How consistent are height checks?

[Rip]

I don't think your child is any more safe when they just hit the mark than they are if they are just beneath it. It comes down to the fact that there has to be a cut off point somewhere, and Disney has to stick to it exactly. There can be no almost tall enough, or you would have a bunch of parents saying "Well, if Jimmy can go on and he is a quarter on an inch too short, why Can't Sarah Jane go on when she is only a third of an inch too short?" The line has to be drawn somewhere, and they have to stick to it.

I don't blame Disney at all. I blame all the parents who think it is a cute idea to try to get around any other measurment devise. Can't use wrist bands, as people will take them off and put them on another child. Can't use hand stamps, as people will just rub their kid's hands together. Can't just measure once at the beginning of the line, as one parent will distract the CM doing the measuring and the other will run by with a child who is clearly too short. Seen that happen with my own eyes!

This. The reality is that Disney will get sued (and lose) even if the parent presented a notarized statement absolving them of all liability in the event that said parent wanted to take their child on a ride where they didn't meet the height recommendations (if they were only recommendations). It's CYA.

Personally, I have taken my kids on rides in where in other circumstances they would have been just under the height requirement. And if anything had happened, I'd have taken the blame.

 

[Pookasaurus]

My 4yo son has never been checked for height Not a single time last year (he was 41") when we rode everything he could. This year at home he was 44.75" so I was fully expecting him to be checked especially on EE and Space mountain - no one ever even batted an eye. I was actually hoping they'd check him as I wanted to confirm he would be safe on the rides (esp Space Mountain since I couldn't sit next to him lol) but nope! I even asked at one point to confirm, nah.. he's fine. I never saw any other children being measured either. I thought they'd be a little more strict/consistent personally. I wouldn't plan on them not checking because of our experience, I was just a little shocked that no one ever checked my son once.

 

[maxiesmom]

This exact same thing just happened to us last week at Star Tours. DS2 rode Star Wars multiple times and then we went back to ride it again our last day he didn't make it. We tried a couple different times and he never made it that day. He was so disappointed, but I think it bothered me more them him--it hurt me to see him so disappointed and not understand why he could ride it one day and not the next.

If you child is very close to being the correct height, it is best to go thinking that you may get turned away, no matter how many times you have already been on the same ride. If a child is thisclose, even a change in how they stand can make a difference. And as previous posters have pointed out, our spines compress during the day making us all a little shorter as time goes on.

 

[kgleine]

uhhh this was the most annoying thing, but i get it, but annoyed. it IS inconsistent. we didnt go on test track because they were just MEAN! our sons head bumped, and that is what they are looking for. the guy practically pushed my sons head down saying "nope, 1/2 in too short". apparently they are notoriously mean. another cm told us this.

he got on everything else, some things right away, some things with 10 ppl analyzing his height. hes 2, there were times we would have "just" been on the ride, like 2 minutes prior, and they would be all "i dont know if you clear..." we JUST rode it! i wish they would do the wrist band, and maybe a hand stamp or something that cant be passed...

 

[EdnaMode]

Ugh! DD2 is 4 years old and on the petite side, but is a huge ride junkie! With barnstormer now closed, she is looking for another roller coaster to go on. What doesnt help iss DD1 who is six is very tall for her age and wants to take her little sister on all the big kid rides! (eventhough we asked her to please stop getting her lil sisters hopes up!). we measured her and she just hits 40". She is dying to go on btm and splash, i am hoping to get her on just once! I understand that they have to have a cut off, but then it should be a totally consistent measuring process,it would break my heart to have her think she can be a big girl only to get shot down at the end because of a sloped floor. This trip will be iffy- but our trip next summer will be a breeze and she is going with all her cousins!

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I don't think your child is any more safe when they just hit the mark than they are if they are just beneath it. It comes down to the fact that there has to be a cut off point somewhere, and Disney has to stick to it exactly. There can be no almost tall enough, or you would have a bunch of parents saying "Well, if Jimmy can go on and he is a quarter on an inch too short, why Can't Sarah Jane go on when she is only a third of an inch too short?" The line has to be drawn somewhere, and they have to stick to it.

