Less than an inch short

[bleeps]

We made our first trip for our son's 5th birthday (April 2003) and he was in tears at being too short to ride Primeval Whirl. On the plane ride home, we planned our return trip, which we took last Oct. (2004). For the 1.5 years between trips, we used "48 inches!" as his incentive -- to go to bed to get good sleep so he could grow, to eat good foods so he could grow -- and it was delightful to see him stand up to the bar at Primeval Whirl and see how happy he was that he was tall enough! I'm in with all those who have said that the restrictions are there for safety -- and to say that nothing makes it more special than wanting it, waiting for it, working towards it, and finally making it (and hey -- what a lovely lesson for a child to learn; not sure that we're sending the right message to kids when we coach them on how to cheat their way through to what they want!)

 

[DissyLove]

I think whether or not you get them on the ride depends on the CM and what kind of mood they might be in. I have heard of big hair and platforms in shoes working, but some will take it seriously, so I just would not promise your child you can get them on, just give it a try and see what happens.

We just steer our shorter child away from the rides they cannot do, meaning nobody in the family does them.

 

[Minnie's Mate]

(and hey -- what a lovely lesson for a child to learn; not sure that we're sending the right message to kids when we coach them on how to cheat their way through to what they want!)

I couldn't agree more.

Yes, I am going to accept the earlier invitation to flame. It is a mighty weak parent that can't stand up to a 39-1/2" tall pre-schooler and say "no" and then be willing to put that child at risk in order to avoid a temper tantrum.

Yes, we used the "eat your veggies so you can grow before the next trip" routine and we also told our kids, "It's not our rule, it's Mickey's rule." (BTW, this works very well and gets you off the hook!) But we didn't give in the same way we don't give in and let them sit in the front seat of the car or not use their safety belts or not use a child's safety seat just because they don't want to. We may pass the buck for making our kids follow safety rules, but we make them follow them for their safety, not because they are the rules!

 

[dooley]

I'm sure your the same person who would turn around and sue the co. for 'negligence' when your kid gets hurt on that ride that you 'enhanced' their height on.

Go ahead and Flame me, I say Blah, blah blah...pick good shoes A half an inch will NOT make the difference between safety and not safe. Don't pick obvious shoes but you are so close, it seems any shoes will do. In fact if you are measuring without shoes, you should be fine with them. You should have marked your post ...Only sneaky people apply that is where I come in . Just kidding, but she should be fine. Also when are you going. She could easily row a half an inch unless you are going right away.

Smiles all....just having fun!!

 

[Kallison]

A 1/2 an inch isn't going to put them in harms way -- get the Sketchers sneakers with the higher soles. I've never seen a CM ask a child to take their shoes off and some kids have those chunky heeled flip flops.

 

[jennat]

Okay Dooley....getting a little ugly with that comment. I said it was all in fun. I stand by what I said and also agree with the comment that it is not a good lesson to teach your kids. we are talking about a half an inch that ANY pair of shoes would overcome not three inches with platforms and pebbles hairdo. I don't think you should have a powwow with your kids to see how to beat the system. I think it is great to use it as an incentive with your kids (hope they grow though or it will be disappointing). The poster asked a question an I gave her my answer. It seems a lot of times in these boards if you don't give a CERTAIN answer you get attacked, that is why I said go ahead and flame me.

I will spend my day with a smile and a dream of a great vacation, enjoying visiting with MOST of you on the boards not attacking people with comments like
***I'm sure your the same person who would turn around and sue the co. for 'negligence' when your kid gets hurt on that ride that you 'enhanced' their height on.***
I am just as entitled to my opinion as you are to yours. Get some anger management.....and have a great day.

 

[WDSearcher]

A 1/2 an inch isn't going to put them in harms way --

If you're the guy that built the ride and will swear to that in court, then great. But if you're not ... how do you know for certain?

Honestly, folks ... the heights aren't chosen arbitrarily. Rides are designed and built and tested, and limits are set for a reason. If it had to do with "emotional readiness", that's one thing. Kids mature at different rates, and it's subjective. But this is a safety issue. And, as I mentioned before, it doesn't just affect the rider ... it affects the CMs involved as well. You fudge your kid's height, he gets hurt, a CM takes the fall.

I just don't understand how people can advocate fudging the system when it's a safety issue.

