirement is needed. Often at these attractions, the Rider Switch locations are very easy to locate. Find our Ultimate Guide to Disney’s Height Requirements here to find all the attractions that have height requirements and so many that do not! Even if a ride does not have a height requirement but a member of your party can not ride or does not want to ride and can not wait outside the queue by themselves, you can still utilize a Rider Swap.

How does Disney’s Rider Switch work with Lightning Lanes?

You can use Rider Switch for rides where you have a Lightning Lane reservation. Everyone who wants to ride will need to have the appropriate Lightning Lane Multi Pass or Lightning Lane Single Pass reservation. Remember even though everyone has a Lightning Lane that Rider Switch offers an opportunity for one kid to ride with both parents, so it is recommended to still utilize it in this scenario.

What you can’t use Rider Switch for: having only one parent get a Lightning Lane and then having the second one use the Rider Switch to get in the Lightning Lane. Cast members will check, and it won’t work.

Disney’s Rider Swap Examples:

Situation 1 Example:

2 parents and 1 child (only 40″ tall) are at Magic Kingdom and both parents want to ride TRON.
Neither parent has purchased the Lightning Lane.
All 3 members of their family will walk up to the Rider Swap station and the Cast Member will issue them a Rider Swap via their MagicBand, etc.
Parent 1 will proceed to go in the stand by line for TRON while Parent 2 and child can go relax, grab a snack, or enjoy area attractions like Barnstormer, Dumbo, People Mover, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger, etc.
When Parent 1 is done riding TRON, the family will meet up and Parent 2 will then proceed up to the Cast Members and scan into the Lightning Lane area per his Rider Swap and access TRON via this lane (via not waiting in line as long this time) while Parent 2 and child continue to enjoy their time at the park.

Situation 2 Example:

2 Parents, 2 Children (Child 1 is 44″, Child 2 is 30″).
The family is visiting Hollywood Studios and both parents and Child 1 want to ride Slinky Dog Dash, while Child 2 is not tall enough for this ride.
The whole family will proceed to the Cast Members and ask for the Rider Swap.
Once given the Rider Swap, Parent 1 and Child 1 will stand in line for Slinky Dog, while Parent 2 and Child 2 can hang out in the area and grab a snack, or go on Toy Story Mania, meet some characters like Woody or Buzz, etc.
After Parent 1 and Child 1 are done riding Slinky, the family will meet up and Parent 2 AND Child 1 (Child 1 gets to ride AGAIN! Bonus for Child 1!!) will proceed to the Lightning Lane of Slinky Dog, scan in using their Rider Swap pass and proceed to ride the attraction while Parent 1 and Child 2 enjoy their time together.

Each situation, family and party is unique so let the Cast Members know who will not be riding and who will be riding and they will let you know who needs to be in Group A and Group B at each attraction and more direction for that specific attraction.

Take the Trip and Create the Memories!

So thinking of taking that Walt Disney World trip but not sure if your kiddos are old or tall enough? No problem! Don’t let age or height discourage you from taking that trip and enjoying all Walt Disney World has to offer you and your family!

Disney Rider Swap Guide: How It Works, Tips, & Eligible Rides