I don't blame Disney at all. I blame all the parents who think it is a cute idea to try to get around any other measurment devise. Can't use wrist bands, as people will take them off and put them on another child. Can't use hand stamps, as people will just rub their kid's hands together. Can't just measure once at the beginning of the line, as one parent will distract the CM doing the measuring and the other will run by with a child who is clearly too short. Seen that happen with my own eyes!

The poster was blaming the slope of the ground beneath the measurement stick making the measurements inconsistent (which IS something Disney could fix).

 

[cemeb4dk]

While I fully understand, support height restrictions, and think parents should do the same and not try and sneak around them. I will say a consistent measuring device is really needed. On our trip we had 2 occurences where our daughter passed the 48" mark in lines but failed just before getting on ride. One was at harry potter (glad she couldn't ride she would of been scared silly) the other was sum of all thrills. Both times she was excited to be able to ride then to be denied getting on, plus the time wasted in line. If she would of failed the first test it would not of been an issue with us. We never raised a stink more or less just said they should be consistent. It seemed the poles carried by staff she fit but the ones on walls she just failed. Just to be clear we were not trying to sneak her on or hide her height, she just happens to basically just be at 48" or so and just asked the cm to measure her to see. All staff was friendly, I will say I do like how universal does parent swap better.

 

[maxiesmom]

The poster was blaming the slope of the ground beneath the measurement stick making the measurements inconsistent (which IS something Disney could fix).

The poster I quoted did not mention the slope of the ground, that was another poster.

I guess Disney could fix the spot on that particular attraction to have on that is level. But it wouldn't take care of all of the complaints. The truth is, if you child is just at the right height sometims they may be turned away. There are so many things that can throw someone's height of a smidge that if a smidge makes the difference, it may end up that you are a smidge too short.

 

[ksimmons621]

The only thing consistent is the inconsistency. We've been turned away from several rides after having been allowed on them numerous times in the same day. The only place that I've found to be consistently strict about them is Soarin. I'm not sure why that is but we've been turned away there on multiple trips for different kids not being tall enough. From our experience boots or tall shoes work like a charm though.

 

[JimmyJackJunior]

IWhen we went to DL last year, DD was 40 inches... sometimes. Forty was the magic height for DL (it allows for BTM, SM, ToT, Soarin', swings) so it became an emotional roulette wheel for DD when she sometimes cleared the height and sometimes didn't. DH wanted to run and buy her some super tall shoes, but I didn't want to push it... just frustrating to explain to a three year old why she can or can't ride. I fully understood when CMs said no, and would never push it... I just felt guilty watching to see if there was a CM switch and trying again.
.

We found the same thing. My daughter easily cleared Space Mountain, barely squeezed in at Big Thunder and could not make Splash Mountain even though they were all supposedl 40 inches. I went to Town Hall to complain but they did not seem to care. My daughter was about an inch short at Splash Mountain, we went and got her cowboy boots, stuck some napkins in the heels and she made it on day 2.

 

[deegack]

We found the same thing. My daughter easily cleared Space Mountain, barely squeezed in at Big Thunder and could not make Splash Mountain even though they were all supposedl 40 inches. I went to Town Hall to complain but they did not seem to care. My daughter was about an inch short at Splash Mountain, we went and got her cowboy boots, stuck some napkins in the heels and she made it on day 2.

You do realize that the height restrictions are for the safety of your child right. Nice lesson you taught them.

 

[tjmw2727]

We found the same thing. My daughter easily cleared Space Mountain, barely squeezed in at Big Thunder and could not make Splash Mountain even though they were all supposedl 40 inches. I went to Town Hall to complain but they did not seem to care. My daughter was about an inch short at Splash Mountain, we went and got her cowboy boots, stuck some napkins in the heels and she made it on day 2.

FWIW Space Mountain has a 44" restriction while BTMR and Splash are 40". There is no way she would have been able to clear Space Mountain and not make Splash Mountain.

