Fat Profiling

[FireDancer]

Secondly, given that Disney's been successful building Rock n Rollercoaster, Expedition Everest, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours without using restraint systems that drasticly limit the ride's accessibility, it seems obvious to me that Universal could have built Forbidden Journey in a more inclusive way without sacrificing much (if any) of the ride's current experience had they had that objective from the start.

Well, it depends on how thrilling you want the ride. I agree that thrill rides have a limited demographic but if that is what they were going for then none of the rides you mentioned, with the exception of ToT, I would consider a thrill ride. EE, RnR, all the "mountains" and Star Tours are all good rides but I sure wouldn't call them "thrill" rides in the real sense of the word. Even ToT, which I would call a thrill ride, only has to deal with a single plain of movement which is why a standard seat belt is sufficient. There is no lateral force being applied which is where the stationary harness comes into play.

It could be a failure on their part to press the ride too far down the continuum towards thrill ride that is the real fail as opposed to the restraint system on the current ride.

In reality I think the ultimate problem will be the disappointment of people who think the WWoHP is a whole park as opposed to what it is. Perhaps the reason they went so far towards a rollercoaster is to try and counter that disappointment by at least giving people a proper thrill ride. I have no idea, I'm just throwing the idea out there. I have never been to IoA because I can go on bigger (and more) coasters closer to home for less money.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

FireDancer, that's an interesting point about thrill rides. My scaredy-cat hubby wouldn't go near EE, RnR or the mountains, but did fine on ToT and Star Tours.

 

[disneysteve]

My DH is 6'4" and 280 lbs. He's successfully ridden all of the rides you mentioned and enjoyed them.

DH is 6'5" and over 230 lbs. He has yet to find a ride at WDW he CAN'T ride including Rock 'n' Roller Coaster.

In that case, I'd have to agree that FJ is overly restrictive. That lap bar does look awfully tight. I have a feeling we'll see a redesigned restraint in the future. They can keep everything else about the ride vehicle the same and just reshape the bar somehow to accommodate somewhat larger riders. RnR does loops and corkscrews which is surely more than what FJ does.

 

[FireDancer]

FireDancer, that's an interesting point about thrill rides. My scaredy-cat hubby wouldn't go near EE, RnR or the mountains, but did fine on ToT and Star Tours.

My mom is perhaps the biggest scardy cat on Earth and would do Star Tours and RnR but none of the others. I think Star Tours (and Mission:SPACE) are more of a problem for people with motion issues then anything else. Neither ride really goes high and being surrounded by a simulator takes away the perception of actual risk. The only reason she even considered RnR (and after changing her mind every 3 seconds throughout the cue) is that she loves Aerosmith and the music calmed her enough to do the ride.

I'm surprised your husband will do ToT but I imagine being in the elevator might make him feel less exposed then the other vehicle types. Of course we aren't machines so we don't necessarily have to be consistent in our fears. I have a friend who was in Delta Force and has a purple heart from a partial parachute failure during a HALO jump. After recovering he went right back to jumping out of planes into combat zones but if he saw a snake he would pretty much wet his pants. We are only human in the end.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

My mom is perhaps the biggest scardy cat on Earth and would do Star Tours and RnR but none of the others. I think Star Tours (and Mission:SPACE) are more of a problem for people with motion issues then anything else. Neither ride really goes high and being surrounded by a simulator takes away the perception of actual risk. The only reason she even considered RnR (and after changing her mind every 3 seconds throughout the cue) is that she loves Aerosmith and the music calmed her enough to do the ride.

I'm surprised your husband will do ToT but I imagine being in the elevator might make him feel less exposed then the other vehicle types. Of course we aren't machines so we don't necessarily have to be consistent in our fears. I have a friend who was in Delta Force and has a purple heart from a partial parachute failure during a HALO jump. After recovering he went right back to jumping out of planes into combat zones but if he saw a snake he would pretty much wet his pants. We are only human in the end.

Well, to be (un)fair to him, he did have my thigh in a death grip the entire time we were in ToT. But we're both big Twilight Zone freaks, so it was a must do.

 

[lady danger]

Well, it depends on how thrilling you want the ride. I agree that thrill rides have a limited demographic but if that is what they were going for then none of the rides you mentioned, with the exception of ToT, I would consider a thrill ride. EE, RnR, all the "mountains" and Star Tours are all good rides but I sure wouldn't call them "thrill" rides in the real sense of the word. Even ToT, which I would call a thrill ride, only has to deal with a single plain of movement which is why a standard seat belt is sufficient. There is no lateral force being applied which is where the stationary harness comes into play.

