Yay, you’ve just booked a trip to Disney! A dream vacation sure to bring happiness and magical memories. Disney is known for being plus sized friendly. After all, they want all their guests to feel welcomed. Wondering how to navigate being plus size at Disney World? Look no further! Preparing for your Disney vacation is important, even more-so if you're pooh sized.
The good news is that Walt Disney World is significantly more accommodating than the likes of Universal Studios or SeaWorld. You will be able to enjoy most rides and theme park attractions without worrying about your size.
Parking Lot Trams and Turnstiles
The parking lot trams at Disney are quick and convenient as they take guests from the parking lot to the park entrances. Please note, trams are only at Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. These trams have bench seating, which is great as a plus-sized person, especially ahead of all the walking around the park.
Once you’re off the tram and at the park entrance, it’s likely you’re going to encounter a turnstile, which can be scary for plus size guests. Luckily, you’ll only encounter a few of these during your Disney day. If you feel it will be a tight fit you can stand sideways while walking through or you can ask to go through the gate for strollers, wheelchairs, and ECVs. Remember that millions of people visit Disney World, with many different body types and sizes.
Wheelchair Accessibility and How to Get Wheelchairs and Scooters at Disney World
Disney does a great job when it comes to accessibility options that help fit the needs of its park guests. You’ll find that many rides and attractions are wheelchair accessible. There is also accessible transportation throughout Disney’s parks. It’s buses, boats, and monorails do accommodate wheelchairs and scooters. Feel free to bring your wheelchair or ECV to have throughout your stay at Disney.
If you don’t have a wheelchair or scooter but you would like one you can get a rental via Guest Services. It can make your Disney experience a lot more comfortable as a day at the park can involve walking long distances.
A note on weight limits: Disney’s wheelchairs have a weight limit of 350 pounds. Disney’s ECVs have a weight limit of 450 pounds. Besides guest services, you can rent wheelchairs, ECVs, and strollers from retailers close to the Disney resort.
Plus Sized Disney Outfits
While costumes can’t be worn by anyone over the age of 14 at Disney parks, adults can pull together a Disney outfit. Pick a character you want your outfit to resemble and pick clothing that makes you feel comfortable and confident. On a side note, besides costumes you can’t wear clothing that drags on the ground and no masks are allowed. Be careful with the clothing choices you select because Disney has the right to deny admission or remove any person wearing clothes they deem inappropriate from their parks.
Try to wear clothing that is breathable and doesn’t restrict movement as you’ll be doing a lot of walking. When it comes to picking out clothes, try to opt for clothes that have soft fabric. Pick comfortable shoes that you’d feel be able to walk around and stand in in for hours. Make sure the shoes you choose offer support and cushion. I recommend wearing sneakers. You can also choose to bring a second pair of shoes to give your feet some relief for the second half of your day.
Disney Packing Essentials for Plus-size Guests
It’s a great idea if you or someone in your group brings a backpack. This can make the trip more stress free. Here’s what I recommend you pack:
- A refillable water bottle
- Snacks
- Spare clothes
- Sunscreen
- Deodorant
- Anti-chafe stick
- Band-Aids
- Handheld fan
- Necessary medication
- Tissues or wipes
Avoid Chafing at Walt Disney World
Chafing is when your skin rubs against clothing or more skin repeatedly, causing the skin to become irritated and uncomfortable. This is something all theme park visitors experience no matter their size or body type, but plus larger guests can experience it more.
Here’s how you can avoid it. First make sure to wear comfortable, breathable clothing that isn’t too tight. Before you start walking around the park, consider applying an anti-chafing balm to areas that are prone to chafing like under your arms and between your thighs.
Restaurant Seating
As you make your way through Disney World, you’ll find that many chairs at restaurants don’t have arms, so you will be able to fit comfortably. If at any time you can’t locate an armless chair, ask a staff member to bring you one.
One thing to note, when it comes to the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant located in Disney's Hollywood Studios, the seating isn’t very plus sized friendly because the table in front of you isn’t adjustable.
Disney World Rides
There are so many rides at Walt Disney World, and you probably want to try them all, but unfortunately they aren't all the same size. Some ride vehicles are smaller, and lap bars can be very restrictive. Thankfully, unlikely height requirements, Disney doesn’t have weight requirements. That said, there are some Disney rides that are suitable for larger guests, and some that aren't. Before I go into the more plus size friendly rides at all the parks here’s a note about test seats.
There are several rides that are not as plus size-friendly that have a test seat that you can try before you get in line. If you don’t see a test seat, you can ask staff for assistance. If for any reason there isn’t a test seat, ask staff and see if they can help you know for sure that you’ll fit before getting in a long line. There are some rides you won’t have a problem with, but some rides need a little extra explanation of their seating, so I put those near the end of my lists.
Magic Kingdom Rides That Are Plus-size Friendly
- Adventureland
- Jungle Cruise
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- Dumbo
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid
- Space Mountain: The single seats are pretty low so they may be hard to get into and out of if you have knee problems. There is a lot of leg room though!
- Big Thunder Mountain: Bench seating for two people. It does have a lap bar, but it adjusts to your size. Decent legroom. Bench seating is nice because you can go alone, with a smaller adult, or with a child.
- Mad Tea Party: Besides having a small door to get through, this ride is good for plus sized people.
- Tomorrowland Speedway: The vehicle car is small but it has a bench seat that has a seat belt that holds two guests. You can ride this alone if you want.
- TRON: The bike seating for this new ride is a tight fit for many plus sized riders. They do have accessible seats available and those are a better fit.
Some show and experience recommendations
Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, Mickey’s PhilharMagic, the Tiki Room, Country Bear Jamboree, Let the Magic Begin (if applicable), The Hall of Presidents, and The Dapper Dans.
Hollywood Studios Rides That Are Plus-size Friendly
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Toy Story Mania
- Star Tours
- Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster: Can be a little tight for some plus sized guests. The main problem I would associate with this ride is if you’re tall, you might have an issue with the seating.
- Millennium Falcon Smuggler’s Run: This ride does have single seats, but the seatbelts are a good length, there’s no armrests, and there is good leg room.
Some show and experience recommendations
Beauty & the Beast – Live on Stage, For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!, and Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy.
EPCOT Rides That Are Plus-size Friendly
- Spaceship Earth
- Frozen Ever After
- Living with the Land
- Gran Fiesta Tour
- Soarin’
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind – This ride can be okay for some plus sized guests, but I have found it depends where you hold your weight. Guests with larger stomachs may have a problem.
- Test Track: This ride does load people quickly, so if you need someone to help you with the seat belt, make sure to ask someone. This ride does have a test seat available before you enter the ride building.
Some show and experience recommendations
Canada: Far and Wide, Reflections of China, and The American Adventure.
Animal Kingdom Rides That Are Plus-Size Friendly
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Dinosaur
- Na’vi River Journey
- Wildlife Express Train
- Expedition Everest: This ride does have a lap bar, but I didn’t have any problems. They do offer a test seat outside of the ride.
- Kali River Rapids: I didn’t have a problem riding this ride, but I wanted to note that the seat belts aren’t long, and they don’t offer seatbelt extenders for this ride.
Some show and experience recommendations
Feathered Friends in Flight, Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo, Maharajah Jungle Trek, and Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail.
In summary, there are many rides plus sized guests can enjoy! If you have concerns about any of the rides, be sure to talk them over with staff or cast members. They’ll be happy to help!
