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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to take my DD on these theme park rides?

56 replies

Iamthewalnut · 16/04/2022 00:03

My DD turns four this weekend. We’re hoping to take her to a theme park. For children shorter than 90cm in height entry is free, but they can only go on 8 rides. For children 90cm or taller, entry is £18, but they can go on 17 rides. It probably isn’t too outing to say the theme park is Gulliver’s Kingdom. www.gulliverskingdomresort.co.uk/rides

DD was born 14 weeks premature and is tiny for her age. Bear in mind the average 2.5 year old girl weighs 13kg is 90cm tall. My DD, at 4, weighs 11kg and is 88cm in her bare feet…but bang on 90cm wearing her trainers. (This was confirmed two days ago when she was weighed and measured at an appointment with her pediatrician)

Am I being unreasonable booking a paid ticket for her as 90cm and over so she can go on all the rides?

I’d hate for us to pay for her, get all the way there and then she’s not allowed on. Does anyone know whether the height limit is with shoes on or off?

The other option is booking an under 90cm ticket with free entry for her but then she’d be really limited with what rides she could enjoy and likely not happy seeing kids half her age go on rides that she couldn’t, plus it wouldn’t make the 2 hour journey there worth it.

OP posts:
BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 16/04/2022 00:39

Also, all people with a 90cm height do not have exactly the same torso height or shoulder span, both of which would be important if wearing an over the shoulder harness.

The 90cm rides aren't the ones which have steep drops or go upside down.

BungleandGeorge · 16/04/2022 00:39

I’ve always found that the measures are theme parks under estimate so they’re shorter than when measured elsewhere. So maybe they take into account the shoes? 2cm is also quite a lot even for trainers so I wouldn’t rely on her being able to access the rides. They’re strict most places but if people are saying gullivers isn’t you might be ok

Original poster
Iamthewalnut · 16/04/2022 00:44

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

Also, all people with a 90cm height do not have exactly the same torso height or shoulder span, both of which would be important if wearing an over the shoulder harness.

The 90cm rides aren't the ones which have steep drops or go upside down.

Good point about body proportions, thank you. My daughter has a slender torso & arms and comparatively long legs.

And yes - the 90 cm rides aren't the ones with steep drops or that that go upsidedown - those have a 120cm height restriction so my DD won't be going on those until she's 18, the rate she's growing!

OP posts:
BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 16/04/2022 00:44

99% of the rides at Gullivers where a 90cm child can ride state that a 90cm child can only ride with an adult. Given that 90cm is roughly the height of a 2.5yo, I'd say that this isn't based on "this child Will not fit in the harness" but more "a child this height does is not old enough to sit sensibly on this seat".

None of Gullivers rides that let 90cm children ride with an adult are in any way actually dangerous. The grown up is there to make sure their toddler stays sat down and sensible for the rides duration.

Original poster
Iamthewalnut · 16/04/2022 00:48

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

99% of the rides at Gullivers where a 90cm child can ride state that a 90cm child can only ride with an adult. Given that 90cm is roughly the height of a 2.5yo, I'd say that this isn't based on "this child Will not fit in the harness" but more "a child this height does is not old enough to sit sensibly on this seat".

None of Gullivers rides that let 90cm children ride with an adult are in any way actually dangerous. The grown up is there to make sure their toddler stays sat down and sensible for the rides duration.

Thank you, that's really helpful to know.

I absolutely intend to ride with her.

OP posts:
converseandjeans · 16/04/2022 00:53

Just go somewhere she can go on rides - Thomasland, Peppa Pig world.

I'm not especially OTT with things but honestly she sounds small & slight & could slip out.

I'm surprised so many are encouraging you to make out that she's taller than she is.

Just go next year.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 16/04/2022 00:55

I'm surprised so many are encouraging you to make out that she's taller than she is

The child is 90cms in her trainers. Which is what the park checks for. They don't make kids de-shoe for measuring!

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 16/04/2022 00:57

Peppa Pig world

Has the same restrictions there abouts. Under 120cms, myst ride with an adult. Exactly the same as Gullivers.

MyCatIsAJerk · 16/04/2022 01:01

A 6’5” teenage boy fell off a ride in Florida a couple of weeks ago, 75 feet to his death. He was too big and wasn’t strapped in properly.

I agree with pp - wait for a few months to make sure your DD is tall enough.

It’s just theme park rides - but it’s your daughter’s safety.

SpacePotato · 16/04/2022 01:21

The rides are carousels and cars that go slowly round a track type things not bloody roller coasters or adult white knuckle rides.

converseandjeans · 16/04/2022 01:36

The child is 90cms in her trainers. Which is what the park checks for. They don't make kids de-shoe for measuring!

