Horror at Space Mountain: Father Accidentally Drops Child from Ride Rocket

A Disneyland Resort guest spoke out online this week after witnessing disconcerting behavior on Space Mountain. According to the guest, a father dropped his young child from a rocket on the Disney coaster because they weren’t tall enough to ride.

As wonderful as it is that children under three get free admission to Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park, traveling with young children presents unique challenges. While most Disney Park attractions are family-friendly, thrill rides like Space Mountain and Incredicoaster have strict height requirements.

Luckily, that doesn’t mean the rest of the family has to miss out. Disneyland Resort offers Rider Switch, a program that serves parties traveling with children, guests with service animals, and those otherwise unable to meet ride requirements. This ensures that one guest can wait with whoever cannot ride while the others wait in line, then experience the attraction themselves without waiting a second time!

Disney Rider Switch is simple! Before entering a queue, let a Disney cast member know you’d like to take advantage of the Rider Switch service. Bring your entire group with you–even those not riding. They’ll scan everyone’s tickets and separate the group into two parties.

The first rider swap party waits in the standby queue while the second party waits or enjoys the theme park with those unable to ride. After the first party finishes, the second party can return to the attraction, scan their MagicBands or theme park tickets, and enter the Lightning Lane queue.

Even with the ease and convenience of Disneyland Rider Switch, some parents refuse to ride separately. Redditor u/TheLadyCarpenter was horrified when two parents abandoned their youngest child to experience Space Mountain with their oldest.

Disney cast members typically check heights at the attraction’s entrance and loading area. The guest claimed the child clearly wasn’t tall enough but managed to enter the Space Mountain line without a height check.

In Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort, Space Mountain’s exit is in a different room than the boarding area. But at Disneyland Park, loading and unloading take place simultaneously.

As the family climbed into the Space Mountain rocket, the father “dropped” the younger child onto the exit platform. He allegedly did this quickly enough that Disney cast members didn’t have time to stop the coaster.

“The man gets on the ride with his SO and the taller kid, then drops the other kid on the exit platform and leaves on the ride!” the guest wrote. “The small child was terrified and so confused! Cast members were not only shocked but had no idea what to do, as the train car had left the platform before anyone turned to see this kid left alone.”

Disney cast members will help children exit a roller coaster if they change their minds about riding–but not without their parents.

“There was no communication between the man to a CM,” the guest continued. “He just left the kid there! This poor child started crying and the CM was trying to do her real job of making sure people are safely off the train and not babysitting this child…My train was the next one so I didn’t see the aftermath of what happened but the CMs were still talking about it when our train got into the station.”

Despite the guest’s account, Disneyland Resort thoroughly trains cast members on safely reuniting lost children with their parents. Notify the nearest cast member if you spot a lost child at the Disney theme parks.

Have you ever used Rider Switch at Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort? 

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