Disney World - Height Requirements & Strollers

[Ashleyangel7]

I apologize if these are repeat questions, I've tried to find old posts pertaining to this but this website loads so slow. Our trip is in a week and these 2 questions have been eating away at me...

My youngest is 4 and she is exactly 40" tall - are there any rides that have a higher measuring bar than 40"? Or will we have no problems with all the 40" rides?

Also, strollers ... I think we should take our Jeep Umbrella stroller with us on the plane and use it in the parks - we have a bike lock. My husband thinks we should rent a stroller in the parks just so our 8 year old can ride if need be along with our 4 yo. I've heard strollers are sometimes hard to come by or have a long wait in the line to get them and personally think our 8 yo can walk with rests in between. Any advice?

TIA!

 

[design_mom]

There are a number of attractions that have height restrictions that are greater than 40". If you google "WDW height restrictions" you can find a list.

For the 40" rides, the measuring bars seem pretty accurate, but I'm sure they vary slightly. And the CMs we met were pretty strict. If they could slide a piece of paper between the top of the child's head and their measuring bar, the child did not get to ride. I would not plan on your child getting to ride. If she makes the mark when she's there, then it'll be a happy surprise!

Hope you have a wonderful trip.

ETA: I don't have any advice on strollers. I've never rented theirs. But, my 7yo (who would ride if it was offered) did fine walking when we went... We only took a single stroller.

 

[tzolkin]

the only rides that i think your 40" child can't ride are:
MK: space mountain
EPCOT: mission space
AK: expedition everest
Studios: rockin rollercoaster

they all had 44 or 48" requirements. i'm not sure if there are any others.

i don't know about the stroller rental issues. we brought our own for our 2 & 4 year olds. our 9 year old walked with no complaints, but we were only in the parks for 3-4 hours at a time. (we went back to the hotel in the afternoon for a nap and didn't stay too late in the evening.)

 

[standleyent1]

If you go to disneyworld.com you can put in a search for height requirements and it will tell the rides your DD can ride. If you have any doubts she probably has some kind of shoes with a heel that will boost her up a bit, I used to use some sandals with a 1 1/2 inch heel when my DD was close so she could ride Rock-n-Roller Coaster, its her favorite but she was older than 4 I think she was 6.
Hope this helps!!
have Fun!!

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Here are all the rides I wouldn't plan on your child riding. Again, they are really strict. If she can get on the 40 inches ones, let it be a nice surprise.

Animal Kingdom Dinosaur 40"
Epcot Wonders of Life / Body Wars 40"
MGM Studios Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith 48"
Blizzard Beach Summit Plummet 48"
MGM Studios The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 40"
Animal Kingdom Primeval Whirl 48"
Blizzard Beach Downhill Double Dipper 48"
DisneyQuest Mighty Ducks Pinball Slam 48"
Epcot Body Wars 40"
Magic Kingdom Tomorrowland Indy Speedway 52"
MGM Studios Star Tours 40"
Typhoon Lagoon Bay Slide 52"
DisneyQuest Buzz Lightyear's AstroBlaster 51"
DisneyQuest Cyberspace Mountain 51"
Epcot Test Track 40"
Magic Kingdom Space Mountain 44"
Magic Kingdom Stitch's Great Escape 40"
Typhoon Lagoon Humunga Kowabunga 48"
Animal Kingdom Expedition Everest 44"
Epcot Soarin' 40""
Magic Kingdom Splash Mountain 40"
Magic Kingdom Big Thunder Mountain Railroad 40"


My only advice on strollers is: bring your own. Disney stroller costs are outrageous. Take breaks when your 8 yr old needs them. If you are bringing a stroller from home, bring the smallest, most compact one you own.

 

[Cheeseball]

We've rented strollers once and taken them once, and I prefer to take my own. Disney's handle nicely, but they are expensive, they don't recline and they are cushy at all. A Jeep umbrella stroller would be no problem lugging around, and I think it would be well worth the effort and your little one would be more comfy.

No advice on the height requirements though

 

[Ashleyangel7]

I have that height requirement list printed out and she ends up measuring 41" with her tennis shoes on. I've just heard rides like Soarin where the req is 40" their bar actually is set higher that 40".... why wouldn't the req be higher if they are going to deceitfully have it higher anyway?

Thanks all for the quick response! Going to take our own stroller this time

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

I have that height requirement list printed out and she ends up measuring 41" with her tennis shoes on. I've just heard rides like Soarin where the req is 40" their bar actually is set higher that 40".... why wouldn't the req be higher if they are going to deceitfully have it higher anyway?

