Rock N Roller Coaster Height Restriction--How exact?

[Tigger&Belle]

We are in St.Marys. Funny - My cat could be twins to yours pictured!

-Steve

Is your cat as bad as my cat? I started a whole thread about my cat on the community forum. She looks innocent, but she cost us a $150 keyboard repair on my DD's laptop when she tore off (broke off, I should say...) about a dozen keys. Bad kitty, and her brother, too.


Anna114, I agree about the height and wouldn't really try to cheat the system, but more than anything I was wanting to know if their 48" was a true 48", in which case he would be fine. If WDW is building in for shoes and it's actually 49" then he might not be. I would prepare him either way.

We still don't know if we are going--don't know if I can pull off such a last minute trip.

 

[erikthewise]

It is very true and they are strick. I would suggest trying to ride in the am. I have seen many people ride in the morning and there kids were just tall enough then go back to ride later in the afternoon and not make the cut. The spine compresses during the day so they were at there tallest in the am. And no they do not let you on just becasue you say you rode it earlier in the day.

I think it is riding RnR earlier in the day that compresses the spine!

And yes they are strict! They have to draw a line somewhere. AFIAK it is a true 48 inches. I have a 9yo DS who I swear was 47 for a year and a half, and couldn't ride RnR until he was 8. Their measurements seemed to correspond closely to ours at home

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I think it is riding RnR earlier in the day that compresses the spine!

Not to mention that it jumbles my brain! I'll take Tower of Terror any day! I might have to pay my son a quarter for every time to go on ToT.

 

[welovedis]

OP-not directing this toward you as you seem to understand that if he can't ride that he'll be prepared.

For those who are suggesting napkins in shoes & ponytails to help measure at or above the line, is it really worth it?

Restrictions are in place for a reason, making your child appear to be taller (no matter how small the increment) than they are is opening up the possibility that they could be injured on a ride. Not worth it IMO.

Donning my flame suit!

 

[qtwns]

What are the wrist bands for that someone mentioned?

My DS was crushed last year that he wasn't tall enough for Primeval Hurl...Whirl. He already has me measuring him for our May trip. He wants to ride it all and he will be a close 48". But he is definitely going through a growth spurt, so he just might make it.

That's a good point about riding earlier in the day--I had forgotten that the spine compresses during the day.

 

[tjmw2727]

What are the wrist bands for that someone mentioned?

My DS was crushed last year that he wasn't tall enough for Primeval Hurl...Whirl. He already has me measuring him for our May trip. He wants to ride it all and he will be a close 48". But he is definitely going through a growth spurt, so he just might make it.

That's a good point about riding earlier in the day--I had forgotten that the spine compresses during the day.

The wrist band is only for Kali River Rapids, and it identifies a child betwwn 38 and 44". The reason is to alert the CM at boarding that the child needs a special restraint bar to accomodate that size child vs the regular restraint for 44' and over.

In my experience they are very strict on height and the measuring stick does allow a little bit for shoes. They also measure at the entrance and often then again at boarding. So if your child just gets buy at the entrance be prepared for the possiblity of re-measrue at boarding and possibility of still not riding.

The cm's will always ask the child to remove a hat and measure to the head, not the hair or pony tail. The stick is an upside down L and they can move it over the head, if the head doesn't stop the stick from moving over the head the child will not be allowed to ride. Remind the child to stand tall but not tippie toe, they definately look for that

I have also seen the CM's ask children to remove shoes with obviously large soles or heels, twice girls and one boy.

We just spent time with my in-laws and my nephew was just about 41" so we did the measuring dance quite a few times this trip so I saw it all.

HTH
TJ

 

[tomerin]

The hat trick won't work because they will make you take off the hat. And they will press down on the hair if it is poufed up.

this I have noticed happening many times during our recent WDW trips, the pushing down on the hair to see the child's true height. it seems the more intense the ride the more thery enforce the height restrictions. the height restrictions seemed especially tough on RnR.

good luck to both of you.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I've also seen them especially pay attention, for obvious reasons, if you walk in holding a child. There were times that we'd go on ToT when my son was tired and I'd be giving his feet a rest and they would sure look at us and want to measure him. As soon as I put him down it was obvious that he was well over the 40" mark, but they are really looking for someone trying to sneak their kids past the first measuring station. What I learned from that is that if I have a borderline child, the last thing that I'm going to do is to carry them--they will walk no matter how tired they are!

 

[tjmw2727]

I've also seen them especially pay attention, for obvious reasons, if you walk in holding a child. There were times that we'd go on ToT when my son was tired and I'd be giving his feet a rest and they would sure look at us and want to measure him. As soon as I put him down it was obvious that he was well over the 40" mark, but they are really looking for someone trying to sneak their kids past the first measuring station. What I learned from that is that if I have a borderline child, the last thing that I'm going to do is to carry them--they will walk no matter how tired they are!

Good point, I know at Storyland in NH they make the railings in the queue lines the same as the height restriction so its easy to spot children under the height restriction or close to it. For this reason a carried child always gets remeasured at boading as they are not able to spot check while watching the line.

I never noticed if this was the case at WDW.

TJ

 

[Sleeping Jedi Beauty]

Your best bet is to prepare him that he may not be tall enough. The height restrictions and health warnings are there for a reason. Look no further than what just happened on M:S. It's not worth the risk to "fake" the height in order to let him ride and have something tragic happen. He'll forgive you if he can't ride this trip, but you'll never forgive yourself if you "faked" his height and something tragic happened.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I'm really thinking that Jake will do ok at WDW with the upside down "L" sticks that they use. Any part of his head has to touch, right?

At Kings Dominion it was kind of strange because they put something across his head (a stick of some sort) and it really depended on the person reading it. Jake measured 48", with probably close to 1/2" to spare and then they put a wristband on him so he was good to go for the rest of the day, but when we were in line later for the swings, a girl was in back of us who was a little taller.

A couple days before she'd been there and they measured her and said she wasn't 48". When they measured her they angled the stick, pointing down at the back of her head. Crazy because she was taller than Jake. When she went on the swings she didn't have a wrist band and walked right on without them even measuring her (a 48" height ride). Makes you wonder. The mom wasn't about the question that one. Not a uniform kind of measuring system at all.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Your best bet is to prepare him that he may not be tall enough.

Yes, I've mentioned that I will prepare him for the possibility that he won't be able to ride. Looking more for whether or not 48" is really 48" or if it's 48 1/2 or 49", allowing for shoes.

The ride manufacturer builds a safety cushion into the ride, not to mention that a child could be 50" tall, but have very long legs and a short torso or visa versa. So the ride has to have some "give" in the safety requirements.