Mater's seatbelts shortened

[Molly Meow]

Hi everyone!

DH and I are returning from 6 days in the magic. We had a great time except for one thing, and I thought you all would like to know.

On Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, they have significantly shortened the seatbelts. Per the CM I talked to, this happened about 2 weeks ago.

Previously, DH and I would ride in a tractor together with at least a foot of extra belt hanging off after tightening. This time, the belt would not buckle even though we have lost weight since our last trip.

The CM simply said one of us would have to get off and skip the ride. As a result, I waited 20 minutes in line to just watch the rest of my party ride without me.

It was so surprising that I thought it was worth mentioning here, so that no one else would have that same experience.

Hope you all have magical upcoming trips!

 

[starshine514]

Wow - you had to skip the ride? I would've thought they would have let you on the next go-round instead. Why would they shorten them?

 

[Molly Meow]

She didn't have a reason for shortening them. My DH assumes that the seatbelts are replaced every so often and were cut to the wrong length this time.

I got out of the tractor to talk to the CM about the seatbelt length because she never came by to check ours. She explained they were new and hustled me out the exit, saying one of us would have to get off. By the time the rest of my party figured out I was gone, the ride had started. I'm sure if they threw a fit on the way out, the CM would have let us back on the next round. However, I was not in the mood anymore and was ready to move on.

 

[SMD]

The last time I rode solo I was the last one counted through. A party of 2 ahead of me decided to split up and there was no available tractor. The CM showed me the exit and had me wait so I could go on the next ride. I didn't even ask, it was offered. I'd hope they'd offer the same thing if they asked someone to leave due to a safety restrain not fitting. They might even have extensions they could have offered.

 

[dtnrhi]

Lawsuits.

Lawsuits.

Lawsuits.

This ride has gone down several times for mini-refurbishments in its relatively short life. They changed the sides and added better cushions. They had to repaint the bottom because paint was chipping away. If the seat belts were too long, a child or somebody could loosen it during the ride and 'fall' out. By making them shorter, this is solved.

If they are not acknowledging the shorter belts prior to boarding, I would assume they already have a suit against them and don't want to acknowledge any wrongdoing on Disney's part. Just my guess.

 

[albumlady]

I have never done mater's before - it was down for refurb my last trip. How long would you say the seatbelt is? I am pooh sized and carry by weight through my hips and thighs so this would be a concern for my. I wear a size 24 pant - would I be able to ride with one of my kiddos or should I plan on my own tractor? Thanks for the heads up!

 

[beachdreamr1229]

When my son and I have gone in the past, the belt is kind of hard to for around both him and me and I'm overweight, but not that big. In hoping they didn't shorten them too much or we won't be able to wide anymore until he is old enough to ride on his own. :-(

 

[corinne76]

oh wow. I'm sorry that happened to you. Not the shortened seatbelts (though an unpleasant surprise) but the way you were treated. They should have offered to allow your family to wait and get you all on 2 tractors the next ride or something. Not just one person has to leave. That's horrible

 

[Molly Meow]

Albumlady - it depends on how old/big your kids are. I'm Pooh sized too, so I wasn't too surprised that I didn't fit with my husband. As a little perspective on the size of these seatbelts, my in-laws were there, too. They are thin, I feel like she's too thin sometimes. They fit together, but just barely. They had to squish into each other and said it was very uncomfortable and will likely pass on riding it again.

beachdreamr1229 - looking at your signature, I see that you went last month. If it was toward the end of the month, you likely experienced the new seatbelts. If it was at the beginning, then they are smaller now. My guess is by a foot to a foot and 1/2.

corinne76 - I agree, they should have given us that option. I think that the CM was possibly new and didn't know how to handle the situation. Especially since for us all to be on the same go-round, she would have had to go explain the situation to my in-laws and get them off, then give us 3 tractors plus communicate that to the CM that assigns which side you go on. I think she was overwhelmed.

I'm hopeful that no one else experiences that, which is why I posted. I hope no one thinks I'm complaining. With Spring Break coming up, I was envisioning people waiting an hour + for this ride only to not fit. If you are Pooh sized and are there alone with 2 kids under 7, I'd skip it. I find it hard to believe that you would be able to ride any more.