What can a 36-inch child ride?

What changes at 36 inches

Thirty-six inches is Universal's real opening gate: five attractions clear at once. Flight of the Hippogriff is the lowest bar in the Wizarding World, Skull Island: Reign of Kong has the lowest floor on any major ride at Islands of Adventure, and Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster, The Cat in the Hat and Pteranodon Flyers round out the set. The Barnstormer at Magic Kingdom opens just below this line at 35 inches, which makes this the tier where most children get their first roller coaster at either resort.

Newly open at this height

Rides a child could not board at 34 inches but can board now.

• ·The Barnstormer — Magic Kingdom, 35"
• ·Skull Island: Reign of Kong — Islands of Adventure, 36"
• ·Flight of the Hippogriff — Islands of Adventure, 36"
• ·The Cat in the Hat — Islands of Adventure, 36"
• ·Pteranodon Flyers — Islands of Adventure, 36"
• ·Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster — Universal Studios, 36"

What is still off-limits

Everything with real speed. Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, Forbidden Journey, Revenge of the Mummy and Stardust Racers need 48 inches; VelociCoaster and Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit 51; Doctor Doom's Fearfall 52 and The Incredible Hulk Coaster 54. At Disney, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Slinky Dog Dash are still two inches off at 38, and every mountain needs 40 or more.

• ·Seven Dwarfs Mine Train — Magic Kingdom, needs 38"
• ·TRON Lightcycle / Run — Magic Kingdom, needs 48"
• ·Space Mountain — Magic Kingdom, needs 44"
• ·Big Thunder Mountain Railroad — Magic Kingdom, needs 40"
• ·Tiana's Bayou Adventure — Magic Kingdom, needs 40"
• ·Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind — EPCOT, needs 42"
• ·Test Track — EPCOT, needs 40"
• ·Soarin' Around the World — EPCOT, needs 40"
• ·Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance — Hollywood Studios, needs 40"
• ·Slinky Dog Dash — Hollywood Studios, needs 38"
• ·Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run — Hollywood Studios, needs 38"
• ·The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror — Hollywood Studios, needs 40"
• ·Rock 'n' Roller Coaster — Hollywood Studios, needs 48"
• ·Avatar Flight of Passage — Animal Kingdom, needs 44"
• ·Expedition Everest — Animal Kingdom, needs 44"
• ·Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (Disneyland) — Disneyland Park, needs 40"
• ·Space Mountain (Disneyland) — Disneyland Park, needs 40"
• ·Indiana Jones Adventure — Disneyland Park, needs 46"
• ·Matterhorn Bobsleds — Disneyland Park, needs 42"
• ·Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (Disneyland) — Disneyland Park, needs 38"
• ·Radiator Springs Racers — Disney California Adventure, needs 40"
• ·Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! — Disney California Adventure, needs 40"
• ·Incredicoaster — Disney California Adventure, needs 48"
• ·Star Tours – The Adventures Continue — Hollywood Studios, needs 40"
• ·Kali River Rapids — Animal Kingdom, needs 38"
• ·Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Disneyland) — Disneyland Park, needs 40"
• ·Mission: SPACE — EPCOT, needs 40"
• ·Tiana's Bayou Adventure (Disneyland) — Disneyland Park, needs 40"
• ·Grizzly River Run — Disney California Adventure, needs 42"
• ·Soarin' Over California — Disney California Adventure, needs 40"
• ·Star Tours – The Adventures Continue (Disneyland) — Disneyland Park, needs 40"
• ·Goofy's Sky School — Disney California Adventure, needs 42"
• ·Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure — Islands of Adventure, needs 48"
• ·Jurassic World VelociCoaster — Islands of Adventure, needs 51"
• ·Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey — Islands of Adventure, needs 48"
• ·The Incredible Hulk Coaster — Islands of Adventure, needs 54"
• ·The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man — Islands of Adventure, needs 40"
• ·The Simpsons Ride — Universal Studios, needs 40"
• ·Transformers: The Ride 3D — Universal Studios, needs 40"
• ·Men in Black: Alien Attack — Universal Studios, needs 42"
• ·Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts — Universal Studios, needs 42"
• ·Revenge of the Mummy — Universal Studios, needs 48"
• ·Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit — Universal Studios, needs 51"
• ·Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge — Epic Universe, needs 40"
• ·Stardust Racers — Epic Universe, needs 48"
• ·Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry — Epic Universe, needs 40"
• ·Donkey Kong Country: Mine-Cart Madness — Epic Universe, needs 40"
• ·Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment — Epic Universe, needs 48"
• ·Curse of the Werewolf — Epic Universe, needs 40"
• ·Hiccup's Wing Gliders — Epic Universe, needs 40"
• ·Dragon Racer's Rally — Epic Universe, needs 48"
• ·Jurassic Park River Adventure — Islands of Adventure, needs 42"
• ·Despicable Me Minion Mayhem — Universal Studios, needs 40"
• ·Doctor Doom's Fearfall — Islands of Adventure, needs 52"
• ·Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls — Islands of Adventure, needs 44"
• ·Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges — Islands of Adventure, needs 42"
• ·Fast & Furious – Supercharged — Universal Studios, needs 40"

Does a paid line-skip make sense at this height?

Neither resort publishes a flat per-ride price for skipping a line — Disney prices Lightning Lane by date and demand, and Universal prices Express Pass as a day product that swings hard with the calendar. So the only useful question is per ride: which queues are long enough to be worth it. We keep a ride-by-ride verdict in the Lightning Lane worth-it guide and the Express Pass worth-it guide.

Open at 36 inches and worth checking first

• ·Is Peter Pan's Flight Lightning Lane worth it? — Almost always worth it
• ·Is Jungle Cruise Lightning Lane worth it? — Usually worth it
• ·Is Frozen Ever After Lightning Lane worth it? — Almost always worth it
• ·Is Remy's Ratatouille Adventure Lightning Lane worth it? — Usually worth it
• ·Is Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway Lightning Lane worth it? — Usually worth it

How the parks actually measure

Both resorts check height at the attraction entrance, with shoes on, against a fixed marker — not at the ticket gate, and not once for the whole trip. A child measured barefoot at home can come up short at the queue after a long day, which is the single most common way a carefully built plan falls apart. Measure in the shoes they will wear, and if they are within half an inch of a gate, plan the day as though they are in the tier below. Our full guide to Disney World height requirements goes through the rules park by park, and the crowd calendar covers the other half of the problem — when the queues you can use are shortest.