Fat In Universal Studios Hollywood

[JPikes]

Hi everyone,

I've only just come across this forum so hi, I'm Joey from Glasgow (Scotland).

I'm heading over to LA in May and have a few questions to ask as a fat guy (close to 400 pounds although I'm trying to lose weight at the moment) :

1) I realise there are some rides that I just won't be able to fit in, specifically Harry Potter. What rides do you think I should just avoid other than HP? Are rides with bars for the whole row (Jurassic Park, Transformers etc) generally quite generous?

2) Are there test seats outside all rides? Do test seats generally indicate a tight fit?

3) I'm coming with my tiny girlfriend who will have to go on some of the rides herself. How busy is the park like to be on a Tuesday at the beginning of May, i.e. - how long will she be in single rider queues for while I wait about?

4) I realise I'm bigger than most people so do you think I'll still have a good time despite my size? I have absolutely no mobility problems so walking round all day isn't a problem.

Thanks in advance.

 

[MikeNamez]

Generally the rides with lap bars are pretty generous... Jurassic, Transformers, Spiderman... I'm a bigger guy, about 250 and i can get on everything, but some im squeezing myself in.... Escape from Gringots and Mummy may be okay for you as they use the same ride vehicle and it's more of my knees that are the issue. Forbidden journey, i use the modified seat and someone has to push the restraint down on me but that one is always close. Everything else should be OK and most of the stuff does have test seats but not all.

When my friends an I go we only do single rider to move things along... I think the longest we waited was in at escape from gringots which was maybe 20 min or so. I don't see your girl having to wait any longer than 30 minutes for a single rider line.

I think you will really enjoy your time there either way.

 

[crostorfer]

There are test seats for any ride that could possibly be a problem. I'm thinking the Hulk and the Forbidden Journey would be the biggest problems.

 

[oakleycat]

Since it sounds like you're going to US Hollywood, you might want to check out the Southern California Themeparks board, which is mainly about USH. There are a couple threads on this subject there. But you should be able to ride most things, my FIL who is in this 300+ range can do everything except Forbidden Journey and Hippogriff. There are test seats outside Forbidden Journey.

 

[JPikes]

Thanks for all the replies guys, much appreciated.

 

[GoldmanTrust]

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[BrianL]

Hi everyone,

I've only just come across this forum so hi, I'm Joey from Glasgow (Scotland).

I'm heading over to LA in May and have a few questions to ask as a fat guy (close to 400 pounds although I'm trying to lose weight at the moment) :

1) I realise there are some rides that I just won't be able to fit in, specifically Harry Potter. What rides do you think I should just avoid other than HP? Are rides with bars for the whole row (Jurassic Park, Transformers etc) generally quite generous?

2) Are there test seats outside all rides? Do test seats generally indicate a tight fit?

3) I'm coming with my tiny girlfriend who will have to go on some of the rides herself. How busy is the park like to be on a Tuesday at the beginning of May, i.e. - how long will she be in single rider queues for while I wait about?

4) I realise I'm bigger than most people so do you think I'll still have a good time despite my size? I have absolutely no mobility problems so walking round all day isn't a problem.

Thanks in advance.

I haven't been to USH in a while, but many of the rides are similar to FL, so the advice you have gotten so far is pretty good. Universal has some special seating for bigger individuals on certain rides, though I think Forbidden Journey is the only one at Hollywood. I will say that shoulder-room can be a problem for bigger guys on that one because you sit in like an indention. It could be uncomfortable. Usually, the shared lap-bars are not a big problem. Jurassic Park really barely needs them anyway. Transformers I think is four to a row, but it is not bench seating but rather individual "bucket" seats. Mummy has similar seats, but individual lap bars. They are the kind that go around your knees, so that could pose an issue. For Simpsons and Minions, I want to say you'll be fine. I do think they offer test seats, so try them out, even for Forbidden Journey, because you never know.

On to the good news. The absolute best parts of Universal Hollywood are the Back Lot Tour and the Waterworld show. First, Waterworld is a must see, and yeah, I know, it's not such a great movie, but the stunt show is awesome and still very popular. You should have no issues with seating there. Also, the Back Lot tour uses trams that should allow you to sit comfortably. It will go not only through the historic Universal Studios lot, but into a couple of sound stages for some great surprises, that in my opinion are the highlights of the park. Don't lose those 3-D Glasses! This does take a lot of time to go through, so plan accordingly, and don't let it overlap with Waterworld as there may only be one show. Aside from that, there is also a Special Effects show and an Animal Actors show that are pretty cool. The Walking Dead haunted house should be fun, though I haven't been there since they opened it (It was Universal Monster themed last time I saw it). It's walk-through, so you should have no problems.

A couple of things of note. USH is divided into two areas, an Upper Lot and a Lower Lot. Getting from one to the other can take some time as there are several escalators to use. There are stairs to the side of the escalators, but I caution that it is a hike! This applies to anyone, regardless of fitness level. Plan a few minutes to go between the two lots. I usually try to only go down and back only once. Also, I don't know how you are arriving at the park, but if you arrive via metro, you are at the bottom of the same hill (the other side). You can walk it, but they offer courtesy trams. Walking it is a workout for sure. In my experience a Tuesday shouldn't be too bad crowd-wise, even in the summer. That may have changed with the advent of the Harry Potter area. I haven't been since they opened that.

