Parents Who Try And Cheat The Height System

[Timmy Boy]

Alright. I've had MORE than enough times where I've had to explain to a rude parent that the height is there for their son or daughters SAFETY!! Oh. my. goodness. It's making me soo angry to see parents try and sneak their kids on knowing they wont be safe while on the ride.

Ok DISers. If you are going to visit the Orlando parks, please please PLEASE don't try and sneak your child on to an attraction if they are not tall enough. I honestly don't like turning kids away, but I have to if their head does NOT hit the red line on the marker.

Ok, the height marker is implemented by the ride manufacturer. Disney, Universal, Sea World, and any other theme park anywhere you go is NOT the one making the height restriction. The ride manufacturer tells the park the minumum height that is suggested to safely experience the attraction. It is then the parks job to post that height, and to make sure NO ONE gets on that attraction that is under the height.

I just can NOT believe how horrible some parents are.

Right now I work at an attraction with a pretty high height requirement (not the tallest in the park) and I've seen kids about 6 inches under the requirement come up. I tell them "I'm sorry buddy, you're a little too short." The dad and mom come up saying "oh come on, please? give him some slack. He's with his parents." I say "no sir, it's for his safety." They look at me and go "BY THIS MUCH!?!?!?!" raising their voice. I say "It is for their safety, they may NOT ride this attraction."

Ok, first of all. If the parents put up a big enough fuss. Complaining, throwing a hissy fit and a temper tantrum (which I'm sure they are capable of doing) and then the management does decide to put the child on the ride (which, btw would NEVER EVER EVER happen.... just letting you know), then the child falls out of the restraint, plummets to theit death and dies. Guess what? The parents will blame the park for putting their child on the ride, even though the parents made it VERY CLEAR that they would not have it any other way.

Parents, please. If you approach an attraction, and the Employee checks your childs height, and he or she doesn't make it, please don't argue. It is for SAFETY reasons. It's not us wanting to be mean, it is so your child does not fall out of the restrain system and die.

 

[poohandwendy]

LOL, I feel your pain.

But, I think that your plea will fall on deaf ears because the people who would get bent out of shape over something like that are not going to listen to reason.

The rest wouldn't make a big deal out of it and don't need to be told that it's a safety issue.

I give you credit for being able to keep your cool with people like that. It's never easy working with the public.

 

[Snow_White]

I agree with you 100%. I will never understand why parents are willing to risk their children's safety for a minute of fun. Some people don't deserve to be parents.

 

[disneyfan67]

The Simpsons had a episode many years back where their Aunt Thelma took them to Duff Gardens and the park looked very similar to a Disney theme park. Bart cheats the height requirement to get on a roller coaster and laughs at how easy it was to cheat the CM for the ride. Right before it takes off, the lap bar is obviously way too big for him, Bart knows he's in trouble and has to hang on for dear life. It shows him holding on to bar while the coaster goes through the triple loops. It's a classic episode and I was thinking about it when I read your post.

The best part is where Lisa drinks the polluted water on Duff's version of "It's a small world" and starts to hallucinate during the Electric light parade. I'm laughing at the thought of it now. I think she tells everyone she's the Lizard Queen and goes through the shakes, shivers and ends up detoxing in the First Aid section of the park. Great episode.

 

[dis ms.]

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.

 

[poohandwendy]

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.

Actually, I think that is a GREAT idea and would really make it easier for the CMs too. At least then, the only argument a parent could have would be with the person giving out the bands.

 

[JESW]

But you know Tim, these parents PAY A LOT for their vacation and they should be able to do whatever they want and their child should be able to ride whatever they want. After all, THEY are the parents and they know better...

(Sorry about the early morning sarcasm...I've just been around these boards for a while and have "heard" parents defend all kinds of behavior..)

Thanks for doing YOUR job!

Jill

 

[kaw1218]

Actually, I think that is a GREAT idea and would really make it easier for the CMs too. At least then, the only argument a parent could have would be with the person giving out the bands.

They do this at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and I think it's great. My DD8 is still too short for the bigger rides, and with her a wristband they give a sheet of paper with the rides she can ride.

