Do we really need to hold on to our hats and glasses?

[swald91]

I had lost a lens on R&RC ride. I should have put the sunglasses in the pocket there but instead I was worried & held them closed-as the ride did it's thing-I lost a lens!!! So glad they weren't my prescription ones!!!!!

 

[mattkrass]

Another one for the strap! Did you ever think about contacts though? I mean like the cheap kind you get at pharmacy's or 1-800-contacts?

Personally I wear contacts and glasses interchangeably (depends on my mood when the current contacts wear out and how long it takes me to get over being lazy about putting new ones in, mine last a week at a time and I sleep in them) but no matter what, at the parks its contacts, with a spare set of contacts, and glasses in a hard case in the backpack. It might be worth talking to your eye doctor, last time I went I was actually in between prescriptions and had no other contacts, once I got my new exam he gave me a sample box and that was plenty to get through the trip. You might be able to get set up with a trial pair for the trip, worst case they're very easy to rip out (wash your hands first!) and slip on glasses. I say give it a try, I love seeing on the rides, but it's not worth it to risk expensive glasses.

As far as hats go, my girlfriend borrowed one of my favorite hats last time we went, and she lost it on Splash Mountain, which isn't exactly a thrill ride, so don't take chances!

(She bought be a new Mission: SPACE hat to make up for it! )

 

[TheMightyOb]

Ive worn my glasses on a roller coaster with 2 loops and 2 corkscrew loops and had no problems. I betcha that if you look down at the ground and shake your head alot, and the glasses stay on, you should be ok. Some people wear them really loose....some don't.

 

[BabyPiglet]

I've ridden every ride at Disney, except RnR, with my glasses and been fine.

 

[Shenanigoat]

My Stepdad has lost many a pair of sunglasses on rides- get a strap! Now he has regular glasses and keeps then strapped on, hasn't lost a pair yet. *fingers crossed*

 

[PolyndianPrincessJes]

Lost my sunglasses on RnRC (luckily, they were a 96 cent pair from Old Navy clearance!), but I ended up buying a $21 pair outside RnRC because I lost my original (those were backup) on the airplane before we even got to Disney. Anyway, I'm vigilant about taking them off and putting them in my bag before any fast ride, and I forgot. We took off, and I could feel them sliding back on my head (I had them on like a headband and completely forgot), but it was too late. Oops!

So, while I wasn't wearing them on my eyes, there is definitely a possibility of losing glasses.

 

[carps09]

Another one for the strap! Did you ever think about contacts though? I mean like the cheap kind you get at pharmacy's or 1-800-contacts?

I used to wear contacts, but they ALWAYS fell out of my eyes or made my eyes water. I am strictly a glasses girl now! Also, I have a pair of prescription sunglasses and if I put contacts in, I wouldn't be able to use my sunglasses either.

I was thinking about doing the strap, and it sounds like many of you have been successful with that. I don't care about what it looks like - I'd rather walk around with the strap on than have to walk back to the parking lot not being able to see!

I've been on upside down roller coasters before with my glasses on, but I always end up holding on to them and I do end up worrying about them the entire ride. I'd rather not think about it so much. Thanks everyone!

 

[TLinden16]

I have worn my glasses on all of the coasters at Disney World, and have never had a problem with them falling off. Just make sure that they fit securely around your ears.

The only time I have worn a hat on these rides is a floppy hat with a chin strap under it. At least once, the hat flew off my head, but I didn't lose it because it was wrapped under my chin.

 

[MHSweb79]

I have the coke-bottle kind of lenses so I REALLY need my glasses - just to find the doorway!
I've ridden everything at WDW, including RnRC and never had a problem. Mine fit pretty snugly, and the suggestion to look down and shake your head like a wet dog is a good test.
As a matter of fact, when I rode REAL river rapids (Kennebec river in Maine) and I became separated from the raft (I still say I didn't fall out - the raft moved out from under me....) I didn't even lose my glasses. I did have a sports strap on - I got it from my optometrist office in the sunglass section. It has that bead thingie to keep the straps snug to your head. This worked underwater in Class IV rapids, so I guess it would work at Disney World!

