Dear Disney: can you please do something about the height requirement inconsistencies?

[Turn the Page]

I don’t know this for sure, but I’d be very surprised if the height restrictions Disney uses, are the same as what the manufacturer built the specs to. There is more than likely some built in “wiggle room”. Basically if the Disney posted height is 40, the ride can more than likely safely handle kids an inch or two below that. Don’t get me wrong. I think that is the right thing to do. But my point is, a 1/4 of an inch here or there isn’t likely to make a difference from a safety standpoint. However, it appears to make a huge difference between measuring stations.

I have often wondered something similar. I wonder if Disney sets the height restrictions a few inches higher than the manufacturers recommendations and then measures inaccurately too. For example, we took my niece to WDW a few year ago and I was under the impression at the time that she was 38". We went on Soarin' thinking she was nowhere close to meeting the 40" height requirement only to find out she was more than tall enough. Maybe they use a stick measuring 39", call it 40" and that way kids borderline on the stick are definitely good to ride? But then you have CM's arguing about whether a kid meets the height or not so that system clearly isn't working too well.

 

[yesdnil]

Our last experience was pretty consistent but thorough. My 2yo daughter is a little over 35" tall, but skinny for her size and still looks a lot like a baby, especially when we're holding her.

I took her on Alien Swirling Saucers (her first ride with a height requirement!) and we got stopped to measure her twice in the line, plus once before we got in line. Since she was obviously well over 32" we had no problems.

We took her on Tomorrowland Speedway and got measured at the entrance and again right before getting in the car. Again, no problems because she was well over the limit.

Then my husband got excited about the Barnstormer and wanted to see if we could take her on her first roller coaster. I knew she wasn't really old enough and would be too scared, but I agreed to go get her measured to see. Sure enough, she didn't really want to go stand up straight against the measuring guide, so the CM turned us away and said to try on a different day in the morning since people tend to slump more as the day goes on. We really never worried about it or thought twice because we know she's only going to keep getting taller.

 

[Skywalker]

But it's not the parents who are telling them yes. It was the CM at the entrance to the ride who told my son yes and got his hopes up. This is the entire point of my post. I rarely go to Disney. I had no idea there were two checkpoints. I can't see through walls. I had no idea the CM at the second checkpoint was the ride tsar and ultimate decider of my son's ride fate. If this is how it's going to be then at least explain this, clearly, to parents at the beginning of the line so we don't waste our time waiting in line for a ride we can't ride. Or don't even measure them at the entrance because it's apparently pointless. If this was a $150 day out at 6 flags, whatever, I'd suck it up. But when I'm paying over $2,000 on tickets for a family of 4...don't waste my time.

The person I quoted literally said, "the parents they trust told them yes"...so I mean that's what I was responding to. And, now you know that the CM is the ultimate decider of your son's ride fate so...

 

[Stormtrooper mum]

Which rides have the double height check so I can figure out if I want to invest in the line or not? I’m not pro later disappointment.

 

[lcc2]

Which rides have the double height check so I can figure out if I want to invest in the line or not? I’m not pro later disappointment.

Does such a list exist? I suppose you could assume they are at all rides with height requirements. Next time you go to Disney, keep track then come back and post for others

 

[KayaWildfire]

Which rides have the double height check so I can figure out if I want to invest in the line or not? I’m not pro later disappointment.

I believe all the rides that have a height requirement have a double check.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Which rides have the double height check so I can figure out if I want to invest in the line or not? I’m not pro later disappointment.

any ride with a height check can double messure

 

[tjmw2727]

Which rides have the double height check so I can figure out if I want to invest in the line or not? I’m not pro later disappointment.

Every ride with a height restriction will have a CM to measure a guest who looks close to the requirement prior to allowing them to enter the line. But - occasionally a child will slip by when a CM is distracted by another guest or for some other reason.

So - if the boarding CM isn't sure the guest meets the height they can choose to measure the child as it is ultimately their responsibility to enforce the height restrictions.

 

[maxiesmom]

Which rides have the double height check so I can figure out if I want to invest in the line or not? I’m not pro later disappointment.

