Hats on Rides

[Winnowill]

When we rode Gadgets this summer I noticed sooo many hats along the track .It is definitely a hat eating attraction. I take my hat off on most rides even though I wear my ponytail through it. I usually clip it through my purse so I don't lose it.

Well, DD thought that, since she saw other people emerging with their ears intact, it would be perfectly safe. I warned her, and I took mine off, and - boom, there they went. We had a major discussion afterward about being sensitive to risk and why it's always better to err on the side of caution. She understands now, especially since she had to replace the ears (they were the houndstooth ones with the hat and feathers - her favorites) with her own money.

 

[JABRacingOne]

I just flip mine around backwards for the fast rides....

 

[AuntieKels]

I wear a hat with my ponytail through it and while I haven’t lost the hat, it has come off my head which causes me to spend part of the ride trying to fix my hat or get rid of it which is annoying and distracting to others. Just take it off is what I learn.

 

[tzeitel]

Even if they don't tell you to remove it, not doing so on the more adventurous rides may cause you to lose it. Heck, my son lost a cool hat on Pirates during the first drop!
Who'd of thought!

My husband lost his WDW Food & Wine hat from 1998 on PoTC! He was a chef at WDW at the time and had worked on some menus for the event so it extra painful for him to lose it. We went to L&F and they told us that if it does not float back up and a CM can get it then we could try in 6 months when they drain the ride. He was not THAT attached to it

 

[Indiana Scott]

My husband lost his WDW Food & Wine hat from 1998 on PoTC! He was a chef at WDW at the time and had worked on some menus for the event so it extra painful for him to lose it. We went to L&F and they told us that if it does not float back up and a CM can get it then we could try in 6 months when they drain the ride. He was not THAT attached to it

That sucks when you have an attachment to it. This hat was from my sons first visit several years before.
When we told Guest Services about it they asked if we had bought the hat in the park but since it was old, it was no longer available. It kinda sounded like they would have replaced the hat if it was a current model.
They took our information in case it showed up.

 

[WonkaKid]

Even if they don't tell you to remove it, not doing so on the more adventurous rides may cause you to lose it. Heck, my son lost a cool hat on Pirates during the first drop!
Who'd of thought!

About a year ago, a girl's Minnie ears flew off of her head after the first drop on Pirates and into my lap. I returned them to her and she spent much of the remainder of the ride asking me personal questions -- why aren't you married, why don't you have a girlfriend and so forth. Her mother seemed embarrassed but I actually don't mind when kids ask me questions like that. I sort of enjoy it .

 

[Princess Katelet]

If Disney decided that it was safer to ask guests to remove hats/ear hats on Soarin', then their reasons for safety are more important than my need to know why. That ride was tested over and over (I have a friend who got to do CM ride testing -- over and over! -- she hates that ride now!). Disney is asking for a good reason (and the gusts of wind can be stronger depending on where you are seated) -- that's all I need to understand. And some guests do remove their shoes -- especially looser, older flip flops or looser children's sandals if their kids are the enthusiastic leg swinging type.

I was going to ignore this but feel that since you're a moderator you might like to know that I took your response to be rude and condescending, and felt your answer tried to elevate yourself as a superior person who feels Disney's authority is good enough for her and she'd never question it. I really don't know where your response came from, it seems so unnecessary. As a mod you're supposed to be someone people can turn to when a thread gets out of control or someone is being rude. But since you ARE a mod I'm really surprised. You could have easily made your comment without the first sentence, and without the second 'that's all I need to understand' bit. I like to understand MORE. I like behind the scenes stuff and find it very interesting that your friend got to test the ride over and over again. i think wondering why hats are forbidden but they say nothing about dangling shoes is curious. Maybe no one else finds this curious, but at least no one else belittled me for it.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I was going to ignore this but feel that since you're a moderator you might like to know that I took your response to be rude and condescending, and felt your answer tried to elevate yourself as a superior person who feels Disney's authority is good enough for her and she'd never question it. I really don't know where your response came from, it seems so unnecessary. As a mod you're supposed to be someone people can turn to when a thread gets out of control or someone is being rude. But since you ARE a mod I'm really surprised. You could have easily made your comment without the first sentence, and without the second 'that's all I need to understand' bit. I like to understand MORE. I like behind the scenes stuff and find it very interesting that your friend got to test the ride over and over again. i think wondering why hats are forbidden but they say nothing about dangling shoes is curious. Maybe no one else finds this curious, but at least no one else belittled me for it.

