Walt Disney World prides itself on having something to suit every visitor that enters any of the four parks in Orlando, Florida. Whether you are traveling with a newborn, child, teenager, parents, grandparents and even great grandparents there is absolutely no shortage of rides and attractions for everyone and every height. For example, did you know that a baby or pregnant woman can ride any ride in Walt Disney World that DOES NOT have a height requirement? For real! Now let’s chat about the best way to conquer the height requirements across all four parks.
Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom has the most attractions without height requirements. That is over 15 attractions and that doesn’t even include shows or character meet and greets. When traveling with a baby you may even be able to babywear right on to the ride, alleviating the need to potentially have to wake a sleeping and comfortable baby that may be taking a nap in their baby carrier. When babywearing, keep in mind that some rides such as the Prince Charming Regal Carousel do require you to be sitting on a bench with an infant and not riding on a horse if the infant is too small to sit without support. (However you are still free to take a photo op before or after the ride of your baby with a horse!)
If you plan on rope dropping Seven Dwarfs Mine Train remember that travelers are required to be 38 inches tall to ride this ride. In the event that one of the members of your party isn’t quite 38 inches tall yet, you can see the Cast Member that is either under a blue umbrella or near the Rider Switch/Swap sign to get issued a return time for the member(s) of your group that wait with the traveler who is unable to ride.
Believe it or not, the rides in Magic Kingdom (and all of Walt Disney World parks) with the tallest height requirement is not in fact a rollercoaster. It is actually the Tomorrowland Speedway. In order to be an independent driver you are required to be at least 54 inches tall, however there is a second height requirement associated with this ride as well. Being that this is a two seater car, in order to be a passenger you are only required to be 32 inches tall.
If you plan on braving the Mountains of Magic Kingdom, note that they do not all have the same height requirements. Travelers who are at least 40 inches tall will be able to ride both Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, but in order to ride Space Mountain travelers must be at least 44 inches tall. The final ride in Magic Kingdom with a height requirement of 35 inches is a junior coaster, The Barnstormer. This is a great first roller coaster for younger children who aren’t quite tall enough for the other roller coasters, but are still thrill seeking.
EPCOT
Are you planning on blasting off into Space or another Galaxy on your next trip to EPCOT? If so, you have a few different options that have all different height requirements, as well as health requirements. When riding Mission Space you have the choice of Orange or Green. Orange is the more intense option of the two that simulates G forces and requires Space Travelers to be 44 inches or taller, while Green the more family friendly options, height requirement is 40 inches tall. Keep in mind while riding Orange, guests are required to be in good health, free of high blood pressure, heart, back or neck problems. If you are prone to Motion Sickness, this may not exactly be the ride for you.
One way or another - Guardians of Galaxy Cosmic Rewind requires all guests to be at least 42 inches tall before joining in on an Urgent Mission with your favorite Guardians of the Galaxy.
If Soarin’ and Test Track are more your speed, they both require riders to be at least 40 inches tall.
It doesn’t stop at just thrill seeking rides, Epcot has several rides that every member of your party can enjoy regardless of their height such as Spaceship Earth, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure & many more!
Hollywood Studios
When it comes to Hollywood Studios, this tends to be the park that has the most restricting rides in talks of height requirements. The entire park only has two rides that do not have height limitations - Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway and Toy Story Mania. However there is no shortage of additional attractions such as shows and character interactions that are great for all ages.
Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster has you catching a ride to Aerosmith's show in a stretch limo and is the only ride at Walt Disney World to flip you upside down. Whether you are in the standby or single rider line, concert goers are required to be 48 inches tall.
For our travelers that are at least 40 inches tall - you can ride everything else in Hollywood Studios. Feel free to drop in at the Hollywood Tower Hotel, go on an intergalactic adventure on Star Tours or even battle against the First Order on Rise of the Resistance.
The final height requirement in Galaxy’s Edge is Smuggler's Run. Whether you want to be a pilot, a gunner or engineer on Smuggler's Run, all travelers are required to be 38 inches tall before starting their mission. If you happen to be the only person in your party wanting to partake in this ride - take advantage of the single rider line where you will be assigned your role.
If you are ready to shrink down to toy size and take a ride on Slinky Dog, all riders must be 38 inches tall. For the smaller toys in your group be sure to stop by the blue umbrellas before getting in line to have a Cast Member issue a Rider Swap return time or swirl with the aliens of Pizza Planet at Alien Swirling Saucers where all guests must be 32 inches tall to ride.
Animal Kingdom
Good news Wilderness Explorers! Animal Kingdom only has 4 rides in the entire park that have height requirements. Expedition Everest and Flight of Passage have the highest height requirements which require riders to be 44 inches to ride a Banshee or board the runaway train through the Himalayan Mountains. If the rest of your group opts not to ride Expedition Everest feel free to hop on into the Single Rider Line to save a little bit of time. If boarding a Time Rover so save an Iguanodon is more your speed - the ride Dinosaur requires all riders to be 40 inches tall. That brings us to our final ride with a height limitation in Animal Kingdom, Kali River Rapids which requires travelers to be 38 inches tall to splash their way through the Rapids. Keep in mind that YOU WILL GET WET.
Animal Kingdom has so much to offer such as all of the amazing animal encounters on the Kilimanjaro Safari, Rafiki's Planet Watch and Wild Africa Trek. If you want to get out of the heat and catch some amazing shows, It's Tough to be a Bug and The Festival of the Lion King are great options for a cool AC break. For an indoor ride that can double as an Air Conditioning break board a boat on the Na'vi River Journey in Pandora. For our Wilderness Explorers, Dinoland U.S.A. is sure to occupy them in the Boneyard if they are taking a break from earning their Badges as Wilderness Explorers throughout the park.