Disappointed with Disney Quest

[allshookup]

I just wanted to share our first experience at DQ last week. We were all excited to try Cyberspace mountain so that was one of our first stops. My 10 y/o DD, who is small for her age at appx. 48", was very upset when she was turned away due to a height restriction of 51". I found this simulated roller coaster ride to be extremely smooth and I was surprised she was not allowed to ride. Our next stop was the Buzz Lightyear ride (I forget the name) which is basically a glorified bumper car ride with vehicles that shoot balls at other vehicles and she was also turned away from that, even though I said I would ride in the same vehicle with her. At this point, she was in tears. I then met up with DH who had taken DS on the Aladdin attraction. At this attraction I guess you have to wear some sort of head gear. My DH had put the head gear on DS & had it adjusted fine but the CM working the ride came over & tightened it so much that DS screamed. When my DH took the head gear off there were two red screw marks on my DS's forehead. At this point I became very upset and asked a nearby CM to speak to a manager. When I calmly (even though I was furious) explained to the manager what happened to DS & showed him the marks, he apologized & said he would speak to the CM working the ride. My DH stated that perhaps they should be trained on the equipment usage more. Next I explained how disappointed I was that I had paid the full 10+ price for my DD yet she was unable to ride the more popular attractions due to height restrictions. He then proceeded to tell me the restrictions were state mandated? I asked how that could be when there are no such restrictions on the Star Tours ride or Test Track and he didn't have an answer. I then asked about the Buzz ride and he said the only reason she couldn't ride is because the seat belts are too high. I said "then why don't they lower them?" He just nodded at me. I told him that we head to DW at least once sometimes twice a year & this was the worst experience we had ever had. He asked what type of tickets we had & I explained they were park hopper plus tickets so he said he could not offer us a refund. I then explained that I did not ask for a refund nor did I expect one, but that I did want my complaint noted that they need to train the CM's working the rides better & if they are going to restrict the popular rides at 51" then they should charge for 51" up and not ages 10+. He thanked me for being honest because she was so small I could have gotten her in for under 10. I thought that was odd to say and certainly not very DIS-like. Anyway we are not chronic complainers & we usually love everything Disney so we said what we had to say, thanked the manager for his time & continued trying to make the best of DQ. We did enjoy POTC, the River ride & my kids liked the unlimited video games. The manager later spotted us in line for making your own CD & offered us one free for a savings of $15 as a token of apology for my DS's injury. So all in all my DS's injuries were minor & my DD ended up having some fun at DQ, but it was not at all what we had expected from Disney.

 

[Ilovestitch]

Disney doesn't make height restrictions just to make people mad or ruin your day- they are for the safety of your child!

I agree that the virtual reality devices aren't the most comfortable things, they do feel awkward at first- but they have to be tight and in the right position or you lose the virtual reality effect.

I DisneyQuest!! -Steph

 

[disney4us2002]

My boys are looking forward to DQ this year. We didn't get the chance last trip to try Cyber SpaceMountain because it was very crowded. It seems strange to me that the Cyber Mtn has a height restriction greater than the 'real deal' in the parks. Space Mtn must be 44 or so because my boys have ridden it since they were 4 or 5.

 

[airforcewife]

Disney doesn't make height restrictions just to make people mad or ruin your day- they are for the safety of your child!

I agree that the virtual reality devices aren't the most comfortable things, they do feel awkward at first- but they have to be tight and in the right position or you lose the virtual reality effect.

I DisneyQuest!! -Steph

I think thats great, but I have an 11 year old who is also small for his age. I too am a little upset at having to pay adult prices for him. I'd understand if he could ride everything, but he can't. Prices should be height based, not age based.

 

[jordanyosh]

Wow it seems like you got first rate service from the manager at DQ. He listened, apologized, would've offered you a refund had you had the correct ticket media, thanked you for being honest(you'd be surprised how many people work the system), listened, tried to offer explanations, thanked you for your feedback and let you know he would talk to the CM and gave you a free CD!!!! That's a Disney CM trying to put the magic back for you.

As far as the whole age/height/price/fairness.....just think of those families who have kids paying the adult prices who also meet all height requirements, but are afraid of thrill rides. Or how about people who have severe motion sickness? Should there be a different price structure for them?

 

[airforcewife]

Wow it seems like you got first rate service from the manager at DQ. He listened, apologized, would've offered you a refund had you had the correct ticket media, thanked you for being honest(you'd be surprised how many people work the system), listened, tried to offer explanations, thanked you for your feedback and let you know he would talk to the CM and gave you a free CD!!!! That's a Disney CM trying to put the magic back for you.

As far as the whole age/height/price/fairness.....just think of those families who have kids paying the adult prices who also meet all height requirements, but are afraid of thrill rides. Or how about people who have severe motion sickness? Should there be a different price structure for them?

Sure if you can prove you won't be riding those rides. a wrist band or something.

