How strict are the height restrictions for California Soarin?

[Donalds_best_pal]

Encforcing height requirements is an extremely important part of our job. Safety at Disney is the number one key. I have had parents tell me their child is so close and I think well thats nice but being close is not the same as being tall enough. I would never push on a child though when measuring them so I have no idea why a cast member would be doing that. If you ever have a concern, don't hesitate to ask that cast member to get their lead. But always remember the cast member at the attraction always has the final say so regarding meeting all safety rules that are in place.

 

[Mugglemama]

Encforcing height requirements is an extremely important part of our job. Safety at Disney is the number one key. I have had parents tell me their child is so close and I think well thats nice but being close is not the same as being tall enough. I would never push on a child though when measuring them so I have no idea why a cast member would be doing that. If you ever have a concern, don't hesitate to ask that cast member to get their lead. But always remember the cast member at the attraction always has the final say so regarding meeting all safety rules that are in place.

i agree with you wholeheartedly - i would never try to get my children onto a ride that they didn't measure up for.

the man pushing on my daughter's shoulders was inappropriate, IMO. it scared her a bit, and if he has to push her head down so she's ducking under the measuring stick, it baffles me as to why he felt he still needed to "try" to make her not tall enough (which is what it seems like he was doing) by pushing down on her shoulders. this was an older gentleman (probably in his 60's) and he seemed a bit grumpy all the way around. by the time she told me what he was doing, he let us go, and there was a huge gap in line in front of us and people were getting grumpy for being held up behind us, so we just ran up the steps to catch up.

i don't know if that CM was just having a bad day, or what (maybe he had been reprimanded previously for unintentionally allowing children to pass when they were not tall enough?). after reading here that it has happened to other peoples' kids too though, if i ever notice it happening to any of my children again, i will definitely complain. in this case, it actually frightened my daughter, because to a tiny 7 year old, it felt like he was being rough with her.

as you are a CM, though, can you let us know how thick shoes can be before they are adding "unsafe" height to the child's own height? my kids typically wear crocs into the parks, but sometimes they just wear typical sneakers....skechers or vans, stuff like that. but i've always wondered how much "shoe heighth" the safety requirements take into consideration. half an inch? three-quarters of an inch? any idea? if you had that information it might help some parents who want to make sure their children are truly tall enough to be riding various rides.

 

[Disney Dreams]

...but i've always wondered how much "shoe heighth" the safety requirements take into consideration. half an inch? three-quarters of an inch? any idea? if you had that information it might help some parents who want to make sure their children are truly tall enough to be riding various rides.

The idea isn't "how high of a shoes can I teach my kid to walk in so they measure 40"? The idea is, dressed normally, does your kid meet the height requirement that is there to keep your child safe.

I just don't understand why any parent (not saying anyone here specifically) would put a child's joy of riding a 10 minute riding for the first time above their life's safety. Granted, I'm not a parent, but I just don't get it.

 

[MommiePrincess]

My daughter will be wearing her Strawberry Shortcake tennis shoes (do they still call them that?) from Walmart - the wedge measures almost one inch (maybe 7/8 of an inch). She has another pair of pink canvas tennis shoes which are Circo Brand from Target, they measure barely 7/8 of an inch. I feel both of these shoes are not pushing the limit (and DD is the one who is 39 and a hair inches tall) of "high heels". Her sandals will be in the stroller, they are about 1/2 an inch heel at best. She will not be wearing her sandals for height restricted rides. As a parent I am making the decision that an extra 1/4 inch of heel/sole wedge will not be obsessive or dangerous, otherwise they would measure the children bare foot.

 

[AliceinHalloweentown]

My daughter will be wearing her Strawberry Shortcake tennis shoes (do they still call them that?) from Walmart - the wedge measures almost one inch (maybe 7/8 of an inch). She has another pair of pink canvas tennis shoes which are Circo Brand from Target, they measure barely 7/8 of an inch. I feel both of these shoes are not pushing the limit (and DD is the one who is 39 and a hair inches tall) of "high heels". Her sandals will be in the stroller, they are about 1/2 an inch heel at best. She will not be wearing her sandals for height restricted rides. As a parent I am making the decision that an extra 1/4 inch of heel/sole wedge will not be obsessive or dangerous, otherwise they would measure the children bare foot.

If shoes are questionable, I have heard of times where they've requested the child be measured in bare feet.

All I know is the rules are there for safety.

 

[Mugglemama]

The idea isn't "how high of a shoes can I teach my kid to walk in so they measure 40"? The idea is, dressed normally, does your kid meet the height requirement that is there to keep your child safe.

