Height Restrictions Accuracy

milan15

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Mar 13, 2009
Messages
106
We're heading to the parks this weekend with our daughter who is just so excited to try some rides she couldn't the last time we went. She measures at just over 40 inches bare foot and close to 40.5 with her tennis shoes on.

How accurate are the actual measuring sticks for the rides that require the person to be 40 inches? Are we going to get turned away despite her being the right height? Should I bring a tape measure just in case? Ha ha.
 
I would not expect her to clear most of the ride height markers with those measurements. (and it doesn't matter what your tape measure or the dr office says. The CMs manning the height markers have final say).

When my DD was close like yours when measured outside the parks she did not clear any of the markers in the park. Even in cowgirl boots.

I would set expectations that she will not be able to ride. Then if she can it's a nice surprise. Also know that being cleared on one ride doesn't mean she'll clear on another (even tho they're both a 40" requirement). some have even reported being cleared at the marker at the entrance to a ride (RSR famously) and the rechecked and not allowed when they got to the actual loading area.

There is another current thread right now with the same question (title is 40 inches). Might want to check that out for more info.

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My dd was just under 40" without shoes and just over 40" with shoes last time we went (almost 4 years old) and she didn't have a single problem on any 40" minimum height rides. I think they measured her twice for SOC once and that was it. I think the height sticks are pretty close to accurate.
 
My 6 year old is exactly 42" with shoes. Yes, she is small for her age. I was worried about GRR but they didn't even measure her. They did measure her for the zip line at the Redwood Camp and let her do it so that one was accurate.

She didn't want to ride Matterhorn so we didn't try that one. DH took ODD and said they were measuring there and he saw some kids that didn't make the height restriction being turned away.
 

How accurate are the actual measuring sticks for the rides that require the person to be 40 inches? Are we going to get turned away despite her being the right height? Should I bring a tape measure just in case? Ha ha.
It really doesn't matter how accurate the sticks are, they are what Disney requires. On my next trip, I plan on taking a measuring tape to see how close the sticks are.

If she does not meet the sticks, she won't be allowed to ride. It doesn't matter if you bring your tape measure. If she makes the stick, she will ride. And her head has to TOUCH, not just "look close". If they can slide a piece of paper there, she won't be able to ride.
 
We're heading to the parks this weekend with our daughter who is just so excited to try some rides she couldn't the last time we went. She measures at just over 40 inches bare foot and close to 40.5 with her tennis shoes on.

How accurate are the actual measuring sticks for the rides that require the person to be 40 inches? Are we going to get turned away despite her being the right height? Should I bring a tape measure just in case? Ha ha.

I never had a problem with my daughter. Last May she was barely over 40 in with shoes on and she made it on every 40 in ride that she was willing to try (Spalsh, Star Tours, Soarin etc.) without a problem. She loved being measured so even if they didnt ask she would run up to the measuring sticks and stand up tall with a big smile.

However others have had different results from what I have read up here. For me atleast the measuring sticks have been quite accurate but I guess it depends on the CMs.
 
My DD was measured every time when she was 4 and just barely 40 inches, but when she was 5 and 42 inches, I don't remember her being measured at all. I was really surprised when she was 4 and got onto Jumping Jelly Fish. They asked her to take her hat off and I could see daylight between her head and the stick - I was getting ready to tell her "don't worry, we'll go on something else" but after humming and hawing, CM gave her the go-ahead.

Has anyone ever asked for a second opinion in a situation where a CM doesn't let your child on and it looks like they are tall enough?
 
Even if they hit the stick, you still might not get on.

My 4yo dd is millimeters shy of 46" and we measured her for Indy, in flat shoes which added 1/4 inch. The CM said "Well, it should be harder for her to move underneath it." So there is also a friction test!

We weren't going to ride anyway but the CM did give us a nice card for next time that bypasses the line. I think they do it when a kid is just soooo incredibly close, but not quite tall enough.

IMG_8642.jpg
 
Bring thicker shoes just in case

I wonder if the CMs ever look at the shoes though?

What is odd to me with the measurement is it is based on standing - when most rides with height requirements are seated, the real measurement would be when they are sitting. Everyone is built different - you can put two kids that are the exact same height standing on a bench beside each other and one could be noticeably taller.

So for me, they are guessing at best and hoping the law of averages works.

From what I have read, I think the "don't get your hopes up" method would be my suggestion to the OP - kids keep growing, her time will come even if this one isn't it.
 
When my DD was exactly 40 inches in her bare feet, she had absolutely no issues getting on any of the Disney rides. She made it easily past the measuring sticks in shoes. Last summer she was exactly 46 inches in her bare feet, and had no problems getting on Indiana Jones multiple times.

I have heard that if you are close to ride as early in the day as possible, as you are tallest in the morning, because due to gravity your spine compresses somewhat during that day. That said, we rode some of the big rides in the evening and DD never had any issues.

I would measure her at home with more than one tape measure to be sure that your tape measure is not off, some of them are. Also be sure when you measure her that her feet are absolutely flat with the back of her heels touching the wall, kids love to cheat to be taller! DD is always trying to raise her feet up a little where we can't see she is doing it!
 
I agree Thicker shoes, my daughter was short for her age also and one trip I thought she was around 41 inches but failed to hit on Splash Mountain, but the other 40 inches she was fine with.
 
My 4yo dd is millimeters shy of 46" and we measured her for Indy, in flat shoes which added 1/4 inch. The CM said "Well, it should be harder for her to move underneath it." So there is also a friction test!

I wonder if that was the same CM who measured my righteously tall enough son for Star Tours and pushed down on his shoulder while remeasuring him, causing him to slouch down and not hit the stick. All I gotta say is...well it's not nice.

