Rides fluffy friendly?

[SandJ77449]

Are the rides at DL just as fluffy friendly as WDW?
DH and I are thinking about going there for the first time this year.

 

[DahliaRW]

If by fluffy friendly you mean slow, fun, and not too scary, yes, there are plenty of those.

 

[toocherie]

I think he/she means friendly for the plus-size? And the answer is yes-for the most part. There may be some wriggling (especially on some of the older rides in Fantasyland and in some turnstiles) and depending on body make-up (like large chest) some of the harness type rides may be difficult--but for the most part the rides are "fluffy-friendly"

 

[SandJ77449]

It is great to know the rides are fun, slow and not so scary for our little one! But, yes I was asking about the plus-sized factor. Thanks for both replies... very much helped on our decision.

We are DVC members too at SSR. This will be the first time we don't go to WDW... and I'm a little nervous about it. We love the customer service for adults and of course children are always given the special treatment. Our little one has special needs, so the baby stations really help us!

Which resort would you suggest that would make us feel "at home"?

Thanks again guys,
Jenny

 

[Lynzer Torte]

Do a search for "Pooh sized" and you might find some more tips.

 

[fairycat]

My sister is tall (almost 6ft) and pooh sized (the Disney version of Fluffy ) and over all she has had very little issue with rides. There was one seat in the Space Mountain ride that she couldn't ride, but they switched her to a different seat and no problem (they blamed the seat and were very polite). The strange part is that it only happened the one time, but she always rides that ride.

I am happy they changed the seats on Mulholund Madness, they were tough for almost every adult to sit in, but with the new set up my sister and I were just fine even riding together.

Overall you will find that Disney is very friendly on this situation and though on some Fantastyland rides you and DH might want your own seat, my sister has never had an issue.

 

[toocherie]

It is great to know the rides are fun, slow and not so scary for our little one! But, yes I was asking about the plus-sized factor. Thanks for both replies... very much helped on our decision.

We are DVC members too at SSR. This will be the first time we don't go to WDW... and I'm a little nervous about it. We love the customer service for adults and of course children are always given the special treatment. Our little one has special needs, so the baby stations really help us!

Which resort would you suggest that would make us feel "at home"?

Thanks again guys,
Jenny

Jenny=--DL is very different from WDW. Not 'resorts' like in Florida--mostly just hotels with pools. If you can afford it, the Grand Cal is on par with the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian from what I understand (having never been to either GF or Poly). The Disneyland Hotel is beloved by many as the "classic" hotel with many Disney touches. Personally, for the price I prefer the Paradise Pier Hotel--rooms are a bit bigger. It's really just a matter of preference. All three are walkable to the two parks--there isn't a bus system or anything like that to contend with. The Grand Cal is the closest; I think the DLH and the PPH are probably equidistant. With all three you can get access one hour early to DL on certain mornings. Otherwise, there are many "Good Neighbor" hotels across the street from Disneyland on Harbor which offer good value and basic accommodations. Read the stickys above and they will tell you much more and I'd be happy to answer any further questions you may have.

 

[bumbershoot]

The only ride my husband hasn't been able to ride yet is the Maliboomer. He has a very broad back with lots of padding, and he has a belly. The restraint is a shoulder restraint like on California Screamin' (which he can ride just fine), but then they need to clip a tether between the bottom of that restraint and on the seat, and they just can't get the two to meet. He's tried twice, and they have always been very kind and respectful, but he can't ride.

That said, that was when he was over 300. He's now under that, and I'm certain he could have fit last trip, but he just didn't want to try.


Other rides aren't always comfy for him, but he CAN ride them, like Astro Orbiters if he has DS with him.

And I think the best thing about Disney is that if you tell them that you want to sit separately for whatever reason, they just do it. For comfort's sake we ride "2 and 1" on many rides, instead of sitting 3 across, and they have absolutely no problem with it.

