Experiences with Amusement Park Height Restrictions

1. 84

   talfonsoposted 11 years ago

   Have you ever been to an amusement park and wanted to ride a ride only to discover that you weren't tall enough? How about your kids?
   
   For me, I don't recall any experiences with that. I rarely had an encounter when I have to miss out on some rides for being even a few inches or centimeters too short.
   
   But reading and hearing stories of people who were turned away from a ride or had their kids experience likewise due to stature makes me feel sympathetic. I have seen some kids in the prospect of facing disappointment of not riding with their peers for that reason as a frequent theme park visitor, in particular those at the Walt Disney World Resort.
   
   To lots of brave kids, roller coasters are fun, but having to not access them due to being shorter than the height minimum is like a circus leaving town when they already purchased tickets. Some of them are even crushed by that experience!
   
   Have you or your kids experienced this? Share your stories - be as elaborate if you want to!

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   1. 78

      wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Sure - both my kids grew up less than 20 miles from a major amusement park and we always had season passes.  And until they grew, there were height restrictions, first on both then on only one.
      
      Much better, IMHO, that the child be crushed by the experience than fly out of a restraint system designed for much larger bodies while rounding a roller coaster corner 100 feet in the air.

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      1. 84

         talfonsoposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Right on. I believe that the defeating disappointment of being unable to ride a certain ride (be it a log flume like Splash Mountain at the Disney Parks or a roller coaster like Kingda Ka at Great Adventure in my birth state of New Jersey) is actually worth it. It actually motivates them to eat calcium-rich foods and drink milk!

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2. 67

   psycheskinnerposted 11 years ago

   Indeed.  Being actually crushed when you fall out of the ride is a worse fate.

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   1. 84

      talfonsoposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Right - the right fit of restraints on rides is a huge matter to parks, thus height restrictions are necessary. Have you heard of an upcoming attraction in Fantasyland called the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train? It's a charming coaster set to open later next month for Snow White fans like me, but Guests have to be 38 inches tall. With the Barnstormer as an exception, it's the first original attraction in this Magic Kingdom theme area to have a height requirement. I'm one of those not oblivious to think of it as all kiddie rides!
      
      Again, one of the reasons for a ride rule that can make or break many a child's day in the amusement parks is all in the restraint design. I agree with you on that.

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3. 67

   psycheskinnerposted 11 years ago

   Most parks have a website that gives height and age requirements so you can manage the kids expectations.

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   1. 84

      talfonsoposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Amen to that! Even waterparks have them. Not only they relate to how extreme the slides are, but on the ability of patrons to swim.
      
      Three years ago, I took the liberty of sliding down Gulf Scream at Adventure Island, 15 miles from my house in Tampa. It's a speed body slide ending in a 4.5-foot deep pool. Though I prefer speed slides terminating in runout chutes, I was able to swim out.
      
      The depth of pool and steepness of the slide bring testimony to its 54-inch height requirement. That's one example of a waterslide at a waterpark requiring people to be at least x inches tall to slide!

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