 

[MrsT]

Back in 1996, my son barely reached the height requirement for Space Mountain. His shoes were thick, but he was a very light and ultra thin kid compared to most kids his age. I sat next to him, thank heavens, and reached my arm across and held his arm. As the ride turned and did that long right hand turn downwards (seemed to last forever) my son who was on the outside slid part of the way out under the bar! He screamed,"I'm falling out!" I dug my nails into his arm, which left marks for days. If I hadn't held on tightly to him, I am certain he would have slipped out. He was only 3 and a half and very resiliant. The only part of that ride that he remembers now were my nails and my mother throwing up in the garbage can right after the ride. I think that the height requirement was shorter back then, but I'm not positive. Just because the height is right doesn't mean that they are heavy or wide enough for the restraints to hold them snugly.

 

[golfgal]

I have always wondered about "height" requirements on rides. DS12 is the same height as DS9, but DS9 has a longer body (probably 2"difference in body legnth) and therefore is "taller" when he is sitting then DS12, so, which one "fits" the ride better? DS 9 would be better restrained in a ride where you are sitting yet they are the same height.

 

[kidzmom3]

I have always wondered about "height" requirements on rides. DS12 is the same height as DS9, but DS9 has a longer body (probably 2"difference in body legnth) and therefore is "taller" when he is sitting then DS12, so, which one "fits" the ride better? DS 9 would be better restrained in a ride where you are sitting yet they are the same height.

i like how on some rides they have mock seats out front so that you can see how you fit into them ( i noticed this a lot at IOA). This seems to be a good method to see if people are fitting correctly (in addition to a height requirement)

 

[danny1649]

Vacation

 

[D L and K's Mom]

Am I correct that after 10 day passes you have to go to AP's? I loved the length of stay pass.........We are going to Disney for 15 days. We will be having my brother and sister in law come for 8 days. We don't know waht to do. We will probably go into the parks at least 12 times. We are figuring we are going to have to get AP's. My brother can't understand why he can't buy 10 day passes and give us the extra days (disney newbie....this is his first trip) I just want to be sure that AP's are our only choice for more than 10 days.We went to the Disney store today ...to pre-order the Incrediable and we asked and the darling CM wasnt sure. She said they only carry up to 10 days so she wasnt sure. to buy a 10 day and then the additional extra days it more...they really get you on those 1,2 and 3 day passes. Ok I think I am right but I need some re-assurance before I buy them.

 

[TSR6]

Yes, as said on the thread... Please don't try to play games with the CM's over height!

I picked up an extra shift at one of the attractions, and my first task once I was at the attraction was to go BACK inside and find a manager to talk to a guest who felt her child was old enough to ride this certain ride. Myself, and two other fellow CM's were yelled at when her child was an inch to short. I truly felt bad for the child, but I would have felt a lot worse had the child gotten hurt on the ride.

 

[wdwoldtimer]

You could always try stretching the kids before you take the trip. I bet you could build one of those "torture" racks for under $50. Or if you're on a budget, you could always use the Bobby Brady technique of having the kid hang off a pole for hours on end.

 

[Minnie's Mate]

Am I correct that after 10 day passes you have to go to AP's? I loved the length of stay pass.........We are going to Disney for 15 days. We will be having my brother and sister in law come for 8 days. We don't know waht to do. We will probably go into the parks at least 12 times. We are figuring we are going to have to get AP's. My brother can't understand why he can't buy 10 day passes and give us the extra days (disney newbie....this is his first trip) I just want to be sure that AP's are our only choice for more than 10 days.We went to the Disney store today ...to pre-order the Incrediable and we asked and the darling CM wasnt sure. She said they only carry up to 10 days so she wasnt sure. to buy a 10 day and then the additional extra days it more...they really get you on those 1,2 and 3 day passes. Ok I think I am right but I need some re-assurance before I buy them.

Best place to get info is: http://www.mousesavers.com/tickets.html
Mary can help you figure out the best bet on getting tickets. I think with the new Magic My Way, you can get more than 10 days with it being actually cheaper than annual passes. In the past, the break even point was just over 7 days, but now I think it is much more than that. I haven't looked into it yet since we still have AP's but I will look into getting just one for the AP discounts and MMW for the rest of the family next year.

 

[SoCalKDG]

Honestly, folks ... the heights aren't chosen arbitrarily. Rides are designed and built and tested, and limits are set for a reason. If it had to do with "emotional readiness", that's one thing. Kids mature at different rates, and it's subjective. But this is a safety issue. And, as I mentioned before, it doesn't just affect the rider ... it affects the CMs involved as well. You fudge your kid's height, he gets hurt, a CM takes the fall.

