Just got back from a 3-day trip. I am 5'2" inches, 300 pounds, and a bottom heavy female (size 28-30 bottom, size 24-26 tops), which is the bane of turnstyles -- wide hips, big front and bottom, and being short that's all right at turnstyle height.
Reports on individual rides, such that I remember, are below:
Magic Kingdom
WDW Railroad -- I boarded at Main Street. There were two turnstyles, and no conveniently obvious gate. I tried to squeeze through and got half-way and panicked, so I found an employee and asked about gate access. She seemed confused (even when I tried to explain "my hips and butt don't fit through the turnstyle") but did eventually get a gate open. Once I was in, the train itself is no trouble, just bench seats.
It's A Small World -- The turnstyle at the end was pretty tight. I got stuck a bit, so I gave up early and just went through the gate, which was right there and no problem to access.
Peter Pan's Flight -- No problems there with turnstyle or the ride vehicle. My dad, incidentally, is not good with small places at all, being claustrophobic. The CMs put down the bar, and he asked for them to leave it real loose, so it practically wasn't closed at all.
Country Bear Jamboree -- Turnstyle was a little tight. I did some spin-wiggle act and got through without excessive fuss.
Pirate's of the Carribean -- No turnstyles! Just walk on through the open entry lanes. Boats were fine, bench seats there. We did have all the kids on one side, and all the fairly heavy adults on the other, which was poor boat planning on our parts, but aside from listing a bit we were fine.
Jungle Boat -- I can't even remember if there was a turnstyle, so if there was, it was no trouble. The boat is bench seating so that was fine as well.
Enchanted Tiki Birds -- Turnstyle fine, and the bench seats were fine.
Haunted Mansion -- Tight turnstyle that required wiggling. The gated entrance is NOWHERE NEAR the turnstyles, either, so if you decide it's too tight a squeeze, you have to walk all the way back out again, and around the corner, to the accessible entrance.
Epcot
Spaceship Earth -- No issues here.
Living with the Land -- No issues. I actually ended up in the front row of an accessible boat, so there was a ramp for scooters to roll down into the large front area. So there wasn't even a step down into the boat, just a stroll down the ramp.
Journey Into Imagination -- Turnstyle fine. I had problem getting into the vehicle (it was my first experience with a 'narrow molded door entry' that some rides have) and panicked a bit. If I was taller it would have been thigh height, and I could've easily gone in sideways, but instead it was butt/stomach/hip height so I had to squeeze a bit. Then it was fine inside the vehicle.
Universe of Energy -- No problem. Don't remember a turnstyle but there was probably one. Bench seating in the vehicles.
Soarin' -- was a little nervous with my big hind end and sitting next to
someone else and encroaching on them. For reference on seating here and below, when I ride Air Tran I always upgrade to business class as I'm not sure how I'd fit in coach seats, and I just barely fit their seat belts without an extender. Anyway, there is plenty of seat belt on the ride, and if I stood up a little I could see past my hips to buckle it up (though I swear I am seatbelt-challenged in general, even when I can see!) and I didn't feel like I was encroaching too much on the person next to me, the seats were actually roomy. Well, relatively speaking!
Test Track -- Again, I was nervous going into this ride. I asked for the front row, and got put next to a woman in the middle seat. I was right by the door. The seat belt is a harness-type, like in cars. There is plenty of slack in it, and I stood up a little to latch it in, but the car started moving pretty quick and I was flustered and having issues. I did manage to get it sorted out before the seatbelt check, which is actually down and around a corner from where you board.
El Rio del Tiempo -- No issues here. Standard bench seats in a boat floating on water deal.
Maelstrom -- Ditto. No issues.
Hollywood Studios
Backlot Tour -- No issues. Bench seats on a bus, and I don't remember any turnstyle sagas.
Great Movie Ride -- No issues. Bench seats, and you go through a molded plastic entry to get to them (as on some other rides -- basically the non-boat rides have this typically) but no problem sliding through sideways.
Muppet Vision 3D -- I went on this show twice. Both times were uncrowded so no one on either side of me. I sat down front and wiggled in okay (but tight) the first time, though the second day I was more toward the back and had issues. I don't know if the seats were smaller, or my butt grew overnight, or if it was just one of those things. A bit of wiggling worked it out in the end, and it was tight but not really uncomfortable.
Indiana Jones -- Bench seats, no turnstyles, no issues.
Animation Tour -- These were my 'winner' as most uncomfortable / tightest seats ever! At first I perched at the front of the seat, but then I wiggled around under the rests, but there were other things on the side and no one was next to me but boy was it uncomfortable. Plus the show wasn't what I thought it would be but that's another post!
One Man's Dream -- Theater seats were tight but workable.
Rock 'n Roller Coaster -- I ended up sitting in the back (even row) which wasn't recommended, but worked okay. Aside from being utterly graceless I got in okay. Seat belt was fine, and so was the drop-down harness but with my chest and belly it didn't go down as far as it could've. That meant my head was more between the harness bars than it should've and bumped some during the ride. But aside from the graceless entry and exit it was okay.
Tower of Terror -- I asked for an aisle seat, though I ended up having a whole row to myself so it didn't matter. Seatbelts plenty big. The seats have a 2-inch tall metal bar separating them so you can encroach on your neighbor, which isn't bad if you have a little kid or someone you're cozy with next to you. Glad I didn't have a stranger there, though.
Toy Story Mania -- Only issue here was the line! It's two-person seating and got sat next to an 11-year-old (ish) girl and it was plenty of space. I think two adults, even big adults, would be fine.
WHEW! Okay, a few odds and ends before I wrap up. The turnstyles into the parks were fine all around, and I usually could scoot through with no issue, even my wide hips fit fine. They seem to be some of the biggest. The restaurants I went to (and I'll list them in a second) were also no problem with seating. In fact, the seating seemed pretty generous, all in all, for the places I ended up going. Chairs without arms were to be had everywhere, and things were nice and sturdy.
Restaurants visited: Electric Umbrella (Epcot), Tangerine Cafe (Epcot),
Sunshine Terrace (Epcot -- I think that was it, whatever was outside Soarin', I had a drink there while waiting for my Fast Pass), Grand Floridian Cafe (Grand Floridian), Backlot Express (Hollywood Studios).
I also took the Monorail, the boat across the lagoon at Epcot, the boat from the MK to the Grand Floridian, and a few trams. All of those forms of transportation were fine, with bench seats. There's also lots of comfy, sturdy seats around the parks, benches and the like.
Overall Impressions
- Things are pretty generously sized in general, compared to what I was fearing
- Bench seats are great!
- Turnstyles can be tricky -- especially in the older MK
- Theater seats (as opposed to benches) can be tight!
I was really hoping they'd switch to the electronic ones but no. Anyways, there is a handicap enterence at the ghost carriage outside and that aviods it completely.
I started Weight Watchers on 02/11/08 and have lost 45.2 lbs and I would like to lose 20 more by the time I go to Disney on December 12th. You are an inspiration to me
to the DIS!!!
!
