Subsonic Radio

I was just over on another board where there was a discussion going on about putting rises in children's shoes to ensure they met the height requirements for certain rides - some where even planning on buying thick heeled shoes to get their kids on a ride.

I am frankly shaking my head that someone would do this. Who'd risk their kid's safety like this - just for a ride? Someone posted "does 1/4" really make a difference?"!! Well to the ride manufacturer it does! I wonder if that parent could live with themselves if their child slipped out and was killed.

Am I alone to think this?

Oh My God! These are the same people who would "Sue" if something happened to that child on the ride! This ANGERS me to know people would WILLINGLY put thier child at risk! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRr.

AKLRULZ wrote:I am frankly shaking my head that someone would do this. Who'd risk their kid's safety like this - just for a ride? Someone posted "does 1/4" really make a difference?"!! Well to the ride manufacturer it does! I wonder if that parent could live with themselves if their child slipped out and was killed.

Am I alone to think this?

I can't understand it either. Those height restrictions are carefully calculated, and should not be lightly dismissed. Parents should not be putting so much emphasis on getting onto a specific ride. There are plenty of fun things to do at the parks for people of all sizes, so why not just enjoy the rides you can and leave the others as something to look forward to on the next trip?

That's how it was with our kids; my daughter had to stay off Space Mountain when her brother was big enough to ride; my husband just took her and did something else with her while my son and I rode. When she was finally big enough ride, it was a big deal!!!

I think part of the problem is parents who want to go on the rides themselves, and don't want to miss the fun because they have to stay with a small child. That's just selfish. Part of being a parent is that sometimes you have to give up something you want for the good of your child. We never had that dilemma, because my DH isn't really fond of thrill rides, and so we just split up for those rides.

Just remember folks stupid people breed stupid people and make it more dangerous and more annoying for the rest of us.

jbvenn wrote:I think part of the problem is parents who want to go on the rides themselves, and don't want to miss the fun because they have to stay with a small child. That's just selfish. Part of being a parent is that sometimes you have to give up something you want for the good of your child. We never had that dilemma, because my DH isn't really fond of thrill rides, and so we just split up for those rides.

I used to tell people that it was for the child's safety. It's rediculous that parents want to subject their children to that. I completely agree the parents are being selfish. It's the same thing as parents brining their child to an r-rated flim. These stupid people made a mistake by having a kid and not realizing the sacrifices involved.

Disney needs to press the "Child Switch" program more. One parent waits through the line while the other watches the child. Afterwards, the parents switch watching the child and the 2nd parent can get on the attraction without waiting in line. It's a great system.

I'll bet a lot of the CMs don't care to tell guests about it. Disney(land) has had such a high turnaround lately because Disney's treating their CMs poorly. Of course that is transfered to the guests because CMs don't care about their job.

This phenomena isn't just limited to height restrictions. In my haunted house last year I had a family go through where the child got scared. Instead of taking the child out a side exit the parents actually HANDED THE CHILD OFF TO AN ACTOR and said they'd pick the kid up at the end! Mind you, these are costumed actors - probably the very ones the kid was afraid of.

We cheered the kid up and gave the parents a lecture when they were reunited - but I know these types of people will just do this again. No responsibility.

A couple of times, guests would ask me the height requirement for attractions and I'll tell them. On a rare occasion they would give me a face like it's my fault or something.

Lion Sleeps Tonight wrote:A couple of times, guests would ask me the height requirement for attractions and I'll tell them. On a rare occasion they would give me a face like it's my fault or something.

Oh, all the time it's "our fault"

The "Child Swap" policy is a great idea;but I don't think I ever heard about it at the parks; I know about through reading Disney boards like this one and from being a hard-core Disney fan. Does anyone know if they put this policy in any of their literature? It really should get more attention.

jbvenn wrote:Does anyone know if they put this policy in any of their literature? It really should get more attention.

Last I checked (back in 98 ) information about it was in the map.

Looking at intercot's site:
http://www.intercotwest.com/resortGuide/attractions.asp

This is a little gem that is not mentioned anywhere in the official Disneyland information.

There's a medium length description on that site about halfway down.

I'll have to see if I have anything as well. I'm sure I remember reading about it in a WDW park map from at least backon 2001. I think I also may have read about it in a AAA book I got about WDW Vacations that I got this year. I'll check when I get home.

I would never cheat on height restrictions that would put my child at risk. I would however "cheat" on my weight restrictions as proof on my drivers license

HAHAHAHHAHA! I WOULD TOO! YOU GO GIRL!


WOOOHHHOOO!

jbvenn wrote:The "Child Swap" policy is a great idea;but I don't think I ever heard about it at the parks; I know about through reading Disney boards like this one and from being a hard-core Disney fan. Does anyone know if they put this policy in any of their literature? It really should get more attention.

I didn't even know Disney had it either. I know Universal does because they make it very public, although I think they call it "Baby Swap." They use the same idea for handicapped guests too, sort of, where if the line is inaccessible/too difficult to navigate for a disabled person they ride an elevator to the loading area where they have seats and wait for a party member to go through the line; once the party representative gets to the front they call over the rest of the party. Personally, I think it's a great idea because I've seen way too many people abuse Disney's system and it makes me sick. Isn't it great to see a kid in a wheelchair roll up to the front only to run to the ride car in front of you, then when they get out its their brother's or sister's turn to ride around in the wheelchair? I almost wish their parents would get disabled and then they wouldn't have to abuse the system anymore.

We used child swap all the time when our kids were super little in the late 90s.