As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
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There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
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It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
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Hi all,
Just a note to let everyone know that if you are tall or Pooh sized and want to ride the roller coasters FORGET IT. They seem to have a standard seat for all the coasters and if you are tall or even slightly large, including some atheltes with wide shoulders won't fit in the seat. DS#1 and 3 and DB went during our trip, and were dissapointed and furious that they had no idea that they wouldn't be able to ride the coasters, which is what they wanted to ride. The CS people were less than helpful, stating there were other rides they would fit in. (the log bench type) They declined and after 45 minutes and 2 supervisors, they got a refund for all three tickets. ( they were offered 20% off their next visit or Universal's type of Fastpass, NO THANKS)
We will NEVER EVER go to Universal again.
I am pooh, My husband is goofy tall...we love coasters but I am glad to know now... I hate trying to go on rides with DH and cant fit...it is the most embarrassing moment for me...
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Sorry to hear about your experience. Only once did I have a problem at Universal and I'm a little on the pooh size too. This very snotty ride operator for Dr. Doom told my friend and I that we should try out the ride seat first to see if we fit. I was so appalled I couldn't even speak! My friend (who is not afaird to speak her mind) told her that we had been on the ride yesterday and we fit just fine. I've never been treated that way in my life.
Did you try the double-strap seat on the roller coasters? Those are designed for Pooh-sized people. The Team Member should have directed you to that seat if you couldn't fit into a regular seat.
The only rides at IOA that I can think of that may be problematic for Pooh-sized individuals is Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls and Dr. Doom's Fearfall. I am 6'3" and 260 lbs. and I can barely fit into them. With the addition of the unnecessary lap bars in the logs, I doubt if I can fit into it. I've seen some larger individuals have trouble on Dr. Doom's Fearfall, but you would be surprised to see people who I thought would never fit that do fit after a short adjustment. At USF, people with long or larger legs and people of Pooh size might have trouble fitting into Revenge of the Mummy. Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster may look unaccommodating, but Pooh-sized individuals need to take up their own row and should be fine. I always have to hog up my own row and cross my legs.
If you have questions if you will fit into a certain Universal ride, ask the Team Member standing by the entrance or use the test seats out front (if available).
Sorry to hear of their bad experience at Universal. I have used the rows designed for fluffy folks, same if I want to ride Kraken at Seaworld. I can fit barely in the regular size seats but usually need the ride attendant to give the restaint a bit of a shove to comlete the process. But thats why I love Disney, there is no worries about fitting in a ride or looking foolish trying to do so. I have not been on Ripsaw since they added the lapbar thing, but it sounds bad. those seats were pretty tight befroe, so Now I don't know
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They told me that they got NO help from team members, only stares and blank looks. the team members were not friendly or helpful at all. No one told them about any other type of seat or restraint available.
The real gripe is that no where in the literature from US/IOA or their website is there any disclaimer stating that some people may not be able to ride the coasters due to the design of the seat. The only restrictions are the min. height requirements.
If this had been stated, they would have rethought spending the $300 on tickets they never used.
Part of the problem of them not knowing about the test seats could be that some people use the seats at the front of the ride queues as photo ops. So it's easy to just walk past the seats and not see them or know that they are intended to be test seats to check which row you should sit in.
However, there's no excuse for why the people working at the rides would be rude and not inform them that there are special rows that larger people will fit.
Did you try the double-strap seat on the roller coasters? Those are designed for Pooh-sized people. The Team Member should have directed you to that seat if you couldn't fit into a regular seat.
The only rides at IOA that I can think of that may be problematic for Pooh-sized individuals is Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls and Dr. Doom's Fearfall. I am 6'3" and 260 lbs. and I can barely fit into them. With the addition of the unnecessary lap bars in the logs, I doubt if I can fit into it. I've seen some larger individuals have trouble on Dr. Doom's Fearfall, but you would be surprised to see people who I thought would never fit that do fit after a short adjustment. At USF, people with long or larger legs and people of Pooh size might have trouble fitting into Revenge of the Mummy. Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster may look unaccommodating, but Pooh-sized individuals need to take up their own row and should be fine. I always have to hog up my own row and cross my legs.
If you have questions if you will fit into a certain Universal ride, ask the Team Member standing by the entrance or use the test seats out front (if available).
My DH is about the same size or bigger and I am a little bit pooh size. We are going for the coasters, and maybe we need to rethink our trip.
There are certain rows and seats that my dh has to sit in when he rides the coasters there because of his size. The first time we went to get on one of the coasters we had know idea, but at least he only had to move one seat over to fit.
That sounds horrible! Thanks for posting it though, it confirms my fears about visiting the non-Disney parks.
I've always been afraid of that happening to me (DH and I are both pooh-sized) so I keep saying "no" to Universal, since my favorite rides are always coasters and I wouldn't enjoy it if I couldn't ride them. I've had trouble with some of the Six Flags rides before and was so disappointed, so there's no way I'd pay to go to Universal since it seems likely it'd happen like that.
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