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MidnTPK
03-25-2010, 03:10 PM
For my upcoming trip my daughter should be about one-quarter of an inch from being 40 inches tall (she's 38.75 inches now, having grown 3 inches in nine months). Until this recent measurement at the doctor's office, I was operating under the expectation that she would be too short to do any of the 40 inch rides on our June trip, Splash Mountain most importantly.

But now that it looks like we might be close, I'd like to know the process and precision the CMs use to check height. Specifically:

- Is the height is measured with shoes on? From what I've seen, I'm pretty sure the answer is yes.

- If it looks like shoes are getting the kid over the threshold, do CMs stop the kid from riding?

- Are the CMs very precise? I feel like they have L shaped tools to measure, but I haven't been paying that close attention....

If anyone has any tips for making sure she hits the mark in 90 days, I'm all ears.

And I'm being smart about this: she will be under the impression that she is not tall enough until I think it's close enough that she should pass...and even then she'll be under the impression that she's not big enough until we walk by the Splash Mountain entrance and do a quick check without her knowing what's really happening.

DizneyRox
03-25-2010, 04:18 PM
I've seen kids turned away right before getting on the ride vehicle, even though they were passed through by the initial check.

It seems to depend on the CM, they can use their best judgement on if the shoes are a "ploy" to reach a specified height, etc.

So, yes, shoes on, they are factored into the height requirement. Of course there's a safety margin built into the height requirements, but it's not subject to debate with the CMs.

I've seen CM's with an L-Shaped tool that they use to gauge their height, I would guess that they are all protty close, so one pass through should be enough, but in a litigation happy America, Disney isnt taking any chances.

Rule of thumb, if a CM says no, you can't ride, that's the answer. Doesn't matter if they rode it yesterday, or the other CM said it was OK. etc. Take it one day at a time and know that the rules are they for your safety and for the safety of others.

clausjo
03-25-2010, 04:28 PM
When my son was just tall enough to ride Everest, they gave him a plastic wrist band that said Yeti on it so he wouldn't be checked every time. That was a few years ago. When we were just there in February, my daughter was tall enough to ride, again just making it, they didn't give the band and she was measured every time.

They will check and, like the pp said, if they say no, it's best to just go with it, they'll be tall enough eventually!

Strmchsr
03-25-2010, 04:57 PM
I don't have much to add other than my son's head had to be bumping the L-stick. No room between head and stick with hair flat for them to let him on. They didn't make him take off his shoes, but I did see one family turned away because the little girl had shoes with HUGE soles - adding a good 3" to her height. But, with regular tennis shoes that's okay, even if it adds an inch to height. Due to safety concerns they are very strict about the height requirement.

kathiep
03-25-2010, 04:58 PM
My dtr was right at the limit last year. On several rides, BTMRR and Splash Mountain, she was checked at the entrance and again before boarding. A few times, the CM even tried to slide a piece of paper between her head and the measuring bar. If the paper got through, she wasn't going to be allowed to ride.

MidnTPK
03-26-2010, 10:03 AM
Thanks for all the comments.

I definitely do not want one of those scenes where the kid is having a melt down because the parent promised the kid s/he could ride but is too short. But if the difference in her being able to ride is her sneakers versus her crocs, then we'll probably have her wear the ones that give her a slight edge.

Until this latest measurement, I thought the only height we were aiming for was 38 inches on Kali River Rapids. Now Splash Mountain and Soarin might be on our itinerary. But I'll just have to wait and see where she is in June.

AXOAlum
03-26-2010, 10:07 AM
I am glad you are clear with her about not being able to ride - I too have seen kids turned away at boarding, even after being cleared along the way. We joked about the "knot" on DS's head getting him by - they measured him so often with the L bar that he complained about a bump on his head by mid-afternoon.

Good luck :mickey:

Scar
03-26-2010, 10:20 AM
For my upcoming trip my daughter should be about one-quarter of an inch from being 40 inches tall (she's 38.75 inches now, having grown 3 inches in nine months).That's a rate of 1 inch per 3 months. At that rate she'll be fine by June. Tell her she'll grow faster if she eats her vegetables. :thumbsup:

forever a child
03-26-2010, 10:28 AM
That's a rate of 1 inch per 3 months. At that rate she'll be fine by June. Tell her she'll grow faster if she eats her vegetables. :thumbsup:

Have her drink lots of milk too!:thumbsup:

Mickey'sGirl
03-26-2010, 10:38 AM
Have her practice standing as straight as she can as well, with her feet together....this way she will reach her full height potential! .... and tell her we grow when we sleep, so she needs to make sure to go to bed on time and get a good night's sleep! :mickey:

MidnTPK
03-26-2010, 11:54 AM
That's a rate of 1 inch per 3 months. At that rate she'll be fine by June. Tell her she'll grow faster if she eats her vegetables. :thumbsup:


Have her drink lots of milk too!:thumbsup:
This is actually a minor issue that's developed in our house over the past few days.

