Parents Who Try And Cheat The Height System

[marciemi]

Am I the only one who remembers when they did this at Disneyland (wristbands)? We still have my son's from our trip in 2003 - it was a pretty green indicating he was 52 inches. They have these at our local amusement parks, and there's a swing bar on the wall where you get measured (the kids take off their shoes to show there's nothing in them, etc.) and get an official wristband. At Disneyland, it was actually a laser measuring system. The kid stood in the right place, a laser measured their height, and the right "light" lit up - in his case green.

There really weren't that many people ever in line for it that I saw. Most parents didn't know about it, it wasn't necessary to get on a ride, and really the only people who would use it would be those whose kids were close and wanted to make sure before they went to a ride, or those whose kids just wanted colored wristbands (or the moms wanted them for scrapbooking!)

However, both there and at every park I've been to, it just doesn't solve the problem. The same parents who would pad their child's height or insist to a CM that 4 inches don't matter also won't hesitate to get big brother measured and then cut and tape his wristband onto little brother! Basically, then the ride CM's STILL have to measure each kid to make sure they were the one who originally got the wristband. And even then there can be problems. My son was 52 inches - went to Knott's first and rode all the 52 inch rides there. Went to DL and rode the 52 inch rides for 4 days without a problem. 5th day, suddenly he was too short for Maliboomer. The fact that he was right at the line, had a wristband, and had ridden it 10 times that week made no difference to the CM who insisted he was too short. What are you going to do?

As far as lap bars/restraints fitting correctly - sometimes this really doesn't have to do with height. A couple months after that Disneyland trip we went to Cedar Point for the opening of Top Thrill Dragster, a 120mph coaster that spirals pretty much straight down. Height restriction was, once again, 52 inches, but since it was now 3 months later, we had no qualms that DS would make it. Even waited 3 HOURS for the front row for him. And when he got in, the restraint system wouldn't come down far enough on his legs (he was a scrawny kid). They were nice about it, explained where it had to be, and that basically, although he was TALL enough, he wasn't, um, hefty enough!

That frustrated me that it couldn't have been tested beforehand. We went to Guest Relations to complain and they treated me like "Ma'am, it's a safety issue". I was like "Yes, I understand that. Personally I'd prefer my son not to come tumbling out of the coaster either. However, there has to be a way to tell us that before he wastes 3 hours waiting!" They ended up giving us I think 5 front of the line passes to any other ride in the park, but I wonder how many kids that happens to and what would happen if the employee wasn't really paying attention.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

OP i'm sorry you have to go through that on a daily basis! That really stinks!

 

[Mkrop]

I too figure this is one fo those things in life my kids have to wait, makes the anticiapation exciting. We go to Hershey Park each year and they have measurements and then you are placed into a "candy" category. Well once you were a "Twizzler" you could ride the bigger roller coasters. DS9 is a roller coaster junkie but I was no way going to pad anything, those rides are too dangerous to risk it. Each time we went he would run up to see if he was a "Twizzler" yet and the look on his face was priceless when we finally went last year and he made it. He was so excited he made me take his picture in front of the measuing thing!

 

[teacherforhi]

I'm in favor of the height restrictions and I appreciate castmembers following procedure to ensure my child's safety. However, I wish there were a better system for checking height.

On our last trip, DD was just at 40". Whenever we wanted to ride something with a height requirement of 40", DD was measured at the beginning of the queue. As we got closer to the front of the line, invariably she would get pulled out of the line to be measured again. DD took it in stride, but it was a pain to squeeze by people to have her height checked yet again.

I was thinking it would be nice if children were measured at the park entrance and given a wristband to show what height requirement they meet. The different heights could be represented by different colored bands. Then, in theory, kids would only have to be measured once. Signs at the height-restricted rides could exhibit the appropriate colors (coordinating with the wristbands). Parents would see the sign color and have a chance to steer their kids away from rides for which they're too small, and maybe avoid disappointment.

LOL! Can you tell I've given this some thought? Maybe I'm way off base -- I'm sure someone can point out holes in my plan -- but it sounds good to me and it seems as if it would make things simpler.

OP, thank you for sticking to your guns to keep children safe, despite the idiot parents.

