Splash Mountain and 40 inch height req

[cwf1028]

I would definately prepare for it not to be successful. We had to deal all week with a 43.5 DD and we were turned away for EE the first time we tried. It really depends on what the CM is like. She stood under the bar and her head hit it, but the CM then crammed a thing of about 5 credit cards taped together between her head and the bar and said NO. She literally pushed her down. She made a comment about 'and with the shoes'. She was just wearing crocs. We went to EE later in the day and the CM then just glanced at her and stamped her hand "YETI" and let her on. We were let on the other rides without any problems. Oddly enough, they made her measure for Kali although that was only a 38' ride? You will find very different enforcement with each CM you encounter. Prepare for disappointment and check back later in the day if you can. You just never know. I will say that 2' is going to be hard to 'fudge'.

 

[kathie859]

In Dec. 05, DGS was on the short side of the 38" mark. He wasn't happy about not being able to ride everything he wanted, but now he's finally made the 40" + side, he's rarin' to go this fall. Sure, would we have loved for him to ride the rides he wanted? At the risk of injury--eh, no. At the risk of providing him with "lifts" to appear taller than he is? ---eh, no. That's not a lesson we wanted to teach him. For the record, he's runt of a little guy. His Mom was the same way until she was in the 3rd grade--always the shortest in her class. She grew up to be 5'7", so I guess there's hope for him
I completely sympathize with the OP, but I think there's plenty to see and do that is size/age appropriate that unless a big deal is made out of it, the DD will have a good time.

 

[MightyMom]

This is interesting to me.

My son uses a wheelchair and can not get out and stand long enough... or tall enough to get a proper measurment.

We went to his doc to get a little note specifying what his actual height was because I thought it might be an issue.

Oddly enough.... his height was NEVER questioned on ANY rides. He was six years old on our first trip.... and a small six year old.... but we were NEVER asked to take him out of his chair to have him measured.

While I'm sure Disney enforces the height requirements with the majority of their guests, I was very surprised it was not enforced with my son as well.

Now don't assume because my son is in a wheelchair that he doesn't LOVE the big rides. He LOVES Big Thunder Mountain and Expedition Everest. He's the kid with his hands in the air...... and I have a death grip around him trying to keep him from falling over!

I used common sense before allowing him to ride..... and I went on the honor system.

Trust me. You never want your child injured because of something you could have prevented.

 

[SueM in MN]

This is interesting to me.

My son uses a wheelchair and can not get out and stand long enough... or tall enough to get a proper measurment.................

I used common sense before allowing him to ride..... and I went on the honor system.

Trust me. You never want your child injured because of something you could have prevented.

My DD who uses a wheelchair is over 5 feet tall now, but when she was smaller, the CMs just asked us, "Is she over XX" whatever the height was for the attraction. When she got to the point that she was well over 48 inches, they stopped asking. I think the CMs are probably pretty good at estimating height for people in wheelchairs and can also tell who is not able to get out of the wheelchair for measuring (for my DD, the custom wheelchair with foot straps is probably a good tip off

I have seen them measure kids using wheelchairs who were able to get up to be measured, but for those who can't be measured, I think most parents of children with disabilities would be pretty honest about it (after all, our kids already have enough problems without adding an accidental injury).

And to the OP, I have also seen CMs have children take off their shoes for measuring - usually it's the kids with wedges or anything that looks higher than a regular sneaker sole. A child wearing a 2 inch wedge heel would probably be asked to take it off even if their height was just above the measure without the shoes. A child who is just making the limit with 2 inch wedges is almost guaranteed to be asked to remove the shoes.

 

[GoochiGirl]

You can try these. They are cute. They are each about 2 in.

 

[dprobinson1]

OK, here is what we did .. IF you are very close to the mark ... and I agree .. an obvious wedge shoe will not work .. CM will likely give you a no. Get tennis shoes with a slight lift or this sole ... slight not obvious .. now, listen close .. we did this. take your kids shoes and socks off .. take the socks .. roll them in a ball .. put them in the heel of the shoe under the heel of her foot .. put the shoe back on .. you will gain a 1/2 inch! When the ride is over ... go back to normal .. you can do this in line as you near the measure point. You really can not cheat the system .. and it is not a good idea to try .. for safety reasons .. however, if you are close, less than and inch ... a tiny boost can help.

 

[allyphoe]

Without regard to the safety issue, I think you'll be hard pressed to get her from 38" barefoot to 40" with shoes. My DD was 39"+ barefoot, wore chunky-soled shoes with a heel because her flip-flops made her too short, and got quite a bit of scrutiny each time she was measured.

I would start managing expectations now - my DD knew that every single time we got in line, there was a chance she would be turned away, and that passing the first measuring didn't mean she'd actually get on. As it happened, she was able to ride everything she wanted, but if she hadn't been, she would have been fine with that, because she knew that was a possibility. If she'd spent the summer building up to a ride and never knew there was a chance she couldn't go on it, only to be refused at the last minute, there would have been a meltdown of epic proportions.

 

[allyphoe]

Oddly enough, they made her measure for Kali although that was only a 38' ride?

If you're above 38" and below some other height (42"?), you have to sit in the seat with the safety bar. So they measure for both heights at Kali.

 

[lori123]

I know it is hard to see their disappointed faces! I will have to face this yet again when we go this September - I have TWINS and one is 4 inches taller than the other. Makes is hard when one gets a No and the other a Yes - but it is a lesson my daughter is learning. Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[jenb1023]

As OP's stated two inches is going to be hard to make up.

