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^Tip for SFA’s Superman since you mentioned it: The front row of each car has these black things in front of you that make it hard for some people’s legs to fit. If for whatever reason you have trouble getting into the seats with those things, then take the back row of the car, which doesn’t have them. Wish I had a picture to show what I’m talking about. My dad (~6ft, >300lb) couldn’t fit the seats with the black things but had zero problem in the ones without them. Idk if other Intamin rides have those as I’m not too well traveled.

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I logged 36,000+ steps and a little over 20 miles of walking this weekend at CP. An amusement park is a great way to get out and lose some weight if you hate going to the gym. Especially if you have a seasons pass to your local park. Just go to the park and have a nice steady walk to each ride and you can lose some weight that way. I lost 5lbs this weekend from my amusement park workout. I was 6'0 200lbs going into this past weekend and weighed myself yesterday morning and I was 195lbs. My height is still 6'0 though

For a real theme park workout, try visiting a water park on a slow day. Carrying tubes up the steps over and over again and riding again and again with no wait is a real cardio workout!

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All of Robb's advise is terrific, and for The Stratosphere, X-Scream and Insanity in particular, I have a couple of pointers.

Follow all of Robb's advise, and if you are still having issues, cross your legs at the ankles, it gives you a bit more room for the restraints. Interactive Rides doesn't have too many of these seats and restraints out in the world, I can only think of X-Scream, Insanity and the one Tilt "Coaster" in the Philippines.

 

The ride attendants at Stratosphere are not allowed to push down the restraint on you, you have to do it by yourself, but in my experience in operating the rides, crossing your legs at the ankle gives you about an extra inch and a half in closing the restraints.

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As a ride operator, I 100% agree with Robb. There's a ton of little things that prevent the restraints from engaging. PLEASE do not wear a fanny pack, I see probably close to 50 people everyday that wonder why their restraints aren't engaging and then I'll see that they have a fanny pack on. Also, make sure you're sitting all the way back, and that you're sitting up as straight as possible.

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^Tip for SFA’s Superman since you mentioned it: The front row of each car has these black things in front of you that make it hard for some people’s legs to fit. If for whatever reason you have trouble getting into the seats with those things, then take the back row of the car, which doesn’t have them. Wish I had a picture to show what I’m talking about. My dad (~6ft, >300lb) couldn’t fit the seats with the black things but had zero problem in the ones without them. Idk if other Intamin rides have those as I’m not too well traveled.

 

I ran into this last week. I was really confused why I fit fine on my first lap but then couldn't fit when I got back around to ride again. They put me in the seat in front of me and then I fit with plenty of clearance to spare.

 

This kind of thing is what's so frustrating. When a ride isn't consistent from seat-to-seat or when the test seat doesn't match the actual ride. Or when the park keeps changing seatbelt lengths and buckle positions (lookin' at you, Wicked Twister). Or when a park has unusually short belts when compared to other comparable rides (a la CGA).

 

I've ridden over 600 coasters, and I've never not fit on a coaster I've been trying to ride (5'7", 250lbs). That being said, I'm certain there's no chance I'd be able to fit in Wicked Twister now because of the new belt configuration. And I'm right on the threshold of being good in the standard B&M OTSR's vs needing the big-boy seats (and the difference can often be how late in the day it is and how much I've had to eat/drink throughout the day).

 

I had in issue with El Toro this weekend where I fit, but the lapbar dug into my gut in a way that was quite painful during the ride and kept me from at all being able to enjoy the ride. And I don't think there's any fixing that short of simply losing weight.

 

The scary thing to me is how many children's coasters I've been able to ride with restraints that really should be designed to keep a small child in place, not a chunky adult. And many of these rides have single-position lapbars. If the lapbar locks in a position where it's fitting me, there's no way in heck it's holding a kid securely. I get that the idea is if you're riding with your small child that you'll keep them from doing anything stupid, but I'm honestly surprised we haven't had more issues with kids getting loose from kiddie coaster restraints.

