Rides for Pooh/Fairy Godmother size

[MickeyMinnieMelanie]

I'm so excited to be going to DL next week. This will be our last family vacation before my daughter gets married and we have done everything disney together (WDW and DCL).
So, I am 5'5'' and ~280 with most of my weight being in abd, hips, and bottom. I don't have any issues with any of the rides at WDW. What should I avoid at DL and DCA? I don't like to try rides if I'm not sure if I can fit because I don't want to embarrass my family.
Roller Coaster at DCA?
Submarine at DL?
Anything else?

Thanks in advance,
Melanie

 

[tlovesdis]

Disneylabd is very size friendly! I am shorter and bigger than you and I ride pretty much everything (except the swings, goofy sky school and the rockets). Some of the kiddie rides may be a tiny bit of a squeeze but nothing to keep you from going on them! I have short legs so I actually fit comfortably on the coasters with lap bars!!

If you have specific questions or need help with anything else, please let me know!!!

 

[pindecisive]

I agree with the kid rides. Autotopia was a bit difficult to get in and out of and the Alice turnstiles were build only for children it seems. I noticed our clam shell at Ariel's didn't lock right - when the BF put a little bit of weight on it it clinked down farther and made for a bit of an uncomfortable ride.

 

[roflclaw]

I'm shorter and larger than you and my only issues are the turnstiles in Fantasyland and the train turnstile at New Orleans. I carry a lot around my tummy and booty so they're always a tight squeez for me.

 

[MickeyMinnieMelanie]

Thank you. You all are so sweet and reassuring. I won't be riding any of the kiddie rides as my girls are 16 and 19. They do want to ride the submarine and roller coaster. So you think I'll be ok on that? What about the matterhorn?
Thanks,
Melanie

 

[T0rrent]

My wife is about your size and i'm 6'3 245 and we haven't had any issues. We ride everything from the kiddie rides to screamin' and ToT. The only difficult one is Goofy's flight school, but in all honesty, that's a tight squeeze for anyone above 5'2" 115 lbs lol.

 

[riostoker]

The swings at DCA were uncomfortably tight for me. I fit, but just barely. I would avoid those.

Submarine isn't a problem. The seats fold down basically into a long bench. If you are nervous about it, I bet you could ask a CM if you could take up 2 seats, and they would just load one less person into the submarine. You aren't in danger of not being able to squish into a seat, but you just might squish your neighbors a bit. If your girls don't mind being squished, then no problem!

Matterhorn was fine for me.

 

[millie0312]

Thank you. You all are so sweet and reassuring. I won't be riding any of the kiddie rides as my girls are 16 and 19. They do want to ride the submarine and roller coaster. So you think I'll be ok on that? What about the matterhorn?
Thanks,
Melanie

I just wanted to add the turnstiles at FL are tight for everyone (I weigh less but I could barely it through some), so maybe if they feel too tight ask to go through the wheelchair access? The submarine also has a room you can go into if you feel its too tight and its almost the same experience. Just let the CM know in the line that you want the alternative experience room and they will let you do that instead- its also good if you don't like small areas. I think you should be ok on most of the coasters including Matterhorn but maybe someone else can give you better advice as I went last year with my 3 month old so I got shorted on some of the rides as I was with him. Just one more thing- do NOT feel embarrassed for anything that happens (fitting into rides or what not) while you are there- I am not there to judge anyone fitting into rides, etc and I would hope 99% of the people (there's always that 1%... ) would also be nothing but helpful and comforting and reassuring if you have stuff like that going on. I am there to be happy and have fun and help everyone around me feel the same way not to judge and be mean, etc. The only snide comments I've been known to make (I'm sarcastic by nature LOL) are about rude, mean and inconsiderate people- everyone else is a-ok. I hope you have a great time and ride EVERYTHING you and the kids want too

 

[joyfulDisneytears]

The only one I've had an issue with beyond being slightly uncomfortable was the swings at DCA. I have wide hips and they cut in something fierce.

The Matterhorn and Astro Orbitor are something of a pain to get out of but that is compounded by the fact that I am usually in skirts/dresses.

 

[Kyjin]

I find the seatbelts on Mater's Junkyard Jamboree are a little snug if you're bigger and riding it with another person, but that's one you can easily ride alone and your girls in their own car with no fuss. Otherwise, the only one I'd be wary of would be Matterhorn, not because of the seat size, but because it can be hard to get in and out of and is quite bumpy! (I mainly find it uncomfortable because I have very long legs. That said, it's one of my favorite rides in the park.) I think you'll find that the rides at DL are very Pooh-sized friendly, and I hope you enjoy your trip!

 

[lalasmama]

Thank you. You all are so sweet and reassuring. I won't be riding any of the kiddie rides as my girls are 16 and 19. They do want to ride the submarine and roller coaster. So you think I'll be ok on that? What about the matterhorn?
Thanks,
Melanie

The swings at DCA were uncomfortably tight for me. I fit, but just barely. I would avoid those.

Submarine isn't a problem. The seats fold down basically into a long bench. If you are nervous about it, I bet you could ask a CM if you could take up 2 seats, and they would just load one less person into the submarine. You aren't in danger of not being able to squish into a seat, but you just might squish your neighbors a bit. If your girls don't mind being squished, then no problem!

Matterhorn was fine for me.

I'm 5'3" and 200lbs; about a size 20-22 on the bottom. I can ride anything without much of a problem. In fact, I initially felt like Screamin' was a little too loose on the shoulder harness, but that's because I'm smaller on the top (like a size Medium), so the top of any over-the-shoulder restraint always feels a little loose in comparison to my hips/tummy area.