 

[CheapMom]

I am sorry about your experience. Especially with your son. I had the same experience with my son at DQ regarding the height issue. He was really disappointed that he couldn't do the Buzz ride but he still had a great time.
My family (kids ages 8, 7, and 1) really enjoyed DQ but it is important to know you must be 51" for the best rides.
The cost of the CD was more than the difference between an adult and child ticket for your DD so I think that is pretty fair.

 

[stinkerbelle]

Isn't there a harness inside the simulater at CyberSpace Mountain? That could be why she couldn't ride...it's just for her safety.

and - just for the record - the headgear at the Aladdin ride does have to be tight to have the virtual reality helmet sit on your head comfortably...every time I do this, DH laughs at me cause I walk around with screw marks on my forehead for at least an hour! heheh

 

[Terry S]

Our family really enjoys DQ as well. The first year when my daughter was 5 and son was 6 she couldn't ride buzz or space either, she was disappointed but I was kind of mad at myself that I didn't do more research before going. I had done the research at the park and let her know ahead of time on rides she couldn't ride so she wouldn't be diappointed. Maybe your experience will help others here on the DIS perpare their childern ahead of time so they aren't diappointed. By the following year when she was 6 she was able to ride all the the rides. (My kids are tall). The amusement park that is closest to my home home here does sell tickets by height. Upto a certain height is a child ticket and above that height is an adult. Imagine my surprise when my 6 year old was considered an adult. On one hand I understand because they can ride more rides at that age, but on the other hand, I ride exactly 2 rides at that park because it is mostly coasters. So is that fair? No, thats life!

Anyway, I did really enjoy DQ, there were many rides such as POTC and the Ailien ride that we rode several times and then there was all the arcade games that were around when we were kids that we all played many times. We had lots of fun racing each other on the snow mobiles too!

 

[mom2rb]

My boys love video games. I had made a deal with them about reading books. They read so many and I buy tickets for DQ for them and DH. They have a special day and Mommy gets to shop. It was going to be a win/win situation. Fortunately I read the Dis boards. My boys are way too short. They would have been devastated. Now we have promised them something else and we will take them when they are older.

 

[crow11ad]

I am sorry you had a bad experience. Maybe next time you go our DD will be a little taller and I hope along with the rest of us, hope that you and your family give DQ another try. It really is a lot of fun. Oh Test Track does have height restrictions. All rides do. If they didn't and you feel off the ride or seriously got hurt, then Disney would be liable and they are not going to take that risk.

 

[meandtheguys2]

I am glad you were treated so well! We were going to go to DQ, but two of my booys are too short to ride what they would enjoy. So, we will wait until next time!

 

[WaltD4Me]

As far as the whole age/height/price/fairness.....just think of those families who have kids paying the adult prices who also meet all height requirements, but are afraid of thrill rides. Or how about people who have severe motion sickness? Should there be a different price structure for them?

I think it's a little different if you know ahead of time that your child is afraid of thrill rides or that they or you get motion sickness. Knowing that, you can then make a choice whether or not to go to DQ at all, but paying full price based on age gives you the impression your child will be able to enjoy all the rides and not knowing that due to height there are several rides your child won't be able to go on afterall isn't right. Especially if you assume based on actual rides at the parks, that he or she will be tall enough. Safety IS important, but then they should have something at the enterance of DQ about height restrictions and what they are so that you can make an informed decision BEFORE going in.

Lisa

 

[disneyjunkie]

I think it's a little different if you know ahead of time that your child is afraid of thrill rides or that they or you get motion sickness. Knowing that, you can then make a choice whether or not to go to DQ at all, but paying full price based on age gives you the impression your child will be able to enjoy all the rides and not knowing that due to height there are several rides your child won't be able to go on afterall isn't right. Especially if you assume based on actual rides at the parks, that he or she will be tall enough. Safety IS important, but then they should have something at the enterance of DQ about height restrictions and what they are so that you can make an informed decision BEFORE going in.

Lisa

All it takes is a litte research before hand to find out about the height restrictions. I don't recall ever seeing signs at the front of the theme parks or water parks about height restrictions. Why should DQ be any different

 

[Hippychickali]

Personally, I'm not so sure what you are complaining about. I mean, it is very easy to know before you go to DQ (or anywhere else in WDW) what you are getting for your money. Any decent guidebook would tell you the height restrictions, not too mention I have read about them many times on these boards. Let this be a lesson for next time - Research! Research! Research! As far as your son's "injury" goes, maybe there should be a warning or something but as far as I can tell the red marks from the headgear are part and parcel with visiting the attraction. And just to point out, you didn't exactly pay a admission price for your daughter. It was included on the PHP anyway. I really don't think it's Disney's fault - any of this. And to be fair, they seem to have done a phenomenal job of listening to your concerns and even offering a form of compensation.

I'm sorry if my comments seem a harsh but I don't know how else to express my frustration at people blaming other people/Disney for having a bad time. In this case, it's especially bad because the things complained out are not Disney's fault.

