How Strict Are They ON Height Requirements?

[WDSearcher]

1) Your child may measure 40" at one ride with this height requirement but not the next?!?!? How does that work? If you are tall enough for one ride with the 40" min then they should be allowed all rides at 40". I agree that the height restrictions are in place for safety and only safety reasons and I would never go against the rules, but again my problem would be if my DS (who is 40" now barefoot) was allowed on Soarin but we went to test track and waited in line knowing he just measured 40" just less than 15 minutes ago at another ride and then get turned away after a wait in the next ride? ? I still dont' understand how it can differ from ride to ride. I can't avoid all 40" rides on the basis of which rulers etc the use?

Sometimes it's the kids. If a kid stands up straight and tall at one ride, but is tired and slumps a bit at another, he ends up being 40" on one and 39.5" at another. That's not the CM's fault, and a lot of parents don't remind their kids to stand up straight. They just think, "well ... he passed the 40" mark earlier this morning, so we're good to go." Kids have also been known to change shoes during the day. The 1/2-inch boost he got from his sneakers may go away if he's now in flip-flops because his sneakers got wet on Kali. So again ... a 1/2-inch difference that's not the fault of the person who measures. But the parents (or kid) probably aren't going to remember that DS changed shoes an hour ago. A lot of times it's just simple stuff like that. But it happens.

3) Bracelets can be done and should be done. It seems that it would keep the flow of the parks/rides going a wee bit smoother. I am sure not everyone was cutting and re-taping when switching. I feel that the CM at each line can use their own opinnion by eye and ask for a re-measure. Not everyone will attempt to cheat the system and I can only imagine how many really did in comparison to how many people visit the parks(daily/monthly/yearly).

It doesn't matter that "everyone" was not cutting and re-taping and then switching. Like everything else, one small group of people trying to get around the system ruins it for everyone else who follows the rules. And if you're Disney, you would rather have a thousand parents mad at you because your measuring sticks are inconsistent than one parent mad at you because their child was badly injured on a ride. (Because, oddly enough, even if the parent broke the rules to get their child on a ride they were too short for, that parent is still going to sue Disney for any injuries. And, technically, Disney would be liable, since they let the kid on the ride.) A bunch of frustrated parents are better than one permanently disabled child. And ... bottom line ... it's Disney's park. Their house, their rules. If they choose to not go the bracelet route because of the possibility of cheating, that's their choice to make.

 

[marsrunner]

There are degrees of disappointment to be sure, but I can tell you I wouldn't have done what the lady I saw on our visit a couple of weeks ago did.

We were in the smoking section just behind Primeval Whirl and Dinosaur taking a break. This woman comes out of the little gift shop there and walks over to sit in the smoking section with her daughter, who looked about six or so. (That's a whole nother thread...I smoke and my wife smokes, but we don't sit our kids in the smoking section. Our 14 year-old sits in our line of sight well away from the smoking section with our five year old and they wait for us. If that's not feasible we take turns smoking while the other sits with the kids...but that's OT...too late!) The child is having a tantrum screaming "I CAN'T DO ANYTHING! I HATE THIS PLACE! I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE ANYMORE! THEY WON'T LET ME RIDE ANY OF THEIR STUPID RIDES!" There was a lot more, and yes that's a direct quote. The mother's reaction (after about five minutes of attempted verbal placating)? "Oh, I'm sorry honey, let's go buy that bracelet you wanted." Uh, what? Yes, let's reward bad behavior so you don't have to actually deal with the situation.

When my daughter couldn't ride (only two rides...RnRC and Primeval Whirl) she was disappointed, and sad, and got a little teary eyed. All perfectly okay reactions to disappointment. We explained the reasoning and that she would get to ride it next time. One of the adults then went and got ice cream with her or some other snack or let her ride a nearby ride again. At RnRC it was her favorite...Tower of Terror!

If she'd acted like the child we saw, we would have told her she would be taken back to the hotel while her brother and my wife (or me) stayed in the park if she didn't straighten up. If that didn't cause her to cease her behavior, someone would take her back to the room.

 

[summermac]

I just measured my son and he's 40 inches w/out shoes. We just did a pretend measurement and he thought it was hilarious. I had to remind him multiple times to look straight up b/c he kept looking down. Oh the things we do for Disney.

4 months to grow - 4 months to grow! I'm totally using it to my advantage to get him to eat more veggies too. bwhahaha!!!

 

[purplepaint]

So when she gets hurt because she did not meet the safety standards I am sure you will be OK with that. How about not teaching your daughter to be a liar, how to cheat the system and disciplining her if she is going to act like a spoiled brat?