Carowinds had this system in place for a year or two and then it went away. I don't know why, because it seemed to work. It was really easy to point out to my niece that she could only ride things that had her color of wristband on the board.

 

[manning]

We were there the first week in June and were trying to get on Primeval Whirl. There was a little boy who wanted to ride, and he just wasn't tall enough. The CM did everything she could to help him hit the height bar, "Stand up as tall as you can" etc. He missed it by an inch. His parents threw a fit; they were furious. The little boy took it in stride, but not the parents. They were mad that he wasn't measured at the beginning of the ride, but they saw that he wasn't tall enough then. I felt bad for the CM, but she handled it well. I like the idea about the wristbands, it would seem to solve a lot of the problems.

In a way I could see the parents being mad for not being measured before being in line waiting, but at the same time they should have been smart enough to defuse johnnie's tantrum by saying "sorry johnnie there isn't anything I can do about it, they say you are too small".

And yes, if it is obvious he was too small why waste the time getting in line.

 

[Nana Annie]

I'm in favor of the height restrictions and I appreciate castmembers following procedure to ensure my child's safety. However, I wish there were a better system for checking height.

On our last trip, DD was just at 40". Whenever we wanted to ride something with a height requirement of 40", DD was measured at the beginning of the queue. As we got closer to the front of the line, invariably she would get pulled out of the line to be measured again. DD took it in stride, but it was a pain to squeeze by people to have her height checked yet again.

I was thinking it would be nice if children were measured at the park entrance and given a wristband to show what height requirement they meet. The different heights could be represented by different colored bands. Then, in theory, kids would only have to be measured once. Signs at the height-restricted rides could exhibit the appropriate colors (coordinating with the wristbands). Parents would see the sign color and have a chance to steer their kids away from rides for which they're too small, and maybe avoid disappointment.

LOL! Can you tell I've given this some thought? Maybe I'm way off base -- I'm sure someone can point out holes in my plan -- but it sounds good to me and it seems as if it would make things simpler.

OP, thank you for sticking to your guns to keep children safe, despite the idiot parents.

I think it is a great idea.

However, it wouldn't be long before very carefully removed height bands would be showing up on Ebay.

I realize the smaller parks have used them successfully, but there isn't as much of a draw to cheat Cedar Point or Busch Gardens as there would be to cheat Disney and Universal. Just browse Ebay and see what is for sale there. Just this past week, some lady was caught selling Universal GAP (disability passes) on Ebay, marketed as All day, all ride express passes.

As much as I hated it when my kid had to be measured several times - he was even once pulled off a ride to remeasure - I think liability would be way to great for the major parks not to measure at each and every ride. In this suit happy world we live in, even the smallest injury could lead to millions of dollars. And that would just mean our ticket prices would go up even more.

 

[SandrainNC]

A local amusement park here in NC/SC (it is in both - Carowinds) uses the wrist bands too. I think it is a great idea!

Your post about the ride manufacturer making the height requirement made me think though. Last year my son was right at 40" tall. There is a ride similar to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad there and last year the requirement was 40" so he rode it for the first time and loved it. Rode it twice. Anyway, I got an e-mail this spring right before Carowinds opened saying they had reevaluated some of the rides and changed some height requirements. That same ride was changed to 48" this year. I was a little surprised by that change. They can do what they feel is right for safety of course, but that is a big jump for that type of roller coaster I think. And especially if the manufacturer (this I did not know until today) is in charge. It sounds to me like Carowinds made that decision or something. Anyway, your post just made me think of it.

Sandra

 

[Timmy Boy]

^^Yup, that's what I was going to say. There'd be a way for parents to cheat that one too.

So i guess it looks like I'm still gonna have to be strict about it. Parents will be parents, and I guess I'll have to keep telling the angry mom that her daughter can't ride.

And I love it when the kids start crying, and then the parents look at me and say "look what you made her do!"

Sometimes, I give up. Parents who do that: You. Are. Stupid.

And an inch DOES matter. If we say "an inch too short is ok, lets just lower it to 51 inchers.... then we'll lower it to 50, the 49." No, even if you're a centimeter off, you still will not be able to ride. Sorry kids.