I just don't understand why any parent (not saying anyone here specifically) would put a child's joy of riding a 10 minute riding for the first time above their life's safety. Granted, I'm not a parent, but I just don't get it.

yikes, did i unintentionally give the impression that i was asking how high of shoes would slip by without a CM saying something? that's completely the opposite of what i was trying to say, lol.

as i said, in many, many trips to disneyland, i've never once tried to get my kids onto a ride that i knew they weren't tall enough for (and that means, tall enough that the CM's ok them!).

no, what i was trying to find out, was, when IS a shoe sole so thick that it actually might jump the child's height up enough to cause a safety risk? i asked because i wouldn't want to do anything that might cause extra risk to my own children, and i figured there are others out there who would like to know, too, for the same reason.

like i said, my kids usually wear crocs or a common shoe brand like skechers or vans, so i figure those are okay since millions of kids wear them, and DLR must be very familiar with kids wearing them. but crocs seem to add more than half an inch to my kids' heights, so i just wondered if a CM knew if that would be "typical" and what the parks would expect, or if that amount of thickness, or even thicker (my son's old pair of vans added 3/4 of an inch) would be more than DLR would advise. i figure it's probably not, but was just curious. i'm sure they must account for shoe heighth when determining ride height requirements. and one would think (hope) that they actually account for relatively large discrepancies, just to be really safe. after all, i'm sure they don't want any more bad publicity, let alone injuries, on their hands.

anyway, all of my kids are more than tall enough for everything now except the youngest, who still needs to grow into Indy and California Screamin'.

 

[tiggspring]

Just so I am clear. My daughter was able to ride Soring after a shoe change. They were not "heels" she doesn't own a pair just flat bottom sandals that had a thicker sole. Her sneakers were completely flat. To be honest if she had just worn and extra thick pair of socks she would have made it. That's how strict they were.

Haven ridden the ride with three children, I'm not sure why the height was the big deal. The only time I could see someone getting hurt is if they fell out of the harness. They should check the child's waist to shoulder size to be certain that they cant wiggle out instead. But that would be harder so they fall back on the height where a child can have very long legs and a short torso where the harness actually holds them. Everyone's feet are off the ground its not like height matters.

 

[jennilouwho]

Is the height requirement 40 inches on this? The "official" guidebook says 42...

 

[Kayla's Mom]

Is the height requirement 40 inches on this? The "official" guidebook says 42...

It's 40" (the website reflects that as well).

 

[wrightut]

Yeah, it's 40" (we were just there in July) but you really need to prepare your daughter (and yourself) that she won't be able to ride. My son is well over 40" (he was in the 42" to 43" range in July) and they measured him every time. I don't know how accurate the sticks are, but honestly I was surprised how close he came to 40" mark, since when we measured him at home he seemed well over the height restriction for Soarin. I would really stress to your daughter that they'll meaure her and check to see if she's tall enough for the ride so that she's prepared.

 

[bumbershoot]

I would never push on a child though when measuring them so I have no idea why a cast member would be doing that.

I don't know either, but it happened with my son on Star Tours. Dude pushed his shoulder down, then slipped a piece of paper above his head. Hubby says DS was uncomfortable b/c he was being pushed down, but it all happened so fast (and hubby isn't the best in the world under pressure like that), and before he could protest they were sent away.

I think that CMs who do this feel that they are just trying to make sure a kid isn't up on their tiptoes without having to lean over to see, but it's a horrible way of doing it. As a parent with a kid who would have made it without the shoulder-push I dislike the method, and as a (retired) chiropractor I hate it even more!

as you are a CM, though, can you let us know how thick shoes can be before they are adding "unsafe" height to the child's own height?

I doubt the ride engineers let them know...but I'm also sure, without anything but my brain to back me up (LOL), that there IS a fudge-factor to deal with the normal variation of shoes.

Once DS was definitely over 42" and could ride Grizzly, because of the Star Tours experience the year before, he wanted to measure each and every time, so we got to see how he related to the measuring stick 10 times in two days. Different shoes, different days...it was really interesting! Just with normal shoes...Crocs vs a relatively flat-soled Nike sneaker can make a difference, and neither of those could create an accusation of trying to pad a kid's height.

I bet Heelies add the most height, but, of course, you're not supposed to wear the wheels in the shoes at the parks, and IMO they just look like Frankenstein shoes...but they sure do add height, it seems. Oh man do I dislike those shoes!

They should check the child's waist to shoulder size to be certain that they cant wiggle out instead. But that would be harder so they fall back on the height where a child can have very long legs and a short torso where the harness actually holds them. Everyone's feet are off the ground its not like height matters.

