Height Requirements

[mrsmomo]

Is it just me or are the bars that measure height in Disney a little high than the height they state they are?

Im trying 2 make a game plan for my family and my ds is 39.5 inches. With his sneakers on hes just over 40.... will he make it on splash and btmr??

 

[Robo]

Im trying 2 make a game plan for my family and my ds is 39.5 inches. With his sneakers on hes just over 40.... will he make it on splash and btmr??

No way to know until the CM measures.
They take a measurement TWICE:
Once at the queue entrance, once at boarding.

So, if the child is borderline height, it is POSSIBLE that you will
wait through the queue and THEN get denied at the boarding area.

It happens, so be prepared.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Have him go on the 40" requirement rides early in the day. And work on teaching him to stand tall. Make sure he knows he wants to have the bar hit his head.

 

[slickpoetry]

No way to know until the CM measures.
They take a measurement TWICE:
Once at the queue entrance, once at boarding.

So, if the child is borderline height, it is POSSIBLE that you will
wait through the queue and THEN get denied at the boarding area.

It happens, so be prepared.

That's a completely ridiculous way to treat a little kid.

My son is also 39.5 inches tall. Our trip's not until October so hopefully he does some good growin' this summer.

 

[drstrangelove]

Is it just me or are the bars that measure height in Disney a little high than the height they state they are?

Im trying 2 make a game plan for my family and my ds is 39.5 inches. With his sneakers on hes just over 40.... will he make it on splash and btmr??

ver found them to be high. I have found them to be exactly right. We measured my son in shoes the day we left and he was about 39 1/4 inches. We bought the highest sneakers we could for him and he still was under 40 inches. On every ride that they measured him, he came exactly under the bar. However, once the gate agent did not stop him as a large group was walking past her. When we got to the front at Big thunder Mountain, he was measured again and did not pass. He really was under 40 inches, so I do not see how anyone could complain. I have seen them ask kids to take off their shoes too.

 

[Pamnkevin]

Is it just me or are the bars that measure height in Disney a little high than the height they state they are? Im trying 2 make a game plan for my family and my ds is 39.5 inches. With his sneakers on hes just over 40.... will he make it on splash and btmr??

When do you go? We are having the exact same issue. My 3 yr old daughter grew 2 inches since New Years and is 1 cm shy of 40 in with her shoes on. We will be there in 30 days so I had to change all of our FP reservations to include her. It would really stink if she loses out on them even if she grows but the cm denies her.

Will they give us an extra fast pass if that happens? We wouldn't be able to just reschedule if we scan and the 2nd cm that measures denies her

 

[maxiesmom]

That's a completely ridiculous way to treat a little kid.

My son is also 39.5 inches tall. Our trip's not until October so hopefully he does some good growin' this summer.

They are not treating the child in a bad manner. They have to be a certain height, and if they are not, they can't ride the ride. They measure twice because some parents will sneak by the first measuring point when that CM is occupied. I've seen that happen!

If you child is not tall enough they will not be allowed onto the ride. And if they do not measure tall enough they will not be able to enter the queue to start with. Also be careful with the choice of shoe. If they look like they are being worn to make a child taller, the CM will ask they be removed before the child is measured.

As far as making FP picks and taking a risk the child will grow, that is up to the parent. Maybe it would be better to pick other FPs that you know can be used and not assume the risk.

 

[MuddyTires]

Is it just me or are the bars that measure height in Disney a little high than the height they state they are?

Im trying 2 make a game plan for my family and my ds is 39.5 inches. With his sneakers on hes just over 40.... will he make it on splash and btmr??

On Touring Plans, there's a blog post where someone went and actually measured six height bars in the MK to see how precise they were, and they were all within 2 millimeters of the stated height.

 

[slickpoetry]

They are not treating the child in a bad manner. They have to be a certain height, and if they are not, they can't ride the ride. They measure twice because some parents will sneak by the first measuring point when that CM is occupied. I've seen that happen!

If you child is not tall enough they will not be allowed onto the ride. And if they do not measure tall enough they will not be able to enter the queue to start with. Also be careful with the choice of shoe. If they look like they are being worn to make a child taller, the CM will ask they be removed before the child is measured.

As far as making FP picks and taking a risk the child will grow, that is up to the parent. Maybe it would be better to pick other FPs that you know can be used and not assume the risk.

