height requirement??

[dixiegirl]

ok here is my question for guys guys maybe you can help...or maybe someone has had a similar situation....i know that the height requirement for both splash mountain and big thunder mountain is 40' well my daughter is like literally a milimeter if not smaller mark from being 40' do you think they would let her go on the rides?? and before anyone asks , yes we bought her some shoes witha bit of a heel on them....lol.. any help would be great!!!

 

[donald23]

In my experiences in the past, it really depends on the CM. They will most likely let her on if she's pretty close to the requirement. When TOT first opened, my brother was just about three years old and they let him on. I think they were so amazed at the fact he actually wanted to ride so they just let him on.

 

[Master Yoda]

This is a little underhanded but it worked for me when my daughter was a shade under 40”. Buy her a pair of shoes with thick soles. They will add about 1 to 1-1/2” to her height. Another thing we found out was that our daughter was trying to fit under the bar so she would scrunch up in order to do so. Last trip we told her to bump her head on the bar and she stopped scrunching up.

 

[WDFAN1977]

On one of my trips to WDW my wife and I went with a large number of other family members. One of my family members were slightly under the height requirement(Splash Mountain) and was not allowed on. This was the only time and ride with a height requirement we tried to get her on, so I can't say if we would have went to another ride and another cast member that she still wouldn't got on. Like the others that have posted, it may depend on the cast member.

 

[MinnieSummer]

When we were at WDW in January my daughter was tall enough to ride Primevil Whirl (48") but when we went to ride RnRcoaster we were told she wasn't tall enough (same height requirement). They did give us a special "I'm tall enough now" pass to use when she was tall enough and we just used it this past weekend. In fact they were surprised to see it because, apparently, no one ever brings them back. It was the first one the three cast members who measured her had ever seen come back.

 

[longfamily]

Height requirements are a tricky business. They are enforced because the restraints on the rides must be able to fit the child. This past weekend, we went to a festival. The hieght requirement for the Zipper was 48" and my son is 48.5" tall. They let him ride but at one point during the ride he actually came out of the seat, hit his head on the top of the cage and i had to hold him down and against the seat for the remainder of the ride. Luckily he doesn't weigh that much otherwise it would have been a disaster (The zipper is a ferris wheel type ride but the carts you sit in are caged and they flip as the ride goes).

My point is, even though you may think she can ride the ride, consider the possability that it may not be safe because she is small. Even though she's almost there, height requirements reflect the minimum height and should be cautiously heeded.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

If her hair touches the post then she will be allowed in. If not then they will say sorry.

 

[tinkish]

If her hair touches the post then she will be allowed in. If not then they will say sorry.

So fluff up her hair! :lol:

 

[Laura]

My son was right AT 40 inches on our last trip. I mean his head fit perfectly under the height bar they use. We only wanted to take him on one "scary" ride, which was test track, and they must have measured him 3 times before they let him ride because it was SO close. Don't try using a hat or anything to make her taller, they made my son take his hat off to be measured.

With that said, just because they are 40 inches does not mean they will enjoy the ride. So just be careful of that. Test Track is probably one of the least scary height restricted rides in Disney, but my son HATED it. It was too fast for him and scared him to death.

 

[Master Yoda]

With that said, just because they are 40 inches does not mean they will enjoy the ride. So just be careful of that. Test Track is probably one of the least scary height restricted rides in Disney, but my son HATED it. It was too fast for him and scared him to death.

This is very true. My youngest daughter has serious thrill issues and loves every thrill she has ever been on. (The Splash Mountain photo is priceless) However my middle daughter hated rides period up until she was about 8-9. Only you know your own child so use your best judgment.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

To quote my reply to a similar question :-
At the end of the day height restrictions are in place to protect YOUR child from injury while on the ride. I appreciate that the whole point of taking a child to WDW is for them to experience the rides BUT should an accident occur, who will take the blame ?
Don't risk your childs welfare (or possibly someones job), wait until your child is big enough on your next trip.

 

[tazhughes]

To get on Space Mountain the first time my daughter had sneakers with extra thick soles and then toilet paper stuffed under her feet, you may want to try this.

