Epcot – Magic Mouse Press

Taking your little ones to Walt Disney World is a dream among many families. Luckily, the majority of attractions at Walt Disney World have no ride height requirements at all. However, some children may be too short for certain attractions and will not be allowed to ride for safety reasons. To help determine who can ride, I have compiled all of the ride height requirements for all Walt Disney World parks below. Make sure to review these while planning your FastPass reservations and park plans. It will also be helpful for you to measure them at home before you leave so you know what to expect. If your little one is too short to ride, don’t despair. You and taller riders do have other options like Rider Switch which allows adults to take turns supervising those who are too short, so that everyone who wants to ride can. I have explained all of the details of Rider Switch and other options further on in this post. How Ride Height Requirements at Walt Disney World Are Enforced We know that some rides at Walt Disney World theme parks have height restrictions to keep younger, smaller kids safe. But, how are these restrictions actually enforced at the park? When you and your family are approaching a ride with a height requirement, you will notice a measuring stick out front of the entrance. There are always Disney cast members standing nearby to help measure anyone who appears close to the cut off. Check your little one with the cast members at this measuring stick at the front of the line. This will save you the time and disappointment of waiting in line only to be turned away before boarding. Your child will need to be measured for every ride that has height requirements. There are no stamps or passes you can get after being measured once. It must be done every time. They will also be measured again to double check before boarding the attraction after waiting in line. Magic Kingdom Ride Height Requirements The Barnstormer: 35 inches, 89 centimetersBig Thunder Mountain Railroad: 40 inches, 102 centimetersSeven Dwarfs Mine Train: 38 inches, 97 centimetersSpace Mountain: 44 inches, 113 centimetersSplash Mountain: 40 inches, 102 centimetersTomorrowland Speedway Driver: 32 inches, 82 centimetersAll Other Rides and Attractions: Any height Epcot Ride Height Requirements Mission: SPACE Orange (More Intense): 44 inches, 113 centimetersMission: SPACE Green (Less Intense): 40 inches, 102 centimetersSoarin’ Around the World: 40 inches, 102 centimetersTest Track: 40 inches, 102 centimetersAll Other Rides and Attractions: Any height Hollywood Studios Ride Height Requirements Alien Swirling Saucers: 32 inches, 81 centimetersMillenium Falcon: Smuggler's Run: 38 inches, 97 centimetersRock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith: 48 inches, 122 centimetersSlinky Dog Dash: 38 inches, 97 centimetersStar Tours - The Adventure Continues: 40 inches, 102 centimetersStar Wars: Rise of the Resistance: 40 inches, 102 centimetersThe Twilight Zone Tower of Terror: 40 inches, 102 centimetersAll Other Rides and Attractions: Any height Animal Kingdom Ride Height Requirements Avatar Flight of Passage: 44 inches, 113 centimetersDINOSAUR: 40 inches, 102 centimetersExpedition Everest: 44 inches, 113 centimetersKali River Rapids: 38 inches, 97 centimetersPrimeval Whirl: 48 inches, 122 centimetersAll Other Rides and Attractions: Any height Typhoon Lagoon Water Park Slide Height Requirements Bay Slides: 60 inches, 152 centimetersCrush ‘n’ Gusher: 48 inches, 122 centimetersHumunga Kowabunga: 48 inches, 122 centimetersKetchakiddee Creek: 48 inches, 122 centimetersAll Other Slides and Attractions: Any height Blizzard Beach Water Park Slide Height Requirements Chairlift: 32 inches, 82 centimetersDownhill Double Dipper: 48 inches, 122 centimetersSlush Gusher: 48 inches, 122 centimetersSummit Plummet: 48 inches, 122 centimetersTike’s Peak: 48 inches, 122 centimetersAll Other Slides and Attractions: Any height Rider Switch: What To Do If Your Child Doesn't Meet Ride Height Requirements Who Can Use Rider Switch If some children or other guests are too short or do not want to ride, use Rider Switch! Rider Switch (which you may also hear called Child Swap) is a great tool for families. It is especially useful for families with young kids who are too short to ride. However, Rider Switch can also be used if someone in your party can’t ride or doesn’t want to ride. So if you have a child who is tall enough, but maybe not brave enough, you can still use Rider Switch for the rest of your family. This also applies with those who can’t ride because of special needs as well. Why You Should Use Rider Switch Rider Switch allows one adult to wait with the child or children that can’t ride while the rest of the group rides the attraction. The first group of riders can either use the standby or FastPass