As feared Forbidden Journey is Not for Many

[Burnt Toast]

I just belive when you are Building anything for the genreal public,you have to build It for evryone,Height,weight age disabilty etc. Now In fairness,It was posted that this Is the soft opening not the official one. They accomdated on the Hulk,with the bigger seats and It seems that the Hulk Is much more Intense? and could cause much more of the so called medical conditions that they say JF could cause. Sorry I am not trying to argue

No, you don't. Theme park attractions are machines that have a lot of safety regulations. They only have to build something that will accomodate a majority of their visitors safely. If folks of a certain height/weight/body type cannot be accomodated safely, then they should not ride.

Honestly, it has to do a lot with the fact that they went with four-seat vehicles... and a strange shoulder restraint. The bottom part of the restaint seems so unnecessary to me... but that's just me.

 

[Burnt Toast]

Also folks... Hulk, Sum of All Thrills, Mummy, Spiderman, etc. etc. is NOT the same as Forbidden Journey. Just because you went on some other ride does not make that the same as FJ.

The fact is, the TMs feel for ya. When they denied my roommate the girl was pretty damn sympathic and you know it wasn't the funniest part of her job (just like when I worked in Attractions on a height-check attraction). They don't get some cheap thrill from denying you... they are looking out for your safety with what they got. They did not build the attraction, decide to put in that weird lower part of the shoulder restraint, or whatever. Please don't take it out on them.

My roommate said before he went that he was going to go off on the employees there if he wasn't allowed on. I told him he did that and I'd leave him there and he can find his own ride back home.

 

[Indy Denise]

Also folks... Hulk, Sum of All Thrills, Mummy, Spiderman, etc. etc. is NOT the same as Forbidden Journey. Just because you went on some other ride does not make that the same as FJ.

The fact is, the TMs feel for ya. When they denied my roommate the girl was pretty damn sympathic and you know it wasn't the funniest part of her job (just like when I worked in Attractions on a height-check attraction). They don't get some cheap thrill from denying you... they are looking out for your safety with what they got. They did not build the attraction, decide to put in that weird lower part of the shoulder restraint, or whatever. Please don't take it out on them.

My roommate said before he went that he was going to go off on the employees there if he wasn't allowed on. I told him he did that and I'd leave him there and he can find his own ride back home.

Thank you. It is NOT the Tm's fault but they are getting so much flack. We even heard one man, who was denied riding, encouraging every one to STEAL from the gift stores because " they can't stop ALL of us from stealing because the store was packed" . This is the CRAP the poor TM's are dealing with, and they are the most understanding, nicest, patient people.

Another man jumped on the ride and said he wasn't going anywhere,he demanded to ride..UNSAFELY!! They stopped the ride ( with us on it ) until he got off. I hope he was kicked out of the park. We were at the end of FJ but many, many, people had their ride and enjoyment stopped because one person was selfish and stupid. They stopped the ride for about 5 minutes.

Seriously, if you have a problem with FJ or Universal PLEASE DO NOT TAKE IT OUT ON THE TM"S! They did not design the ride, their job is to follow Universal's rules regarding it.

 

[Indy Denise]

No, you don't. Theme park attractions are machines that have a lot of safety regulations. They only have to build something that will accomodate a majority of their visitors safely. If folks of a certain height/weight/body type cannot be accomodated safely, then they should not ride.

Honestly, it has to do a lot with the fact that they went with four-seat vehicles... and a strange shoulder restraint. The bottom part of the restaint seems so unnecessary to me... but that's just me.

I heard ( not sure where ) that the ride can be changed into something more intense down the road. Maybe some day those restraints will come in handy when they decide to redo it years from now. Anyway, that is my hope...give me some loops and airtime.

 

[ChrisFL]

Thank you. It is NOT the Tm's fault but they are getting so much flack. We even heard one man, who was denied riding, encouraging every one to STEAL from the gift stores because " they can't stop ALL of us from stealing because the store was packed" . This is the CRAP the poor TM's are dealing with, and they are the most understanding, nicest, patient people.

