Why doesn't Disney do this?

[maxiesmom]

I received one of my travel magazines in the mail today. There was a small article from a person who worked at Cedar Point for a few years. She said that they actually have an official height measurer. That if a parent wished they could visit this person and they would give your child a wrist band if they were indeed big enough to ride the roller-coasters. That seemed like such a great idea, and I can't help but wonder why Disney doesn't do something like that? I know different rides have different heights, but couldn't they give out different color bands. For instance, red would be if you could do all the rides, blue if you were under 44 inches.

Think of how many parents go to take their child on a ride, only to be turned away at the dreaded stick. And I have seen on here that a child could be measured tall enought by one CM, not tall enough by another. Measure once and go would solve all this and save the Cms some abuse too.

What do you guys think?

 

[jennyl772003]

I have actually had this done at Six Flags. It is a good idea in theory, but it really was a pokey process at 6 Flags. I easily stood in line for 20 minutes just to get DS measured.

WDW is soooo much bigger, I don't know how feasible it would be.
It is nice having one "master measuring stick".

 

[GalDisney]

Disney DID do this. A couple yrs ago Disneyland tried it as an experiment. Guess it didnt work out too well because as far as i know it has not been implimented.

 

[goofyernmost]

What would stop one kid from "lending" their wrist thing to someone else? Seems like it wouldn't take much to mess with the system.

 

[maxiesmom]

What would stop one kid from "lending" their wrist thing to someone else? Seems like it wouldn't take much to mess with the system.

They use a wrist-band system for Mnsshp and Mvmcp. And many water parks use them too. They seem to be very hard to get out of and loan to another person.

 

[tmt martins]

Your spine also compresses during the day (leanrd on another thread).What would you do with all the CM's that do the measureing.

 

[SueM in MN]

Disney DID do this. A couple yrs ago Disneyland tried it as an experiment. Guess it didnt work out too well because as far as i know it has not been implimented.

From the little I heard about it, the experiment didn't last long. I don't know why.

 

[TimothyG]

Good in theory but would get rather expensive and rather annoying since EVERY guest would have to wear one in order to be fair. Getting into the park could take forever since wristbands would have to be given out. And then it would take even longer to get on the rides as each person in the queue would have to show the wristband.

Although on the flipside, this would also be good for the same reason that the measurements fluctuate.

I guess Disney has reason not to though. They know more then we do about the matter.

 

[THESCHULTZFIVE]

They could still have the Cm's stand there to measure also, I'm sure some people will not want to stand in line for the bracelet. They could even print on the wristband that they reserve the right to "double check" if they feel the need to. We just went to 6 flags last weekend and my DD9 rode 4 coasters before one of the ride people(are they CM's now too?) gave her the 54" bracelet. I asked this same question on here awhile ago, because I think they could make the system work and I would be willing to stand in line to get one.

 

[mommic32]

Here in pittsburgh at Kennywood they have a place where you can go and they measure you as well, and there is also a board there that tells you what rides you can ride and what ones you cant.. Let me tell you as a Parent of a shorter daughter,,, It takes the stress out of knowing before you even get to the ride.. Will she be tall enough or won't she!
And BTW they do the bands,, And you would need sissors to get it off.

 

[CDSTapisRouge]

Animal Kingdom has been doing hand stamps. Or at least they were about a month ago. We went to ride Everest and the kids in front of us had a stamp on one hand that said Yeti (I think) and the other hand said Kali... I pointed it out to my hubby and he told me that they were trying it out. The attraction will measure the child and stamp their hand so that if they return later that day (or go to an attraction with a shorter height requirement) they would not need to be rechecked (although some kids want the stamp at each anyway).

 

[Paging Tom Morrow]

Good in theory but would get rather expensive and rather annoying since EVERY guest would have to wear one in order to be fair. Getting into the park could take forever since wristbands would have to be given out. And then it would take even longer to get on the rides as each person in the queue would have to show the wristband.

Ummm....why?

They don't measure everyone now, why would they have to do it if they gave out wristbands? I'm 6'3" - I haven't been measured for any ride in over 20 years.

 

[pooch]

it's located in the lost child area. Your child is measured and then gets a bracelet, much like the EMH ones, which is both color-coded and height stamped based on which height level the child has reached. For example, a red band with 52" stamped on it indicates your child can ride all attractions with a height requirement of 52" or less but cannot ride those w/ a 54" requirement.

I think the benefits of this system are twofold: You and your child know in advance which rides they can ride AND the ride operators, usually high school and college kids w/summer jobs, don't have to deal with the OBNOXIOUS parents for whom a height requirement is merely a suggestion. I am constantly amazed and embarrassed by parents who insist their child is more than capable of riding something for which they are too short!! Height requirements with a mark against which to measure are routinely posted at the entrance to the thrill rides, yet these people seem to think that as long as they've waited in admittedly long lines, they should be allowed on!! Wristbands for borderline riders is a great way to avoid these situations.


And I've never found the area to be crowded. We're only talking about kids who are borderline. My son looked forward each year to his "new" measurement. Mom, look what I can go on now!!!

Pooch

 

[druiser]

I think it would be FANTASTIC!! We could've used it when we were there just a couple of weeks ago. DS5 was about 48 1/8 inches tall, so he was ok to ride everything, but DS 3 is like 40 inches EXACTLY, and it's a chore to try and get a 3 yr old boy to stand upright and still, feet together, head up, etc for 1 measurement, let alone 5 or 6.

One day, the poor kid made it onto Test Track, but by the time we made it to Soarin in the afternoon, he wasn't going to stand properly to hit 40", so they wouldn't let him on.

Next day, he rode BTM in the morning and LOVED IT - his favorite ride of the trip (loved the "fast train" !!!). But just 5 hours later, when trying to ride again, the CM pulled him out of the train to measure again, and sure enough, he didn't make it. Try to explain to your sobbing child as the train pulls away that "if only he'd stood up straight" ... Criminal to make a kid cry at WDW ...

and IMO, 40" for many of the rides there is a bit of a joke. Safety my eye ... most of those requirements are to weed out younger kids who may be frightened by certain things. DS3 was more scared of the 3D movies than he was of any ride he's EVER been on ... with NO risk of flying out, BTW.

 

[IMGONNABE40!]

I think the congestion issue could be solved if the CM's at the rides had the colored wristbands. You only had to measure at the first ride you went on.

 

[WantToGoNow]

We went to a local amusement park this weekend. We took my son to one ride that required a 44" height minimum. He was exactly 44" tall. The person that measured him put a wrist band on that was bright orange and said 44" inches. I saw other children with other colors - I assume it was for 36" or 48" which seem to be the only requirements there. Now, we did measure him again later in the day at another ride and he was just below their 44" mark.

 

[mrp4352]

With our Six Flags, it's the guest's choice. They can take their child to Guest Services and get the wrist band up front. Or they can let the child be measured at each ride (but the wrist bands are only available at the front).

I think it would be a nice option to have, but I wouldn't require it of every child going through the gates...