While most rides at Walt Disney World are available to everyone, there are a few at each park with a minimum height requirement in order to ensure the safety of all guests. These restrictions are not in place to negatively affect your trip but rather to make sure that everyone stays safe. Even if your child isn’t tall enough to ride EVERYTHING in the parks, there is still plenty to do– and it just means you’ll have to come back again! ???? Over the years, our kids have gone from “too short” to “tall enough” and each time they’re able to ride something new, it’s magical! Ellie just made it over the 40″ mark for our big trip last summer and was SO. EXCITED. to finally go on the bigger rides! Unless it’s listed below, you can safely assume that the ride has no height restrictions in place– and if you sign up for our email list, you’ll get a free printable version of the Disney World height requirements!!
Magic Kingdom Height Requirements
Barnstormer 35″: This stunt plane (kids) roller coaster flies over Fantasyland and is the perfect first rollercoaster experience for preschoolers. NOTE: This ride has a single lap bar that will only pull down as far as the biggest person.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad 40″: The Wildest Ride in the Wilderness is a runaway mine train with high speeds and narrowly escapes falling boulders and exploding dynamite. Some parts of this ride are in the dark, and it can be scary for some younger kids- ours have all LOVED it! NOTE: This ride has a single lap bar that will only pull down as far as the biggest person, and there are some instances of airtime, so hang on to your kiddo if the bar isn’t down far enough!
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train 38″: Like Big Thunder, this ride is also a mine train, but much smoother and not as intense. There’s also a great view of Fantasyland and Cinderella Castle as you’re headed down the mountain. NOTE: This ride has individual lap bars, so your kiddo will be nice and snug!
Space Mountain 44″: Take a ride through outer space on this thrilling ride in the dark. Some kids may be frightened by the dark and seemingly high-speed, but this one is actually slower than the Monorail- it just doesn’t feel like it! NOTE: This ride has individual lap bars, and riders sit by themselves.
Splash Mountain 40″: This is not your typical log ride! Join Br’er Rabbit as he looks for his “laughing place” and float past 100+ audio-animatronics before plunging nearly 50 feet into a briar patch. NOTE: You WILL get wet!! Typically, the left side of the last row stays the driest, though.
Tomorrowland Speedway 32″ (54″ to drive alone): At Disney World, the kids are able to get behind the wheel and drive a race car along a miniature motorway. With a working steering wheel and gas pedal, they’re in control (provided they’re 54″ and can drive alone) as they navigate the course.
TRON Lightcycle / Run 48″: With the highest height requirement in the park, TRON Lightcycle / Run takes you on a exhilarating journey across a world with no horizons.
EPCOT Height Requirements
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind 42″: The newest ride at EPCOT, Guardians of the Galaxy packs in the thrills as you take off on an intergalactic chase through space and time.
Mission: SPACE 40″ GREEN and 44″ ORANGE: With two missions to choose from, there’s something for everyone on this space exploration simulator! The Orange Mission is a journey to Mars and uses a centrifuge to simulate the speed and G-forces of space travel. The Green Mission orbits the Earth and is family-friendly- since it does not spin, it is much less likely to cause motion sickness.
Soarin’ Around the World 40″: Here you can see the wonders of the world while flying high in this aerial adventure. Everything from the IMAX screen to the smells to the score is phenomenal on this one! NOTE: There is a second loop for the seatbelt to go through if your child’s head is not above the red arrows on the seat.
Test Track 40″: You get to design your own virtual concept car while you’re waiting to board in both the regular and Genie+ lines, and then take it for a drive on the test track. This high-speed adventure (it’s the fastest ride at WDW, after all!) is a can’t miss attraction, and our kids LOVED it as soon as they were tall enough to ride! NOTE: The ride vehicle seats six, so if your party is larger than that, you’ll get split up.
Animal Kingdom Height Requirements
Avatar Flight of Passage 44″: This incredibly immersive simulator allows you to board a banshee and fly over Pandora, and it’s kind of like a combination of Soarin’ and Star Tours times 1000. Flight of Passage is still one of the most popular rides at WDW and often has a standby wait time of several hours, so definitely try to get Genie+ for this one! NOTE: There’s a test seat before you enter the line, so if you’re unsure of the seat (it’s like riding a motorcycle), you can try it out ahead of time!
