Height requirement check

[Lori Jeanneret]

Hi all! My 3 yr old is officially right at 40 inches tall and was wondering how they check for rides with a height requirement. Is it at every single ride or is there a wristband or something available where we doesn't have to take the time to get checked at every ride? With only one day in each park just trying to save time where I can since she is very close to a lot of the minimum height requirements. Thanks!

 

[Wubar]

No wristbands. CMs will check as they see fit. Sometimes they check multiple times in the same ride (FoP comes to mind, it happened to my son a few weeks ago). It really doesn't take that much time away from your park time, a few minutes per ride at most.

 

[Robo]

The time it takes to measure is just seconds.

Disney previously tried the wristband system.
Too many guests slipped off the wristband of a kid who
passed and reattached the band to a shorter kid.
So, that ship has sailed.

However-
Kids at "near-height" are measured TWICE.
Once at the entrance to the queue (waiting line) and again just before boarding.

It is VERY possible that a "borderline height" child can be passed at the FIRST
check-point, spend in a long time waiting in a busy queue with the rest of the family,
and THEN be stopped and refused boarding by the second measurement.

This can be absolutely crushing to a child and her/his family.

Be very aware that if the child "just passes" at the first measurement
there might be some unpleasant news at the ride-boarding.

So, be forewarned to caution your child that it MIGHT happen.
Better to know that there might be a disappointment, than to be taken
by total surprise after happy anticipation.

 

[gap2368]

Also, tell your child if she wants to do the ride their head must touch the top of the bar that they use. I see way too many kids not want to have there heads touch.

 

[ChristineOH]

Remember to measure your child in the shoes they will be wearing at the park.

And at the park, remind them to stand up straight. Some rides have a bar that swings out that needs to touch their heads, and kids have a tendancy to duck. If the CM can fit a credit car in between the bar and the child's head, it's a no go.

 

[Gentry2004]

The time it takes to measure is just seconds.

Disney previously tried the wristband system.
Too many guests slipped off the wristband of a kid who
passed and reattached the band to a shorter kid.
So, that ship has sailed.

However-
Kids at "near-height" are measured TWICE.
Once at the entrance to the queue (waiting line) and again just before boarding.

It is VERY possible that a "borderline height" child can be passed at the FIRST
check-point, spend in a long time waiting in a busy queue with the rest of the family,
and THEN be stopped and refused boarding by the second measurement.

This can be absolutely crushing to a child and her/his family.

Be very aware that if the child "just passes" at the first measurement
there might be some unpleasant news at the ride-boarding.

So, be forewarned to caution your child that it MIGHT happen.
Better to know that there might be a disappointment, than to be taken
by total surprise after happy anticipation.

Gee thanks cheaters. Ugh.

 

[CrazyHare]

And know that you are taller at the beginning of the day. Then as the day goes on gravity can make you shorter. For most people, it’s not a big deal. But for a child that just makes it, it could make them less likely to make at the end of the day.

 

[bumbershoot]

It is VERY possible that a "borderline height" child can be passed at the FIRST
check-point, spend in a long time waiting in a busy queue with the rest of the family,
and THEN be stopped and refused boarding by the second measurement.

Yep. Happened to us when ds was 3
at star tours at Disneyland.

The wait in line and notnwanting to hit a bar caused him to slump down a bit while being measured the second time. The cm also put his hand on ds’s shoulder which made ds think he should slump from the weight of the hand. Dh felt everything moved too fast to do anything about it (I was not in line with them) and was unable to remedy the situation.

Ds was too bummed to try again that trip. And it was a huge bummer because he was bonafide tall enough, he just didn’t know what was going on and was confused.

So. Practice standing straight and tall. No slouching down. Parents, don’t allow a cm to put their hand on a shoulder! Kids want the top of the head to touch the bar. The cm at ST literally used a piece of paper, not even a credit card, to deny DS.

It ended up being a fabulous life lesson for DS, to not assume and always do your best (ok I’m reaching here, but it seriously served us all well as time went on). He would measure for rides for years, just to make sure, even once he was a foot taller than the req.

Hit the Must Do rides early in the day and make sure the child is well rested and hydrated. Those intervertebral discs squash down with the forces of gravity and rides as the day goes on, so you want them at their tallest.

And re-rides right in a row might not be possible with a child just at the mark, because the ride itself might have squished them down just enough (temporarily).

 

[WDWLODGE]

And know that you are taller at the beginning of the day. Then as the day goes on gravity can make you shorter. For most people, it’s not a big deal. But for a child that just makes it, it could make them less likely to make at the end of the day.

This happened to us years ago. Our DS was just at 40" with shoes. In the morning he was tall enough for Mission Space and when we went for 1 more ride on the way out that evening he was too short.

 

[Gentry2004]

This happened to us years ago. Our DS was just at 40" with shoes. In the morning he was tall enough for Mission Space and when we went for 1 more ride on the way out that evening he was too short.

Yep, us too. Plus lets face it. Some CM's just take a stricter interpretation than others.

 

[Dug720]

The time it takes to measure is just seconds.

Disney previously tried the wristband system.
Too many guests slipped off the wristband of a kid who
passed and reattached the band to a shorter kid.
So, that ship has sailed.

However-
Kids at "near-height" are measured TWICE.
Once at the entrance to the queue (waiting line) and again just before boarding.

It is VERY possible that a "borderline height" child can be passed at the FIRST
check-point, spend in a long time waiting in a busy queue with the rest of the family,
and THEN be stopped and refused boarding by the second measurement.

This can be absolutely crushing to a child and her/his family.

Be very aware that if the child "just passes" at the first measurement
there might be some unpleasant news at the ride-boarding.

So, be forewarned to caution your child that it MIGHT happen.
Better to know that there might be a disappointment, than to be taken
by total surprise after happy anticipation.

And the most annoying thing about the wrist band switcheroo is that those would have been first in line to sue if their little darling was injured on a ride they were too short for.

 

[SanderMC]

Remember to measure your child in the shoes they will be wearing at the park.

And at the park, remind them to stand up straight. Some rides have a bar that swings out that needs to touch their heads, and kids have a tendancy to duck. If the CM can fit a credit car in between the bar and the child's head, it's a no go.

Totally agree with this. If possible practice with your child. I have a 5 year old and I can't tell you how many times I told her that if she wants to ride the bar needs to hit her head and I thought she understood. I would even remind her every time we approached a ride I thought she would be measured at. However when we were in line for FOP and we got to the second point where she was measured she ducked (bent her knees) to fit under the bar. Luckily what she did was noticeable and the CM saw her bend her knees and let her ride.

Also ChristineOH is right on the money with the credit card part. On a trip a few months ago, once again with FOP, the CM literally tried to fit a piece of paper in between my daughter's head and the top of the bar (that's how close she was). It was probably the longest time we have ever spent with a height check. They are very serious about it.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Regarding rides with 2 check points....We had one trip where my son was right at the height limit for several attractions. He made it past the first check on Space, but was denied at the second. So prepare them for that possibility. And as others pointed out, teaching them how to stand properly for the measurement is super important.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

I would actually recommend that you measure without shoes. Or socks. Feet flat on the floor.

That way when you get to Disney, and you have added socks and shoes, you will be fine.