Credit: UniversalUniversal guests are condemning their fellow parkgoers for dangerous behavior on multiple attractions.
While Universal Orlando Resort is built to the strictest safety specifications, one thing that the parks can’t always control is the actions of its visitors.
Over the years, we’ve seen multiple cases of guests behaving badly at the theme park resort. However, some fans think this behavior has worsened in recent years – and in some cases, it’s putting other parkgoers at risk.
Guests Behaving Badly at Universal
One Reddit user recently detailed an incident aboard Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls at Islands of Adventure where a group of guests were chastised by Universal team members over their efforts to rock their ride vehicle.
“We just rode Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls 15 minutes ago and were stuck for almost 5 minutes, 2 in the middle of the the final lift hill and 3 before the unloading area,” they wrote.
“Just before we finally got to exit the boat traffic jam at the unloading area the staff made an announcement along the lines of: Once again please keep your hands and feet inside the ride vehicle and do not attempt to rock the boats.”
It goes without saying that deliberately tampering with a ride vehicle is a reckless and dangerous act. Those engaging in such behavior not only risk being ejected from the park but also endanger their own safety and the well-being of others.
Dangerous Phone Usage on Rides
Sadly, this kind of behavior is all too common. Other users chipped in with their own experiences, many of which include dangerous phone usage on thrill rides.
“I’ve been stopped on JP:RA [Jurassic Park River Adventure] right at the peak of the T. rex drop because people pulled their phone out and the operators saw them,” wrote one user. “So it stopped the ride and ruined the moment. Literally please just let us all enjoy ourselves and follow their rules.”
Multiple users had had the same experience on the Jurassic Park attraction, with one user noting, “Almost every time I ride it the T Rex gets muted so the staffer can warn guests to put their phones away.
Others had much more extreme experiences with guests using their phones on rides. “Late 2020 after the parks opened up again, I was on Hagrid’s,” recalled one user. “Moron in front of me has her phone up filming the whole ride. She lost her grip, it flew back and hit me in the head. At the end of the ride, I told the crew member. He just shrugged and said that there was nothing they could do about it.”
Guests Refuse To Listen to Team Members
Beyond sneaking phones onto thrill rides, other examples of guests endangering fellow parkgoers include those who neglect to listen to instructions from cast members.
“Last weekend my fiance nearly had a panic attack because someone in our row had a backpack still strapped to their chest and it created a huge gap between all of us and the bar,” wrote one user, again referring to Jurassic Park River Adventure, which seems to be a hotspot for rule-breaking.
“On River Adventure, a dad kept putting his daughter onto his lap- constant warning over the ride audio that kids needed to be in their seats,” said another. “Completely ruined the vibe of the ride.”
Yet another issue is guests who refuse to simply sit down. “We recently got stopped on Cat in the Hat and heard a very frustrated ‘STOP standing up and trying to touch the ride props. If you continue, you will be removed,'” recalled a Reddit user.
“Then when we got to the end, the TM monitoring offloading immediately started chastising the cart behind us, telling them they would be banned if they kept it up. It was 5 teens and 1 adult, apparently useless.”
While Universal has gone a long way in improving the safety of fellow riders in terms of rulebreakers – for example, providing metal detectors on roller coasters such as VelociCoaster – the real onus here is on parkgoers. As one team member wrote on Reddit,
“As an attractions TM, I can assure you that 98% of all issues on rides are due to guests being stupid. 1% is TM error and 1% is when the ride suddenly just decides to stop working right.”
What’s the worst example of dangerous rule-breaking you’ve spotted at a Universal park?