For our daughter’s first birthday we took her to Disney World for a family celebration. We had decided to only go to The Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios because we didn’t want to overwhelm her (or us…). Looking back, I never actually sat down and researched what rides were acceptable to take her on and what were not. My cell phone decided to not work right before our trip, so I was out of easy Fast Pass+ access and kiosks were not easy to find. I found myself standing in lines (which I don’t normally do, and am not a fan of!) wondering if this ride was even ok for my 1 year old to be on.
Well, here we are again planning our second first birthday trip for our second daughter and I want to be more prepared so I’m not standing in a queue second guessing myself. Am I right? Ain’t nobody got time for that! It’s Disney World! At the very least I could be in line to munch down on a churro or Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar…that’s a line you don’t regret…So let’s make our way around the world and get some insight hand in hand.
Well, here we are again planning our second first birthday trip for our second daughter and I want to be more prepared so I’m not standing in a queue second guessing myself. Am I right? Ain’t nobody got time for that! It’s Disney World! At the very least I could be in line to munch down on a churro or Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar…that’s a line you don’t regret…So let’s make our way around the world and get some insight hand in hand.
Let’s start with Epcot…not many actual “Rides” here at Epcot…Soarin’ and Test Track are off the menu for our under 40” parksters. Interestingly enough, Mission Space is on the “Any Height” list (Editor's Note: This ride has a height requirement of 44 inches, despite the graphic attached stating it's an "Any Height" attraction. There is a station inside that all guests can participate in, but it's not part of the ride). I will be honest here, I’ve never been on Mission Space and I’m not sure if I have any plans to do so in the future. My eyes have a hard time adjusting to screens and I’m afraid I would probably be sick all day, so that’s a no from this mama bear. I have to say I do love Small World’s spicy south of the border cousin the Gran Fiesta Tour in the Mexico pavilion, but very much looking forward to checking out Frozen Ever After. My 2 year old watched the ride video on repeat nonstop for 2 whole days!
Time to take a bus over to Disney Hollywood Studios, where naturally “The Big 3” is a no go for the minis as riders must be 40”+: Tower of Terror, Star Tours and Rockin’ Rollercoaster. They will have to wait until they stretch out some more but, of course they can walk the ride queue and exit stage left and check out the gift shop until the accompanying riders disembark. There are so many new attractions coming to DHS in the future, so we definitely have to have some updates when those rides are up and running. So exciting!!!
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Our next park is also slated for some big updates, Disney’s Animal Kingdom; but with some bigger ride options it’s good to know what appropriate for the littles. Dinosaur, Expedition Everest and Primeval Whirl are all 40”+ attractions. If your rider is shy just 2” they can join your rafting party on Kali River Rapids for 38” riders, and if they don’t they can stand on the bridge and spray everyone! I think Kilimanjaro Safari’s will definitely have to be a multiple visit ride if you can manager it, so informative and interactive. Good luck trying to see the lions, we never do and we want to so bad because our last name means “Leone=Lion”. Hopefully this year, our pride gets to see the Disney pride on our safari! We are keeping our paws crossed on that one.
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Saving the best for last, at least in my opinion, is The Magic Kingdom, rounding out this list with the most rides. Sadly, all of the Mountains are off limits but I’m sure you can have a family sing a long to “Zippity doo dah” and almost get the same effect? I mean really, your toddler probably doesn’t need to learn another somewhat annoying repetitive song and when they do it’s only right that they should go shooting down a log flume when doing so. You know I’m right…
Tomorrowland Speedway comes in at 32”, The Barnstormer at 35” and the Seven Dwarves Mine Train at 38”. Don’t forget to add Stitch’s Great Escape to the 40” list! I’m sure you can ride that one many times as it’s the least popular of the Tomorrowland Attractions…unless you are into Stitch’s chili dog scented burps it might not be on your Fast Pass list.
Now in the case you aren’t bringing a handy-dandy binder complete with the Disney Parks attraction height charts I’ve provided, you can always log into My Disney Experience for ride location, wait time, height/age requirement, thrill type and hours of operation. Do not forget a charger, or a charger pack! You will be definitely need it with all of the app interaction. Kiosks are not located every 5 feet and if your phone isn’t accessible it will wreak havoc on your park plans!!! Hopefully this article and charts will suit you well to your trip. Most important rule to live by is HAVE FUN! It’s easy to get off course, especially with young children but don’t let that stress you out or throw off your planning mojo. Take a breath and keep going. Take plenty of breaks and drink plenty of water. I also made sure to change her diaper more frequently to stay ahead of humidity stickiness and any possibly diaper/heat rashes.
Have a great trip and I’m sure they will “See Ya Real Soon!”.
~Mouse Mom: Giovanna
Tomorrowland Speedway comes in at 32”, The Barnstormer at 35” and the Seven Dwarves Mine Train at 38”. Don’t forget to add Stitch’s Great Escape to the 40” list! I’m sure you can ride that one many times as it’s the least popular of the Tomorrowland Attractions…unless you are into Stitch’s chili dog scented burps it might not be on your Fast Pass list.
Now in the case you aren’t bringing a handy-dandy binder complete with the Disney Parks attraction height charts I’ve provided, you can always log into My Disney Experience for ride location, wait time, height/age requirement, thrill type and hours of operation. Do not forget a charger, or a charger pack! You will be definitely need it with all of the app interaction. Kiosks are not located every 5 feet and if your phone isn’t accessible it will wreak havoc on your park plans!!! Hopefully this article and charts will suit you well to your trip. Most important rule to live by is HAVE FUN! It’s easy to get off course, especially with young children but don’t let that stress you out or throw off your planning mojo. Take a breath and keep going. Take plenty of breaks and drink plenty of water. I also made sure to change her diaper more frequently to stay ahead of humidity stickiness and any possibly diaper/heat rashes.
Have a great trip and I’m sure they will “See Ya Real Soon!”.
~Mouse Mom: Giovanna
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