Re: Derren Brown's Ghost Train (WC16) | Thorpe Park | May 2
1.4m is approx 10 years old... It's impossible to enforce an age restriction, but height restrictions are theme park standard. Who knows though, maybe it will have some physical restraint that requires the 1.4m height restriction.?But if it doesn't, which I suspect is the case, it's yet another example in a Merlin park of a ridiculous height restriction! Yay...
It's a big deal. The examples of rides with absurdly high restrictions in Merlin parks are so numerous now. Rattlesnake being 1.4 whilst every other MS wild mouse is only 1.2m, Zufari being 1m whilst Disney's Kilimanjaro has none, Saw and Smiler being 1.4m whilst the other Eurofighters are all 1.2m, Dragon Falls being 1.2m whilst other Mack log flumes range from .9m to 1m... I'm sure there's plenty more, but those are off the top of my head.
I get this is a scary attraction and that in itself makes it not suitable for younger audiences... But to me, the physical ability of somone to be able to ride it should trump that and a "recommended" age should be signposted.
It just occurred to me, though, that the 1.4 and related age concerns MIGHT be to do with the VR. Occulus isn't recommended for under 13s and I wonder if the headsets physically don't fit kids? If if it's a case of them physically not fitting, then I'm ok with the height restriction. Anything else though and it should be a recommended age, with kids under 1.3m or 1.4m requiring an adult.
I have a huge pet peeve with rides not being accessible. Kids are often braver than adults and it's heartbreaking when they can't go on stuff.