Suggestions for "elevator" shoes?

[buckirj1]

Just let me throw this out, how cautious do they really need to be with those measurements, I mean, it's not as if there aren't any safety tolerences built in, right.

If only the CM's would get on the same page, those Height Hittites (sounds better than Nazi. . .alliteration people) just want to make my little Butter Bean cry.

Don't tell me how to parent.

Bwahahahaha If nothing else, the threads about cheatin' shoein' proves true my most cherished assumptions regarding parents. And Butter Bean? I'll have to remember that--much classier than Li'l Snotleigh

 

[Dan Murphy]

My daughter is four years old, and is definitely ready for Star Tours, Soarin, etc. Wearing her black dress shoes with a half inch heel, she is right at 40". Does anyone have suggestions for a more comfortable shoe for her that would maybe even put her safely over the 40" threshhold? Also, does anyone put inserts or extra socks? What have you tried? What works?

Thanks, Tromba

The DIS advertises them.....

http://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/...om/en/?page=collectionList&categoryCode=&nm=3

 

[Neesy228]

Let's use common sense here. Buying something, say those shoes in the banner, that would make your child 4 inches taller to ride a roller coaster is NOT the same thing as buying children's sneakers that make your child 1/2" taller for Soarin' or Star Tours. Is the 1/2" breaking the rules? Probably. But it doesn't make you a bad parent who is endangering their child. I mean, it's Soarin', not RNR or EE or SM!

I think that this is very well said and I totally agree.

 

[ksumn1]

Sketchers and K Swiss tennis shoes have fairly thick soles. Also, platform sandals. But CM's will make the kid take off the shoes if the measurement is close. It happened to us in 2002. DD wanted to ride Splash Mountain and BTMRR. Made it on BTMRR no problem, but at Splash she measured 41 1/2 inches so she couldn't ride. Now, at home, the dr's office and at Six Flags she measured 42 3/4 or 43. I asked why the discrepancy and was told very firmly, "Don't know but I'm not breaking the rules." Went to Space Mointain and she passed the height restriction by a teensy bit but she chickened out. Then, back to Splash...different CM, and she made the height requirement. I'm not sure why the variance or how it happened, but IT DOES happen.

Anyway, no flames from me. Your kid, your choice, but do try to keep in mind there are reasons for the height requirements and is it worth the bother of trying to "beat the system"? I'd use it as an excuse for another trip..."But honey, Jane didn't get to ride Space Mountain last time, she was too short.Maybe it's time to go back again..."

 

[jcemom]

I think there are plenty of regular sneakers out there with soles that are over 1/2" thick. DD6 has some that we picked up at Target, just regular inexpensive (under $20) sneakers with soles that's 3/4 of an inch thick. It doesn't look unusual or attention catching. I wouldn't even have known they were that thick if we hadn't measured her with and without shoes and seen the difference on the door frame.

As for Disney's measurements, I think they're pretty close. A while back we measured DD at home, 40 1/2" tall in her sneakers. She got onto all the 40" rides at Disney. She came the closest to not making it at Soarin' but she did make it on, several times on different days. So if they're off it's by less than 1/2 an inch.

She rode Barnstormer when she was 35 3/4" tall in sneakers. So again, she wasn't much over the requirement and she made it on with no problem.

 

[jcemom]

Good luck either way. Disney's measurements are WAYYY off. My son is 39 inches tall and barely hit the 35 inch requirement for the barnstormer and was WAY under the requirement for primeval whirl. How that works, I don't know

The height requirement for Primeval Whirl is 48 inches. At 39" he should be way under, about 9 inches under.

 

[stitchlovestink]

But, then again, as others in the know have posted, if the CM sees thick soles, they will ask you to take the shoes off.

bolding is mine...
I think the more appropriate term should be 'May'. In all of our trips (when DDs' were younger) we have never been asked for DD's to remove shoes for measuring or witnessed this of others. I'm not saying it doesn't happen. But we've been in line behind people whose kids were very close calls and did not witness cm's having them take shoes off. Not saying it can't or doesn't happen, but I also don't think that it's a 'rule' that all cm's follow that if a child is 'close' they need to measure w/o footwear. Just my .02.

 

[claryche]

From my experience 40 inches is not always 40 inches at Disney. On our last trip, my son was able to ride Star Tours, but not Soarin'. Both a 40 inch ride. As previously stated, there is always error when it comes to measurements. So you just have to go with the flow. I have decided though that I will not tell my DS that he will be tall enough for any ride, until he is measuring at least 2 inches above the restriction, just to be safe. And as far as whether you should try to add a half an inch or even a full inch, it's up to each individual. I'm sure it won't be the first time and it won't be the last time that someone has done it. And on a sidenote...I agree with the thought that Tom Cruise uses those shoes.

 

[mdoc]

This is toooo funny! Sounds like something my daughter would do with her dad's assistance. How old was she at the time? I wonder if it was uncomfortable walking on granola bars all day!!

I think she was about 4 (which is why I think dad was complicit). She didn't walk around with them in there all day - after she got onto the ride she wanted, she took them out and ate them. Yuck, but at least they were still in the wrappers.

 

[GemmaPixie]

I think she was about 4 (which is why I think dad was complicit). She didn't walk around with them in there all day - after she got onto the ride she wanted, she took them out and ate them. Yuck, but at least they were still in the wrappers.

Bet you we're shocked!

 

[MapleGirl]

OP: Make sure to go to the 'tall rides' first thing in the morning when your DD's posture is better. She'll be taller in the morning then in the afternoon when she's all tired.

My Nanny used to say, "Good Girls have Good Posture!" I'll change that to "Wannabe tall girls have good posture!"

 

[Mulan82]

i say... you forget about the shoes....

and just give her tall new jersey hair....
if you spray and tease it enough, it could crack the top of the pole instead.

 

[MamaCrush]

My daughter is four years old, and is definitely ready for Star Tours, Soarin, etc. Wearing her black dress shoes with a half inch heel, she is right at 40". Does anyone have suggestions for a more comfortable shoe for her that would maybe even put her safely over the 40" threshhold? Also, does anyone put inserts or extra socks? What have you tried? What works?

Thanks, Tromba

We just went through that in March with our 7 year old and RnRC! She was less than a half-inch away. We took her to Dick's Sporting goods with a tape measure. We tried on about three pairs of shoes that we thought had the highest "heels". We chose the ones that mader her hit the 40" mark.
We also put her long hair up in a loose bun on top of her head to make it a bit more confusing for the the CM's! (No flames please, my DD was MORE than ready to ride and we truly appreciate those CM's who look after the safety of our children.)

And for the most part we were successful. We rode 3 times-- all with different CM's standing watch. Two let her in, one felt she wasn't tall enough. But all in all, it was worth it and she had a GREAT time.

Good luck!

 

[RF536]

A shoe with a 1/2 inch heel is not going to get the CM's attention. The 40 inch height requirement was set with the expectation that the rider would be wearing sometime of footwear, this is a themepark not a waterpark. Therefore the manufacuture had to make an allowance added height due to shoes, most allow a maxium of 1 1/2 inches.

OP - I would go the the store and try and find some shoes that add the 1/2 inche your DD needs to reach 40 inches. As previously mentioned look at Sketchers they do tend to have thick soles. As far as kids being close having to remove their shoes, I have never seen it done, last year DS5 just barely made it on RNR and they still let him ride it with out removing his shoes.

 

[TLinden16]

I'm going to close this thread now. Discussion of trying to get around Disney's policies are not allowed on the DIS.