Tall enough to ride?

[Momto3littlemice]

My question is regarding height restrictions. My son is JUST barely 38" with no shoes on. He has his heart set on riding Kali River Rapids and I am nervous he won't be tall enough. Does anyone have experience knowing if your child is "close" with no shoes on, do they make it with shoes or do the ride restriction measuring devices account for shoes? We are already going to have our hands full in that my daughter is making the 40" cut this year with no problem and he clearly won't... so I worry about tears :)
Thanks!:mickey:

[GrumpyFan]

Unfortunately, this is something that WDW doesn't do very well at. It really all just depends on the CM. I don't think I've ever seen them make someone take their shoes off, so I wouldn't worry about that too much. But, I have seen them turn someone away who was just a hair short, I've also seen other CMs allow someone go thru who was just a hair short, although they're not supposed to, they could lose their job. Disney takes safety VERY seriously, and they try to be fair in their height restrictions for the safety and protection of their guests.

The only advice I could offer is to try and downplay the whole height thing, especially if you're not certain if they'll make it. That way, if they don't make it their expectations and disappointment won't be as high. But, if they do make it, then, all the better.

You might want to read thru this message thread (http://intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=151084) also. It's another discussion about this topic.

[cheeky monkey]

We are going to have much the same issue here with my kids. I "think" Kali's height restriction is 38" so you shouldn't have a problem on that one. Most of the other rides with restrictions are 40".

[DANAM]

First let me say, I don't want any trouble from anyone on the boards because Disney does this for saftey reasons and I agree with the height requirements for safety reasons.
But my son had a simular issue when we went 2 septembers ago. He was 38" without shoes. He was right under 40" with his shoes. I found that cast members sometime didn't measure him at all and other time we thought we where good and they caught him when we loading on the the ride. So don't get all excited and tell him he's riding and you get to the loading zone and then they won't let you on. Just a tip that I learned from a cast member, teach your child to stand up staight and tall with his feet all the way back on the wall they are measuring him on and to stretch his neck up a bit. Again I was told this by a cast member so that's the only reason I mention it. I would say we got on most things we tried at least once. I did have some special treats for my son if his sister was getting to ride something he couldn't and he did kind of get over it. If only suckers could fix all of life's problems.
Oh and I believe that Kali is 38" too, so you shouldn't have a problem with that one.
Hope this helps you and have a great trip.

[kathiep]

I'm not sure what the height restriction is for this ride. But 2 years ago, my DS didn't make it. But, they have a few seats, not sure if it's on every boat, that have a special restraint for kids. I want to say that if the height restriction was 40", this seat allowed a 38" child to ride. Or if the ride is 38", it allowed a 36" inch child to ride. Sorry I can't remember the specifics. I just remember we had to wait for a boat with that "special" seat.

[S-A-M]

The height requirement for Kali River Rapids is 38". While Disney's Official website isn't the most user friendly anymore, it does list height requirements for the rides. So, if your son is truly 38" without shoes, you should have no problems, but like other's have mentioned, be prepared.

To check requirements for various rides, go to Disney's Official website, click "Discover", select a park, click on "Attractions", and then find what you're looking for from the list.

[WDWdriver]

The height requirement at Kali is 38 inches, and the CMs will not require you to take off his shoes. So your son should be fine for this ride, but he may not make a 40 inch restriction for another attraction. Make a game of practicing at home by having him stand as straight and tall as possible with his shoes on and feet together. But no "tippy toes" - the CMs will watch for that.

BTW, the "special seat" at KRR mentioned above is for kids between 38 and 42 inches. It is a padded lap bar that is pulled down in front of the child so he has something to hang on to.

[jcvalenti]

I started a similar thread a few weeks back that had a lot of good responses and discussion - feel free to check it out at http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=151084&highlight=jcvalenti

My son is currently 39 1/4 " without shoes. I'm cautiously optimistic he'll hit 40 without shoes before our June trip ... now I'm just hoping everyone there will measure fairly and accurately.

[blondeinbrandon]

Years ago my youngest son was measured okay for Primival Whirl but when we got the front, they said he was too short. He and I waited (in the swap area)while DH took is older brother on it. The CM came over and wrote a slip that gave our family free ice cream. He was so proud that he got us ice cream he forgot about the ride.
Very nice CM!:mickey: