Fantasy/Dream tips for Plus Size Cruisers (you know who you are) :)

[srhodes]

so thankful to the op for this!! we are planning our first cruise, i and dh are on the "pooh" size. it doesnt bother dh at all....i however am very self conscience about it. especially in a new place. these posts have definitely made me feel more at ease! i am determined to relax and enjoy this time with my family. thank you =)

 

[luv2sleep]

exactly, so be careful on the first loop around that goes over the side of the ship. if you lean the wrong way you can flip over. my hubby, whom i call Baloo sized (big and tall),hates tube rides because has this fear of going too high up the side of the wall and flipping out of the tube. well i convinced him to do the Aquaduck and i swear it became a self fulfilling prophesy. he either didn't lean at all or leaned the wrong way and yep! flipped out and they had to stop the ride for him to walk out. so just keep that in mind if you're not used to tube rides.

i don't think it had too much to do with his size as his father who is the same height and shape (just weighs a little less) managed it without any issue. its all down to technique managing that extra speed and i wouldn't consider it a thrill ride, so even if you don't generally do tube rides you should still be ok. i don't want to scar anyone off, just give something to consider.

I was all for riding the AquaDuck before I started reading that it goes fast. How fast? I have to ride with my little boy (who will be 6). Will me being much bigger than him make the ride be too fast and scary for him? He is not that brave and likes gentle, slow flowing slides. I don't like fast ones either at all. Part of the reason I chose the Fantasy was because of the slide. Frankly, I'm a little afraid now. Thanks to anyone who has thoughts on this.

 

[noahsmom]

We didn't think the AquaDuck was fast at all. It was just fun. Go to YouTube and there are a number of videos. You can always go by yourself first.

 

[wendydarling78]

I just wanted to comment to the number of people who mentioned bathing suits and being uncomfortable around the pool area.

My parents, my sister, and I took a family vacation every year. As you can see from my signature, it was usually to Florida and WDW!

My mother is the most wonderful woman in the world. She really is. But she was always self-conscious about how she looked in a bathing suit. She was very petite- a little over 5 foot and around a size 16- sometimes up from that size, sometimes down. She would NEVER go in the pool with my sister and I. If she did wear a bathing suit, she kept her cover-up on and stayed on the edge of the pool reading. Sometimes she wouldn't even put the bathing suit on.

It's not at all that she didn't want to be included in family events- she would ride all the rides at Disney with us, go on every tour, take us shopping, etc. But if it involved putting on a bathing suit, forget it. The times that we went snorkeling, she stayed on the boat. My sister and I hated that she was so self-conscious that she could never enjoy spending time with us in the water.

When my daughter was 3, my parents went with us to Sesame Place (a much smaller version of WDW that has the Sesame characters). My mom and I were talking about what we were packing, and I mentioned our bathing suits as the campground had a pool and Sesame Place had a water play area.

My mother immediately started to decline taking hers, saying that she looked like a whale in a bathing suit and she was too embarrassed to wear one. I finally told her how much it bothered my sister and I that she would never do the water activities with us. She was shocked. She had no idea that we missed that time with her. Without another word, she threw her swimsuit in her suitcase.

When we got to the campground, she put it on and went in the pool without comment. She had lots of fun playing with her granddaughter, and I know that my DD has many happy memories of that trip and the others we've taken since then.

So, the point of this long story...

Don't worry about what others think of your bathing suit body. You are there to have fun! So have fun! Go in the pools, ride the Aquaduck, spend time with your family! EVERYONE is self-conscious about their body in a swimsuit- even the girls in a size six bikini.

Wendy

 

[FanOfFigment]

I just wanted to comment to the number of people who mentioned bathing suits and being uncomfortable around the pool area.

My parents, my sister, and I took a family vacation every year. As you can see from my signature, it was usually to Florida and WDW!

My mother is the most wonderful woman in the world. She really is. But she was always self-conscious about how she looked in a bathing suit. She was very petite- a little over 5 foot and around a size 16- sometimes up from that size, sometimes down. She would NEVER go in the pool with my sister and I. If she did wear a bathing suit, she kept her cover-up on and stayed on the edge of the pool reading. Sometimes she wouldn't even put the bathing suit on.

It's not at all that she didn't want to be included in family events- she would ride all the rides at Disney with us, go on every tour, take us shopping, etc. But if it involved putting on a bathing suit, forget it. The times that we went snorkeling, she stayed on the boat. My sister and I hated that she was so self-conscious that she could never enjoy spending time with us in the water.

When my daughter was 3, my parents went with us to Sesame Place (a much smaller version of WDW that has the Sesame characters). My mom and I were talking about what we were packing, and I mentioned our bathing suits as the campground had a pool and Sesame Place had a water play area.

