Size restrictions on Universal rides - annoying!

[BrinkofSunshine]

Originally Posted by Kath2003

My issue at US is consistency. I'm not overweight but not super skinny (5'4" and about 120lb) but find some rides tight (Dudley Do Right is insanely tight!) and some enormous (RRnR seats are vast!). At least you can test them before you ride at US.

It's because the rides are entirely different ride systems. Ripsaw Falls and Rip Ride Rockit are vastly different, and therefore the manufacturers have different restrictions and guidelines for each. The only two that have the same restrictions are Dragon Challenge and Hulk, as they're both B&M coasters.

[loveshak22]

Originally Posted by torinsmom

If they made all the seats bigger, wouldn't it make the ride not fit children who meet the height requirement? I think it is a good idea to make some seats bigger but not all. Especially for coasters, you want a fairly tight fit to prevent people's heads and bodies from moving around too much.

I would think they could make something that could just lock tighter for smaller people/kids. I mean the roller coasters accommodate a large variety of body types as it is so it seems like it's technically feasible to accommodate a wider range with some changes....again though, I'm no engineer

[WanderlustNZ]

Originally Posted by Kath2003

My issue at US is consistency. I'm not overweight but not super skinny (5'4" and about 120lb) but find some rides tight (Dudley Do Right is insanely tight!) and some enormous (RRnR seats are vast!). At least you can test them before you ride at US.

Oh no, this is the first time I've heard of Dudley Do Right being a tight squeeze. I'm quite a bit bigger than you (taller and almost double the weight) so am thinking now that I'll have to give this ride a miss.

Up until now I'd only been worried about not fitting in FJ (the big coasters are too scary for me anyway). Now I can add Dudley Do Right to that list.

Could someone please tell me all the Universal Orlando rides that a plus size person should be wary of. I'd rather know now than be disappointed on the day. I'm hoping that the Simpsons, Despicable Me, Spiderman and Men in Black Rides are all okay as these are the ones I think my family will enjoy the most.

[BrinkofSunshine]

Originally Posted by WanderlustNZ

Oh no, this is the first time I've heard of Dudley Do Right being a tight squeeze. I'm quite a bit bigger than you (taller and almost double the weight) so am thinking now that I'll have to give this ride a miss.

Up until now I'd only been worried about not fitting in FJ (the big coasters are too scary for me anyway). Now I can add Dudley Do Right to that list.

Could someone please tell me all the Universal Orlando rides that a plus size person should be wary of. I'd rather know now than be disappointed on the day. I'm hoping that the Simpsons, Despicable Me, Spiderman and Men in Black Rides are all okay as these are the ones I think my family will enjoy the most.

All of the rides you mentioned should be fine... none of them require test seating. The rides with restrictive seats are: Hulk, Dragon Challenge, Dr. Doom's FearFall, Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Mummy, and Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit.

[WanderlustNZ]

Originally Posted by BrinkofSunshine

All of the rides you mentioned should be fine... none of them require test seating. The rides with restrictive seats are: Hulk, Dragon Challenge, Dr. Doom's FearFall, Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Mummy, and Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit.

Thank you for such a quick response. :-)

I'll be quite disappointed if I don't fit in FJ and the Ripsaw Falls, but I guess I'm fortunate that I'm not interested in any of the other restricted rides you listed. I'm too much of a scaredy cat and my DS is too young.
I can sympathise though with all the plus size thrill seekers amongst you. It is disappointing when you're looking forward to something and, for whatever reason, you can't do it.

[BrinkofSunshine]

Originally Posted by WanderlustNZ

Thank you for such a quick response. :-)

I'll be quite disappointed if I don't fit in FJ and the Ripsaw Falls, but I guess I'm fortunate that I'm not interested in any of the other restricted rides you listed. I'm too much of a scaredy cat and my DS is too young.
I can sympathise though with all the plus size thrill seekers amongst you. It is disappointing when you're looking forward to something and, for whatever reason, you can't do it.

It's definitely unfortunate. However if you don't fit on Ripsaw Falls I'd recommend Jurassic Park River Adventure. To me, Ripsaw Falls is scarier, even though the drop is shorter... it feels roughly the same to me! The restraint system there is much more forgiving.

If you can't get on Forbidden Journey, ask the attendants out front if you can just do the castle tour. Walking through the castle alone is quite an experience!

[WanderlustNZ]

Originally Posted by BrinkofSunshine

It's definitely unfortunate. However if you don't fit on Ripsaw Falls I'd recommend Jurassic Park River Adventure. To me, Ripsaw Falls is scarier, even though the drop is shorter... it feels roughly the same to me! The restraint system there is much more forgiving.

