Coaster Restraints - Worst for Big Riders

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I road the Iron Dragon once, the Power Tower once and that was it.

What about Blue Streak, Corkscrew, Magnum, Disaster Transport, Gemini, Mean Streak, WildCat, not to mention Matterhorn, Dodgem, Monster, Troika, Ocean Motion, among others. If you could ride Power Tower, I'd have to think you could ride any of those and more.

If I am not satisfied with his responce I will go to the President and tell everyone that I can tell on the open Internet. She cringed at that.

She cringed? Yes, I bet she's scared that you threatened to tell the whole Internet about your bad experience. That's never happened before. I can see it now. Dan Keller and Bill Spehn are sitting around a table discussing your letter.

Dan Keller: "I don't know, our policy is no refunds. And there were plenty of rides and attractions he could have enjoyed."

Bill Spehn: "That's very true, but he's going to go post a bad message on the Internet!"

Dan Keller: "Aw, crap. You're right. I cringe when I think of him doing that. OK, send him a check."

$8.77 for a cheeseburger and fries. Wow and she expected a $1.73 tip.

The minimum for a tip is 15%. That means you should have left at least $1.31. 20% is more common. That would be $1.75.

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Walt Schmidt
Virtual Midway
*** This post was edited by Gemini 8/18/2003 10:38:02 AM ***

50 cents as a tip for a $8.77 bill? Kinda small, don't ya think?

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-Rob
A.C.E. member since 1990
Posting @ Coasterbuzz since 2000
E.C.C. member since 2002

So not only is he irrational, he's a cheap bastard too. I can't stand people who don't tip appropriately.

As Walt said, did you not ride anything else? You know, the very official site you mention has a picture of someone "larger than you" (the dumbest way to gauge whether or not you'd fit) also says over and over that certain rides may not accommodate "guests of exceptional size."

The greatest irony is that you indicated in the recent news item about a guy losing his prosthetic leg at IOA that such people shouldn't be able to ride out of safety concerns. Then you post this. Nice job!

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com - Sillynonsense.com
DELETED! What time does the water show start?

Kid of Steel, I know about the larger seatbelts in the front seats of every car on Superman: ROS at SFNE (why can't INTAMIN do this on Millennium Force too??!!), but which seats are the big ones on Batman: Dark Knight? Would be nice to know, although I always try to ride in the very front, because I like that ride the best. I agree totally with you that if such seats exist on a ride, they should post signs in the station to that effect. ON B&M inverted & flying coasters, I'm pretty much borderline on the regular seats; usually have to have a ride op give a little push to the OTSR so that the seatbelt will click shut, but so far never been unable to ride...

By the way, this is that photo of that bigger guy riding Top Thrill Dragster on media day at CP - I wonder if they break the rules and provide seat belt extensions to media people to ensure good press??!!! I know one thing - I am not nearly as big as the guy in that photo and could not fit into the test seat belts on either MF or TTD - the guy's in row #2:

http://www.pbase.com/image/16188561

I barely fit into WT this year and have been having some issues with other restraints myself, so I sympathise entirely. I don't understand how the restraint can actually be clicked properly but the belt is just centimeters too short is a good idea. It would be a good idea to at least have the larger seats (if available on the ride, of course)

What I find worse is the pattern of using seat dividers on wooden coaster cars (which have fairly tight car seats as it is) and now is simply impossible for wide hipped people to ride. With the dividers, people can't even ride singly if they don't fit in the narrowed seat.

I hope the park owners will listen and try to accommodate a little more when the cars are next given thorogh checkups, but I'm not holding my breath.

That does stink, I thought when I went for the 1st time back in June that I would have problems because I was about 265 and 6'4" but I had no problems what so ever on any of the rides except CCMR because I have long legs but I had no problem on WT, MF, didn't get to ride TTD though :(

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Skol Vikings

CoasterFanVt2003 said:
This largely seems to be a problem with INTAMIN coasters - the V2 Vertical Velocity & Wicked Twister coasters are not configured for larger riders either. Are they designing these things for Europeans or Americans?!!

well, the intamin impulses go vertical and you end up falling forward against the restraints, id imagine that has something to do with larger riders not being able to ride.

thrillfan said:
What I find worse is the pattern of using seat dividers on wooden coaster cars (which have fairly tight car seats as it is) and now is simply impossible for wide hipped people to ride. With the dividers, people can't even ride singly if they don't fit in the narrowed seat.

the dividers on wood coasters are so you dont go slamming into your neighbor or the wall of the car around corners. you cant ride as a single rider on kennywood's thunderbolt for precisely that reason.

i think its sad that some people cant ride rides because of their size, but its for your own safety the same way a kid under a certain height cant ride certain rides.