I ask for 2 seats on the submarines, and it's never been an issue, and they have never looked at me "wrong" about it. They say, "No problem!" and just load one less person. When I'm sitting down, I don't sit next to the person in front of me when we're loading. I save that seat for when everyone else has sat down, then I scoot between the two. It's a tight squeeze no matter what, and using 2 seats is the only way I can handle the ride and the closeness. (Bonus point of having 2 seats--if one neighbor is especially unpleasantly fragrant, you can scoot away from them just a little more

The only one I've had an issue with beyond being slightly uncomfortable was the swings at DCA. I have wide hips and they cut in something fierce.

The Matterhorn and Astro Orbitor are something of a pain to get out of but that is compounded by the fact that I am usually in skirts/dresses.

My BFF is a size or two larger than me on the bottom half of things; she has a hard time with the swings too. My size-22 rump is about as big as I would be comfortable riding... I don't have to "squeeze" in yet, but I'm definitely snugly in the seat.

Astro-Orbitor and Matterhorn are both low, which makes them hard to get out of. I kind of roll onto one hip to get out of Astro, and I walk my back up the seat in Matterhorn. (I love when DH goes with me to DL, because we will single-rider-line on Matterhorn, and he will go first, so he can wait and help me out of the ride car a little more gracefully!)

 

[MickeyMinnieMelanie]

Thank you You all are AWESOME. I am going to avoid the swings as I don't ride them anymore. I rode them a couple of years ago and got really dizzy. I had turned 40. I probably won't ride the astro orbitor because they have that one at WDW and it's not one of our favorites. Is the matterhorn like getting out of space mountain?

 

[MickeyMinnieMelanie]

I just wanted to add the turnstiles at FL are tight for everyone (I weigh less but I could barely it through some), so maybe if they feel too tight ask to go through the wheelchair access? The submarine also has a room you can go into if you feel its too tight and its almost the same experience. Just let the CM know in the line that you want the alternative experience room and they will let you do that instead- its also good if you don't like small areas. I think you should be ok on most of the coasters including Matterhorn but maybe someone else can give you better advice as I went last year with my 3 month old so I got shorted on some of the rides as I was with him. Just one more thing- do NOT feel embarrassed for anything that happens (fitting into rides or what not) while you are there- I am not there to judge anyone fitting into rides, etc and I would hope 99% of the people (there's always that 1%... ) would also be nothing but helpful and comforting and reassuring if you have stuff like that going on. I am there to be happy and have fun and help everyone around me feel the same way not to judge and be mean, etc. The only snide comments I've been known to make (I'm sarcastic by nature LOL) are about rude, mean and inconsiderate people- everyone else is a-ok. I hope you have a great time and ride EVERYTHING you and the kids want too

Thank you I always feel like I am embarrassing my husband and kids even though they say that I'm not. I feel like they are just being nice. But, you're right. I don't look at other people and think "I wonder if they can fit in that ride" or something else. I guess it's just a self-conscious thing.

 

[SusanMatt]

My husband and I are both in the "Pooh size" category. Besides what everyone else said, I would add that we always ask for our own elephant on Dumbo, or we say, "1," when asked for how many in our party. We would not fit into one Dumbo together.

 

[paintingoncelluloid]

I also wanted to add to the chorus of reassurances -- I was worried the first time I visited the park (5'2, 230 lbs) but was pleasantly surprised that I fit onto every ride I tried. I do have some trouble getting into and out of the Matterhorn (mostly because it's so low, and once my legs are folded in for the ride it can be hard to get back out again), and I agree that the bars on the swings at DCA dug in a little bit. But the other posters are right: pretty much any other ride that might be tight is one that you can request to be the only person in your car, getting yourself two seats. Unless I am sitting with a pretty thin seat-mate, for instance, BTMR feels too tight, but it's easy to request to sit alone. And I have never seen anyone, guest or castmember, look sideways at a person for making that request or needing an extra minute fiddling with a lap bar. And if I did, I would think that THEY were the person who should feel embarrassed! Especially as women, we can feel a lot of pressure about this, but trust me -- there are people of all shapes and sizes at Disneyland and EVERYONE is welcome. (In fact, I live in LA and I feel like this is just one more way that Disneyland can feel like a respite!)

 

[MickeyMinnieMelanie]

I also wanted to add to the chorus of reassurances -- I was worried the first time I visited the park (5'2, 230 lbs) but was pleasantly surprised that I fit onto every ride I tried. I do have some trouble getting into and out of the Matterhorn (mostly because it's so low, and once my legs are folded in for the ride it can be hard to get back out again), and I agree that the bars on the swings at DCA dug in a little bit. But the other posters are right: pretty much any other ride that might be tight is one that you can request to be the only person in your car, getting yourself two seats. Unless I am sitting with a pretty thin seat-mate, for instance, BTMR feels too tight, but it's easy to request to sit alone. And I have never seen anyone, guest or castmember, look sideways at a person for making that request or needing an extra minute fiddling with a lap bar. And if I did, I would think that THEY were the person who should feel embarrassed! Especially as women, we can feel a lot of pressure about this, but trust me -- there are people of all shapes and sizes at Disneyland and EVERYONE is welcome. (In fact, I live in LA and I feel like this is just one more way that Disneyland can feel like a respite!)

Thank you so much. I feel so much better about all of this.