Pooh size problems...rudeness

[BlueIvy]

Just finished the final day of my vacation at Universal/Seaworld . I just want to say a few things about my experience. I've been overweight my entire life and last year I was so uncomfortable on rides . I took my kids to the state fair and I couldn't fit anything. Not even one ride. My kids cried when they couldn't go on certain rides because I was too big to ride with them. I got serious about weightloss and I've lost 107 pounds in a little over a year and a few months.

This trip I was finally brave enough to attempt the major coasters . I've always been deathly terrified of the huge coasters. The last time I got up enough nerve to face my fear I went to the test seat at The Hulk and it was so embarassing. I could not even sit down in the seat my hips were too big.

This trip I was a ball of nerves ...and I walked up to the test seat...and I fit. I was overjoyed ...I was a big ball of nerves as I walked onto the ride for the first time . I was pointed to the modified seat which is the third seat in the third row. I sat down..the people behind me told me no move down to the last seat . I told them no this is the modified seat . They we're confused and clearly annoyed I was breaking up their party. The cm told them I was to sit where I was and they had to sit at the end .

I rode the ride...it was fantastic. I didn't die . I wanted to ride again so I did . Again...same encounter . People telling me to move over upset they can't sit directly next to their loved one. My triumph quickly turned back into embarassment. People can't just take a seat and ride . Each and every time I rode I had to tell people why I'm sitting in that particular spot.

My final time riding was the worst experience. I was leaving the park and decided to ride one last time ( I also rode dueling dragons. I fit in the manta and kraken test seats...but I got chicken and decided i'd rather lose more weight before I attempt those eventhough I fit comfortably)

So I'm boarding the hulk for the final time and a woman with her two kids tell me to move over. I was so tired of explaining myself at this point but I smiled and told them this is the modified seat and buckled up. The mom would not take no for an answer. She got angry...stormed up to the cm pointed at me and said she's not moving! She won't move down so I can sit next to my son! Why can't she move over so I can sit next to my kid?!

Her son meanwhile is sitting next to me asking me why won't I move over. I told him this is the modified seat and he said what's that? I said its for the bigger people. The mom returned but she was clearly angry she didn't get her way and it made my final ride very awkward and embarassing.

I also had a rude experience on jurassic park. The cm was putting people in rows. She placed me at the end next to a woman and the woman told the cm I would not fit next to her in a snotty tone . I guess she felt I would be smushing up against her. The cm was really nice and told me to sit there anyway . I sat in the seat and did not smush into her at all.

I bit my tongue a lot. I was really embarassed and people are very rude.

 

[BlueIvy]

I don't want to be a complete negetive nancy . I had a wonderful vacation. I think I love Universal more than Disney. The theming is great...nice children areas .. good food. It was just those couple of experiences that ruined a portion of my day.

 

[LoreoR]

I am so sorry you went through that, people can be so rude sometimes. What an example to set for their own children! We chastize bullying and make it a global issue but people still do it every day.

Cheers for you on your weight loss! That is no small feat at all. You paid the same as everyone else to enjoy your experience. I'm glad to hear the cast members were kind to you.

I'm headed down next week. I will keep your experience in mind as I vacation. After all, Pooh has always been a good friend to Eeyore .

Just know, people who are that outwardly rude to others are not happy in their own lives. Law of the garbage truck: don't let others dump their issues onto you.

 

[Wish I lived in Fl]

Congratulations on your weight loss and on being brave enough to go on the Coasters!

I didn't know there were modified seats since I don't usually do coasters. And the few times I have done coasters it was with my eyes shut.

 

[Dee2013]

Congrats on your weight loss! People can be so nasty. Just know that their rudeness is THEIR problem, not yours.

I rode the ride...it was fantastic. I didn't die .

This totally cracked me up. I am too chicken to ride many rides. I'll remember this when I am there next time, and maybe, just maybe....

 

[JessicaR]

I'm sorry that happened to you. Some people can be so clueless and some can just be cruel. You handled it gracefully!

Big Congratulations to you that is an amazing accomplishment and you should be very proud. Glad you rode so many things and got to try new rides.

