What can a 38-inch child ride?

What changes at 38 inches

Up to 38 inches a child rides almost everything gentle and almost nothing famous. This is the gate where that flips: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Slinky Dog Dash and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run all open here, and all three are rides families build a whole day around. Kali River Rapids opens too, which matters more than it sounds — it is the one that gets you soaked, so pack accordingly.

Newly open at this height

Rides a child could not board at the tier below but can board now.

• ·Seven Dwarfs Mine Train — Magic Kingdom, 38"
• ·Slinky Dog Dash — Hollywood Studios, 38"
• ·Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run — Hollywood Studios, 38"
• ·Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (Disneyland) — Disneyland Park, 38"
• ·Kali River Rapids — Animal Kingdom, 38"
• ·Alien Swirling Saucers — Hollywood Studios, 32"
• ·Autopia — Disneyland Park, 32"
• ·Tomorrowland Speedway — Magic Kingdom, 32"
• ·The Barnstormer — Magic Kingdom, 35"
• ·Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters — Disney California Adventure, 32"
• ·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"
• ·E.T. Adventure — Universal Studios, 34"
• ·Pteranodon Flyers — Islands of Adventure, 36"
• ·Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster — Universal Studios, 36"
• ·The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride! — Islands of Adventure, 34"

What is still off-limits

Every mountain is still closed: Big Thunder, Space Mountain, Expedition Everest, Tower of Terror, Rise of the Resistance and Test Track are all 40 inches or more. At Universal, 38 inches changes nothing that 36 inches did not already open.

• ·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"
• ·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"
• ·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"
• ·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 38 inches and worth checking first

• ·Is Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Lightning Lane worth it? — Almost always worth it
• ·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

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.