Cedar Point and Plus Size Riders - Tips, Hints, and Overall Experiences Appreciated!
Hello! My husband and I are planning to go to Cedar Point this year after they [hopefully] open but we have a few concerns as we have not been in about six years.
I am a mom of two young kiddos [which is why we haven't been in so long haha] and lets face it, my pre-mom bod is NO MORE. I am quite busty [DDD] and wear a size 18/20 pant. Currently Sitting at 258 lbs but I'm a shorty, only 5'1". I carry most of my weight in the front of the belly, yay momma pouch.
Husband, only 5'7", is also now about 250-260 but he carries most of his weight in the chest, broad shoulders, and a lot in the gut. Pant size is roughly 42.
We both have been working on losing weight and are still in the process of doing so but I want to be somewhat prepared just in case. We USED to be able to ride everything without even a blink of an issue. Now, I'm a bit concerned because we haven't gotten back down to our pre-kiddo weights [quarantine snacking definitely didn't help].
Has anyone gone to the park in the last year or two as a bigger rider? Issues? Tips? I remember MF and TTD being notoriously tight but I've also seen some people get on that I thought for sure wouldn't fit. I know a lot of it has to do with where you carry your weight and even seats can vary. I would just like to hear others' experiences and hope to have a bit more information or tips before we attend.
We are working hard to steadily lose weight and this will only further motivate us! Told the husband, if I lose more weight than him before we go, he has to ride TTD front row with me, so wish me luck!!
EDIT AND UPDATE: We did attend three times in 2020 and I posted an update below. I want to continue this thread for 2021 for others like me who want to know what Cedar Point may be like for plus-size people.
Feel free to add tips, tricks, advice (not health or weight-related, be respectful), and even just some other great activities you can do if coasters are not really an option.
GL2CP -
I used to be 5'10 and about 280. Never tried MF, ttd or any otsr ride except wicked twister, and it didn't work back then. I did get on the arrows just fine. I can ride all now at 210 lbs. I knew a lady who was 200 lbs and about 5'3 and could get on mf, blue streak and dragster, as well as everything else just fine. But again that was a few years ago.
Now may be a good time to go any try because it shouldn't be as busy and you can try test seats without so many people around (been there it sucked). Good luck and believe me in my experience it feels sooo good to fit comfortably into a roller coaster seat after being uncomfortable for so long.
Message me if you have any more specific questions I've had a lot of ups and downs with ride restraints. Pun mostly intended.
UPDATE: So I completely forgot to update last time. We did end up going three times in the 2020 season and we both could only ride Maverick. My husband could ride Magnum, but I could not. We tried every tester seat to avoid walks of shame and I was quite close on many of them so there is a chance I would have been fine but wasn't risking the embarrassment. Most of my issue was my hips were just too wide so I couldn't properly slide all the way back in many of the seats, the buckle would touch but no way was it clipping. My husband carries most of his weight in the belly and broad chest so his issue was over-the-shoulder style restraints. The bar sat right at his widest point and so then the buckle, much like myself, would touch but not buckle.
I also think I was bigger than I originally posted. When I first asked, I thought I was closer to an 18/20 pant size but I often only wear leggings. I found post-trip I am closer 22/24 when wearing 'real' pants haha so if you are 18/20 you may still be fine. As I said, we were very close to fitting and I believe if my hips weren't an issue, I would have fit into most rides. We have two trips already planned for in 2021 as we continue our weight loss journey. We don't have a number goal, rather a ride goal. Our weight loss goal is Millenium Force and we won't stop until we get there!
I will keep this thread open for other plus-size riders and part enthusiasts and I will work on updating it a lot more this year as we continue to go. For those that peek in, feel free to give some advice, encouragement, or even just fun alternatives to do at the park when rides are not an option! Thanks again all!
Coaster Mom
Thank you for making this thread!! As someone who is definitely on the bigger side, I feel like this is something that needs to be available, and is often next to impossible to find. I'm going to Cedar Point this summer (season passes) and I think I'll post my stats and what I could and couldn't ride then to help other people out in the future as well. I haven't been to an amusement park since 2016 and it was Cedar Point. I only fit on Maverick then and I was also about a size 24. My hips were my issue in almost every case as well then. I'm actually bigger now, but had weight loss surgery 5 weeks ago and am already down almost 40 pounds from that so I think that my stats could really help people; I'll probably have different measurements in May/June when we go than I will in August because you lose so fast after weight loss surgery. I'll plan to post my inches for my hips, chest, natural waist, and belly button as well as pants and shirt size so people know what to expect, and what I think the issue was with any rides I couldn't fit on. Keep your fingers crossed for me that I can drop a few pants sizes and be able to ride almost everything in May when I go!!
Another Year, Another Plus Sized Adventure!! I forgot to do an update on last years so I will do my best to recall.
After battling some health issues, my weight continued to fluctuate. I believe around the time we went last year I was roughly still around a size 24/26 in US womans pants, nearly 300lbs at 5'1". Problem areas were definitely still hips making it hard for me to fully sit back in most seats. My husband and I still had a blast though and enjoyed our visits. We LOVE Snake River Expedition and spent a lot of time in the waterpark. We also took advantage of the shows and found there is really quite a bit to do that is not coasters.
We are returning this year and I have been on some new medication. I have lost twenty pounds so far so we will see. My goal is to at least try Maverick again, then maybe Gatekeeper, Valraven, and Raptor as I heard those do have the additional plus size accommodations. We didn't get a chance to try them last year.
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Answers
I'm a women's size 20 and just barely fit the seatbelt on Millennium Force. I fit the same on Dragster last time I rode but I don't think I rode it last season. Blue streak is tight because of the stupid dividers but they are not all even. Last season 2nd to last row was a sweet spot where the divider was off center and one side had more room. Mine Ride is awful on the belly. I've been hanging around the just under 230 mark and I'm 5'7"
MF and TDD will be iffy. Ride-ops have done their best to staple you in the past but that could change this year. We really don’t know what the policies will be but I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t get up close anymore. If that is the case a lot of coasters could be a problem.
I have a big gut and weigh 250 lbs every morning. It fluctuates during the day and iam 5 foot 10 1/2 do you think I will fit on mf?