43.5 inch kid and Space Mountain FPs

[MommyMK]

We are 30 days out from our trip and I measured my 4.5 yo today and she's 43.5 inches in her shoes, possibly a little taller in her sneakers. Our whole Space Mountain fast pass plan revolves around her being too short to ride and using rider swap for the rest of us to ride. We have one FP+ for DH and planned to use rider swap for myself and my older daughter to ride. Now I'm second guessing that choice. The 4.5 yo would LOVE to ride Space Mountain, she's a daredevil and just rode her first looping coaster at Hershey this weekend. So what would you do? Bank on her growing that extra half inch in the next month and change around our FPs? Or leave things as they are and count on her not growing? We will be doing one Halloween party so if she is tall enough I guess we could get everyone on Space Mountain during the party? Growing kids make planning FPs hard! Any other 44 inch rides I am forgetting?

 

[Betty Rohrer]

I may be wrong but I think height is 48 inches for Space Mountain unlike Splash Mountain which is 40 inches

 

[disneymagicgirl]

We have about 45 days to go and my 4 1/2 yr old is also about a half inch too short. IMO the measuring stations are padded a bit so even if she does grow she prob will still be a smudge too short. I am not betting on my son riding either.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I may be wrong but I think height is 48 inches for Space Mountain unlike Splash Mountain which is 40 inches

44 inches for Space Mountain.

 

[mistysue]

Did you measure her with shoes? If she would enjoy the ride I say get her some shoes with a little more height to them and you should all go.

 

[dskib]

If she's .5 short in shoes then she probably won't make it. They're pretty strict.

 

[Aurora0427]

I may be a stick in the mud, but if she's officially too short, I wouldn't put her on the ride. It's not like Splash Mountain, where you can hold onto her and make sure she's fine. Not that anything would happen, but there are height requirements for a reason. Sorry if I sound lame!


That being said, I agree with the PP who said the measuring sticks are padded. I think they have an extra half inch to inch.

 

[disrev]

Any other 44 inch rides I am forgetting?

Expedition Everest is also 44"

We're leave Friday and thought we were in the same boat 60 days ago with our 6 year old daughter... she's Tink-sized. BUT she hit a growth spurt last week. She's now Yoda-sized. (a.k.a. 45"). Excited for her to experience both coasters!

 

[MommyMK]

I may be a stick in the mud, but if she's officially too short, I wouldn't put her on the ride. It's not like Splash Mountain, where you can hold onto her and make sure she's fine. Not that anything would happen, but there are height requirements for a reason. Sorry if I sound lame!


That being said, I agree with the PP who said the measuring sticks are padded. I think they have an extra half inch to inch.

OP here. I am not in any way trying to sneak my too short kid onto space mountain, nor did I state that in my original post. We go to Disney yearly so if she doesn't get on it this year, she'll get on it next year. My question was in regard to the fast passes we currently hold. I can't decide if we should change our fast passes so that we all hold one in case she does grow that half inch in the next month or if we should just keep our plan of using rider swap to ride based on her being too short to ride.

 

[Love Tink]

I may be a stick in the mud, but if she's officially too short, I wouldn't put her on the ride. It's not like Splash Mountain, where you can hold onto her and make sure she's fine. Not that anything would happen, but there are height requirements for a reason. Sorry if I sound lame!

One's personal opinion about skirting safety requirements doesn't really matter, since the Disney CMs will not allow the kid on the ride if he/she does not meet the height requirement. (And the OP's question didn't suggest that she would do that, anyway).

 

[bumbershoot]

Measure her in the shoes she will be wearing.

If she's borderline, and if your FPs are for later in the day, don't change them. She's going to lose height through the day (as we all do) and so she won't hit the mark later on in the day.

If she's borderline and your FPs are first thing in the morning and you're going to try it, help her. The bar is an upside down L and you WANT to hit that bar with the top of your head (or side, but she's not going to be that tall yet). This is a hard thing for little kids to understand! They want to shy from hitting the bar; they don't want to hurt themselves. But touching that bar with the top of the head shows the CM that you're tall enough. She wants to stand straight and tall, perhaps taking a deep breath while being measured. No slouching.

Know that she WILL be measured at least twice, so getting by the first stick at the entrance to the line means nothing because she's got at least another to go.

