Height Requirements and Kids...

[sconnell]

I've been wondering about height requirements and kids. When did you let/encourage your kids ride certain rides? As soon as they were tall enough or did you wait?
My DD as 4 on our last trip and was just tall enough for Test Track and LOVED it! She will be 6 and hopefully much taller on our next trip in 2008, DS will be turning 4 the next week. Which rides do you think are appropriate for the typical child that is at that height? Am I making sense? I'm wondering if you think Soarin' would be something a kid that is just over the height requirement would like... Ther is absolutely no way that I'd take them on ToT. lol. They just aren't that type.
Below is just a little thing that I worked up for me to see what my kids could ride at what height. (Feel free to correct me if need be.)

35”
Goofy's Barnstormer
38”
Kali River Rapids
40”
Dinosaur
Body Wars (Wonders of Life)
Soarin'
Test Track
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Splash Mountain
Stitch's Great Escape
Star Tours
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
44”
Expedition Everest
Mission: SPACE
Space Mountain
48”
Primeval Whirl
Rock N Roller Coaster
52”
Tomorrowland Speedway (to drive)

 

[gonemousin']

We let our girls go on whatever they desire. My DD6 is chomping at the bit to get on RnR, but she was two hairs shy in August...always a next time! My kids tend to be ride freaks and ToT ended up being my DD6's favorite ride...we've ridden it nine times in a row. She also loved Soarin'. So my vote is...if they're interested, try it out. If they shy away, don't push it. Thrill rides are a very personal thing...some love 'em, some could live without 'em. My youngest DD3 is counting down the inches for Splash Mountain...getting there!

 

[Elmo888]

We just went with DD6 in Jan., and she is over 48 inches. She really didn't want to ride most thrill rides. She wanted to ride Soarin', so she did and HATED it. She had seen Soarin' on the Vacation Planning DVD, so she had some idea what it was about. (I think that it is easy to underestimate how well Disney does things. I know in my head that it isn't real, but it doesn't seem the same for kids.) It kind of messed things up after that. She didn't want to ride anything in the dark. We had to talk her onto the Nemo ride at The Living Seas! We had Fastpasses for Test Track, but by the time we could ride it, it was dark and she wouldn't.

I would just go on what they want to ride. And lead up to the rides by starting with gentle rides. I know that I've read to not go to the Magic Kingdom first, but I wish that we had so we could lead her to the more intense rides. And it is a little easier with rides that they can see (unlike Soarin'). DD6 said that she wanted to ride Tower of Terror when we were on the bus on the way to MGM, but when she saw it, she said no way.

Just let them lead and try to prepare them for the more intense rides. I tried to describe rides to see if she wanted to ride. Dinosaur at AK is one that comes to mind. It is intense, but it isn't a "thrill ride" exactly. She didn't want to ride that either.

BTW, the same thing happened to my friend's DD6 when she road Everest. I've read about this happening and how to avoid it, but it happened anyway. I hadn't seen Soarin' before, so I wasn't aware how intense it was. (That and things seem completely different from a kid's perspective. Would you think that The Great Movie Ride at MGM is intense? I saw the signs on the way into the ride with warnings, but I didn't remember that it was intense or frightening. DD6 hated it. I felt like an idiot.)

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a good test for a roller coaster. DD6 LOVED it, but it is in the daylight and isn't too high on the thrill-o-meter.

I would skip Mission:Space. It is just too real. I rode it a few years ago, but we didn't take DD6 on it.

So, just because they can ride, it doesn't mean that they should!

 

[sconnell]

So, just because they can ride, it doesn't mean that they should!

I agree with this, but I'm having a hard time deciding. DD is one of those that needs a little coaxing to do things and then LOVES them and wants to do them over and over. She did Test Track like 6 times in 2 days. lol. This next trip I think we'll do at least:
Goofy's Barnstormer (Done Before, loved it)
Kali River Rapids
Soarin'
Test Track (Done over and over, lol)
Star Tours
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Maybe List:
Splash Mountain
Stitch's Great Escape
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror -Most likely NOT
Dinosaur -Most likely NOT

She will change a lot in the next almost 2 years, so we'll see. (Man I can't believe it'll be that long. )

 

[Elmo888]

I think that Wonders of Life might be closed permanently. Anyone?

And I keep hearing what a bad ride Stitch's is, so we skipped it in any case.

Star Tours is another one that I would be on the fence about. There are the thrill rides that take you fast, high, etc. (like roller coasters, Tower of Terror, Test Track, etc.) and you can explain what happens and then there are intense rides (Dinosaur, Mission: Space, Star Tours, Soarin', etc.) that make you feel like you are some place that you are not and are more difficult to explain to a child. Does that make sense? I would hesitate more with the intense rides.