Thanks all for the quick response! Going to take our own stroller this time

Some of them may be slightly higher. DD didn't measure as tall at Disney as she did at her Drs appt right before we went! This is why I say from experience- don't tell her what rides she can ride until you get there.

 

[Ellester]

On our last trip, my then 2yo ds was just at 40" (yes, we grow them very tall). There were several times that he made the height in the morning but had compressed enough by the afternoon to not make it! He made Soarin', no problem first thing in the AM but just missed Test Track that afternoon. Then, later in the trip, he made Test Track earlier in the day. For Dinosaur, the CM had him stand in a particular spot that must have been slightly higher and again he made it without a problem. He also made it for ToT (not our best decision in hindsight). He had no interest in Splash or Thunder Mountain so we didn't have him measured for them.

The strollers you can rent are on the pricey side ($15 a day single, $31 a day double) and are huge. As a pp mentioned, they are not cushioned and do not recline. If you do go that route, you can prepay for your entire visit at once and save a few bucks. Then you just show your receipt each day and get to bypass the majority of the line.

My dh is very anti-stroller. We actually didn't use on our our last trip, he carried ds2. We only rented a stroller one day when ds was not feeling well. My dd's were 8 and 5 at the time and walked the entire time. We just took breaks when they needed them.

 

[Schmeck]

The OP mentioned a bike lock - just to let you know, you cannot lock your stroller to anything at WDW. You can lock the front wheels together, but a CM must be able to move your stroller and line it up with all the other ones there.

 

[momtomatthew]

On our trip in Feb. DS measured 38 1/2" 3 weeks early at his 4 yr dr. visit. At WDW, he had NO problem making all the 40" height requirement. I don't know if he grew several inches before then (I doubt it), or if his shoes plus rulers on the short side helped.

I think if your DD measures 40" at home, you'll be fine at WDW.

 

[Ashleyangel7]

Thank you all! I can breath a sigh of relief now and pray that she will measure with flying colors or we get nice CMs

 

[hungrybunnies]

On our last trip, my then 2yo ds was just at 40" (yes, we grow them very tall). There were several times that he made the height in the morning but had compressed enough by the afternoon to not make it! He made Soarin', no problem first thing in the AM but just missed Test Track that afternoon. Then, later in the trip, he made Test Track earlier in the day. For Dinosaur, the CM had him stand in a particular spot that must have been slightly higher and again he made it without a problem. He also made it for ToT (not our best decision in hindsight). He had no interest in Splash or Thunder Mountain so we didn't have him measured for them.

We had the same problem with our ds last year. He was able to ride Splash Mountain in the morning and in the afternoon he was too short for Big Thunder Mountain. On another day, he rode Star Tours and a few hours later he wanted to ride again but he was too short.

 

[mmccan]

On our trip in January, it was hit or miss whether our 3 year old got to ride the 40" rides. For example on our first afternoon at MGM (or DHS) he was just a tad to short to ride star tours. This one killed him because they have the whole family wait in line and then do the switch at the ride so even though we told him he was too short to ride he still thought he was going to get to since he waited in line. A couple of days later he was tall enough for test track and soarin' but that was first thing in the morning. Another morning he was tall enough to ride Big Thunder Mtn twice in a row. He loved that. Splash Mtn was closed and we did not even attempt Tower of Terror. So my advice is to try to get to those rides first thing in the morning since we tend to shrink a little bit throughout the day due to gravity pulling down on us.

 

[kidneygirl]

The OP mentioned a bike lock - just to let you know, you cannot lock your stroller to anything at WDW. You can lock the front wheels together, but a CM must be able to move your stroller and line it up with all the other ones there.

Why do the CMs move the strollers? I've heard some people have things missing from their strollers (like a cup or a poncho) but later find it on another stroller. Just curious why they do this.

Should we make sure our stroller is clearly marked with our name on it?

 

[Schmeck]

Why do the CMs move the strollers? I've heard some people have things missing from their strollers (like a cup or a poncho) but later find it on another stroller. Just curious why they do this.

Should we make sure our stroller is clearly marked with our name on it?

The CMs move the strollers because people leave them everywhere and anywhere - blocking major pedestrian ways, etc. There are special, marked areas to leave strollers. CMs will also straighten out the rows so more strollers can fit in a small area.