All rides with a height restriction can check right at the point where you board the ride.

If you have a child super close to the cut of point, there are a few things you can do. Ride first thing, as we all shrink a bit as the day goes on. Teach your child to hit the bar, not duck from it. Have them inhale and stand up straight.

 

[tjmw2727]

All rides with a height restriction can check right at the point where you board the ride.

If you have a child super close to the cut of point, there are a few things you can do. Ride first thing, as we all shrink a bit as the day goes on. Teach your child to hit the bar, not duck from it. Have them inhale and stand up straight.

Agree with the above and I would also add to have your child walk through the line, if they are being carried the CM can't eyeball the child for height and will most likely have them measured.

 

[Lilsia]

No reasonable person would think that once the child passes the first height stick, that they would fail the second. They should be exactly the same. And if they are not, then what happens if the shorter stick is the one letting kids that are too short ride? If they are all about safety, then accuracy should be paramount. If Disney is not concerned enough to have all of their measuring equipment accurate, then why deny someone that who is only a "hair" short. If this would have happened to us, I would express my concerns with guest services saying exactly what I just posted. That if they are so concerned, then why are not all of their measurements accurate and the same.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

Wristbands seem to work successfully at many places but if Disney doesn't want to do them, okay.

I like what someone said upthread (probably weeks ago lol, just seeing this today), each measuring stick should have a level box to stand on, and ideally a little wall to stand against. That alone would help with a lot of the inconsistency that is due to user error, aka 3 year olds being 3.

I find when this topic comes up, people have incredibly high expectations for a small child. Not pitching a fit if they don't make it past the initial measurement? Absolutely. Expecting them to not be sad when they make it into the line, wait, get near the loading area and THEN told they can't ride? A preschooler? Yeah, sorry all the explaining and armchair parenting in the world isn't going to guarantee a small child handles that perfectly. Tons of adults wouldn't handle that very well either, honestly.

 

[Itsnotmykitchen]

I don’t have any experience with this at Disney but at other amusement parks there is definitely no consistency in terms of what constitutes meeting the requirements. I’ve seen some allow kids who only just touch the top of the bar while others require that they are too tall to even fit under the bar. I would think this is just a matter of training the staff better. But there for sure needs to be two checkpoints, I’ve seen tons of kids get on lines while the front person isn’t even looking at them at every park that I’ve been to.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I have a new theory. If all the sticks can't simply be accurate (which of course would be preferable!) why not have the CM's compare the two sticks as they staff the ride in the morning, and use the taller one at the entrance? (For example, if a ride's height requirement is 40" and one stick is half an inch too big, the stick at the entrance to the line should be the 40.5" and the stick at the end of the line/ride boarding area should be the perfect one. That would prevent a kid from passing the first stick but not the second, and families with borderline kids wouldn't be wasting time.

* And before someone says that then kids who measure 40" at the doctor's office will be disappointed, isn't the doc's office without shoes?? - So if they make 40" there, they'll likely make the slightly higher one with shoes on. (And if they might not, it's far easier to prep them ahead that a ride is a "maybe" than to try to explain at the last second!)

I completely get that the requirements are for safety. I'm not for taking kids on things they aren't big enough for. There's just no reason to make a kid wait in line first, and then be turned back.

 

[MelissaBee]

I have a kiddo who’s always been short for her age. Every park we go to but Disney does wristbands. We go to amusement parks all the time, so we run into this a lot! Not only do they not do bands, but WDW is the absolute worst about inconsistency. However, they do have lower height restrictions than other major parks, even on thrill rides, so I have to give them major credit for that. Cedar Fair and others are absurd with some of their restrictions, especially on kiddie rides. So kudos to Disney for making sure kiddos can ride most things by lower elementary age.

But...

In 2014, DD was 40” in socks, about 40.5” in shoes. We would get on MS and be turned away from TT, then get on Soarin and be turned away at ST. Or Splash was a go and BTMRR wasn’t. And so on. DD was very used to getting turned away, so mostly we were able to escape real meltdowns. It was a celebration when she could ride!