 

[Dizzy4Disney90210]

Why would a little girl even know these rides exist? just don't mention them to her and she won't know what's she missing.

 

[stinkerbelle7531]

So when she gets hurt because she did not meet the safety standards I am sure you will be OK with that. How about not teaching your daughter to be a liar, how to cheat the system and disciplining her if she is going to act like a spoiled brat?

Remember when that boy lost part of his foot on Thunder mountain? He was too small for the ride.

 

[pixiefairy]

One thing people have to realize as well is even if the child makes the height requirement....they may not be ready for the ride. My 13, 7 and 4 yo's went on ToT with me. My dd who was 4 at the time was the only one who wasn't scared. She was giggling and laughing in line and then on the ride itself...was perfectly silent, amazed at her legs getting weightless and when we were done...wanted to go again. My 13 y.o. who is over 5'5" tried to chicken, my 7 year old was fine until the elevator got dark. Two kids loved it, the 7 year old said "NEVER again". But he tried it. End of my OT diversion, lol.

My dd was tall enough for everything but RnRC and Primeval Whirl this past trip. She wasn't horribly upset over not getting on either of them, and we went and found something else to do while others rode. She did get to go on KRR...they measured her at the beginning, and gave her a bracelet, then measured her again closer to the ride loading area. She was SO thrilled that she made the cut off! I would not want to try and put a child on a ride that was too short...it's just too scary what can happen. The rules are there for a reason...to keep our kids safe.

 

[bumbershoot]

The child is having a tantrum screaming "I CAN'T DO ANYTHING! I HATE THIS PLACE! I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE ANYMORE! THEY WON'T LET ME RIDE ANY OF THEIR STUPID RIDES!" There was a lot more, and yes that's a direct quote. The mother's reaction (after about five minutes of attempted verbal placating)? "Oh, I'm sorry honey, let's go buy that bracelet you wanted." Uh, what? Yes, let's reward bad behavior so you don't have to actually deal with the situation.

When my daughter couldn't ride (only two rides...RnRC and Primeval Whirl) she was disappointed, and sad, and got a little teary eyed. All perfectly okay reactions to disappointment. We explained the reasoning and that she would get to ride it next time. One of the adults then went and got ice cream with her or some other snack or let her ride a nearby ride again. At RnRC it was her favorite...Tower of Terror!

If she'd acted like the child we saw, we would have told her she would be taken back to the hotel while her brother and my wife (or me) stayed in the park if she didn't straighten up. If that didn't cause her to cease her behavior, someone would take her back to the room.

I dunno...to me, that's the exact same behaviour from the parents. Just your kids weren't acting upset and the other was. And you feel that verbal tantrums are something worth punishing, and perhaps the other person doesn't. I certainly don't think a verbal tantrum is worth punishing. Then again, my guy has reactions to certain ingredients, and until we figured that out we had physically violent tantrums...I'll take a verbal one ANY day, and I'm NOT going to punish for it.

Your kids got ice cream, that kid got a bracelet they had obviously already talked about. I see pretty much no difference.




DS had the experience of having a piece of paper slipped above his head at Star Tours at Disneyland, at the *second* measurement. It wasn't even because he was too short, it was just b/c he was ducking as the CM obviously wanted to slip that paper there. He was compliant, and hubby didn't think to tell him to stand straight and tall. It was disappointing, but he did get a nice little *what turned out to be absoutely a Front of Line pass* for the next time, AND he learned that he can never *expect* to get on.

He also will eat astonishing amounts of vegetables to 'get big for' whatever ride is next. Right now it's Indy at DL, though I've told him it'll likely take at least a year to get there. At least. When he was just a hair too short for Grizzly River Run at DCA, he was quite upset, and asked to be measured each time we went by. We let him get measured twice, and since it was different CMs he got *two* "come back when you're tall enough" cards. He's since been there, but the lines were so short he didn't need it (and he went on 10 times in two days, LOL), so we're keeping both for scrapbooking purposes.

That piece of paper experience was very valuable for him, and us!

 

[marsrunner]

Your kids got ice cream, that kid got a bracelet they had obviously already talked about. I see pretty much no difference.

Wow. You don't see a difference between a kid screaming at the top of their lungs for in excess of five minutes and a kid getting the sniffles for a few minutes and saying in a normal speaking voice that she's disappointed? Guess that says a lot about why kids act the way they do these days.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Wow. This thread seems to have dissolved into a "what's wrong with kids these days" exhortation. The OP asked if they were strict about height requirements. Many posters have assured him/her that the CMs are quite strict and that we should all prepare our children to be turned away, to not *expect* to ride, no matter what the measuring stick at home says. After all, I think that at the end of the day, we all want to leave the WDW gates with our families intact.

