News to me: age requirements for rides

[ThreeBeans]

Simply because most 11 year olds are tall enough to experience all the height-restricted rides at Walt Disney World doesn't necessarily mean they're mature enough to be responsible for both themselves and a younger child.

This. The discounted rates for children are reflective of the fact that they will not be able to experience as much of the park due to their physical size.

Disney has to draw the line somewhere in terms of who is old enough to be responsible for a very small child in case of a major emergency/evacuation/fire/etc and 14 is a reasonable line to draw.

If they didn't draw it and left it up to the parents, y'all know there are plenty of people out there who would be utter idiots about it.

 

[FortForever]

The baby can go with you on most of the rides.

One of my sons did Disney when he was 3 months and went on everything with us and the older kids.

More recently, last month, my youngest grandsons (2 mos. & 7 mos.) went on most stuff with us. It's one of the great things about Disney as opposed to other parks. Very baby friendly. There is no reason the 2 year old can't ride with the family also.

 

[mom2rtk]

This. The discounted rates for children are reflective of the fact that they will not be able to experience as much of the park due to their physical size.

I totally buy that argument until I get to the fact that they charge adult prices at the buffets for 10 year olds.

 

[mjkacmom]

Can he just say he's 7? I have one child who was very tall for his age, another who was very small for her age. It seems weird to have a safety requirement based on age (since kids vary in height and maturity).

 

[fan1080]

Something to look forward to for next year's trip when he turns 7!

Gotta look at the positive!

 

[Lilliputian]

We go to WDW with 5 children who are currently 10, 8, 5, 3, and 8 months. On our last trip, just a few months ago, we did have many days where I went to the parks with the kids while DH stayed back at our villa and worked. We just didn't ride any rides with a height restriction because my 5 year old was too young by Disney standards (and they were all too young by my standards) to ride without me. We rode rides with height restrictions when DH was with us. It really wasn't a big deal because there are so many rides without height restrictions.

Since we got back, I've heard they've started enforcing a rule where under-7's have to ride in the same ride vehicle with someone 14 or over on TSM and HM. That wouldn't have worked for us when DH wasn't with us because you can't get 4 on a vehicle. We don't ride HM, so I don't know if they'll allow it there, but it's strictly 3 on TSM, even if one is a baby in a carrier.

 

[ssleblanc]

...We are a family of 5 and all wanted to ride TSM. Even though we all rode in connecting cars together, DS6 was not allowed to ride in a car with DD11.

I just find it ironic that he is allowed to ride RNR & EE, but can't sit in a TSM car without an adult next to him.

This is the part that will really affect me this trip, and you just confirmed what I had feared. My middle son (12) really wanted to ride in the TSM car with his sister. All four of us are going - me, my oldest son, the 12 year old and 3 year old. I was afraid that there would be an issue with the two of them together (though since 4 people are in the same car, back to back I kind of hoped we could all be in the same car, with the 12 year old and 3 year old together since that is what they wanted). I'm glad that I know this ahead of time so that I can prepare them.

 

[kamik86]

Can he just say he's 7? I have one child who was very tall for his age, another who was very small for her age. It seems weird to have a safety requirement based on age (since kids vary in height and maturity).

In this case it has nothing to do with height. Its how mature is the child to be able to be alone should the ride stop, they need to evacuate the ride, to follow the directions of the ride (to either not try to jump out or be responsible that they should have listened)

My guess the the lawyers decided 7 is the age where they can argue that the child should be able to follow the directions and aren't liable if the child decides to jump out of the ride vehicle and gets hurt.

