Even though Disney World is for all ages and most think of it as a place for children only, there are some rides and attractions where Disney World height requirements are necessary. Some rides may by too scary or too thrilling for small children, and Disney World wants to be sure that only eligible riders can ride these rides. All height restrictions are for the safety of the riders, especially little ones.
So how do you know if your little ones can ride your favorite rides? And what do you do if they don’t meet a Disney World height requirement? All those answers, and more, are right here for you! This article breaks down which rides are best for the littles, which have height requirements, and even gives you a hack to be sure that you don’t miss out on your favorites just because a child can’t ride.
How Strict are the Height Requirements at Disney World?
These are very strict! We’ve seen kids get measured on almost every Disney trip, and Cast Members abide by the height requirements. A Cast Member will measure any child that looks close to the height requirement, and will be measured for every ride – there isn’t any kind of marker that carries over from ride to ride. These requirements aren’t to be mean or keep a kid from enjoying part of their trip, but it’s to ensure the kid’s safety. Sometimes a ride could be too scary, too rough, or too thrilling for little children and the Disney World height requirements protect children from riding attractions that could potentially harm them.
We’ve heard some stories of parents stuffing their kids shoes, making them wear high heels – you name it – to get their kids on a ride. But please don’t do any of these things! Cast Members are trained to be on the lookout for these things and to keep guest safety as a priority, and may ask a kid to take their shoes off in order to be measured if they suspect these things. Kids should only ride attractions once they are tall enough to ride and when they are ready for it – not just because it’s a favorite of an adult who can handle it.
What to Do if Someone in Your Party Fails to Meet the Disney World Height Requirements
If someone in your party doesn’t meet the height restrictions, you have a couple of options. You can either not ride the ride at this time, or you can utilize Rider Switch. Rider Switch is the better option since it still allows your party to still enjoy the rides and your trip, as well as the non-riding Guests will still be able to enjoy their time. Your group will be split in two, allowing half to go ride and the other half to stay with the non-riding child. Don’t know how to use Rider Switch, or what it is? We’ll break it down for you right now!
How to Use Rider Switch/Rider Swap at Disney World
Rider Switch is an amazing Disney World hack! It allows for some of your group to stay with a kid who doesn’t meet the height requirement while the rest rides – no one has to miss out!
Here’s how it works: When you arrive at an attraction where someone in your party doesn’t meet the Disney ride height requirement or doesn’t wish to ride, you can ask the Cast Member if they offer Rider Switch. If that attraction does offer it, then the Cast Member will issue a digital entitlement for some of your party to return later to ride. The first part of your group, which Disney refers to as Party 1, will go ahead and ride.
The second group, Party 2, will then have to stay outside the attraction while they wait. They can wait for Party 1 and then ride immediately upon their return, or, like a FastPass, Party 2 has an hour to return to ride the attraction. When Party 2 returns they will not have to wait in the regular line in order to ride and a Cast Member will validate the entitlement.
Only one adult has to stay with the non-riding Guests if it’s a child, and if Party 2 only consists of one person, then they can bring back up to 2 people to ride with them. A Rider Switch entitlement is only good for up to three Guests so keep this in mind when you bring groups to ride an attraction where you wish to utilize Rider Switch.
A few notes on Rider Switch… There aren’t any paper passes any more and Disney World utilizes a digital system where they scan MagicBands to offer the entitlement. Rider Switch does work with FastPasses and it is up to the Cast Member’s discretion whether the entire group is required to have them (minus the child who doesn’t meet the Disney World height requirements), or whether just the Guests in Party 1 need them. It may be a safer bet just to ensure that everyone in your riding group, both Party 1 and Party 2, are prepared with FastPasses.
Do All Disney Rides Have Height Requirements?
Nope! There are so many rides and attractions all around Disney World that don’t have any height restrictions and can be enjoyed by the entire family. A lot of the rides without height requirements are some of our favorites and are classic Disney World rides! Check out our list of the Best Rides at Disney World for an in-depth look at the rides, and to see who in your family they are right for.
This list of rides are our favorites without height requirements, and these rides are perfect for the whole family. They are easy-going and fun. There are no scary elements and the dark rides are good fun for everyone. These are a safe bet for anyone of any age to go on.
- Peter Pan’s Flight. Location: Magic Kingdom | Height Requirement: None
- Frozen Ever After. Location: Epcot | Height Requirement: None
- Kilimanjaro Safaris. Location: Animal Kingdom | Height Requirement: None
- It’s A Small World. Location: Magic Kingdom | Height Requirement: None
- Journey of the Little Mermaid. Location: Magic Kingdom | Height Requirement: None
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. Location: Magic Kingdom | Height Requirement: None
- Na’vi River Journey. Location: Animal Kingdom | Height Requirement: None
- Journey into the Imagination with Figment. Location: Epcot | Height Requirement: None
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant. Location: Magic Kingdom | Height Requirement: None
- Tomorrowland People Mover. Location: Magic Kingdom | Height Requirement: None
Magic Kingdom Rides with Height Requirements
There are a few rides at the Magic Kingdom that do have height restrictions. Here we’ll list the rides and their height requirements, but you can check out our articles on Magic Kingdom rides and the best use of your Magic Kingdom FastPasses for a better understanding of the Disney World height requirements of these attractions.
