So how strict should I expect the CM to be on rides for Height? I brought out the tape measure and my daughter is 39 inches with shoes on. Should I bother trying to get her on 40 inch height rides? I am glad she can at least get on 7DMT!
I have typically found them to be very strict. I have seen children who were maybe 1/4 inch too short not be allowed to ride.
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As they should be (the CMs being strict that is). The restrictions are there for a reason - not just to disappoint children.
Also be prepared that if a child is close they may well be measured at the front of the line as well, and there have been reports of children being turned away at the second one.
Very.
Oh, I agree with strictness. I think it just comes as a surprise to some parents.
Oh I know. I used to work at a theme park elsewhere in the country (it doesn’t exist anymore - it’s a mall center) and the poor kids at the river ride entrance had to deal with parents whining about “But s/he’s so close!!!” all the time. (I’m sure other ones did too…I just worked the food kiosk at that line a lot.)
But I guarantee you that if the kid was let on and something happened, those parents would be the first to try and sue and say “S/he was shorter than the pole. They should never have let us take her/him on!”
Thanks for the input. We have season passes to Six Flags Great America and go there allot, they are often not very strict I’ve noticed. My daughter is fearless and has enjoyed every ride there she’s been able to go on!
I’d prepare her for not being allowed onto anything that requires 40-inches or taller.
And even for the 38-inch ones, make sure she knows to stand super straight and not squish down when they put the thing on/at her head.
So true. I’ve seen parents act like fools and treat the CMs poorly over height requirements.
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Well I won’t be doing that lol. I think we will all look at it as an excuse to come back in a couple years 
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Best way to look at it!!
They are very strict when it comes to the Height restrictions. This is because it is a safety issue, and as its a safety issue, there is no wiggle room. Yes, kids and parents can and will be disappointed or upset when the child can’t ride it, however, the safety comes first above and beyond any magic that we come to expect from Disney. If you are planning on trying to go on, be prepared to be told no.
One way to look at it: Thick of it as a reason to come back when your child is tall enough to ride that ride but not others due to the height restrictions, and then you can plan another trip for when they are tall for other rides.
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Does Disney do a booth where kids can be pre-measured? At our closest theme park to home kids can be pre-measured and given a colour coded arm band for ride operators to check and parents to check before waiting in line. Just curious as I will have a 9 and 6 year old with me when we visit.
Thanks!
No. They measure at the start of the line, and sometimes just before boarding.
I think they tried that at one point, but they discovered that parents were measuring a child who they were sure would pass, getting the band, and putting it on the too-small child.
Seriously?! Wow. The bands used at this park are put on by the employees and are similar to hospital bands that have to be cut off.
I’m all for strict height requirements but if you are tall enough at the entrance of the line, you should be tall enough to board. I could kind of maybe see that gravity takes its toll if you waited the 200 minutes for FOP LOL. But nonetheless I’d be pissed if my kid was measured as tall enough and then denied after waiting in line.
That happened to us at Great Wolf Lodge. My son was measured at the front, was clearly tall enough albeit only by a smidge, got a wristband, rode water slides for hours, and then a random operator said he was too short to ride one certain time. They would not budge.
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Where there is a will there is a way.
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My DD was just 48 inches when we were last there - and sometimes they measured her multiple times, and other times they just let her through or took my word that she had been measured already. I don’t think anyone should be duplicitous to get on a ride (it is a safety thing after all) but if your kid is just there, here are some tips:
(1) Wear shoes with solid soles that give a little height - definitely no flip flops.
(2) If you have a choice between a female or male CM, pick the male CM (less rule abiding generally).
(3) Keep moving. CM less likely to focus on height when the kid isn’t keeping still.
(4) If your kid is a girl, put her hair in a top bun. Less likely to be re-measured if she looks taller.
(5) I’m not sure this is true, but ride early. I’ve heard you lose a little height throughout the day.
For the record, I am all for height restrictions too. That said, I firmly believe that Disney sets the height requirement at a comfortably safe level. There is no way that Disney lawyers would allow the height requirement to be set at 48 inches if it was truly unsafe for a child who is 47.5 inches tall to ride.
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Absolutely true. I would expect height restrictions to be perhaps at least 50% higher than is safe… Meaning that for any ride that requires a 44" height restriction, I am sure it is probably safe for somebody 30" tall.
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