Ali

 

[disneyjunkie]

Personally, I'm not so sure what you are complaining about. I mean, it is very easy to know before you go to DQ (or anywhere else in WDW) what you are getting for your money. Any decent guidebook would tell you the height restrictions, not too mention I have read about them many times on these boards. Let this be a lesson for next time - Research! Research! Research! As far as your son's "injury" goes, maybe there should be a warning or something but as far as I can tell the red marks from the headgear are part and parcel with visiting the attraction. And just to point out, you didn't exactly pay a admission price for your daughter. It was included on the PHP anyway. I really don't think it's Disney's fault - any of this. And to be fair, they seem to have done a phenomenal job of listening to your concerns and even offering a form of compensation.

Ali

Your reponse sounds a bit harsh.

If the OP used PHP passes during her trip, then she did indeed pay to enter DQ. DQ isn't included with PHP passes.

 

[jordanyosh]

I guess I should've put more thought into my first post. It was late and I was tired.....

My main concern with the Original Poster has more to do with the fact she said "this wasn't what we expected from Disney". Disney does have height requirements in every park. It seems that the OP had knowledge of this. So what would make DQ any different? Sure I understand her disappointment and trying to explain that to a upset child, but I don't see how that's Disney fault.

As far as the whole screw in the head, that is certainly a valid concern. However, as I stated before, the manager on duty did everything he could to restore the magic in her evening. He even remembered them later and offered them the CD. That's a job well done by the manager. As a former national trainer in the service industry, he did everything right. How is that not Disney?

 

[LIFERBABE]

I think DQ is worth it and neither of my DS's are tall enough to ride Cyberspace Mtn or Buzz. They like it better than any of the other parks and so much so that they have DQ AP's. My boys are 5 and 7 and they love the games, activities, Pirates, Aladdin etc. We were there in June, and my youngest was just tall enough to ride space mountain but he had to sit in the middle seat. My Dh rode CYB MTN and it is a simulator that turns upside down, so if the seatbelts are high, they will not restrain a smaller child. The ride was not designed for smaller children.

 

[allshookup]

Thank you all for your comments. I would just like to say that the main reason I posted this was to inform those that didn't already know about the height restrictions. Some of you are correct that perhaps I should've researched more but imagine my surprise because my DD had never had a problem going on any of the rides in the parks. Now granted she won't do the "real" space mountain but as one poster pointed out...it is less than 51" and she loves Test Track, Splash Moutain, Space Tours (which to me is was much more rough than Cyber Space Mountain) etc. so I don't mind paying the 10+ price since she has never been turned away from anything.

Also please note that I did say the marks on my son's head were not serious but they were definitely a bit deep like a screw & it was really the fact that he screamed that upset my DH since my DS does not normally over react to pain. Even the mngr. agreed that it should NOT have happened. I also agree that the mngr listened to my concerns & he did not have to buy us a CD which is why I mentioned it to keep my comments as fair as possible. I also said we went about our business & did enjoy some attractions. We will most likely try DQ again in the future but I will be certain that both my children are 51" & we will most likely steer clear of any virtual reality stuff that requires a very tight helmet.

I have no problem with rides having restrictions if they are meant to keep my children safe, but YES we were disappointed and surprised they were so strict at DQ since we've never encountered this from Disney before. And yes I can see that maybe the harness is one reason on Cyberspace Mountain which are similar to Mission Space but I don't recall the height restrictions on Mission Space? I do remember seeing small childen disembarking at the same time & being amazed that they weren't even fazed by it. And why the Buzz bumper cars? After all they are enclosed so the balls can't hit you & they seemed rather tame to me but we never rode it so maybe someone can enlighten me?

And yes I was very angry to see my DS so upset & to see those marks on his head. My DH did not have them & used the same head gear. So maybe DS has a sensitive head? I don't know but I think any mother hen seeing her little chick hurt when it is least expected would be a more than a bit upset & certainly NOT what I expect from Disney. I don't go around "blaming" Disney all the time but I do think that yes they ARE responsible for showing me a good time. We pay good money for it & they usually deliver with their state of the art entertainment. Again I said I was disappointed with DQ, but I didn't call it any nasty names nor did I say I would never set foot there again. However, if I think there is a problem, I will let ALL my friends here at the DIS board know about it so they can be aware & not make the same mistakes I did & be disappointed. I wasn't looking for another reason just to "bash" Disney here on the DIS boards.

 

[Hippychickali]

] I don't go around "blaming" Disney all the time but I do think that yes they ARE responsible for showing me a good time.

I think this comes from my comments and I'm sorry if that came across as me saying YOU go around blaming Disney all the time. I wasn't clear about that. I was just trying to explain that I hear this sort of thing a lot from all kinds of people not from you specifically. I don't even know you.

I am sorry that your child was hurt and it is never good to see a child (or anyone) in pain. And I am glad that you were able to have a good day after all.

I think it is safe to assume that Disney has its reasons for having heigh restrictions. I'm pretty sure they don't do it just to annoy people. There are several resources you can turn to for explanations about theme park safety. Sometimes the restrictions don't seem fair but really its just in the best interest of all involved.

Ali