I understand the height requirements need to be enforced. They should just work harder, or come up with a better system, so that the measurement is done perfectly and done to all children before the long wait in line. That certainly must be possible.

Alternate idea: have a few official measuring stations throughout the park and then issue color-coded paper wristbands to children to signify they were "officially measured" for the day. I've been to parks that do this and it worked wonderfully.

 

[puffkin]

No way to know until the CM measures.
They take a measurement TWICE:
Once at the queue entrance, once at boarding.

So, if the child is borderline height, it is POSSIBLE that you will
wait through the queue and THEN get denied at the boarding area.

It happens, so be prepared.

My DS who was 5 at the time JUST made the height for RnR. He was so excited. We rode it with no issues and he LOVED it. It was freakishly unbusy in DHS that night for some reason and there was only a 10 minute wait so we got right back in line. The girl outside REFUSED to let him on. We literally walked right back in line, and his head was clearly brushing the bar but she just seemed to be on a power trip for some reason. I had taken a cell phone picture of our ride picture at the end and so I asked for a manager (normally I don't get that worked up about stuff like this but it was sooo ridiculous how she was treating us and he was bawling and couldn't understand why he couldn't ride again). Here the manager happened to be standing near the exit and she remembered us just getting off and she waved us through and told us if the guy at the boarding area gave us a problem to have him call her. We probably rode the ride 10 time times that week and never had a single problem except that one time.

 

[Robo]

Alternate idea: have a few official measuring stations throughout the park and then issue color-coded paper wristbands to children to signify they were "officially measured" for the day. I've been to parks that do this and it worked wonderfully.

Disney experimented with this system.

Parents slid the bands off of a taller sibling and put them on the short kid.

Unscrupulous parents are the problem.

 

[TinkerElsasMom]

Alternate idea: have a few official measuring stations throughout the park and then issue color-coded paper wristbands to children to signify they were "officially measured" for the day. I've been to parks that do this and it worked wonderfully.

Great idea!! Additional height statins could be at the resorts too. This would solve a to n of problems.

 

[Robo]

Great idea!! Additional height statins could be at the resorts too. This would solve a to n of problems.

Read my post #11.

 

[cadd10]

I understand the height requirements need to be enforced. They should just work harder, or come up with a better system, so that the measurement is done perfectly and done to all children before the long wait in line. That certainly must be possible.

Alternate idea: have a few official measuring stations throughout the park and then issue color-coded paper wristbands to children to signify they were "officially measured" for the day. I've been to parks that do this and it worked wonderfully.

I believe Disney did this where the child gets measured at a station and gets a band, but parents were switching the bands with the older siblings band.

We went when DD was 2 and she was a hair away from Barnstormer. They would not let her on. And we tried everyday, just in case something changed.

 

[Robo]

This height-measurement discussion comes up multiple times a year (sometimes more than once a month.)

Same outcome, of course.

It's Disney.

 

[dc1969]

I'm worried about this too. My 4yr old is measuring 41" in bare feet, but those bars they have in parks are just so inaccurate!

 

[mrsmomo]

This is why im asking lol! We went in September I knew he wasn't tall enough then but measured him @ the height bar anyway just to be sure....

He was a little over 38 then w/o shoes on now hes a little over 39 w/o and about an inch taller with were going in 7 wks so im not expecting any growth before then lol but who knows.

I did notice in September that some cast members really wanted him to hit that bar and the put his feet together and helped him stand up straight but some really didn't!

 

[TinkerElsasMom]

I think the best way to avoid problems is know how tall your child is. If you know they are under the height requirement then don't take them on the ride. Disney isn't trying to discriminate against short kids, a lot of the rides have the requirement for safety reasons. I know you don't want your child to miss out, I get it completely, but if it isn't safe for them to ride, why would you want them to?

 

[mrsmomo]

Maybe I will bring my tape measure lol j/k

 

[3Gsandme]

I'm worried about this too. My 4yr old is measuring 41" in bare feet, but those bars they have in parks are just so inaccurate!

That's not true...

http://blog.touringplans.com/2011/0...-of-height-requirements-at-walt-disney-world/

2mm accuracy is less than 1/16th of an inch. That doesn't sound inaccurate...