Disneyland's height requirements are ridiculous!!

[kayleigh83]

I went on it when I was 9 (it just came out and lines were the worst!) and when the ride started the big gold snake went towards my mom and I was so scared I closed my eyes THE REST OF THE TIME. I only blinked them open when the walls were shooting darts at us. With the amount of time we spent waiting, you would have thought I would have wanted to see it more

As an adult I love the ride, but it can be very scary to some kids.

Hahah oh wow this sounds EXACTLY like my experience on Space Mountain when I was 11! My head hit the headrest when the ride vehicles started moving and I shut my eyes because it hurt and startled me. Swap out the shooting darts for a quick glimpse of Saturn and the rest of my experience was the same! I can't wait for a redo when I go this summer! LOL

 

[Malcon10t]

I believe the OP was expressing frustration that what appears to her to be incredibly similar rides have different height requirements, suggesting that either one is "lax" or one is overly strict in its requirement.

I think some are also taking the title into consideration.

 

[perlster]

The "state laws" line is often repeated, with no evidence to back it up. I could quote from the 2 paragraphs in the Knott's Berry Farm map & guide that relate to ride safety, but since the words "California", "state", "regulation", or "law" never appear, noting their absence should be adequate.

 

[Malcon10t]

Actually, rides are regulated by Cal_OSHA in California. Each ride will have a notice posted that you can go to Guest Services to see the Cal-Osha approval. Cal-OSHA, with the manufacturer, set the height requirements, frequency of inspections, requirements as far as how a ride e-stops, etc... Even down to how many times an empty vehicle must run through the ride before having guests ride.

 

[tinkermomma]

PPs stating differences in state law are correct. here is the link to the pdf of the official safety report put out by Disney.

From Pages 18 and 19:

State Regulation: Ride Safety Standards and Accident Reporting

Both of the states in which we operate-Florida and California-have regulations governing ride safety and accident reporting.We fully cooperate and comply with state inspection and reporting programs, and we work with regulators and other theme parks to make these inspection and reporting programs more effective. In the event of an incident or accident in our parks, we comply with state reporting requirements and immediately conduct our own investigation. Benefiting from experience,we commonly use the results of these investigations to help anticipate and prevent recurrences.

Florida

Since 1989, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has regulated both temporary rides, such as those found in fairs and carnivals, and permanent rides, such as those found in large theme parks like Walt Disney World®. Regulations are based on ASTM F24 standards for amusement rides and devices.The regulations require temporary rides to be inspected by state inspectors each time they are set up or moved to a new location. Large theme parks like Walt Disney World®, that employ at least 1,000 full-time employees and that maintain full-time in-house safety inspectors, comply with state requirements for permanent rides by utilizing state-approved inspectors or professional engineers who submit annual affidavits of compliance to the state. In 2002, Florida's major amusement companies and the Florida Department of Agriculture entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that requires quarterly reporting of any serious ride-related injuries and immediate reporting of fatalities.The MOU also provides for biannual site visits, consultations and reviews of the safety programs at Florida's permanent amusement facilities.

California

California's Permanent Amusement Ride Safety Law has three primary components: Regulatory oversight by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, inspection of all registered amusement rides, both annually and as-required by the state, and mandatory reporting by all permanent amusement parks of accidents involving serious injuries on rides. Since the implementation of the Permanent Amusement Ride Safety Law, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health has conducted hundreds of inspections of the Disneyland® Resort’s 63 registered attractions.The Disneyland® Resort maintains a current license from the state to operate each attraction.

 

[perlster]

but let's take the case of Alice in Wonderland. OSHA had been pushing Disney for years to do something about the outdoor track section, because workers walking along had no protection against falling. Again, OSHA pushed, Disney stalled, OSHA pushed some more, Disney hemmed, OSHA got huffy, Disney hawed, OSHA was going to bring legal action, and then Disney lawyers said "Put in the darn fence!"

That long quote above only shows what many believe is false - "state inspection and reporting programs" are relevant only after a ride has been designed and safety measures and requirements have been determined.

Think about it for a minute ... the idea that some bureaucrat in a state agency can calculate safe ride height requirements is nonsenical. There have been many rides in California parks that were the first of their kind. You can go back to 1976 when MM opened [Great American] Revolution (which was truly revolutionary, as the first coaster with a vertical loop). No one in Sacramento could possibly determine what kind of restraints were needed, or what height and weight restrictions should be for a type of coaster that hadn't existed anywhere on the planet.

Some of this is keruffle is due to confusing filing requirements with engineering decisions. The determinations are engineering decisions. The fact that a particular state requires documentation detailing the procedures that went into designing and implementing ride safety systems does not mean that any government official has any role in ride design or making rider rules.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I think there is a difference when you have an attraction that is grandfathered in, as opposed to a new attraction being built, or even one being refurbished. If regulations specify that an attraction has to meet certain requirements then Disney cannot ignore them when they are putting a major effort in putting in something new or upgrading.