EDIT: yea about the post above me. I'm sure the manufacturer of the ride says 40 inches, and the park can't go lower than that, but if they want to make it higher, they can. (Most parks want to keep it as low as they can to accomodate the most guests). Didn't Mission: Space raise their height after all their incidents?

 

[Chicago526]

A local amusement park here in NC/SC (it is in both - Carowinds) uses the wrist bands too. I think it is a great idea!

Your post about the ride manufacturer making the height requirement made me think though. Last year my son was right at 40" tall. There is a ride similar to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad there and last year the requirement was 40" so he rode it for the first time and loved it. Rode it twice. Anyway, I got an e-mail this spring right before Carowinds opened saying they had reevaluated some of the rides and changed some height requirements. That same ride was changed to 48" this year. I was a little surprised by that change. They can do what they feel is right for safety of course, but that is a big jump for that type of roller coaster I think. And especially if the manufacturer (this I did not know until today) is in charge. It sounds to me like Carowinds made that decision or something. Anyway, your post just made me think of it.

Sandra

EDIT: yea about the post above me. I'm sure the manufacturer of the ride says 40 inches, and the park can't go lower than that, but if they want to make it higher, they can. (Most parks want to keep it as low as they can to accomodate the most guests). Didn't Mission: Space raise their height after all their incidents?

I think it's a combo of restraint system and the type of ride. Strictly speaking, 40" may be safe, but if the ride is really intense in other ways, they may bump up the height to make sure kids are OLD enough to handle the ride. There are some pretty tall 3 and 4 year olds that have no business on some of the more intense rides.

 

[SandrainNC]

Oh, I see. They can raise it up but not down. Thanks for the info! Just got me wondering.

Sandra

 

[ZuZugal]

Sometimes, I give up. Parents who do that: You. Are. Stupid. [/B]

Just learn to mumble to yourself "you just can't change stupid" as you smile. that would work for me!

 

[dis ms.]

Wow! I honestly didn't know other theme parks were already doing the wristband thing. I guess I don't get around much. LOL! I just came up with the idea after DD was double-measured for the umpteenth time.

I think it is a great idea.

However, it wouldn't be long before very carefully removed height bands would be showing up on Ebay.

I realize the smaller parks have used them successfully, but there isn't as much of a draw to cheat Cedar Point or Busch Gardens as there would be to cheat Disney and Universal. Just browse Ebay and see what is for sale there. Just this past week, some lady was caught selling Universal GAP (disability passes) on Ebay, marketed as All day, all ride express passes.
.

I guess you could sell something like that on ebay, but only a moron would want to buy it. I mean, seriously! If your kid is too small, they're too small. Buying a wristband on ebay so you can sneak Junior on a ride for which he's too small is pretty crappy parenting, IMHO.

I don't see it as cheating Disney. I see it as putting your child at risk unnecessarily.

 

[Tikicampers]

I don't get people trying to cheat the heigt requirement. If I did that and something happened to my kid, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. My kids will not go on a ride until they are over the height requirement in bare feet. DS is pretty short, but there are so many rides at WDW that he can ride, we just don't mention the ones he can't.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Just a comment as a WDW CM. As far as everyone is concerned, from top management on down, the absolute highest priority over everything else is Guest Safety. And basically if any CM is caught doing something that will impair guest safety they can be fired immediately. And letting an "undersize" child onto an attraction would be a firing offense. And some of the CMs may be overly strict to protect themselves.

 

[Nana Annie]

Wow! I honestly didn't know other theme parks were already doing the wristband thing. I guess I don't get around much. LOL! I just came up with the idea after DD was double-measured for the umpteenth time.



I guess you could sell something like that on ebay, but only a moron would want to buy it. I mean, seriously! If your kid is too small, they're too small. Buying a wristband on ebay so you can sneak Junior on a ride for which he's too small is pretty crappy parenting, IMHO.

I don't see it as cheating Disney. I see it as putting your child at risk unnecessarily.

But that is exactly the OP's point. He has to deal with parents all the time that couldn't care less about their child's safety and get mad when he denies their children access to the ride.