I just don't understand how people can advocate fudging the system when it's a safety issue.

Actually Disney has changed ride height requirements in the past. They also put some ride heights for "emotional readiness"(AE was one), not just safety. Additionally if you check the accidental death history of Disney, you will find none of them have been for ride heights.

The imagineers build in a tolerance into each ride to account for the occasional child that gets in at 36-37" tall(for a 40" req.). Just as a curve on the road might say 40MPH, your aren't going to fly off the road at 43MPH.

So you put normal shoes on your kid, the soles boost the kid up 1/4" to 1/2", this isn't fudging. Take your kid up and measure. If he/she passes, great, otherwise, next trip for that ride. Do this for all the rides. This isn't breaking rules, this isn't teaching kids poor morals.

So if your kid is measuring 39 1/2" barefoot, there is a chance that with shoes and socks they might pass and be able to go on some of the rides.

My 3 year old daughter is 40.25" barefoot, so is passing no problem. What you end finding out though is half of the rides that she can now go on, she doesn't want to. She does love Splash and Soaring, so I'm thankful for that.

 

[Disneyland_emily]

Heights is one of my major soapboxes but I wont get on it too bad-

I worked RnR Coaster which is a 48 ride and I saw everyday people who tried to cheat the system, some were very very rough experiances for me as a CM, but thats another story... Anywhoot my son was 47 to 47 and a half inches tall the whole year I worked there and No he never rode. One night we brought him in after we had powered down for the night because I wanted to test something and we put him in and lowered the harness then told him to get out. Well it was less than 10 seconds each time we did and he had no problems getting out both through the harness and under it. Which basically means very little is actually keeping them in the ride-

CMs are not as stupid as most people think and 99% of them that do their job right can tell within millimeters if a kid is actually tall enough. Shoes and Hair just dont cut it. I also have known several CMs who have gotten fired due to height situations. Its not a laughing matter and its just not worth it. Yes there is a 99.5% chance your kid will be just fine but what happens when it doesnt?

or as a CM once said- that they at Disney were selfish and greedy. They want you to bring your kids back again when they are tall enough to enjoy this making you spend money again... Then again lots of us are parents and while we love the rides we know what kind of power they have and what can go wrong. I trust the rides and would put my family on no questions asked but I know non of my kids will EVER ride a ride they are not tall enough for because they mean more to me than one or two attractions.

-em

 

[SoCalKDG]

I worked RnR Coaster which is a 48 ride and I saw everyday people who tried to cheat the system, some were very very rough experiances for me as a CM, but thats another story... Anywhoot my son was 47 to 47 and a half inches tall the whole year I worked there and No he never rode. One night we brought him in after we had powered down for the night because I wanted to test something and we put him in and lowered the harness then told him to get out. Well it was less than 10 seconds each time we did and he had no problems getting out both through the harness and under it. Which basically means very little is actually keeping them in the ride-
-em

Based on that then 48" wouldn't be safe either. I'd hope that this was brought to managements attention and that the height would be moved up from 48" to 52"(whatever was deemed safe). Or did they make some other type of change?

 

[Tiger Fan]

I have no problem with the height requirements and only complain when I don't feel they are accurate. Example that happened to us. I measure DD at home (she was exactly 40 inches barefoot). We arrived in WDW went to MGM first - rode ToT. They had her stand at the sign and again on a wall measurement at the ride, fine both times we rode, she loved it. The next day was MK - we head to Splash Mtn. The CM at the FP stand measured her with this L shaped tool, said she was just a tad under (she was too, even with her tennis on). I'm convinced that this tool is slightly OVER 40 inches, thus the problem. Otherwise she would not have been able to ride ToT, plus been just tall enough at home barefoot. This was very upsetting to a young child and I complained - NOT about the requirements, but that they were not consistent, kids can't handle this up and down. We went back on the next day, she was not measured until we reached the loading dock (I had explained a million times that she might not get to ride, but she begged to try) - she was amazingly now 40 inches again - . For this experience for us I get upset about the varying height requirments and wish there was some central measuring place or tool that would solve things like this. Didn't mean to ramble, but just wanted to share our one time experience.
Lisa
Tiger Fan

 

[Galenamom]

It would be great if when you first entered the park, small children were measured and given a wristband that would be good for the whole day--color-coded to indicate their height.