All things Universal Studios Hollywood

[PiratesMansion]

Intimin I feel is 99 percent of the issue with rider size and comfort/ability to ride if you are even large waisted or thick shoulder as their rides are often extreme steal coasters or odd configurations. They are also arguably the company with the most coaster restraint issues of injury and death, Gerstlauer being another one.

With RMC's I finally fit after losing a lot of weight this year, but even at 250 I fit comfortably in Steel Vengeance, the retractable seatbelts at Cedar Point were a nice touch instead of fixed to the sides. The issue was not with the fitting comfortably, but with the ride not being comfortable because my thighs and shins were in pain during a lot of the air time ejector elements which I was losing until each one started to actually hurt.
I went on Outlaw Run years ago at Silver Dollar City and I never remember it hurting.

Intamin depends on the restraint for me. I do think that, to their credit, Intamin has largely improved their restraints in terms of both safety and ability to fit larger riders. At the very least, I have fewer issues with their newer stuff vs. their older rides. Unlike RMC which seems unwilling to change or adapt their restraints in any way (those seatbelts sure do seem to keep getting shorter, though, outside of Cedar Point). I haven't experienced any of their single rails but I've definitely noticed people who have never complained about restraints before complaining about the restraints on those particular rides.

Was Gerstlauer responsible for any deaths beyond the one on New Texas Giant? If so, I can't recall. Similar to Intamin, I can't do a lot of their older Eurofighter designs (Mystery Mine, Dare Devil Dive) but fit just fine on newer ones like HangTime.

The good news is that I'm down from peak pandemic weight and I've managed to keep it off. A little more work and I'll be right where I want to be!

 

[celluloid]

Intamin depends on the restraint for me. I do think that, to their credit, Intamin has largely improved their restraints in terms of both safety and ability to fit larger riders. At the very least, I have fewer issues with their newer stuff vs. their older rides. Unlike RMC which seems unwilling to change or adapt their restraints in any way (those seatbelts sure do seem to keep getting shorter, though, outside of Cedar Point). I haven't experienced any of their single rails but I've definitely noticed people who have never complained about restraints before complaining about the restraints on those particular rides.

Was Gerstlauer responsible for any deaths beyond the one on New Texas Giant? If so, I can't recall. Similar to Intamin, I can't do a lot of their older Eurofighter designs (Mystery Mine, Dare Devil Dive) but fit just fine on newer ones like HangTime.

The good news is that I'm down from peak pandemic weight and I've managed to keep it off. A little more work and I'll be right where I want to be!

Congratulations. It is hard to lose and I am learning harder for me to keep off. I need more tangible goals. I went on Cannibal and my size five years ago kept me thinking I would die in the "Lagoon Roll" element because it goes through that nearly as slow as a JoJo roll element. Amazing coaster though and the reason to go to Lagoon. I have many gripes with that park, but they sure knocked it out of their own park with Cannibal as it would fit right in at a major coaster park. I think the restraints may have been contracted out to gerstlauer on that one too. They sure seem like that type and I remember reading somewhere they they were. As far as other incidents. There was another Gerstlauer incident of a rider falling out on one of their rides "Krater" at Parque Del Cafe in Columbia. I was nervous while riding Monster in Adventureland Iowa this summer, ironically just days before the River Rapids accident there. I think I would feel much safer on Hangtime being that I trust Cedar Fair's Standards far more than some and they have the seatbelt beneath the restraint for a failsafe.

 

[SplashGhost]

RMCs are my body shape's worst enemy. It feels entirely random whether or not I will be able to actually ride. I wish I was kidding when I say that the sensor was literally flickering back and forth between go and no go on Steel Vengeance this summer, and because the go/no go screen is prominently displayed for everyone in the station, everyone there could see my predicament. Not fun.

New premiers are typically fine, although some like Sky Rocket basically are only options for taller people in two rows. The ones that are harder for me are the retrofitted trains, the ones that used to have shoulder harnesses. They're far less roomy and difficult to make work. I've never failed to get into a newer Premier, but the retrofitted ones can be dicey (they also have a strange, protruding piece of the floor in one of the seats in the front of each car, on top of what is already less leg room than the back of each car has).

