Need FP Advice! My son is 43 1/2 inches

[MinMou]

I only skimmed through this thread, so I apologize if this has already been mentioned. Sometimes they will measure twice--before he gets in the line and again near the boarding area. It is possible for a child to be measured and allowed in the line but not be allowed to board if they don't meet the requirement at the loading area.

Thank you! I needed to know this!!! I hope you never had to stand in line only to be eliminated at the last minute.

 

[LilyWDW]

Thank you! I needed to know this!!! I hope you never had to stand in line only to be eliminated at the last minute.

You have people who cheat the system to thank for this. Disney has to cover their behinds because if a too short kid ends up on a ride and gets hurt... game over. The PR and legal issues would hurt even a company the size of Disney. It really does stink that people would risk safety as if a ride is more important.

(BTW, none of that is directed in any way to you MinMou as I know you are not looking to do that! It's just a general comment on how things are. I promise I have read your posts lol)

 

[MinMou]

You have people who cheat the system to thank for this. Disney has to cover their behinds because if a too short kid ends up on a ride and gets hurt... game over. The PR and legal issues would hurt even a company the size of Disney. It really does stink that people would risk safety as if a ride is more important.

(BTW, none of that is directed in any way to you MinMou as I know you are not looking to do that! It's just a general comment on how things are. I promise I have read your posts lol)

LOL! I hear you loud and clear! I see the videos on youtube of people adding sponges to the bottom of their kids shoes, as if the CMs won't notice, or adding them inside, and wonder what does to their kids' feet. Nothing ruins a day more than tooth pain or foot pain.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Even if your son were 44 inches tall, it doesn't mean he should ride. Not all kids are ready for the mature thrill rides just because they are tall enough. This past year we went with my adult daughter and SiL and our two grandkids, 9 and 11. They took them on space mountain and the 9 year old was really mad at her parents and didn't trust them after that. It made her anxious for all the rides thereafter. (The 11 year old love it and went on twice.) Remember space mountain is a single seater seat configuration. Just saying...

You just never know how a new rider will react. My fondest Disney memory is chasing my then 3 year old daughter back to the entrance of Space Mtn moments before midnight with her screaming "One more time Daddy" all the way.

 

[shellyj]

My kids were on it at 4 and 5. I think a 9yo being angry about it is unusual. I don't mean "weird" - all kids are different - merely unusual.

Surely OP knows her own child.

I totally agree. Every parent and child has to decide for themselves. My daughter LOVED ToT when she was 5 and was just tall enough to get on. She is stoked that she's tall enough for RnR this time around. In contrast, my 9 year old got scared to death on POC last visit, even though he had been on before and absolutely loved it. We're a little under 60 days and we're watching youtube videos with him so he can remember what to expect.

 

[nutshell]

You don't ride.

Wow. That's helpful. Why don't you suggest rider swap! Then she does ride.

 

[nutshell]

For all the people crying SAFETY!, I get it, but let's have some perspective. Disney knows full well that there are various types of shoes. Some have almost no sole, while some have a thick sole. Last I checked, Disney doesn't measure your shoes. They just measure the riders height as is. Some of the posts in here act like if a child is a half inch off and uses tall shoes then his life is in danger and he'll break his neck or something. That's definitely not the case.

 

[bigbabyblues]

Thank you! I needed to know this!!! I hope you never had to stand in line only to be eliminated at the last minute.

We didn't, thankfully, but I saw it happen to another family. They were far enough ahead of us when we entered the line that I don't know if they made it through the first check or somehow skirted around it, but they were denied at the loading point for Big Thunder.

 

[DavidNYC]

FYI - we had the height issue this trip (Daughter was tall enough at 9am but not 3pm for RnR). I went to guest services ask politely asked if they could let us exchange for a soarin FP. They happily did so. So you can try that if you miss the height (although I wouldn’t press your luck by asking for Pandora!)

 

[MinMou]

Thank you everyone. I took ALL of your inputs, discussed our options with my husband, and we opted to try for Mission Space and Expedition Everest. The minimum height for Mission Space Green now is 40", we will try for Orange, and if that doesnt' work, we will ride Green. We decided that Space Mountain was not a good idea, since it is solo seating. (Thank you Betty Rohrer!)
If we don't get on Everest, we will just walk the Maharajah Trek a little sooner.

I got all our FPs this morning, even though I started a half hour after the site opened, so that's DONE!!! Now I can go work on Thanksgiving and all the other holidays coming up!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[Allison]

Using the single rider line for Everest if you need to. It usually doesn't take long.

 

[DisneyOma]

I was going to make the FP's for the morning, so we would have a chance to get more for the afternoon. I will work on the rest of your advice too! But what do I do if we have a castmember who is very strict with the rules?

You ask for rider swap.

