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View Full Version : Another (yet different) height requirement question



hickorydickory
01-12-2007, 09:22 AM
My DD is almost 4 and she is 40" (without shoes;) ) & 35 lbs. This makes her tall enough for many rides that she wishes to go. She loves scary things like POTC & HM but as our last trip was cut short she did not have a chance to do any rollercoaster type rides. I am concerned that while she may be tall enough she may not be strong enough to brace herself for things like star tours and BTRR. I am first to admit that I am a little overprotective these days but what are the rides that she is tall enough for that may still be too jerky for her?

Am I just paranoid?

Oh and a little off topic but how do they do height requirements for people in wheelchairs? I was in one for a year and have always wondered.

ScottDisneyFan
01-12-2007, 09:26 AM
Just hold on tight :p

wwithers
01-12-2007, 09:42 AM
Star Tours is no big deal. You're buckled in and there are thing on either side of the seat to hold onto.

BTMRR is iffy. I was in a seat by myself once and got thrown all over the place because I couldn't brace myself side to side; holding onto the bar didn't really help.

On the other hand, my DD rode both when she was 5. She loved(s) StarTours but thinks BTMRR was too scary because she got thrown around.


Hope that helps.

Malcon10t
01-12-2007, 09:47 AM
My DD is almost 4 and she is 40" (without shoes;) ) & 35 lbs. This makes her tall enough for many rides that she wishes to go. She loves scary things like POTC & HM but as our last trip was cut short she did not have a chance to do any rollercoaster type rides. I am concerned that while she may be tall enough she may not be strong enough to brace herself for things like star tours and BTRR. I am first to admit that I am a little overprotective these days but what are the rides that she is tall enough for that may still be too jerky for her?

Am I just paranoid?

Oh and a little off topic but how do they do height requirements for people in wheelchairs? I was in one for a year and have always wondered.Depending on the size of the person riding with her, I would use caution on BTMRR. The lapbar is a shared bar. It will come as low as it can on the larger rider. This often leaves room for the child to move quite a bit.

My nieces all made the 40 in for Star Tours (they were 4 and 5). None had problems on the ride. Just be aware she may not like it. One of nieces came off Space Mountain glaring at me and telling me "That was NOT fun."

I don't know how they do the wheelchairs. Most rides require you to transfer, which usually requires standing. We went with a young woman who required assistance to board and basically my sons lifted her into and out of rides. She was obviously tall enough. I don't know how they would handle it on Space Mountain. Other rides like BTMRR, you have to be able to walk out of, so you would need to be able to stand to be measured.

Walt'sbirthdaygirl
01-12-2007, 10:00 AM
My DD is an extremely tall 6 year old, when she rides BTMRR I have her ride with my husband (who is tall and thin) or another adult in our party as I am a full figured gal and she and I are not compatible for shared lapbar rides.

Bolivar
01-12-2007, 10:09 AM
My son is quite tall. He is now three and 40" tall, but he just turned three in October and was 40" then as well. So, he was 40" tall at two. Unfortunately he was 39 1/2 when we went to DL in August so he couldn't go on the bigger rides.

I would have taken him on Soaring over California and on Star Tours without hesitation. Sitting here not really faced with it, I think that I would take him on BTMRR without fear. But, I do hesitate to say that and might think twice about that one.

I did take him on the Matterhorn and he didn't like that. It was the dark tunnel with the roaring monster with red eyes that he didn't like.

disneyrox
01-12-2007, 10:11 AM
Here's a tip if you do take her on BTMRR. Have her sit on the right side of the seat - most of the curves will send her sliding to the left. I can remember only one curve where I slide towards my son and I can usually keep myself from crashing into him.

hickorydickory
01-12-2007, 10:18 AM
Depending on the size of the person riding with her, I would use caution on BTMRR. The lapbar is a shared bar. It will come as low as it can on the larger rider. This often leaves room for the child to move quite a bit.


I planned on DH riding with her but I guess it will be my scrawny self! I am around 110 lbs so I kind of thought DH who outweighs me by 100 lbs would be more usefull but finally something I can do better!!!! YAAAH It will be nice to be the protector for once :D

Any rides we should stay away from? What about Rockin space mountain? She is OK with all things scary and dark. How about DCA is there anything we should steer clear of?

Bytebear
01-12-2007, 10:28 AM
I think BTMRR is the only one with a shared lap bar. Screamin' and Space both have individual lap bars. Others have seat belts, so you should be good to go!

alexandrasmom
01-12-2007, 10:33 AM
I just came back yesterday from DLR with my 4 year (and 3 months) old daughter, who is 43" and 36 pounds. She loved the matterhorn because she could sit between my legs but hated Thunder Mountain. She said it was way too fast. She wasn't too scared during Star Tours, but did not like the "roughness" and shaking of the ride. She absolutely loved Soarin' and was not scared at all. It was her first time on all of the above rides. She has been on POTC before and still enjoyed it this trip. I did not take her on Space Mountain because my DD does not like things loud and I thought it was more intense than Thunder Mountain. Hope this helps- all kids are different, but I thought since they were so close in age, it would give you an idea. Have fun!