 

[summermac]

Why would a little girl even know these rides exist? just don't mention them to her and she won't know what's she missing.

Ha. If only it were that easy. I mean it'd be easy in the planning phases to just not show the child the ride but when you get there, hahaha! Mommy what's that big silver mountain with the big line? Kids aren't that stupid, especially 5-6 year olds which IMO are the ones who typically have trouble getting the 40 inch requirement. Well wait, I guess Space Moutain is 44 inches. But even Big Thunder Mountain - yeah, pretty obvious what it is.

I have prepped my almost 5 year old that he won't be able to ride some things and he's been disappointed before at Kennywood when he couldn't ride the Racer but believe me, he KNEW what the rides were and in this case, he KNEW he was missing a roller coaster.

 

[inkkognito]

I say solve the whole issue by eliminating height requirements entirely, making them recommendations, and replacing them with iron-clad hold-harmless contracts that read something like the following, to be read out loud and signed in triplicate by any parent whose child is below the recommendation.

"I understand that the recommended height for this ride is ____. I also understand that by insisting that my child ride, I am accepting that there is an increased risk of injury, up to and including death. I agree to hold this theme park and everyone else but myself harmless by making the choice to allow my child to ride. If he/she is hurt or killed, I will hold no one responsible but myself and agree to live with any legal consequences, such as an investigation by the Dept. of Children and Family Services and possible child endangerment charges, as well as any self imposed consequences like the guilt of knowing I put my child in the position that caused him or her to be hurt, maimed or killed."

People would still put their too-short kids on the ride anyway, but the time it would take for them to read and sign the forms would get 'em out of the way of the rest of us who usually get held up for half an hour while they argue with the poor CMs.

 

[RMulieri]

I say solve the whole issue by eliminating height requirements entirely, making them recommendations, and replacing them with iron-clad hold-harmless contracts that read something like the following, to be read out loud and signed in triplicate by any parent whose child is below the recommendation.

"I understand that the recommended height for this ride is ____. I also understand that by insisting that my child ride, I am accepting that there is an increased risk of injury, up to and including death. I agree to hold this theme park and everyone else but myself harmless by making the choice to allow my child to ride. If he/she is hurt or killed, I will hold no one responsible but myself and agree to live with any legal consequences, such as an investigation by the Dept. of Children and Family Services and possible child endangerment charges, as well as any self imposed consequences like the guilt of knowing I put my child in the position that caused him or her to be hurt, maimed or killed."

People would still put their too-short kids on the ride anyway, but the time it would take for them to read and sign the forms would get 'em out of the way of the rest of us who usually get held up for half an hour while they argue with the poor CMs.

True...But for every seemingly ironclad contract, there is an attorney somewhere who will take it on, challenge it, clog our court systems further, and require me to sit on some jury for like $10 a day.

 

[redrosesix]

I say solve the whole issue by eliminating height requirements entirely, making them recommendations, and replacing them with iron-clad hold-harmless contracts that read something like the following, to be read out loud and signed in triplicate by any parent whose child is below the recommendation.

"I understand that the recommended height for this ride is ____. I also understand that by insisting that my child ride, I am accepting that there is an increased risk of injury, up to and including death. I agree to hold this theme park and everyone else but myself harmless by making the choice to allow my child to ride. If he/she is hurt or killed, I will hold no one responsible but myself and agree to live with any legal consequences, such as an investigation by the Dept. of Children and Family Services and possible child endangerment charges, as well as any self imposed consequences like the guilt of knowing I put my child in the position that caused him or her to be hurt, maimed or killed."

People would still put their too-short kids on the ride anyway, but the time it would take for them to read and sign the forms would get 'em out of the way of the rest of us who usually get held up for half an hour while they argue with the poor CMs.

But the real problem is that it's the parents who want to do the ride -- little Johny would probably rather go on Buzz Lightyear (AGAIN). If Little Johny is too short, the big parent can't go on either -- no wonder the parents get so upset at the CMs. But if grandpa is there to sit with the kid while he watches his whole family doing the ride, well -- all that matters is that the parents get to do the ride.

 

[playswithstars]

Wow. You don't see a difference between a kid screaming at the top of their lungs for in excess of five minutes and a kid getting the sniffles for a few minutes and saying in a normal speaking voice that she's disappointed? Guess that says a lot about why kids act the way they do these days.

I think they meant they saw no difference between distracting a disappointed children with ice cream or a small souvenir that was just for them.

