Disney World Height Requirement Calculator

Many rides at Walt Disney World have restrictions based on the height of the rider. While we’ve previously published a list of height requirements for each attraction, we understand it can be confusing — different rides have different rules. That’s why we made our Disney World Height Requirement Calculator, which you’ll find below.

This simple tool lets you enter your child’s height and instantly get a list of rides they’re tall enough for, along with a separate list of those which they’re not yet able to ride.

How to measure your child’s height for Disney rides

In the parks, heights are measured using permanently-mounted posts which look similar to the uppercase Greek letter Gamma (  Γ  ) or an upside-down “L”.

A height measurement device at Disney World | Image © Disney

To be eligible to ride, your child must be tall enough for their head to touch the bottom of the cross-bar. There is practically no leeway, because height requirements are based on the ride’s safety restraints.

To get an accurate measurement at home:

1. Have your child wear the same shoes they’ll wear inside the park. Disney allows for reasonable shoes when calculating height, but overly chunky/platform shoes aren’t eligible. (Clever hair tricks such as tall buns won’t work, either.)
2. Tell them to stand as straight as possible (but no tippy toes!) against an open door jamb.
3. Hold a yardstick or framing square horizontally against the top of their head, then lightly mark their height in pencil against the door jamb
4. Measure the distance from the mark to the floor, then round down to the nearest whole inch. (A 39.8″ child won’t be allowed on a 40″ ride.)
5. Enter this number into our calculator below to see which attractions your child is tall enough to ride.

What if my child isn’t tall enough to ride?

There’s really nothing you can do to let your child ride something they’re not tall enough for; it’s simply not safe for them to ride. Disney measures children’s heights at least twice for each ride — once at the entrance, and again immediately before boarding — so you won’t be able to “hide” them to bypass the check at the entrance.

But, Cast Members do actually care. I’ve seen them really try to help kids who are *almost* there to meet the requirement (“Stand up really tall and proud for me, buddy — don’t slouch! Stretch!”).

If it still doesn’t work out, they may give your child a certificate to allow them to skip the line on a future trip, once they’re tall enough.

But, the rest of the family doesn’t have to miss the ride or wait longer just because one guest is not tall enough.

• Many rides offer a free Rider Switch service which lets part of the group stay behind with the child who can’t ride. Everyone else waits in line and rides, then comes back to watch the child while the next group rides (without having to wait in the standby line again).
• Most Disney Lightning Lane passes offer up to a one-hour return window, so it’s easy to divide into two groups to ride. Note that there are no discounts or refunds on Lightning Lane for kids who aren’t tall enough to ride something, so factor in your child’s height when determining if it’s worth buying.

Final Thoughts

Height requirements may cause a few disappointments if you’re taking a toddler to Disney World or visiting with your grandkids — but they’re in place for a good reason: safety. As much as we want our kids to experience everything Disney World has to offer, we want them to be safe more than anything else.

Using our calculator before you get to Disney will let you know ahead of time which rides won’t work out. You can prepare your child in advance and hopefully avoid any meltdowns at a ride entrance.

You can also assure them that there are still plenty of rides for toddlers, babies, and preschoolers. After all, roughly 80 rides and attractions have no height requirement at all!

Enjoy your trip!

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