In a nutshell, I think you'll have fun, even if you have to sit out of a few of the rides. I hope you have a great time!

 

[JPikes]

I haven't been to USH in a while, but many of the rides are similar to FL, so the advice you have gotten so far is pretty good. Universal has some special seating for bigger individuals on certain rides, though I think Forbidden Journey is the only one at Hollywood. I will say that shoulder-room can be a problem for bigger guys on that one because you sit in like an indention. It could be uncomfortable. Usually, the shared lap-bars are not a big problem. Jurassic Park really barely needs them anyway. Transformers I think is four to a row, but it is not bench seating but rather individual "bucket" seats. Mummy has similar seats, but individual lap bars. They are the kind that go around your knees, so that could pose an issue. For Simpsons and Minions, I want to say you'll be fine. I do think they offer test seats, so try them out, even for Forbidden Journey, because you never know.

On to the good news. The absolute best parts of Universal Hollywood are the Back Lot Tour and the Waterworld show. First, Waterworld is a must see, and yeah, I know, it's not such a great movie, but the stunt show is awesome and still very popular. You should have no issues with seating there. Also, the Back Lot tour uses trams that should allow you to sit comfortably. It will go not only through the historic Universal Studios lot, but into a couple of sound stages for some great surprises, that in my opinion are the highlights of the park. Don't lose those 3-D Glasses! This does take a lot of time to go through, so plan accordingly, and don't let it overlap with Waterworld as there may only be one show. Aside from that, there is also a Special Effects show and an Animal Actors show that are pretty cool. The Walking Dead haunted house should be fun, though I haven't been there since they opened it (It was Universal Monster themed last time I saw it). It's walk-through, so you should have no problems.

A couple of things of note. USH is divided into two areas, an Upper Lot and a Lower Lot. Getting from one to the other can take some time as there are several escalators to use. There are stairs to the side of the escalators, but I caution that it is a hike! This applies to anyone, regardless of fitness level. Plan a few minutes to go between the two lots. I usually try to only go down and back only once. Also, I don't know how you are arriving at the park, but if you arrive via metro, you are at the bottom of the same hill (the other side). You can walk it, but they offer courtesy trams. Walking it is a workout for sure. In my experience a Tuesday shouldn't be too bad crowd-wise, even in the summer. That may have changed with the advent of the Harry Potter area. I haven't been since they opened that.

In a nutshell, I think you'll have fun, even if you have to sit out of a few of the rides. I hope you have a great time!

Thanks for a great reply.

We are staying in Hollywood and have a metro stop right outside our hotel so we'll be hopping on that to get there for 8.30am. We've bought tickets online so get into the park at 9am and we're going to head for Harry Potter then and get that out of the way because that'll be crazy busy all day. Even if I have to sit it out, I believe it's still a cool thing to see and I want to give the Butterbeer a try.

Thanks again.

 

[BrianL]

Thanks for a great reply.

We are staying in Hollywood and have a metro stop right outside our hotel so we'll be hopping on that to get there for 8.30am. We've bought tickets online so get into the park at 9am and we're going to head for Harry Potter then and get that out of the way because that'll be crazy busy all day. Even if I have to sit it out, I believe it's still a cool thing to see and I want to give the Butterbeer a try.

Thanks again.

Cool, so you are using the Metro. That's a great way to get there! So, when you come out of the station, you'll cross the street or use the bridge. The Universal trams are at the bottom of the hill on the right side (facing up Universal Drive). I have walked up the hill. I do not recommend it.

On another note, I don't care for Butterbeer, but I do like the Pumpkin Juice. Try 'em both!

 

[JPikes]

Cool, so you are using the Metro. That's a great way to get there! So, when you come out of the station, you'll cross the street or use the bridge. The Universal trams are at the bottom of the hill on the right side (facing up Universal Drive). I have walked up the hill. I do not recommend it.

On another note, I don't care for Butterbeer, but I do like the Pumpkin Juice. Try 'em both!

We've hired a car because we're doing Route 66 from LA to Chicago after a couple of days in LA but it seems silly to drive to Universal when there is a Metro stop outside the hotel that takes up right there.

I think we'll be doing enough walking during the day without the hill so tram it is. I assume they start pretty early so we can get there for an early start?

I think it'll probably be too sweet for me but I'll give it a go. While in Rome and all that.

Thanks again!

 

[BrianL]

We've hired a car because we're doing Route 66 from LA to Chicago after a couple of days in LA but it seems silly to drive to Universal when there is a Metro stop outside the hotel that takes up right there.

I think we'll be doing enough walking during the day without the hill so tram it is. I assume they start pretty early so we can get there for an early start?

I think it'll probably be too sweet for me but I'll give it a go. While in Rome and all that.

Thanks again!

I actually do not know when the tram opens, but I am sure early enough for park open. It shouldn't be a problem.