Just judging from the ride reports thus far, I'd be greatly surprised to hear that the current level of thrills is too high to support "Disney level" restraints. Like I said in my post, I know that's not true of every ride (I wouldn't have the same expectations from say, Rip Ride Rocket), but with this style of ride, I think it could have been done with minimal tweaking had they thought to do before or as the ride was being built. Doing so after the fact is where it becomes a problem, as they have an expensive infrastructure in place that needs taken into consideration as they try to refit seats and restraints and that may not be able to be accomplished without a long rehab (which they're unlikely to do this early) or without a lot of monetary investment.

 

[eeyorelvr09]

I heard this too and was outraged. This society, I thought was no longer preoccupied with image. Boy, was I wrong. I already exceed the limitations by height and barely by weight. I WAS going to make a side trip there this October. Looks like I'll be saving money on a cab ride and park admission. You screwed up royally Universal!

 

[Magpie]

Don't believe everything you hear!

No one has been refused a ride on the basis of their bra size.

Also, from some of today's discussions over on the Universal boards...

My son is 6'3", weighs 245 lbs and he rode FJ last Saturday with no problems. My daughter & I are both size 16 and we had no problems.

And...

I just got back from today's preview. I'm 6'3", 230lb and had no trouble (and clicks to spare) on the ride, nor saw anyone else with problems.

I do feel bad for Pete, and he should definitely write a formal complaint, considering he was allowed to ride one day and refused the next.

It sounds like Universal is still working out the bugs.

 

[Lease]

I was really looking forward to visiting Universal on our next trip partly because I'm a HP fan. With the DH being 6'8" he'll not be able to ride . He is able to ride everything at WDW,even Space Mountain which is a tight fit. I'm not surprised that their is a height restriction, but from the description it's going to be just a bit too limiting.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

And...



I do feel bad for Pete, and he should definitely write a formal complaint, considering he was allowed to ride one day and refused the next.

It sounds like Universal is still working out the bugs.

That wasn't Pete who had the contradictory experience, it was someone who Walter and Max ran into. Pete was not allowed on FJ at all.

 

[Metro West]

Because they're Universal but if WWoHP is a failure I lay just as much blame at the feet of JKR because with her absolute control she could have went with Disney and seen a beautiful and faithful reproduction of her vision not just facades, shopping and a ride a huge swath of the population can't even get on.

I disagree with the whole "Disney would have done a better job argument." I remember reading online somewhere that one of the biggest problems with Rowling's dealings with Disney was that Disney wanted too much control over the attractions and she wouldn't go for it. She wanted absolute control over the decision making. In any event there was something she didn't like about Disney and went with Universal. So saying Disney would have done a better job doesn't really matter because they didn't get the contract. I definitely think they would have done a better job in managing the openings but other than that...I don't see how Disney could have done much better.

This whole argument about the size restrictions on FJ are certainly warranted but I really believe Universal is still trying to work out the kinks and will ultimately put in seats so larger folks can ride...just like on Dueling Dragons and Hulk. I don't know why FJ was designed the way it was but maybe the Kuka robotic arm is more restrictive than anyone knew. I can't ride it because I have high blood pressure but even w/o that, I couldn't ride because of my size...I'm 6'2" and 260 so I doubt I would have made the cut either. I'm still looking forward to walking around and seeing the shops and as much of the FJ queue as I can. Again...I understand how people feel but I'm confident everything will work out...just be patient.

 

[Magpie]

That wasn't Pete who had the contradictory experience, it was someone who Walter and Max ran into. Pete was not allowed on FJ at all.

Oops, you're right - that was Preds I was talking about, not Pete.

Preds also said that no one 6'3'' would be allowed to ride, and that's thankfully not the case.

 

[mefordis]

That wasn't Pete who had the contradictory experience, it was someone who Walter and Max ran into. Pete was not allowed on FJ at all.

Did someone pull Pete out of line? I didn't quite understand if he was told he couldn't ride or that he just assumed he wouldn't be able to.

 

[WebmasterPete]

Don't believe everything you hear!

No one has been refused a ride on the basis of their bra size.

Also, from some of today's discussions over on the Universal boards...

And...

I do feel bad for Pete, and he should definitely write a formal complaint, considering he was allowed to ride one day and refused the next.

It sounds like Universal is still working out the bugs.