- Barnstormer Height Requirement: 35 in. or taller
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Height requirement: 40 in. or taller
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Height Requirement: 38 in. or taller
- Space Mountain Height Requirement: 44 in. or taller
- Tomorrowland Speedway 32 in. or taller to ride, 54 in. or taller to drive or accompany someone under 54 in. who wishes to drive
- TRON Lightcycle Run Height Requirement: 48 in. or taller
Epcot Height Requirements
Epcot has just a few attractions for which Disney World has height requirements. We will list those rides and height restrictions here, but you can visit our best Epcot rides and our list of the best Epcot fastpasses to find out more about these attractions and to see if they are right for your family.
- Mission Space Height Requirement: 40 in. or taller for Green Mission, 44 in. or taller for Orange Mission
- Soarin’ Around the World Height Requirement: 40 in. or taller
- Test Track Height Requirement: 40 in. or taller
Hollywood Studios Height Requirements
Our list of Hollywood Studios height requirements includes the newest rides at Disney’s Galaxy Edge, as well as the classic rides in the park. The Disney World height requirements are some of the higher amongst the parks because these rides may be too scary or thrilling for smaller children. Visit our list of the best Hollywood Studios rides and visit our take on the best use of Hollywood Studios FastPasses to see if these rides are too scary or thrilling for your kids.
- Millenium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run Height Requirement: 38 in. or taller
- Rise of the Resistance Height Requirement: 40 in. or taller
- Alien Swirling Saucers Height Requirement: 32 in. or taller
- Slinky Dog Dash Height Requirement: 38 in. or taller
- Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster Height Requirement: 48 in. or taller (highest height requirement Disney imposes)
- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue Height Requirement: 40 in. or taller
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror Height Requirement: 40 in. or taller
Animal Kingdom Height Requirements
Out of all the Disney World height requirements, Animal Kingdom has some of the highest. These rides can be a little aggressive or scary, and to be sure that your kids can handle them, visit our list of the best Animal Kingdom rides and our list of how to best use your Animal Kingdom FastPasses to be sure they are age appropriate for your kids and party.
- Avatar Flight of Passage Height Requirement: 44 in. or taller
- DINOSAUR Height Requirement: 40 in. or taller
- Expedition Everest – The Legend of the Forbidden Mountain Height Requirement: 44 in. or taller
- Kali River Rapids Height Requirement: 38 in. or taller
- Primeval Whirl Height Requirement: 48 in. or taller (tallest at Disney World)
Blizzard Beach Height Requirements
Blizzard Beach is one of two water parks at Disney World, and some of the rides can be pretty intense and too thrilling for small children. Make sure your family is able to ride these before booking a day there!
- Chairlift Height Requirement: 32 in. or taller
- Downhill Double Dipper Height Requirement: 48 in. or taller
- Slush Gusher Height Requirement: 48 in. or taller
- Summit Plummet Height Requirement: 48 in. or taller
- Tike’s Peak Height Requirement: 48 in. or SHORTER…this is for the little ones only
Typhoon Lagoon Height Requirements
Typhoon Lagoon is the other water park at Disney World, and it too has some rides with height requirements. It thankfully doesn’t have as many as Blizzard Beach, and the other great part is that it has some rides for kids only too!
- Bay Slides Height Requirement: 60 in. or shorter
- Crush ‘n’ Gusher Height Requirement: 48 in. or taller
- Humunga Kowabunga Height Requirement: 48 in. or taller
- Ketchakiddee Creek Height Requirement: 48 in. or shorter
Disney Springs Height Requirements
You may not think you have to worry about height requirements when it comes to a mall, but there are a few attractions at Disney Springs that do have restrictions.
- The VOID: Step Beyond Reality Height Requirement: 48 in. or taller, plus at least 10 years of age
- Marketplace Carousel Height Requirement: 42 in. or taller to ride alone
- Marketplace Train Express Height Requirement: 42 in. or taller to ride alone
photo credit: Disney
Download Our Free Disney Ride Height Guide
We created this guide below which includes all of the rides at Disney World with height requirements! Feel free to print it out or download it onto your phone to keep it as a planning tool when you are choosing which rides to go on and which to skip!
You can right-click and download to your computer or phone for easy access!
Now that you know all the height requirements all around Disney World, you’ll be able to plan your trip and FastPasses to ensure that everyone in your party has a great time. We know it can be disheartening to find out that your littles may not be able to ride your favorite ride, but there are tons of amazing rides they can ride and will have a blast doing so. Also like we mentioned, there are tons of rides without height requirements the whole family will enjoy as well!
If you follow these guidelines on your next trip, everyone in your party will have a safe and great trip, and will be able to ride appropriate attractions. Be sure to listen to those Cast Members, utilize Rider Switch, hope for growth spurts, and enjoy your next trip to Disney World!
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One thing I wanted to make note of is height issues in the other direction. My family and I went to Animal Kingdom, and I was all ready to ride Flight of Passage. I was seated and ready to ride when the CM asked me if I could slide forward. I told him that was as far as I could move forward, and he then had me stand up and try again. Same result. Because of that, I wasn’t able to ride the ride. It stunk pretty bad!
I’m 6’8″, and the CM told me that tall people and/or really long legged people, usually can’t ride Flight of the Passage. It’s something I wished they would post, but they don’t. I was told by another CM that they recommend testing with the test seat outside the ride to see.