Malcon10t
01-12-2007, 11:30 AM
I planned on DH riding with her but I guess it will be my scrawny self! I am around 110 lbs so I kind of thought DH who outweighs me by 100 lbs would be more usefull but finally something I can do better!!!! YAAAH It will be nice to be the protector for once :D

Any rides we should stay away from? What about Rockin space mountain? She is OK with all things scary and dark. How about DCA is there anything we should steer clear of?Has she done the Matterhorn? If not, do this one first, and gauge it from there. My nieces preferred Matterhorn, and everything in Fantasyland. 2 tolerated Space Mountain, 1 did not like it. The same 2 tolerated TOT and Star Tours, and the one who did not like SM also did not like TOT or Star Tours. None wanted to do any of them a second time. They all enjoyed Splash Mountain. They all enjoyed Soarin. And if they had had their way, we would have been on IASW, the Autopia, and the Tea Cups the whole trip.

Depending on how your DH is built, BTMRR can seat 3 across, and you can put the daughter between you.

ETA - The ones who tolerated the rides had both just turned 5, and the one who did not like them very well was 4 1/2.

acpalmer
01-12-2007, 12:33 PM
Has she done the Matterhorn? If not, do this one first, and gauge it from there.

I'm not convinced that the Matterhorn is a good measure for all kids. Both of mine HATED that (a big monster with red eyes screaming at them was not their cup of tea), but loved BTMRR, Space Mountain, Star Tours, and Splash Mountain (3yo and 5yo--yes, they were both tall enough on their own, no special shoes required). And they tolerated TofT, but definitely wouldn't choose it of their own accord. So it helps to know what kinds of things will set off their buttons.

talie95
01-12-2007, 12:39 PM
we just went this past Oct. My dd was 4 (almost 5). She's smaller for her age at just 40" and about 32 lbs. She did great on all the coasters. We started with Gadgets go coaster since this was her first time with any kind of coaster. She loved it and so we then did Thunder Mtn. Star Tours and finally Space Mtn. which was her favorite....she rode it 3 times!!

Donald Duck Fan68
01-12-2007, 01:12 PM
Here's another tip for BTMRR: if you sit closer to the front of the train, it will be a bit slower down drops and around some curves. In the back of the train, you tend to get whipped around more and the ride experience is faster overall.

If she's never ridden roller coaster rides before, you might start off with Gadget's Go Coaster and see how she likes it. You mentioned she likes scary things, so if you ride Matterhorn, just forewarn her that you'll run into a monster along the way just to be prepared.

adriennek
01-12-2007, 01:15 PM
I'm not convinced that the Matterhorn is a good measure for all kids. Both of mine HATED that (a big monster with red eyes screaming at them was not their cup of tea), but loved BTMRR, Space Mountain, Star Tours, and Splash Mountain (3yo and 5yo--yes, they were both tall enough on their own, no special shoes required).

I agree - both because of the monsters and the bumpyness of the Matterhorn. That ride tears me apart, but I can handle BTMRR better. BTMRR is my eldest son's very favorite. It took him longer to 'like' Matterhorn.

Of course, my 5-y/o likes Matterhorn better because he 'likes Harold.' Keep in mind, the kid knows Harold's name. Not all 5-y/o's grow up reading their father's coffee table books. :rolleyes: at my family.

Adrienne

mi_mous
01-12-2007, 01:32 PM
When DS first was able to ride BTMRR, we knew the lap bar was not going to cut it.

I ended up putting my arm around him, and holding him as close as he would let me, and also putting my leg around his. It seemed to help with the bumps and thrashes. It seemed to help him enjoy the ride more when he didn't have to worry about feeling insecure with all the motion.

Of course, now, if I even try to do any of that, he tells me to leave him alone.

DD went on Matterhorn for the first time last trip, and she loved it. She was even talking about it today. We told her that the monster doesn't know how to talk, and his only way of saying hi was by roaring. So, when she saw him, she just said hi, and that was it. DS, we didn't do that with, and he doesn't like to ride because of the monster. Matterhorn seems worse (as far as thrashing, etc.) than BTMRR IMO.

MammaSilva
01-12-2007, 01:32 PM
I agree - both because of the monsters and the bumpyness of the Matterhorn. That ride tears me apart, but I can handle BTMRR better. BTMRR is my eldest son's very favorite. It took him longer to 'like' Matterhorn.

Of course, my 5-y/o likes Matterhorn better because he 'likes Harold.' Keep in mind, the kid knows Harold's name. Not all 5-y/o's grow up reading their father's coffee table books. :rolleyes: at my family.

Adrienne


Well what do you expect...the now 8 year old stood there and patiently explained the goat trick to me on our very first ever time to the parks together as we stood on the bridge while others in our group were riding BTMRR! The fact that Sman knows Harold isn't worthy of an eye roll..heck Cman knowing of Harold isn't worth one ;)