And that is for all of the rides, as far as I can remember! My son has a long torso, so he would have fit into harnesses etc well before his total height gave him the all clear. If he had a short torso, I would have worried about it.

Is the height requirement 40 inches on this? The "official" guidebook says 42...

Which official guidebook? That's odd.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

yikes, did i unintentionally give the impression that i was asking how high of shoes would slip by without a CM saying something? that's completely the opposite of what i was trying to say, lol.

as i said, in many, many trips to disneyland, i've never once tried to get my kids onto a ride that i knew they weren't tall enough for (and that means, tall enough that the CM's ok them!).

no, what i was trying to find out, was, when IS a shoe sole so thick that it actually might jump the child's height up enough to cause a safety risk? i asked because i wouldn't want to do anything that might cause extra risk to my own children, and i figured there are others out there who would like to know, too, for the same reason.

like i said, my kids usually wear crocs or a common shoe brand like skechers or vans, so i figure those are okay since millions of kids wear them, and DLR must be very familiar with kids wearing them. but crocs seem to add more than half an inch to my kids' heights, so i just wondered if a CM knew if that would be "typical" and what the parks would expect, or if that amount of thickness, or even thicker (my son's old pair of vans added 3/4 of an inch) would be more than DLR would advise. i figure it's probably not, but was just curious. i'm sure they must account for shoe heighth when determining ride height requirements. and one would think (hope) that they actually account for relatively large discrepancies, just to be really safe. after all, i'm sure they don't want any more bad publicity, let alone injuries, on their hands.

anyway, all of my kids are more than tall enough for everything now except the youngest, who still needs to grow into Indy and California Screamin'.

I understood what you meant. The height requirement MUST take into account for wearing shoes, so it would be interesting to hear what they considered "average shoe sole thickness". Obviously tennis shoes have thicker soles than DDs salt water sandals.

 

[MommiePrincess]

Someone mentioned that they have seem CM's force a final measurement without shoes when in question.....that seems wrong to me. In that case every child should be measured without shoes as it is not consistent to allow some the 1/2-1 inch of play shoes while some children are measured bare foot. I will report back after our trips on the rides DD did and didn't get into. She'll be hovering close to, at, or a-hair above the 40 inch mark in sneakers (with a 7/8 inch wedge) when at home she would be slightly over the 40 inch mark in them. As previously posted we are most interested in Soarin' and Splash (DH is intent on Splash).

 

[bumbershoot]

Someone mentioned that they have seem CM's force a final measurement without shoes when in question.....that seems wrong to me. In that case every child should be measured without shoes as it is not consistent to allow some the 1/2-1 inch of play shoes while some children are measured bare foot. I will report back after our trips on the rides DD did and didn't get into. She'll be hovering close to, at, or a-hair above the 40 inch mark in sneakers (with a 7/8 inch wedge) when at home she would be slightly over the 40 inch mark in them. As previously posted we are most interested in Soarin' and Splash (DH is intent on Splash).

The barefoot thing...I've read of people reading of it happening, but I don't even remember an actual incident of it happening for quite awhile.

However, I think if it were to happen, it would be in cases where a little girl was wearing *heels*. And trust me, some do. Big heeled cowboy boots, too, like the little mite of a thing that passed by the CM who was busy pushing down my son at Star Tours.

For the best chance of getting on the two rides, be sure to go in the morning, when everyone is at their tallest. Now...I wouldn't make Splash the first ride of your trip...no no. Even the line is dark and relatively scary to a little kid, and the inside of the mountain isn't sweetness and light (and is loud), then there's the downhill part... and if she doesn't like it, you'll have lost out on the whole day (trust me). Be sure to get yourselves seated in the very back...the very back allows for an adult and child to sit *next to each other*, and the other parent can sit in front. Much better for a first ride than the other seats, where the child is not right between the parent's legs, but rather there's a seatback between each person. As for Soarin', my son wouldn't even go in the building for ages! He didn't know what was in there and was NOT interested in finding out, LOL. NOw he loves it, but it took awhile.

 

[Mugglemama]

They should check the child's waist to shoulder size to be certain that they cant wiggle out instead. But that would be harder so they fall back on the height where a child can have very long legs and a short torso where the harness actually holds them. Everyone's feet are off the ground its not like height matters.

