Indiana Jones 46" Height Requirement?

[ConnorsMama]

We are seasoned WDW guests, where Dinosaur has a 40" height requirement. We arrive at Disneyland today, and my 4 year old is obsessed with Indiana Jones. I just double checked the height requirements, and am surprised to see that Indiana Jones is listed as 46", a solid 6" taller than its WDW sister, and 2" taller than every other Disneyland attraction.

Any information about why this is?

 

[SMD]

My understanding is that the ride vehicles use the same hydraulics, but that the programmed movements on Indy are totally different. 46" is the minimum height set by the state for someone to safely ride. The requirements in FL may be different.

 

[Maddysdaddy]

From having ridden both numerous times, my assumption as to why there is the 6" height difference is that Indy is a much, much more intense ride, with far more side-to-side and up-and-down movement than Dinosaur. Both rides have sudden starts and stops, but Dinosaur is much more linear than Indy.

 

[GatorChris]

I'd love to get a straight answer on this, too. I rode Dino and Indy about 10 months apart and the motions are pretty much the same. Lots of up and down. Lots of tight turns. Sudden drop at the end. They're virtually the same outside of design.

I can only think of two things. First, Indy has "pits" of fire and bridges that you go across. Perhaps the potential drop from such a vehicle become more dangerous with the added height of the chasms/pits. Second, and I think it's probably this one, California regulations. If any state has insane regs for everything you could possibly think of or not think of, it's certainly us. I can see Sacramento being a lot more tight fisted with what a park can and can't do than Florida government agencies.

 

[NiceOneSimba]

It's sort of like asking why Matterhorn is 42" when the other mountains have 40" requirements.

I'm honestly not sure the ride is really that much more intense, but I do believe that California OSHA or whatever agency who oversees rides decided that was the appropriate height for the vehicle and ride motion.

 

[figment_jii]

There have been threads asking about this on and off for years now and no one has ever been able to say with 100% authority why the height requirements are what they are. In the end, most folks tend to agree that it has to do with the different laws/requirements between California and Florida.

 

[agamble]

It's actually 4" higher than any other ride in DL itself as the other big rides are 40" and 42". I think it is more rugged than Dinosaur too, but agree that it probably has more to do with the states. GRR has a higher height requirement than Kali Rapids at WDW. I guess they have a strap that goes between the legs of shorter kids (like Soarin') on Kali Rapids lowering the height requirement. GRR does not allow that. In general I'm pretty happy with the requirements at DL Resort. My daughter just turned 4 and she can ride everything but Indiana Jones and Screamin'. At other parks (LEGOLAND, Universal, etc.) the height requirements go much, much higher. Also, the Disney parks have a ton of rides with NO height requirements at all, that is just not the case at other parks; even LEGOLAND, which is generally touted as a park for younger kiddos has very little that babies can ride with the family.