You make the excellent point that older rides, bizarrely, are often more accommodating than newer ones! I can't think of a single restraint design that's exceptionally problematic on any rides made prior to the nineties. Some of those changes were by necessity as the rides have gone on to do more extreme maneuvers, and I get it-some people have died because of poorly designed restraints. But perhaps they could just tone down a handful of moments so more could ride? I can get airtime without having to be sewn into the seat to experience it safely. There's a happy medium that too often just isn't being considered.

One of the problems with RMCs is that I don't think the sensors for how far the bar has to go down are consistent across all seats. Sometimes I have to get stapled, and sometimes, I have a decent amount of room between me and the lap bar. That really sucked what happened with Steel Vengeance and it definitely proves that the design of these restraints and sensors are poor.

The older Premiers I have rode such as Mr. Freeze and Flight of Fear are way less tall friendly than the newer ones I have been on. I have always been able to squeeze into them, but I do need to sit down in them a certain way to fit.

I rather have some more room in my seat then have the ride be the most extreme thing ever. Magnum XL-200 is my number 2 coaster behind Steel Vengeance, and it, along with Magic Mountain Viper, prove how extreme and thrilling a ride can be without needing super restrictive restraints.

About the only rides I can think of that have problematic restraints from before the 90s are some of the earliest Arrow Mine Trains, especially Cedar Creek Mine Ride (that one is so bad because Cedar Fair being Cedar Fair made the lap bars enormously thick instead of thin like the ones of Gold Rusher), and old wooden coasters with the Morgan trains. Those would be the Giant Dipper coasters at Belmont Park and Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and Grizzly at CGA. I find them extremely tight on my lap and I have to cross my legs to get into them. Cedar Fair being Cedar Fair made things even worse with Grizzly since they also have seat belts that have to be attached to the bars to make them go down even further.

Intimin I feel is 99 percent of the issue with rider size and comfort/ability to ride if you are even large waisted or thick shoulder as their rides are often extreme steal coasters or odd configurations. They are also arguably the company with the most coaster restraint issues of injury and death, Gerstlauer being another one.

With RMC's I finally fit after losing a lot of weight this year, but even at 250 I fit comfortably in Steel Vengeance, the retractable seatbelts at Cedar Point were a nice touch instead of fixed to the sides. The issue was not fitting comfortably, but the ride not being comfortable because my thighs and shins were in pain during a lot of the air time ejector elements which I was losing until each one started to actually hurt.
I went on Outlaw Run years ago at Silver Dollar City and I never remember it hurting.

Intamin seems to be the absolute worse with restraints, at least with their older rides. I absolutely hate the tiny seats and huge, bulky over the shoulder restraints on Escape from Krypton. Those seats also have almost no leg room and the seat belts are super short. With how many issues there have been with Intamins over the years in terms of accidents, it proves that having restrictive restraints isn't going to prevent accidents.

I also really hate the seats on Maverick, while the ride is fairly accommodating, the seat has this weird wedge in it that digs into my crotch area and makes the ride really uncomfortable. I know smaller riders won't feel that, but it made me very uncomfortable and is the only reason that I don't rank the coaster as high as other enthusiasts.

I haven't been on Outlaw Run, but I think the problem with Steel Vengeance is that the airtime is so extreme, that it really beats up people's thighs and shins. I don't remember being too bothered by it, but it is a very common complaint with RMCs.

 

[celluloid]

One of the problems with RMCs is that I don't think the sensors for how far the bar has to go down are consistent across all seats. Sometimes I have to get stapled, and sometimes, I have a decent amount of room between me and the lap bar. That really sucked what happened with Steel Vengeance and it definitely proves that the design of these restraints and sensors are poor.

The older Premiers I have rode such as Mr. Freeze and Flight of Fear are way less tall friendly than the newer ones I have been on. I have always been able to squeeze into them, but I do need to sit down in them a certain way to fit.

