3/4 inch, are you Kidding me!!!

[okeydokey]

Just a caution - I have seen the CM's ask for children to remove obviously high shoes before measuring on 3 occasions. Two were girls, one with platform type flip flops, another was sketchers and a boy with heelies (no wheels).

We have done lots of trips with a kid just under that "40, "44 or 48" mark and its tough. For our family we think its important to abide by and teach our kids to do so as well. When you enter the gates you agree to the rules.

Having my dd measure tall enough for space mtn in the morning and not the afternoon was difficult but we managed. The ice cream we shared instead tasted very sweet

My thoughts exactly. I don't consider my family entitled to break the rules we don't agree with.

 

[okeydokey]

I agree with you. However, that was not the point at issue. Parents can make decisions for their children. The chastising safety police should worry about others and their decisions.

In this case, Disney makes that decision.

 

[tjmw2727]

No actually I didn't quote 'you'..................honestly, I would've actually quoted your post if I were referring to 'you'. Actually, I don't even remember your post.................I'd have to go back and reread all three pages to find it. It was just a general observation. People on these types of threads always, eventually, start in with the "I teach my children to tell the truth" etc. etc. etc. Sorry for the misunderstanding.


And while I appreciate your suggestion that I choose another vacation destination if I don't like Disney's rules I will respectfully decline. "Inane" rules and general guidelines disguised as "rules" run rampant in this country, there is no getting away from them. I'll go where I so desire. I just reserve my right to be an independent thinker and use my definition of common sense (clearly different than your own).

I am the only poster who used the words "abide by".

 

[pacrosby]

I am the only poster who used the words "abide by".

I'm sorry I should just take the high road and leave this alone but are you kidding me? (and I'm not even going to add a smilie face to this one)

Given my 20 yrs of schooling I certainly hope that the words 'abide by' spontaneously pop up in my text once in awhile too.

Seriously, that IS funny! (and it's replies like this that remind us all of who we are trying to have some sort of reasonable discussion with)

 

[Sanchez]

In this case, Disney makes that decision.

And parents make the decision as to what shoes their child will wear. If Disney feels that the type of shoe causes a significant increase in height then they have the right to deny entrance.

It is not as black and white as some of you make it out to be.

 

[Jareds_mommy]

opps wrong thread lol

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Apparently you, and others in your camp, missed the earlier post that pointed out that a ride could not possibly be completely safe for someone who is 44" tall yet not be safe for someone 43 1/2 " tall.

But at what point is it no longer safe for a parent to guess on how much the margin was that a ride engineer used when he or she set the height recommendation for a ride? What if the kid is 1 inch too short, or 2 inches?

"It's only a 1/2 inch."
"It's only an inch."
"It's only two inches."
etc.

Where is the line between someone skimming by the rules and someone making an unsafe decision?

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I should mention that I think this is no different than rules like "do not take this medication while using heavy machinery", or "do not use this hair drier while in the shower", or "best if used by _______".

Sure, it's not a law. Sure, you can get away with it. But at what point is it better to take the advice of the experts and follow the rules or directions than to follow your own judgment, especially if you don't have specific knowledge in a particular field? You can get away with eating old food for most of your life, for example. But eventually, you will get sick. Was ignoring that label worth the eventual food poisoning?

And why is it such a bad thing for someone to say "You know, you probably shouldn't do that"? I can understand it being unfair to call someone a bad parent or immoral person. But a simple "that's not a very good idea"?

 

[RMulieri]

Apparently you, and others in your camp, missed the earlier post that pointed out that a ride could not possibly be completely safe for someone who is 44" tall yet not be safe for someone 43 1/2 " tall. That simply defies logic. Also................if you want to get technical...........it could be argued that what's really important is the length of someone's torso, not the length of their legs. Some people have very long legs but a shorter torsos. Others have long torsos but short legs. But they don't measure the length of their torso do they? Bottom line is it's a guideline...............not a hard and fast safety measure.

And for those who like to express how proud they are of themselves, teaching their children to "abide by the rules"..................I am equally proud of myself for teaching my children to use their common sense and not just "blindly follow the rules". I want them to grow up to be critical thinkers not sheep. Generally speaking rules are made with the expectation that they will be 'bent' alittle (especially those made for the sake of safety). Absolutely no one is going to be hurt by a higher heel or a wad of tissue in a sneaker. And not everyone goes back to Disney every year. Sometimes it's now or never (or at least not for a very long time)


And btw: the smilies are used not in an attempt to be snarky but rather in an attempt to show that I am not writing this in anger so please don't read it as such.

Again , following posted rules does not make you a "sheep" it means you can accept the fact that there are rules and you follow them.I follow rules and I can think for myself. I don't think by telling my kid she is too short to ride,ruins her ability to think critically or question .I think it teaches another valuable lesson...Like the world doesn't revolve around my kid, and sometimes there are life disappointments.Was my kid upset? sure she was.Especially since everyone else got to ride..and you know she got over it pretty quickly.

 

[Skylarr29]

As a parent, it is my job and responsibility to make sure my child is safe. Sure, a half an inch or an inch probably would not affect the safety of the ride, but IMO, why take the chance? If something happened to my child I would never forgive myself so I personally would follow the height restrictions to the T. Also, what is wrong with kids facing disappointment these days? I know it's a bummer but why not just say "I know you must be disappointed but there are still so many other fun things to do, what would you like to do next?" ?