My mother immediately started to decline taking hers, saying that she looked like a whale in a bathing suit and she was too embarrassed to wear one. I finally told her how much it bothered my sister and I that she would never do the water activities with us. She was shocked. She had no idea that we missed that time with her. Without another word, she threw her swimsuit in her suitcase.

When we got to the campground, she put it on and went in the pool without comment. She had lots of fun playing with her granddaughter, and I know that my DD has many happy memories of that trip and the others we've taken since then.

So, the point of this long story...

Don't worry about what others think of your bathing suit body. You are there to have fun! So have fun! Go in the pools, ride the Aquaduck, spend time with your family! EVERYONE is self-conscious about their body in a swimsuit- even the girls in a size six bikini.

Wendy

I honestly never thought about it that way before. Thanks for posting it!

 

[Ready to go]

I just wanted to comment to the number of people who mentioned bathing suits and being uncomfortable around the pool area.

My parents, my sister, and I took a family vacation every year. As you can see from my signature, it was usually to Florida and WDW!

My mother is the most wonderful woman in the world. She really is. But she was always self-conscious about how she looked in a bathing suit. She was very petite- a little over 5 foot and around a size 16- sometimes up from that size, sometimes down. She would NEVER go in the pool with my sister and I. If she did wear a bathing suit, she kept her cover-up on and stayed on the edge of the pool reading. Sometimes she wouldn't even put the bathing suit on.

It's not at all that she didn't want to be included in family events- she would ride all the rides at Disney with us, go on every tour, take us shopping, etc. But if it involved putting on a bathing suit, forget it. The times that we went snorkeling, she stayed on the boat. My sister and I hated that she was so self-conscious that she could never enjoy spending time with us in the water.

When my daughter was 3, my parents went with us to Sesame Place (a much smaller version of WDW that has the Sesame characters). My mom and I were talking about what we were packing, and I mentioned our bathing suits as the campground had a pool and Sesame Place had a water play area.

My mother immediately started to decline taking hers, saying that she looked like a whale in a bathing suit and she was too embarrassed to wear one. I finally told her how much it bothered my sister and I that she would never do the water activities with us. She was shocked. She had no idea that we missed that time with her. Without another word, she threw her swimsuit in her suitcase.

When we got to the campground, she put it on and went in the pool without comment. She had lots of fun playing with her granddaughter, and I know that my DD has many happy memories of that trip and the others we've taken since then.

So, the point of this long story...

Don't worry about what others think of your bathing suit body. You are there to have fun! So have fun! Go in the pools, ride the Aquaduck, spend time with your family! EVERYONE is self-conscious about their body in a swimsuit- even the girls in a size six bikini.

Wendy

Great Post-Thanks for sharing!

 

[Keurigirl]

EVERYONE is self-conscious about their body in a swimsuit- even the girls in a size six bikini.

Wendy

To piggyback on this - not only is everyone self concious, but everyone is typically so absorbed in what they look like to others that they aren't noticing other people. I've learned pretty much that nobody is happy with their body. It's actually pretty sad.

Who cares what other people think. People who judge only do so to make themselves feel more important or superior - which makes them not so great people anyway. So do whatever you want and have fun!

 

[heyshanny]

Thank you so much for this thread!!! My husband is 6 foot 5 and just over 300#. I am 5 foot 7 and a plus size girl, a little more voluptuous than some of the PP.

Have any of you considered swim shirts/ rash guards? We discovered these and fell in love! I've noticed them becoming more popular. So now I wear a swim skirt (with brief under) and a swim shirt. My husband wears his swim shirt and his standard swim trunks.

They aren't cheap but they are SPF up to 50 and are comfy to wear. Here's the link for where we got my husband's. They carry up to an 8X!!!

http://www.solartex.com/servlet/the-Plus-Sizes/Categories

 

[PrincessSarah314]

I found the seats at Walt Disney Theater unbearable. My DBF felt the same way, and he is an average sized guy. I felt like my hips were being squeezed terribly; he thought they were uncomfortable on his back. The armrests eo not go up.

Since the theater seats were so uncomfortable for us we watched the shows in the comfort of our own stateroom, on channel 23. FYI the final show wasn't broadcast, so we missed that one and they don't broadcast the matinees ever!

I didn't sit in a seat with arms at Enchanted, as they did look small. My DBF did get an armed chair and mentioned they were snug, without my asking him, so I'm assuming I would have had problems fitting. Thankfully, my seat was armless!

I didn't ride AquaDuck, but I'm sure I could have--if it wasn't for the fact that I don't enjoy waterslides!

The seats at the Buena Vista Theater (where we saw Brave premier) were super comfy. They recline quite a bit, so nice on the back, and were much bigger than the other theater's chairs. I think the armrests here may have been the kind you can put up too, but not sure.

Ate at Palo for brunch. We had a booth, so I had to do the whole scooting thing. I hate that, especially in a dress! But the food was quite tasty, so I didn't mind too much.

