Flight of Passage + People of Size = Disappointing

[Ashley Nadeau]

He should be okay. My fiance is 5'11" and around the same weight (maybe 10 pounds more can't remember) and he rode just fine. Again might be worth trying the test seat but you should be okay.

Thank you so much!!!

 

[ArwenMarie]

Again, nothing to do with safety. It's not how far the lap bar comes down, it's the width of the actual lap bar and the leg room. It's the design that makes it uncomfortable.

I'm not saying it needs to fit everyone, but it's not my weight that is the culprit. It's that I'm 5'8 with long legs and you can't tell me that's freakishly tall. Thunder mountain is 40 inches- if a double bar can work on that train, why, pray tell, did mine train need molded single seats and single lap bars to support a minimum height of only 2 inches shorter?

I don't know exactly but I imagine two inches of height is a big deal when you're talking about a little kid

Plus if they built BTMRR today, they may have built it differently

 

[marcyleecorgan]

*sigh* Oh how many more pages of this carousel of Non-Progress...

My child is a stringbean - my DH has a big belly - I have huge calves. Just a sampling of the different bodies that Disney Imagineering had to take into account when creating a safe ride that most could enjoy, while also considering a long-term budget.

Too bad that Disney cannot just release a 3D model of the body range that the restraint was designed for, and have like little fake legs set up next to the test seat or a little holoprojector. So you could look at this model with measurements on your phone or in-person, and figure out if you can fit and have the flexibility.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

I've read some of this thread and is there a measurement for the calves?

 

[wilkeliza]

I've read some of this thread and is there a measurement for the calves?

No set measurement because some people (myself included) the restraint never actually hits your calves. Mine stopped where my thigh hit it at 5'6" and was pretty much fully engaged. Fiances stopped again what appeared to be fully engaged and didn't even feel it down by his calves. They would need leg length as well as calf size to get anywhere nesr a semblance of a range and even then it wouldn't be accurate because of how you may sit on the bike.

 

[DaisyJ]

My assumption with all of these rides is that there are well justified reasons for these designs. We don't have to understand them. We just need to trust that Disney is still Disney, and that means that they are trying their best to be as inclusive as possible while achieving the best possible ride experience for their guests. That is all that any of us can realistically expect.

Or, as in the case of Splash Mountain, to save stupid people from themselves.

 

[emmakatbaby]

page one has all the videos

Page one of this thread? or another?

 

[Mambo Junkie]

No set measurement because some people (myself included) the restraint never actually hits your calves. Mine stopped where my thigh hit it at 5'6" and was pretty much fully engaged. Fiances stopped again what appeared to be fully engaged and didn't even feel it down by his calves. They would need leg length as well as calf size to get anywhere nesr a semblance of a range and even then it wouldn't be accurate because of how you may sit on the bike.

Thank you! My son is well within the chest limit but he is 5'7" and has large feet. His legs and calves aren't necessarily very large.

 

[Dan Murphy]

If you ever have an oppty to speak

What does this mean?

 

[SirDuff]

What does this mean?

Pretty obviously either a typo for opportunity or a purposeful short for opportunity.

 

[Dan Murphy]

a purposeful short for opportunity.

That's funny.

Probably a typo, yes.

 

[Zuzu03]

I swear I learn new things on the internet all the time.

So bikers measure their calves for the boots they wear. Makes total sense, but not something that I would have thought of myself. Thanks.

Horse, not bike.

Haha, yes, horses! Our calves can get pretty big and I was never able to wear off the shelf boots because of the length.

 

[Lothlórien]

What does this mean?

Sorry. It is opportunity. I actually despise abbreviations, but we use it in the office all the time, so it just flowed.

 

[jsmla]

Haha, yes, horses! Our calves can get pretty big and I was never able to wear off the shelf boots because of the length.

DH is a lifelong horse rider (just stopped competing in cattle working events) and his calves are freakish. We have problems with socks too.

 

[patrickpiteo]

The restraint system is totally different. And as much as we can agree it stinks that some people of size cannot ride Flight of Passage, none of us can say for sure why the restraint system is as it is. None of us are engineers that built the ride. I could complain that with my bad knees there is no way I can ride and Disney should have designed it differently. You can't always make rides that suit every person. I look at that ride system, say nope won't work for me, and move on. It stinks but it is what it is. They won't redesign it now.

You tried t ride and had issues and was not able to?

 

[zebrastreyepz]

I was trying to understand from looking at the picture of the test vehicle...do your legs kind of go "under" the apparatus after you sit down?

Sorry this is worded poorly.

