It’s here, y’all — the Disney Genie has arrived in Disney World.
Scanning our card to get in a Lightning Lane
That means that you can now get custom itineraries and recommendations for park attractions with the free Genie (on the My Disney Experience app), and you can pay to skip the lines using Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selections (Pay-Per-Ride). We’ve already taken a look at how to use these features and some unexpected bumps we hit along the way. Now we’re explaining how rider swap works with the new Genie.
Rider Swap is available for people who have some members of their group that can’t or don’t want to ride an attraction. So if there are 5 people in your group and one person is not tall enough to go on a ride, everyone (all 5) would go up to a Cast Member and request a rider swap.
Space Mountain Rider Swap
The Cast Member will scan your MagicBands (or park ticket), and then most of the group would wait in the standby line to ride the attraction while one person waits with the person who can’t ride.
When the people who waited in line are finished riding, they can switch places with the one who waited behind, and the person who stayed behind would get to ride without waiting in line. This person (the one who waited) can bring one other person with them to ride (even if that other person already rode it with the first group).
Alternative Access Entrance and Rider Swap
So is this process any different now that Genie+ has entered the equation?
Genie+ ©Disney
For the most part, Rider Swap works the same way. If you’re just using the standby line, it works exactly the same way. With Lightning Lane reservations (either Genie+ or Pay-Per-Ride), there are a few things to keep in mind. You can’t cheat the system and buy a Pay-Per-Ride reservation for one adult and try to get rider swap for another person using that same reservation. If you want to use Rider Swap with your Lightning Lane reservations, the Cast Members will make sure that everyone who rides has a Lightning Lane reservation.
Lightning Lane Entrance at Pirates of the Caribbean
If you only have one Lightning Lane reservation, then only one person will be able to use the Lighting Lane, and everyone else who wants to ride will need to go through the standby line.
Lightning Lane sign at Frozen Ever After
For the Pay-Per-Ride attractions, you have to buy a Lightning Lane pass for each person who wants to ride. So let’s say that there’s a group of three people, and two of them want to ride Frozen Ever After. Both of those two will need to buy Pay-Per-Ride reservations if they want to skip the line. They can’t send one person through the Lightning Lane to ride, use Rider Swap, and then send another through the Lightning Lane with only one Pay-Per-Ride pass.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Lightning Lane
You CAN still use Rider Swap with Individual Attraction Selection (Pay-Per-Ride) by buying a Lightning Lane pass for everyone who wants to ride.
Lightning Lane
And the person who stays behind can still bring one additional person with them when they ride.
Winnie the Pooh Lightning Lane
Rider Swap changed recently from allowing multiple people to go on the ride with the one who stays behind to only one additional person. (So the first group gets to ride and then they swap with the one person who stayed behind, who then gets to ride with an additional one person.)
Jungle Cruise Lightning Lane Sign
Disney is heavily enforcing that Cast Members see the child/person who’s staying behind. It’s always been a rule that Cast Members need to see the person who’s not going to ride, but now this is being enforced more strictly.
Keep following DFB for more updates and news about the Genie’s debut in Disney World!
Learn more about Disney Genie, Genie+, and Individual Attraction Selections here.
All About Disney Genie, Genie+, and Individual Attraction Selection
BIG Genie+ Changes Being Planned For Disney World
FULL List of Rides Included With Genie+ in Disney World
3 Tips to OUTSMART Genie+ in Disney World Right Now
Please Stop Skipping These Genie+ Hacks in Disney World (They Really Work!)
Genie+ Tips for the Most Crowded Days in Disney World and Disneyland
Click HERE to See More About Disney Genie
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Do you use Rider Swap often in Disney World? Let us know in the comments!
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Ok, so you can’t use Rider Swap with only one person in the group having a Pay per Ride reservation for Pay per Ride attractions, like ROR… but what about just for a Genie+ ride like Slinky Dog? For instance, my daughter isn’t tall enough to ride Slinky, so would everyone else in the group have to have a Genie + reservation for Slinky for us all to be able to use the LL or could just one of us have the reservation and the other 2 group members use Rider Swap and get to go in the LL once we swap? Or would they have to wait in the standby if not everyone had the reservation?
Bailey, everyone who wants to ride using the Genie+ needs to have Genie+.
When you say “see the person” staying behind, are they now make you wait in some designated area? I only learned of this after having a kid and going to Disney right before Covid shut the world down in March 2020. I would get the free fastpass, go off and do something else with my kid like a kiddie ride and then go back at the designated time window.
I’m not seeing Rise of the Resistance listed on the Rider Switch list on Disney’s website. Do you know if this has been the case the whole time or if there have been any changes to this since they switched from the virtual queue to the paid individual attraction? We are going in January with 3 adults and 1 baby and am assuming we’ll have to have 1 person ride solo.
Robin, it has not been officially listed in the past when I checked, but our on-site reporters have confirmed it with attraction Cast Members.
Let’s say Adult 1, Adult 2, and Kid 1 are trying to ride ROTR. A1, A2, K1 all have 1 LL+ reservations each.
Can A1 and K1 ride first and then use rider swap to have A2 ride with K1 again? A2 would be staying out on the first ride with a non-riding child.
Thanks!
Wally, that sounds like it would work.
Will this affect our ability to choose our next lightning lane? If my party all has a LL but we need to utilize rider swap then we’re not all checked in correct? Or does the cast member check us in at once?
Hi Joanne, when you’re doing rider swap, everyone gets checked in at once so once your first riders go through you should be able to select your next LL.
Hi,
Can my husband and I use this to take turns riding with only one child on two-seater rides? We are only a family of three.
Cheers!
Hi Mizz Mo! Yes, you and your husband will be able to take turns. 🙂
Hi so we have 3 adults and 1baby, wouldn’t baby swap be just as effective as Genie+?
Hi Kali. Genie+ is the difference between standing in the normal standby line or getting to go through the lightning lane. So if you’re not using Genie+ your first party would have to go in the standby line, but the second part of your party would go through faster. Genie+ cuts down on the time you have to wait in line.
What about a big group of 9 adults and 1 child. We all buy individual lightening lane for ROTR (except child). Can we split it so group one is 4 adults and group 2 is 5 adults and be able to split the groups in that manner?
You should be able to split your group that way, yes, but I would confirm with the cast member at the ride entrance before you split your group just to make sure.
I’ll go on any ride. My wife, not so much. Have two boys, 10 and 6 years old. They will both go on any ride they are allowed to. Can the three of us all go on all rides together? Or am I able to ride with the 10 year old and then again with the 6 year old while my wife skips the ride?
Ok so we have 5 in our party. 2adults, 2 children and a toddler I presume we can use rider switch so one adult goes with each child? I presume we couldn’t do one adult with both kids then second adult with both kids