So, if my DS7 is tall enough for SAT, can he go on it solo with mom & DD5 looking on nearby? Or would that not really make sense logistically? Or say I am feeling brave, is there some way DD5 could watch us and we go on it, if say I can get a friendly mom or CM to watch her? (Note: extremely unlikely that I would be brave enough.) (Also note: DS7 might not be tall enough anyway, could be moot.)
The only requirement is that they meet height requirements and be 7 or older to ride alone. You could accompany him up to the point of loading and then wait for him to finish. CM’s will not watch underage children, well they aren’t supposed to anyway since it’s a major liability if something happened.
Sum of All Thrills is easy to only have 1 in the group ride. Basically once at the front of the line you go into a room, your group stands on a number and you watch a video explaining how to design your ride. You will get a special colored card (think it’s red rather than purple) which won’t let your coaster invert due to your son’s age/size. Then each group proceeds to a design station and you design your coaster.
Once done, you go up the steps to an open machine - there’s a locker to put bags in. If you watch, you’d just stand on that platform while your son rode right in front of you. I’m not sure if you could ride while your DD was monitored by someone though, but you could stay with your son throughout & just not ride on the last step with no issue…
OK, load up DS7 into ride, hang out with DD5 and wait for him, got it. So we can all help him design the ride? That will be fun. How careful are they on height? I measured him yesterday and he was 47.5" - 48", something in there, but I was sort of sloppy measuring. Will they be equally vague (sure, close enough) or are they super strict?
You can help him be tall enough by making sure he’s wearing his thickest shoes. How soon is your trip?
IIRC (it’s been awhile since my son was close on that ride), it is the normal “measuring stick” measure with shoes on. So if he stands up straight & hits the bar he’s fine. If he doesn’t, they won’t let him ride. But check with shoes on - that might be enough to push him over the top (and don’t wear flip-flops on Epcot day). They have a ride vehicle and bar outside so you should be able to check to make sure he’s OK to ride prior to getting in line.
Yes - you should all be able to go in and help him design which is kinda’ cool. It’s fairly simple design work, but what they do does change the ride. Pick a style of Coaster (Bobsled, Coaster or Jet) then there are 3 stages to design and you pick a style like “Corkscrew” and then set the height and speed for each section and then test it to ensure the coaster has enough speed to finish etc. which gives kids a taste of engineering work. Once done, the ride is saved on the card (magnetic strip) and then you go to the simulator and get to ride your freshly designed coaster. You and your daughter can go up and watch from the top, so you’ll be with your son the whole time except when he’s on the simulator itself, but I think you’ll have a video screen to see him inside the simulator.
Overall it’s a pretty cool experience that my son has always enjoyed. It’s one of the better “hidden” rides in WDW IMO, which is probably good as it’s a slow queue, but waits usually aren’t that bad either since it’s so well hidden…