I rather have some more room in my seat then have the ride be the most extreme thing ever. Magnum XL-200 is my number 2 coaster behind Steel Vengeance, and it, along with Magic Mountain Viper, prove how extreme and thrilling a ride can be without needing super restrictive restraints.

About the only rides I can think of that have problematic restraints from before the 90s are some of the earliest Arrow Mine Trains, especially Cedar Creek Mine Ride (that one is so bad because Cedar Fair being Cedar Fair made the lap bars enormously thick instead of thin like the ones of Gold Rusher), and old wooden coasters with the Morgan trains. Those would be the Giant Dipper coasters at Belmont Park and Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and Grizzly at CGA. I find them extremely tight on my lap and I have to cross my legs to get into them. Cedar Fair being Cedar Fair made things even worse with Grizzly since they also have seat belts that have to be attached to the bars to make them go down even further.


Intamin seems to be the absolute worse with restraints, at least with their older rides. I absolutely hate the tiny seats and huge, bulky over the shoulder restraints on Escape from Krypton. Those seats also have almost no leg room and the seat belts are super short. With how many issues there have been with Intamins over the years in terms of accidents, it proves that having restrictive restraints isn't going to prevent accidents.

I also really hate the seats on Maverick, while the ride is fairly accommodating, the seat has this weird wedge in it that digs into my crotch area and makes the ride really uncomfortable. I know smaller riders won't feel that, but it made me very uncomfortable and is the only reason that I don't rank the coaster as high as other enthusiasts.

I haven't been on Outlaw Run, but I think the problem with Steel Vengeance is that the airtime is so extreme, that it really beats up people's thighs and shins. I don't remember being too bothered by it, but it is a very common complaint with RMCs.

I agree. Maverik's soft vest version of the restraints did not do me any favors as I was launched up and slammed hard in the back row.

Cheetah Hunt is actually my favorite Intimin launch ride for thrills. I need to get back to Hagrid now that I have lost some size. It was not uncomfortable but I could only fit in the side car.

 

[PiratesMansion]

I'm no stick figure myself. Not big, but am chubby and want to lose 15 lbs. Been working out almost every day since 2019 though. At the very least am much stronger and have way more stamina than I used to.

Doesn't mean I can't have a sense of humor. It's no mystery that park goers aren't the most glamorous group of people. Universal's comment was just making fun of that, people may read into it as implying something else. Heck it's a hobby of waiting in line and eating food.

I do love myself some Ghiradelli Sundaes despite it having a full days worth of calories and me knowing its terrible for me.

It is funny though how even at Disneyworld my wife and I would walk 11 miles a day yet still end up gaining 10lbs by the end of our trips .

People like to cheer on Universal when they rip into Disney, but not when they attack others. I say in comedy nothing is off limits. I got a good laugh out of that joke at the expense of myself.

If Universal directly made fun of people that can't fit on rides, I'd absolutely agree it's in poor taste.

Except that generally in comedy, the goal of the joke is to be funny. To me this particular "joke" just came off as shallow and mean-spirited. Especially when on at least two recent occasions this particular park had an opportunity to make an attraction more accessible (FJ, SLOP) and just chose not to.

They deserved every ounce of vitriol they received.

 

[D.Silentu]

Sometimes I have to get stapled, and sometimes, I have a decent amount of room between me and the lap bar.

The wording you use has me cracking up, as it accurately describes most of my experiences at Magic Mountain. If only I had a dollar for every time I secured my restraint, only to have an employee walk by and casually cram it down to an uncomfortable degree! Thank you for the new term!

Heck it's a hobby of waiting in line and eating food.

Absolutely pure strategy; you can get more into your day if your eating in a queue rather than at a table. Outdoor mask mandates ended up costing a fair amount of my last trip to Universal, having to stop cold each time someone in the party wanted to eat.

 

[Californian Elitist]

The joke wasnt even about accessibility or even weight, just looks.

It was both. It was definitely related to weight, as the tweet encouraged guests to refrain from eating a salad. Salad eating and weight loss and usually synonymous with each other. The physical traits joke was definitely in there as well (an L.A. 4).