In this situation, knowing you'll be back, I might be really tempted to just keep the swap situation there (though of course if she suddenly does hit the mark and hits it while you're trying to swap, it's a whole other problem LOL).

 

[Aurora0427]

OP here. I am not in any way trying to sneak my too short kid onto space mountain, nor did I state that in my original post. We go to Disney yearly so if she doesn't get on it this year, she'll get on it next year. My question was in regard to the fast passes we currently hold. I can't decide if we should change our fast passes so that we all hold one in case she does grow that half inch in the next month or if we should just keep our plan of using rider swap to ride based on her being too short to ride.

I wasn't insinuating that you were, OP. I was more responding to the posts who suggested putting your daughter in shoes that would make her the correct height. I didn't read your entire post closely, and then I scrolled through the some of the responses. My 3 year old came in and I became distracted and should have waited to respond later.

You will probably be able to add fast passes for Space Mountain once you get to Disney and have her measured. We were there in February and had no problems moving around FP+ and we scored several for Space throughout our 6 day stay, and we did that while actually at MK the day we wanted to ride. So I guess you could keep your current rider swap plan, and then adjust once you get there.

 

[Aurora0427]

One's personal opinion about skirting safety requirements doesn't really matter, since the Disney CMs will not allow the kid on the ride if he/she does not meet the height requirement. (And the OP's question didn't suggest that she would do that, anyway).

Yeah, I just responded to the OP, but thanks. I always love the kind responses posted on the boards telling people their opinions are worthless. Nice.

 

[Sleepy425]

I think I would make the child a FP+ just in case. Because I know with my son, if we got there and he was tall enough to ride, I'd be the one having to trade MBs with him so he could ride and I would have to sit out.
Our last trip we knew he'd be borderline for 40" rides, so we made a measuring device at home to teach home to stand "Disney Tall." Our first day was AK and he didn't measure up for Dinosaur (which I was happy about - I've never even been brave enough to ride it!). But MK and Epcot days he measured up fine. Must have been Pixie dust (and different shoes - the first day he insisted on wearing flimsy sandals that shockingly weren't comfortable. After that he relented and wore his good sneakers).
Good luck!!!

 

[LetsTalkWDW]

We are 30 days out from our trip and I measured my 4.5 yo today and she's 43.5 inches in her shoes, possibly a little taller in her sneakers. Our whole Space Mountain fast pass plan revolves around her being too short to ride and using rider swap for the rest of us to ride. We have one FP+ for DH and planned to use rider swap for myself and my older daughter to ride. Now I'm second guessing that choice. The 4.5 yo would LOVE to ride Space Mountain, she's a daredevil and just rode her first looping coaster at Hershey this weekend. So what would you do? Bank on her growing that extra half inch in the next month and change around our FPs? Or leave things as they are and count on her not growing? We will be doing one Halloween party so if she is tall enough I guess we could get everyone on Space Mountain during the party? Growing kids make planning FPs hard! Any other 44 inch rides I am forgetting?

Will your daughter be using the FP+ for something else if you don't make it for SM? I don't see any plan in your post.

Why not make the FP for her and just not use it if she doesn't make the height requirement (but don't tell her that )

 

[LaurenT]

I'd stay with your baby swap plan. 43.5 in shoes will probably be too short and, IMO, Space is the one that worried me the most when my DD started doing coasters. you can't sit next to them and the ride throws you around so much. I know no one ever falls out, but that didn't stop me from being distracted the whole time - thinking about my kid in the seat in front of me.

 

[davedmaine]

Did you measure her with shoes? If she would enjoy the ride I say get her some shoes with a little more height to them and you should all go.

Nice advice here about how to endanger a child..

 

[mjkacmom]

I had a six year old who begged to ride SM (and she loved the super duper looper). Cried the whole ride!

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

Not trying to hijack the thread here, but if your child barely makes the height requirement, will they not let you use rider switch? I have a very tall almost 3yo who isn't ready for big rides yet.

 

[bumbershoot]

Not trying to hijack the thread here, but if your child barely makes the height requirement, will they not let you use rider switch? I have a very tall almost 3yo who isn't ready for big rides yet.

The website says that it's for people who don't *want* to ride.

But that is absolutely NOT how CMs are trained, and it doesn't matter what the website says, it seems. They are trained that it's for kids who are too small. Anything else is pixie dust.