I will give you that kids range in maturity and that some 6 year olds could handle this alone and we all know some teenagers and adults that can't. However disney can't judge maturity in the 5 seconds that they decide who can go on. So they have to base it on hard numbers, like age. (Just like you can't let one teen have a lenience at 14 even if they are mature enough and can't stop someone from getting one at 16 (or whatever your state age is) even if they are a complete idiot until they actually do something wrong)

Now if your ok with having your child lie and say they are older that is up to you... I definitely was told to do the same when I was told I couldn't swim at the lake with my mom at the lake front until I was 13 (I was 12 that summer)

 

[kamik86]

This is the part that will really affect me this trip, and you just confirmed what I had feared. My middle son (12) really wanted to ride in the TSM car with his sister. All four of us are going - me, my oldest son, the 12 year old and 3 year old. I was afraid that there would be an issue with the two of them together (though since 4 people are in the same car, back to back I kind of hoped we could all be in the same car, with the 12 year old and 3 year old together since that is what they wanted). I'm glad that I know this ahead of time so that I can prepare them.

This is the situation that makes me think the rule is less in case they need to evac (because many 8 year olds aren't going to handle that well either depending on the ride and if I were disney I would be putting a CM near them if at all possible) but so that someone is there to be liable if the kid jumps out of the ride. IN case of an evac the 3 year old on the car behind you would still be with you on the way out. If the ride just stopped they could still hear you. But you wouldn't be able to be in physical control of them in the ride as it was going along normally.

 

[pl4bby]

I have two under two and I stay with the babies and my dh goes with the 6 yr old and the 11 year old. What is the issue? Maybe wait to go back until your kids are older?

 

[Barnhill9586]

I find it ironic that an 11 year old is considered an adult by ticketing standards, but he can't ride as an adult with the 6 year old. Make up your mind Disney.

I like this answer a lot!

Simply because most 11 year olds are tall enough to experience all the height-restricted rides at Walt Disney World doesn't necessarily mean they're mature enough to be responsible for both themselves and a younger child.

This. The discounted rates for children are reflective of the fact that they will not be able to experience as much of the park due to their physical size.

Disney has to draw the line somewhere in terms of who is old enough to be responsible for a very small child in case of a major emergency/evacuation/fire/etc and 14 is a reasonable line to draw.

If they didn't draw it and left it up to the parents, y'all know there are plenty of people out there who would be utter idiots about it.

I disagree. If that were true Disney could just charge by height. Absolutely no need for age to factor in if they are charging based on who can ride what. At Disney you're considered an adult at age 10 for ticketing and dining. I agree with the previous poster and that it is a double standard. Just my two cents.

 

[ghtx]

I'm sympathetic to OP, since the age requirement (must be 7 to ride alone) is not posted at the rides and is not (I think) posted anywhere on the park map like the height requirements are. I could only find the age requirement on each ride's webpage, although now with the new website it looks like that information isn't even there anymore.

 

[kamik86]

I like this answer a lot!





I disagree. If that were true Disney could just charge by height. Absolutely no need for age to factor in if they are charging based on who can ride what. At Disney you're considered an adult at age 10 for ticketing and dining. I agree with the previous poster and that it is a double standard. Just my two cents.

If Disney was a park that you bought tickets when you arrived and never in advance this might work.

But what happens when you are buying your package and have a 39 inch child. Do you spend more hoping they grow the inch before you arrive (and may be overpaying) or do you go with the less costly ticket and now they can't ride? Even if you could upgrade at the gate lets say he is now exactly 40 inches... How many threads to we see where children make the cut off at one ride and doesn't at the next (or the next time at the same ride)? Imagine how much worse the complaints would be if the parents also paid for a more expensive ticket and now are being told they are too short!! (And don't say they measure for the ticket and that is the only indication because now what happens when some parent uses the 40 inch ticket to get their younger 37 inch child on a ride?)

There is no way for Disney or anyone else to win. So they make rules to fit as best they can. For some people these rules will really suck and will make planning a pain (like the OP or the poster that paid $60 for chicken nuggets unfortunately)

 

[kamik86]

I'm sympathetic to OP, since the age requirement (must be 7 to ride alone) is not posted at the rides and is not (I think) posted anywhere on the park map like the height requirements are. I could only find the age requirement on each ride's webpage, although now with the new website it looks like that information isn't even there anymore.

