Why do the Disney parks set height requirements for certain rides? Why do they sometimes measure your kid before you get in line AND then measure again before you get on the ride? Most importantly, Disney’s ride height requirements are set with your family’s safety in mind. They want to protect your children and keep them safe. The required height is set because they need to reach a certain height before they can safely ride particular attractions. The seatbelt needs to fit their body correctly, the lap bar needs to hold them in, the pull down shoulder restraints need to keep them inside the ride. They have run test after test to determine the height requirements for each ride. They employ experts in these fields to determine these safety requirements. The bottom line is nobody wants to have any accidents. They do everything they can to ensure every visitor to the parks remains safe.
Think about all these things before you try any tricks to work the system. It isn’t worth your child’s safety just to ride a ride. You are better off postponing your trip for a few months if your child MUST ride a certain ride. Another thing to be aware of is that your child’s height is just one indicator that they are “ready” to ride a particular ride. There are other factors that will determine if your child is going to enjoy an attraction: do they dislike the dark, loud noises, heights, fast movements, sudden drops, etc… For example, Indiana Jones, is dark, loud, fast and can be a little scary. Even some of the dark rides in Fantasyland, can be dark, loud and scary and they don’t even have a height requirement. So, you, as the parent/guardian, need to know your child’s personality and if they will enjoy a ride. Just because they are tall enough doesn’t mean they are ready. Take all your child’s concerns into consideration before putting them on a ride just because they are tall enough for it.
A few basic items of info before we get into the specific tips for measuring your kids at the parks. Remember, they will be measured with their shoes on in the parks. The measurements from your pediatrician’s office will be without their shoes. Make sure you take this into account when you are waiting for them to get tall enough for a particular ride. If you wait until your doctor says your child is 40″ you could possibly have ridden it several months sooner! I remember seeing someone post on Instagram that they almost went a whole trip not letting their kids ride the 40″ attractions. They just thought their kid wasn’t tall enough so they didn’t even try to measure them until the last day, and then they found out he was actually just over 40″! On the other side of this, on my last trip, we rope dropped Indiana Jones. As we got to the attraction there was a family of 4 (the parents and two kids). They were measuring their youngest and she wasn’t tall enough. Instead of getting a ride switch pass, they were distraught and just left! The whole family just walked away. It was so sad. They could have done a rider switch pass and let the rest of the family ride. There are ways to avoid both of these situations !
The best way to avoid either of those problems is to measure at home. I have a ride height chart, that will double as a growth chart, that lists the attractions and their height requirements. It looks like a regular growth chart with the inch measurements on the side, then at the particular measurements it list the rides. For example on the DL/DCA version at 40″ it lists: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Guardian’s of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout, Jumpin’ Jellyfish, Radiator Spring’s Racers, Silly Symphony Swings (tandem swings), Soarin’ Around the World, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Star Tours, and Rise of the Resistance. 40″ is a HUGE height milestone for the Disney parks! I have a Disneyland and a Walt Disney World version so you will be covered at either park you are visiting. You can find my ride height charts in my Etsy shop:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheUnseenMagic
Here are my 4 tips for getting an accurate measurement in the parks!
This doesn’t seem like rocket science, because it’s not! Have them snap those heels together! If their feet are spread apart they won’t get an accurate measurement because their legs won’t be all the way extended. Have them put their feet together, get down there and help them if necessary. Some kids will be nervous, shy or unsure of what is happening. Try to have one person, besides the Cast Member, telling them what to do. If you have a large party, shush everyone else. It will be overwhelming and confusing for your child if too may people are giving suggestions.
Number two, is to have them put their shoulders up and back. You definitely don’t want them slouching! It can be a little difficult to get them to do this since there isn’t a wall they are standing against. If they don’t understand what you are asking them, show them. Suck in your gut, shoulders up and back, get that good posture going! This might be the most important one. Lengthening that spine and neck will get them the correct measurement.
The third tip, is to have them put their chin up! Not really up or down, but just looking straight ahead. Maybe get down on their level and look them in the eye and get them to smile! If their head is bent forward it might be too short of a measurement, if they are looking up the Cast Member will readjust them to get an accurate measurement.
My fourth and final piece of advice is to practice, practice, practice! You know that practice makes perfect, so do it! You don’t want their first experience being measured to be at the park when they’ve been waiting in line for an hour to ride Radiator Spring’s Racers. This is especially important if you know they are just right at the height requirement. 40″ is a BIG milestone at the Disney parks for attractions. If your little one is just right at or just over 40″, or whatever height requirement you are trying to meet, you will definitely want to practice. Make sure they are wearing the same shoes they will be wearing in the parks. You can start with having them stand against a wall to practice all the things: feet together, shoulders up and back, and chin up. You will eventually want to have them practice standing without the wall, since that is how the parks measure.
This is a height rule at Jumpin’ Jellyfish in DCA. You can see that the starfish extends and the Cast Member will have them stand under that arm to see if their head touches. So there is no wall or place for them to lean against. They just need to know how to stand tall on their own.
To wrap things up, put their shoes on that they will be wearing in the parks, no crazy hair dos (that just makes the Cast Members be extra careful measuring), put their feet together, stand up tall, shoulders up and back, chin up and a big ol’ smile and order one of my height charts so you know before you go! You can order one from my etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheUnseenMagic.
When you measure at home you can anticipate excitement for the rides they are tall enough for and avoid disappointment by discussing the rides they aren’t quite tall enough for just yet. It’s a rite of passage for all kids to grow up and ride all the rides they eventually get tall enough for. If you are a Disney loving family then my height charts will become an heirloom piece that could be handed down from generation to generation. You can see when each child was tall enough to ride Matterhorn or Incredicoaster or Flight of Passage.
I hope you find these tips useful! I love seeing kids excitement when they finally are tall enough for to ride the ride they’ve been waiting for! These tips and my height chart are for pure enjoyment only. They in no way guarantee that your child is going to be tall enough for a particular ride. They are tools to help you determine if they might be tall enough. If your child is so close to the height requirement that you aren’t sure if they will be tall enough, know that you may get turned away if a Cast Member measures them and says they are not tall enough. They are just doing their job to keep your family safe so always be respectful to the Cast Members. If your child is just below or even just over the height requirement for a ride you might be better off waiting until your next trip!
