Disney and Universal Ride Height Requirements (Free "Can My Kid Ride It?" Tool)
Second Star Wishes is an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner and U-Preferred Universal Parks and Resorts agency, and "What can my kid ride?" is one of the first questions families ask us. This guide has a free tool that shows every ride your child can do at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Universal Orlando, and Universal Studios Hollywood, plus the full height requirement lists, how measuring works, and how Rider Switch lets the grown-ups ride too.
By Andrea Napiontek, Founder and CEO | Last Updated: October 2026 | Heights checked against Disney and Universal's official ride pages on October 12, 2026
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In This Guide
Ride Height Quick Facts
What is the lowest height requirement at Disney World? 32 inches, for Tomorrowland Speedway and Alien Swirling Saucers. Lots of rides have no height requirement at all.
What is the tallest height requirement at Disney World? 48 inches, for TRON Lightcycle / Run and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets.
What is the tallest height requirement at Universal Orlando? 54 inches, for The Incredible Hulk Coaster.
Do kids under 48 inches need an adult at Universal? Yes. At Universal, riders under 48 inches must ride with a supervising companion.
Jump to: Ride tool | Disney World list | Universal list
Can My Kid Ride It? Free Ride Height Tool
Pick your park, enter your child's height, and see every ride they can do right now, plus how many inches to go for the rest.
How to use it:
Pick your theme park: Walt Disney World (Florida), Disneyland (California), Universal Orlando Resort, or Universal Studios Hollywood.
Enter your child's height: in inches or centimeters.
Open each park: tap a park name to see its rides.
Measure with shoes on: that's how they'll measure at the ride.
TIP: The tool only lists rides with a height requirement. Rides like Peter Pan's Flight, "it's a small world," and the Hogwarts Express welcome everyone.
How Do Ride Height Requirements Work?
Every thrill ride has a minimum height, and it's a hard rule. There are no exceptions, even if your child is one-quarter inch short and heartbroken about it.
Where they measure: Cast Members and Team Members check height at the ride entrance. Some rides check again right before you board.
Shoes count: regular shoes are fine. Lifts, thick soles, or standing on tiptoe aren't, and they will notice.
Heights can change: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Walt Disney World dropped from 40 to 38 inches when it reopened in May 2026.
Universal's 48-inch rule: at Universal, kids under 48 inches who meet the ride's minimum must ride with a supervising companion.
Measure at home first: do it with shoes on, a few weeks before your trip. Kids grow fast!
Walt Disney World Ride Height Requirements
Walt Disney World ride height requirements range from 32 to 48 inches. Here is every ride with a minimum height, sorted from lowest to tallest in each park.
The Magic Kingdom
Tomorrowland Speedway: 32 inches (54 inches to drive alone)
The Barnstormer: 35 inches
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: 38 inches
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: 38 inches (lowered from 40 inches when it reopened in May 2026)
Tiana's Bayou Adventure: 40 inches
Space Mountain: 44 inches
TRON Lightcycle / Run: 48 inches
EPCOT
Mission: SPACE (Green, no spinning): 40 inches
Test Track: 40 inches
Soarin': 40 inches
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind: 42 inches
Mission: SPACE (Orange, spinning): 44 inches
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Alien Swirling Saucers: 32 inches
Slinky Dog Dash: 38 inches
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run: 38 inches
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance: 40 inches
Star Tours: 40 inches
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror: 40 inches
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets: 48 inches
Disney's Animal Kingdom
Kali River Rapids: 38 inches
Expedition Everest: 44 inches
Avatar Flight of Passage: 44 inches
Disneyland Ride Height Requirements
Disneyland ride height requirements range from 32 to 48 inches across Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure.
Disneyland Park
Autopia: 32 inches (54 inches to drive alone)
Chip 'n' Dale's GADGETcoaster: 35 inches
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run: 38 inches
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: 40 inches
Space Mountain: 40 inches
Tiana's Bayou Adventure: 40 inches
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance: 40 inches
Star Tours: 40 inches
Matterhorn Bobsleds: 42 inches
Indiana Jones Adventure: 46 inches (closed for refurbishment, reopening date not announced yet)
Disney California Adventure
Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters: 32 inches
Mater's Junkyard Jamboree: 32 inches
Radiator Springs Racers: 40 inches
Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission BREAKOUT!: 40 inches
Soarin': 40 inches
Jumpin' Jellyfish: 40 inches
Silly Symphony Swings: 40 inches (48 inches to ride a single swing alone)
Grizzly River Run: 42 inches
Goofy's Sky School: 42 inches
Incredicoaster: 48 inches
Universal Orlando Ride Height Requirements
Universal Orlando ride height requirements range from 34 to 54 inches across Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, and Epic Universe. Remember, riders under 48 inches need a supervising companion.