Another man jumped on the ride and said he wasn't going anywhere,he demanded to ride..UNSAFELY!! They stopped the ride ( with us on it ) until he got off. I hope he was kicked out of the park. We were at the end of FJ but many, many, people had their ride and enjoyment stopped because one person was selfish and stupid. They stopped the ride for about 5 minutes.

Seriously, if you have a problem with FJ or Universal PLEASE DO NOT TAKE IT OUT ON THE TM"S! They did not design the ride, their job is to follow Universal's rules regarding it.

 

[DCDisney]

I'm interested to see if they can/will adjust this somehow. Not sure if I would ride anyway because of a med issue but have never had a size issue on any kind of ride but seems I might on FJ. If I went without realizing I personally would be really upset as would the rest of my family. Totally could ruin someone sensitive's trip. Uni did finally lure us in with HP but I'm doubting we'll ever return.

 

[SkittleKicks]

No one at the entrance suggested I try the seats at the entrance (and I even stood there talking to the attendants for a few minutes) and I waited in line only to be pulled off right after trying the seats well inside the line.

I was lucky, and knowing of the issues of size in this ride, made a beeline for the test seats outside the line. No dice. It really is body dimensions, not weight. I was traveling with my friend and my DH. DH is the same height as me (6'0")and outweighs me, but is a slim build with a long torso. He barely made it and had to shimmy around to keep his shoulders from preventing the bar from fully coming down. My friend wears the same size as me, but is 5'2" and had no trouble whatsoever. I couldn't fit. My friend and I have traded shirts and pants (she hemmed them up first, lol) with no issues.

I'm going back Saturday and trying to cross my legs up to release my quad muscles into relaxing to give me an extra 2 inches. We'll see how it works.

 

[JamieSimms91]

I am current height is 6'3" but I am way under the 230 pounds weight restriction, do you think I will be able to ride Harry Potter and the FJ

 

[damo]

I am current height is 6'3" but I am way under the 230 pounds weight restriction, do you think I will be able to ride Harry Potter and the FJ

What is your chest measurement? It really isn't a height or weight thing. If your chest is under 50" , it sounds like you will fit.

 

[Magpie]

For those comparing FJ to coasters that go upside down, and wondering why the restraints are more restrictive...

I'm wondering if it's because coasters typically use centripetal acceleration to keep us in our seats. Basically, we don't have to worry so much about falling out, because we're constantly being pushed back into our seats - so even when we go upside down, we're always being held in the seat by the physics of the ride.

I've read descriptions of FJ, however, that describe being tipped forward against the restraints, so that your whole weight is actually coming down against them.

Perhaps the fact that FJ isn't a coaster and doesn't have you go upside down at high speeds, is actually something that makes it LESS safe, and thus requires stricter restraints.

Universal doesn't want smaller people sliding out of their seats and falling from the ride because the restraint was too large for them, and they don't want to have the restraint fail because it wasn't properly locked due a larger person's body dimensions. This current situation may be a headache for Universal, but a dead guest would be a REAL nightmare.

 

[SkittleKicks]

I am current height is 6'3" but I am way under the 230 pounds weight restriction, do you think I will be able to ride Harry Potter and the FJ

Enh...you'll have to try it yourself. There are people above 230 getting on and people way under being turned away.

If you have a larger chest, broad shoulders, or very muscled legs, you might be caught. It's hard to say, really. It seems that if you have too long a torso or legs, you'll push against the restraints.

If you have a naturally slim build (not overly muscular or broad), you should be OK.

 

[ilovefh]

I was able to ride Sunday! I am 5'1" and 235. I tried the test seats outisde of the ride on Saturday and did not get a green light. DH and I waited in line with my mom on Sunday and I decided to try the test seats inside. Worst thing they could say is that I didn't fit, which I already knew. I got the harness down one click myself and the TM asked if I minded if she pushed on the harness. Of course I said I didn't and she got it to click three times. She said as long as I was comfortable enough to ride like that for 5 minutes I was all set! Poor DH, I shoved our camera back at him and ran for the ride! It was my thighs that were the problem. We did not buy the picture because it was terrible!

