Height restriction disparities

Ok, I have been curious about this for some time, but with the Bug reopening at CLP, and it's corresponding 48" height restriction, I decided to look into this. I really wanted to get to CLP this year with the family, but looking at their height restrictions it does not seem to make sense to do so. Here are some comparisons:

Bug: it says you must be 48" to ride, the only comparison would be the Turtle at Kennywood, and you can ride that with an adult as long as you can walk. My son rode it with us last year and he was UNDER 36" tall.

Paratrooper: website says you must be 46" to ride, at Waldameer you can ride it at 36" with an adult, and at Knoebels you can ride it with an adult, but I do not know what the minimum is. My daughter rode the Knoebels one a couple of years ago for the first time and she just cracked 42" this year.

Tilt-a-Whirl: Must be 46" with an adult to ride at CLP. Waldameer is 36" with an adult, Knobels and Hersheypark basically say that if you can walk, you can ride it with an adult. My kids have been riding Tilts for years, my son just cracked 36" this year.

Trabant: CLP website says 48" to ride. Kennywood has a Wipeout and so does Waldameer, KW is 46" and Waldameer is 42" with an adult, and a Wipeout is more intense than a Trabant. The Rodeo at HP is a Trabant and UNDER 36" can ride with an adult.

Flying Scooters: 46" with an adult at CLP. 36" with an adult at HP, 48" without an adult at Knoebels, no minimum listed on the website, and I know my daughter has been riding the one at Erieview for at least 2 years now.

Music Express: 46" at CLP, 46" at Kennywood, but Hersheypark was 42" with an adult and the Cosmotron at Knoebels, which is actually a Himalaya is 42" with an adult as well.

Rollo-Plane: 46" at CLP, 42" with an adult at Knoebels.

Train: The website for CLP says 48", lists no minimum. I have to believe that they allow kids on with their parents, otherwise that would be the most rediculous restriction for a ride ever.

Case in point, my kids do NOT want to spend all day in a Kiddieland. I have been getting them on bigger rides that allow them to ride for years, one is 3 the other will be 6 in September. I am hoping someone familiar with CLP can clear things up and tell me that what the website has up there is missing some things as far as height restrictions otherwise it wouldn't really be worth the trip, even though it's only 90 miles or so, to go there and have to spend most of the day in a Kiddieland while my kids try to figure out why they can't go on rides they have ridden at other parks.

Tom

The train one does seem quite strange. Heck, at 48" you should be qualified to drive the thing.

Height restrictions are generally determined by either the ride manufacturer (primary) or by the park's insurance carrier (secondary) or by the park's own determination.

It's not uncommon for height restrictions to change, usually at the request of the manufacturer. Hershey's Wilde Maus and Reese's Challenge, among others, have had this happen.

I can see the 48" restriction on the Bug for an unaccompanied rider, but not necessarily not being able to ride at all.

As for the Music Express/Himalayas, all of the rides you listed are built by different manufacturers. I'm guessing that CLP's is a Mack, HP's is a Moser, Knoebels, I believe, is a Reverchon, and I don't know what KW's is. Each manufacturer has the right to restrict their rides differently. The same situation exists with the Flying Skooters--CLP's and Knoebels are old Bisch-Rocco's and HP's are Larson. Of course, B-R has been out of business for years, so that liability rests on the individual park and their insurance carrier.

It's all about safety, since everyone will sue anyone for anything today. CLP is playing it safe, which is in their best interest at the present time. I don't know who their insurance carrier is, but they have probably given their requirements to management and they are obliged to comply. Perhaps they will be able to make changes, but they're trying to be safe to start.

My daughter is currently making the transition to bigger rides. I have told her many times to take advantage of her size and ride everything she can while she can--because soon (actually now) she won't be able to. You should also note that CLP's kiddieland rides are actually restricted to kids, instead of the wishy-washy rules that many parks have adopted, allowing adults on them. I'm thinking at 3 & 6 (especially 3) they really still should be riding primarily kiddie rides.

While I understand your desire to get your kids up and riding the bigger stuff, it's also neat to let them be kids.

We were just there this weekend. I'd call the park to find out for sure, as they have different restrictions for with and without an adult. I distinctly remember the Tilt-a-Whirl was any height with an adult, no held infants, and I think 48" alone.

The problem with my kids now is this, they don't WANT to ride the kiddie rides anymore. This was very evident at Waldameer back on fathers day. We all hit the Comet for the first ride, then the Paratrooper. We then went to the Frog Hopper and they rode back to back. They got off the Frog Hopper which is right in the heart of the kiddie ride area and immediately ran to the Ravine Flyer III. Granted, it's a kiddie coaster but it is a lot more intense than anything else in the kiddie area. My son, at 3, is also a log flume junkie. We rode the Double Splash flume at Dutch Wonderland at least 8 times, and 5 times on Thunder River at Waldameer. This early change has come about in them, starting with my daughter, when we went to CP in October of 2004. I had done some research to make sure it would be worth it and I was amazed at just how many big people rides she could go on back when she was just 4. Heck, my son was only 1 1/2 and was allowed to ride White Water Landing, which might explain his affinity to water rides.

Tom

I'll repeat was Jess said, call the park. I know they did change some of the height requirements a few years ago. One year, my daughter was able to ride just about everything (she was 2 at the time), then the next year there was a lot she couldn't ride that she had ridden the year before.

I know what you mean about the changes. My daughter has ridden the Scrambler at Waldameer the last two years. This year they changed the height restriction to 48", period. Doesn't matter who you are with, you must be 48".

Tom