 

[mesaboy2]

FWIW Space Mountain has a 44" restriction while BTMR and Splash are 40". There is no way she would have been able to clear Space Mountain and not make Splash Mountain.

You beat me to it. That post doesn't make much sense, so I'll ignore it.

 

[luvmy2babies]

A local play area here does invisible stamps. The worker has a special light to look at it. I wonder if something like that would work since you can't actually see it to transfer it. I can't imagine a child passing one height check only to be denied at another or worse riding a ride and not passing to go on it again moments later.

I feel bad for all of you going through this. I guess I should feel fortunate my child is afraid of "big kid" rides for more than just the fact that my son can't ride them yet. 8 years old and 51" tall with no desire to ride anything but kiddie rides. Baby brother is 32". Hopefully she gets braver by the time he is big enough.

 

[raidermatt]

You do realize that the height restrictions are for the safety of your child right. Nice lesson you taught them.

I used to be with you on this. However, I was since told by the duty manager at Epcot that the only thing their procedures say is that if the child's head hits the stick they ride, if not, they don't. Shoes make no difference. He told me they could wear whatever shoes they want, all they look at is their head and the mark.

So if that's how they have written their procedures and the procedures are there for safety reasons, they must have accounted for taller shoes. Particularly when they sell kids' flip flops with 2 inch soles in their stores.

 

[LilyWDW]

A local play area here does invisible stamps. The worker has a special light to look at it. I wonder if something like that would work since you can't actually see it to transfer it. I can't imagine a child passing one height check only to be denied at another or worse riding a ride and not passing to go on it again moments later.

You can transfer those easily. You don't have to "see" it to transfer it. All you have to do is know where it was located. Easy enough. Trust me, they get transferred all the time.

 

[john1928]

FWIW Space Mountain has a 44" restriction while BTMR and Splash are 40". There is no way she would have been able to clear Space Mountain and not make Splash Mountain.

The poster quoted someone who was doing this at Disneyland not in the MK. Space Mountain is only a 40" hight requirement out there.

 

[momimouse27]

Just have to add to this discussion. We went to Disney with some family friends about 2 or 3 years ago. At the time their youngest was 3, I believe. She was intent on riding all the "thrill" rides. I guess I just assumed they would expect there to be height restrictions, but I was wrong. They hadn't even considered it, and that is a recipe for upset. Some of the rides they let her on(the ones they let her on she was only barely below the line) and others wouldn't even consider it. The mom was livid. I understand why Disney does this, so it didn't bother me, but she was pretty angry.

I agree about the human factor, some CM's are super strict and some will let a 1/10 of an inch slide and let you on.

Just make sure you are aware of her measurement before you leave home and prepare your daughter for the possibility she might not meet the height requirement.

 

[letsgoagainsoon]

If you child is very close to being the correct height, it is best to go thinking that you may get turned away, no matter how many times you have already been on the same ride. If a child is thisclose, even a change in how they stand can make a difference. And as previous posters have pointed out, our spines compress during the day making us all a little shorter as time goes on.

We did try it first thing in the morning. The first time he made it, it wasn't even in the morning though -- it was late afternoon. It really depends on the CM, some never measured him and one went to the extreme of making him breathe in and out for a couple minutes, pushed down on his hair, called for backup and everything (eventually that time he made it), but it was really crazy. They definitely need a better system. I don't see why wristbands wouldn't work if a CM is the one that puts them on and checks to make sure it can't be slipped off.

 

[LilyWDW]

We did try it first thing in the morning. The first time he made it, it wasn't even in the morning though -- it was late afternoon. It really depends on the CM, some never measured him and one went to the extreme of making him breathe in and out for a couple minutes, pushed down on his hair, called for backup and everything (eventually that time he made it), but it was really crazy. They definitely need a better system. I don't see why wristbands wouldn't work if a CM is the one that puts them on and checks to make sure it can't be slipped off.

The only way for it to be tight enough to not slip off is if it was too tight to be at all comfortable. I can get those things off without an issue and have been able to do since I was a kid. It would have to be seriously tight for it to be impossible.

Disney has decided that there was too much liability with that method and went back to measuring at all attractions.