I did enjoy the ride and as long as someone pushes the harness down I am good to go!

 

[AJRitz]

Enh...you'll have to try it yourself. There are people above 230 getting on and people way under being turned away.

If you have a larger chest, broad shoulders, or very muscled legs, you might be caught. It's hard to say, really. It seems that if you have too long a torso or legs, you'll push against the restraints.

If you have a naturally slim build (not overly muscular or broad), you should be OK.

This is my frustration. And I put it all on the engineering of the ride and the short-sightedness of the ride designers. While I understand that a complex new attraction isn't going to work for everyone, effort should have been made to design the ride in such a way that simple, standard, measurements can be used to determine who can and can't ride.

I know that I need to lose weight, and am endeavoring to do so before our trip in October. But I'm really in a no-win situation here. Even if I drop to 220 pounds or so (which I'm confident I can do with diligent effort), that won't fix the fact that I'm genetically broad shouldered. And my workouts are likely to increase, rather than decrease the size of my already muscular thighs. And I'll have no way of knowing whether reaching my fitness goals will allow me to ride the attraction, solely because of ill-considered engineering and design decisions.

If there were standard measures to determine whether or not I could ride the attraction, I could make an educated choice about my options in advance. Instead, I don't have much choice but to assume that I won't be able to ride. So my wife, who doesn't particularly enjoy thrill rides, will have to take DD7 on FJ (DD7 is a HUGE Harry Potter fan, and is the only reason we're including Universal in our vacation plans). And I'll do something else with DS3. I'll deal with it, and I certainly won't take my frustration out on the TMs. But I am unlikely to include Universal in my family's future trips to Orlando.

 

[Planogirl]

I would agree that forces help keep people in their seats on roller coasters. As described, FJ doesn't have those.

Interesting, people talking about three to a row in some cases. Would people really want to ride on their own with other larger people? I have a feeling that some wouldn't like that.

 

[buzz2400]

Tip for the queasy: we tend to get seasick in slightly rough seas on the cruises we do. The last couple of times we've taken Ginger candy with us and eat it a couple of times a day. Since then, we've had NO nausea. My sister in law uses it when she goes on theme park rides and it has worked great for her too! You can also chew ginger gum, but we've found that the ginger tablets don't work.

where do you get ginger candy and what kind of candy is it?

 

[Evi]

Well I have no hope for mine
I just don't see where on earth I am supposed to put my ****s in there?! Maybe if I stuff one under each armpit... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm food for thoughts.....

I was thinking the exact same thing. I only have problems at universal and its always a b placement issue with the restraints. Do they think only men ride these?

 

[Burnt Toast]

I am current height is 6'3" but I am way under the 230 pounds weight restriction, do you think I will be able to ride Harry Potter and the FJ

There is no weight restriction... it's more of a shape restriction, it seems like. Unfortunately, it's not somethign that they can measure or put a number on it (like a height requirement)... best way is to hop in the test seat and see if you get the green light.

 

[Burnt Toast]

That's also a good point... there's no centrifical forces pushing you down into your seat, I didn't even think about that, compared to a typical rollercoaster.

However, I still think that they should (instead of that weird bottom part of the shoulder restraint), that they should have put in a seat beat to click into that keeps you from sliding out or something.

 

[aubriee]

where do you get ginger candy and what kind of candy is it?

Amazon sells it. Warning though, it has an odd hot taste. I love it, but everyone else in my family can't stand it. It does work wonderfully for motion sickness though, when nothing else will help.

 

[yarlenna]

Its not a disaster. They made the ride to the specifications that were necessary. Its not a personal attack. If someone doesn't fit the specifications, in 90% of the cases, there is something they can do about that!

Do you really think that people can just "can do about that"? If that were true, there would be no fat people. As more that 30% of Americans are obese that means that there are many who will not be able to ride. It is hard enough to be a large woman in this culture. Harry Potter is about magic. Where is the magic for people who are too fat or too tall? Universal needs to fix this.