 

[Disney Dreams]

...This will be the first time we don't go to WDW... and I'm a little nervous about it. We love the customer service for adults and of course children are always given the special treatment....

Don't forget, DL is the original. The Guest Service you experience at WDW is Disney - and it is at DLR too.

Which resort would you suggest that would make us feel "at home"?

As Toocherie mention above, there are not separate resorts at DLR like there are at DLR. Think on a smaller scale (note: smaller does NOT mean less fun, exciting, enjoyable). If you are WDW regulars, I would HIGHLY suggest you read HydroGuy's (a fellow DIS member) Guide to DLR for WDW Vets. His reverse guide really helped us for our first trip to WDW in 12 years. He does a good job at helping you learn about DL in terms of WDW, since that is what you are familiar with already. It's a lot to read, but you will understand DLR better when done. Then, post here again if you have more questions.

- Dreams

P.S. Curious, if you don't mind sharing... Why no WDW this year?

 

[SandJ77449]

"Pooh Friendly" got it! Thanks for the suggestion.

Thanks for the DL vs WDW comments... sounds like I need to do more research before asking more questions.

We listen to the dis-unplugged and they say nice things about DL. DH thinks we need to try out the Food and Wine festival as most say it is better. I think DH is ready for something different, as we've been to WDW annually, sometimes twice for eight years now. We were planning a trip to SSR in April then again at the Treehouse Villas in Dec. So... now thinking it might be a good idea to break that up and go to DL in April instead. I don't know if we can even afford to do two trips this year... might need to just wait and see what happens.

Thank you for all the ride specs, I am sure they will come in handy sooner or later!!

~Jen

 

[fairycat]

"Pooh Friendly" got it! Thanks for the suggestion.

Thanks for the DL vs WDW comments... sounds like I need to do more research before asking more questions.

We listen to the dis-unplugged and they say nice things about DL. DH thinks we need to try out the Food and Wine festival as most say it is better. I think DH is ready for something different, as we've been to WDW annually, sometimes twice for eight years now. We were planning a trip to SSR in April then again at the Treehouse Villas in Dec. So... now thinking it might be a good idea to break that up and go to DL in April instead. I don't know if we can even afford to do two trips this year... might need to just wait and see what happens.

Thank you for all the ride specs, I am sure they will come in handy sooner or later!!

~Jen

Having have done both food and wine festivals and I would say they are different.

We only did one day at Epcot for F&W so we didn't even bother with the free seminars, but did hit almost every international booth. Which was fun.

While there isn't as much purchasing food opportunities as Epcot, the classes were much easier to get into and VERY frequent. I went the Thursday afternoon before the last Girl's trip and that Friday morning before meeting up with everyone and got into a lot of classes!!

I did three wine classes, one were the wines retail in the $80 and above range , an amazing tequilla class (I learned a lot!), and two food classes. Overall it was a huge treat and a lot of fun, I plan on going again this year, though I have to stick to Food only this year, thanks to the bun

They also offer a lot of Chef's dinners and events with some celebirty chefs and chefs from the resort restaurants. A nice event for a fun splurge.

I think you will have a lot of fun for the F&W festival and at DLR!!

 

[SandJ77449]

Sounds like you had a great time!

We went to the F&W at WDW and didn't enjoy it too much. The weather was bad, hot and wet. Who wants to drink wine in weather like that?!

I am currently reading "DLR Guide for WDW Vets"... it is teaching me a lot about less transportation and more park time. I won't know how to manage without a bus or boat!! Actually it sounds wonderful.

P.S. I meant "Pooh Sized" in the last post... sorry bout that.

 

[Krissy Marissy]

Will you be staying on points? The good thing about going the last week of april and I think beginning of may, didn't check, is that it's not peak season so you wont have to use too many points per night. I dont have my book in front of me with the charts for DLR but we're staying at GCH the last week of april on points...it's not a great value per point but better than paying cash. Also check airfare into all of the local airports as sometimes one is much cheaper than the other! Enjoy your trip!