ETA: i just re-read and realized i misread your comment at first, lol. i thought you were talking about measuring waist circumfrence, rather than waist to shoulder height. oh, well....this was my response when i thought you were talking about measuring waist circumfrence....

i definitely think this idea would be much more helpful on rides like GRR than the current measurement procedure. my DD8 has been "tall enough" to ride GRR for a couple of years now, but that waist belt STILL does not tighten NEARLY enough to be any help if there were actually a problem. she'd slip right out of it. i actually hold onto her during the entire ride, even now. the last time she rode it she was just over 46" and about 42 lbs. i'd really love to see the belts on that ride tighten more to accommodate children.

but you're totally right, it would make much more sense for them to measure waist circumfrence for this ride as opposed to height. at least as far as so-called safety restraints are concerned.

she'll be tall enough for Ca Screamin' the next time we go, but i'm still not sure i'm going to let her on it. those bars don't come down far enough for me to feel like she'd actually be held in.

 

[bumbershoot]

Muggle, I wish the belts would be a bit tighter on DS too. Thankfully he holds on tight enough to the circle thing that I don't worry about him.

As for Screamin'...there was a really interesting discussion on micechat once about the physics of the loop, and how gravity etc actually would hold you in while on the loop even without a seatbelt, let alone the harness. Of course they have to have *something*, because stupid people would, I'm sure, try to stand up or some such nonsense if not held down, and, of course, you wouldn't want to deal with a ride breakdown near the loop without a harness. But the physics of it actually show that she'll be fine, even if the harness isn't squashed up against her.

 

[liesel]

Kids at that age grow quickly and will be tall enough to ride in no time. My DD3 went from being 38" in Sept 08 at WDW and unable to ride all the 40" rides to 41" in June 09 and able to ride at DLR. She was so excited that she had grown and was able to ride Soarin'. On the other hand, all her anticipation about riding Splash and she discovered that she really didn't like the drop. She was disappointed that she wasn't tall enough to ride GRR, but I know she will be next time and she has something to look forward to. Its not worth the stress of promising kids that they will be tall enough for certain rides and then stressing about shoes, CMs measuring techniques, etc. Just go and have fun. There are enjoyable rides out there without height restrictions. As the kids grow, the types of rides they enjoy will change too and there may even come a time when you can't get them near a Fantasyland dark ride to save your life!

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

DD4 is just at 42" and really hopes to ride GRR. But I have heard that the measuring sticks aren't that accurate and she could even be tall enough at the entrance, but not tall enough at the one before getting on the ride. We have to just be prepared for the worst, and practice "standing tall" in the mean time. Now just to figure out what to do to keep her tennis shoes dry on the ride. The rest of us will change into sandals or flip flops for this one....

 

[Mugglemama]

DD4 is just at 42" and really hopes to ride GRR. But I have heard that the measuring sticks aren't that accurate and she could even be tall enough at the entrance, but not tall enough at the one before getting on the ride. We have to just be prepared for the worst, and practice "standing tall" in the mean time. Now just to figure out what to do to keep her tennis shoes dry on the ride. The rest of us will change into sandals or flip flops for this one....

ick, squishy shoes! few things are worse at DLR, lol. i'd just pack a tiny pair of flip flops for her, too, and change her back into her tennies when the ride is over. either that, or have her wear crocs all day. that way you can just dry them off with a paper towel after the ride.

i wouldn't chance soggy shoes, though. she'll get blisters on her poor little piggies, and fast!

 

[Disney Dreams]

DD4 is just at 42" and really hopes to ride GRR. But I have heard that the measuring sticks aren't that accurate and she could even be tall enough at the entrance, but not tall enough at the one before getting on the ride. We have to just be prepared for the worst, and practice "standing tall" in the mean time. Now just to figure out what to do to keep her tennis shoes dry on the ride. The rest of us will change into sandals or flip flops for this one....

ick, squishy shoes! few things are worse at DLR, lol. i'd just pack a tiny pair of flip flops for her, too, and change her back into her tennies when the ride is over. either that, or have her wear crocs all day. that way you can just dry them off with a paper towel after the ride.

i wouldn't chance soggy shoes, though. she'll get blisters on her poor little piggies, and fast!

Mugglemama, I could be TOTALLY wrong on this (and if I am, please correct me 3Minnies1Mickey), but I think the reason 3Minnies1Mickey can't pack a pair of flip flops for DD4 is that she won't be tall enough in those shoes. I will save my opinion on this because I am sure I will offend someone and parents here seem to feel there is no harm in playing musical shoes to get a child taller. I truly just don't get it.

3Minnies1Mickey, if I am wrong in my understanding of why DD4 has to wear her tennis shoes on GRR, my apologies and I stand corrected.

- Dreams