I wasn't the one who was allowed to ride one day and not the next, that was someone we met in the park. As for people 6'3 and 230 - I don't consider that to be overweight. It's not how much someone weighs that's the issue, it's their proportion. I'm 5'10 and 230 - and according to the 'test seats' I was too big to ride - that's going to make this an issue for many people. Also, the test seats outside the attraction, and the ones located just before you get on the ride are not the same - some people will pass the test outside, only to fail once they wait in line and are nearly ready to get on. This is not going to be a bug Universal can just 'work out' without doing some major redesign to the attraction, which I doubt will happen anytime soon.

 

[WebmasterPete]

Did someone pull Pete out of line? I didn't quite understand if he was told he couldn't ride or that he just assumed he wouldn't be able to.

No, I didn't pass the 'red light/green light' test on the seats located outside the attraction, so it didn't make sense for me to try and ride. I'm glad I decided that because I would have been mortified if I'd been pulled out of line during 'fat patrol' and refused entry.

 

[Zip-a-dee-dude-da]

Don't believe everything you hear!

No one has been refused a ride on the basis of their bra size.

Also, from some of today's discussions over on the Universal boards...



And...



I do feel bad for Pete, and he should definitely write a formal complaint, considering he was allowed to ride one day and refused the next.

It sounds like Universal is still working out the bugs.

these riders are tall and have evenly distributed weight...try 5'8 and 245

 

[Magpie]

I wasn't the one who was allowed to ride one day and not the next, that was someone we met in the park. As for people 6'3 and 230 - I don't consider that to be overweight. It's not how much someone weighs that's the issue, it's their proportion. I'm 5'10 and 230 - and according to the 'test seats' I was too big to ride - that's going to make this an issue for many people. Also, the test seats outside the attraction, and the ones located just before you get on the ride are not the same - some people will pass the test outside, only to fail once they wait in line and are nearly ready to get on. This is not going to be a bug Universal can just 'work out' without doing some major redesign to the attraction, which I doubt will happen anytime soon.

Yep, it was Preds. One short word beginning with a P, another short word... they're all the same.

I agree completely that the seats outside should match the seats inside - a green light should ensure you access to the ride. I wonder if it has something to do with the TMs apparent unwillingness to push down on the bar to lock people in? Some people complained about bruising on the first day?

FWIW, here's someone else who was able to ride:

Originally Posted by yaytezIOA:
...I am 6'0 and 250lbs. Not a very muscular chest, but a fat belly. I'm a FATTIE. I said the word fattie...report me! Whiners. Anyway, I'm a fattie and I rode it just fine.

YaytezIOA also said something about 52 inches being the maximum chest size allowed on "B&M coasters", like Manta at Busch Gardens. So that *might* be applicable here, too.

 

[Magpie]

these riders are tall and have evenly distributed weight...try 5'8 and 245

Yes, but people were also saying that people who are 6'3'' wouldn't be allowed to ride, and those two were both 6'3''. And what about the two "size 16" women? They rode, too.

And of course there's also YaytezIOA who calls himself a "fattie" at 6'' and 250 lbs, and who has a belly.

My point is, most people are not being turned away from this ride. Lots of people rode, and many of them were tall and/or overweight.

 

[Hedy]

I'm fat, and I highly doubt I'll fit on FJ (there's is a tiny bit of my nosey side who will be tempted to see if I get the fat police). I am disappointed; but I'm not surprised-I couldn't fit on the Sum of All thrills attraction at Epcot. I do think this may fuel the UniversalDisney whiners-I have no problem on RnR, Space Mountain, etc. I fit into the larger test seats for hulk and DD, but I didn't ride owing to fear of being the fat girl who breaks the ride.

 

[mjaclyn]

I'm wondering if Universal could add another arm that would be able to accommodate the people who don't fit into the current size restrictions. After listening to the podcast my DH would have to lose some weight in order to ride it and he is not super heavy by any means... I can definitely understand that there are certain rides that cannot accommodate those who are morbidly obese but I don't think this is the case here... Very odd...

I just wanted to add that DH WAS able to ride the Sum of all Thrills at Epcot, so I was pretty surprised to hear that Pete couldn't ride Harry Potter only being 235lbs. DH is around that size, just a little bit shorter. I figured since Sum of all Thrills and Forbidden Journey use that same 'arm' technology that whoever fit into the Disney version would be able to fit into the Universal version. I guess not...

As for the 'Fat Profiling'...if it were me, I'd rather be pulled out of line than be the person responsible for the ride breaking down. That would be monumentally more embarrassing IMO. Of course, Universal wouldn't even HAVE to pull people out of line if the ride vehicle outside the attraction was the same as the one inside. That way anyone who thought they might be close could find out BEFORE getting into the queue line whether or not they could ride it.