Why I built Rolling Coasters

My sister uses a wheelchair, and planning theme park visits with her made me realise how difficult it can be to find the practical information you actually need.

Official accessibility guides are useful, but they do not always answer the questions that matter in the moment. What is the queue really like? Can you stay in your wheelchair all the way to loading? What does the transfer involve? How high is the ride vehicle? Is there somewhere quieter nearby if things get overwhelming?

I found myself jumping between park websites, accessibility guides, videos, forums and social media just to piece together a clearer picture. Even then, the information was often scattered, vague or difficult to compare.

That is where Rolling Coasters came from.

It started with wheelchair access, but the more I looked, the clearer it became that the same problem affects lots of people for lots of different reasons. Mobility, sensory needs, queue environments, ride restraints, transfers and simply knowing what to expect can all make the difference between feeling prepared and arriving with a lot of unanswered questions.

How the information works

Getting accessibility information right matters. Rolling Coasters uses official theme park information as the foundation wherever possible, alongside our own research, visits to the parks and useful experiences shared by other visitors.

Where something is an official requirement or policy, I aim to make that clear. Where information comes from observation, practical experience or visitor reports, I make that clear too.

People experience attractions differently, so somebody else’s experience can be incredibly useful, but it is not a guarantee that yours will be the same.

Theme parks also change. Queues are altered, procedures are updated and ride operations can vary, which means information that was accurate when it was published may not stay that way forever.

Independent and transparent

Rolling Coasters is an independent theme park information website. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or officially connected with The Walt Disney Company, Universal Destinations & Experiences or any other theme park operator featured on the site.

Names, trademarks and other intellectual property belong to their respective owners and are used only where necessary to identify and discuss the parks, attractions and services covered.

Any commercial relationships, such as advertising, affiliate links, partnerships or sponsorships, will be clearly disclosed and will not influence the information or recommendations on Rolling Coasters.

Thanks & contributors

Rolling Coasters would not be nearly as useful without the people and organisations who help us find accurate information, understand how attractions work and show you what to expect before you visit.

Universal Orlando Resort

Thank you to Universal Orlando Resort for providing Rolling Coasters with access to its media resources, including official photography and press information.

Having access to reliable official material helps with both research and illustration while keeping the information we publish as useful and accurate as possible.

Images supplied through Universal Orlando Resort’s media library are used for news and editorial purposes and are credited to Universal Orlando Resort where required.

A massive thank you to Michelle

Rolling Coasters really wouldn’t exist without Michelle.

She has patiently put up with me turning theme-park holidays into what can occasionally resemble a badly organised accessibility inspection. She’s gone on ride after ride while I’ve asked far too many questions, investigated queues, stared at loading platforms, examined restraints and said things like, “Hang on, can we just see how they do that transfer again?”

She’s let me photograph and film her boarding rides, using accessible vehicles and generally demonstrating all the things that are much easier to understand when you can actually see them rather than read a sentence saying “transfer required”.

More importantly, she’s been willing to try things, tell me what actually works and what doesn’t, and put up with me asking, “What did that feel like?” approximately twelve seconds after getting off a ride.

There was, however, a limit.

The water rides.

Despite my finest powers of persuasion, apparently “it would be really useful for the website” is not a compelling enough argument for voluntarily getting soaked. I tried. Several times. She remained unmoved and, unlike most of the rides on this website, completely stationary.

But genuinely, Michelle is a huge part of why Rolling Coasters exists in the first place. Watching how much difference good information can make, and how frustrating it is when that information is vague, incomplete or simply missing, is what made me want to build something better.

So thank you, Michelle, for the rides, the questions, the photos, the videos, the patience and for allowing yourself to become Rolling Coasters’ largely unwilling accessibility test pilot.

I’ll stop asking about the water rides eventually. Probably.