/ --------------------------------------
http://www.eightdotthree.net
*** This post was edited by eightdotthree 8/19/2003 1:07:15 PM ***

Recently, I vistited Valleyfair! and I am proud to report I was on all the coasters. I am 6ft 1, I have a 54inch waist and Im 250lbs....... I did it though
*** This post was edited by DaNo 8/19/2003 3:00:28 PM ***

parkenthusiast said:

Four, When I stopped to eat at Johnny Rockets the waitress asked my if I wanted my change back from the ten dollars I had given her for a $8.77 bill after I put .50 cents in front of her for the tip. I said yes and the waitress handed me $1.00 back and could not seem to find .23 cents. I said never mind with the change and grabbed one of my two quarters back. $8.77 for a cheeseburger and fries. Wow and she expected a $1.73 tip.

Luckily I read the rest of this thread before going off on this guy about tipping. As a bartender there is nothing worse than a cheap patron. I'm sorry you couldn't ride the rides, really I feel for you. But what does that have to do with tipping the waitress $.50? Tell ya what, do that with me and you're likely to get the 2 quarters thrown back at ya because apparently you need the money a heck of a lot more than me. And to all those who spoke up about the tipping, hope to see you at my bar some day.
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"You think you know me..."

For me, part of the enjoyment of wooden coasters when I was younger was the sliding back and forth across the car on the turns. Quite frankly, it was one of the big appeals to me as I was growing up and steel coasters became more popular and started to do loops and twists. When I was a lot smaller, the sliding into your partner things was actually part of the fun (much the same way people enjoy the Music Express/Himalaya rides and the Scrambler). Those dividers just aren't comfortable when they take up so much space. My taller friends also have trouble with them because they don't have as much room for their legs anymore. I think it's a stupid move that makes them unappealing now.

I'm sorry but I'm horribly insensitive on this subject and a bastard about it. But I still feel this way - if you are so worried about your weight affecting your ability to ride coasters, why don't you exercise some more and cut back on the late night fried foods, sugar and beer? If you love coasters so much, its not up to multi-million (or even billion) dollar designers and park owners to accomodate you, perhaps you should have some more respect for yourself and get back to a decent size. Everyone knows that there's a weight problem in America, but with the usual American attitude we're wondering why the world doesn't accept it as we watch the 11:00 news in our lazychair we've been in for 6 hours straight chugging a beer and eating twinkies. The solutions are out there, they just require a little discipline and self-control. All good things require work, coasters included for some people.

And I'll chime in on the bad tipping too - I'm a poor college student and I still try and leave at least 17% (I can do math pretty good in my head), 20% if the waiter/waitress gets me refills without me asking ;)

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Give me launched or give me ... uh ... more launched!!
--Brett

Impulse, you're right... you ARE an insensitive bastard! But that aside, what you fail to understand is that many people do NOT indulge in fried foods, sugar, or beer, and still tend toward the heavy side. I, personally, never drink beer, never eat sugar unless it's in fresh fruit, and as a rule refrain from anything fried. I'm a firm believer in the "set-point" theory, that there is a certain weight toward which the body will always tend or strive toward, no matter what you eat. Also, I have a congenital orthopedic health problem, which does not inhibit me riding, but which makes it very difficult for me to exercise strenuously. Add to that that I no longer have the raging metabolism of you teens & 20-somethings out there, and it becomes a real struggle. It really irks me when I hear fitness freaks of all ages pontificate that "ANYBODY can be trim and fit if they work hard enough at it" ...uhhhhh, not exactly. By the same token, some can probably eat anything they want and never gain a single pound - but please do not assume that the entire population is made like you.

Honestly I did not start this topic to initiate a hate war between fitness fanatics and overweight people, but some things just need to be said in defense of those whose life is a real struggle in the weight department, through no fault of their own.

CoasterFanVt2003 said:
never eat sugar unless it's in fresh fruit,

OT: Correct me if I'm wrong, but fruit has a huge concentrate of sugar. Thus, it then gets stored as fat.

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100th coaster....Dania Beach Hurricane!