I laughed at that tweet for multiple reasons. I did find the joke itself funny, for one. I also laughed because of how bold it was and I laughed at the thought of someone getting in trouble over it, which is most likely unavoidable.

 

[BuzzedPotatoHead89]

I’m of two minds on this… on one hand it was a bit of a self-deferential slight at LA’s weight-obsessive behavior and almost resembles a take on “ditch the salad and be you” messaging. The problem was the way it was conveyed also comes across as insinuating that all of they’re guests are “LA 4s”.

A better message may have been to post a picture of amaybe Marilyn Monroe and Homer Simpson sharing a giant donut and say something like “where everyone is a star and everyday is a LA cheat day….. diet wise ”. Some kind of subtle jab at humor and double entendre.

The problem for Universal, and USH in particular, is that their attraction is really not very inclusive which is a problem highlighted by the fact that they have an already limited number of attractions to begin with. Many are designed for certain body types, so bringing this up proactively is a weak spot to highlight. Really odd.

 

[Parteecia]

When did the platinum pass express access change to after 3 pm?

 

[Disney Analyst]

I looked at some footage of the Haunting of Hill House between Orlando and Hollywood. Honestly it is shocking how the same company has SUCH a quality difference between the two parks. Orlando’s event is incredible, the theming, the scale… how is Hollywood’s always so poorly executed in comparison?

 

[D.Silentu]

Seeing as they have access to the full resources of a movie studio, I have no idea and have always wondered likewise.

 

[waltography]

I looked at some footage of the Haunting of Hill House between Orlando and Hollywood. Honestly it is shocking how the same company has SUCH a quality difference between the two parks. Orlando’s event is incredible, the theming, the scale… how is Hollywood’s always so poorly executed in comparison?

The entrance looking like a DVD rip in Hollywood compared to the beautiful set-making and scaling at Orlando... it's not surprising, but damn does it hurt.

 

[PostScott]

Went to HHN last night. It was a mess.

I've been going for the past 6 or so years and I've never seen it so disorganized and so crowded. I was worried about opening night because it sold out so quickly on the website. Apparently, they capped attendance at 10k when the usual cap is at 30k so I mistakenly thought that Friday would still be a good day to go on. Thursday night wait times didn't really hit over an hour so I was excited to be able to hit all the houses in a timely manner. The average waittime for last night was well over an hour, with 4 of the mazes being over 90 minutes for most of the night. The Curious George Parking Lot maze area was completely full and the layout of the walkways created bottlenecks left and right. Express lanes at almost every maze were spilling out into the walkways, creating confusion on which line was the general entry queue. There was a huge line forming outside the Curse of Pandora's Box maze spilling into the queue. The wait said 150 minutes so I thought that was logical that the line would be spilling out into the queue and everyone else did. However, the actual entry to the regular queue was next to it but no one was able to see where it was because of the sheer amount of people in the walkway. The bottleneck is worse than the one at DL in front of pirates. The employees also didn't seem to know the queue procedures, esp at the Bride of Frankenstein maze. Once again, there was a huge express line filling up at the front of the entrance and the GP thought it was the regular line so everyone stood in it and the employee was right there and I asked him where the queue entrance was and I walked to it, so everyone else saw and followed.

I really hope they get their act together soon. The crowds were so bad that you couldn't even see the ground at some points. I overheard so many people complain and express their disliking towards the event. I'm going again tonight so I hope that things start to get fixed.

 

[PostScott]

Went to HHN last night. It was a mess.

I've been going for the past 6 or so years and I've never seen it so disorganized and so crowded. I was worried about opening night because it sold out so quickly on the website. Apparently, they capped attendance at 10k when the usual cap is at 30k so I mistakenly thought that Friday would still be a good day to go on. Thursday night wait times didn't really hit over an hour so I was excited to be able to hit all the houses in a timely manner. The average waittime for last night was well over an hour, with 4 of the mazes being over 90 minutes for most of the night. The Curious George Parking Lot maze area was completely full and the layout of the walkways created bottlenecks left and right. Express lanes at almost every maze were spilling out into the walkways, creating confusion on which line was the general entry queue. There was a huge line forming outside the Curse of Pandora's Box maze spilling into the queue. The wait said 150 minutes so I thought that was logical that the line would be spilling out into the queue and everyone else did. However, the actual entry to the regular queue was next to it but no one was able to see where it was because of the sheer amount of people in the walkway. The bottleneck is worse than the one at DL in front of pirates. The employees also didn't seem to know the queue procedures, esp at the Bride of Frankenstein maze. Once again, there was a huge express line filling up at the front of the entrance and the GP thought it was the regular line so everyone stood in it and the employee was right there and I asked him where the queue entrance was and I walked to it, so everyone else saw and followed.