Heaven forbid something went wrong then the staff at the theme park would be responsible. OP meanwhile knowingly duped them into thinking she was taller.

It just seems sneaky & not in the best interest of DD. She doesn't know about theme parks yet. It's to make OP happy.

mogsrus · 16/04/2022 06:16

All rides are made for the person to ride with shoes on. The restriction of height is imposed by the manufacturer, not the the park, under the correct height will invalidate a safety certificate on the ride.

Heronwatcher · 16/04/2022 06:23

I’d wait a bit. You may be fine but it would be Sod’s law that the ride she really wants to go on would measure and she would be just on the line and not allowed on. If you’re desperate to do a theme park now Alton Towers has absolutely loads of stuff for younger (shorter) kids, including a whole CBeebies land, aquarium, and loads of other rides (like pirate ship etc).

Gladioli23 · 16/04/2022 06:24

So I do totally understand the safety concerns but these really don't look like dangerous rides...

www.gulliversworldresort.co.uk/rides

Dodgems, a swingboat, and a load of rides like trains.

knackeredmumoftwo · 16/04/2022 08:57

Just to add - the 90cm is an absolute minimum. Some rides are much more jarring than others - Thomas World at Drayton manor for example

  • my daughter was way above the minimum height but too small to stay in her seat and had the most awful bruise on a relatively tame ride - train I think - I'd wait another few months / next summer and do something lovely locally instead - beach / water play park etc - zoo whatever ! Rather than risking a life of fear of
Rides which is what happened to us!!!
Hosum · 16/04/2022 09:00

We've done this with our dd when she was just on the edge - we bought a pair of heelies - worked perfectly. As above the rides aren't ones dependent on harnesses and even if they were they don't allow a 1cm margin of error. It is more of a proxy age/ not a toddler.

LowlyTheWorm · 16/04/2022 09:08

What would SHE like? Is she into riding on things or would she perhaps prefer a smaller day out locally and some nursery friends over?
I’m not sure a big memorable trip is worth it if it’s such a stress. What are her favourite things?

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 16/04/2022 09:12

OP meanwhile knowingly duped them into thinking she was taller

Allowing your child to walk around a venue in their usual footwear is not duping anyone.

AlistairCamel · 16/04/2022 09:14

When I was a child I was let on a ride at a big well known theme park when i was a cm under. i was falling under the bar and my dad had to cling to me to keep my in. be very careful.

my almost 4 year old is always very happy with the rides that are for her height. She is small. maybe your daughter won't mind.

Pinkishpurple · 16/04/2022 09:16

Is this the Milton Keynes Gullivers? If so take a look at the reviews! We've been before and it's really poorly maintained, some of the rides didn't feel safe. I won't go ever again.

Dinoteeth · 16/04/2022 09:17

Op I totally get the frustration of having short kids, and firmly believe theme parks should price kids tickets by their height rather than age.

However I'd say it should be fine. The rides for 90cm kids are not white knuckle affairs. Most likely they'd be a simple bar holding the kids in.

Comparing a kid who's borderline for the height restriction to a kid who's far to big for the seat that the harness didn't close on a white knuckle ride is a tad unfair.

It amuses me that they have 7 rides all with the same 90cm restriction.

Disney have goodness knows how many rides in 3 different parks, in different continents, probably built by different manufacturers built over many decades that ALL have a height restriction of 102cm, do we honestly believe that a 100cm child wouldn't be anywhere near safe on any of them?

Bunnybingesoneggs · 16/04/2022 09:22

Does your dd know she is too short? Bit dramatic but imo raising a dc to think rules don't apply to them is dodgy ground for the future op..
We went to a theme park yesterday and ds 7 was measured properly at every ride by the staff.

LaWench · 16/04/2022 09:28

They don't check what ticket you have before the ride, this is only for entry to the park.

oatlattetogo · 16/04/2022 09:37

I would, personally. I’ve never seen a theme park employee ask a child to remove their shoes to be measured (ever!) so they must assume that the children who are ‘just’ tall enough are actually slightly under without their shoes on.

At 90cm tall all of the rides will be quite tame, so I don’t think you need to worry about her being slight and slipping out. She won’t be going upside down and you’ll be with her!

FancyTeaCups · 16/04/2022 09:41

You suggest she's particularly small and slight - I agree with others that she doesn't sound like she's quite big enough to ride safely.

While accidents are thankfully incredibly rare, the consequences of an ill-fitting harness can be horrific. Extreme example of course but a few weeks ago there was a video circulating online of a 14 year old boy dying on a ride in Florida, possibly because he was larger than the safe limits.