 

[coolbrook]

Hi, I have only read about half of this thread, but I wanted to comment on my experience with the test seat during our recent trip. We were there the day before Pandora officially opened and were able to take part in the soft opening. We hopped in line for the River Journey since I wasn't sure I would fit on FOP and didn't want to waste valuable time if I wouldn't. After riding I decided to go take a look at the test seat for information for next year's trip. At first a cm was there. People were just sitting on it to take pics and kids for fun to try out the seat. For these folks the cm didn't close the restraints. Then a couple larger folks sat on it to see if they would fit asking the cm to close the restraint. The cm spend a great deal of time with one guy trying different positions and giving advice. I then left to visit the rest room, and when I came back the area was empty, no cm, no people. I sat on the seat and tried to figure out how to close the restraints. You can't do it yourself. A cm asked if I wanted to try the restraints, and when I said yes he got the other cm who came over with a special tool she used to operate the restraints. She was very helpful with advise and positioning. I would recommend that anyone with doubts about fitting easily should do the test seat just for the practice and time to figure out the best positioning for you. I did fit and will try to ride sometime in the future. I am 5'3", 248 lbs, apple shaped. Good luck to all of you!

 

[Butterstick]

Has anyone been on FOP lately? Have they adjusted the seats at all? I heard that they might...?
DH is 6'3", about 360 lbs. Do you think there's any chance he could fit?

 

[CrimsonCurls]

Fo Shizzle!!!!

________________________________________________________________________________________________


When an engineer creates rides, there are several key things they focus on and unfortunate for some, it is not weight/size. Putting functionality aside, because that is a given, safety is a huge primary concern. Right at the top.
Additionally, fitting as many people into an attraction as possible to keep the lines moving is another.

If you ever have an oppty to speak to a Disney Imagineer (such as Dining with an Imagineer, a specific tour in Burbank or if you happen to know somebody) and mention the size limitations for Seven Dwarfs Mine Coaster, they will tell you that they knew "larger guests" would have a more difficult time, but in order to have the ride function as it does and remain safe, that had to be the design.

Disney is not trying to slight anybody. It is unfortunate for those who are unable to ride, however.

I'm an engineer. A computer engineer, granted, but the same core principles go into designing everything engineers make--firstly, make it safe, and, second, make it as "idiot proof" as you can. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that given that pull chain rate is determined by sensors and that it's a roller coaster, not a water coaster, there's got to be a way to make the Mine Train, and FoP, a little more forgiving in regards to size--at both ends of the spectrum. (I have an adult friend who is barely 50inches tall!) It would, however, absolutely come at the cost of loading rate. If every seat is the same size, you can fill every seat on every ride, but you'll have to turn people away, in theory, from each ride. If you have a variety of sizes, not every seat will be filled on every ride. The kid sized seats may not all fill and the larger adult size seats may not be full. Families that want to ride together may not be able to because all seats of one size would fill. Wait times would probably increase drastically because 15% or 20% of the seats would be empty. Theme park engineers are 1) concerned with safety and 2) concerned with throughput.

This does bring the question of what will happen to theme park engineering as the average size goes up, but you continue to have people like me (5'5" and 130 lbs of muscled dancer). Will we eventually see the sacrifice of throughput for more inclusion and safety for all? Or will we see and reversion of design to coasters and attractions along the lines of BTMRR with individual bars for more safety?

 

[tookydo]

Hi, I have only read about half of this thread, but I wanted to comment on my experience with the test seat during our recent trip. We were there the day before Pandora officially opened and were able to take part in the soft opening. We hopped in line for the River Journey since I wasn't sure I would fit on FOP and didn't want to waste valuable time if I wouldn't. After riding I decided to go take a look at the test seat for information for next year's trip. At first a cm was there. People were just sitting on it to take pics and kids for fun to try out the seat. For these folks the cm didn't close the restraints. Then a couple larger folks sat on it to see if they would fit asking the cm to close the restraint. The cm spend a great deal of time with one guy trying different positions and giving advice. I then left to visit the rest room, and when I came back the area was empty, no cm, no people. I sat on the seat and tried to figure out how to close the restraints. You can't do it yourself. A cm asked if I wanted to try the restraints, and when I said yes he got the other cm who came over with a special tool she used to operate the restraints. She was very helpful with advise and positioning. I would recommend that anyone with doubts about fitting easily should do the test seat just for the practice and time to figure out the best positioning for you. I did fit and will try to ride sometime in the future. I am 5'3", 248 lbs, apple shaped. Good luck to all of you!

This is me! We leave on Wednesday night with our Animal Kingdom day on Friday. Would you say you fit comfortably or would you describe it as "just fit"?