This I will agree with. Disney does need to do a better job of having policies easily available. I only know of this rule from the disboards.

Granted I never looked since the youngest child I ever went with was 8 and we had some adults that seemed to think if she wasn't always holding someones hand she would run off - this child is not a runner and we were in line... yeah some kids might do this but seriously she was fine. This was the same adult that gave me a hard time about letting the 16 and 17 year old go to world of disney ahead of my husband and I when we stopped at guest relations...

 

[5mouseketeersforus]

I'm sympathetic to OP, since the age requirement (must be 7 to ride alone) is not posted at the rides and is not (I think) posted anywhere on the park map like the height requirements are. I could only find the age requirement on each ride's webpage, although now with the new website it looks like that information isn't even there anymore.

Yes, exactly. If i had known in advance then could have been better prepared & the kids wouldn't have wasted 30mins. The odd part is that the 6 & 9 year old went on it by thenselves earlier in the morning (EMH AM the day we were there) and it was fine so it wasnt until the 3 of them went together that we discovered this rule.

 

[Eliza'sMom]

Another tip: The baby care centers have rooms with books and cartoons. That was the highlight of the trip for my 1-year-old, who just wanted to get down and go. That might be a good, safe, contained place to let your toddler stretch his legs while you nurse.

 

[Barnhill9586]

If Disney was a park that you bought tickets when you arrived and never in advance this might work.

But what happens when you are buying your package and have a 39 inch child. Do you spend more hoping they grow the inch before you arrive (and may be overpaying) or do you go with the less costly ticket and now they can't ride? Even if you could upgrade at the gate lets say he is now exactly 40 inches... How many threads to we see where children make the cut off at one ride and doesn't at the next (or the next time at the same ride)? Imagine how much worse the complaints would be if the parents also paid for a more expensive ticket and now are being told they are too short!! (And don't say they measure for the ticket and that is the only indication because now what happens when some parent uses the 40 inch ticket to get their younger 37 inch child on a ride?)

There is no way for Disney or anyone else to win. So they make rules to fit as best they can. For some people these rules will really suck and will make planning a pain (like the OP or the poster that paid $60 for chicken nuggets unfortunately)

My point was directed at the argument that the age cutoff for tickets was made because a 9 year old can't enjoy all the rides at the park while a 10 year old can hence the reason they are considered an adult and are charged an adult price. I disagree with that since whether one can enjoy a ride has absolutely nothing to do with age but height. We could argue the "what ifs" until the cows come home but it doesn't change that fact.

 

[tinkerbell1984]

There are a few things you could do. I would have one if you keep the baby and two year old together. You could watch the 2 year old play on the playground with the baby in stroller. If you have a baby carrier you can take baby on many of the same rides the 2 year old can go on. Even if you don't have a carrier this would work. HS is a tough park for the real little ones. There are a lot of things the while family can do together in fantasyland. Winnie, dumbo, small world just to name a few.

HTH

This. I took a 3 yr old and baby to WDW and they rode all the rides together with me (the ones w/o height requirement of course). I'd have one adult ride with the older kids and one adult ride with the little 2. No biggie...Just park the stroller from ride to ride. If baby needs some down time do the playground thing while he/she naps...OR I used a baby sling so I could get up, down, ride, whatever and she could just sleep or enjoy.

 

[ckrisie]

7 years by themselves is based on psychology for children being able able to reason, to see the consequences of actions.
I believe 14 is based on the same principle. Child psychology deems a child of 14 can reason and be responsible for another person.

 

[candyrn]

Now I understand why they kept asking my 9y/o her age last week. We are family of 5 and at toy story mania we would split up 2-2-1. The 9 y/o is my middle child child so we were able to ride w everyone having their own "gun". This is the first time I've encountered this.