Rider Switch at Disneyland: Everything You Need To Know For Families with Kids Under 42 Inches

If you visit Disneyland with young children, you will want to make sure you know about Rider Switch. This attraction system allows families with kids too short to ride certain attractions to take turns riding without having to stand in line twice. This blog post will tell you everything you need to know about Rider Switch at Disneyland!

What is Rider Switch at Disneyland?

Rider Switch, sometimes is called the child swap program, allows families with children too short to ride some attractions to let both parents ride an attraction while ensuring their smallest family members are supervised.

Rider Switch is available for a Guest who:

• Doesn’t meet boarding requirements

• Has a service animal that cannot board the attraction or wait in a provided kennel

• Cannot wait the duration of the queue and needs another member of their party to do the waiting for them
  

To use this service, you will need:

• Two "Responsible Parties" in your group over the age of 14 years old.

• At least one person in your party that meets the requirements above.
  

To be clear, Rider Switch will not allow you to cut the line. One person will still need to stand in the line. The second person will then be able to cut the line for that attraction, usually through that attraction's Lightning Lane Que. When the second parent returns, you can have a maximum of 3 people in your party.

Rider Switch is available for all attraction at Disneyland and California Adventure.

Use Case For Rider Switch

Here is the type of family that will get the most use out of the Rider Switch program.

Example Family

Mom- Loves rollercoasters

Dad- Loves rollercoasters

Erin (age 6)- Loves roller coasters and is at least 42-46 inches

Ben (age 2)- is too short to ride and of the Disney Park thrill rides

Here is how this family would use this program:

1. Mom and Erin would get in line and wait for an attraction like Rise of the Resistance. While Dad and Ben get a snack at Galactic Grill.

2. Once Mom and Erin get off Rise, they find Dad. Dad and Erin head back to Rise of the Resistance and enter through Lightning Lane. While mom and Ben head to Fantasy Land to ride Story Book Canal.

3. Once Dad and Erin have finished, they can join Mom and Ben in Fantasy Land.
   

The program is designed so that, for this example family both mom and dad can ride all of the coasters and thrill rides. And that Ben (or your shortest little one) is well taken care of and enjoying more age-appropriate activities. Erin gets to ride twice, only having to wait in the queue one time.

How Does Rider Switch Work at Disneyland?

Here is exactly how to use the Rider Switch program now that we have given you the basics for the program. Rider Switch is now available f

1. Go to the ride entry point and tell a cast member that you would like to use the Rider Switch program. They will usually need to see your little one that does not meet the boarding requirements. Parent 1, will get in line for the attraction, and Parent 2 will take any children too short to ride to see a show or attraction that does not have a height requirement.

2. Once Parent 1 is off of the attraction, they will watch the non-riding guests. Parent 2 will go to the attraction (with up to two additional guests) and scan their ticket to be granted access to the Lightning Lane ride instead of the general queue.

Using Rider Switch can be a huge time saver if you have a little one that has a favorite ride they would like to do multiple times. It is a program that is easy to use and can allow your smallest children to get more time doing things like playing on Tom Sawyers Island, resting in the AC, or going on some slower-paced attractions.