Obesity and theme park rides....

[milesandbos]

On our recent visit to MW we saw three people have issues with their size and the ride restraints. One guy on the DC coaster was denied (to be fair he was a big unit all over), one guy was denied because of his gut on the Scooby Doo ride and another guy had to shift seats to be able to fit on the Scooby Doo ride also due to his gut. These events occurred when we were waiting in line so I hate to think how many times the ride staff come up against this. 

Never saw this happen at US in Singapore, but I guess Australia has an obesity problem. 

Do you think ride developers will start to make the rides more accommodating to larger sizes or is it a matter of ensuring the safety of everyone? I did see that a park in the US I think had to make one of their HP rides more 'obesity friendly'.

Edited June 5, 2018 by milesandbos

[red dragin]

The ride operators actually handle it rather well. "I'm sorry, but the harness won't engage, so unfortunately you won't be able to ride".

I actually fail the test seat for DC Rivals (just) but the harness locks fine for me.

[Jdude95]

I also thought this topic had been discussed before, at length even?

[New display name]

1 hour ago, Jdude95 said:

I also thought this topic had been discussed before, at length even?

How cute, the self-proclaimed theme park expert is now a self-proclaimed moderator.

2 hours ago, milesandbos said:

Never saw this happen at US in Singapore, but I guess Australia has an obesity problem.

Could it be the US has the obesity problem so the US parks cater for it already?

[milesandbos]

1 hour ago, Jdude95 said:

I also thought this topic had been discussed before, at length even?

1 hour ago, red dragin said:

The ride operators actually handle it rather well. "I'm sorry, but the harness won't engage, so unfortunately you won't be able to ride".

I actually fail the test seat for DC Rivals (just) but the harness locks fine for me.

I wonder how much more prevalent it has become over the past 20 years or so? Granted there was about 17 years in between my visiting theme parks.

Maybe they make the test seats slightly smaller so people aren't super disappointed?

 

1 hour ago, Jdude95 said:

I also thought this topic had been discussed before, at length even?

New to the forums. 

Was genuinely surprised. These people weren't 'huge'. 

4 minutes ago, Skeeta said:

 

 

How cute, the self-proclaimed theme park expert is now a self-proclaimed moderator.

 

Could it be the US has the obesity problem so the US parks cater for it already?

 

True. Imagine what it would be like working over there. I think Oz is pretty up there though in the stats. Could explain why I didn't see any issues at US in Singapore.

[red dragin]

"I'm big, what can I ride" comes up once or twice a year.

This question "will we see designs change" I don't recall seeing before, or at least recently. 

[pin142]

Given most manufacturers are based in Europe I doubt we will see any major changes to sizing of ride seats.

[aaronm]

The US parks typically have more Arrows and B&Ms with the "big boy" seats which allow a wider range of people can fit. Old school woodies are pretty accommodating too. But otherwise the seats are the same size as anything else from the same manufacturers - RMC, Mack and Intamin rides are probably the most restrictive. As for Singapore, I've regularly seen people unable to ride Battlestar due to size, so it definitely happens there too.

[rappa]

So here's the thing... when you are fat, restraints don't work.

It's not a matter of making 'more accomodating' restraints, it won't help.

 

Fat is a fluid portion of body mass, it can't be properly held in place, and prevents the restraints working properly. 

If the restraint is secured on fat, the fat can shift during the ride making the restraint loose, and then you fall out and die. It's simple as that and has happened.

So unfortunately yes people do have a ride to be fat and proud of their body, however as long as ride manufacturers also have the right to stop being killed, we don't see coasters modified to fit the obese.

[Jdude95]

On 05/06/2018 at 3:14 PM, Skeeta said:

 

 

How cute, the self-proclaimed theme park expert is now a self-proclaimed moderator.

 

Could it be the US has the obesity problem so the US parks cater for it already?

 

N'aww, how cute, The skeet is being a dick for the sake of being a dick.
When did I proclaim that I was an expert in anything? I'm sorry oh wise master asshole Skeet. I'll make sure I run everything I post by you first to make sure I'm not offending your opinion of me.

[pushbutton]

Diet + Exercise, and you can go on almost any ride in the world! Simple as that!

A really good start is don't drink soft drinks, EVER!

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

13 hours ago, pushbutton said:

Diet + Exercise, and you can go on almost any ride in the world! Simple as that!

A really good start is don't drink soft drinks, EVER!

that explains a lot.

[New display name]

43 minutes ago, AlexB said:

that explains a lot.

Don't believe a word push is saying @AlexB   The only way to lose weight is to go to a paint store and purchase thinners. 

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

do you paint this on your body with a brush or drink it? i'm confused...