I really hope they get their act together soon. The crowds were so bad that you couldn't even see the ground at some points. I overheard so many people complain and express their disliking towards the event. I'm going again tonight so I hope that things start to get fixed.

I guess Friday night was just weird. Saturday and Sunday were both lighter on crowds even though they said it was sold out. The employees seemed to have more of a sense of what they were doing. Wait times were still on average over an hour but nothing as bad as around two hours.

If I had to say anything else about the event, I'd say the lack of creativity and awe. It's so weird because you'd think after almost two years of no HHN I'd be more excited for it but the house lineup isn't anything special. Curse of Pandora's Box, while still an amazing maze, is still the exact same. The Exorcist is the same as in 2018 and the walking dead has been the same since 2017. They have done Halloween and Texas Chainsaw pretty much every year consecutively since 2016. Yes, both franchises have different maxes every year but its the same theme and the same kinds of scares. The only original maze this year is Haunting of Hill House, but the maze focuses on set pieces and story beats more than scares or building tension. In addition, the Purge took over the Terror Tram for the third time. The Terror Tram was the most disappointing and lacked the most creativity and soul. The pre-show on the tram seemed like it was made at the last minute and was lackluster.

All of this brings me to my point: is this even Universals fault? yeah and also not at all. Universal Orlando is seeing one of, if not the best, year of HHN. Ten mazes, 8 being mainly original based with more scare zones than Hollywood. It seemed Universal Creative was ready for the 30th year of HHN there but as for CA, it seemed like they honestly thought Covid would cancel the event. I have a theory that at the last minute they got greenlit for the event because Covid was getting better during Spring in CA. They brought back 3 carbon copy mazes, which takes no development or much money when it's a clone. The Purge is such an easy theme to make the Terror Tram in, and Halloween and Texas Chainsaw have been done countless times before. It just seems like they scrambled to rush these houses out there. Heck, even the casting calls for Hollywood didn't come out until the middle of summer, but HHN Orlando had their casting audition in the early spring.

Sorry for the long rant but HHN has been a soft spot for me. I've been going for years and to see 2019 be the best year for Hollywood ever, to see it have one of the worst years ever really made me sad. I've seen others throughout the night have a blast and I love that, I want everyone to have a great time, but for me, it's sad. Anyways, that's all I have to say. Does anyone have anything else they wanna add?

 

[Professortango1]

I guess Friday night was just weird. Saturday and Sunday were both lighter on crowds even though they said it was sold out. The employees seemed to have more of a sense of what they were doing. Wait times were still on average over an hour but nothing as bad as around two hours.

If I had to say anything else about the event, I'd say the lack of creativity and awe. It's so weird because you'd think after almost two years of no HHN I'd be more excited for it but the house lineup isn't anything special. Curse of Pandora's Box, while still an amazing maze, is still the exact same. The Exorcist is the same as in 2018 and the walking dead has been the same since 2017. They have done Halloween and Texas Chainsaw pretty much every year consecutively since 2016. Yes, both franchises have different maxes every year but its the same theme and the same kinds of scares. The only original maze this year is Haunting of Hill House, but the maze focuses on set pieces and story beats more than scares or building tension. In addition, the Purge took over the Terror Tram for the third time. The Terror Tram was the most disappointing and lacked the most creativity and soul. The pre-show on the tram seemed like it was made at the last minute and was lackluster.