Glad you enjoyed the parks- I do too!

 

[goofeygirl]

People can be quite odd about sitting next to one another. I guess its for their own comfort of knowing someone they knew is RIGHT next to them on that scary ride.

I know when I travel...I usually go (with friends or not) on the single lane and take whatever seat they have...because I avoid the long lines. The long lines are for folks who HAVE to be seated side by side.

I was at a waterpark with a group of people...we all went on this water slide and just went up - we didn't group it...and it seemed to offset everyone else because they all wanted to go down the slide side by side for some reason.
I get it...they like to be together. Fun.

Those folks there sounded a bit hostile. I mean, they are probably on vacation for cryin' out loud. They probably saved up their money like we all do for years for a trip like that. So getting irate over not be side by side and holding hands is silly. Just have fun. Stop stressing.

 

[rowan555]

I wonder why they don't make the row with the modified seat the row for single riders as well - then they wouldn't have to worry about this issue which apparently happens quite a bit. Might be worth shooting off a letter suggesting this and explaining that as nice as the CMs were, the other guests pretty much ruined your ride experience every single time. Short of that, the CMs should be trained to have guests in that row enter the ride in the proper order so that guests don't think the person needing the modified seat is being rude/doing something wrong. This just sounds like a mess that could be avoided by employing one of those methods.

I'm glad you had a good time other than those rude guests!

 

[Bluer101]

Congrats on the loss.

But at the same time don't give a crap what others say or do. Just have fun and ignore them. Besides, you most likely never see them again.

Unless you meet up with some of us homies.

 

[PammyK]

I'm so sorry that your fellow guests were such jerks during your visit to Universal. People can really be rotten.

However, congratulations to you on setting your weight loss goal and accomplishing it. I wish I could get myself to that point as I really miss riding the coasters over at Uni.

 

[mermaid79]

Some people are very rude. I am sorry that you had to go through that. But congrats so far on your weight loss...good for you.

 

[ChristaDeVil]

Congratulations on the weight loss. Sorry people were nasty to you!!!!

 

[damo]

So glad you were able to ride lots of stuff. Not sure why the TMs felt the need to split parties up around you. They could have just filled that spot with appropriately sized parties.

 

[deedeetoo]

Well, I am not going to excuse rude behavior, but I do understand where those people were coming from. They probably had no idea that there were modified seats and they were located in the middle of the row. They probably thought you were the one being rude by taking the center seat (for no apparent reason) and forcing them to sit apart. Seriously if there are three seats, and a single rider and a couple are riding, it is not unreasonable for the couple to want to sit together. Again this does not excuse rudeness, but it does explain their confusion. I think a pp hit on it exactly - Universal should use single riders to fill the other two seats, rather than those who stood in the long line together so would be able to sit together.

 

[bumbershoot]

Congrats on the weight loss! Congrats on fitting on the rides!

Fellow guests can be the worst. DH had an experience with fellow guests at California Adventure that nearly killed his spirit, and it was made worse because he was awaiting a diagnosis of a tumor on his pituitary that was causing quite a bit of the weight gain he had been experiencing (and the hormone it was creating made him extremely emotional). It was awful awful awful. The CMs there were great, but guests, not so much.

Short of that, the CMs should be trained to have guests in that row enter the ride in the proper order so that guests don't think the person needing the modified seat is being rude/doing something wrong. This just sounds like a mess that could be avoided by employing one of those methods.

I agree.

So glad you were able to ride lots of stuff. Not sure why the TMs felt the need to split parties up around you. They could have just filled that spot with appropriately sized parties.

Agree with that, too.

 

[BlueIvy]

Thank you so much. I feel a lot better and yes there should be atleast something on the seat indicating its a modified seat. They most likely thought I was being rude snatching up the middle seat. They should atleast place the modified seat on one of the ends instead of smack dab in the middle . It was tiring and embarassing constantly explaining to people that I need that seat because I'm bigger. I'm not only pooh sized...I'm tall as heck too!

Using that row for single riders is a really good idea! It would make things so much more comfortable for people like me .

