How big are you? Can you ride?

Well, I am demonstrably SMALLER this year than I was last year, and I had a heck of a time trying to get the belt to fasten. Once fastened, there was plenty of extra belt to go around, but no way to pull it through the belt buckle. What a pain in the neck (and other places). I fit fine on the ride, but getting fastened in was a major hassle. Multiply that by a dozen or more riders per train, see what that does to the hourly capacity, and...well, if you're looking for me, I'll be over on Magnum where they can move a hundred-eight people in less time than it takes Millennium Force to move 36.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

RACE4THESKY said:
Hmm....something isn't right. Anyone else have a problem this year? And also has anyone with a 40" waist gotten on this year without trouble?

I've got a 40 inch waist, and like I said, I barely fit and required help from the ride op to get it buckled. Although it's been said before that there is a lot more to fitting than waist size.

I called CP today and talk to someone who handles the complaints. I told her what happan and what not. She said that Intamin did that for a reason, the reason is for the safty of riders that are big so they would not fall out of the coaster!!! What a crock of you know what!! As we all know its not how big you are but its on how dumb you want to be on the ride as for example, does anyone remember that kid who fell out of Riddlers Revenge when he put his arms though that shoulder harness and fell out of the ride?? That kid had to be about 125 to 140 and about 5'9. I know its astand up but I'm only using this for a example. If you want more info on accidents, I found a site its http://www.rideaccidents.com.

VERY good example of DUMB people who are not BIG and end up getting hurt:

(Monday, February 22, 1999) - A woman who fell from an amusement ride at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, has been awarded $69,000 in damages by an Orange County jury.

The woman, 36, fell from the park's Big Foot Rapids Ride in 1996. Her injuries included a fractured rib and bruises. She admitted that she stood up as the raft in which she was riding approached a waterfall, but her attorney contended that the accident would not have happened had her seat belt worked properly.

Attorneys for the park argued that the accident would not have happened had the woman remained seated. They also argued that riders are warned to stay seated throughout the ride, and that the woman must have removed her seat belt.

The woman was awarded the $69,000 in compensation for medical treatment, and mental and physical pain. She did not receive any punitive damages.

The park will not make any modifications to the ride.
*** Edited 5/9/2005 8:47:35 AM UTC by MF_Man***
*** Edited 5/9/2005 8:52:37 AM UTC by MF_Man***
*** Edited 5/9/2005 8:57:16 AM UTC by MF_Man***

Wow, so it looks like 40" inch waist is just seeming to pass by......this is not good.

RACE4THESKY said:
Wow, so it looks like 40" inch waist is just seeming to pass by......this is not good.

Its not necessarily the waist size that makes a direct impact on the belt as it really is your thigh size. Nobody really can say their thigh size so a waist size is usually a good way to judge it. Remember the belt goes over your thighs- get on a bike for a bit and you'll slim down where you need to.

I was fine last year, have lost over 20 lbs because of this problem and I am still nervous. I was never denied but I was close.

Last year, I was denied at TTD, MF, and WT. I have lost nearly 70lbs since then, and I am still not sure if I will be able to ride this year. My first trip of the year is this Friday... I hope I am able to ride this year.

Bengjamin congratulations on the weight loss and I wish you the best of luck on riding those coasters. :)

I have a 38" waist and fit very comfortably on TTD, but when it comes to MF I had a heck of a time just clicking the belt. I know that the seats are different between the two rides, thus causing a little more "room" on dragster than MF. But are the guests who think Mean Streak is still the tallest wooden coaster going to recognize that since they fit on TTD, that it doesn't necessarily mean they will fit on MF?

We were there Sunday with some friends and I was worried about one of them because of his size, but really, how is someone supposed to nicely warn a friend about the policy? "By the way, you're too fat to ride?" Or how about, "I think you're getting a little chunky, you may not be able to ride your favorite ride anymore? Oh yeah, the tickets cost $40." Anyways, he barely got on TTD. And I did tell him that the seats were a bit smaller on MF, but it was his favorite ride and he hadn't been on it in two years...well, you know what happens. It kinda ruined the rest of the day.

Why would he want to try the test seat first when in his mind, he fit on TTD, I should fit on this ride?

Just got back today. Can attest to the above. TTD was fine. But I had the same test seat/real seat problem with MF. The test seat buckled and I had slack but I couldn't even buckle it on the ride. You think they had angry guests LAST year, oh boy they're in for it this year if someone doesn't change that little gem.

Luckily I only waited 5 minutes. But I pity the person who waits more than half an hour for it once attendence starts to pick up later this month if they haven't fixed it by then.
*** Edited 5/10/2005 12:19:45 AM UTC by CPMatt***

Ridiculous. CPMatt, how far away were you from getting the buckle fastened?

It was close, I actually got it in almost but I lost my grip, but even if I had gotten it fastened, there's no way I could have gotten 2 inches of slack which I got more than enough of on the test seat. Speaking of slack, whose bright idea was it to use your middle and index finger as an indicator of 2 inches? If you've got someone with really wide fingers that's going to give you a different turnout than with somebody who doesn't have very wide fingers.

Seriously, would it kill them to like, stitch some bright red thread onto each belt for the 2 inch mark? That'd be a much better indicator if they have to be so strict about it.

So now you have to have 2 inches of slack?

BTW, CPMatt, what are your "dimensions"?

*** Edited 5/10/2005 2:39:48 AM UTC by Benjamin***

The guy who say me fit the test seat told me," Others have their own Idea of 1 inch is." Now my thumb is 1 inch and the man who told me I couldn't fit was pushing 1 1/2 inchs almost for slack. I honestly think they should go back to the belts when MF was first built. Long belt, anyone could fit in the ride.

That would totally defeat the purpose of their changing the belt length in the first place, which was in response to the accident at SF:NE on S:ROS. They may try a lot of different things but the one constant will be that the belts will never be their original length again (they were already shortened prior to the incident because the height requirement on MF was lowered from 54" to 48" in 2001 and thus the belts needed a different mounting point).

And Ben, in response to your question, I'm 250 lbs with a 40 inch waist.

Wait, so are you saying that the test seat's seat belts aren't the same length of the actual ones on the train?

The evidence is mounting that no two seats on Millennium Force have the same length belts, including the test seat. :(

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

CPMatt said:And Ben, in response to your question, I'm 250 lbs with a 40 inch waist.

Oh... I weigh 227, and have a 37" waist.

Well if you're talking about pant sizes, I'd err on the side of 38" since, if you haven't noticed, waist sizes on pants are all even numbers. 40" is definitely loose on me but 38" is still slightly too tight for my liking. The point remains that I fit on TTD fine, and I actually got more slack on the test seat at MF than I did on TTD's actual seat, which says to me something is not right.

No, my waist is 37". I wear 38"s in pants.

Well, today I took 5 rides in 45 minutes. 2 on blue, 2 on red, 1 on yellow. I also rode yellow on opening day. From what I could tell, the red and blue trains had belts that were a little more accomodating than yellow. Granted, that's not to say they don't vary from seat to seat, but that's just what I noticed.