Is Universal worth it for fluffy people?

[Kristinemunchkin]

I am hoping that I can get some help with making a decision that I didn't know was even going to be an issue. With being a Harry Potter fanatic going to The Wizarding World wasn't a question other then when would we have the money to make the trip from NJ. Now we have a second question.....will it even be worth it?!?!?! My husband and I are both....let us say fluffy people. I'm only 4"11 chest size of 46" and 210 lbs. my husband's hobby is weight lifting so with a 62" chest of muscle being 6'4" he's pushing 425 lbs. I want to experience all we can that is Harry Potter and have never ran into this issue in Disney (or six flags when we where kids but we where smaller then) so until today I didn't think of there a possibility that one or both of us could be to big to go on a ride. I would love to know your thoughts on if you feel there is still enough to do and see to justify the price of the park ticket for us to go. I will say upfront if you are going to just answer with "well loose some weight and you won't have to worry" don't even bother. 1. It's not like that is not a constant effort we make 2. You don't know our medical history or situation so let's not even start down that path. Any real opinion on if going to the Wizarding world is still worth it and why is greatly appreciated.

 

[bumbershoot]

I was 5’3” at 220 and was fine on all rides. The key is loose clothing. Don’t bind yourself up. You want to be squashable where the restraint needs to squash you.

BUT I think your husband is going to have problems.

My now-ex was probably 350 at 5’10” each time we went, and couldn’t ride FJ, gringotts, mummy, hulk, RRR. He never tried Dr Doom. He just barely got on Dudley Do-right and only with the ADA log. And it was so difficult getting in and out that he only ever did that once.

He could ride Hippogriff in Orlando (not in Hollywood though bc the restraint is different).

(Fwiw at Disneyland there are/were two rides he couldn’t do; what is now Goofy’s Sky school, and the now-gone Maliboomer, which is like Dr Doom, and has restraints somewhat like Hulk. So Disney isn’t immune...but WDW just doesn’t have those rides...we never even wanted to try Barnstormer in MK though)


If there is enough beyond those rides that you would like, do it. If you go, make sure he tries the seats outside the ride.

But I would say that the broadness of his chest is going to keep him from many of the rides he wants to experience, and I assume he’s not JUST bigger in the chest, which will keep him from the other big rides he might want to experience (gringotts and mummy have lap bars that were not possible for my ex).

My ex has the broad and deep chest with strong arms and tree trunk legs, AND has a belly, and the combo just made many restraints impossible.

He still enjoyed being at universal, but not as much as he could. But I have no idea if he’ll ever go again now that I’m not planning his vacations, at least not until he loses what he wants to lose.

Hope that helps.

 

[LolaNJoe]

Your husband and my husband's sizes are around the same, and we went to Universal last year and are busy planning our trip for this year.

He had no problem on any of the rides we tried (we did not attempt Hulk, Mummy, or RRR, he's not much of a coaster person), but he took one look at the ride vehicles for the Harry Potter rides and knew there was no way. They are very small and not meant for folks with broad shoulders, or broad anything really. Sure, that's disappointing, and it kind of sucks, but it's really just a couple rides. That's what, 15 minutes of entertainment?

That being said, we both love Harry Potter and had a great time shopping, riding the Hogwarts Express, eating at the Three Broomsticks, having a butterbeer, checking out Nocturn Alley, choosing a wand, meeting the driver of the Knight Bus, etc. We both definitely feel the experience is worth returning to, even if we don't ride two of the rides.

 

[SG131]

Universal is definitely not as accommodating as Disney. Based on my experience I think you’ll be mostly ok with everything just maybe a little discomfort here and there. But I think your husband will have a lot of difficulty. I love the way the Harry Potter area is done especially with the interactive wands. As Harry Potter fans I would definitely consider still checking it out, but maybe only one day and finding other stuff to do in the orlando area that is more accommodating (like Disney) the rest of the time. I think anything with overhead restraints will be almost impossible for your husband. If he’s ok with sitting most rides out and you’re ok going on alone then go for it, but it may not be the most enjoyable trip for him unfortunately.

 

[skylock]

You will need to try the test seats outside each ride that has them. Those are the most restrictive rides.

I do think you will both have problems with those rides, but give them a shot.

 

[pepperandchips]

If you are huge Potter fans I think it would be worth it - just walking into Diagon Alley was worth the cost of admission for me. The music plays and little noises come from all of the shop storefronts - I could spend all day in there, I think, and never get on a ride. Budget for one interactive wand and you have hours of entertainment doing the spells and watching your magic in action. You can visit the goblin money exchange, drink butterbeer (or real beer) if your diet/health allow, visit the Leaky Cauldron (it's so cool walking into all the "real life locations" from the movies). At times it's hard to remind myself that the movies were not shot in the theme park - that's how immersive it is.

Are you the kind of couple that can slow down and smell the roses at Disney? Take 3 laps on the PeopleMover or ride the whole circuit of the train and not feel like you're "wasting time"? If so, there's plenty to slow down and see in the two Potter areas at IOA and USO. There's a train to ride both directions - they're different and truly awesome. If the Forbidden Journey or Gringott's restraints don't accomodate your body types, you can still go through the line and VISIT HOGWARTS and VISIT GRINGOTTS! You can exerience the wand selection show as many times as you like, stop in all the shops, and watch the Celestina Warbeck show. And those are literally just things to do in two lands between the two parks. There's a lot of other cute and fun things to do in the Universal parks. While we've not had an issue with body shapes (except for some reason my mom requires the modified seat on Rip Ride Rockit but she's fine on everything else?) often due to motion sickness I will sit out on some of the simulator rides. I still find plenty to do.

