Heights vs age requirements

[forevermickey]

Hi All.:wave: My daughter is 5 and is about 44 1/3 " without her shoes. She is now tall enough to ride Splsh MTN, SpcMTN, TTerror, EEverest. Last year she rode Slsh MTN and loved it! This year we are going for the other 3.. my 2 concerns are Space Mountain because it is only a lap bar and can be a little jerky on the neck and second TTerror a little intense on a little body...... are my concerns valid? Can I hear from parents of young but passable height requirement children? Thanks

 

[Super Stitch]

On our last trip to the world (2008) we actually were on the same elevator with a family whose three year old was tall enough to ride. He loved it but I don't know if he is a fair comparison. We were actually all from Ohio and had all made regualr trips to Cedar Point. Anyone familiar with Cedar Point knows the rides there make WDW rides seem very tame.

 

[Tim_4]

Hi All.:wave: My daughter is 5 and is about 44 1/3 " without her shoes. She is now tall enough to ride Splsh MTN, SpcMTN, TTerror, EEverest. Last year she rode Slsh MTN and loved it! This year we are going for the other 3.. my 2 concerns are Space Mountain because it is only a lap bar and can be a little jerky on the neck and second TTerror a little intense on a little body...... are my concerns valid? Can I hear from parents of young but passable height requirement children? Thanks

Are you concerned about fear or physical (safety/injury) concerns?

Tower of Terror is "intense" but it's very smooth. If there are any problems with your daughter on that ride it'll be because she's scared, not because it is too rough in any way.

You're right that Space Mountain is only a lap bar but it can be plenty snug if pulled down all the way. She's not going to fly out of the car, but it might be a good idea to keep her out of the very back, as that's where the rough ride/whiplash tends to be.

 

[forevermickey]

Thank you to both posters! Yes I think it was more of a physical stand point I was concerned.... thank you both.. this info helps very much

 

[Alison1975]

I have the same worries about Space Mtn.. my 7 year old is small for her age ( about 45 in) but a daredevil.. I hate Space Mtn and remember feelign very insecure while riding..I'm not comfy with her on that ride..

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

In terms of thrills, i'd rank them (5 being the least, 1 being the most thrilling)-

5- Splash Mountain
4- Big Thunder Mountain
3- Space Mountain
2- Everest
1- Tower of Terror

ToT doesn't have as much of a prolonged thrill factor, but there's a very unpredictable part to it. Besides being very creepy from the build up (for a kid), the drop sequence is randomized. You could get dropped once, or more than 4 times (i think 4-5 was the most i ever got dropped, i dunno the max, may be more). It usually has a scare drop that jerks you a bit before the actual drop cycle starts. It jerks you up rather fast as well. Plus, it's mostly in the dark which doesn't help as well. AND the drops pull you down, they don't just drop you. They pull you down faster than the speed of gravity. It's a mixture of thrills, randomness, and a sort of psychological fear that makes me think this is the most thrilling ride there. Might not be too good for a five year old girl (depends on how well she handles both thrills and somewhat disturbing rides).

Just my opinion. Everest is fast, but its very smooth and not jerky at all. Worst parts include the ascent (pretty tall and you don't have any visible support, if she's scared of heights, be warned), the backwards part, and the final large drop from the cave. It's really not too bad though.

Space Mountain is just jerky. It's not too bad, but it jerks you around somewhat. Unless she gets really bad headaches from being jerked around too much, don't worry about it. Worst part is a somewhat abrupt drop near the end.

Only advice i can give you- don't assume your kids will react the same way you do to certain rides. If you like a thrilling one, it doesn't mean they will. And if you hate one, it doesn't mean they'll hate it. My mom hated Space Mountain and would rarely let me ride it when i was little. But i enjoy it a lot. Same goes for a lot of the thrill rides. Tower of Terror is my worst enemy. I love it and hate it. I have a great fear of heights and of being dropped.

Might want to ask your daughter how she feels about certain physical sensations. Like dropping, being jerked side to side, speed intensity, being pulled suddenly down, how she likes riding things that are fast in the dark, etc. That might give you a better idea of what sorts of rides she can handle or not.

 

[CaptainShortty]

If she meets the height requirements and has no health problems (god willing) than she will perfectly fine from a physical safety standpoint. Your only issue will be is she's going to be frightened. Be sure to let her know what she's getting herself into before you go on a ride and start with the tamer ones if possible to get her used to it.

 

[loveofamouse]

My oldest is tall for her age. She was 44in at about 5. She rode them all except TT. Didn't have a problem. She has since riden TOT and other intense rides and (her first!!) inversion coaster this summer. My son is 45in and has been for a couple of years. He rode splash at 40in and the others at 44in. When he hit 44in, we didn't let him do TOT, though as he has muscle tone issues. I wasn't willing to risk it yet. He has been on it(2010).

Personally, I think age, height and maturity come into play.