 

[Disney Dreams]

... I am currently reading "DLR Guide for WDW Vets"... it is teaching me a lot about less transportation and more park time. I won't know how to manage without a bus or boat!! Actually it sounds wonderful...

hehe, yep, no "Take this bus to that boat and then walk to the gate." Once you are at DLR, you are there. The walk from the main gate of DL to the main gate of DCA is MAYBE 3 minutes. DtD is less than 5 from either.

Once you get your mindset in the DL framework, you will have completely different questions.

- Dreams

 

[SandJ77449]

Yes, we are staying on points as well. I know it would be cheaper to stay in a near by hotel, but like you said we don't really pay out of pocket for points... so it's worth it. Thanks for mentioning the local airports... I will check that out. We were planning on driving to WDW this year for the first time. We thought it would save a lot of money vs. flying. So, that part of DL will cost us more... the drive would be way too long.

I finished the Guide for WDW Vets... great info, thanks for the suggestion!! It answered all the questions I didn't know I needed to ask. Now that I know the castle is smaller and is not a landmark for the park.. it wont be such a let down when we're there. I am glad I read on down the page about value season vs summer when it's more crowed and all shows and rides are working. If we go the last week in April... is it still important to stay on the weekend to catch all shows? Or, will we be okay just staying Mon-Thurs?

It seems I have gotten way off my original question! So sorry for the jump. Now that I know a little more about what to expect it will be easier to find my answers in previous posts!

 

[DahliaRW]

I think he/she means friendly for the plus-size? And the answer is yes-for the most part. There may be some wriggling (especially on some of the older rides in Fantasyland and in some turnstiles) and depending on body make-up (like large chest) some of the harness type rides may be difficult--but for the most part the rides are "fluffy-friendly"

LOL! Gotcha! For the life of me I couldn't figure out what "fluffy" meant!

 

[Krissy Marissy]

Yes, we are staying on points as well. I know it would be cheaper to stay in a near by hotel, but like you said we don't really pay out of pocket for points... so it's worth it. Thanks for mentioning the local airports... I will check that out. We were planning on driving to WDW this year for the first time. We thought it would save a lot of money vs. flying. So, that part of DL will cost us more... the drive would be way too long.

I finished the Guide for WDW Vets... great info, thanks for the suggestion!! It answered all the questions I didn't know I needed to ask. Now that I know the castle is smaller and is not a landmark for the park.. it wont be such a let down when we're there. I am glad I read on down the page about value season vs summer when it's more crowed and all shows and rides are working. If we go the last week in April... is it still important to stay on the weekend to catch all shows? Or, will we be okay just staying Mon-Thurs?

It seems I have gotten way off my original question! So sorry for the jump. Now that I know a little more about what to expect it will be easier to find my answers in previous posts!

We are staying the weekend thru wednesday but we made sure to have a weekend night so that we can see the fireworks. If you like them at WDW you will LOVE the fireworks they have at DLR. For me it's a huge not to miss! Also Fantasmic here at DLR is amazing and that will only be on the weekend as well. I believe points for sunday night are still the same price as mon-thurs so look into that! Perhaps you can tack on an extra night if you do the disneyland hotel or paradise pier. As a DVC member you are used to a certain level of comfort for your stay so I would suggest Grand Californian Hotel if you can swing it but if you need those points for your other trip then look at the Disneyland Hotel.

 

[toocherie]

LOL! Gotcha! For the life of me I couldn't figure out what "fluffy" meant!

actually, I gave up years ago and just call myself "fat"--it's easier

 

[Stacerita]

actually, I gave up years ago and just call myself "fat"--it's easier

We say "healthy" in our family. As in, we are all "healthy" women.

 

[SandJ77449]

Now that we know there's a lot more to do in the area... we may end up staying through both weekends. We have some banked points to use up as well... so there might be enough to cover the Grand Californiain Hotel. Thanks for the suggestions!