Before she had her measurement (in the allergist's office of all places), we'd been telling her that she needs to eat well to grow to be a big girl. And when she's a big girl, she can do big girl things like ride a big horse instead of the little pony (we took her for a pony ride a few weeks ago at some stables and she wanted to ride the big horses).

Well, she's a smart girl and she's figured out that if she grows to be a big girl, she can 'ride a big horse AND Splash Mountain'. It's excruciatingly cute to hear (she'll be 3 in June) from such a little one.

And it's really motivated her. She'd been getting quite picky at the table for a few weeks, and when we introduced this motivation, meals have been much nicer and she eats more of the things we tell her are good for her. But it could have the downside of her thinking she'll be big enough for Splash...so my wife and I have to downplay/ignore that part of her comment.

Have her practice standing as straight as she can as well, with her feet together....this way she will reach her full height potential!
I think this is why I'd been mis-measuring her at home. I thing the nurse must have gotten her to stand properly.

javamama
03-27-2010, 12:20 AM
This may be my problem in 38 days my dd is 39inches, so we'll see in a few days and she'll be crushed if dada and big brother can ride everything and she can't this girl has no fear at all. She's been ride PoTC since she was 8 months old, and the HM, so at three it's only fitting she can finally ride SM and BTM, EE I'd play by ear, but knowing her she'd be all ready for it. Hope she makes it for you!

NJDad
03-27-2010, 06:45 AM
DS was one of those who passed the outside check but not the inside check at Space Mt.

Yes, we had the meltdown, nice CM gave us FPs for other rides.

He got to ride Space Mt. many times on the next visit, thank goodness.

Strmchsr
03-27-2010, 07:29 AM
...so at three it's only fitting she can finally ride SM and BTM, EE I'd play by ear, but knowing her she'd be all ready for it.

FYI, EE is 44", not 40". You can see all the height requirements in Info Central here (http://www.intercot.com/infocentral/park/rideheight.asp).

javamama
03-27-2010, 03:43 PM
Thank you, my brain is mush! My ds was so tall at 3.5 where my dd is tall, but not like him so he rode it at 3.5! You would think with all the books I own, the sites I look at I would remember this stuff. Thanks again:blush:

hurdlertwin
03-28-2010, 06:07 PM
The good thing I've seen about WDW (especially at the tower of terror) is that if a child is too short to ride a ride then they are given a pass that allows them to go to the very front of the line when they are tall enough. It's not very exciting for the kids to get the pass, but at least it shows some of the sympathy WDW has for the kids.

GINNY69
03-30-2010, 07:33 AM
A few years back my son was in the same situation as your daughter as far as the height goes. We were going on Star Tours in Hollywood Studios. He made it through the first initial check but just as we were getting ready to go on the ride we were stopped and he was not able to go on. It's a tough call and again like others had said its up to the cast members and its hard not to be disappointed when turned away but just remember it is for your childs safety.

Goes4FastPass
03-30-2010, 10:10 AM
We just went through all this with a child exactly tall enough who is now crazy about BTMRR (“Fast Train Railroad”) and Splash Mountain.

It’s important to remember to speak 3 year old (it’s a handy language to know). There is a measuring place at the entrance to the queue that has a bar/rail where the bottom of it is 40 inches.

My grandson was tall enough but seemed to think we was supposed to duck under the bar so I said, “Touch your head to the stick!” He stood up straight, touched the bar and the CM said, “OK! Have fun!”

Grandpas are smart.

Goes4FastPass
03-30-2010, 10:14 AM
...and BTM, EE I'd play by ear, ...

Note: space mountain and Expedition Everest is minimum height is 44 inches.

Beauty908
03-31-2010, 01:32 AM
First off, if a CM says no, they mean to keep your child safe (Safety is Disney's number one priority). If you child is too short, CM will give your child a card that says when they are tall enough, they can come back and use this card like a fastpass to the front of the line.

Also, since Disney wants you (parents) to have just as much fun as you children, they do offer a Child-swap. One parent rides, one stays with the kid, and then switch so you can still have fun and not be stuck riding the tea cups all day :) Hope your trip goes splendidly! :mickey:

mermaidmarian
03-31-2010, 08:48 AM
Just to add onto the excellent responses already:

Don't forget that at there are height restrictions for attractions at the water parks as well, and in these situations, your child's height is measured barefoot. It is easy to overlook this difference when you may have already spent a considerable amount of time in the theme parks "making it" to a target height requirement with shoes on, and then queue up for an attraction with the same height requirement at a water park and be turned away. I speak from experience.