 

[erasure fan1]

This is a tough one because everyone is so different. If she wants to ride I dont see a real problem but if she is apprehensive at all I might not push it. My wifes sister pushed her daughter (who was a giant for her age but only 5) on Everest and she really didnt want to go. Now 4yrs later she still wont go on it. As far as the safety aspect, I personally wouldnt worry too much about that.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

My kids aren't 44" yet, but there's one thing that worries me about Space Mountain that I haven't heard mentioned. Every other Disney ride I can think of right now, you will be sitting right next to your child; Space is the only one where every rider is "alone". Add that to the quick turns, the new and improved darkness, the loud sound effects and music, the light tunnels... could be too much for a five year old. I'm not sure if this or RnRC (because of the 48" requirement) will be the last thrill ride for my kids to try.

 

[forevermickey]

My kids aren't 44" yet, but there's one thing that worries me about Space Mountain that I haven't heard mentioned. Every other Disney ride I can think of right now, you will be sitting right next to your child; Space is the only one where every rider is "alone". Add that to the quick turns, the new and improved darkness, the loud sound effects and music, the light tunnels... could be too much for a five year old. I'm not sure if this or RnRC (because of the 48" requirement) will be the last thrill ride for my kids to try.

That I also was concerned... the single rider seats on Space Mountain.. I love this for myself.. but my daughter.. not sure..

 

[WDWmazprty]

My kids aren't 44" yet, but there's one thing that worries me about Space Mountain that I haven't heard mentioned. Every other Disney ride I can think of right now, you will be sitting right next to your child; Space is the only one where every rider is "alone". Add that to the quick turns, the new and improved darkness, the loud sound effects and music, the light tunnels... could be too much for a five year old. I'm not sure if this or RnRC (because of the 48" requirement) will be the last thrill ride for my kids to try.

That I also was concerned... the single rider seats on Space Mountain.. I love this for myself.. but my daughter.. not sure..

I rode with my daughter and she was fine. She was worried at first, but I said I would sit in the seat in front of her so she could see me. She agreed , went on, and had a blast. At the time she was 6.

 

[everestnut]

My daughter rode Space when she was 44". She loves roller coasters and the sitting by herself was a little concerning to her. I actually sat behind her and kept my hands on her shoulders which made her comfortable. Know it sounds weird, but the picture was hilarious. We leave for the world tomorrow and she is now at 48". Hoping to get RNR in tomorrow night.

 

[BigRedDad]

Be careful what you get her on. Start gradually. If she goes on one that scares the beejeezus out of her, it will be MANY years before you get her on one again.

Let her know what to expect.

 

[Kirk88]

We normally let the kids decide for themselves. As a parent though, you know your kids so, use your best judgement and go with your gut. Our daughter is 3 and Thunder Mountain is her favorite ride. She is still upset that she wasn't tall enough to ride Space Mountain and asks us almost daily if she's tall enough yet! My wife and I are still undecided if we would have let her ride it if she had been tall enough last trip.

 

[forevermickey]

thank you everyone... great stories and info... my daughter is cautious but a seeker of thrill rides as well... she will go through with it.. if she likes it she will ride again if not she will bough out and will try again another time... past experiences have shown her not to be scared by thrill rides even though she was not a fan at the time. Thanks:wave: again

 

[durangojim]

My kids aren't 44" yet, but there's one thing that worries me about Space Mountain that I haven't heard mentioned. Every other Disney ride I can think of right now, you will be sitting right next to your child; Space is the only one where every rider is "alone". Add that to the quick turns, the new and improved darkness, the loud sound effects and music, the light tunnels... could be too much for a five year old. I'm not sure if this or RnRC (because of the 48" requirement) will be the last thrill ride for my kids to try.

When my son turned 5 (the day of his birthday) he wanted to ride Space Mountain. He was tall enough about 3 months earlier when he was 4 y/o but when we got to the end of the line and he saw that he wouldn't be sitting next to me, it scared him a bit, and he decided it wasn't time to ride. When we went on his birthday he wasn't as afraid, but I did hold his hands during the ride. He sat in the seat in front of me and I leaned forward and held his hands over his shoulders. Was a little difficult on my back, but he had a great time.

 

[Blueskyze]

My son is almost 6, but very small for his age (40 in). He has no fear at all - went to his first amusement park this summer (Busch Gardens) and LOVED everything he rode, and was sad he wasn't tall enough to ride the big stuff. I debated on what might be too intense for him at WDW (we leave in 9 days!!) and ended up deciding that he should skip ToT.

Does anyone have any comments on the intensity of Dinosaur? He wants to ride it, and meets the height requirement. We've watched a couple of videos. He knows it's going to be scary, but there's a lot you can't see b/c it's so dark. I can't really discern how frightening it might be for a 5-year-old. Since he has never shown ANY fear, I'm leaning toward letting him try. My only concern is that AK is going to be our first stop, and I don't want to freak him out.