All of this brings me to my point: is this even Universals fault? yeah and also not at all. Universal Orlando is seeing one of, if not the best, year of HHN. Ten mazes, 8 being mainly original based with more scare zones than Hollywood. It seemed Universal Creative was ready for the 30th year of HHN there but as for CA, it seemed like they honestly thought Covid would cancel the event. I have a theory that at the last minute they got greenlit for the event because Covid was getting better during Spring in CA. They brought back 3 carbon copy mazes, which takes no development or much money when it's a clone. The Purge is such an easy theme to make the Terror Tram in, and Halloween and Texas Chainsaw have been done countless times before. It just seems like they scrambled to rush these houses out there. Heck, even the casting calls for Hollywood didn't come out until the middle of summer, but HHN Orlando had their casting audition in the early spring.

Sorry for the long rant but HHN has been a soft spot for me. I've been going for years and to see 2019 be the best year for Hollywood ever, to see it have one of the worst years ever really made me sad. I've seen others throughout the night have a blast and I love that, I want everyone to have a great time, but for me, it's sad. Anyways, that's all I have to say. Does anyone have anything else they wanna add?

Yeah, I have done Knotts routinely almost every year since High School. I've tried Universal a few times, but the experience is always frustrating. The crowd control is terrible and the number of mazes low. I loved the music mazes as they were creative and interesting, but the rest always seem to be one of 3 things. Blumhouse property, New Line Property, Classic Monsters with an "edgy" twist. La Llarona was great as are many of their original mazes, but they are so few and far between. Too many black walls and too many scenes just having actors lip sync to recorded dialogue and re-create scenes.

They have beautiful sets at times, but its never consistent. Then...then the lack of shows.

I don't hate Universal, but for the price, it is just isn't worth the frustration. Knotts is corny and has had some bad years as of late. I'm glad to see their entertainment offerings finally rebounding since the shadow of Elvira.

But when it comes to Universal; if you look at Orlando, it is hard to think these two parks are related. Orlando LOVES original mazes. I know they have more room with using old studio buildings that are no longer in use, but their sets and scale is so impressive. And the fact their event has more mazes and is cheaper just drives the nail home. John Murdy seems like a great guy, but I don't agree with his redundant choices. I'm not a fan of Blumhouse nor New Line, so that's my own bias. Those properties bore me. I liked Walking Dead, but didn't need to see another WD maze every single year. I also wonder if Terror Tram is just a cursed idea. Its so open that you never get a feeling of dread and you get these stretches of nothing. I almost wish they would do a Haunted Hayride with trams pulling up to large show scenes and a massive scale. Give me a horror version of the studio tour with effect laden horror scenes to replace the usual tram stops.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I don't know what you guys are complaining about, it's better than Disney. You can go to the Bates Motel for HHN and that's cooler than anything I've seen at the Florida version.

 

[GhostHostLady]

I know Universal typically doesn't start their holiday celebration until after Thanksgiving but we'll be there that week so planning on visiting either the Monday or Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

I imagine they'll have some decorations up? Any idea how much? Anything they might do early?

And while I'm here, that week is busy everywhere so probably doesn't matter which day I pick between Monday or Tuesday?

 

[Professortango1]

I know Universal typically doesn't start their holiday celebration until after Thanksgiving but we'll be there that week so planning on visiting either the Monday or Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

I imagine they'll have some decorations up? Any idea how much? Anything they might do early?

And while I'm here, that week is busy everywhere so probably doesn't matter which day I pick between Monday or Tuesday?

They already have holiday stuff up currently. The parks are all decked out for Halloween. They've been running HHN for a week or so.

 

[GhostHostLady]

They already have holiday stuff up currently. The parks are all decked out for Halloween. They've been running HHN for a week or so.

I meant Christmas.

 

[Touchdown]

I don't know what you guys are complaining about, it's better than Disney. You can go to the Bates Motel for HHN and that's cooler than anything I've seen at the Florida version.

View attachment 586881

I did that as a VIP tour, it’s cool but I’m sorry HHN Orlando is just in another league. No black hallways with a random jumps are, original houses every year, it’s amazing. When I come to California in the fall I go to DL and Knotts, but I’ve not missed HHN Orlando since 25.