[pushbutton]

1 hour ago, Skeeta said:

Don't believe a word push is saying @AlexB   The only way to lose weight is to go to a paint store and purchase thinners. 

 

 

 

Or if you're at a theme park, you'll have very little wait if you invest wisely in a fast track pass!

[New display name]

53 minutes ago, AlexB said:

do you paint this on your body with a brush or drink it? i'm confused...

Most of the time I bathe in it while enjoying Gentleman Jack. (I think that was his name or was his name Jack Daniels?)

3 minutes ago, pushbutton said:

Or if you're at a theme park, you'll have very little wait if you invest wisely in a fast track pass!

Last time I fast tracked a pizza it was undercooked.

[pushbutton]

11 minutes ago, Skeeta said:

Most of the time I bathe in it while enjoying Gentleman Jack. (I think that was his name or was his name Jack Daniels?)

 

Last time I fast tracked a pizza it was undercooked.

 

That's ok. With a bit of help from gentleman Jack, you can hardly tell if pizza is cooked or frozen.

Edited June 7, 2018 by pushbutton

[razza1987]

The best design I’ve seen for restraints HAS to be the Expedition Everest roller coaster seat restraints. Each person in the cart has their own restraint so they can have it as loose and as safe as they need to 

[Levithian]

On 06/06/2018 at 6:59 PM, pushbutton said:

Diet + Exercise, and you can go on almost any ride in the world! Simple as that!

A really good start is don't drink soft drinks, EVER!

No you cant. Height restrictions are becoming a problem now too. 

They need to update the average person, the size used is just not an accurate representation of today.

It probably needs to be shifted another 2-3 inches and 10-15kg heavier to something like 180cm and 80-85kg. That way ride designs will survive the next couple of generations.

When teenagers are 6ft+ tall and 90kg without an ounce of fat, you know the population has gotten larger through the last couple of generations.

My 13 year old is 175cm and 78kg already for example. Hasnt really had a growth spurt, so if he does he will probably be in the 190's. Right on the limit of heaps of rides and difficult fits in rides like scooby doo. 

[Aw hype]

5 hours ago, Levithian said:

No you cant. Height restrictions are becoming a problem now too. 

They need to update the average person, the size used is just not an accurate representation of today.

It probably needs to be shifted another 2-3 inches and 10-15kg heavier to something like 180cm and 80-85kg. That way ride designs will survive the next couple of generations.

When teenagers are 6ft+ tall and 90kg without an ounce of fat, you know the population has gotten larger through the last couple of generations.

My 13 year old is 175cm and 78kg already for example. Hasnt really had a growth spurt, so if he does he will probably be in the 190's. Right on the limit of heaps of rides and difficult fits in rides like scooby doo. 

As someone who is 6'4 at 16, i can vouch for the fact that restraints are a pain in the ass. Or not so much the restraints, from my limited experience, rather the seat "shells" that you are put in (where you park your ass essentially) aren't designed for larger blokes at all, irrespective of what a sign says at the gate (I'm 6'4, 80 kg if you need a size perspective). Yes, the increase in average generational height should be taken into account by manufacturers going forward, but at the same time, people my size are outliers in society and you can't fault manufacturers for catering to the majority. And holy crap your son is huge for 13 if he hasn't had a growth spurt yet, i was only about 5'4 back then.

Edited September 19, 2020 by Aw hype

[Brad2912]

8 hours ago, Levithian said:

No you cant. Height restrictions are becoming a problem now too. 

They need to update the average person, the size used is just not an accurate representation of today.

It probably needs to be shifted another 2-3 inches and 10-15kg heavier to something like 180cm and 80-85kg. That way ride designs will survive the next couple of generations.

When teenagers are 6ft+ tall and 90kg without an ounce of fat, you know the population has gotten larger through the last couple of generations.

My 13 year old is 175cm and 78kg already for example. Hasnt really had a growth spurt, so if he does he will probably be in the 190's. Right on the limit of heaps of rides and difficult fits in rides like scooby doo. 

Quoting Push...

that’s akin to using a Ouija Board to summon the dead...

 

[Levithian]

How the hell was this at the top of the forum listing? Only just noticed the post dates now. Something been deleted before my reply? I didn't go looking for threads to mine. 

[joz]

There was a spambot, but the reply about height restrictions was interesting so left it, hence you got the massive bump.

[Cactus_Matt]

I'm still bitter about not being able to ride 'Hollywood Dream' at Universal Studios Japan because apparently my thighs were too 'thicc' to get the waist harness down. (For the record I was only 80kg and 5ft 11in at the time).

[aussienetman]

Took a group to White Water World recently and a couple could not ride any of the slides due to the weight limit. Is it fair to charge full price to a fuller figured adult who can 'only' go in the wave pool?