A list of every Minimum Height Requirement on Disney World attractions, plus how the Rider Switch service works, and tips on what to do whilst waiting.
Walt Disney World provides a whole host of fun for guests of all ages. Obviously, for safety reasons, they do stipulate a minimum height requirement on certain attractions. Therefore, depending on the dynamics of your party, there may be younger guests who are unable to experience some rides.
Thankfully, Walt Disney World offer a Rider Switch service. This means those guests who are eligible to experience an attraction with a height restriction can do so in turn, whilst helping minimise the amount of waiting time for non-riders.
To help you plan, I've listed those attractions with a minimum height requirement below. Together with an outline of how the Rider Switch service works, along with some suggestions on how to keep younger guests entertained whilst waiting.
Attractions with a minimum height requirement are:
Magic Kingdom |
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| Attraction | Area | Minimum Height |
| Tomorrowland Speedway | Tomorrowland | 32 inches (82cm) |
| The Barnstormer | Fantasyland | 35 inches (89cm) |
| Seven Dwarfs Mine Train | Fantasyland | 38 inches (97cm) |
| Big Thunder Mountain Railroad | Frontierland | 40 inches (102cm) |
| Splash Mountain | Frontierland | 40 inches (102cm) |
| Space Mountain | Tomorrowland | 44 inches (113cm) |
Epcot |
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| Attraction | Area | Minimum Height |
| Mission: SPACE (Green) | Future World | 40 inches (102cm) |
| Soarin’ | Future World | 40 inches (102cm) |
| Test Track | Future World | 40 inches (102cm) |
| Mission: SPACE (orange) | Future World | 44 inches (113cm) |
| Guardians of the Galaxy | Future World | 42 inches (107cm) |
Hollywood Studios |
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| Attraction | Area | Minimum Height |
| Alien Swirling Saucers | Toy Story Land | 32 inches (82cm) |
| Slinky Dog Dash | Toy Story Land | 38 inches (97cm) |
| Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run | Galaxy's Edge | 38 inches (97cm) |
| Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance | Galaxy's Edge | 40 inches (102cm) |
| Star Tours: The Adventure Continues | Echo Lake | 40 inches (102cm) |
| The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror | Sunset Boulevard | 40 inches (102cm) |
| Rock 'n' Roller Coaster | Sunset Boulevard | 48 inches (122cm) |
Animal Kingdom |
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| Attraction | Area | Minimum Height |
| Kali River Rapids | Asia | 38 inches (97cm) |
| DINOSAUR | DinoLand USA | 40 inches (102cm) |
| Avatar Flight of Passage | Pandora | 44 inches (113cm) |
| Expedition Everest | Asia | 44 inches (113cm) |
Blizzard Beach Water Park |
|
| Attraction | Minimum Height |
| Chairlift | 32 inches (82cm) |
| Downhill Double Dipper | 48 inches (122cm) |
| Slush Gusher | 48 inches (122cm) |
| Summit Plummet | 48 inches (122cm) |
Typhoon Lagoon Water Park |
|
| Attraction | Minimum Height |
| Crush ‘n’ Gusher | 48 inches (122cm) |
| Humunga Kowabunga | 48 inches (122cm) |
Rider Switch
If you have children within your party who do not meet the required height, or are unwilling to ride, Walt Disney World offers the Rider Switch option on all of the attractions listed above (with the exception of the water slides). This enables other members of your group to experience these attractions with as little waiting around for the non-rider as possible.
How to use Rider Switch at Disney World:
- Approach the Cast Member at the attraction entrance. You must present your whole party, particularly the 2 adults and smaller children/non-riders. You will then be issued with a Rider Switch Pass for that particular attraction.
- The first adult then enters the queue (standby or Lightning Lane if one is booked), along with any children or other party members who wish to ride. While the second adult waits with the non-rider(s).
- After riding, the first adult then takes charge of the smaller child(ren), while the second adult uses the Rider Switch Pass to enter the attraction through the Lightning Lane queue. The Rider Switch Pass is valid for 2 people, which means the second adult can bring another guest to ride alongside them.
What to do whilst waiting for Rider Switch
There’s always lots of waiting at Walt Disney World. Including for rides, buses, monorails, boats, food, toilet stops - the list seems endless. Therefore, additional waiting for other family members to experience attractions during Rider Switch, especially when entertaining a youngster, can become quite challenging.
Here are some ideas to help keep younger children entertained, which (hopefully) means everyone can be having fun at the same time.
Magic Kingdom
Whilst waiting for riders on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and/or Splash Mountain, catch the raft over to Tom Sawyer Island. Here, little ones can explore the caves, play areas and fort over there.
Or why not board the Magic Kingdom Railroad at the station near Splash Mountain and complete a circuit of the park.
If you think those two options will take too long, there’s a small shaded play area near the Splash Mountain entrance.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is situated opposite Winnie the Pooh and Prince Charming’s Regal Carousel, which are perfect for younger children.
When the rest of the family are riding The Barnstormer, head towards Dumbo The Flying Elephant which has an indoor play area. There’s also the Casey Jr Splash & Soak Station (with an emphasis on the soak!).
The Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover is ideal for riding with small children whilst others experience Space Mountain and/or Tomorrowland Speedway.
Although they’re not included in the Rider Switch attractions, Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean may not appeal to some children. So, if you find yourself having to wait here, hunting for Hidden Pascals in the garden near Haunted Mansion can be fun.
Pirates of the Caribbean is located near The Magic Carpets of Aladdin (watch out for the spitting camel!). Alternatively, you could complete some of the A Pirate's Adventure missions or explore the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse.
Epcot
Test Track and Mission:SPACE have two of the best post-ride areas, with games to play and exhibits to explore, so these are both great places to wait.
For Soarin’ you could either ride Living with the Land or why not head over to nearby The Seas with Nemo and Friends and enjoy watching the various sea creatures in the aquarium.
Hollywood Studios
Hollywood Studios is somewhat lacking in the alternative entertainment for younger children at the bigger rides.
If you’re finding yourself having to wait, you might be best co-ordinating your timings with one of the many shows which take place. Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage theatre is conveniently located near Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. Whilst Star Wars - the adventures continues has For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration and Muppet Vision 3D within the vicinity. There’s also Disney Junior - Live on Stage and Voyage of The Little Mermaid in Animation Courtyard.
Animal Kingdom
If waiting with young children in Pandora - World of Avatar, check wait times for Na'vi River Journey as there's no height restriction on this attraction, so you may have luck riding this while the rest of your party are enjoying Flight of Passage.
For DINOSAUR, you could take younger children on the TriceraTop Spin or let them enjoy digging for dinosaur bones in The Boneyard.
While waiting for others to ride Expedition Everest or Kali River Rapids, have fun watching the antics of the nearby monkeys, or consider timing your wait to coincide with a Flights of Wonder show.
If none of these will work for you, there’s always the gift shops or ice-cream kiosks to fall back on, as well as a multitude of character Meet & Greets in various locations around all the parks. To discover whether your favourite is nearby, use the MyDisneyExperience App, or visit Character Experiences on the Things to Do pages of the Disney World website.
I hope you find this Minimum Height Requirement and Rider Switch information useful. If you're looking for more Walt Disney World, hints, tips and ideas, you may also like:
