Which Disney World Rides Have Height Requirements?
As a parent, you know that a trip to Walt Disney World will bring joy to your family, especially your children.
For its part, Disney has thought of your child’s safety every step of the way.
Photo:visitorlando.com
You’ll never need to worry about whether your kid is ready for specific attractions. Disney has taken care of that for you with its height requirement guidelines.
Which Walt Disney World attractions have height requirements, and which park has the most of them? I think you’ll be surprised.
Here’s what you need to know.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom – 4
Let’s start with the park that won’t surprise you at all.
Obviously, Disney designed Animal Kingdom with children in mind. They’re the target audience here.
So, Disney didn’t build attractions that would prevent small kids from riding, at least not at first.
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None of the remaining attractions from Animal Kingdom’s opening day requires a height requirement.
Okay, that’s a bit misleading. DINOSAUR had a different name and theme then.
Then, less than a year after Animal Kingdom opened, Kali River Rapids opened. It, too, has a height requirement.
Photo: D23
Much later, Disney introduced Expedition Everest, followed by Avatar Flight of Passage.
That’s the entire list of Animal Kingdom attractions with height requirements. Here are the specifics:
- Kali River Rapids – 38 inches or taller
- DINOSAUR – 40 inches or taller
- Expedition Everest – 44 inches or taller
- Avatar Flight of Passage – 44 inches or taller
Photo: Disney
Let’s be clear that all children grow differently. Some increase height at a steady rate while others go through spurts.
So, what I’m about to say here is general in nature and may not apply to you.
Photo: Disney
According to Stanford Medicine, the average four-year-old should fall into the 40-inch range. Most kids reach that height by the time they’re five.
When you evaluate these attractions, Kali River Rapids shouldn’t scare your child at all. DINOSAUR theoretically could since the Audio-Animatronics are lifelike.
You can decide based on the maturity of your child and how well they deal with surprise.
Most six-year-olds will reach 44 inches. At a minimum, they should accomplish it by the time they’re eight.
Photo: hotels.com
Expedition Everest can overwhelm adults. Will your child love it? Probably. Should they ride it the instant they reach 44 inches tall? Again, that’s up to you.
Avatar Flight of Passage encapsulates Disney Imagineering magic and should be fine, though.
EPCOT – 4
2023 Flower & Garden Festival
Surprisingly, EPCOT doesn’t require height standards on most of its attractions. It ties Animal Kingdom with the fewest at four.
You can probably guess three of them, too. They’re all thrill rides/roller coasters.
Here are the EPCOT attractions with height restrictions:
- Soarin’ Around the World – 40 inches or taller
- Mission: SPACE – 40 inches or taller
- Test Track – 40 inches or taller
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind – 42 inches or taller
The age statistics I just quoted apply here as well. Most should be able to ride everything here by the time they’re six and possibly as young as four years old.
Credit: Disney
Personally, I wouldn’t advise Mission: SPACE, even the Green version, until your child is a bit older.
Soarin’ should be fine the day your kid can legally ride, though. Similarly, I wouldn’t worry too much about Test Track.
Cosmic Rewind comes with some complexity, as it is a bit intense…but your child WILL want to ride it. Good luck talking them out of it!
Magic Kingdom – 6
It’s definitely a new look!
Let’s start with the list:
- Tomorrowland Speedway – 32 inches or taller
- The Barnstormer – 35 inches or taller
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – 38 inches or taller
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – 40 inches or taller
- Space Mountain – 44 inches or taller
- Tron Lightcycle / Run – 48 inches or taller
Photo: Disney
As an FYI, Splash Mountain had a restriction as well. Guests needed to be 40 inches for it. I’d expect the same at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Also, two of these ride restrictions amuse me. Tomorrowland Speedway and The Barnstormer target the children’s demographic heavily. These are kiddie rides.
Still, Disney suggests you shouldn’t allow a child to ride Tomorrowland Speedway until they’re two or three, while The Barnstormer is for three-year-olds and up.
There is a factor here about the size of the safety gear. A smaller child could feasibly slip out, and nobody wants that, even on a low-velocity attraction.
Credit: Disney
With Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Disney is saying to wait until you’re four or probably five. That sounds right to me.
As for Space Mountain, your kid will want to ride it no matter what.
Photo: Disney
The range of six or seven years old is probably when they’ll start showing interest in it anyway.
Finally, we haven’t had a 48-inch requirement to discuss yet. Stanford suggests most kids reach this height when they’re eight, but some may need until ten.
Photo: Disney
I think that’s a fair assessment of when a child will be mature enough for Tron anyway.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios – 7
Given the sheer volume of Magic Kingdom rides, you may be surprised to hear that Hollywood Studios operates the most with height requirements.
When you think about the various rides at each park, it makes sense, though.
Photo: Steven Diaz
Here are the height requirements at Hollywood Studios:
- Alien Swirling Saucers – 32 inches or taller
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run — 38 inches or taller
- Slinky Dog Dash – 38 inches or taller
- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue – 40 inches or taller
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – 40 inches or taller
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – 40 inches or taller
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith – 48 inches or taller
Photo: Disney
You’re probably the most surprised about Alien Swirling Saucers, a sneaky-aggressive ride. It’s more of a safety belt issue, though.
Most kids can ride by the time they’re in their terrible twos.
Image Credit: Disney
The three Star Wars rides and Slinky Dog Dash similarly aren’t worrisome. Star Tours and Smugglers Run are basically the same ride anyway.
With Slinky Dog Dash, it’s not a speed demon roller coaster. Parents can safely allow their kids to ride any of the three the instant they clear the height restriction.
Image Credit: Disney
As for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, that’s a tougher call. It’s probably the most aggressive Disney roller coaster.
Should a child in the eight-to-ten range ride it? I mean, that’s ultimately up to the parent.
Simply be aware that your kids will have no idea who Aerosmith is, though. Yes, you’re old.
Photo: MickeyBlog
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