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ShirleyFilms
01-08-2007, 08:56 AM
I have a 5 year old that is about 45 7/8 inches tall (with shoes on). Just shy of being able to ride Indy. We are going to DL next weekend, and I know he REALLY wants to ride.

We were thinking we could spike his hair. ... :) or something so he could make the cut off. But. I am wondering... are the height-checkers they use at Disneyland EXACT? Or do they tend to be a little TALLER than 46 inches? If his HAIR is past the mark... will he be okay? They dont make the kids take off their shoes, do they?

I dont want to get his hopes up or anything. But our annual passes expire soon... so we may not be back for some time.

Thanks for any feedback.

hlbtimes2
01-08-2007, 09:04 AM
They do not make them remove their shoes, but spiked hair will NOT help. They will make sure their head is at the mark, not the hair. Most of the measure sticks through out the park are accurate. The one at Jumpin' jelly fish tends to measure a bit off (measures kids shorter over there then elsewhere). Make sure he is standing up good and tall. Kids tend to scrunch down a bit when the cm checks them. Have him practice stretching out his spine to stand as tall as possible. Go first thing in the morning. As we walk around all day, we tend to shrink as our back muscles tighten up- he'll be taller in the morning- and along with that, if you go in the am and he's tall enough, then later in the day he's not- its just how things work. Also be prepared to be checked more then once- and they might say he's ok at the first one and too short at the next- prepare him for that!

MammaSilva
01-08-2007, 09:08 AM
There is no magic way to beat/cheat the system ...having said that, look at his shoes now, how big a heel do they have? Would a pair of sturdy hiking boots give him an extra half inch? I do not advocate slipping any thing IN the shoe to add a bit of height but if a solid good fit boot has a bit more of a heel then he has a solid foundation to put his feet down on the floor of the jeep to help 'hold' himself as the ride bounces and jars everyone around. Just a thought.

Donald Duck Fan68
01-08-2007, 09:13 AM
I would prepare him for NOT being able to ride the ride. The height restrictions are in place for safety reasons and the CMs are very strict about it. Spiked hair will not help; but they won't make him take his shoes off. When you get there, you can check and see if he measures up, and if he does, then he won't be disappointed because he's been prepared to think he's too short.

ShirleyFilms
01-08-2007, 09:13 AM
Thank you all. Thats valuable information. I think with only a 1/8 inch to go... we can probably find some shoes that will give him a needed boost.

Most of the time, when we measure him at home, its in the evening... so - in the morning... with some new shoes - he probably wont have a problem. :)

And who knows... maybe he will have a growth spurt this week. :fez:

We definitely are not getting his hopes up. He knows he is too short. But. I am hoping we can "try" and be pleasantly suprised.

Thanks again.

Bolivar
01-08-2007, 09:21 AM
I would also be concerned about the ride being a bit too scary for a five-year-old. Kids are different and you know your son. It would not have been good for my son at five.

Rteneyck
01-08-2007, 09:28 AM
we actually just went thru this with our goddaughter. My daughter is 6 and is very tall for age (51 inches) and my goddaughter is 8 and is just below the height required for Indy. The first day we checked her at the entrance the cm said she looked good. We had her stand up really tall. He even advised her to stand up really tall as she would be checked again. Sure enough. We got to the boarding area and they checked her and that CM said no. She was devastated. The next day we tried it again and she was able to get on. I would prepare them that there is a possibility that you may get all of the way to the boarding area and be denied. When my daughter was first able to go on that ride she was checked 3 times while in line.

Walt'sbirthdaygirl
01-08-2007, 11:03 AM
Thank you all. Thats valuable information. I think with only a 1/8 inch to go... we can probably find some shoes that will give him a needed boost.

Most of the time, when we measure him at home, its in the evening... so - in the morning... with some new shoes - he probably wont have a problem. :)

And who knows... maybe he will have a growth spurt this week. :fez:

We definitely are not getting his hopes up. He knows he is too short. But. I am hoping we can "try" and be pleasantly suprised.

Thanks again.


Don't discount the "magic growth spurt" my DD was at least a half inch too short when we were at DL early Dec '05. We went back for her birthday the first week in Jan '06, with the same shoes she had worn for the last trip she was tall enough. So she rode Screaming 5 times for her
5th birthday!!

ShirleyFilms
01-08-2007, 11:22 AM
Thats awesome! :D

Katlovett
01-08-2007, 12:31 PM
When we went to Disneyland last September, we knew that there would be rides our four year old and 1 year old boys could not go on. (This is OK because I have a back injury so I wait with the little kids while the Big Kids - including my husband! - go on the ride.) So, we bought some toys at the local Disney Store and whenever our boys had to wait, I would bring out a toy for them to play with. The Disney Store has some nice trinkets, like the Buzz Lightyear combination coloring book and crayon holder for about $3, also some soft floppy fans that light up when they spin.

I would recommend getting some spiffy toy (Indiana Jones themed, maybe an action figure?) to give your son as a distraction from any height-related sadness and disappointment, but just keep it in your purse. In particular, if he is OKed by the first and second height checkers but he is booted by the final height checker at the loading platform, it might be nice to pull out a little something to cheer him up.

Katprint

ShirleyFilms
01-08-2007, 01:03 PM
That is excellent advice, Kat. Thank you!

mckygirl99
01-08-2007, 01:38 PM
It's so funny. Aren't these the same ride vehicles as the Dinosaur attraction at the AK at WDW? When we went, it was 40 inches for Dinosaur and my DD could ride that. If you ask me it was just as jerky as Indy and scarier. My DD cried on Dinosaur but loves Indy. I guess the standards in CA are higher than in FL.