I can't think of anything else worth noting. Lots of plus sized people on the ship, swimming, eating, and generally having fun. You can message me if you have more questions. For the record, I'm a size 26 and VERY bottom heavy.

 

[jdb in AZ]

I found the seats at Walt Disney Theater unbearable. My DBF felt the same way, and he is an average sized guy. I felt like my hips were being squeezed terribly; he thought they were uncomfortable on his back. The armrests eo not go up.

The seats at the Buena Vista Theater (where we saw Brave premier) were super comfy. They recline quite a bit, so nice on the back, and were much bigger than the other theater's chairs. I think the armrests here may have been the kind you can put up too, but not sure. Ate at Palo for brunch. We had a booth, so I had to do the whole scooting thing. I hate that, especially in a dress! But the food was quite tasty, so I didn't mind too much.

I can't think of anything else worth noting. Lots of plus sized people on the ship, swimming, eating, and generally having fun. You can message me if you have more questions. For the record, I'm a size 26 and VERY bottom heavy.

On the Wonder and the Magic, the Buena Vista Theatre seats have zippo leg room, and don't recline. I sat on the folding chairs in the back; not because of the width of the seats, but because my knees don't enjoy ramming into the row in front of me. I'm not particularly tall; just long-legged. Sounds like the Dream/Fantasy seats are a lot more comfortable.

 

[BruceyToo]

What about the port excursions? I see a lot of activities (snorkeling, for example) have a 250 maximum weight limit. How firm are they with that number? Will anyone be breaking out a scale?

 

[Dramatic Muffin]

we are flying from australia to orlando in november just to cruise on the fantasy, so these tips are a huge plus and have put my mind at rest.

i was in a spa in vegas and had confirmation from the manager that their robes went up to a 5x. when i went into the spa, they told me they had a one size fits all robe and no larger sizes, so i had to go fully clothed around the spa. talk about sticking out!! since then, i always bring my own robe to the spa, but thank you for the confirmation that it is needed.

i was planning on doing a spa day including the rainforest room, but was unsure of dress code. is it a communal area, or can u just wear your robe like in other private spas.

thank you also for the tip re: seats with arms. i'm not huge, but i am wide at the hips and depending on placement/height of the arm will depend on whether the experience is comfortable or excrutiating, especially if sitting for long periods.

also, i have heard that on the fantasy, several of the rows of chairs in the theatre have removable/liftable arms to create 'couples seats'.. do you have any experience or knowledge of this?

we are also interested in riding the aquaduck but wondering what kind of tolerance other cruisers have for those of us who are pooh sized? do you get filthy looks from others for daring to be out without a muu muu? i am around a 22/24 but have experienced some size-ist comments and slurs before and really don't want my vacation ruined by it

I'm a 22 and I had a great time on the AquaDuck. I was not very graceful getting on or off my tube, LOL, but no other issues.

 

[TxT365]

I will be watching this thread til our cruise in Dec 2016. While I hope to lose at least a little weight between now and then, I don't think it will ever be enough to qualify me out of this group so the thread will be important.

 

[Starwind]

We sailed on the Fantasy in November and purchased the rainforest room pass. I used its showers once, but what I really enjoyed and did at least once a day was relaxing on the heated loungers.

I asked at the front desk if it was ok if I wore clothes (cotton pants and a tshirt) on the chairs if the chairs were the onnly thing i wanted to do for a given time in the rainforest room. they said that was fine, and that is what I did most of the rest of my visits -- changing into and out of a swim suit was just annoying and time consuming. I put a towel under me and often one over me (it makes you sooooo warm and cozy, but also more likely to fall asleep, so have to be careful ).

SW

 

[miztressuz]

What about the port excursions? I see a lot of activities (snorkeling, for example) have a 250 maximum weight limit. How firm are they with that number? Will anyone be breaking out a scale?

I haven't had anyone break out the scales, but I'm guessing if you're wildly over the weight the tour operator might decline. Probably depends on the equipment being used or space available. If you can figure out who the tour operator is I'd probably call/email to see what's up with the restriction and maybe you can work around it.

I've noticed the same thing recently for many snorkeling excursions. There are weight limits for boats so I'm assuming they're figuring out head count. You don't want to offer 40 seats assuming averaged sized people and the tour turns out to have 30 above average - now the boat's over the max weigh limit and someone's going to be mad. Or the swim ladders, platforms, etc are designed for a max weight. If you let someone over the weight use that equipment and it breaks then it's a liability thing. And for that reason some people have surmised it's an insurance thing. (cuz it's only been the last year or two I've been seeing weight restrictions on the snorkeling)

If yer close to the weight I don't think it'd be a problem - I don't think folks who had a hearty breakfast and now tip the scales at 251 are getting turned away. But if yer closer to the 300 end than the 250 you'll probably want to do some research in advance.