 

[U2_rocks!]

My youngest child is one who has legs that are proportionately too short for her torso - those short legs and muscles make her very strong and a great gymnast, but don't help her get on the rides she wants to ride! I have never gone out of my way to make her artificially taller, but if she's less than a half inch away from the height requirement, I may well consider it. Adding an extra 1/2 inch to her shoe will simply put her legs in the correct proportion to her torso, and won't in any way affect her safety on the ride.

Everyone has a choice of whether to wear totally flat sandals, wedge shoes, highly-cushioned sneakers etc., and sometimes that shoe sole does make a significant difference to the height. If my child is close to a height limit, why would I put her in absolutely flat shoes? Other people are walking around in all sorts of sole heights by choice (not to thwart a height requirement) - why can't she? Obviously artificially stuffing a shoe by several inches is ridiculous (and obvious) - I am not suggesting that. But a carefully thought-out choice of footwear could mean a child gets to ride ..........

 

[maxiesmom]

Everyone has a choice of whether to wear totally flat sandals, wedge shoes, highly-cushioned sneakers etc., and sometimes that shoe sole does make a significant difference to the height. If my child is close to a height limit, why would I put her in absolutely flat shoes? Other people are walking around in all sorts of sole heights by choice (not to thwart a height requirement) - why can't she? Obviously artificially stuffing a shoe by several inches is ridiculous (and obvious) - I am not suggesting that. But a carefully thought-out choice of footwear could mean a child gets to ride ..........

The CMs do look at a child's footwear when they measure them. If it looks to the CM like the shoes are worn for the sole purpose of giving that child extra height, they can ask for the shoes to be removed and then measure.

And to those who think the height restrictions are a just a guideline, I say BULL PUCKEY! No where on Disney property, or on the maps does it say "Your child must be approximately this tall to ride". They give you a hard and fast number. No almosts or approximatelys about it.

 

[Mandychelle79]

The CMs do look at a child's footwear when they measure them. If it looks to the CM like the shoes are worn for the sole purpose of giving that child extra height, they can ask for the shoes to be removed and then measure.

And to those who think the height restrictions are a just a guideline, I say BULL PUCKEY! No where on Disney property, or on the maps does it say "Your child must be approximately this tall to ride". They give you a hard and fast number. No almosts or approximatelys about it.

Actually I do not think they can ask your child to take off shoes as their rules state shoes must be worn at all times while in the park. My dd wore her Sketchers Im pretty talls every day ( and the commercial for them shoes wearing them to get on a coaster) and no questions were ever raised.

 

[tjmw2727]

Actually I do not think they can ask your child to take off shoes as their rules state shoes must be worn at all times while in the park. My dd wore her Sketchers Im pretty talls every day ( and the commercial for them shoes wearing them to get on a coaster) and no questions were ever raised.

They can and they will, as I said upthread I have seen it three times. 2 girls with obviously big soles - one platform flip flops and another sneakers, the boy had heelies without the wheels.

 

[maxiesmom]

I am pretty horrified that Skechers advertises these shoes for the purpose of getting around ride restrictions. I guess they will until something happens and they are sued. Pretty reckless on their part, and pretty disgusting.

 

[Mandychelle79]

They can and they will, as I said upthread I have seen it three times. 2 girls with obviously big soles - one platform flip flops and another sneakers, the boy had heelies without the wheels.

Yes, you have seen it, but I still dont think that they are really allowed to do that. Just like they cant force you to scan your finger for the ticket.

Besides if I was worried about my dd having to take their shoes off to be measured because too high of a sole- id make sure they were in jeans that day long enough to cover the shoes.....

 

[Mandychelle79]

I am pretty horrified that Skechers advertises these shoes for the purpose of getting around ride restrictions. I guess they will until something happens and they are sued. Pretty reckless on their part, and pretty disgusting.

Actually they do not add much more height then the light up shoes that kids wear. My dd's normal shoes add about 1/2 an inch and they add maybe 3/4 of an inch.

 

[Khill]

Uuuugh. We leave in less than 3 weeks for our 1st ever trip and my 6 year old is 47 1/4 inches tall.

I hope she grows quickly, or I may have to put her on the taffy puller

Just thought I would throw this out and see if any othe people have had shortcoming with their kids.

Well I am the original poster, and by no means did I intend for a flaming festival of peoples thoughts, and what they did.

Whether she can get on or not makes no diffrence. We just want to have fun, and we shall.

On a lighter side, we were out at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Carnival this past weekend, and she made it on the 48" height rides. She rode her 1st roller coaster, and her face was priceless. When I say that I mean as in poop in the pants priceless. So it may be all for naught.

 

[Mandychelle79]

OP dont worry about it. It is a hot button topic.

 

[scrapah1]

Hi All,

I am super late to the game but we are taking 4 kiddos 3 and under to WDW this Spring. My height restrictions are much shorter and we are worried about smaller rides but I am hoping that you might know the answer to this. Doe they measure the kiddos at each ride or is there a place that they measure them and then someone to say what they can and can't ride?

TIA,
April