 

[kaytieeldr]

3) Bracelets can be done and should be done. It seems that it would keep the flow of the parks/rides going a wee bit smoother. I am sure not everyone was cutting and re-taping when switching. I feel that the CM at each line can use their own opinnion by eye and ask for a re-measure.

Well, apparently enough people WERE scamming the system that Disney chose to end it. As for asking for a remeasure? Where? The point of having a measuring center that dispenses wristbands is to eliminate measuring at the individual attractions. It would be redundant for Disney to have a measuring center AND measuring facilities at each height-restricted attraction.

Plus, as I was writing this, another argument against one central measuring point with wristband distribution would be unsuccessful: as it is, parents resort to a variety of methods to temporarily increase the child's height (including the purported ice cream sandwiches in the sneakers), so a too-short child can ride an attraction that, for safety, they shouldn't. With one single location, it would be SO much easier and more convenient to temporarily increase the child's height - instead of having to do it at EACH attraction.

 

[redrosesix]

Ha. If only it were that easy. I mean it'd be easy in the planning phases to just not show the child the ride but when you get there, hahaha! Mommy what's that big silver mountain with the big line? Kids aren't that stupid, especially 5-6 year olds which IMO are the ones who typically have trouble getting the 40 inch requirement. Well wait, I guess Space Moutain is 44 inches. But even Big Thunder Mountain - yeah, pretty obvious what it is.

I have prepped my almost 5 year old that he won't be able to ride some things and he's been disappointed before at Kennywood when he couldn't ride the Racer but believe me, he KNEW what the rides were and in this case, he KNEW he was missing a roller coaster.

It is that easy. Like I said, my DD is the gymnast type. So she wasn't 40 inches at 5 or 6. She wasn't 48 inches at the age of 8, when we first went to WDW.

One of the problems I find is that people get so caught up in doing the headliner rides, when really they are all fun. We have always focused on the rides that she can do, and that she is lucky enough to still be able to do because of her size (yes, it can be an advantage). And if somebody in our party wants to do a ride that she can't, wherever it is, she doesn't have to sit there and watch them.

so...so what if they're too small to ride space mountain. Ride the TTA, 4 times in a row if you have to. And have fun with them while they're small, because someday they will be big and will be able to do all of the rides and they won't want to do them with their mom.

 

[Buzz Litebeer]

We've encountered cm's that if they could slide a piece of paper between ds9's head and the measuring column, he could not ride.

Back In The Day, I worked at BTMR... and I had more than one manager instruct me to do exactly that.

I thought the idea of bringing along supplies was so ridiculous that no one would actually do that.

Welcome to the DISboards, home of obsessive planners!

This, to me, smacks of the "entitlement" attitude....I don't care about your rules, my kid is going to get on that ride no matter what you say.

The worst offender I've heard about was a B-list celebrity (who shall remain nameless -- but at the time, was appearing in an ABC sitcom) who went so far as to pull out his cellphone and call the park's president to complain about his child being turned away from an attraction due to height.

If little Jenny were to fall out of the train on Big Thunder Mountain, be crushed and mutlilated, those would be the parents to sue Disney making the claim that "the evil cast member forced my kid to ride!"

Actually, they'd claim Disney was negligent in not being more diligent in checking heights.

When we were at Disney in May, a guy had got his kid on Thunder Mountain, and we heard a CM at one point in the line phoning the CM who was at the cars and told them to measure the kid again. I have a feeling he snuck this kid past the CM at the beginning of the line, there was NO way he was tall enough! When the CM at the cars tried measuring the kid, the Dad pitched a fit! This child was inches too short!! But, the Dad just walked past the CM and got on the ride anyway! I thought he should be kicked out of th park at that point, but they did eventually get him off the ride.

When I worked at BTMR I had a similar incident happen. When I asked the Guest to exit the attraction, he defiantly pulled down the lapbar and snarled, "I'm his father, and I say he's riding!" I smiled and replied, "I'm the ride operator and I say he doesn't. Please exit to your right."

Remember when that boy lost part of his foot on Thunder mountain?

Nope. And I worked there.

I say solve the whole issue by eliminating height requirements entirely, making them recommendations, and replacing them with iron-clad hold-harmless contracts that read something like the following, to be read out loud and signed in triplicate by any parent whose child is below the recommendation.

I've actually had candidates for Parent-of-the-Year who have asked for such a document. Swear to God.

 

[mattsdragon]

Buzz,
I hope that you pointed out that guy at BTMRR to all the people waiting in the station so they all knew who was holding up the ride.

 

[redrosesix]

Buzz,
I hope that you pointed out that guy at BTMRR to all the people waiting in the station so they all knew who was holding up the ride.