A guest at Universal Epic Universe says she left the park humiliated after team members removed her from a popular attraction over her outfit. The incident unfolded after the woman boarded Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, where she claims an accessory was mistaken for something dangerous.
TikTok user @gabrielasilent visited Universal Epic Universe in August with an Express Pass in hand. She spent much of the day in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic and How to Train Your Dragon — Isle of Berk before heading into SUPER NINTENDO WORLD. The plan was to use her Express Pass on Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, a ride that combines 3-D and 4-D effects with interactive gameplay. But the experience didn’t go as expected.
@gabrielasilent Me bajaron de un juego en Epic Universe por ser darks xd Story time de mi momento más humilde tipo la rosa de Guadalupe 🤣🤣 A ustedes les ha pasado algo así en los parques??? #epicuniverse #storytime #chisme #mimomentomashumilde #bowserschallenge
♬ Funny video “Carmen Prelude” Arranging weakness(836530) – yo suzuki(akisai)
(*Editor’s Note: The guest’s video has been translated from Spanish. Some translations may not be exact, but the meaning has been preserved.)
“The truth is that I was already very tired,” she explained. “I had already been in the park for two days, and I was super dehydrated…I want you to take that into consideration when you judge my reaction that day.”
Her outfit included a black chest harness, which she described as a Slytherin-inspired accessory. “Everyone knows that this harness is like an accessory, a type of belt,” she said. “It’s an accessory, 100%.”
Once she boarded the ride vehicle, the TikToker said employees began to stare at her. One team member asked if she was wearing a backpack, but she turned around to show that nothing was on her back. The employee walked away and left riders waiting.
Soon after, another team member approached and asked her to leave the vehicle. “I didn’t like the way they handled it,” she recalled. “They took me out of the ride and left me standing there for ten minutes…I felt so vulnerable.”
She said other guests stared as she stood in the loading area with her belongings. “I was on the verge of collapse,” she explained. “…I even started to shake at one point. I saw my life go before my eyes.”
According to the guest, employees told her she would need to wait for a supervisor. The supervisor eventually arrived and explained that the ride crew thought her harness was a weapon, prompting them to temporarily shut down the attraction.
“That’s the reason why you took me out of the ride and had me standing here for ten minutes while everyone has been looking at me funny?” she asked. “Including your team, who just stared at me?”
At that moment, she began to cry, frustrated by the ordeal. “I didn’t like the way they treated me, but obviously I didn’t want to go on the defensive,” she admitted. “…I have a lot to lose. I’m a Universal travel agent, so I can’t risk being banned…I let it go with tears…sobbing.”
The supervisor apologized and invited her to ride Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge. Instead, she declined, saying she no longer felt comfortable. She was told to wait at the exit, where the supervisor returned with five Express Passes as an apology. By then, however, she says they were useless.
“By then, it was 7:30 p.m., the park closed at 9:00 p.m., it was raining, and everything was already closed,” she said. “…I already had the Express Pass, so the only things I needed to do were the two Mario rides…Now, I couldn’t.”
Universal Orlando Resort has not publicly commented on the matter.
Did Universal Orlando Resort handle this situation appropriately? Disney Fanatic would love to hear from you in the comments!
They probably thought she was too fat for the ride