Katlovett
01-08-2007, 01:49 PM
It's so funny. Aren't these the same ride vehicles as the Dinosaur attraction at the AK at WDW? When we went, it was 40 inches for Dinosaur and my DD could ride that. If you ask me it was just as jerky as Indy and scarier. My DD cried on Dinosaur but loves Indy. I guess the standards in CA are higher than in FL.

I don't think they are quite the same. The old Indiana Jones ride - prior to being made longer and more reliable, and coincidentally somewhat smoother - violently shook the snot out of you and I expect that was perhaps initially the reason for the greater height limit.

But it has been a long time since I have ridden both of these. Back when skies were bluer, and grass was greener, and people were nicer, and traffic wasn't as bad, and work was more fun, etc. etc. etc. ;)

Katprint

bradk
01-08-2007, 01:57 PM
there's way too many factors to reliably speculate why they differ. also, disneyland is regulated by california law while disney world is not regulated. i believe height requirements are often preliminarily set by the manufacturer.

josephfive
01-08-2007, 05:13 PM
It's also good to prepare your child that he/she may get checked several times. My daughter got checked at least 4 times at Indy. My kids almost always make a game of checking themselves at every height marker.

Oh, and I concur with the spiky hair not working. DS has loads of curly hair and the CMs smash it down everytime or they use a piece of paper to see if there is a gap between his head and the height marker. I think that he gets checked more often because of his big, curly hair.

Walt'sbirthdaygirl
01-08-2007, 06:02 PM
there's way too many factors to reliably speculate why they differ. also, disneyland is regulated by california law while disney world is not regulated. i believe height requirements are often preliminarily set by the manufacturer.


Beyond the legalities


Dinosaur isn't half the ride, we got off and looked at the others in the party and said "that's it?" its like a neutered Indiana Jones.

MommyTo3Boys1Girl
01-08-2007, 07:40 PM
My DS who is 5 was really looking forward to going on Indy during our December trip. He got measured before we entered the line and then right before boarding the Jeep, good to go. He was petrified the ENTIRE ride. Rode holding on for dear life with his head down and eyes closed. This is a kid who LOVE BTMRR. He told my DH after we got off the ride, DH stayed with DS #2, that he would NEVER ride that again. LOL I think there is more than just the height factor to think about, that ride can be very scarey for a 5yo.

Katran
01-08-2007, 08:41 PM
I found that it can vary depending on who is doing the checking. When I took my youngest daughter, who was 6, she was able to get on it 3 times. Each time the CM's said "Close enough!" The 4th time the guy doing the checking said she was just a fraction of an inch too short and absolutely would not let her ride.

So if he's very close to the mark and one CM won't let him on, try again later when you see a different CM there. However, if he's considerably too short, then don't chance it. Those height restrictions are there for the safety of your child.

NellieBell
01-09-2007, 07:37 AM
My son was half an inch to small last year to ride Star Tours...being a Star Wars freak he was heartbroken...so we did what any good parent should do...We got a pair of shoes that were too big for him...cut the ends off of an old pair of flip flops he had and put them in his shoes!!! Since we had tried everything....a hat, spiked hair, standing on his toes..all of it we weren't sure this would work.....but it did!!! PERFECT!!!

Now we would have never done this if he was any shorter but it seemed like he barely was under the line everytime...oh and another thing....why is the height requirement so low for Matterhorn verses alot of the other less jerky rides??? If anything Matterhorn should have the same?

Malcon10t
01-09-2007, 07:55 AM
oh and another thing....why is the height requirement so low for Matterhorn verses alot of the other less jerky rides??? If anything Matterhorn should have the same?It is determined by the ride manufacturer and safety requirements. Its like when they cancel the fireworks and we don't feel the wind. There is a safety reason, even if we don't see it. HOWEVER, it is my understanding you will get your wish possibly next year when they change the bobsleds. If I heard right, they will be going to a 40 inch requirement like Space, Splash, and Star Tours.

raych30
01-09-2007, 09:23 AM
While we were in line for Indy yesterday, CM's were pulling random kids out of the line to re-measure. The family in front of us had twin daughters, probably about 5 years old. One twin measured fine, the other was just a hair to short for the ride. The mom got very upset and kept yelling at the CM "BUT THEY ARE TWINS!!" Guess it didn't matter, one rode with the dad, and the other twin that was too short, had to to get out of line with her mom. Moral of the story, CM's are being very strict with the height requirements. More so yesterday than I have ever seen in line before.

Katran
01-09-2007, 09:39 AM
I wonder if they were having some type of inspection at the time? Or maybe some little kid got hurt on the ride earlier in the day and they were being stricter because of that.

I don't blame that mom for getting upset. That poor little girl. It's hard enough for kids to get left out of what their siblings get to do, but for a twin? That must be even harder, especially if she'd already been cleared to ride before.

Walrus & Carpenter
01-09-2007, 10:43 AM
I don't think shoe inserts are a good idea. They have height requirements for a reason. I think it's a good thing that they are strict about it. Just my two cents.

ShirleyFilms
01-09-2007, 11:46 AM
I gotta say...

I just went to the shoe store. You can get kids shoes that will make them more than an inch taller. They make these Sketcher hiking shoes... GEEZ. The heels are so high, they might as well be standing on their toes!

Well. I am significantly less worried now. Thanks for the good advices. We will still approach Indy with cautionary skepticism... but I think we should be fine.

:D

Malcon10t
01-09-2007, 12:16 PM
The settlement of the Indy death may be part of the reason they are checking more. I don't ride Indy. The ride tears me up. I usually wait with the dog for the kids. I see kids get rechecked every 20-30 seconds in there. And I see what parents try to do to get their kid on it.

To be honest, if it was my kid, and they weren't making it easily, I would not consider it. Especially if they were short in the lower body. I would not allow my child to ride if they could not plant their feet on the floorboard of the vehicle, regardless if they were tall enough.