Does Disney Height Include Shoes?

Before we answer, “Does Disney height include shoes?” here’s some relevant information. Walt Disney World designs its attractions to be as child-friendly as possible. However, there are height restrictions on certain rides for safety reasons.

The company strictly enforces height restrictions. Therefore, cast members will always check your child’s height at the gate and again before they board the ride.

Whenever the topic of height restrictions comes up, parents want to know whether Walt Disney World Resorts includes shoes in the measurement. This post answers that question before listing height-restricted rides and explaining what you can do if your child is too short.

So Does Disney height include shoes?

Disney measures the height of children with shoes on. Therefore, shoes count towards the total – helpful for children close to the height requirement.

However, high-heeled shoes or overly chunky shoes do not count toward the total height measurement. Therefore, cast members may ask children (or anyone who might not be tall enough) to take these off before measuring them to get an accurate reading.

Cast members are not lenient. For example, they may reject a child or short person for a ride if a credit card can fit between the top of their head and the measuring pole. They’re not being mean – height requirements are directly related to the ability of a ride’s safety restraint systems to keep a guest securely fastened inside the ride vehicle while it’s in motion.

What to do if your child is too short to ride an attraction at the theme parks?

Queuing for an hour only to find out your child is too short to ride an attraction is an unpleasant prospect. However, Disney is helpful in this regard. While it enforces a strict height limit policy, it also offers a convenient Rider Switch service to let adults continue to enjoy the ride even if their child can’t join them.

The way this policy works is simple. If your child is too short for a ride, approach a cast member and ask them for a Rider Switch. They will then split your group into two. Party 1 will immediately board the ride while party two will wait with the child. Then, when party 1 finishes the ride, they stay with the non-rider and party two boards immediately without having to queue again.

In some cases, your child may also receive a special certificate which allows them to bypass the line on a future visit (once they’re tall enough to ride).

Walt Disney World height requirements for Disney rides – is my child tall enough?

Disney applies different height restrictions across its rides, so you’ll need to do some homework.

To avoid disappointment on your Walt Disney World vacation, check our list of the height requirements for each ride before you arrive at the Disney Parks. Then compare them to your child’s height to avoid queuing unnecessarily or raising their expectations.

You can also use our Disney World Height Requirement Calculator to determine which rides your child can enjoy — and which ones they’ll have to re-visit once they’re taller.