 

[choirchic]

I wear glasses and can't see anything without them on. I'd hate to have to take them off on rides as I will miss a lot, but I'd also hate to lose my glasses! I've ridden Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Test Track with my glasses on with no problem - though I did literally hold on to my glasses the whole time just in case! Should I be concerned about losing them on rides like Rockin Roller Coaster and Splash Mountain?

Lost them on Tower of Terror when I was a teenager...thank goodness for Lenscrafters!

 

[bsbrady]

Just remember one thing "This here is the wildest ride in the wilderness"

 

[Neko]

On our last trip:
1. DD 10, was holding onto her glasses so tight down splash mtn (2nd ride of the trip of course), she snapped both sides right off. Had to have the aid station tape them back together...took a lot of tape, too.

2. DD and DH were on Space mtn later that day, the ride stopped, lights were turned on and there was announcement, because someone had lost their glasses, so they were looking on the floor of the ride for them. DH said it was cool to see the inside of it with the lights on.

 

[Beauty & the Best]

Just remember one thing "This here is the wildest ride in the wilderness"

lol

 

[Best Aunt]

On one trip, I bought a Mickey Mouse hat (baseball cap style). I went on Splash Mountain as my first ride. You guessed it - the hat flew off my head.

I reported it to Lost & Found.

Several weeks after I got home, a package arrived from Disney. I opened it up, and there was my Mickey Mouse hat - with a big grease mark on it.

The moral of the story is: (a) If you lose something, you should report it to Lost & Found because you might get it back, and (b) if you wear a hat on Splash Mountain, you might not want to wear it when you get it back.

 

[Spacepest]

I normally wear glasses everyday, but on vacations, I wear contacts.

Why? Because my prescription eyeglasses are freaking expensive, that's why. Just to replace the lenses costs $400. A new set of frames runs starts at $200 (I have to wear lightweight frames due to sinus problems). So if my glasses get lost or damaged on a ride, that at least $600 out of my pocket. Not to mention the fact that I'd have to take time out of my vacation to find a place like Lenscrafters to replace them.

You can now buy contacts that are daily disposables...you wear them once, and throw them out afterwards. They even have some now that are specially formulated for dry eyes. I wear these on vacation, plus take an extra pair with me, along with eyedrops, just in case my contacts fall out (which happens sometimes). I figure $70 for a box of disposable contacts that will last me through a year of vacations is CHHEEEEEEEP compared to having to replace my regular eyeglasses.

Plus its a nice change of pace to see my vacation pics without glasses on--it makes me look a bit younger than I really am. XD

 

[Manda]

I lost my glasses on The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Yes, on Winnie the Pooh. And couldn't get them back and never got them back. Beware of the glasses-eating-attractions.

 

[si-am]

I was wearing my sunglasses on the top of my head when I got on Imagination at Epcot, and the CM told me they weren't safe there and that I should hold onto them. I really don't have any idea why. I kept them on my head and was perfectly fine, even during the blast of air at the end.

 

[Baltazar]

A sport strap is cheaper than new glasses.

I have a wide ride rim hat with a strap so I can hang it on my back. For rides I push off the hat to my back and lean on it. Well that didn't work too well on ToT. The first drop I was airborne and so was my hat, about a foot above my head.

Luckily the strap got caught on my chin so I grabbed it.

Now I take my hat off.

 

[DisneyGrampa]

Well, I not only take off my glasses, I also take out my hearing aid.

 

[Disney845]

I don't know about the glasses, but funny story about the hat.

When we rode Splash Mountain, my Mom wore a hat. On the big drop, her hat flew off. The guy behind her was holding both arms up in the air screaming and it flew into his hands and he generously caught it and gave it back to her. The funny thing was the photo they took on the drop shows the hat flying off her head and into the guys hands. I so wish to this day we would have bought that photo because it was just too funny.

My best friend's husband, her brother and other groomsmen did a theme park day for the bachelor party. The same exact thing happened to them. The hat flew off of the head of one of the riders in the front and one of the guys in the rear, who had his arms up, was able to "catch" the hat. They did buy the pic (which showed the hat "flying" through the air towards the hands up in the back), and it is still a conversation starter!