New Height Limit for Splash Mountain

[disneyfanatic101]

I got this from Screamscape:

Park News - (1/21/08) In a very strange bit of news, Disneyland has suddenly raised the height limit on Splash Mountain to an insane 60 inches (up from 40) for the front seat according to an article at the LA Times. Apparently this is a “temporary height restriction” so that the park can “evaluate options to improve comfort and safety”. It’s speculated that this temporary change has come into being because some small children in the front row have been ducking under the front opening during the drops and hurting themselves.

As most coaster enthusiasts know, a 60 inch height limit for anything is unheard of as even the most intense roller coasters in the world typically set their height limits a 54 inches. To put a height requirement of 60 inches on a family ride like Splash Mountain is just so out of left field, it just doesn’t seem possible.

Of course if the problem is due to children sitting alone in the front hurting themselves, then really Disney only has themselves to blame since it was their previous misguided efforts at mucking about with the seating configuration a few years ago that caused this problem. Before the current configuration of the logs with individual seat dividers (which also cut back on capacity), the logs used to have three large open sections that would typically accommodate groups of 2 or 3 riders sitting in close quarters. This family style seating allowed for couples to cuddle on the ride and for parents to hold tightly on to their children during the ride’s more thrilling moments and preventing the problems they are having now. At this point before they muck about with the current seating anymore, perhaps they should just go the Space Mountain route, close the ride down for 9 months or so and reconfigure and widen the flume so they can use the 2 across wider logs (8 seats total) that they already use in Florida and Japan.

[disneyimagineer]

60 inches!?!? I can't beleive that! Most kids who would love Splash Mountain are not 5 feet tall! I certainly wasn't when I went on it at the age of 4!

[disneyimagineer]

Sorry, I must have hit the "submit post" button twice

[mini-V]

I'm 50+ years old and under 5ft tall - that still makes me too short to ride in the front. Of course, I'm too chicken to ride in the front anyway, so I guess it's a moot point. At least they are looking at the problem before something serious happens.

[SnwhtNdwrfs]

Well, if you want the front and are too short, just ask the people in front of you to move out of the way a bit so some of that precious water can grace your body. I guess I don't really know what the difference is with Disneyland VS WDW as I have never seen the DL version. Was there more information about the types of injuries there were?

Personally, I'm okay with not getting in the front. Last time, we got hit by the cannon at the bottom while waiting to go into the attraction. Thre are no "safe" places. But I digress from the issue.

[vixen101485]

According to some CM friends I have online from another site, it is because of children (and some ditzy adults) dunking under the front section when going down the hill to avoid getting wet and bashing their heads on the thing. It is only the FRONT seat that they cant ride in. They can still ride in the back seats. Personally I have trouble seeing over the front seat section and I am 5'8" so I prefer to sit back a bit so I can see better.

I agree Snow....kinda if you dont wanna take the chance of getting wet, WHY ARE YOU RIDING IT? LOL

[Sorria]

I guess its understandable if people are ducking under there and getting hurt.

[nicki12]

Well if it will keep people safe 60" won't be so bad.

[Thumper10]

wow 60 inches is really high but i guess they do what they have to

[BethD]

I am glad you posted this. We are headed to Disneyland in a few weeks and I know my son would have been very disappointed to find out he could not ride it. At least I can prepare him now.