 

[chicagoshannon]

I just discovered a vlogger on youtube that goes around to all the parks and talks about how plus size people fit into rides and things. The channel is PammiePlusParks. She doesn't have many videos about Universal yet but she did just get a pass so should have some upcoming. I've watched some of her videos and found them very helpful.

 

[Wadewdm]

This is such a great post. I was coming here to find info about busty women riding the Hulk.

We are at the park right now. My husband and I are both fluffy (great word). Not as big as your hubby but big enough to understand your concern. The big deal rides all have tester seats to try out Incase you decide to come here. The coasters and coaster type rides are a tight fit for wide hips (like mine) but it’s not awful.

Harry Potter is absolutely amaze balls. The theming is so worth it. I will try to get a pic of hubs and I sitting in a tester seat for you.

 

[glocon]

Even if you don’t plan to ride the rides, go thru the lines and take the chicken exit. There is so much to see in the lines, amazing theming, especially in FJ and Gringotts. Totally worth it!

 

[imprint]

Agreed. Even if there is no way you can ride, go through the queue for Forbidden Journey and Escape from Gringotts (and soon presumably Hagrid's Motorbike). The theming is incredible for fans of Harry Potter, and the "chicken exit" is no problem and not embarrassing at all. Nobody else in line gives a crap, since they either won't even notice, or if so, they notice that they get on the ride quicker.

 

[schumigirl]

OP......no one on the Universal boards would ever tell to you to just lose weight......it’s not how we roll over here.....so don’t worry about that......

As been said there are test seats which are invaluable........

I truly hope you both get to experience the rides you want to, and if you don’t there is so much to see and do in both Potter areas.....you’ll still have a blast! It really is the most amazing place and you can be truly immersed in the whole Potter experience......in both parks.

And as imprint has said, don’t feel embarrassed about leaving the line if you have to........people don’t generally notice or care........

I only do FJ once or twice due to motion issues, but I still walk through the line with my husband and son when he’s with us, as it’s lovely to see and then cut through the chicken exit....no one gives a second glance.......

Good luck with your trip, I hope it’s fabulous.

 

[rwdavis2]

At 315 lbs and 6'1" I could not fit in the seats for Forbidden Journey nor any of the hanging coasters. At 275 I fit in the coaster but still no FJ.

 

[Hitchhiking Ghost]

Even if you don’t plan to ride the rides, go thru the lines and take the chicken exit. There is so much to see in the lines, amazing theming, especially in FJ and Gringotts. Totally worth it!

I was actually very disappointed in the theming of the queue line at Gringotts. We had the Universal Express pass, but I think we were in the exact same areas as the stand by line. You walk into the great room of the bank, which is neat, the goblin tellers and the head teller up front, but I think that's pretty much all, then you are in a long hall way which is just doors with the goblin names on it. One door will show shadow figures of Harry, Ron and Hermione, with a little speak, but that's it. There's nothing else until you get into the separate pre movie room. I guess I just expected a lot more, maybe I missed it.

 

[pepperandchips]

I was actually very disappointed in the theming of the queue line at Gringotts. We had the Universal Express pass, but I think we were in the exact same areas as the stand by line. You walk into the great room of the bank, which is neat, the goblin tellers and the head teller up front, but I think that's pretty much all, then you are in a long hall way which is just doors with the goblin names on it. One door will show shadow figures of Harry, Ron and Hermione, with a little speak, but that's it. There's nothing else until you get into the separate pre movie room. I guess I just expected a lot more, maybe I missed it.

The two pre-shows, Bill Weasley’s office and the elevator (no spoilers out of respect for OP) are pretty darn cool in my opinion, to say nothing of how wowed I am every time of the actual bank area with the goblin tellers. I get that not everyone is impressed by everything but the first time I rode that elevator I was amazed to say the least. Now, the extended queue outside... woof!!! It’s just switchbacks with one cool vault cart prop. Thanks to the addition of Express at Gringotts haven’t had to see that in a while.

 

[Disxuni]

I personally think that Gringotts queue is okay compared to Hogwarts. The best thing about it is the entrance of Gringotts with the Goblins. However, I believe Hogwarts get the bonus points typically with fans due to the icon imagery within the castle. All of things we see in there are things we've seen in film, or read about, and we've always wanted to be there within the castle. It's an amazing feeling. Also, compared to Gringotts there is a lot more variety and changes of scenery, whether it's the staircase, the paintings, the offices, and the classrooms. Gringott's little preshows are good and fun. However, Hogwarts is legendary, which is why I think it earns people's hearts.

That being said, even if you do not have the ability to go on the ride, you can still get an EP at the end if you attempt and are unable to go on the ride.

Also, it depends on who you get for a ride attendant. I've almost always in the past when I've gone on FJ would get on, however, sometimes you need a little push for it to latch on completely (which I'm sure some "fluffy" people here has experienced), almost all ride attendants do that for you, while a few will not do anything to touch the ride system, or lap bar and since you cannot do it yourself, you're dismissed. I've had that happen to me twice and received EP since I wasn't able to get on. Might be embarrassing for some, but I personally did not mind it. Never going to see any of those people again anyway.