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I haven't been to Hersheypark in 2 years, and I'd like to say I'm around the same weight range than I was last time, I'm currently 46-45 inches in waist and weight 285lbs..Should I still be good to go? Did they make any seatbelts shorter?

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I haven't been to Hersheypark in 2 years, and I'd like to say I'm around the same weight range than I was last time, I'm currently 46-45 inches in waist and weight 285lbs..Should I still be good to go? Did they make any seatbelts shorter?

I didn't have any problems with any of the rides at Hersheypark, but I'd still follow those bits of advice I posted on the first post.

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I haven't been to Hersheypark in 2 years, and I'd like to say I'm around the same weight range than I was last time, I'm currently 46-45 inches in waist and weight 285lbs..Should I still be good to go? Did they make any seatbelts shorter?

 

The inner seats of the front row on Skyrush should be avoided. For some reason they weren't giving the green light as the rest of the seats were. It was as if they were the opposite of big boy seats. Skinny bitches seats?

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The inner seats of the front row on Skyrush should be avoided. For some reason they weren't giving the green light as the rest of the seats were.

Are you sure? I had no problem with the front middle seats on Skyrush and neither did some of our other bigger riders during ERT...

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You're even sitting right next to one of them! :)

Edited by robbalvey
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The inner seats of the front row on Skyrush should be avoided. For some reason they weren't giving the green light as the rest of the seats were.

Are you sure? I had no problem with the front middle seats on Skyrush and neither did some of our other bigger riders during ERT...

 

I'll eat my words, my brain must have been melted at that point! I just remember a seat playing red light green light with a few people. But yeah - all worked out in the end!

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I have used all of the tips mentioned in the past. I would be very unhappy to not be able to ride the coasters I love it just means too much to me to be okay with missing out on. Changing my diet was done for many reasons but as nerdy as it sounds when I am struggling on a distance run or feel my diet slipping I think do I really want to miss out on riding this awesome coaster? no I need to push through to make sure I am not too big.

 

Some may have followed in the weight thread on the random section but for those that haven't since our Disney trip with all the pictures of me being at my heaviest I have dropped 50 pounds. Fitting on coasters and having the bar go down multiple clicks and not worrying about if I will fit has been incredible. Hell I fit on Wicked Twister again finally.

 

If you're close to not fitting think about how awesome it would be to go into a trip completely stress free and not only having the bar come down with ease but actually being able to leave some room for airtime. That should be a good motivator for an enthusiast.

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My park (Darien Lake, now Six Flags Darien Lake) has weight limits of 170lbs on some adult rides, as in 170lbs per seat on the swing ride. This is an adult swing ride designed to hold adults and I believe has a 48 inch height limit. I have a slight suspicion that quite a few adults are over 170lbs and are still very healthy and of normal size. I haven't encountered what I consider extreme weight limits at any other park and not even cedar point has limits so extreme. I am not sure how to deal with this, as I don't care immensely about the swings but most other similar swing rides cap around 230lbs or 220lbs like Cedar point's which needlessly to say accomodates quite a few more people than a 170lbs limit. Many other rides at this park have weight limits of 200lbs, or weird limits like 197lbs. The other parks in my area do not have posted weight limits, Waldameer, Seabreeze etc, I checked all of them. This is excluding water park limits, as I didn't go over those too well but all parks seem to have those and I haven't seen one under 200lbs yet so that should cover at least the majority of guests. Its completely possible for a person to be healthy and fit at 180lbs and even 210lbs but now they are not able to ride these rides because of the limits. Now they don't weigh you at the park and I am sure the operator of the rides does not care that you are 175lbs and getting on the ride, but the limit is still posted and is there. This park also ironically hosts the UB bulls which is a college football team each year and invites them to go to the park as kind of an inauguration to the team.