But it seemed so wildly different from one 40” stick to the next that we got curious, so we measured the front-of-ride sticks with a tape measure I keep in my car. Not to make a stink because, as many have mentioned, there seems to be no concern for improving the system from Disney’s perspective, so it was purely for our own information. They fell between 39.75” and 41”. The TT stick was a full inch taller than the 40” posted requirement. That’s major and totally unacceptable.
I mention this to affirm that folks having this experience aren’t crazy. It’s not all about ducking vs. standing up straight or spine compression across times of day. It's a structural defect baked into the system.

 

[Lilsia]

I have a kiddo who’s always been short for her age. Every park we go to but Disney does wristbands. We go to amusement parks all the time, so we run into this a lot! Not only do they not do bands, but WDW is the absolute worst about inconsistency. However, they do have lower height restrictions than other major parks, even on thrill rides, so I have to give them major credit for that. Cedar Fair and others are absurd with some of their restrictions, especially on kiddie rides. So kudos to Disney for making sure kiddos can ride most things by lower elementary age.

But...

In 2014, DD was 40” in socks, about 40.5” in shoes. We would get on MS and be turned away from TT, then get on Soarin and be turned away at ST. Or Splash was a go and BTMRR wasn’t. And so on. DD was very used to getting turned away, so mostly we were able to escape real meltdowns. It was a celebration when she could ride!

But it seemed so wildly different from one 40” stick to the next that we got curious, so we measured the front-of-ride sticks with a tape measure I keep in my car. Not to make a stink because, as many have mentioned, there seems to be no concern for improving the system from Disney’s perspective, so it was purely for our own information. They fell between 39.75” and 41”. The TT stick was a full inch taller than the 40” posted requirement. That’s major and totally unacceptable.
I mention this to affirm that folks having this experience aren’t crazy. It’s not all about ducking vs. standing up straight or spine compression across times of day. It's a structural defect baked into the system.

Did you bring this to guest services or email Disney? They should hear about these inconsistencies so that they can fix them.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

I have a kiddo who’s always been short for her age. Every park we go to but Disney does wristbands. We go to amusement parks all the time, so we run into this a lot! Not only do they not do bands, but WDW is the absolute worst about inconsistency. However, they do have lower height restrictions than other major parks, even on thrill rides, so I have to give them major credit for that. Cedar Fair and others are absurd with some of their restrictions, especially on kiddie rides. So kudos to Disney for making sure kiddos can ride most things by lower elementary age.

But...

In 2014, DD was 40” in socks, about 40.5” in shoes. We would get on MS and be turned away from TT, then get on Soarin and be turned away at ST. Or Splash was a go and BTMRR wasn’t. And so on. DD was very used to getting turned away, so mostly we were able to escape real meltdowns. It was a celebration when she could ride!

But it seemed so wildly different from one 40” stick to the next that we got curious, so we measured the front-of-ride sticks with a tape measure I keep in my car. Not to make a stink because, as many have mentioned, there seems to be no concern for improving the system from Disney’s perspective, so it was purely for our own information. They fell between 39.75” and 41”. The TT stick was a full inch taller than the 40” posted requirement. That’s major and totally unacceptable.
I mention this to affirm that folks having this experience aren’t crazy. It’s not all about ducking vs. standing up straight or spine compression across times of day. It's a structural defect baked into the system.

Wow that is so disappointing! My twins are on the 40 inch bubble, will absolutely be warning them they probably won’t be riding the 40 inch attractions, and if they make it we’ll treat it as a bonus.

I’d email. Not as a complaint but a FYI kind of email. Not like it’s likely to do anything, but who knows.

 

[MelissaBee]

Did you bring this to guest services or email Disney? They should hear about these inconsistencies so that they can fix them.

We chatted with the CMs at the rides about it. They didn’t seem surprised. I did show guest services the TT one, just to note that we felt that was too far off to be acceptable. We weren’t making a stink or demanding she be allowed to ride (I don’t think she even wanted to ride TT, it was more about curiosity and proving we weren’t nuts), so there wasn’t anything for them to do but say they’d look at it.