Fastpass and Baby Swap Information!

Ok today we are going to discuss time saving measures with regards to standing in line and adults riding when the kids cannot.  The beauty of Disneyworld is that there is plenty to see and do for everyone to never have to sit out if you do not want too.  However, there are a couple of attractions I recommend every adult ride if the kids cannot especially if this is a once in a lifetime trip.  So here goes my tips for both of these instances.

The fastpass is an ingenious invention by Disney to control crowd flow and wait times.  Basically anyone who has a ticket even if they are not staying on property has the ability to use the fastpass machine so the advantage here is only maximized if you arrive at park opening while staying on property.  The fastpass basically functions like a reservation time to ride the big attractions.  The guide map will tell you which attractions have fastpass available but I would suggest a little research ahead of time to ensure that you know in advance.  When you get inside the gate head to an attraction that has a fastpass machine available and get one.  There will be fastpass machines clearly marked for the attraction so stand in line and feed your ticket in and out comes your fastpass.  In order these are the most critical information you need for this option.

1.  You may only hold one fastpass at a time so do not even think you are going to go in the park and gather a fastpass from each ride available.  It will only disperse on every so often and on the bottom of the ticket it will tell you when you may get another.  The machines will spit out a fastpass that says "NOT VALID FASTPASS" if there has not been enough time in between.

2.  Everyone in you party must have a fastpass for the attraction or you will not get on!  This rule is strictly enforced so if you try to sneak on in they will catch you and ask you to leave the line.  I have seen this firsthand many, many times and applaud Disney for enforcing the fact everyone (not just you) paid alot for this vacation.

3.  The ticket will print a time to return to get in a separate line from the stand-by line which is usually very short.  The Disney cast member will not allow you in the line until after the beginning time allocated on your fastpass and this is also strictly enforced.  The beautiful thing is if you do not get there in the hour time slot on your ticket as long as it is after the beginning time they will let you on the attraction anyway.

4.  You have to have in your hands and physically place the ticket in the fastpass machine for every member in your party to receive a fastpass.  Once the time on the bottom of your ticket says you may get another fastpass even if you have not used your old fastpass you may still get another.

The last information is called baby swap and this is basically how it works.  Let's say we have a mom, dad, five year old, and a baby in a family that want to ride Splash Mountain.  Go to the fastpass machine as discussed earlier and get a fastpass for each member of you party which in this case is 3(baby's do not have a ticket).  Go to the fastpass return line and tell the Disney cast member you would like to do baby swap.  The cast member will give you a special fastpass.  Then mom and the five year old go through the fastpass line, ride, and return to the fastpass return line.  Here dad and the baby have been taking a break and when mom and the five year old get to him they simply switch.  Now the dad and five year old ride and mom stays with the baby.  This has two major benefits mom and dad both get to ride everything and the five year old gets to go twice.  It is like a bonus fastpass!

Take advantage of these tips and even with a small child you should be able to do and see everything!  If you only have a mom, dad, and baby you can still go to Disney as long as the adults do not riding by themselves.  In this instance single rider lines are available and many do not even need to utilize the fastpass option!