 

[escape]

They do this at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and I think it's great. My DD8 is still too short for the bigger rides, and with her a wristband they give a sheet of paper with the rides she can ride.

I just wonder how many parents or guardians would try to cut the band off somehow if the child is just under the height requirements. I'm sure it would be a very small percentage but would Disney be willing to take the risk?

 

[poohandwendy]

I just wonder how many parents or guardians would try to cut the band off somehow if the child is just under the height requirements. I'm sure it would be a very small percentage but would Disney be willing to take the risk?

But, if they cut the band off they would be denied access to the ride, so that wouldn't be of any help. (If I reading this right, they would need the band to get on the height restricted rides)

 

[escape]

But, if they cut the band off they would be denied access to the ride, so that wouldn't be of any help. (If I reading this right, they would need the band to get on the height restricted rides)

Oh, ok. It's too early in the morning. I was thinking the opposite. That makes more sense.

 

[aprilgail2]

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 also wish their height checkers were accurate! My 7 1/2 year old daughter just made some rides that were for kids that are 48"- yet others at the same park for hte same height requirment they tell her "no sorry you are to short" -"but she just went on 5 other rides with the same requiments and she made it fine" -"no she is to short". So now half hte rides she gets on for 48" and the other half she doesn't yet we have to wait on each ride to ge tto the beginning to find out which measuring thing they have and if she can ride or not. I still don't take her with friends to the amusement park because it is to stressful, she is the shortest kid in class (same age) and while the other kids can ride the big roller coaster she is stuck on the lady bug kiddie coaster so I find it easier to take her by herself or with my friends 4 year old so they can ride the same rides!

 

[Teacher03]

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.

 

[FayeW]

My son is finally tall enough to ride all the rides at all of the Orlando parks. We never tried to put him on anything that he wasn't tall enough for. It is, however, very frustrating to have the height requirement markers set at different heights at the beginning of the ride line than they are at ride loading area. A little consistency would be good. It doesn't make any sense that a child who has been able to ride something 5 times, suddenly is denied access because there is a different CM working the gate.

I believe Canada's Wonderland in Ontario uses the colour band system. It's been several years since we were there but I remember checking the guide map and seeing certain rides colour coded for certain heights. It worked really well.

 

[dis ms.]

But, if they cut the band off they would be denied access to the ride, so that wouldn't be of any help. (If I reading this right, they would need the band to get on the height restricted rides)

Yes, that's what I was proposing. No band, no ride.

 

[Aurora63]

The Simpsons had a episode many years back where their Aunt Thelma took them to Duff Gardens and the park looked very similar to a Disney theme park. Bart cheats the height requirement to get on a roller coaster and laughs at how easy it was to cheat the CM for the ride. Right before it takes off, the lap bar is obviously way too big for him, Bart knows he's in trouble and has to hang on for dear life. It shows him holding on to bar while the coaster goes through the triple loops. It's a classic episode and I was thinking about it when I read your post.

The best part is where Lisa drinks the polluted water on Duff's version of "It's a small world" and starts to hallucinate during the Electric light parade. I'm laughing at the thought of it now. I think she tells everyone she's the Lizard Queen and goes through the shakes, shivers and ends up detoxing in the First Aid section of the park. Great episode.

That was a great episode!

 

[Mkrop]

I think this band idea makes a lot of sense. Plus rides esp new ones are being adjusted all the time bc of safety concerns. I just read about a new waverider ride in Hershey Park that has one height req but now they are considering changing it bc some of the kids are wiping out and HP thinks this is too dangerous.

 

[Alesia]

The only problem with the bands is the possibility of the person at the height check station making a mistake. They do the bands at Holiday World, but if it is close, the person working the rides will measure them, too.

 

[DawnCt1]

When my oldest sons were little, there were no height requirements on Space Mountain. The cars were different and young children sat between their parent's legs. DSs went on when they were 3. The most I have ever done to "increase" their height when height requirements were put in place, was to have them wear their thick soled sneakers. It put them at the right height.

 

[salmoneous]

Here's a tip for the parents out there - Heelys. With the space for the wheels, they'll add at least an inch to your kids height!