Kids too small for RnR, can they wait at the exit?

[Easto]

2 kids, 4 and 6 years old.

6 year old is 46-47" tall depending on the measuring technique . We don't plan on trying to sneak her on anyways if she's too small.

If my wife and I wanted to ride with a FP+ would they allow my kids to wait at the exit ramp while we ride together? They are both responsible enough that they wouldn't run off and I assume they will only be waiting 2-3 minutes whatever the duration of the ride is.

I'd like to be able to enter the line as a family and have the kids wait with us. When we board the ride have the kids cross over to the exit and wait a couple mins for us to get off.

Possible?

 

[rwdavis2]

They won't be allowed into the line after they fail the height test. Not to be snarky, but who us supposed to be responsible for your children while you are on the ride?

Although we have not done it, have you looked into rider/child swap?

 

[linzbear]

No, for 2 reasons - 1. if they are not at the height requirement, they are not allowed in the line 2. If they are not 7 they cannot be alone

What happens if the ride breaks down and you're stuck in there for an hour+ waiting to get out?

 

[Easto]

I know my kids and I know what I can trust them to do. If they were asked to stand on the other side of the exit door for a couple minutes they would have no problem doing that without getting in trouble, breaking stuff, running off, etc.

I didn't factor in the ride break down scenario and I wasn't aware of the 7 year old rule.

I'd assume regardless of age, any kids left alone during a ride break down would be a problem whether 6,7, or 12 years old

Thanks for the quick reply

 

[hiroMYhero]

Rider Swap is your best option and you'll only have to book 1 FP for the 1st adult who rides while Adult 2 waits with the kids.

Adult 2 rides via the FP line thanks to the Swap pass.

 

[Mikie]

I know my kids and I know what I can trust them to do. If they were asked to stand on the other side of the exit door for a couple minutes they would have no problem doing that without getting in trouble, breaking stuff, running off, etc.

Thanks for the quick reply

Unfortunately, not everyone's kids are capable of waiting, so the rules Disney uses are not geared toward the MOST responsible As others stated, they can't go through the line with you because that's not how they handle the too-short kids - they get stopped at the line entrance. Most other rides also have different boarding and exiting areas, so this just isn't how WDW sets up their swap/wait procedure. Kids at Disney are supposed to be 7+ to ride alone or be left alone in the park. I have no idea what anyone would actually do if you do have your kids wait outside since they're under that age.

 

[mrzrich]

You and your spouse will have to do rider swap. One rides while the other waits with the kids, then they swap places. The second parent goes through the Fp line while the other parents watches the kids.

The best part about this program is that if the 6 yo is tall enough for something that the younger child isn't, 6 yo gets to ride twice because the rider swap ticket is good for 3 people.

 

[linzbear]

I know my kids and I know what I can trust them to do. If they were asked to stand on the other side of the exit door for a couple minutes they would have no problem doing that without getting in trouble, breaking stuff, running off, etc.

I didn't factor in the ride break down scenario and I wasn't aware of the 7 year old rule.

I'd assume regardless of age, any kids left alone during a ride break down would be a problem whether 6,7, or 12 years old

Thanks for the quick reply

7 is Disney's cutoff. Clearly a 4 year old alone is never a good idea, and a 12 year old is mature enough to calmly ask what's going on if the ride breaks down. So there is a big difference.

 

[mrzrich]

Another thing to think about is, even if you think they'll be fine for a few minutes, what if something goes wrong? I was once stuck on test track for an hour. Rides break down every day.

 

[kamik86]

I know my kids and I know what I can trust them to do. If they were asked to stand on the other side of the exit door for a couple minutes they would have no problem doing that without getting in trouble, breaking stuff, running off, etc.

I didn't factor in the ride break down scenario and I wasn't aware of the 7 year old rule.

I'd assume regardless of age, any kids left alone during a ride break down would be a problem whether 6,7, or 12 years old

Thanks for the quick reply

The rules are unfortunatly written to handle the least responsible kids and more importantly least responsible adults.

Two short children aren't allowed in line as it makes it easier to keep them off the ride. This way they have two chances to catch them before getting someone way to short on that does have a problem and they get sued (I have seen people sneak WAY to short kids past the first checkpoint to soarin for example, like 3 or 4 inches there is no way you even thought they would be able to do this too short)

As for if you are ok with letting your kids stand somewhere for a few min, say if they were with you and you were going to go in and use the restroom while they waited. Well no disney isn't really going to be able to stop that. However they will not allow a child under 7 to ride alone/with other under 7s (so you couldn't put your kids on another ride and just wait at the ride exit either).


I find people have very different ideas of when to allow kids to do things alone. My sister (note NOT the parent of any of the kids in question here) freaked out that I let my 16 and 17 year old nieces go to word of disney alone while I stoped at guest services and the rest of the extended family had fallen behind. They were teenagers with cell phones... in a store.