Universal Studios Florida
E.T. Adventure: 34 inches
Trolls Trollercoaster: 36 inches
Despicable Me Minion Mayhem: 40 inches (kids under 40 inches can use the non-moving seats)
Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon: 40 inches
The Simpsons Ride: 40 inches
TRANSFORMERS: The Ride-3D: 40 inches
Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts: 42 inches
MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack: 42 inches
Revenge of the Mummy: 48 inches
Islands of Adventure
The Cat in the Hat: 36 inches
The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride!: 36 inches
Flight of the Hippogriff: 36 inches
Skull Island: Reign of Kong: 36 inches
Pteranodon Flyers: 36 inches (maximum 56 inches unless riding with a child)
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man: 40 inches
Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges: 42 inches
Jurassic Park River Adventure: 42 inches (closed for refurbishment, reopening planned for November 20, 2026)
Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls: 44 inches
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey: 48 inches
Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure: 48 inches
Jurassic World VelociCoaster: 51 inches
Doctor Doom's Fearfall: 52 inches
The Incredible Hulk Coaster: 54 inches
Epic Universe
Yoshi's Adventure: 34 inches
Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge: 40 inches
Mine-Cart Madness: 40 inches
Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry: 40 inches
Hiccup's Wing Gliders: 40 inches
Curse of the Werewolf: 40 inches
Stardust Racers: 48 inches
Dragon Racer's Rally: 48 inches
Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment: 48 inches
Universal Studios Hollywood Ride Height Requirements
Universal Studios Hollywood ride height requirements range from 34 to 51 inches. Riders under 48 inches need a supervising companion.
Universal Studios Hollywood
The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash!: 34 inches
Flight of the Hippogriff: 39 inches
Despicable Me Minion Mayhem: 40 inches (kids under 40 inches can use the non-moving seats)
The Simpsons Ride: 40 inches
Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge: 40 inches
TRANSFORMERS: The Ride-3D: 40 inches
Jurassic World - The Ride: 42 inches
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey: 48 inches
Revenge of the Mummy - The Ride: 48 inches
Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift: 51 inches (new in 2026)
What If Your Child Is Too Short to Ride?
Nobody has to miss out. All four resorts have a way for grown-ups to take turns without waiting in line twice.
Rider Switch (Walt Disney World and Disneyland): one adult waits with the child while the rest of the group rides. Then the waiting adult rides without waiting in the full line again. Just ask the Cast Member at the ride entrance.
Child Swap (Universal Orlando): many rides have a Child Swap room near the entrance. One adult waits there with the little one, then the adults switch.
Child Switch (Universal Studios Hollywood): the same idea. Ask the Team Member at the ride entrance.
Find rides they can do: the tool above lists everything at your child's height. Little ones love Seuss Landing, Super Nintendo World, and Fantasyland.
Talk about it ahead of time: a kid who knows a ride is "for when you're bigger" handles it so much better than a surprise at the entrance.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ride Height Requirements
What can a 40-inch child ride at Disney World?
A lot! At 40 inches, kids can ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Tiana's Bayou Adventure, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Slinky Dog Dash, Test Track, Soarin', and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
What is the height requirement for TRON at Disney World?
48 inches.
What is the height requirement for VelociCoaster at Universal?
51 inches.
What rides at Epic Universe have height requirements?
Yoshi's Adventure is 34 inches. Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge, Mine-Cart Madness, Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, Hiccup's Wing Gliders, and Curse of the Werewolf are 40 inches. Stardust Racers, Dragon Racer's Rally, and Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment are 48 inches.
Do shoes count for ride height requirements?
Yes, regular shoes count. Shoes with lifts or extra-thick soles don't.
Can Disney or Universal change a ride's height requirement?
Yes. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen. Your Travel Specialist double checks heights before your trip.
How Can a Second Star Wishes Travel Specialist Help?
We plan around your kids' heights from day one. That means the right parks on the right days, Lightning Lanes and Express Passes for the rides they can actually do, and Rider Switch plans so the grown-ups get their turn too. Tell us your trip dates, who's coming, and how tall your little adventurers are, and we'll take it from there.
Looking for a Disney World or Universal Orlando travel agent? That's us. Your Second Star Wishes Travel Specialist plans theme park vacations for families everywhere from our home base in Daphne, Alabama, on the Gulf Coast.
Disney's and Universal's package prices are the same whether you book direct or through us. Some of our Travel Specialists also offer a Concierge Planning Package for families who want extra hands-on help, like dining and Lightning Lane booking and a custom day-by-day plan. Ask your Travel Specialist what's included.
Planning more? Our Disney Dining Reservation Calculator shows the exact morning your dining opens, and our Lightning Lane guide explains how to skip the lines.
Let us turn your theme park wishes into reality!
📧 info@secondstarwishes.com
☎️ 800-365-3130
About the Author: Andrea Napiontek, CTA
Andrea is the founding owner and CEO of Second Star Wishes, a boutique travel agency she started in 2015 in Daphne, Alabama. She's a Certified Travel Associate (CTA), a Magellan Award recipient, and an ASTA member and mentor, with specialist training in Disney destinations, Mexico, the Caribbean, Alaska, and Europe. Before travel, she worked in education and counseling, which is why every plan starts with really listening. Home base is the Gulf Coast with her husband and three kids...when she's not off on a new adventure. Second Star Wishes is an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner agency.
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