However, when you have an attraction that has been set a certain way before these regulations have been put into effect, then I can understand that it would take longer to finally comply with these regulations.

 

[tinkermomma]

Perlster: I'm not sure what the "nice try" was for? I was only trying to help by including information Disney has posted themselves for clarity since the discussion was becoming largly anecdotal. I was not trying to make value judgements. Only provide information.

But since you brought it up, I agree with you that bureaucrats do not build rides. I thought the discussion was about whether or not they ultimately have say in height requirements and safety? Which it would appear they do have some say in, regardless of of whether it is after the fact or not.

I am the last person to side with beuracratic overstepping, but to think agencies have no weight at all is niave. Disney is one of the largest corporations in the world so they are going to get more wiggle room than most but they are not wholly immune to all government intervention. No one is.

All of that said, I quite agree with PP that safety is of the highest importance with regards to children. I think height requirements that err on the side of caution are the best way to go.

 

[Mugglemama]

but let's take the case of Alice in Wonderland.

That long quote above only shows what many believe is false - [B]"state inspection and reporting programs" are relevant only after a ride has been designed and safety measures and requirements have been determined.[/B]

Actually...this particular statement cannot be true in reference to Alice OR Matterhorn. Why? Because OSHA didn't even exist until 1971. Alice opened in 1958 and Matterhorn in 1959.

 

[johde]

To me, the interesting thing in all of this is Dinosaur (then called Countdown To Extinction) originally opened with a 46" height requirement same as Indy. The ride was refurbished and renamed to tie in with the Disney movie Dinosaur. Rumors on Disboards at the time felt that the ride was tamed down in order to drop the height requrement down to 40". As far as why Indy didn't get the same treatment is anyones guess.

 

[DizMe]

Perlster, are you saying that the safety regulations for the new rides are determined by the engineers/designers, and that the state has no part in that until after the ride has been put into action? Or does the state review the safety recommendations of the design and then make the final determination before the ride is operational? It makes sense that the engineers would be in the best position to determine ride safety measures. I don't have any idea and have never thought about how that works!

But the reason why it may be less nonsensical than it sounds to have the state "bureaucrats" review safety rules is so that there is a consistent base. It would be difficult if each type of business--theme park or what have you--decided its own rules. That would raise a number of other issues including insurance and litigation.

Just because it is a state bureaucracy does not automatically mean that they have no knowledge or experience in the matter or that they would not consult with experts. I'm not a big proponent of state bureaucracy either, but I do think that you would be foolish to leave safety entirely in the hands of the owners/builders. The fact that Disney did finally put something in place in Alice seems to show that (a) while they may not have agreed with the state, they did eventually follow in order to avoid a lawsuit and (b) the state can obviously put pressure on to maintain safety standards.

 

[TwingleMum]

We always use the height requirements as a carrot for future trips. They get very excited talking about what rides they can ride this trip that they couldn't ride before. My one son will be old enough to do Indy this trip and he is super excited. I also never push my kids to go on rides. When their ready they'll do it. But if they need a little gentle nudging I'll help them. But I always tell them I won't be upset if they bail out at the last minute. And that the ride will be there and we'll be back.

 

[miss.potatohead]

I guess I will never understand how someone can get upset at the height requirements when they are there to keep you (and your children) safe. I'd rather they be more cautious and ensure safety then be lax and have someone get hurt.

when my siblings and I were younger, there was always one of us who was too 'short' for one ride at the theme parks in Aust. It brought many tears and the walk of shame out of the line when someone measured too short but hey, it is there for a reason! If they are too short, then there is a danger of them falling out or something else. Pretty sure Disney would prefer to have a few upset kids and a few more (equally?) annoyed parents than have a multi-million dollar lawsuit on their hands. Life is full of disappointments, but you learn that there will most likely always be a next time whether that be in a month or ten years. And there are plenty of other rides that you don't need to be tall for! PLENTY! If kids can't learn resilience now, then what hope is there for the future.

 

[smiley_face2]

The Dinosaur ride at WDW's Animal Kingdom is the exact same ride as Disneyland's Indiana Jones ride (same track etc...)just different theme. Yet, my 6 year old is tall enough to ride the Dinosaur ride but not Indiana Jones! WHY?? It's the same exact ride!! Why does Disneyland have stricter height restrictions? Disney should have the same height rules in all of their parks equally. And now they have raised the Matterhorn height requirement? There is no rhyme or reason!

without reading the entire thread first, I want to say I completely agree with you!!! I have watched a ride through of the new Radiator Springs Racers and there is no logical explanation to have the height requirement any higher than 35" We have been looking at rides at Knotts Berry Farm and it looks like there are more rides that smaller children can ride when accompanied by an adult there than at DL. I am talking about rides like the water log ride. Now I will read the thread through and see what others think

 

[MAH4546]

There are no state laws for height requirements. Theme parks self regulate height requirements.

Indiana Jones vehicles are programmed to be much jerker and go higher speeds. Dinosaur used to be like that, before it was toned down and, if I am not mistaken, had its height requirement lowered.