 

[SummersMom]

I'm curious to see how my kids will do. DD is 4 and 42" so she can ride most of the biggies. She's never had any sort of opportunity to experience thrill rides (or even heights really) so I can't wait to see if she likes them or not. DS is almost 3 and 39 1/2" without shoes. He's my thrill-seeker and he's chomping at the bit to go on splash mountain and TOT. Hopefully with some shoes, he'll be big enough that he won't get left behind on the "baby swap" he insists he's a "big boy".

 

[traviesojmt]

My DD had just turned 3 how our last trip and was just 40 inches. She loved Test Track, Big Thunder Mt, Splash Mt, Kali River Rapids and Soarin. There were two that I would not let her ride, TOT and Dinosaur. She wants to ride them, but I think that they are too scary for her. We are going in Feb and she is still asking to ride Dinosaur. I don't think that she is ready. I'm not concerned about thrill rides, but that last thing that I want to bring home from Disney is nightmares about Dinosaurs jumping our at her. She may be tall enough for TOT and Dinosaur, but I do not think that she is mature enough to ride them.

 

[sconnell]

I think that Wonders of Life might be closed permanently. Anyone?

I think you are right. I took it off. It was an OLD list. lol.

 

[sconnell]

My DD had just turned 3 how our last trip and was just 40 inches. She loved Test Track, Big Thunder Mt, Splash Mt, Kali River Rapids and Soarin. There were two that I would not let her ride, TOT and Dinosaur. She wants to ride them, but I think that they are too scary for her. We are going in Feb and she is still asking to ride Dinosaur. I don't think that she is ready. I'm not concerned about thrill rides, but that last thing that I want to bring home from Disney is nightmares about Dinosaurs jumping our at her. She may be tall enough for TOT and Dinosaur, but I do not think that she is mature enough to ride them.

That sounds about like my DD. How did your DD do with the drop on Splash and Soarin?

 

[traviesojmt]

That sounds about like my DD. How did your DD do with the drop on Splash and Soarin?

On Splash Mt, we let her watch the drop a few times before we rode. We left the decision up to her. To be honest, I think that drop happens so quickly that she didn't have time to be scared. She did ride it again.

On Soarin, I think that it helps that you are sitting side by side and can hold hands. She sat in the middle and DH and I both held her hand. We were on the top level (first row) and it did not bother her.

Overall, she does not tend to scare easily. Sudden loud noises are what scares her the most. We tend to cover her ears through fireworks and Fantasmic. She keeps telling me that she wants to ride Dinosaur. When I tell her that the dinosaurs are kind of scary, she tells me that she isn't scared. She will just spit at them. LOL (For the record, she is not a spitter so I don't know where she got that). Mom is using her better judgement and will wait a while longer.

 

[sconnell]

On Splash Mt, we let her watch the drop a few times before we rode. We left the decision up to her. To be honest, I think that drop happens so quickly that she didn't have time to be scared. She did ride it again.

On Soarin, I think that it helps that you are sitting side by side and can hold hands. She sat in the middle and DH and I both held her hand. We were on the top level (first row) and it did not bother her.

Overall, she does not tend to scare easily. Sudden loud noises are what scares her the most. We tend to cover her ears through fireworks and Fantasmic. She keeps telling me that she wants to ride Dinosaur. When I tell her that the dinosaurs are kind of scary, she tells me that she isn't scared. She will just spit at them. LOL (For the record, she is not a spitter so I don't know where she got that). Mom is using her better judgement and will wait a while longer.

DD did fine going by herself on everything that she could at Blizzard Beach. Some stuff I know my MIL wouldn't do! But, she doesn't like ITTBAB. (She doesn't like "the spiders coming down, even though [she] knows they aren't real." I don't know what we'll do. I'll let her decide and not make a big deal out of it or she won't do it! lol.

 

[jessica52877]

My son is just 4 now and was crying his eyes out over the weekend not being tall enough for RnR. Now of course I knew this, but he is a "I like to get measured kid". I would not coax him onto anything, if he asks to go (and I feel it is safe) I let him, at 3 1/2 he was tall enough for splash mountain, tower of terror, star tours, test tract, soarin, etc and went on all of them, he really didn't ask what they were (could see splash) and I really didn't tell him. He has always loved the barnstormer so gave me an indication that he would love thrill rides! He also didn't really have a concept of what scared was at this age, this time around, less then 6 months later he had a better idea but still went.

There are some that I would not let him on when he reached the height requirement though, one being mission space (due to child death, which had nothing to do with the ride, but still scares me) and RnR until i know he is strong enough to hold his head well> it jerks you around so much>

 

[tmarquez]

My DD(4) is just recently tall enough for the over 40" rides. She's been measuring herself for months so she could go on Splash...I thought she'd be freaked out over the drop but she wasn't at all and wanted to ride again right away. Now this is a kid that is truely scared on Barnstormer...so who knows how they think!

I just decided that if she's tall enough and wants to go...she can. She will always have the option of chickening out at the last minute or not going again.

She wants to go on Dinosaur, and I honestly don't remember what it's like as it's been over 4 years since I've been on it. I guess I'll just prepare her for the worst and wait and see.