 

I would never yell at a ride op for a problem that is clearly with myself even if the weight limit was something like 170lbs on an adult ride as I won't say how much I weigh but I weigh quite a bit less than I used to and I do fit into the higher end of most park's size guide so theoretically I shouldn't have fit issues but yes it can happen (I haven't actually had to take a walk of shame on any ride and I have been on rides that people normally have fit issues with like the KMG fireball when I was much heavier than I am now) and I am certainly not going to be rude about it, I am sure if they are working a ride that they know doesn't accomodate too many big people that they get yelled at a lot. I would probably tell them ahead of time if I thought there would be a problem.

 

If your body is to the point where you have to use a scooter to walk around for the sole reason that you are too fat to walk, then you can't reasonably expect a theme park that you know, is an activity that in general requires some amount of walking to bow down to your every need. I have a bad ankle and I know what I am getting into when I go to a park, and I don't expect the park to fix that problem for me or make special arrangements because I have a problem with myself that might prevent me from walking a long time. I understand people with medical conditions that cause them to gain weight but I think if you have a medical condition like that you probably should not be on rides and its simply not possible for a ride to accomodate all individuals regardless of disability, height, or other factors.

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The only Walk of Shame I've ever had to do was for the Superman tower and Batman at Six Flags St. Louis. And both of those was because the OTSR's wouldn't come down far enough to latch. Anyone have advice for a gal like me with a large bosom? I haven't had the chance to go back since then, so I haven't been able to try the only thought that has come to mind so far: a control-top or sports bra.

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These tips work. There was a point where I couldn't fit in Wicked Twister for the first time and El Toro was almost an issue. With El Toro, I moved bunched up clothes and pocket contents out of the way and it was good, after a few more push downs. Other trips, I just planned to use a locker, ditched the cargos and wore thinner material shorts or pants.

 

My measure of how I was doing weight-wise was the old Rotor during annual fall visits to Lake Compounce. If I stuck the wall, things were good. If I slid down, I gave myself a flashing yellow light lol

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Speaking of Skyrush, I'm beginning to wonder if they changed the sensors to the restraints between 2015 and now. I'm about the same weight and measurement as I was in 2015 (give or take of course), but during this trip at Hershey, they had to staple the absolute living crap out of me to get a green light. Also, I've noticed that the ride ops made a lot of larger people sit in the winged seats of Skyrush, which unfortunately lead to some train stacking.

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I rode front center row on Skyrush the other night and had no trouble. The center seats on any other rows are a little stricter though.

 

Here are my tips for the other top coasters:

 

-Laff Trakk: Remove excessive clothing such as coats and jackets as well as large items in your pockets and place them in the bag drop. Sit as far back in the seat as possible and cross your legs. This will allow your thighs to turn sideways and the lapbar to go lower.

 

-Fahrenheit: The seatbelts have changed since the horse collar restraints were replaced with softer padding. Remember that most Intamin trains have stadium seating so the 2nd row is going to sit a little higher, allowing your legs to sit flatter in the seat. Once seated have yourself as far back in the seat as possible and relax your shoulders.

 

-Storm Runner: Same as Fahrenheit, but the restraints move a little slower.

 

-Great Bear: Rows 1,3,5,and 7 each have a larger seat with two buckles.

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  • 10 months later...

So last year, around this time going to Hersheypark, I was around 285lbs, I'm now 268 and still going down, hopefully by the time my trip comes next month, I'll be 265, a full twenty pounds lighter than last year. And hopefully, even more than that.

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I have never had much of an issue with this over the years, but then last year, for the first time ever, I got walk-of-shamed on Wicked Twister. MF was tighter then as well, but I still made it. However, sadly, I have gone in the wrong direction since then, and am genuinely a little worried for the first time ever, as I prepare to go to my first parks since last year in a couple of weeks. I'm not a lot bigger, and I'm not worried a lot about it, but it is on my mind...

 

As such, I was wondering what the coasters at Waldameer and Kennywood are like for bigger guys? I've been to both parks, but when I was about 30 pounds smaller, so I wasn't even paying attention to it. Should I have concerns with any of the coasters at either place? Thanks!

