Info on who fits/who does not - for FJ - post here if you've been

[Praise2Him]

Here are my stats, I'll just throw it all out there: I am about 5'5" and 245 lbs (18/20). I have a 42DD bra size. I carry most of my weight in my hips/thighs/butt. I just took my measurements and if I'm correct (hopefully I did it correctly) my bust is 46", hips 52", waist 43".

P.S. My husband is about 6'2" and around 270-275 lb. He carries almost all of his weight in his stomach. Do you think he'll have problems?

I'm about your size -5'4", 235 (20/22), 42DD - large hips, thighs & butt, and I fit in the regular seats, but it was tight - not uncomfortable, but snug.

My DH is 6'4", 290 and did not fit in the regular seats, but did fit in the modified seat easily.

You'll both be fine! I'll probably go for the modified seat next time just to be more comfortable.

 

[If U Had Wings]

My measurements are very similar to yours. When I tested in the seat out front the restraint hit my camera and phone in my pocket, and I got the yellow, modified seat light. With empty pockets I probably would have gotten the regular one, but the friend I was traveling with definitely needed the modified seat so we just both asked for one. We had to sit at either end of the ride vehicle, but we did ride together.

There are no signs near the loading area that advertise the fact they are putting you in a modified car, so I'd doubt that most people will even know why you are in a separate line. I did notice that the CM's at the Harry Potter ride would quietly direct my friend towards that line when it was time. Being a bit smaller, I had to ask them which line to get in for the modified seat. They didn't automatically direct me there.

 

[Gryffindor_Mouse]

Posting from my phone but I had to share this.

I made it! I got in the modified seat! The first time no one said anything to me. Didn't pull me aside or anything and I just asked for the modified restraint when I got up there. The second time I got pulled aside to the test seat but that was no big deal. They just told me what line to get in. I'll be honest. I was still nervous that I wouldn't fit that first time. I got clear in the seat and the harness came down and the attendant checked it. When they said "have a good ride" and we left the platform, I started to cry. I was so convinced I wouldn't get to ride.

Anywho, measurements for anyone in my position. I'm 5ft 8in, 300-315lbs (ugh, butterbeer so good but not helping there), long legs and long torso, broad shoulders, roughly 56in around my stomach. Now that you guys can pick me out of a line up, hope that is helpful to someone. Lol

 

[coaster_addict]

I have been lurking on these boards since all the drama over FJ and the pudgey variety of muggle came about. I thought it was only fair that I pay it forward and post my own experiences.

I have been to WWOHP several times now and ridden FJ a total of 6ish times . The first time I tried the test seat outside. There was pretty much a constant flow of people trying the seat of all shapes and sizes so it definitely did not feel like "Ooo look at the fatty McMuggle testing out that seat" I couldn't see the lights, but the "wizard" said "ok, you can ride" with no mention of modified seating.

My friend and I went through the que and were sent into the regular line, I sat on an outside seat as I had heard they were a bit bigger. The harnesses come down so quickly that I had a hard time hearing the clicks but I think I only heard 3, maybe 4 and we were off. The 2nd ride I only remember hearing 2, but it must have been more because we were green lit and I had seen them pushing down harnesses or telling people it needed to go down a bit more.

The next time we went in the single rider line and I was put with a party from the modified line (I would never had known that's what the line was if I weren't hefty myself and hadn't researched the ins and outs of the ride). Since there were 2 of them I was in a middle (definitely not modified seat) and got the three clicks. I was questioned in line once when I was asked if I had ridden and if so was it a modified seat. I said yes and no it was not.

I must admit I was slightly embarrassed because the time they asked I was in line with somebody I did not know very well, just an acquaintance so it was a bit awkward. To their credit the "wizard" did his best to be discrete and was just doing his job but it was a blushy moment none the less.

For the record, I am 5'7" and 227lbs. I usually wear a size 16 and have an apple-y shape. There were definitely riders larger than me getting on, so try the seat and hope for the best no matter what your size, the ride is worth it! I did see a few people try the seats and get the red light, but it was gentlemen sporting a "keg". I did not see any ladies being turned away due to their upstairs. The harnesses are way more forgiving in the chest than in the belly. Also I have pretty decent size thighs, which is what I was most worried about, but it turned out not to be an issue.