It is these same parents that try to cheat with higher heels, etc that wouldn't think twice about buying a wristband on Ebay to get their kids on a ride they weren't supposed to be on.

 

[dis ms.]

But that is exactly the OP's point. He has to deal with parents all the time that couldn't care less about their child's safety and get mad when he denies their children access to the ride.

It is these same parents that try to cheat with higher heels, etc that wouldn't think twice about buying a wristband on Ebay to get their kids on a ride they weren't supposed to be on.

Yeah, I got that. Thanks.

I just can't imagine these wristbands would be prevalent on ebay. First off, I don't think Disney would use bands that would be that easy to remove intact. Second, how many parents would actually be selling these? "Susie, let's get that thing off your arm. Mommy needs to make some money on the height restriction wristband black market."

Sorry, I just can't see rampant abuse of the wristband system due to people selling them on ebay. Of course, this is just MHO.

Is there really any perfect way to prevent idiot parents from sneaking their too-small children on rides? Probably not, but I think there might be better ways to ensure the height requirements are being met than what is currently done.

 

[cybrkitn]

It is these same parents that try to cheat with higher heels, etc that wouldn't think twice about buying a wristband on Ebay to get their kids on a ride they weren't supposed to be on.

That part reminded me of what another DISer had mentioned months ago on the Attractions board regarding this subject. A father had actually put in ice cream sandwiches in his son's shoes just to make him taller The poor kid was suffering! I don't recall if it was done at Disney or another theme park. Like I said, that thread was months ago and could have even been late 2006.

 

[DisneyPhD]

We were there the first week in June and were trying to get on Primeval Whirl. There was a little boy who wanted to ride, and he just wasn't tall enough. The CM did everything she could to help him hit the height bar, "Stand up as tall as you can" etc. He missed it by an inch. His parents threw a fit; they were furious. The little boy took it in stride, but not the parents. They were mad that he wasn't measured at the beginning of the ride, but they saw that he wasn't tall enough then. I felt bad for the CM, but she handled it well. I like the idea about the wristbands, it would seem to solve a lot of the problems.

PW seems to have a really high limit. The ride is not that intense, It must be because of the way the restraints are. I know DD could handle the ride, but it will be a long time until she will be able to ride it.

Sometimes it does seem like the height limit is oddly high for the rides, sometimes too short. For example my DD has been tall enough to ride dinosaur for a few years now. She is not going on that ride any time soon. It will freak her out.

She 6 and just a half inch shy of MS height requirement. I was disappointed for her last time. I know she can handle the milder version (orange I think.) Still it would be too hard to have different height requirements for the 2 sections, people could just change lines too easy. Like others have said, I think I was more disappointed then her (not that I throw a fit of anything like that.) She just said "That is ok mommy, I can ride it next time." Always something for next time. Other then those rides, most of the ones she is too small for I would not let her on anyway (like EE.)

I have short kids (they take after me.) I swear DD who is now almost 3 is going to be 6 before she can ride anything with a height requirement (including goofy.)

 

[marciemi]

OT Warning: Hey, DisneyPhD - haven't seen you around these boards recently - must be hanging on different threads. I remember talking to you back a couple years ago when DS was at Northwood - we've moved to Green Bay in the meantime. Is your daughter at Northwood? How goes the construction? We'll be back next weekend visiting my family (in Troy) and hopefully DS can catch up with some friends!

 

[DisneyPhD]

OT Warning: Hey, DisneyPhD - haven't seen you around these boards recently - must be hanging on different threads. I remember talking to you back a couple years ago when DS was at Northwood - we've moved to Green Bay in the meantime. Is your daughter at Northwood? How goes the construction? We'll be back next weekend visiting my family (in Troy) and hopefully DS can catch up with some friends!

Hey!

Yes the construction has been making my life hell for the past 4 months or so. Thank goodness it is summer. The new school should be open Sept 2008, so one more year of it too (no parking lot for parents, no busses, everyone trying to drop off and pick up their kids at once.) We lost a lot of students to other schools (and have new principle.) It should be very nice when the new school is done.

I hope DS has a good visit. The weather should be nice. It has been lovely around here lately.

Sorry to highjack the thread. Back to short kids and pushy parents.