Height requirements - one spot to check heights?

[summermac]

At other amusement parks we've been to, there's been a height check station where the child gets measured and then is given a colored wristband based on their height. Does WDW have this?

I'm asking b/c my son is just now 40 inches and I can picture us being asked to measure him over & over. Is this not even a valid concern? We've got 4 months until our trip, well almost 5 I guess but I don't expect him to grow significantly b/t now and then.

 

[BradyBz12]

They measure at each attraction, and they're not always consistent - i.e., he could feasibly measure different at different attractions.

 

[Mary976]

No, there is measuring at every attraction, and sometimes more than once at the same attraction. Just remind him to stand up straight. If he's right at the height requirement, you don't want him slouching!

Mary

 

[Metsoskil]

Unfortunately, no, there is no one station to get a height measurement. The measurement of your child can vary from ride to ride, as well as from queue line entrance to ride vehicle entrance at times. There are plenty of stories out there of a parent whose child was admitted to the queue, waited in line, and then was denied access to the ride at the last minute by the operator. I don't think this is common, but I guess it does happen. Also stories of a child being able to ride something early in the trip, and not later.

I wouldn't build up any rides, or tell your child that they will definitely be able to ride anything until you actually ride it.

 

[cosmicdaisy]

My DD's first trip she was 40". They do not have a centralizing measuring place or wristbands... he'll be measured over and over and over. At the beginning of the ride queue and at the end. FWIW though, my DD got a kick out of being measured and being tall enough to ride the 40" rides!

 

[tzolkin]

They measure at before you get in line and then before you board. We didn't have any problems with my DD who was just 40", but others have stated that their child was not permitted to ride an attraction they had done earlier in the day/trip.

We told our DD that she may not be able to ride certain things and we would have to wait until we got to the line to find out. That way we didn't tell her she would be able to do BTMRR, Splash, etc. and then be disappointed when a CM turned her away.

 

[summermac]

Oh jeez. This could be interesting. You'd think they'd do a central location and be done with it.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Oh jeez. This could be interesting. You'd think they'd do a central location and be done with it.

The problem is dishonest adults. Each child is measured at the actual attraction because if they use wristbands, a parent could pull it off an older child and put it on a younger one. Any other method could be thwarted by people trying to get around the rules.

I wish they'd use those old black-light lamps and stamp each child's hand. Each different height limit could be a different character and the "code" could change often, so as to discourage forgery.

 

[janni518]

Be sure to have him practice before he goes. Feet all the way back and all the way together and strecth that spine!

Sorry, for years it was my job to measure at a pediatrician's office.

 

[maestro]

Also don't forget that we are all taller in the morning and "shrink" during the day. so do those rides in the morning
Ceri x

 

[AliceinHalloweentown]

Oh jeez. This could be interesting. You'd think they'd do a central location and be done with it.

The problem is dishonest adults. Each child is measured at the actual attraction because if they use wristbands, a parent could pull it off an older child and put it on a younger one. Any other method could be thwarted by people trying to get around the rules.

I wish they'd use those old black-light lamps and stamp each child's hand. Each different height limit could be a different character and the "code" could change often, so as to discourage forgery.

It's a bummer, but yes, the reason is definitely dishonest adults.
We already have people selling scam FPs on ebay, EMH wristbands when they were still around, I can only imagine the field day scam-artists would have if they gave just a wristband out for height.

 

[bumbershoot]

With any kid who is barely at the mark, it's vital you never never let them take any ride for granted. You could have done a ride 5 times in a row (and actually doing a ride 5 times in a row is a near guaranteed way to shrink a bit, temporarily) and the 6th time you won't meet the mark. It's just the way the spine works, with its fluid dynamics in the vertebral column.

At Disneyland my son passed the first measuring stick, then at the second the CM was being picky, was kind of squishing my son down and passed a sheet of paper between DS's head and the stick. DS wasn't standing tall b/c he thought the CM wanted him to squish down, so he did it. Hubby isn't good at thinking on his feet, even just to say "stand big and tall, your head wants to touch the measuring stick", so DS was denied that ride.

It was a serious bummer at the time, but it served us well overall, because DS never ever expects to go on a ride, and happily stands to be measured every single time through!

 

[disnut8]

Oh jeez. This could be interesting. You'd think they'd do a central location and be done with it.

Not only dishonest adults but where would the one spot be? At the front of the park near the strollers? That area gets so hectic in the morning and then people would get upset that their touring plan was messed up because they had to factor in getting one child measured. Or what would happen with the spot at the front of the park and a parent doesn't realize they even need to get their child measured? Then they are at the attraction without a wristband and the Cast Member tells them to go back to the front of the park and get the child measured. I wouldn't want to be that Cast Member who has to pass on that news. Even further, what about Epcot where there are two entrances? Have two there but one might be slightly off from the other so a child measured at the International Gateway can ride all day but not one who entered from the front of the park? And there isn't just one height requirement, there are several different ones for various attractions. The coding combination would have to be very different for different days because you wouldn't want someone to pass on Monday and then hand off the wristband on Tuesday to another child who is below the requirement.

Someone mentioned the old black light system but then you'd still have to have a Cast Member there to monitor all that, the ink might not wash off every night, it could wash off just while swimming, etc.

Yes, we hear about kids who are denied the ride. But those incidents really are few and far between based on the thousands of kids who visit the parks every day. Most kids don't even have to worry about being close to the marks.