This is an entry for “height requirement” in our Disneyland 101 Glossary: Disneyland Resort definitions in under 101 words, from Mouse Brief. For more on navigating height minimums and restrictions at Disneyland, keep scrolling after the glossary entry.
Some attractions at Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park require guests to meet a minimum height requirement in order to ride. Most experiences at Disneyland Resort are for guests of any height, but for those attractions with minimum (or occasionally maximum) height requirements, the restrictions are posted outside the ride entrance along with a measuring station. The requirements are also listed in the Disneyland app and on the Disneyland website. If a guest entering an attraction looks to be close to the required height, a cast member will ask that rider to stop and be measured before proceeding.
Thanks for reading this post in our Disneyland 101 series. For extra help navigating height requirements for attractions at Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park, we recommend the following articles on this website:
Is My Child Tall Enough for Disneyland? On Height Requirements
This is our main article all about handling height minimums (and maximums) for attractions at Disneyland Resort. You will learn how height is measured at Disneyland and what it means for your family. If you are wondering whether your small child will have enough to do at Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park, this article is for you. It walks you through the ins and outs of checking height before and during your visit. Plus, it covers what to do if your child does not meet the height requirement for
an attraction.
Also give that article a read if you are curious about other restrictions around young children and Disneyland attractions. For example: how young is too young to ride alone? Will I be seated separately from my children? Why would I go to Disneyland with a child who is too short for thrill rides? And, what should I do if my child is too short for an attraction that the rest of us still want to ride?
On Height Requirements and Rider Switch
Speaking of that last question… Especially check-out that article if you want to understand how and when to use the free Rider Switch service. Rider Switch is great. It allows everyone in your party who is tall enough to experience an attraction the ability to do so without leaving small children unattended AND without doubling your wait time. (We really recommend it.) You can also use Rider Switch if you have a small child who simply does not want to ride an attraction but cannot be left alone while the adults ride.
It’s an extensive article and one compiled from lots of personal experience. We hope you explore it if you are considering a Disneyland visit with young children. It is at this link: Is My Child Tall Enough for Disneyland? On Height Requirements.
On a related note, we have an article to help families whose children might be nervous about doing certain attractions, even after kids meet the height requirement. That is…
Too Afraid to Ride: How to Handle Scary Disneyland Rides
This article again comes from our personal experience visiting Disneyland Resort as children, adults and as parents. We walk you through things to consider when determining whether a certain ride is too scary for your child. We cover where to find important information. Plus, we offer questions to discuss when you are making the decisions as a family. From there, we write about what to do after your child has decided they do want to try a particular attraction but are maybe still feeling a little nervous. Check out Too Afraid to Ride: How to Handle Scary Disneyland Rides for all of that.
As a kind of bonus, we also have an article featuring questions to help you prepare for any Disneyland Resort visit. It is: Ask These Questions Before You Visit Disneyland. That post is a discussion guide for groups of all ages. It is intended to aid you in talking about fears, hopes and expectations before your visit. We hope it will help you understand the limits of your group members while designing a visit that brings you closer together. Actually, we even have a set of fun questions for discussion in line. Find that one at: Fun Questions for Connection While Waiting in Disneyland.
What It’s Like to Board a Ride at Disneyland
Lots of families with young children have questions about seating arrangements on Disneyland Resort attractions. They want to know whether they will be close enough to comfort a nervous child during an attraction or whether their child might be seated with a stranger. Adults traveling with young children (but without another adult) sometimes have concerns about whether they will all be able to stay together on attractions. And some of us—adults and children—feel better approaching new situations when we have as much information as possible!
That’s why we wrote this article: What It’s Like to Board a Ride at Disneyland. We take you step by step through the boarding process so you can prepare yourself and your children.
Our Best Stroller Advice
Finally, if you are visiting with young children, you may also have questions about using strollers at Disneyland Resort.
First, we can help you decide whether you should use a stroller with: Should I Bring a Stroller to Disneyland? We cover the pros and cons of using a stroller in Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park as well as in the surrounding area of Disneyland Resort and beyond. We have visited Disneyland with and without a stroller. So, we try to give you plenty of points to consider based on our own experience. That article is helpful whether you are bringing your own stroller or renting one for use at Disneyland.
If you do decide to bring or rent a stroller, be sure to read Strollers at Disneyland Resort: Quick Tips and Strategies. That article comes with lots of hard won advice from using a stroller (a double stroller!) at Disneyland Resort and the surrounding neighborhood.
Thanks for reading our advice on height restrictions and bringing young children to Disneyland.
For a final round of advice on visiting Disneyland Resort with young children, see 5 Tremendous Tips for Visiting Disneyland Resort with Young Kids, and for our free and complete guide to planning a Disneyland visit, see Step-by-Step Disneyland Prep. Thanks again for reading!