Sorry for the long post but I wanted to include as much as possible to help those fearing the worst

 

[myst13]

Just return today and I was able to fit with room to spare, after worrying... I'm 5"5' 220lbs. I was not pulled over and was able to fit in the regular sits just fine with some room to spare. My hubby, son and I were also able to ride several times going through the single rider line instead of waiting 45 - 75 minute wait times. The longest time we waited was 10 minutes. We found the best time was to ride from 5pm till close. The only thing odd that happened last night the ride was stopped to remove the group I was put with, one of the guys from the other 3 riders was was a little larger and moved to a different car. The attendent asked if I was with the group and I stated no, and she said your fine. I rode the ride by myself. Loved the ride!

 

[M&MGirl1]

Though I must admit it's kind of embarassing to post this info on a web forum, I thought it only fair to post my experience after reading so many other forum members' experience with the ride.

I'm a bit over 6 foot, have a long torso compared to my legs (wear regular lenght slacks), 46DD chest, 46 inch waist, 56 inch hips, weigh about 310 pounds.

Short version - with some minor pushing on the ride attendant's part I fit in the new modified seats.

Long version - Was at IOA last Wednesday. Tried the test seat outside - got a red light untill my sister tried pussing down on the harness lightly. Figured I'd give it a go and when got to front of line told them I'd need a modified seat - got in the seat got one click on my own and when the attendant barely pushed got another click - she said she needed to push a little harder to get a third click and asked if that was ok - told her sure, but while she was pushing down on the restraint I realized something - my head was hitting the top cover of the seat, both my shoulders were hitting the sides of the seat, I couldn't see to either side of me, and the harness pressing down made it impossible to move an inch............and I'm REALLY clausturphobic. So as the VERY nice attendent (seriously she was the ONLY nice employee we ran into the WHOLE day at IOA) was pushing down on the restraint I had a MASSIVE panic attack and started to claw wildly at the restraint - she took one look at me, said "you're clausturphobic aren't you," I said something to the effect of "get me the hell out of here NOW" (actually that's probably a bit more polite than what my crazed, panic brain had my mouth spit out at the time) and to her credit, she called to another gentelman working on getting the next group seated over and they had me out of there in no time flat.

I LOVE Harry Potter, they DEFINITELY could have fit my admittedly very fat self in the new modified seats, but NOTHING is worth feeling like I've been locked in a high schooler's locker for five minutes straight

And FWIW - my sister is a size 20/22 about 5 ft 9 and got a green light on the test seat.

I really, truly hope this info helps someone who's worrying about this as much as I did before my trip!

 

[azdoughboy]

I'm a big huge dude, and will be going to wwohp in 3 weeks...if I can fit on this thing, EVERYONE can. I will certainly let everyone know.




BC

 

[kessieann]

I am going to need the modified seat but I am concerned about my other family members. Will the restraints still be tight enough in a modified seat for my much smaller dd? I remember once going on a two seat ride that shared a pull down bar. I am much bigger in the belly then dd and the bar did not go down very far on her because I was blocking it. I got off and let dh ride with her because I was afraid she would be tossed around.

 

[damo]

I am going to need the modified seat but I am concerned about my other family members. Will the restraints still be tight enough in a modified seat for my much smaller dd? I remember once going on a two seat ride that shared a pull down bar. I am much bigger in the belly then dd and the bar did not go down very far on her because I was blocking it. I got off and let dh ride with her because I was afraid she would be tossed around.

The restraint itself hasn't changed. It is just that the locking mechanism has been altered.

 

[aubriee]

If you need the modified seating make sure you are actually sitting in one of those modified seats on the end. When my husband and I were there last week we went through the single riders line, then when we got to the top we requested the modified seating line, expecting to be split up since we both needed the modified seating. They pulled us out together and told us to wait up close to where the boarding zone starts. Then just a few minutes later two men joined us who also obviously needed modified seating. The CM sent us to board the next bench and told my husband and I to sit in the two end benches since those were ones that were modified. The CM then seated the other two men with us too. When the CM walked by he pushed down on both of their restraints. One made it, but the guy next to me was just too large. Since I was right next to him, I heard him arguing with the CM that he was supposed to sit in the modified seats. The CM told him only the two outside seats were modified and the guy got a little irate demanding to know why the CM had placed four people all needing modified seating in the same bench then. He was escorted out, but turned as he got out of the bench, looked at me and demanded the CM make me change seats with him since I was smaller than him and might fit in the standard seat. I did fit in the old end seats when I was there the first week of Sept, but the CMs had to push down on the restraints for me and as a solo rider I was always placed in an end seat, which is supposedly bigger anyway. Anyway, I'm not sure why the CM chose two parties of two, both from the modified seating line to get into one bench. When we got off the ride and started down the stairs I told the guy that did get to ride with us, to have his friend go back through the single rider line and ask for the modified line again, making sure he got an end seat this time. He said he'd try, but doubted if his friend would try it again. I felt really bad for the guy, because they had both requested modified seating and the CM messed up, putting all four of us in the same bench. The guy wasn't any bigger than my husband.