If you can't get on Forbidden Journey, ask the attendants out front if you can just do the castle tour. Walking through the castle alone is quite an experience!

Great tips. Thank you.

[loveshak22]

Originally Posted by WanderlustNZ

Oh no, this is the first time I've heard of Dudley Do Right being a tight squeeze. I'm quite a bit bigger than you (taller and almost double the weight) so am thinking now that I'll have to give this ride a miss.

Up until now I'd only been worried about not fitting in FJ (the big coasters are too scary for me anyway). Now I can add Dudley Do Right to that list.

Could someone please tell me all the Universal Orlando rides that a plus size person should be wary of. I'd rather know now than be disappointed on the day. I'm hoping that the Simpsons, Despicable Me, Spiderman and Men in Black Rides are all okay as these are the ones I think my family will enjoy the most.

I'm 5'9.5 and a big girl (over 240) and I only had problems on the roller coasters - Hulk, Dragons, and Rip Ride Rockit. I don't remember seeing modified seating on Rip Ride Rockit but I actually fit on that in a regular seat(although it was very tight I'm guessing it's because it's a lap band restraint and the overhead seat restraints on the coasters were too tight I think because of my chest). The modified seating on the other two worked fine but I wish I knew I needed modified seating before I found out the hard way. I didn't ride Dr. Doom's FearFall.

I was fine on Ripsaw Falls. It's awkward to get in and out of the log flume but not a problem I didn't think. I was comfortable.

For FJ - I don't think I needed modified seating on the ride because I sat down and the restraint clicked twice but she asked me to move to one of the end seats on the ride...and my brother was asked to move to the other end and he's not that big a guy at all (height or weight). I'm assuming those were the modified seats? The seat fit fine as well.

In the end there wasn't anything I couldn't ride but I wish I had done more research on the size restrictions and known I needed the modified seating! Even though I'm a big girl I've never not fit on something! Hope that helps some!

[loveshak22]

Originally Posted by loveshak22

I'm 5'9.5 and a big girl (over 240) and I only had problems on the roller coasters - Hulk, Dragons, and Rip Ride Rockit. I don't remember seeing modified seating on Rip Ride Rockit but I actually fit on that in a regular seat(although it was very tight I'm guessing it's because it's a lap band restraint and the overhead seat restraints on the coasters were too tight I think because of my chest). The modified seating on the other two worked fine but I wish I knew I needed modified seating before I found out the hard way. I didn't ride Dr. Doom's FearFall.

I was fine on Ripsaw Falls. It's awkward to get in and out of the log flume but not a problem I didn't think. I was comfortable.

For FJ - I don't think I needed modified seating on the ride because I sat down and the restraint clicked twice but she asked me to move to one of the end seats on the ride...and my brother was asked to move to the other end and he's not that big a guy at all (height or weight). I'm assuming those were the modified seats? The seat fit fine as well.

In the end there wasn't anything I couldn't ride but I wish I had done more research on the size restrictions and known I needed the modified seating! Even though I'm a big girl I've never not fit on something! Hope that helps some!

Oh - and I think someone mentioned the Mummy as one of the rides with restricted seating but I'm 99.9% sure that I sat in a regular seat with no problem. It's like bench seats with a lap band and I don't remember seeing the modified seating section or being in it when I sat down.

[book_junkie]

So before I go embarrass myself over at Universal (or shell out $$$ to walk around and not ride anything), where would I find out restrictions for the rides? I know allearsnet has pictures of the seats for WDW, is there anything similar for Universal?

Thanks-

[loveshak22]

Originally Posted by book_junkie

So before I go embarrass myself over at Universal (or shell out $$$ to walk around and not ride anything), where would I find out restrictions for the rides? I know allearsnet has pictures of the seats for WDW, is there anything similar for Universal?

Thanks-

I tried to google some info but couldn't find anything. I even found information about each ride in this pamphlet: https://www.universalorlando.com/Ima...cm13-10940.pdf

The funny thing is I didn't see anything about modified seating requirements for each ride. Why not just address the issue as opposed to leaving it to aggravated people to vent about it on online discussion boards?

If you want to PM me I'll give you more specifics about my experience, size/height, and DH's height/size if that helps!

[damo]

Originally Posted by loveshak22

I tried to google some info but couldn't find anything. I even found information about each ride in this pamphlet: https://www.universalorlando.com/Ima...cm13-10940.pdf

The funny thing is I didn't see anything about modified seating requirements for each ride. Why not just address the issue as opposed to leaving it to aggravated people to vent about it on online discussion boards?

If you want to PM me I'll give you more specifics about my experience, size/height, and DH's height/size if that helps!