CoasterfanVt2003- Following this thread, you raise some valid points. In a perfect world ride manufacturers could certainly try to make it easier to accommodate larger riders. (My guess is cost is a big factor). I also understand that weight is based to certain degree on heredity and medical conditions can certainly play a major part. (Although I have had no problems fitting in any coaster, I do know several persons who have had medical conditions that have led to their obesity). However, to a certain degree I’ve got to agree with Impulse-ive here- people have to take some accountability for their own actions. The poster who claimed he couldn’t fit in several rides in CP, and then complained about his service when he bought a malt for the road- come on- take some accountability
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Dippin Dots- ice cream of the future since 1989

You're also not taking into account that Americans are, on average, taller than Europeans. This is a generalization, but I'm talking statistically here. My other half is 6'4" with a 54 inch chest made of pure muscle (football player) and he can't ride any early B&M inverted, nor any Intamin with OTSR's. He can ride the Great Bear and any others that have the famous fifth row seat with two seat belt buckles on them for larger riders. He is not out of shape; he exercises with depressing regularity, and I'll guarantee that he's in better shape than most of us here. Why is he penalized for being taller and more muscular than average?

Considering the cost of most coasters, it is a small thing, comparatively, to build your trains with an OTSR that is a little larger or a seatbelt that is just a tad longer. Why NOT accommodate as many riders as possible? If your coaster is a good one, how is it a bad thing to have more people able to ride, who then give the ride a good review? This means increased ridership, higher demand, and good PR, which means that your company sells more coasters.

(Incidentally, I have no trouble fitting into any coaster, so don't assume that I'm taking this point of view because I'm overly large - I just think it's bad business to exclude a "sizeable" portion of the population of the country with the lion's share of the world's wealth.)

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Harry Baer IV

"It's not going to stop 'til you wise up..."
*** This post was edited by Baeritone 8/20/2003 2:37:58 PM ***

maybe they dont design the restraints bigger because the ride cant handle it? i dont know just making a guess and not taking either side.

also wouldnt making an otsr accomadate larger riders impact the majority of riders out there? i have only seen someone not be allowed to get on a ride once or twice and ive seen some huge people get on some coasters.

/ --------------------------------------
http://www.eightdotthree.net

Walt, AKA Gemini, with the intuitive thought process said “What about Blue Streak, Corkscrew, Magnum, Disaster Transport, Gemini, Mean Streak, WildCat, not to mention Matterhorn, Dodgem, Monster, Troika, Ocean Motion, among others. If you could ride Power Tower, I'd have to think you could ride any of those and more.”

Well Walt I am sure I could have if I wanted to. I also could have gone to Six Flags Darien Lake that is a heck of a lot closer for me travel wise. I decided to go to CedarPoint specifically to ride certain rides. Take off the blinders from your eyes please. A person should not have to fear will I fit in this attraction or won’t I fit in this attraction. It is an amusement park for crying out loud. I am sure that lady who was crying in the operations building felt worst than I did and I am sure she told a lot of people about her experience at her day of fun or lack of at Cedarpoint. Be reasonable with the size limitations for these so called adult rides. I am not saying that everyone should be able to ride. I mean there are people who have to pay for two seats when they fly on an airplane. Seat belt lengths on ride are a real issue. I am not the only one saying this. Ride operators recognize the issue; Operations had numerous complaints about this issue. Could everyone be wrong and you right? NOT!

“If I am not satisfied with his responce I will go to the President and tell everyone that I can tell on the open Internet. She cringed at that.”

Damn straight - I spent a lot of money for something not enjoyed. Lets see – 260 plus miles, tank full of gas $40.00 (total both ways), parking $8.00, Park Admission $33 and something, Cheeseburger and fries $8.77, and a malt shake $4 something. I have a valid gripe.

I am glad you can read what people are thinking because I do not know what her thoughts were or are at this point. I do know that she got the impression that I was very very ticked and rightfully so.

I hope the higher ups did read the letter and discuss it. I am being open about it and have taken the time to express my feelings about it. I would rather go this route than have some nut get bent out of shape and throw a ride operator on the tracks or be violent in other ways in the amusement park.

Geese, Gemini, now you are an expert at calculating tip amounts that should be given to waiters and waitresses. NOT!

Reality check here you do not automatically tip out at 15% or 20% or give any tip for that matter. Tips are earned based on a number of things and one of those things is not willing to give back proper change at cash out.