I can understand being upset ur not sitting right next to your loved one but let's be honest the ride is maybe 90 seconds. You're not holding hands on a coaster like that sharing a special moment . The last woman behavior was beyond rude. If someone told me they needed a particular seat i'd shrug and move on but to point and yell and make a scene over something so small . I would not do that especially in front of my children.

Sent from my SPH-M930BST using DISBoards

 

[RMulieri]

Well, I am not going to excuse rude behavior, but I do understand where those people were coming from. They probably had no idea that there were modified seats and they were located in the middle of the row. They probably thought you were the one being rude by taking the center seat (for no apparent reason) and forcing them to sit apart. Seriously if there are three seats, and a single rider and a couple are riding, it is not unreasonable for the couple to want to sit together. Again this does not excuse rudeness, but it does explain their confusion. I think a pp hit on it exactly - Universal should use single riders to fill the other two seats, rather than those who stood in the long line together so would be able to sit together.

agree.In no way am I excusing bad behavior or rudeness from other guests , and I agree Unviersal should use single riders to fill those seats..I travel with a child who is afraid of her own shadow and she is willing to ride as long as mom or dad are right next to her.So I want to sit with her.I imagine it is likely the same with people with kids with sensory or developmental disorders.

 

[rowan555]

That raises another really important issue. What if you are riding with someone with developmental issues, or with a young child scared to ride "alone", and you end up in the modified row and can't sit next to each other? It all happens so fast, you get hurried into the seats not realizing in that one row, you cannot sit with each other, and you may end up with a traumatized rider at the end of it. This just doesn't sound good from ANY angle. Sure, if my daughter and I ended up in that row we'd be fine. But if it had been her first time on any coaster when she was 9 and just tall enough to ride, that could have soured her on thrill rides for a long, long time.

This really sounds like an issue Universal needs to address.

 

[keri125]

Thank you so much. I feel a lot better and yes there should be atleast something on the seat indicating its a modified seat. They most likely thought I was being rude snatching up the middle seat. They should atleast place the modified seat on one of the ends instead of smack dab in the middle . It was tiring and embarassing constantly explaining to people that I need that seat because I'm bigger. I'm not only pooh sized...I'm tall as heck too!

Using that row for single riders is a really good idea! It would make things so much more comfortable for people like me .

I can understand being upset ur not sitting right next to your loved one but let's be honest the ride is maybe 90 seconds. You're not holding hands on a coaster like that sharing a special moment . The last woman behavior was beyond rude. If someone told me they needed a particular seat i'd shrug and move on but to point and yell and make a scene over something so small . I would not do that especially in front of my children.

Sent from my SPH-M930BST using DISBoards

I agree with this! I was reading your post and thinking to myself that it is understandable to want to sit next to your loved one (I'm going with my 9 year old son in November and a major part of the fun for me is trying to watch his expressions and hear him whooping and hollering next to me on the rides), and would probably have at least asked why you were not moving over. (Of course, after reading this thread, I'll know why and not have to ask! LOL) However, once you had explained it to me I would have been like, "Oh, ok!" and simply taken whatever seat was available. We have several coasters here at our local theme park where you can't sit side-by-side simply due to the nature of the ride, and it doesn't diminish the fun of the ride at all. There is no need to be rude and snotty to someone once you know the reason for their actions. Congratulations on your weight loss! I just lost 25 pounds myself and am working on the last 10 - I know what an emotional "roller coaster" (no pun intended! ) it can be!

 

[phamton]

You know the more I think about this, the more I think that your experience should be shared with Guest Services. In all my years working for Universal, I have never heard that complaint. It is really something that needs to be addressed on the Hulk ride. On Forbidden Journey, the modified seats are on the end and I always assumed they were the same way on Hulk. If you do decide to send this to guest services, I would ask that you also suggest that single riders be placed on those rows so that families aren't split up. If you don't want to contact Guest Services, let me know and I will do it. You can just copy and paste your original post when you go to this web address: https://www.universalorlando.com/Resort-Information/Contact-Us.aspx Scroll down to the Guest Services link and click on the square button. Send me a private message if you would rather not contact them so I can contact them. Oh and major congrats on the weight loss!!!