The problem is that it isn't any defined weight that is the problem. It tends to be a combination of shoulder width/chest width/thigh width/hips width. There's no way that they can define the limitations. You really need to use the test seats. There are normal and modified test seats at the front of rides that may be an issue.

Use this thread for comparisons... http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2489210

[bumbershoot]

Originally Posted by loveshak22

Oh - and I think someone mentioned the Mummy as one of the rides with restricted seating but I'm 99.9% sure that I sat in a regular seat with no problem. It's like bench seats with a lap band and I don't remember seeing the modified seating section or being in it when I sat down.

It can be a tight squeeze. My husband might never be able to ride it, because even when smaller his quadriceps are like a heavy weight lifter, and he probably won't be able to squeeze his knees together to get the "legs" of the lap bar on either side of his legs. I checked it out when I rode recently, and you can't have your legs on the outside of them, so you do have to put your legs between. And some people aren't going to be able to do that.

I'll tell you guys that DH is about 5'11 and 340 (he's lost 40 lbs since last year this time!), and he still cannot ride the big coasters or FJ. He carries his weight everywhere, even in his back, so it's going to be a long time, especially since he is by nature (and pituitary tumor condition) a slower loser. We took pictures of how far the restraints go down on the test seats this time, so we can watch his progress over time. I just wish he'd let me do that on previous visits so he could see the difference even now.


And FWIW, DH can ride everything else he wants to ride. Just not the big coasters, Doom, or FJ. Which is a huge bummer, because he WANTS to go on those things, and now DS is tall enough and wants to, and so I am going with DS. And I'm a big chicken. If you saw a woman crying near the bathrooms in the Marvel area on the 13th, it might have been me, thinking back to Hulk, Doom, and HRRR that I'd already gone on with/for him, and contemplating that we were about to ride Dragon Challenge (which I've ridden before and hated). Thankfully DH and DS noticed, and DS realized that it was truly scaring me, and agreed to go another visit. Huge ride chicken, but more scared to let DS go *alone* on those things even though he *can*. (yikes, what if there were a ride stop???) So once DH can ride, I can stop!


But I *like* Mummy, so I'll always go on that.

[muffyn]

interesting this week I was "profiled" for FJ.
I have ridden that thing a dozen times & last week as I was heading toward the hat, I was asked "have you experienced this attraction before?" I said yes, & then went on, took me a bit to realize they were gonna put me in the "chair of embarrassment"

now today, i got past the chair/hat. but when we got to board, hubby was told, no sir she needs to be in the outside seat.

well dang , did not like the outside chair, too roomy,,

what the heck, I must look fluffier than I am.

Oh, & the ride stopped.(maybe 5 min).. interesting, while sitting there cockeyed, thought the worst place would have been the upside down place. but wished we had a more interesting place than a screen to look at.

[aubriee]

Originally Posted by muffyn

interesting this week I was "profiled" for FJ.
I have ridden that thing a dozen times & last week as I was heading toward the hat, I was asked "have you experienced this attraction before?" I said yes, & then went on, took me a bit to realize they were gonna put me in the "chair of embarrassment"

now today, i got past the chair/hat. but when we got to board, hubby was told, no sir she needs to be in the outside seat.

well dang , did not like the outside chair, too roomy,,

what the heck, I must look fluffier than I am.

Oh, & the ride stopped.(maybe 5 min).. interesting, while sitting there cockeyed, thought the worst place would have been the upside down place. but wished we had a more interesting place than a screen to look at.

I've posted before about my experience with FJ a few years ago (back before they had the modified seats). I went in August (after the ride opened that June). I was staying onsite and every morning went to early opening and made a bee line to FJ, where I went first through the queu, then would ride it over and over through the single rider line. I bet I rode that thing a hundred times that week. Back then the CM would give the restraint a little push if needed. I always got two clicks and the CM would push a little to get the third. Anyway about the third or fourth day, I rode it like three times, then went back through single rider to ride it a fourth time in a row. That particular ride, I hopped in, pulled the restraint down, easily got two clicks, then waited for the CM to push it on down. Instead a different CM was there and told me I had to exit the ride. I told him I had just ridden the thing three times and this was the fourth that morning and had also ridden it every day since I had been there, and the CM always helped me get the third click. He informed me, that the CMs were not allowed to do that and I had to get off. I waited until that afternoon and took a chance that a different CM was working and rode it again several times with no problem. I also rode it every day for the rest of the week without problems. It was only that one CM that refused to assist the riders in any way. The rest had no problem pushing down on the restraint a little, as long as you were close.

Since they started the modified seats, I have not had a problem getting the clicks on my own.