Hi all,
I have been lurking on this thread for sometime, and read every single post before travelling to Orlando two weeks ago. I just arrived back in the UK this morning, and I wanted to share my experiences of Disney and Universal.
For info, I am 32, roughly 375 lbs and 5' 8 '', wearing a UK 26 on top and 28/30 on the bottom. This was my first trip to Orlando.
These are the rides I went on with little or no issues:
Magic Kingdom:
Jungle Cruise
Aladdin's Magic Carpet (we sat one per row. Seatbelt was fine)
Pirates of the Caribbean
Big Thunder Mountain
Splash Mountain
Hall of Presidents
Haunted Mansion
Tea Cups (tight fit to my belly, but rode it a few times!)
Mickey's Philarmagic
Barnstormer (one to a row)
Dumbo (one to a row)
Buzz Lightyear
Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
Prince Charming Regal Carousel (needed my husbands help to mount/dismount the horse!)
Space Mountain
Stitch's Great Escape
Under the Sea
Magic Kingdom Railroad
Carousel of Progress
I did not ride Speedway, Small World or Astro Orbiter as we just did not have enough time to do everything, despite spending two 12+ hour days at the park!
Animal Kingdom
Kilimanjaro Safari
Kali River Rapids (seatbelt was super-hard to get done up, but I did it. Had to sit as a single due to lack of room for two)
It's Tough to be a Bug
Primeval Whirl
TriceraTop Spin (we were given a larger dino so we could sit together. Plenty of room in the seat belt)
Lion King
I had the all clear in the test seat for Expedition Everest, but as the husband would not ride with me, I chickened out and didn't do it. Maybe next time!
Hollywood Studios
The Great Movie Ride
Tower of Terror (tight fit in the seat, but seat belt was more than long enough)
Star Tours (tight fit in the seat, but seat belt was more than long enough)
Backlot Tours
Muppet Vision 3D
Legend of Jack Sparrow
I did not ride Rock 'n' Roller coaster due to feeling unwell when our fastpass was due, and the wait time for Toy Story was always 70 minutes plus, so we skipped it.
Epcot
Circle of Life
Gran Fiesta Tour
Living with the Land
Maelstrom
Mission Space (mild version)
The Seas with Nemo and Friends
Soarin' (asked for an outside seat. Seatbelt was fine)
Turtle Talk with Crush
We skipped Test Track, Spaceship Earth, Ellen's Energy Adventure and Captain EO due to lack of time and/or interest.
Universal Studios
Minion Mayhem
Shrek 4D
Men in Black
Simpson's Ride
Transformers (amazing ride!)
Twister
Disaster
Terminator
ET
Revenge of the Mummy - the test seat outside was not clear if I could ride, so the staff member told me to ask for row 4. The first seat I chose did not work out, so I was (politely) asked to move to the outside seat. Bingo! it fit (just) and I could ride!
Minion Mayhem was the very first ride of the trip. There was an issue getting the shared lap bar to fit with me in the row, but the staff did not make an issue and made it work. I felt awful as it was the first ride and all I could think was that they would all be tight or not fit and our holiday would be ruined. Thankfully, after a little sulking, I decided just to get on with it and go for it with the rest. If I didn't fit, then I would just move on.
Island of Adventure
To start, I could not ride Forbidden Journey. I knew that it was likely that I would not be able to ride, but I did the test seat, and it was no where near yellow/green. Of course I was a little disappointed, but the Castle tour is pretty special. I also could not ride Duelling Dragons, but I was less interested in this ride.
Flight of the Hippogriff (one to a row)
Spider-Man
Storm Force
Jurassic Park River Adventure
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
Poseidon's Fury
Seuss Trolley Train Ride
Caro-Seuss-el
The Cat in the Hat
We also went to SeaWorld, but didn't do any of the rides. I went there to see the dolphins/fish/whales not for the rides!
If I was at all worried about the kind of restraint on a ride or even fitting, I just asked a staff member. I figured that I could just ask and get on with it rather than worry about it. Everyone I spoke to was understanding and reassuring and gave me advice on where to sit. Disney was more accommodating than Universal, but I think that is due to the type of rides they have. There were a few rides I wasn't even interested in riding as I am not keen on rides with inversions.
We flew with
Virgin Atlantic. I did not need to buy an additional seat, but I did need an extender. To ensure that our flight was as easy as possible for us and other passengers, we pre-booked two seats near the back of the plane and took advantage of the priority boarding for passengers who need more time. I had a bit of an issue with the table but I made it work. Flight staff on both legs were very helpful and accommodating.
To help with the long days, walking etc. I used Lanacane anti-chafing gel and lots and lots of baby powder pretty much everywhere. I alternated my shoes everyday, but the best ones I had were a pair of Skechers Go Walks. I cannot recommend them enough. My bag of choice was a Kipling cross body bag. Semi water-proof with a reasonably long strap and plenty of room.
I didn't buy any t-shirts (I'm not a t-shirt girl), but I did buy a XXL zip hoody with the Hogwarts emblem on the front from Dervish and Banges, and a rather wonderful Minnie Mouse dress from the
Disney Store in DTD. It is only XXL, but fits like a dream!!
I hope that my lengthy post may help some others feeling a little worried about their trip! My biggest tip is not to worry and enjoy your trip. Try the rides and ask questions. If I thought a turnstile would be an issue, I just asked to use the alternative entrance. There were a few less than dignified moments climbing in and out of rides (Space Mountain!!), but I was having such a good time that I forgot to care. I am already planning the next one!
R x