Do yourself a favor get your son's height before leaving. My son is 8, also and he's still going for what he calls "the HULK height!" of 54". If he's not a thrill ride enthusiast he won't mind but my 8yo, who is ALSO driving me insane, has me taking his height DAILY!
That way the map won't disappoint him when he finds out he can't go on...
We have already been through that. He's stuck at 52 inches. He's taking it well planning what rides he'll take his mother on (she's not a roller coaster fan) when I go on the coasters with his older brother