Later I pointed out that the ones most likely to get lost on their own were the members of the group over 50 not the ones under 20 so maybe they should be the ones that someone needs to stay with at all times (I learned on that trip my parents can't read maps)

 

[HopperFan]

Sounds like you have not been ....

- No they will not be permitted to enter the line at all unless tall enough, so that leaves your youngest out for sure.
- The building is quite large with the exit via a gift shop and long hall off to the left of this photo, and the lines to enter the ride much farther off to the right of this photo. You would have to take them in the gift shop and leave them, then track over to the lines.
- No CM will watch them or be responsible for them so they would be on their own. If you leave them and they are noticed .... you have a chance security will be called. Kids must be 7 to be on attraction alone so think that will apply to leaving them AND if under 7 they must be with someone 14 or over.
- We ride FP+ all the time and not unusual at all to be in line start to loading 20-30 minutes. Odds are you would be gone much longer than you think, let alone the breakdown factor.
- Use child swap or single rider line while one stays with the kids.

 

[anniemae]

Rider Swap is your best option and you'll only have to book 1 FP for the 1st adult who rides while Adult 2 waits with the kids.

Adult 2 rides via the FP line thanks to the Swap pass.

I think this is your best option.

 

[robinb]

Rider Swap is your best option and you'll only have to book 1 FP for the 1st adult who rides while Adult 2 waits with the kids.

Adult 2 rides via the FP line thanks to the Swap pass.

This.

How tall/brave is the 4-year old. If she's not able to ride Tower of Terror either I would get on FP for you at R&RRC and another FP+ for your wife at ToT and child swap at both places. That way the first person riding doesn't spend a lot of time in line. When you child swap to ToT your older child will be able to ride with the waiting adult (or your can FP+ her too and she can ride twice).

 

[MariMama]

Who would think it is ever a good idea to leave a 6 and 4 year old alone in a strange place, with tens of thousands of people milling about? Children act very different when their parents aren't around, no matter how responsible you believe they will act.

 

[DopeyDame]

Yup - as many others have said, child swap is your best option, especially if the 6 year old ends up being tall enough to ride.

In addition to the rules and the risk factors that others have mentioned, I also think your kids would be pretty sad and bummed out to have to be sitting alone in the gift shop by themselves while their parents are off riding a cool ride. I have a 4 and 7 year old, and I can't imagine their being OK with this scenario in any way.

 

[Wdwfan2016]

Also if a Cast Member sees two unattended children hanging around they will notify security and you will have a whole set of additional problems when you come off the attraction.

 

[bumbershoot]

However they will now allow a child under 7 to ride alone/with other under 7s (so you couldn't put your kids on another ride and just wait at the ride exit either).

*not*. I believe that's what you meant, but you typed "now".

Who would think it is ever a good idea to leave a 6 and 4 year old alone in a strange place, with tens of thousands of people milling about? Children act very different when their parents aren't around, no matter how responsible you believe they will act.

Many other cultures leave kids alone. But the culture of WDW is American, and we don't tend to do that.


Regardless, rider swap/switch is the OP's available option. Or bring alone a relative/friend/nanny to wait with the kids if sitting next to each other (do NOT turn your head on RnRC to see your seatmate or you will have painful ears and neck!) is bigtime important.

 

[kamik86]

*not*. I believe that's what you meant, but you typed "now".

Ooops yes your right I meant not. I'll go fix...

 

[Klayfish]

Yep, for me the biggest fear would be (and is) if the ride breaks while we're on it.

My kids are now 12, 8 and 8...my twins turn 9 next week. Within the past year, we have started letting them do some things on their own and we leave the 12 year old as the babysitter. But it's fairly minimal. Most commonly, they'll have a FP+ for SM and my wife and I will go ride Buzz, which is right next door. Before going in, we are crystal clear in instructions on what to do, where to meet, what happens if our ride breaks down...plus we always ensure my 12 year old has his phone. We've let them do a few other rides where my wife and I just chose to sit and relax right at the exit of the ride they're on. I know next summer they're going to want to do more on their own.

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

I think 4 and 6 is really too young. When we were at Disneyland last month, we noticed 3 very young boys (4, 5, and 7, I would guess) sitting outside of Indiana Jones. They were there the entire time we ate lunch. DD(13) noticed them and was worried, so we kind of sat around and watched for a while. After a good half hour, we noticed that they had closed the ride and no one was coming out. Eventually, TONS of people started coming out, but not their parents. At one point, the middle child snuck into the exit, was gone a good 10 minutes, and came back and told his brothers that he couldn't find them. After about an hour, their parents finally returned.

As a point of reference, DD rode some rides alone at 10, and I left her alone while I rode for the first time at 11. We started doing single rider lines at 8, and even then, she was sandwiched between me and her dad. By the time she was 10, we did single rider lines with just the two of us with specific places to meet at the end of the ride (and one time at Universal, I did get stuck and then sent through a ride a second time. DD was waiting at the end for me, but she was a little scared.).

If you did decide to do this, make sure they have a cell phone with them and know how to reach you.