All of the CMs I have encountered in our experience are very strict about height requirements and we have been in the queue when children were turned away because of high hair as well as too high soles of shoes.

MidnTPK
03-31-2010, 09:15 AM
Don't forget that at there are height restrictions for attractions at the water parks as well, and in these situations, your child's height is measured barefoot. It is easy to overlook this difference when you may have already spent a considerable amount of time in the theme parks "making it" to a target height requirement with shoes on, and then queue up for an attraction with the same height requirement at a water park and be turned away. I speak from experience.

All of the CMs I have encountered in our experience are very strict about height requirements and we have been in the queue when children were turned away because of high hair as well as too high soles of shoes.
A point for the future...but none of the water park attractions have a 40 inch restriction....most are 48...save the chairlift at BB which is only 32.

Goes4FastPass
03-31-2010, 03:37 PM
I have no intention of trying to skirt around posted height requirements for attractions at WDW

But,

Accounts that go like, “The CM at the queue entrance measured and said, ‘yes’ but when it was time to get on, another CM measured and said, ‘No’“ describe a lousy situation of disorganization, not a noble search for safety.

Do you REALLY expect me to say to a child, “You may be tall enough – it depends on who measures you and if the person at the boarding area agrees with the person at the entrance. Let’s close our eyes and wish!”

HersheyPark has a better system. Children are measured once at the park entrance and given a wrist band indicating if they are a ‘miniature’ or a ‘jolly rancher’ etc. and then you know where (and how tall) you stand.

A giant problem with the “Wait and wish” approach is, we’re asking the child to build up expectation then be disappointed – hardly an amusing amusement park experience.

At MK, my son and I measured our little guy at the entrance to Space Mountain where he can’t see the ride and the height minimum is the same as Expedition Everest. Since the child was too short for SM we didn’t take him near EE when we visited the AK.

We could have used "child swap" but instead he and I beat drums while the taller folks went to EE. Child swap means taking a child who can't eat ice cream to the ice cream store and explaining, "Mommy is going to hold you while I eat ice cream then I'm going to hold you while Mommy eats ice cream."

MidnTPK
03-31-2010, 03:59 PM
Accounts that go like, “The CM at the queue entrance measured and said, ‘yes’ but when it was time to get on, another CM measured and said, ‘No’“ describe a lousy situation of disorganization, not a noble search for safety.


Well said. Getting measured shouldn't be like rolling dice.

mermaidmarian
03-31-2010, 04:16 PM
[QUOTE=Goes4FastPass;2034823]I have no intention of trying to skirt around posted height requirements for attractions at WDW

But,

Accounts that go like, “The CM at the queue entrance measured and said, ‘yes’ but when it was time to get on, another CM measured and said, ‘No’“ describe a lousy situation of disorganization, not a noble search for safety.

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]

I think you raise a good point. I prefer the wristband method that they distribute at Kali River Rapids - I don't know why it is not utilized more broadly. However, I think the attractions that have a height measurement at the start of the queue and then near boarding are usually attractions that do not have a fully secure queue, meaning that someone could skirt the first measurement.

mudpuppysmom
04-04-2010, 04:28 PM
We have had a similar measuring experience......when we first took DS#1 he was already 40", but he wanted to ride the "bigger rides" with his cousins.....and so we started with the, "next trip you'll be bigger" speech and he would walk up to attractions to just SEE if he was getting taller during the trip. We actually had a CM at Primeval Whirl tell him before he got to the measuring post, "you're too small"....and I said, he know's he's too small, he just wants to see how much more he has to grow! We did this routine for a few trip before we hit the 48" mark and FINALLY he could ride PW!!!

He ate well for a few years anyway.........

Now it's mom and dad who play 1-2-3 shoot to see which one of us is going to get dizzy with him!!!

5togetherWDW
04-05-2010, 09:45 AM
Be careful about expecting any sort of turn away card / fastpass / gift -- neither of my boys ever received one.
[QUOTE=Beauty908;2034566]If you child is too short, CM will give your child a card that says when they are tall enough, they can come back and use this card like a fastpass to the front of the line.
QUOTE]
I had heard of this and I especially hoped for such a card for my younger (shorter) son. With many tips and tries - nothing was ever given.

As to the double (and on some such as Star Tours, triple) height checks, I have seen why it is needed. I have seen many people try to cheat the height -- slipping a child past in big crowd, through the fast pass, over the rail from a child swap and the like -- meaning a second measure is needed. It is so sad to see children turned away and used to have my boys nervous . . . but we always prepared them and they made it though the height / stress age without trauma.

While places like Hershey have height requirements for every ride, most of WDW is family oriented (which is one of the reasons why my family prefers it.) There are few enough things that require measurements, that wristbands aren't really needed. This was actually pleasing to my sons when they were shorter, as neither liked wearing the wristbands. (Small children can fold their hands to fit through these bands, so they have to be out on very tight.)