 

[rKrispyt]

I just got back from my trip.

Oh. My. God. Forbidden Journey is...just so amazing. I was not expecting that.

We started off checking out some things and then decided, since the wait was an hour and not going down, to get in line. So I was with a bunch of peopel who didn't realize there was any type of need for me to try out the seats, they didn't know people were not fitting, etc. So they were all like "wait, what are you doing?" and my best friend, who knows all about this and has been so supportive the whole time, just kind of stood by me as I just said "I have to make sure I fit and see if I need to get into the modified seat cause it's a different line when we get inside". The couple beore me were taking foooooorever. The guyu was done with the test seat but just stood in front of it so no one could use it waiting for the woman he was with, so I was getting really really scared as it was just building the tension and gave me a moment to get nervous.

So I get on and I see the light is yellow and the guy says "you're good" and I ask "so it's yellow, I need a modified seat?" and he's liek "oh, I didn't really push it all the way, just past the red light..." and he pushed it a teeny bit and it went green before he finished really getting it all the way down at all and he's like "nope, it's green." and we ran in line and I just had a moment of crying a little bit with my best friend, just cause....since June or July I've been working towards this goal of getting on this ride, and knowing that, even if they had'nt modified the seats, I'd have done it...itw as just a really awesome, and emotionally overwhelming feeling.

I came home and weighed myself and discovered that, not only did I not gain weight on vacation (I was gone for 8 days, didn't workout in the mornings like I'd wanted, just walking through the parks and not going crazy eating a bunch of junk or all the time) but I lost 2 pounds. I still think something's wrong with my scale. But that puts me at a total weight loss of 35 pounds. My next goal was to lose 50 by teh new year, so I'm 15 pounds from that.

It's the most amazing feeling. Anyone who's even considering doing it, I highly recommend it. The control I feel over my life, the hope it's given me to change other aspects of myself and my life that I'm not happy with but feel it's too late to change...is unparallel.

Also...I cannot wait to go back to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Me and another friend kinda had to be dragged out. We all went back half an hour before closing and rode it again, then saw that the line was still open and jumped on one last time. I would highly recommend taking at least a little break betweena dn not doing back to bakc, as every one of us was feeling a little queasy after two times back to back, lol. But...I stood out there so many times just trying to get the image of that castle, in the beautiful sunlight and then all lit up at night embedded in my brain so that I can picture it when I need a happy thought. I wish I could live there, omg. It's just magical.

Good luck to everyone who's on their weight loss journey and who is nervous about getting on this. It was sooooo hands down absolutely worth every moment of pushing myself through workouts I thought I coudln't finish, watching what I was eating instead of grabbing candy out of the vending machine cause it was easier, walking to work, teh plateaus, and all the changes. The ride is just...like nothing else. Truly.

Lastly, thank you to all of you here who have been so very supportive. It really means ows much to me.

 

[damo]

Awwwwww!!!! So happy for you!!!! It is wonderful that everything met your expectations. I love how you are feeling so empowered now.

 

[bumbershoot]

aubriee, that story made me sad! He was escorted out b/c the employee made a mistake? That's the sort of thing that would mess with my husband's head. Thank goodness I'll be with him and make SURE he gets put into a modified seat (if it works for him...his shoulders are VERY broad and carry a lot of his weight, and at this point they will be the sticking point since his belly is getting smaller).

 

[FrancesK]

I'm worried about my shoulders as well. Judging from other posts, I think my hips and stomach will be fine in a modified seat - being a woman, they were my main concern. But I saw a picture of the seats that said they are 20.5 inches wide. My shoulders are 23 inches wide, so if I cut off 1 arm I could make it Does anyone know a spell to make my arm grow back after the ride???

 

[aubriee]

aubriee, that story made me sad! He was escorted out b/c the employee made a mistake? That's the sort of thing that would mess with my husband's head. Thank goodness I'll be with him and make SURE he gets put into a modified seat (if it works for him...his shoulders are VERY broad and carry a lot of his weight, and at this point they will be the sticking point since his belly is getting smaller).