line, while the others wait nearby. Once the first group has returned from the ride, the other waiting adult will be able to experience the attraction via the FastPass line, rather than having to wait standby again. They can also bring two guests with them on their Rider Switch pass. Which means your taller kids, or adults, can ride twice! Using Disney’s Rider Switch program, the adults essentially take turns riding the ride and supervising those who can’t ride. You should use Rider Switch if you have a mix of people who can and can not ride a ride. First of all, it will save you a lot of time waiting in line. It is also especially great for families travelling with only two adults. Rider Switch will allow all adults, and children tall enough, to experience all the rides they want without being held back by those who can’t or don’t want to ride. Also, if you follow my tips below, it can also be used as an additional FastPass in certain scenarios. That alone can be very valuable in general and more so on crowded days. Attractions That Offer Rider Switch Magic Kingdom The BarnstormerBig Thunder Mountain RailroadSeven Dwarfs Mine TrainSpace MountainSplash MountainTomorrowland Speedway Epcot Frozen Ever AfterMission: SPACESoarin’Test Track Hollywood Studios Alien Swirling SaucersRock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring AerosmithSlinky Dog DashStar ToursTwilight Zone Tower of TerrorRise of the ResistanceMillenium Falcon Smuggler's Run Animal Kingdom Avatar Flight of PassageDINOSAURExpedition EverestKali River RapidsPrimeval Whirl Steps To Use Rider Switch Approach the attraction entrance and find a Disney cast member to ask for a Rider Switch pass. Make sure your whole group is present.When your whole group is present, the cast member will issue a Rider Switch pass for those not riding by scanning their MagicBands or tickets. This would be “Group 2.”Check your Rider Switch pass on your My Disney Experience App. The Rider Switch pass is normally valid for up to 1 hour after acquiring it (with a 10 minute grace period).While Group 2 waits outside of the attraction, the other members of your party will ride the attraction. The first riding members are “Group 1.” After Group 1 is done riding the ride, Group 1 takes over the supervision of those not tall enough to ride. Group 2 then uses the Rider Switch pass by entering through the FastPass line. If only one adult is waiting in Group 2, they may bring up to two guests with them on their Rider Switch pass. Those two guests may be from Group 1, allowing taller kids a second ride. Rider Switch FastPass Hacks Using Rider Switch in the parks is a great way to make sure everyone can experience the rides they want to. Rider Switch, depending on your group’s size and heights, can also be used to double up on FastPasses. Rather than a confusing mess of paragraphs explaining how to do this, reference the chart below for a clearer overview. Here is an example where a family of five with two kids riding height, and one baby who can not ride can double their FastPasses: Then you could book your third (advanced reservation) FastPass for an attraction everyone can ride, including the baby. Something like Pirates of the Caribbean or Dumbo or whatever you like! Or you could do the swapping again with the last two Rider Switch attractions, Tomorrowland Speedway and The Barnstormer. If you only have one child who is tall enough to ride, you can still employ this strategy. It actually works even better that way because the child can ride everything twice! Just make sure they have a FastPass for the ride, and then also uses the Rider Switch pass. Recommendations Of What To Do While Waiting Using Rider Switch Using Rider Switch does save a family time in the idea that Group 2 of riders do not have to wait in the standby line to ride. However, even still using the FastPass line, riding an attraction twice in a row can take up more time than only riding once. Therefore, use the time waiting to be productive. Here are some suggestions of how to best use the time waiting with Rider Switch. Taking Care Of Business First and foremost, if you are waiting with Rider Switch, now is a great time to take care of business. Does your baby need changed? Do you need food or water? Do you need to rest in the shade somewhere or do some shopping? Use this time to do the things that might otherwise take up time in the parks like changing diapers, waiting in food lines, etc. Suggested Attractions Or Waiting Areas To Try While Using Rider Switch When my brothers were younger I remember spending hours at the Boneyard in Animal Kingdom. Or playing on the playground at Splash Mountain. So don’t despair, even if you have to wait for your party, there are tons of great options to have fun passing the time. Ride Height Requirements Infographic For In-Park Use