Indiana Jones - why the 46 inch height restriction?

GrrArrgh

Mouseketeer
Joined
Aug 11, 2015
I'm not really complaining, but I'm just curious because my kid is still 3 inches under the height requirement and hence I've never been able to go on it. But I've seen youtube videos of the ride and it doesn't seem fast (unlike the mountain rides, with lower height requirements), so what is it that happens on that ride that you need to be tall to keep you safe? Does it jerk you around and the restraints won't fit a short person? I know it's the same ride as Dinosaur in WDW, but I haven't been on that one, either. Note that Dinosaur's height restriction is 40 inches. What is happening on Indy to require 6 more inches of height?
 
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I can only relay what was said to me in another thread. I was curious why in the pretty recent thread about coaster training kids so many people had rated Indy a ride to wait on in compared to rides I thought would be scarier. One person told me that if your feet don't touch the ground the ride can really toss you around. I can't speak to riding it with kids because this will be our first trip where my oldest is finally old enough to ride it so I'm excited to ride it again after all these years. I know what you mean in your question, I didn't understand why he could ride RSR and not Indy when RSR seems so much faster than Indy which I don't remember as too anything for kids.
 
It jerks you around fast and I can tell you that I myself have to hold on to feel secure so yeah you would definitely need to be a certain height to ensure that your feet are solidly planted and be safe in the restraints.
 
It jerks around quite a bit and smaller than the minimum I would be worried about bashing their head on the dash or seat in front of them. Sure it can be tame the more center in the car you are but in the front sides and back sides it can be crazy jerky.
 


Ah okay, so it seems like you're sitting more upright vs. the racecar-like position where your butt isn't that much higher than your feet. I can't say I really enjoy the attractions where I'm tossed around (fool me once, Florida Space Mountain), so I'll happily wait another couple of years.

Edit: Just for comparison's sake, I looked up the height requirement for Dinosaur in AK and it's 40 inches. Isn't it the same ride with the same vehicles, just themed differently?
 
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Ah okay, so it seems like you're sitting more upright vs. the racecar-like position where your butt isn't that much higher than your feet. I can't say I really enjoy the attractions where I'm tossed around (fool me once, Florida Space Mountain), so I'll happily wait another couple of years.

Edit: Just for comparison's sake, I looked up the height requirement for Dinosaur in AK and it's 40 inches. Isn't it the same ride with the same vehicles, just themed differently?

I've never been to WDW so I can't comment on that. I last rode Indy a long, long time ago but I made the mistake of riding SM in 2014 and it was nothing at all like I remember Indy being. I will NEVER ride SM again! I'm also a completely weenie when it comes to roller coasters but I liked Indy. It did have some sort of drop that concerned me but it's just a fun enjoyable ride, whereas SM was non-stop speeding and turning. Definitely plan on taking your child on the Cars ride. It's more speed than I like but it's not jerky and if they like Cars it's a lot of fun.
 
When we were in Disneyland earlier this spring, we went on Space Mountain, which seemed must less jerky and more "secure" than the DW version. I was reasonably certain I wasn't about to be tossed out of the vehicle and killed, whereas on DW's Space Mountain that we went on the previous fall, it definitely felt like that was a possibility. The sides of the cars were much lower and I was glad our daughter was back at the hotel with my husband and got to miss it. Funnily enough, I only rode it because my mom (who is 75 and loves coasters) really wanted to go on it before the park closed. After that extremely jerky ride, even she was done with it.

Our daughter loves roller coasters (well, Big Thunder in DL and MK and Everest in AK), but not if they're completely dark, so she did not enjoy Space at Disneyland. She has yet to try the Matterhorn, since it was down for refurbishment. She would definitely enjoy the racers in DL, but we didn't get there in time to get a fast pass and the standby line was too long. Although I'm not thrilled about buying the Max Pass, I am glad not to have to run all the way to the back of the park to get a fastpass. Anyway, that's interesting that Indy is less jerky than Space Mountain. It's odd that SM is okay, but not Indy. Guess we'll see for ourselves soon enough.
 


On Indiana Jones, I find that the seat in front of the wheel is a bit higher(? I don't know how to describe this.) I'm 56 inches tall (quite short for an adult) and whenever I sit in the other seats I can feel the flooring of the ride just fine. But the few times I've been at the wheel seat on the ride I find that my feet doesn't reach the floor. And that makes me move around more on the ride whenever it jerks around since I can't stabilize myself a bit due to my feet not reaching the ground. So even with 10 inches over the minimum requirement depending on the seat I could still end up being jostled around; that gave me quite the scare the first time I ever sat at the wheel on the ride.
 
Ah okay, so it seems like you're sitting more upright vs. the racecar-like position where your butt isn't that much higher than your feet. I can't say I really enjoy the attractions where I'm tossed around (fool me once, Florida Space Mountain), so I'll happily wait another couple of years.

Edit: Just for comparison's sake, I looked up the height requirement for Dinosaur in AK and it's 40 inches. Isn't it the same ride with the same vehicles, just themed differently?

I find Indy to be much more intense than Dinosaur at DAK but of course that is a personal thing and not necessarily truth. Some say Dinosaur is the same track as Indy just backwards but on Dionsaur I think if you fall out you'll hit the ground but at Indy you could fall pretty far over the fire bridge.
 
Well, according to the most recent measurement at the doctor, she's now 46 inches. So I guess we could try it out on our November visit this year!
 
It ended up being my daughter's favorite ride (shocked me!) but it really does whip her around good (She was just over the requirement.)
. Just tell her to hold on tight if you go! Hope she's tall enough. It's the best!
 
It's one of my favorite rides, which was a surprise because I usually get motion sick and really hate being thrown around. But somehow, on this ride, it's really fun--I went on it three times and got to sit in all three rows, which definitely give different experiences. But I'm 5'4, and when I sat in the back row on the right end, at one point my feet blew out the side of the car on an unexpectedly fast turn, and I worried I'd fly out or hit something. So if your child is just at the limit, maybe sit them in the middle and in one of the front two rows, and remind them to hold on and brace themselves if they can!
 
The ride is seriously rough. Last time I rode it (a few months ago), I got a nasty bruise on my hip from the seatbelt literally holding my body weight when the jeep tipped so far forward that I was practically standing.
 

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