Aren't you helpful!!! You certainly embody the holiday spirit!
I am trying to find out if my Fastpass will be forfeited, or if I will get to trade it in for something else. I didn't realize that I would face such animosity from people just for trying to get facts.

I had a plan for fastpasses, and now 4 days beforehand, while trying to get ready for Thanksgiving, I have to decide whether to make a new plan. I want to do the right thing for my family and want to know what to expect. I don't have any Mouse-ka-Tools to help me, and your retort is not appreciated.

You made it sound like you were expecting something more than the obvious 'change it on the app' response, like you were expecting extra FPs - at least that's how it sounded to me. Your FP are never forfeited, as you can change them or get a new one with the app (after you use up your first three.) You trade it in on the app.

My suggestion for anyone who is borderline on height is to go to guest services to be measured. At least in the past, they would give you a wrist band which indicates which attractions would be allowed. If the child meets the height requirement there, you have proof for all other attractions that day.

Nope, not at WDW. Imagine what some obnoxious guests would do with the bands? Like take it off one kid and give it to another, sell it, etc.

FYI - we had the height issue this trip (Daughter was tall enough at 9am but not 3pm for RnR). I went to guest services ask politely asked if they could let us exchange for a soarin FP. They happily did so. So you can try that if you miss the height (although I wouldn’t press your luck by asking for Pandora!)

RnR and Soarin' are not at the same park - how did that work?

 

[DavidNYC]

RnR and Soarin' are not at the same park - how did that work?

They just put an anytime FP for the day we said we'd be in Epcot onto MDE. Took just a few seconds. I also had another time this trip where my wife and I gave up our seats at the stunt show to let another family sit while we stood behind in standing room and a cast member came up to me and asked me if he could offer me a FP for FoP‼‼ While it definitely was not necessary as I was happy to stand – when someone offers you a FP for FoP you say yes‼‼ It was a paper pass I had never seen before on other trips that was hand written but it worked. (We actually made a trip to AK that evening just to ride that ride and then left). So they do have multiple ways to give you things in other parks.

 

[lovethattink]

They don't do this at WDW. You have to be measured at each ride.

Nope, not at WDW. Imagine what some obnoxious guests would do with the bands? Like take it off one kid and give it to another, sell it, etc.

Both dh and I could have sworn we did this at WDW years ago, our kids are 13 and 23. May have been a GAC accomodation? Or I'm getting it mixed up with Hershey Park? Sorry for the confusion since apparently it's not done at WDW.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Both dh and I could have sworn we did this at WDW years ago, our kids are 13 and 23. May have been a GAC accomodation? Or I'm getting it mixed up with Hershey Park? Sorry for the confusion since apparently it's not done at WDW.

guessing you are mixing up Hershey Park who does do the bands and has for years. HP had the bands when my girls were younger who are older than yours

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Both dh and I could have sworn we did this at WDW years ago, our kids are 13 and 23. May have been a GAC accomodation? Or I'm getting it mixed up with Hershey Park? Sorry for the confusion since apparently it's not done at WDW.

Hershey park did it.

Our son is 22 and I still have some of his bands. But they are of candy bars.

 

[Jasten]

Just my 2 cents, but I would just book fast passes for rides he is tall enough for. If he grows you can change them but at least you wont be stressed out about it leading up and into your vacation!

 

[MinMou]

Using the single rider line for Everest if you need to. It usually doesn't take long.

This trip is for my son, so that's not something I am inclined to do. If I go back on a girl's trip or once my son is older, I will probably do this if I can't find someone to ride with me.

 

[Sparkly]

OP, just a suggestion: Just because somebody tells you something you don't want to hear, it doesn't make them "wrong" or "rude." Just putting that out there.

 

[intertile]

What I have found with FP+, is that it really depends on the CM at the ride. If you speak to them about the situation they WILL usually accommodate you. What they are interested in, is if you are trying to pull a FP+ scam on them or if your are simply in a situation. Here are 2 examples of what I mean.
I just came back from a trip over Thanksgiving break. We were a party of 4, but the 4th person was a friend of my DD and she joined us after I had already made our FP+ accommodations. 1 of the reservations was for Friday after thanksgiving at FOP. Unfortunately, we couldn't get the 4th FP+ at anywhere near the same time as our original FP. So our 3 reservations were for 3pm, and the 4th was for 8pm. I explained to the CM, they looked at our FP reservations and allowed our party to go on the ride at 3pm.
2nd situation was at the same park on the same day. I had made a FP+ reservation for 6pm at EE. After Dinner at tiffens, I was so stuffed I thought I would be sick if I rode it. I asked the CM if anything could be done, and he gave me a paper FP that was good at any ride in Animal Kingdom for up to 5 people. The only 2 restricitions were no Pandora, and I had to use it by Nov. 30th.

Obviously, I cannot gaurantee you will get the same results...but I have to believe if you are kind and genuine with the CM's they will do what they can to accommodate you.

Good Luck and enjoy your trip.