But at least you got the re-ride thing. Those are neat. :)

I wonder if the CMs ever look at the shoes though?

What is odd to me with the measurement is it is based on standing - when most rides with height requirements are seated, the real measurement would be when they are sitting. Everyone is built different - you can put two kids that are the exact same height standing on a bench beside each other and one could be noticeably taller.

They CAN look at shoe height.

It's odd to me, too! Yay for someone else thinking about that!

My stepmom and I are the same height from waist to top of the head. When standing, however, she's 5'11" and I'm 5'3". :faint:




OP, being that close, you are going to want to list one headliner for her each morning, and do that FIRST. Do not do anything else. Make sure she gets lots of rest and has lots and lots of water. Every day we shrink a bit due to gravity and losing water from the intervertebral discs. Rest (and not being upright) and hydration helps plump them back up. When you're that close, you want to make sure the child is getting those things. (reduces the tantrums, too) Go straight each morning to the one height-restricted thing she wants to ride, and hope for the best.

Make sure she stands straight and tall. Make sure she knows she WANTS to hit that stick. If she hits the stick with the top of her head, sure it's going to hurt, but it also means she'll be riding.

And if she slouches or shies away from the stick because she doesn't want to hurt and doesn't really get that she wants to touch that stick, well, ultimately she just might not have been ready for that big ride, and you can try again the next day (or next trip). That's the conclusion we came to after the above-mentioned Star Tours CM experience. If he wasn't ready to stand straight and tall, and was easily pushed down and didn't realize he wanted to hit the stick, he just wasn't ready for the ride. He didn't want to try it again on the same trip, though. He had been cleared by the first CM at the first height stick, and it was just too sad to have that happen at the second stick.

It was all good on the next trip.
 
I think they are pretty accurate, though I know plenty of people complain that they aren't. On our last trip, DD4 (then 3) was right on the edge of 40 inches with no shoes, but never had a problem getting on anything we tried, regardless of the time of day or shoes she was wearing. We were able to do Splash, Star Tours, TOT, RSR, Soarin', and I think a couple of others that I can't remember off the top of my head. We didn't try Space, as it was the Ghost Galaxy theme and I was worried it would be too scary.

I did have a CM comment on her shoe choice once, but it was more in a joking way. We had just been to see Jessie, and DD wanted to wear her Jessie boots. We hadn't taken them off yet, and went to go on Soarin'. The CM measured her, she cleared just fine (since she had an extra inch or so) and as we were walking in he said "Nice boots." I'm not sure if he thought we were wearing them just so she'd be tall enough or if he just thought they looked funny with her sun dress, but he let us on!
 
When my DD was exactly 40 inches in her bare feet, she had absolutely no issues getting on any of the Disney rides. She made it easily past the measuring sticks in shoes.
The measuring sticks don't change, so it really surprises me when one person says "My child was 42" and didn't make the 40" rides, yet another one says "My child was barely 40" and made it."

BTW- My granddaughter went to 2 doctors on Monday. At one she is 36.25" and at the other is 37.5". Both barefoot, within 2 hours of each other. (She is 2 years 3 mos.) She is a big kid, but she didn't grow an inch and a quarter in 2 hours!!
 
When my DS was ready for the 40" rides, he cleared everything other than Jumpin' Jellyfish. And honestly, it wasn't even close on that one...he clearly was not tall enough. I'm not saying that the measuring stick at that ride is higher than 40"...I'm just saying it's higher than the sticks at the other 40" rides.
 
When my DS was ready for the 40" rides, he cleared everything other than Jumpin' Jellyfish. And honestly, it wasn't even close on that one...he clearly was not tall enough. I'm not saying that the measuring stick at that ride is higher than 40"...I'm just saying it's higher than the sticks at the other 40" rides.

This was what I was going to say! That's the only one my DD had any trouble with.
 
So, today, my measuring tape and I visited the parks. I haven't made it to Jumping Jellyfish, as that was one I seriously wanted to check, so maybe will get it tonight or tomorrow AM. HOWEVER, what I did find was Mater's and Luigis measured exactly 32", RSR measured 40" at the measuring bar at the handicap loading area, Grizzly measured 42", TOT measured 40", Soaring was exactly 40", Space was 40", Star Tours was 40", and Matterhorn was 42". I didn't find even a 1/4 inch difference, using my Lufkin L506 6' measure.

The funny part, CMs didn't even blink as I was measuring. They even helped by holding the tape to the ground. A couple even commented they hear all the time how their doctor said their child was 40", when they clearly have another inch to go.
 
So, today, my measuring tape and I visited the parks. I haven't made it to Jumping Jellyfish, as that was one I seriously wanted to check, so maybe will get it tonight or tomorrow AM. HOWEVER, what I did find was Mater's and Luigis measured exactly 32", RSR measured 40" at the measuring bar at the handicap loading area, Grizzly measured 42", TOT measured 40", Soaring was exactly 40", Space was 40", Star Tours was 40", and Matterhorn was 42". I didn't find even a 1/4 inch difference, using my Lufkin L506 6' measure.

The funny part, CMs didn't even blink as I was measuring. They even helped by holding the tape to the ground. A couple even commented they hear all the time how their doctor said their child was 40", when they clearly have another inch to go.

This is awesome. Thanks for doing that! My kids were over 43" (according to my careful measurements) so they didn't have trouble with anything we tried. They did get measured most of the time though, and I had talked to them before about how they wanted to "bump their head on the sign." They were pro-bumpers! Our 2-year-old, however, was only 35.5 inches, so I was a bit worried about Gadget's Go-Coaster from these threads, but she was fine.
 
Didn't they used to have a system at the park where the kids were measured near the hub and a wrist band was put on based on their measurement?

I thought I remember seeing something like that a dozen years ago.
 

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