One order of fries, one cheeseburger, and a cup of water at a total cost of $8.77 cents are exceptionally high. No you do not base a tip by taking 15% or 20% on that. First off I sat down at the front service counter not at a table or booth. Second, the food was served in a paper boat for the fries and a paper hamburger wrapper. This was not served on a dish plate like you would think. Third, the fries came much earlier than the cheeseburger did. I asked if someone had forgotten about the cheeseburger. By the time the cheeseburger did come the fries were cold and almost all gone. Fourth, the person cashing me out knew I had left a tip on the counter yet she still expected $1.23 from the ten dollar on top of that. YOU DO NOT ASK IF YOU WANT CHANGE OR NOT YOU give the change no matter what. Then she hands me one dollar and made no attempt to get the .23 cents. Yes, I took one of the quarters back that was on the counter leaving her with .48 cents tip. That was even generous at that point!

Rob Ascough – read the above and think about it.

No Jeff I did not ride anything else nor did I want ride anything else after that. As far as I was concerned the day was a waste, the drive was a waste, and the money spent was a waste. I am merely asking for a money refund based on several displeasures as a result of an issue with the length of ride seatbelts that that they know exist.

The Power of Tower safety warning also indicate that people with exceptional size may experience problems with the ride restraint system preventing that individual from riding.
After switching seats with a younger smaller rider I had no problem in riding the Power of Tower.

“You know, the very official site you mention has a picture of someone "larger than you" (the dumbest way to gauge whether or not you'd fit) also says over and over that certain rides may not accommodate "guests of exceptional size."

Excuse me Jeff but that picture represents an advertisement showing someone who is quite big riding the ride. That puts major counter diction on who actually would be restricted from riding. Simply put they should not have shown that. I fit fine in the ride seat; the lap bar also came down just fine. If I had to squeeze in the seat or had body parts hanging over the seat I would agree that I am just too big to ride.

I never said that people with prosthetic limbs should not be allowed to ride amusement rides. I did imply though that there are far more serious implications of a prosthetic limb flying off and hitting someone in the face versus giving 3 or 5 inches extra length on a seat belt. Seat belts can always be drawn tight to take up the slack.

CoasterToCoaster it has everything to do with quality of product, service and very little to do with adding up the total bill and basing the tip on it. Food and beverage prices go up does that mean the tip should also increase for the person who is doing the same quality job. Your logic is flawed there.

Impulse-ive You have no idea what I look like and so you cannot comment intelligently on this subject. For your information, I had no problems sitting in the seat or lower the lap bar or pull over bar to the proper position.

The problem stemmed from the seat belts not reaching. If you are going to put a specific size seat on a ride that could accomidate different sized people then you should make sure the seat belt is long enough to finish securing that person in the seat up to the maximum size limit of the seat. And I will telly you the seats on coaster are getting smaller.

Nice to know we also have fitness critics on this board. You want to be my personal trainer for free ?

parkenthusiast said: Then she hands me one dollar and made no attempt to get the .23 cents.

You are complaining because the waitress didn't give you back your *.23 cents*?...Hmmm, sounds CHEAP to me!!!

*rollin eyes*

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100th coaster....Dania Beach Hurricane!
*** This post was edited by Coasterr 8/20/2003 4:15:56 PM ***

Statistics tell us that 50% of Americans are overweight. I'd guess less than 1/4 of that percent actually have a valid excuse i.e. a health related problem. Americans eat too much. Our portions are too big. Its a proven statistic. Everything we do is big and over-the-top. We are a fat nation, get over it. Thats not to say you can't do anything about it. If you are unhappy with your weight, there are things you can do about it. Sitting, complaining on a messageboard won't get ya nowhere. I particularly don't feel we (Americans) should accomodate such people. I believe that that is merely accepting it and saying its ok to be overweight. Granted, some people do have higher metabolisms. Me, a 21-year old male and weighing 140 pounds, I am one of those people. Life isn't fair and is sometimes unfortunate. Those of you that do have slower metabolims just have to work harder to keep the weight off. But if you're that uncomfortable being overweight I would think that its worth it. I'm not saying your wrong, ok maybe you do have a health problem that causes you to be overweight. My point is, why complain, do something about it.

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"You know its a good ride when you come into the final brake run wiping tears from your eyes."

UMMMMMMM, Dante --- Your AOL profile states:

<<Don't im me if your a fat,loser,fag,ugly,and if your over 25. >>

I think that pretty well demonstrates how you judge the worth of a person, and what your values are... !!!

Nuff said.

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