Lakin
04-05-2010, 01:35 PM
HersheyPark has a better system. Children are measured once at the park entrance and given a wrist band indicating if they are a ‘miniature’ or a ‘jolly rancher’ etc. and then you know where (and how tall) you stand.

Yes, but if there was an older sibling with a 'jolly rancher' band and a younger sibling with a 'miniature' band, and the older sibling wasn't going to do a certain attraction, couldn't the older sibling give the 'jolly rancher' one to the kid so the young one could ride the 'jolly rancher' attraction? Just a thought.

kakn7294
04-05-2010, 02:13 PM
It's a CM's discrection as to whether your child rides. My nephew was turned away from Star Tours after having just come off of it and going to get right back in line - it was a different CM who measured him differently. If you think it's close and you feel your child would be safe, try again later in the day or on a different day but have your child be prepared to be turned away. The CMs are pretty well schooled in the techniques that folks have come up with to pass their kids through and catch most of them pretty quick.

And here's 2 tips for you: First, we're all just a tiny bit taller in the morning after our spines have had time to stretch and relax through the night and before they get compressed again throughout the day - it's not much but I've seen it make the difference in my own kids at the local amusement park - they were measured at one point in the morning and were just a little shorter in the evening. Second, make sure your child knows you want her head to touch the stick with her feet flat on the ground - try telling her if she can bump the stick, she can ride. Some kids are afraid of the stick or don't understand it so they don't stand to their full height. Good luck and remember, if she doesn't make it this time, it's a great excuse to plan another trip!

Goes4FastPass
04-05-2010, 02:25 PM
It's a CM's discrection as to whether your child rides. ...
Which sums up the problem entirely.

And as for switching wrist bands, sneaking through the entrance and other cheating methods, wristbands should be the type that can't be removed without being cut - just like they used to use for evening EMH.

I regret that whatever the Disney Company puts in place some people will try to cheat - but wishing for a 'yes' CM and going back later and trying again is not the answer to the problem.

kakn7294
04-05-2010, 02:47 PM
but wishing for a 'yes' CM and going back later and trying again is not the answer to the problem.You're right, it's not, but it's the best we've got and we have to deal with it. Fortunately, for those of us who are Disney fanatics, it usually only is a problem for a trip or 2.

Imagineer1981
04-05-2010, 03:22 PM
The worst part of working at Space Mountain was telling a child that they were too small to ride. Only if the child threw a terrible fit though did we usually give out FP to other attractions. For the most part we just told them sorry.

But there are a couple reasons why kids can get turned away inside.
1) The rush - sometimes when there is no line, people push and shove and hustle into an attraction and every once in awhile, a child is too short gets hidden by their parents and get by the CM up front.

2) Poor CMs - from working there I know we always had some CMs you just couldn't trust to do their job. We knew if "so and so" was out front, that we would have to remeasure inside. Granted those people didn't last long, but it happens.

3) General safety - its always good to double check. it is for the kids own good

RobinRocksDisney
04-06-2010, 08:51 AM
- Is the height is measured with shoes on? From what I've seen, I'm pretty sure the answer is yes.

- Are the CMs very precise? I feel like they have L shaped tools to measure, but I haven't been paying that close attention....

The only ride my 6 y/o was checked was Aerosmiths Rocking RC....and it was a very quick check and she was exactly at the threshold of passing. I noticed at several rides, the height measurement tool was a permanent fixture at the ride, not a tool that the CMs could have.

MidnTPK
04-06-2010, 09:15 AM
The only ride my 6 y/o was checked was Aerosmiths Rocking RC....and it was a very quick check and she was exactly at the threshold of passing. I noticed at several rides, the height measurement tool was a permanent fixture at the ride, not a tool that the CMs could have.
Thanks.

Do you happen to remember the setup at Soarin' or Splash Mountain? Those are the only two rides I really care about this trip....and maybe BTMRR.

RobinRocksDisney
04-06-2010, 09:20 AM
We did Soarin and BTMRR and she wasn't stopped. I am sorry, I dont remember the setup :(

Strmchsr
04-06-2010, 09:32 AM
Thanks.

Do you happen to remember the setup at Soarin' or Splash Mountain? Those are the only two rides I really care about this trip....and maybe BTMRR.

I'm not sure about Soarin, but I know Splash is one of the permanent fixtures. Yes, they check with shoes on. I have seen them ask kids to take shoes off only a couple of times when the soles of the shoes were abnormally large, but with just normal tennis shoes you leave them on. And, yes, they are precise. As someone else noted, if they can slide anything between the child's head and the bar it's a no go.

kakn7294
04-06-2010, 07:43 PM
BTMRR is also a permanent fixture. I'm not sure about Soarin' since it was not an issue for us.