DINOSAUR 40″: If you’ve been to Disneyland before, this ride is like Indiana Jones with dinosaurs- in fact, it even uses the same ride vehicles! Along with 11 of your closest friends, you board a Time Rover and embark on a thrilling journey through the late Cretaceous period. There are dinosaurs, meteors, and lots of loud sounds in the dark, so it can definitely be a scary one for kids. NOTE: The Time Rovers feature individual seatbelts, so little ones are buckled in tightly.
Expedition Everest 44″: This train goes to the top of Mount Everest before encountering a broken track and plummeting BACKWARDS into darkness. While in the dark, you encounter the Yeti several times before escaping the mountain and arriving safely back in the Tibetan village. NOTE: This high-speed coaster has fast drops, goes backward, is partially in the dark, and features the Yeti (who is known to scare small children). It does have individual lap bars, so you’re held in nice and tight.
Kali River Rapids 38″: Embark on a whitewater adventure through the Asian jungle where you will almost certainly get wet– and maybe soaked- as you travel through rapids and down a waterfall! The rafts on this water ride seat 12, so if your party is smaller than that, you’ll be grouped with other families. NOTE: Kids between 38-42″ are given a wristband at the entrance to the line because they need to sit in a modified seat with a safety bar. Not every raft has the modified seats but those that do, have two seats with a safety bar so that you can ride with two kids that are between 38-42″.
Hollywood Studios Height Requirements
Alien Swirling Saucers 32″: This spinning adventure features the aliens from Toy Story along with some pretty groovy music.
Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run 38″: Guests have the opportunity to fly the Millenium Falcon on a thrilling smuggling mission.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith 48″: Board a limo with Aerosmith and race through the dark streets of Los Angeles on this high-speed coaster. This is the only ride at WDW with inversions (and boasts the highest height requirement in the parks) and also features state-of-the-art sound with Aerosmith songs playing loudly. NOTE: This one has shoulder restraints due to the inversions (2 loops and a corkscrew).
Slinky Dog Dash 38″: This family-friendly coaster is another great option for your kiddo’s first roller coaster experience. Hop aboard Slinky Dog and enjoy the twists and turns (as well as a few great hills!) in Andy’s backyard. NOTE: Slinky Dog Dash has individual lap bars, so kids should feel secure with how far it comes down.
Star Tours- The Adventure Continues 40″: Embark on a mission aboard a Starspeeder 1000 on this 3D simulator ride. This intergalactic adventure features your favorite Star Wars characters, as well as a unique story every time you ride (up to the 54 possible combinations)! NOTE: Like most simulators, this one has individual seatbelts. If motion sickness is an issue for your family, ask to sit in the front row.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance 40″: Join the Resistance in an epic battle against the First Order on the newest ride at Hollywood Studios.
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 40″: Venture back in time to Halloween 1939 and take a trip up (and down!) the Hollywood Tower Hotel elevator. Unlike a typical drop zone ride, this one drops you, then sends you back up, and you continue dropping and rising before plummeting to the ground. NOTE: This ride has individual seat belts, but due to the dropping nature, you still float out of your seat a bit.
Tips for Dealing with WDW Height Requirements
- Most rides in the parks are designed for the whole family to enjoy, but there are a select few in each park with a height requirement to ensure guest safety.
- If your little one is close to a cut-off (35, 38, 40, 44, 48 inches), practice how to stand up straight before your trip. They have to actually bump their head on the measuring guide or obviously be taller than it, but we’ve found that some kids duck to fit under the guide and end up looking shorter than they actually are- and missing out on the ride.
- Rider Switch is an option at every ride with a height restriction, so make sure to utilize it if you have little ones. To take advantage of Rider Switch, the whole family goes up to the Cast Member at the ride entrance and asks for a Rider Switch (or Child Swap) pass. Parent 1 and the big kids (or just Parent 1!) then proceed through the line (Genie+ line if you have a Lightning Lane) while Parent 2 waits with the little kids. After Parent 1 rides, Parent 2 can enter using the Genie+ line (or sometimes the ride exit) with up to two additional guests and ride while Parent 1 hangs out with the little ones. This allows both adults to enjoy the attraction, and the big kids may even get to ride twice!
- If your kiddos aren’t quite tall enough to ride everything on this visit, it just means it’s time to start planning the next trip for when they’re a bit taller. Our kids love getting measured to see if they are tall enough for the next height milestone, and it gives them something to look forward to between trips. Plus, it’s a good way to convince them to eat their veggies– since we all know that’s what makes you tall enough for the rides at Disney World!!!
Have you used Rider Switch before?? Do you have any tips for dealing with the height requirements at Disney World??
