How rough are the rides at US, IOA and VB on your head and neck?

[Burgermom]

I am visiting US, IOA and VB for the first time and am wondering if any of the rides tend to bang a person's head and neck around?
Generally i LOVE roller coasters and I don't mind drops and speed and the like but am not a huge fan of having my head banged around a lot. i know most roller coasters do to a certain extent and i'm ok with it being a little bit rough but I heard that Rip Ride Rockit (for ex) is really hard on your head, back and neck. Should I be concerned?

 

[schumigirl]

Hulk can be rough depending on where you sit, especially towards the final parts of the ride......and RRR is rougher the further back you sit in the cars.

We ask for the front of RRR as it’s less rough.

Mummy has a couple of parts that have an abrupt stop where you really need to brace yourself or your head can bang back against the head restraint.

 

[Lashed34]

Escape from Gringotts can be very shakey too.

 

[greg9x]

I don't have any major neck/back issues, but RRR almost gave me some.

Hulk isn't quite as bad.

The Blue drop slide in the Volcano at VB can stress your neck/back trying to keep your head out of the water through the heavy g-force turns... I almost drown in it.

 

[GoofyDad_4427]

Everyone is built differently and will have different answers on this. For me the two toughest rides at Universal are Mummy and RRR. The Mummy makes more sudden twists and accelerates, and it bothers my back more than anything else. RRR is just tough with the restraint and also with the neck movements. That said, I still ride both of them multiple times during the trip. I also have issues with Gringotts but I think its mostly due to my size (6'2", 250) but also still ride that multiple times.

 

[nkereina]

I agree that this is subjective. Unlike PP, Hulk was worse on my head than RRR was. I'm 5'7" and the padding on the restraints came up to about my ears. No matter how hard I tried to keep my head back and stable, my head banged from side to side and I could feel my earrings hit the back of my neck. When I got off the ride, my ears were hot from them banging on the restraints.

I also agree that Mummy has some abrupt stops. A couple of "oof!" moments.

 

[Matthew81]

I got really bad bruises on my arms from mummy...is there a strategy to avoid that?

 

[schumigirl]

I got really bad bruises on my arms from mummy...is there a strategy to avoid that?

I don’t think I’ve ever had bruises from The Mummy.

I usually hold on to the harness with arms out in front of me, or they’re above my head when we head up quickly before the drop...that’s about it.....

 

[Disxuni]

The only rides I have enough issues with that I kind of stopped riding all together is Hulk and RRR. The last time I rode the Hulk was when they did the refurb of the queue and the last time I rode RRR was years ago as well and was done due to a family member wanting to go on it. If I had to choose which is worse it would be RRR.

All other rides you should be fine, especially if you keep your head back, or brace yourself for the stops (for example like the "fire" room for the Mummy, or the ending portion of it). Even if you do not, it's nowhere near as bad as Hulk and RRR and only lasts a second.

It seems in the past no matter how hard I try (once it became an issue to me) that there didn't seem much of a difference in making it less "head bashy". The only thing you can honestly do is ride the front. Even then it'll happen a lot, it's just the back is always the most intense for movement so if you still want to ride, it just won't be the worst if you're up front.

Also, not a roller coaster, but the most forceful simulator is the Simpsons. I mention it since you did say head, or neck so thought I would mention it.

As a reminder, technically if you have neck, or head issues you shouldn't be riding them at all as it states in the warnings. Not sure if that is the case, or not, just mentioning to anyone in general who is curious about this subject.

 

[Burgermom]

Thanks so much everyone. I don't have any medical conditions or issues with my head or neck but just find it really, really unpleasant when my head gets banged around. I think I just need to prepare myself for it; if I know to expect it going in then it's not usually as bad for me. I think i will just try the hulk, see how it is; if I survive, then I will try RRR

 

[ScooterScott44]

We have been passholders at WDW for years and have done other parks but last week was our first trip to the universal parks. I do like coasters and thrill rides and found most things to be pretty decent. The only ride I thought was an issue was RRR. The Hulk has some force but was pretty smooth overall. Gringotts was also very smooth and the two coaster parts are pretty short anyway. I did find that Forbidden Journey was quite jerky at times for my taste. If anything might stress my head and neck I felt that was the ride that could do it.