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i'm 5'11" 240 lbs typically. never had to walk of shame a ride yet, its tight for me on some seats on B&M Inverts i can always latch but sometimes the belt buckles are a tad short and the ride op has to staple me. also had similar happen on an intamin impulse, first time i rode it that day it was fine, later on when i took a back seat spot the Ride op told me i was too big and i told her i had just rode it earlier that day so she tried again and got the buckle to go.

 

RMC's have never been an issue for me even with my pockets loaded with stuff and a belt on i have seen some people get denied on twisted colossus but they were very large, probably 270+ lbs range

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Two years ago (2017) I visited Hersheypark and while I was able to ride all the woody coasters, Trailblazer, and The SuperDooperLooper, I could not get on SkyRush, Laff Trax, nor Storm Runner because I couldn't fit into the test seats. The following year (2018), I didn't visit any amusement parks. This year, 2019, I lost a total of 45 pounds this year and I was able to ride everything inside Hersheypark, including the Claw. Inspired by these results, I included a few more amusement parks to visit this year, including Kentucky Kingdom that had Lightning Run I couldn't ride five years ago. I rode everything and had no problems with fitting into the seats.

 

"When you lose weight, the riding season becomes great!"

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  • 2 weeks later...

^ "Thank you, thank you, thank you - you much too kind . . ." [from Jay Z's The Blueprint III]

 

I decided to do a little thought experiment on guests with large body portions that attended amusement parks in the eighties and compared that with attending one today. I decided to use Kings Dominion as my park since I have been going there since 1978 and I know all the park's rides and history. As for the "fatty" in this experiment I shall use myself back in 2017 when I was a fatso at 285 pounds ( and not the 240 pound skinny wink I am today).

 

So I'm this big, big man visiting Kings Dominion in 1985 ( the ten-year anniversary of the park). So what rides can big ole me get on and which ones I won't be able to fit into the restraints?

 

First, I can get on the Eiffel Tower, Log Flume, Train, Sky Ride, Blue Ridge Tollbooth, White Water Canyon, and Yogi's Cave without any problems. As for the flats the park had in 1985, I can get on any of them, except I might have problems with the Wave Swinger. As for The Lost World, none of the three rides in there would pose a problem.

 

Now we get to the roller coasters. For the three woodies the park had in '85 ( Rebel Yell, Grizzly, and Scooby Doo), the only restraints these three coasters had was just a lap bar and the seats had no dividers nor seat belts. As for the Galaxi, the trains had no restraints at all. Finally, there's the King Kobra and it only had a lap bar that went over your legs, regardless the size of your belly.

 

In short, the only rides I couldn't get on would be the kiddie rides, not because of my size and weight, but because of my height!

 

Over the years, with rides starting to become more thrilling and more extreme, the needs for tighter restraints began to become the norm. Now riders need to whip themselves into shape so they can ride these thrilling rides. While the rider and amusement park flyers like the high and aggressive thrills the parks will debut, we would have a tendency to forget about guests that aren't in good shape to ride and those with large body portions that can't fit into the ride's restraints. This year's (2019) newest rides announced by all the parks were mainly new coasters or an extreme flat ride, but I counted two parks debuting rides suitable for families: King's Island brought back their antique cars and Hersheypark re-themed their dark ride ( any more parks that debuted a family-friendly ride this year? Or next year?).

 

"When you lose weight, the riding season becomes great!"

Edited by palmerleeberry
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From my first time going to a park at my largest size ever the other day at Kings Island, I know I really need to get serious about losing weight before next coaster season! Not because I couldn't ride anything, but getting in and out of coasters was awkward and more difficult, and The Racer's double click caused me to get punched in the gut the entire duration of the ride by my lap bar. I do appreciate the advice in this thread, but I'm really planning to not have to use it anymore come next season!

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Set a goal and knock it out. I dropped 175 lbs over the last year so I could get back into coasters. I've had the best year ever and my life is 100% different now. 115 credits this year. 474 rides this year. Haven't been denied yet including the kiddie coasters.

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