I was worried about my husband fitting due to his large arms and chest, which is where he carries most of his weight. Like most men, he doesn't have a butt and his stomach is not that big either, but due to his job he has very large arms and chest. I was worried about him fitting even in the modified seats. However the first time we rode, he tried it in a regular seat. He fit, but it was a tight squeeze across his shoulders. The other times we rode, we just both asked for a modified seat and each time we were seated together on the same bench with two people in between us, (even though we came up through the single rider line).

 

[Principessa1284]

Hi all! I had to dig for this thread - long time lurker, but we FINALLY made it out to Universal yesterday. Hubby and I are APs and haven't been since March since we don't like to go when it's crowded. I was TERRIFIED to even try to see if I'd fit. The wait said 75 mins and we decided to go for it - they CMs at the entrance weren't pulling ANYone out to check with the test seats - including people my size. I'm 5'5", not going to tell you my weight but I'm a size 24 in pants with an average sized chest. I carry most of my weight in my lower stomach, hips and thighs so I was pretty worried. I can go on Hulk and Dragons in the modified seats, but it's really uncomfortable. Like I said, no one asked me to, so after some kids were finished taking pictures I sat in the test seat and made hubby sit in the other one. I got a yellow light, and was pretty happy! The CM told me that I should be all set - just to let them know when they are seating.

The wait ended up only being a little under an hour (the castle is BEAUTIFUL inside) and the guy grouping us was really rushing and I had to interrupt him to tell him I needed a "yellow seat." He had us and the couple in front of us go in the line next to the regular line and in about 15 seconds, another CM pulled us onto the platform and said the modified seats were the 2 on either end. I got 2 clicks, no problem, and the CM pushed down 1 more with ease. I actually thought the seats were really comfy! Just wasn't really for how much it throws you around!

So, I was pleasantly surprised and the ride was AMAZING!!

 

[mollybeasley]

Hi all! I had to dig for this thread - long time lurker, but we FINALLY made it out to Universal yesterday. Hubby and I are APs and haven't been since March since we don't like to go when it's crowded. I was TERRIFIED to even try to see if I'd fit. The wait said 75 mins and we decided to go for it - they CMs at the entrance weren't pulling ANYone out to check with the test seats - including people my size. I'm 5'5", not going to tell you my weight but I'm a size 24 in pants with an average sized chest. I carry most of my weight in my lower stomach, hips and thighs so I was pretty worried. I can go on Hulk and Dragons in the modified seats, but it's really uncomfortable. Like I said, no one asked me to, so after some kids were finished taking pictures I sat in the test seat and made hubby sit in the other one. I got a yellow light, and was pretty happy! The CM told me that I should be all set - just to let them know when they are seating.

The wait ended up only being a little under an hour (the castle is BEAUTIFUL inside) and the guy grouping us was really rushing and I had to interrupt him to tell him I needed a "yellow seat." He had us and the couple in front of us go in the line next to the regular line and in about 15 seconds, another CM pulled us onto the platform and said the modified seats were the 2 on either end. I got 2 clicks, no problem, and the CM pushed down 1 more with ease. I actually thought the seats were really comfy! Just wasn't really for how much it throws you around!

So, I was pleasantly surprised and the ride was AMAZING!!

Thanks for your reassuring report. Are you a fan of the film Life is Beautiful by any chance? "Buon giorno Principessa" is my favorite quote from that film. It always made me smile when I heard it.

 

[Swank]

I went last week. I am 6'0" 350 lbs. I got a Red for the test seat. I did go through the Castle with the rest of my family and ducked out to the gift shop while they rode.

 

[FrancesK]

Here is some good news for theme park fans on the West Coast. We were at Universal in Burbank, CA last weekend. A Universal employee at a membership kiosk told us that they will be bringing the Forbidden Journey to California. It will replace the Terminator T2 show, and I imagine some of the European-style streets next to T2 will be transformed into a version of Hogsmeade. He said construction is slated to start in 2012.

 

[damo]

Here is some good news for theme park fans on the West Coast. We were at Universal in Burbank, CA last weekend. A Universal employee at a membership kiosk told us that they will be bringing the Forbidden Journey to California. It will replace the Terminator T2 show, and I imagine some of the European-style streets next to T2 will be transformed into a version of Hogsmeade. He said construction is slated to start in 2012.

He must know something that no one else does! I'd be really skeptical about that little tidbit. No only is it impossible (T2 is built on top of the parking garage), there is no way Rowling would let it just be thrown into the middle of a park.

Also, with the Transformers ride opening in 2012, I can't see them throwing hundreds of millions of dollars into another ride.