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List of rides that don't allow glasses even with a strap

Rob Coasters

Rob Coasters

Rob Poster
I've recently started wearing a very secure glasses strap on coasters as of this year as I'd gotten pretty sick of having to take them off on every ride, and I would really rather be able to see properly when on an attraction.

So I'd like to compile a list of rides that don't allow glasses even with a strap on. Any help would be much appreciated.

Australia
All rides

Belgium
Ride to Happiness (Plopsaland De Panne)

Finland
Hype (Särkänniemi)

France
Tonnerre 2 Zeus (Parc Asterix)
Toutatis (Parc Asterix)

Germany
Highlander (Hansa Park)
Huracan (Belantis)
Flucht von Novgorod (Hansa Park)
Schwur des Kärnan (Hansa Park)

Netherlands
Gold Rush (Slagharen)

Spain
Red Force in Row 1 (Ferrari Land)

There is a lack of communication at PortAventura between staff on glasses policies. Sometimes I am allowed, sometimes I am not.
 
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I’m not a glasses wearer myself, so I don’t know this for sure (could someone else clarify?), but I wonder if the big thrill coasters at Universal Orlando would fall into this category. They have metal detectors on Hulk, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit and VelociCoaster, and they’re pretty strict about loose articles.

On a side note @Rob Coasters; have you ever considered contact lenses? My mum is a glasses wearer, and she always wears contacts to parks; they seem to work well for her. I would admittedly understand if they aren’t for you (I myself am a bit squeamish about eyes and likely wouldn’t want to wear contacts if I were a glasses wearer), but they seem to work well for the glasses wearers I know, and will get on anything unlike a glasses strap.
 
Matt N said:
I’m not a glasses wearer myself, so I don’t know this for sure (could someone else clarify?), but I wonder if the big thrill coasters at Universal Orlando would fall into this category. They have metal detectors on Hulk, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit and VelociCoaster, and they’re pretty strict about loose articles.
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You can wear glasses on the Universal Orlando coasters with a strap. The most I’ve ever come up against in the U.S. is a ride operator verifying that my glasses are secured with a strap and I’ve always been permitted to wear them without incident.

It’s baffling that there are parks that don’t allow such a common sense policy. Especially when you consider that properly secured glasses can double as eye protection, making the wearer slightly more safe than people with their eyes exposed. If I recall correctly, Universal’s strict loose article policy began after a rider on Dueling Dragons was struck in the eye by a loose coin, sustaining permanent damage.

Great idea for a topic, @Rob Coasters.
 
Huracan @ Belantis

Is that a new thing with Hype? I recall riding it with glasses back in 2020(?) and the ride-ops having no issue with it.
 
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When I did Ride to Happiness last summer, they did not allow glasses, even with a strap. Super disappointing for me, as no other ride in the area (of major parks, at least) had this policy, and I'm pretty blind without them, so I didn't really get to see much of anything while riding it.
 
Goldrush at Slagharen was annoyingly not allowing strapped glasses (again, a few years ago) - they told me to put my specs loose in my pocket which was daft as they'd get broken, so I just held them, which is even dafter.
 
Matt N said:
On a side note @Rob Coasters; have you ever considered contact lenses? My mum is a glasses wearer, and she always wears contacts to parks; they seem to work well for her. I would admittedly understand if they aren’t for you (I myself am a bit squeamish about eyes and likely wouldn’t want to wear contacts if I were a glasses wearer), but they seem to work well for the glasses wearers I know, and will get on anything unlike a glasses strap.
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I've tried them on a few occasions but unfortunately me and them don't combine. Very sensitive eyelids mean that they react overwhelmingly towards anything coming even close to my eye, making them impossible to insert, plus I prefer having glasses anyway on top of contacts being high maintenance.

Bowser said:
Hyperia at Thorpe Park.
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I have not had an issue at all with Hyperia - they will ask if you have a strap, but will let you ride if you show them.

Trax said:
Is that a new thing with Hype? I recall riding it with glasses back in 2020(?) and the ride-ops having no issue with it.
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Yep, rode on Wednesday.
 
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Just realised, I’ve had troubles at Parc Asterix with Tonnere 2 Zeus and Toutatis in 2024.
Funnily enough, there were no complaints about my glasses in 2023. I was sometimes asked to hold my glasses in my hands, even on Toutatis!

So yeah, glasses + straps are too dangerous, better hold it in your hands.
 
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Useful list, thanks for starting it Rob!

Nothing to add that hasn't already been mentioned, but will echo the disappointment at seeing some Europe's best on here. My prescription is rather strong and besides it generally being more comfortable to be able to see on the ride, I often wonder how much more of a liability I'd be in an evac situation if I wasn't allowed to have them on me - especially for rides with complex evac procedures...
 
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I was not allowed to ride with my glasses with a strap, on Huracan at Belantis.

PortAventura had inconsistent policies.
On 1 of my 5 rides on Hurakan Condor, I was ordered to remove them.
On 1 of my 7 rides on Shambhala, I was ordered to remove them.

On Red Force at Ferrari Land, you only had to remove glasses in Row 1 as you had to wear the goggles instead.
 
Also had an inconsistent experience recently, at Tivoli Gardens. Was asked to remove glasses, in spite of strap, on the shot tower and air race, but had no issues on the star flyer or (bizarrely) Tik Tak, which is surely the most "loose articles beware" ride in the park. It's worth noting I had the same quite confident/senior-looking operator on the latter two, so perhaps there's no official policy and it's up to operator discretion or level of authority. I didn't re-ride any of these, so can't offer more thorough test results.
 
Burniel said:
My prescription is rather strong and besides it generally being more comfortable to be able to see on the ride, I often wonder how much more of a liability I'd be in an evac situation if I wasn't allowed to have them on me - especially for rides with complex evac procedures...
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A point I wholeheartedly agree with. In fact, without my prescription glasses, I can see only blurred, fuzzy colours. I hate to think what would happen if I had to climb down the lift hill of e.g. Hyperia @ Thorpe Park.
Without my glasses, I cannot read ride signage, see seat/train edges to step over, emergency exits etc...
After my trip to Cedar Point in 2024, I now have a strap for glasses every time I go to a park to ride, just to be sure. I seem to remember something about this on their website.
 
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