Question about 40 inch height requirement

[1osfan]

I AM NOT TRYING TO GET AROUND DISNEY'S RULES OR TRYING TO GET MY CHILD HURT!!

Simply put, I am trying to figure out if I have gotten DS4's hopes up.

When we were first discussing a summer trip this year, I measured DS4 and was surprised to find that he was 40 inches tall - exactly. We started talking with him about the rides that he could now ride that he has not been able to ride before. He is now super-excited to ride BTMRR, TT, and Soarin'! Thursday, we took him to the doctor for his annual check-up and they measured him - 39 inches. Oh, no. Did I just get his hopes up. I measured him with his shoes on and the doctor's office measured him without shoes. Has anyone else gone to WDW under these conditions? Did you have a child who measured exactly 40 inches with shoes on? And, were they able to ride?

We have tried to back away from his excitement and have changed our comments to things like - "if you're tall enough," but I wonder if we need to prepare him for the disappointment. Thanks!

 

[Hannathy]

They measure with shoes on and in our dealings they seem pretty accurate. My DS was just tall enough our one trip and he got on everything. And to point out how just tall enough he was I forgot when we went to TL that they measure you in your barefeet (of course lol) and his head touched the bar and he couldn't get on. So what I'm saying is in his barefeet he wouldn't have been tall enough but with normal boy tennis shoes he was fine.

You also have a bit till summer so he may grow! but measure in normal shoes and see. Just remind him to stand up straight and to keep his head even -but not look like he is trying to stretch.

 

[brymolmom]

I would prepare for the worst - just in case.

DD was about that height (39 plus without shoes and just 40 with) when we went once and she was turned down at Spash. It was literally that her head was up to the crossbar at the top and the CM put a PIECE OF PAPER between her head and the top bar - and then said nope. So I have found them to be very strict.

If you prepare him for the worst and that he WON'T be able to go on these rides - it'll be a nice surprise if he ends up just tall enough.

 

[1osfan]

I would prepare for the worst - just in case.

DD was about that height (39 plus without shoes and just 40 with) when we went once and she was turned down at Spash. It was literally that her head was up to the crossbar at the top and the CM put a PIECE OF PAPER between her head and the top bar - and then said nope. So I have found them to be very strict.

If you prepare him for the worst and that he WON'T be able to go on these rides - it'll be a nice surprise if he ends up just tall enough.

This is what I am afraid of. I marked 40 inches on the wall and then had him stand in front of it and marked his height. The two marks were in the exact same place. I am afraid he is going to fall short but a hair.

Did you try any other rides or was Splash the only one?

 

[Ariel8676]

Personally i wouldn't bring it up anymore. If he does than i would say hopefully we can ride everything you want, but if not we will have a great time anyway. Then, by the summer if he is tall enough he will be surprised and happy that he can ride all the big kid rides!

 

[Hannathy]

If there is something he really wants to ride then head there first thing in the morning if he is close. We really are taller in the morning and if they are close a fraction can make the difference.

 

[NotUrsula]

A couple of tips: since he is RIGHT AT 40"; perception will matter, and so will fatigue.

First thing to be sure of is to do the "reach" rides in the morning when he is still fresh. When he's tired he'll be more likely to slouch a bit.

Second thing is: DON'T CARRY HIM IN THE RIDE LINE!! On the reach rides he will be measured twice, once at the entrance to the line, and AGAIN at the entrance to the ride vehicle. It is entirely possible to pass at measurement one and fail at measurement two; the CM at the ride vehicle has the last word. IME with DS when he was just at 40" like this, it always went the same way: if he walked through the ride line on his own feet he would get onto the ride, but if the measuring CM saw him being carried in the line, he would measure just a hair too short. I have no idea if this is something that CM's are trained to do, but if not, it was strangely consistent.

Also, make your own L-shaped measuring stick and teach him how to stand under it. Kids have a natural tendency to duck when something like that presses on the top of their heads, and it's best to teach him in advance that the goal is to have his head touch the bar, not to play limbo with it and duck under.

 

[delmar411]

Also, make your own L-shaped measuring stick and teach him how to stand under it. Kids have a natural tendency to duck when something like that presses on the top of their heads, and it's best to teach him in advance that the goal is to have his head touch the bar, not to play limbo with it and duck under.

This is your best bet with him. Teach him the goal is bumping your head. Bumped heads get to ride.

 

[humalexis]

Here's a question to go with this question. My DD5 is getting close to the 44 inch mark. Do they have a place where you can go and get a stamp that states their height? When we would go to Cedar Point my parents took me to a building at the front of the park and they would put a stamp on my hand so I didn't have to get checked for every roller coaster.