Also, not all Disney measuring sticks or CM's are the same.

DD (3.5) was about 39.5" when we went in April in her bare feet. She measured fine for Big Thunder Mtn., wasn't even measured for the Stich ride (which I think is 40") and was refused at Star Tours. At ST we made it past the entrance but inside she was refused and she was not just a hair short. There was significant room between the top of her head and the bar. Now she might have had shoes on with less of a heel than the day she rode BTM but it would not have been too significant a difference because we only had regular sandals, flip flops, sneakers and crocs with us.

So I think you are going to have a very hard time getting her on 40" rides even with tall shoes.

Just plan ahead for the worst and if she is able to get on it will be a good surprise!

 

[lori123]

As OP's stated two inches is going to be hard to make up.

Also, not all Disney measuring sticks or CM's are the same.

DD (3.5) was about 39.5" when we went in April in her bare feet. She measured fine for Big Thunder Mtn., wasn't even measured for the Stich ride (which I think is 40") and was refused at Star Tours. At ST we made it past the entrance but inside she was refused and she was not just a hair short. There was significant room between the top of her head and the bar. Now she might have had shoes on with less of a heel than the day she rode BTM but it would not have been too significant a difference because we only had regular sandals, flip flops, sneakers and crocs with us.

So I think you are going to have a very hard time getting her on 40" rides even with tall shoes.

Just plan ahead for the worst and if she is able to get on it will be a good surprise!

I had to laugh at my poor DD when I read this - she is 7 and only 44" tall. I am hoping we don't have problems with DS (her twin) since he is just at 48" - by the pediatrician and our measurements.

 

[GoochiGirl]

I agree with this. Again, agreed. 2" seems like too much to make up -- your success rate at getting by will be close to zero. While this might make for a lesson in accepting that which cannot be controlled, I can't see repeating such a lesson over and over again.

Bring your daughter to rides that there is no question she will be able to ride. The next time you visit WDW she'll probably be tall enough for the others...

David

My daughter is two and wears wedge shoes all the time. They are a very comfortable pair that she likes to wear more than her tennis shoes. They do have a 2 inch sole. She plays on the playground and runs in them. I think it depends on the shoes. Her wedges have a tennis shoe base so it is like walking in tennis shoes.

 

[disphoto]

I see so many 'little ways' to add some height. My question to each of you... if you 'cheat' and get by and your child gets hurt will you sue Disney? Will you blame them?

My dd is tall enough for many rides, but she is petite, and it scares me sometimes. She could almost slip through some of the harnesses. Safety requirements are there for a reason. Just because they may give themselves error room on the height, doesn't mean you should cheat the system. We don't always get to do everything we want in life. That includes riding rides at Disney.

 

[Hannathy]

If your DD was 5 or 6 I might be more sympathetic but she is only 3!!!!. Give her time to be a pre-schooler and have something to look forward to. I also think the height is based on the average child at an age to handle the directions and the actual ride. Why does a 3 yr old need to go on the roller coasters?

2 inches is a long way from the actual height and a lot to try to fudge. I have no problem with "helping" a child gain 1/2 inch especially if they are plenty old enough but your DD is neither. I have very short kids so I know the frustration but I never tried to gain 2 inches and especially not at 3. My DD was in first grade and barely made it on splash and as they were measuring her every CM did glance down at her feet since she was close, never asked for shoes to come off, but she only had on normal shoes, but they did look. Your DD is young and she is too short by a long ways. I also don't think allowing a young child with developing muscles and tendons to play in high heels is a good idea and it also opens them up to twisted ankles very easily.

 

[BamaFan121s]

I see so many 'little ways' to add some height. My question to each of you... if you 'cheat' and get by and your child gets hurt will you sue Disney? Will you blame them?

If you are involved in a auto accident due to someone driving a Ford Mustang 150 miles an hour and you yourself were driving too fast, do you blame the other person driving? Do you take part of the blame yourself? Do you blame Ford for making a car capable of traveling at such high speeds? Do you blame the highway department because the caution light wasn't working?

These are all hypothetical questionsn with MANY MANY variables that cannot be determined that no one could answer until it happens.

 

[dqpowell]

I see so many 'little ways' to add some height. My question to each of you... if you 'cheat' and get by and your child gets hurt will you sue Disney? Will you blame them?

Irrelevant questions. A child close enough to the required height to get through with a little bit of extra heel in their shoes will not be hurt.

My dd is tall enough for many rides, but she is petite, and it scares me sometimes.

If you're concerned about your daughter, then don't let her ride. That's your prerogative. I don't think anybody's trying to tell you what to do. I'm sure others would appreciate the same in return.

David

 

[all4disney98]

I agree with the warnings on if you get by with one measuring stick at the entrance, you still might not get by the measuring stick as you are getting on the ride.

This happened to my DS a few years ago on Test Track. We were not even going to try to get DS on the ride and were asking the CM at the entrance if we could parent swap. She then said she thought my DS was tall enough and measured him. Sure enough, he was tall enough - by about a 1/2 inch. He was so excited and so were we. Then we were about to load in a car and another CM came by with another measuring stick and he was way too short. I do believe the measuring sticks are slightly different and perhaps the way the CM can hold the stick changes too.

Needless to say, DS was VERY disappointed. I felt bad because all along we told him next trip you can do this ride etc. so he was prepared to not ride. They are the ones that offered the ride to him!

Unfortunately DD is 39.5" without shoes this trip coming up and I don't even want to have them measure her because the same thing could happen to her. Don't want to have to go through that again.