Hello and welcome to our quick guide where we show you ride height requirements for every attraction in Universal Orlando.
This is an easy and very quick way to look at rides in Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure and see if your children and friends will be able to hop on them as well. We will also teach you about the Child Swap Service offered by Universal, which is what you want to use when your party wants to ride an incredible attraction but one of you isn’t tall enough to do so.
We have created three sections, all of them very easy to find what you are looking for.
- In the first one, you can look at height requirements for each theme park individually (Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure).
- In the second section, we have all rides in Universal Orlando grouped in different height requirements so you can easily check which theme park has the most - and best - attractions for your entire family.
- The third section will tell you about the Child Swap service.
Universal Orlando generally enforces stricter ride height restrictions in comparison to Walt Disney World. For instance, to experience the Incredible Hulk Coaster at Universal's Islands of Adventure, guests must be at least 54″ (138 cm) tall. If you surpass this height threshold, congratulations! You're cleared to enjoy every attraction Universal has to offer.
Remember one thing: kids under 48” (122cm) still must ride with a supervising companion, even if an attraction has no height requirement.
Now that we've addressed that, let's delve into the height requirements for Universal Orlando's amazing rides and attractions.
Universal Studios
No Height Requirement
- Hogwarts Express - King’s Cross Station (requires Park-to-Park ticket)
- Kang and Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl
No Hand Held Infants
- Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast
34” (87 cm) or more
- E.T. Adventure
40” (102 cm) or more
- Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon
- The Simpsons Ride
- Fast & Furious – Supercharged
- TRANSFORMERS: The Ride-3D
- Despicable Me Minion Mayhem
42” (107 cm) or more
- Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts
- MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack
48” (122 cm) or more
- Revenge of the Mummy
51” (130 cm) up to 79” (201 cm)
- Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit
Islands of Adventure
No Height Requirement
- Hogwarts Express - Hogsmeade Station (requires Park-to-Park ticket)
- Caro-Seuss-El
- Storm Force Accelatron
- One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
36” (92 cm) or more
- Cat in the Hat
- The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride!
- Flight of the Hippogriff
- Skull Island: Reign of Kong
36” (92 cm) - 56” (143 cm)
- Pteranodon Flyers
40” (102 cm) or more
- The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man
42” (107 cm) or more
- Jurassic Park River Adventure
- Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rate Barges
44” (112 cm) or more
- Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls
48” (122 cm) or more
- Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
- Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
51” (130 cm) or more
- Jurassic World VelociCoaster
52” (133 cm) or more
- Doctor Doom’s Fearfall
54” (138 cm) or more
- The Incredible Hulk Coaster
Everything in Universal Orlando: Height Requirements
No Height Requirement
- Hogwarts Express (both parks, requires Park-to-Park ticket)
- Kang and Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl (Universal Studios)
- Caro-Seuss-El (Islands of Adventure)
- Storm Force Accelatron (Islands of Adventure)
- One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish (Islands of Adventure)
No Hand Held Infants
- Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast (Universal Studios)
34” (87 cm) or more
- E.T. Adventure (Universal Studios)
36” (92 cm) or more
- Cat in the Hat (Islands of Adventure)
- The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride! (Islands of Adventure)
- Flight of the Hippogriff (Islands of Adventure)
- Skull Island: Reign of Kong (Islands of Adventure)
36” (92 cm) - 56” (143 cm)
- Pteranodon Flyers (Islands of Adventure)
40” (102 cm) or more
- Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon
- The Simpsons Ride (Universal Studios)
- Fast & Furious – Supercharged (Universal Studios)
- TRANSFORMERS: The Ride-3D (Universal Studios)
- Despicable Me Minion Mayhem (Universal Studios)
- The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man (Islands of Adventure)
42” (107 cm) or more
- Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts (Universal Studios)
- MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack (Universal Studios)
- Jurassic Park River Adventure (Islands of Adventure)
- Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rate Barges (Islands of Adventure)
44” (112 cm) or more
- Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls (Islands of Adventure)
48” (122 cm) or more
- Revenge of the Mummy (Universal Studios)
- Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure (Islands of Adventure)
- Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (Islands of Adventure)
51” (130 cm) up to 79” (201 cm)
- Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit (Universal Studios)
51” (130 cm) or more
- Jurassic World VelociCoaster (Islands of Adventure)
52” (133 cm) or more
- Doctor Doom’s Fearfall (Islands of Adventure)
54” (138 cm) or more
- The Incredible Hulk Coaster (Islands of Adventure)
Child Swap Service
Let's see what Universal has to say about Child Swap. According to them, “each ride and attraction has a family room where one member of your party can wait with the little ones while the rest of your party rides. Once they are finished, switch places so whoever rode can stay with the kids, and the adult(s) who sat out can enjoy the ride”.
Hey, that’s awesome. This means that, even if you are visiting a park with your little ones, you can still enjoy amazing attractions like Jurassic World VelociCoaster and the Incredible Hulk Coaster. The Child Swap service offered by Universal is very similar to the Ride Switch offered by Disney World, with just a few differences.
Here is how you use the Child Swap service at Universal.
- Approach the Cast Member at the entrance of the Ride with your entire party. Yep, even children included. Tell the Cast member that you want to use the Child Swap service.
- At Universal Orlando, everyone in the party, including children and those who choose not to ride, typically enters the queue together. This is a key distinction from the Ride Switch system at Disney World, where non-riders usually wait outside the queue.
- When it's time to board the vehicle, the party will be split into two groups. Party #1 will board the vehicle and enjoy the ride as usual. Party #2 comprises those who either choose not to or cannot ride, and they will be directed to a designated room accompanied by one adult. Party #2 will wait there until Party #1 has completed the ride.
- Keep in mind one thing: sometimes, Cast members near the loading area will give you a Child Swap ticket that you will need to use later on to ride the attraction without re-entering the queue. This usually happens if you want to wait outside the attraction and plan to come back later on for a variety of reasons (the Family Room can be loud and scary for little ones). You can also kindly ask for a paper child swap pass. When utilizing a child swap paper pass, typically, you'll re-enter the attraction at the exit after swapping with the first adult.
- Once Party #1 is done, they head to the special room to meet Party #2. Now it’s time for Party #2 to ride, while Party #1 stays with the guest that cannot ride. Party #2 will ride immediately with no need to re-enter the queue! Even riders from Party #1 can ride again with whoever was in Party #2, as long as there is a single adult with the non rider in the Child Swap room.
We hope you had a great time checking height requirements for all attractions in Universal Orlando and had the opportunity to familiarize yourself with and take advantage of the Child Swap service.