I'm sorry that you took my response the wrong way and were offended. The responses in these public threads are meant for all the public who read these boards (and there are so many unseen people who read and never comment), not only for the people quoted. (If there is ever something meant directly and privately for one person, it will usually be put in a private message. This is only being posted publicly because you addressed me here publicly.) My comment was not at all meant to be "rude and condescending," but simple and clear so that the many people who are following this thread who don't have the privilege of visiting the parks as often as some of us here (and who may not even have ridden this ride yet) can still understand what is being referenced. What I said in my comment was true for me. That really is all I need to know based on my experience. As I posted previously, I have been injured by another guest's hat because he ignored the safety rule. Next time, if you feel you have something to address to me personally, you can use a private message if you wish.
And there is nothing wrong with being genuinely curious about the origin or reason for a safety rule. You can always ask a CM on that ride about it or send in a question to Disney to see what they say. If you get an answer, post it here. Other people might be just as interested to learn the answer.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Is this topic really needed? Seems like you just need to use common sense

Yes. Common sense to me says a hat is fine on Mr Toad, reality from previously in this thread says it is not.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I was going to ignore this but feel that since you're a moderator you might like to know that I took your response to be rude and condescending, and felt your answer tried to elevate yourself as a superior person who feels Disney's authority is good enough for her and she'd never question it. I really don't know where your response came from, it seems so unnecessary. As a mod you're supposed to be someone people can turn to when a thread gets out of control or someone is being rude. But since you ARE a mod I'm really surprised. You could have easily made your comment without the first sentence, and without the second 'that's all I need to understand' bit. I like to understand MORE. I like behind the scenes stuff and find it very interesting that your friend got to test the ride over and over again. i think wondering why hats are forbidden but they say nothing about dangling shoes is curious. Maybe no one else finds this curious, but at least no one else belittled me for it.

For the record I found the answer to be a great reminder that Disney knows a lot about rides that I don’t. And I was definitely not offended by any of it.

 

[gottalovepluto]

OP, I wear a sun hat to the parks. I take it off every ride and hold it in my lap/on my knee. I think I left it with a fam member on Soarin though. (A baseball hat should fit in the storage container on the coaster if they’re the same ones now.) Since others have reported losing baseball caps on various rides, I’d look for a method to easily remove the hat for rides. Maybe moving the pony tail will make the hat easier to remove/replace? Possibly worth a little experimentation.

 

[agamble]

Well, DD thought that, since she saw other people emerging with their ears intact, it would be perfectly safe. I warned her, and I took mine off, and - boom, there they went. We had a major discussion afterward about being sensitive to risk and why it's always better to err on the side of caution. She understands now, especially since she had to replace the ears (they were the houndstooth ones with the hat and feathers - her favorites) with her own money.

Don't they collect the hats and ears on a regular or nightly basis? Is it not possible to get them from lost and found? Does anyone know?

 

[lalasmama]

Don't they collect the hats and ears on a regular or nightly basis? Is it not possible to get them from lost and found? Does anyone know?

Yes, generally, but not always, the night crew will collect the found items and get them to lost and found. Then L&F department has to receive it, log it, catalog it, and then cross-reference with the lost list. And some things (like Splash) has traps that aren't checked daily according to L&F. ...

 

[CallieMar]

I have been hit in the face with a pair of Minnie ears on Space Mountain.

I loop my ponytail through the back, but still take off my hat on rides, or at least hold on to it like during the drops on PoTC.

 

[jaloopi]

My son left his hat in the seat pouch on BTMRR, and it was turned in to lost and found. We didn't even know he lost it for a day to two, and when we finally realized it, it had been turned into L&F. We were so happy to have it back!

Don't they collect the hats and ears on a regular or nightly basis? Is it not possible to get them from lost and found? Does anyone know?

 

[jaloopi]

I'd like to wear a baseball cap on our next visit. Do any rides require that you remove your hat? And if, they don’t require it, which rides have been problematic for hat wearers?

I’ll have my hair in a ponytail looped through the hat and really don’t want to be taking it on and off (my hat hair is particularly horrendous).

The make you remove your hat on Goofy's Sky School.

My son was wearing a Goofy hat with a large bill, and it blew of on Peter Pan! He was able to catch it before if fell down, but we did not expect to have an issue on that ride!

 

[cmpeter]

Thanks everyone. Lots of helpful information.

 

[ExcitedMama]

I always wear a baseball hat with my ponytail pulled through it. I lost DH’s favorite hat on Space Mountain. DD warned me to take off my hat on Gadget’s when she saw someone’s fly off. I’d suggest just taking it off for all rides. I use an adjustable one do I just clip it on and off my bag strap when I get on rides. Plus it’s nasty hot so it’s nice to cool off your head a bit while you can!

 

[Winnowill]

Don't they collect the hats and ears on a regular or nightly basis? Is it not possible to get them from lost and found? Does anyone know?

When DD told the CM she'd lost the ears, he basically just said, "Too bad." We'd had enough experience that trip with lost and found (she'd left her phone in the Space Mountain ladies room - we never did find it) that we didn't want to bother with it for ears that we couldn't even prove belonged to us.

 

[agamble]

When DD told the CM she'd lost the ears, he basically just said, "Too bad." We'd had enough experience that trip with lost and found (she'd left her phone in the Space Mountain ladies room - we never did find it) that we didn't want to bother with it for ears that we couldn't even prove belonged to us.

That's unfortunate. I thought they'd be nicer about it.

My littlest lost her shoe at Knotts on their tot size coaster. It slipped off while we got out and went under the coaster and fell to the ground. We had to wait a while for the worker to get clearance, but she retrieved the shoe for us.