BTW Disney's height requirements are very conservative, prior to trying to get her on SM she had been on the Big Bad Wolf in Busch Gardens without any assistance and that ride is far more dangerous.

 

[Laura]

They may be conservative as far as safety is concerned, but I am astounded at how low they are. My son is only 3, he's TINY, I still think of him as a baby in some regards, but yet he is tall enough to ride Tower of Terror? No way in heck would I ever bring him on that at this age! All I can say is there must be some pretty BRAVE 3 year olds in the world if they are riding TOT. I can't even fathom bringing my son on 3/4 of of the thrill rides he is tall enough for. This Fall we're going to give another shot at Kali River Rapids (he was scared last time he rode, when he was 2), another shot at Test Track (he might not even go near it after how scared he was last time he rode!), and I'd also like him to try Splash Mountain for the first time. I don't think he's brave enough for Thunder Mountain yet.

 

[Master Yoda]

They may be conservative as far as safety is concerned, but I am astounded at how low they are. My son is only 3, he's TINY, I still think of him as a baby in some regards, but yet he is tall enough to ride Tower of Terror? No way in heck would I ever bring him on that at this age! All I can say is there must be some pretty BRAVE 3 year olds in the world if they are riding TOT. I can't even fathom bringing my son on 3/4 of of the thrill rides he is tall enough for. This Fall we're going to give another shot at Kali River Rapids (he was scared last time he rode, when he was 2), another shot at Test Track (he might not even go near it after how scared he was last time he rode!), and I'd also like him to try Splash Mountain for the first time. I don't think he's brave enough for Thunder Mountain yet.

If I am not mistaken (please correct me if I am) the restraint system is the primary governing factor for the height requirement and if it is like everything else in engineering there is a tolerance built into it. Whenever something is tested to failure the working specification is usually much lower than the actual failure point. For example a pipe is tested under pressure and it fails at 1000 psi. The pipe manufacture would probably list the pipes rated pressure at 250 psi. So it is conceivable that TOT restraint system was found to work with a person that was 35” tall then by adding a certain tolerance they arrive at the figure of 40”

 

[Tinkrbell]

Try riding the rides w/ height restrictions early in the day because as the day gets later, some people "shrink"

 

[beauty_Belle27]

weird.good thing she is tall enough.i almost fell out of a sixflags ride once.ooh.
just stuff toilet paper or insoles in her sneakers.

 

[se8472]

Just from a personal stand point if the head is not touching the bar i'm not going to let the little one on.

If I see a child with thick heals (and I have) or napkins/ice cream in there shoes (seen that too)or even a combo of the two (saw that one time) I am still not going to let them on.

And please don't beg, I am sorry if you want to risk your childs safty but i'm not. Does that make me a mean person? I guess so, but I will be able to go to sleep at night

 

[New2WDW]

One of you grab the arms and the other the legs and pull! Stretch the child right before you go on the ride and I am sure no one around will question what your doing?

This is not something we have tried, just a thought!:lol:

 

[nibblesandbits]

Just from a personal stand point if the head is not touching the bar i'm not going to let the little one on.

If I see a child with thick heals (and I have) or napkins/ice cream in there shoes (seen that too)or even a combo of the two (saw that one time) I am still not going to let them on.

And please don't beg, I am sorry if you want to risk your childs safty but i'm not. Does that make me a mean person? I guess so, but I will be able to go to sleep at night

I agree with you. I used to work at Six Flags (I know...boo) and people would try like crazy to get me to bend the rules and let their child on the ride. However, I knew that if something were to happen to that child, it would be my fault for letting them ride. I think as long as their head is touching the bar...then they should be allowed to ride, however, I think it is going to depend on the individual cast member working to make that decision.

On a side note: Is there a place where a child could get measured for the day and then be able to wear a wristband of some sort claiming that they are said height? I know we had an area like that at Six Flags.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

I saw something i just want to emphasize as well. Please don't fight with the CM at the entrance of the attraction. They don't make the rules, they just enforce them. They are there to make sure that your child is safe according to Disney's height restrictions. It is not their fault your child is not able to ride. Please don't give them a hard time.