Sorry to tag onto your question.

 

[delmar411]

Here's a question to go with this question. My DD5 is getting close to the 44 inch mark. Do they have a place where you can go and get a stamp that states their height? When we would go to Cedar Point my parents took me to a building at the front of the park and they would put a stamp on my hand so I didn't have to get checked for every roller coaster.

Sorry to tag onto your question.

No, you have to measure at each ride. People were switching arm bands when it was tried out.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

with my middle grandson, it took getting him to understand he had to hit the bar with his head. we had to teach him to walk tall and hit the bar. he was afraid of hitting his head on bar, thoght it would hurt his head. he is now proud to showoff how he can hit the bar. and he really want to go on the rides, loves them including TOT, just did not like hitting his head on the bar.

 

[suzy021372]

If he can't get on one ride, go ahead and try others. My DS was able to ride the Matterhorn but not the Go Coaster, even though they both had the same height requirement. Maybe it was time of day, or luck, or maybe the measuring bars are not exact.

 

[Keegansmommy]

Last Aug. my little guy just made the height requirement to ride the rapids at AK. We're in the same boat this year w/ height. We measured him at home 40 inches but we just went to Great Wolf Lodge yesterday and he measured 39 inches w/o shoes.

 

[stashbin]

Some of the measuring sticks are higher than others IMO. My DD measured one height at one attraction and was an inch shorter at another. I don't know if it's the angle of the ground where the measuring posts are mounted or what...but I have noticed that on some attractions the sticks are different.

ETA: Don't even bother letting the CM's know this because they don't care. It upset me that DD could ride one ride with a certain height requirement and then couldn't ride another with an identical height requirment due to the stick being way higher than the other.

 

[Colleen27]

I'd be cautious about getting his hopes up. We had problems with DD measuing big enough at the start of a line but too short at the boarding station, and talk about a meltdown! Nothing like spending half an hour in line, all excited for a ride, to be told "No, sorry, that other CM was wrong and you're still too little". Fortunately that was the only trip where we had a kiddo right at the edge of a major height limit.

 

[4HppyCamprs]

You have already been given great advice but I just wanted to add that this is the time of year for growth spurts (was reading this in the paper in addition to my own experience with my boys ) so hopefully he will shoot up a bit more and it wont be as much of a issue

 

[Mousemommy1]

In my experience from our visit last month, 40 inches w/shoes on doesn't cut it...our DD4 was measured at the MD office back in December at 39.5 inches and we kept measuring until Feb. and were so excited that with shoes she was close to 41 inches...however, at Disney, in line, was whole different story and when CM's measured her she was not allowed on, just under the bar!!! I was ok with it though, I mean, the height requirements are set for a reason and she was told ahead of time that she may still not be big enough and so she was fine too. Hey- There's always next year!!! Here's hoping for another inch or two before then!

 

[kmedina]

Except the water parks, measurements are taken with shoes on. As long as the shoes do not obviously add height (according to CM rules), they can be kept on for the measurement. The child must be exactly 40" or taller with normal shoes. They need to be able to stand up straight without much assistance or it raises a red flag to the CM. If the kid is tall enough at home with help or a reminder to stand up straight, that does not guarantee he/she will hit the mark at the ride.

My DS3 was less than 1/8" short last trip of the 40" mark. We still measured him at every ride he wanted to try, since it was so close. You never know if the kid may have a growth spurt while on the trip. He missed them all. It turned out to be all right, since we prepared him explaining that he could not ride unless he was tall enough. He understood. Make sure you prepare your kid just in case.

Less than a week after leaving, he was tall enough. I thought that was very funny. He was right at 42" on his fourth birthday with shoes, so he grew over 2" in one year. Maybe, he waited to grow on purpose.

 

[Colleen27]

In my experience from our visit last month, 40 inches w/shoes on doesn't cut it...our DD4 was measured at the MD office back in December at 39.5 inches and we kept measuring until Feb. and were so excited that with shoes she was close to 41 inches...however, at Disney, in line, was whole different story and when CM's measured her she was not allowed on, just under the bar!!!

I'd agree with that. DD measured 40.25" in bare feet at her annual check-up in Sept '05, about 3 weeks before the trip where she was turned away from Splash.

 

[IcedMudd]

My son is tall enough for all the 40 inch rides. I've found that more CM's measure him when he is being carried or with my husband. He just looks shorter. When he's with me, he still gets measured, but not nearly as often.