Major Thanks to CP for new seatbelts on MF and TTD 2014

Im' 6'4 and 198lbs and havent experienced any issues with fitting in the seats on WT.... It all depends on how you are built.

What I have a problem with is Blue Streak. Absolutely love the coaster but the seat belts are terrible. I fight with getting it buckled every time.

TwistedWicker77 said:
Just as Jeff said, that's exactly how it goes. I'm 6'3" and last Halloweekends I had to have the ride op give me a push because of my shoulders. But for many people of different sizes, the problem is all in the legs. I noticed last year the belts seemed shorter than they did in 2011 when I worked the ride. Do the belts seem shorter than last year for those of you who rode it? Or about the same?

To me, the belts seem shorter than last year. I was able to ride without any problems last year right up until August. When I tried to ride front seat in August, I had to do the walk of shame.(I know I didn't gain any weight as I had just ridden the day before, but in a different seat.) I tried to ride yesterday, but again I had to do the walk of shame.(This time was row 9 right seat.) On the plus side, I was able to buckle the belt on MF with no problem.(Didn't get to ride TTD as it was down most of the day.)

DSShives, you're doing it wrong. Fastening the belts on Blue Streak is dead easy. Just follow this simple procedure:

1) Board the train.
2) Grasp the seat belt latch plate with your outboard hand and pull the belt out as far as you can in a single motion.
3) grasp the buckle with your inboard hand. Bring the latch plate across your legs to the buckle and fasten it. The awkward angle of the belt should prevent much of it from retracting.
4) Now that the belt is fastened, hold it it towards the center of the loop in your outboard hand, maintaining tension against the retractor.
5) Sit down.
6) Pull the belt to a position over your lap and in-line with the retractor and allow it to retract normally.

Now, getting the belt UNfastened, now that the buckle is firmly wedged between the seat divider and your thigh, that is a different challenge! If anybody has a procedure for simplifying that one, please share!

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Thanks RideMan. I give that a try next time I'm there.

Just remember the key point: Fasten the belt BEFORE you sit down. 8-)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

The seatbelts on Blue Streak actually seem a bit longer this year. I use the same method as RideMan.

I have no problems buckling Blue Streak, but getting it un-buckled sure sucks. I don't know how it becomes so wedged in there, but I almost had a panic attack on media day because I couldn't get to it to undo it and I was pretty sure I was stuck there for a while.

Remember when belts used to have the airline-style buckle that was pretty much in the middle of your lap?

e x i t english said:
I have no problems buckling Blue Streak, but getting it un-buckled sure sucks. I don't know how it becomes so wedged in there, but I almost had a panic attack on media day because I couldn't get to it to undo it and I was pretty sure I was stuck there for a while.

This happened to me once on Mean Streak. They had a way of loosening the belt so you could stand up and then unbuckle it.

Honestly, if I were any taller than I already am, I probably wouldn't be able to ride wooden coasters (especially ones with those orange PTC restraints) because of it just being too uncomfortable. This is a problem for me at Kings Island, where they HAVE to push the restraints down so far before dispatching.. it made Racer uncomfortable.

Damned cedar fair... oh well.... what ya gonna do...

Yeah, on Racer, it was ridiculous. I'm only about 6' -ish, but I have long enough legs that the little indent on the orange bars hits me in such a way that I have to almost sit kind of sideways.

I also learned that I can no longer ride in the back seat of a car on an Arrow suspended or Looper. Mine ride is probably 100% out of the question, and it seems my knee caps like to hit the back of the seat in front of my on the Gemini trains, too.

The Racer and The Beast are both DQ'ed for me.

Kings Island has got the lap bars so screwed up on those rides that the first locking position is the position where I put the bar on every other ride, (notch #3 or #6 depending on which version of the locking mechanism) and they insist on putting it down one more. Those bars will also ratchet all the way down to the seat cushion. At Cedar Point the bars can't go that far.

Racer and Beast have the only PTC trains in the entire Cedar Fair chain that I can't ride.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I was completely blown away by the trains on Viper at Great America on opening weekend. Here I had thought that I was destined to fit into PTC trains as awkwardly as possible, but Viper was just how I remember all PTC trains feeling to me. I didn't have to squish sideways, the bar went down plenty far enough and was still not pinning me in, and I could reach the belt buckle without issue. Also, it seemed like the seats were a little less, um, hard.

Ok, I havent seen this question addressed yet, but I'm sure Jeff will point out if I'm wrong...
How guests-of-unusual-size friendly are Pipe Scream and the Eagles? Are the restraints problematic for anyone who has ridden or attempted to ride them? I may run over there one day this week during early admission and would prefer not to embarrass myself....

Both are listed under the "may not be able to ride" category. Lake Erie Eagles has a recommend maximum weight limit of 340 pounds per car.

https://www.cedarpoint.com/images/uploads/file/2014_guest_assistance_guide.pdf

(That's the third thread I've posted this link. I should just put it in my signature. :) )

Any additional comments regarding the belt changes on MF and TTD from "guests of exceptional size"? How much extra belt lenght is there?

There is not much slack. PLEASE, PLEASE, try out the test seat at the front. The seatbelt up there is a little bit shorter, but only a few centimeters. If you can get the male part in the female part, but it wont click, youll fit on MF. If you cannot get the parts to touch, then it will not fit. Also, dont look at someone else and say "Oh, theyre way bigger than me." I get these comments all the time. Everyone carries their weight differently, and on MF and TTD, its all about hips and thighs.

cpemployee2014 - What is it "all about" on Wicked Twister? I tried the test seat last year and it wasn't even close. Not wanting to do the "walk of shame" I have never attempted to ride it. I have talked with several people who appear larger than I who do ride. I am 5'8" and 205lbs. I fit into everything else at CP.

45Wheelgun, try sitting in the back rows. I've found that's where I have to sit on Wicked Twister or I just don't fit.

Keep in mind on Wicked Twister there is a second buckle on the train that is not present on the test seats. It gives the equivalent of a couple extra inches of belt. I wasn't anywhere near close to getting the test seat buckled, but there was literally nobody in line and WT was sitting idle waiting for riders so I figured why not see what happens? I still couldn't ride but with a bit of help from the ride op the belt was about 1/2" from catching the second buckle. It was really close.

As for MF, I rode last week for the first time since 2007. I had to wrestle with the belt on the test seat, but the belt on the trains were easy peasy lemon squeezy (as my 4 year old son would say). The belts on the trains are definitely a bit longer than the test seat. I buckled the belt on TTD's test seat in the same manner but didn't ride because my brother felt he needed to work his way up to that ride. Then it went down due to wind or mechanical reasons for the rest of our stay.

For what it's worth I'm 6'3" 270lbs 40" pant size. My brother is a bit shorter and the same weight, he had the same experience on MF & TTD.

With wicked twister, it's all in the chest and thighs. I've never had a problem buckling the belts until Halloweekends because of dressing heavier. A lot of people think it's because they're over weight, but that's not the case. With me, it's because my thighs are muscular (not to sound like a douche), and because I'm also 6'3" so my shoulders don't sit comfortably within the harness

I have to say Wicked Twister's belts are more snug than previous years. For the first time, I needed the help of a ride op to buckle the belt(row 7, fyi). WTH? MF and TTD have never been a problem, and this year is even easier-I dropped almost 20 pounds since last fall.