Question reguarding "large" riders.

[gibbage]

My friend is rather large. Around 370-400 pounds and I have been trying to get him into the park for some time. He wont because he is afraid he wont fit on ANY of the rides! The thing is, I OFTEN see people that are as large, or larger then him enjoying the park!!!

Well my friend CAN fit into a movie theater seat (with some "overlap") and from what I can tell, most rides are a big bigger then that.

So, what rides do you think someone his size can fit on? And what cant he fit on?

Also, do ride CM's make allowances for large people? Like seat belt extenders on Indy, and not place people next to them?

Thank you very much for the reply's. I hope the info will get him into the park for some fun.

[Gemini Cricket]

My friend is large (300lbs +) and they accommodated her on Space Mtn by seating her in the back of a car with a lap bar over each leg. She said it was quite comfortable.

Also, if you ride Matterhorn and Big Thunder, just ask for separate cars. They will do that for you. Make sure you do that for Big Thunder, because when I rode it once with my aforementioned friend, the lap bar reached her lap and not mine. I rode the ride basically without a restraint. I held onto the side of the car the whole way. Yikes.

[Morrigoon]

That's a great idea about the one bar per leg thing. I'm big, though not super huge, but those bars can really dig into your knees!

[AllisonWonderland]

Your friend should be able to easily ride IASW, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, many of the Fantasyland dark rides with just a single lap bar (thinking Pinnochio and Snow White + Roger Rabbit and Pooh). Splash Mtn. should be no problem. I think the CMs are pretty accommodating and respectful.
Hope your friend agrees to go and sees how much fun DL can be!

[Max Fischer]

This is a cool thread, thanks for it.

My bro is a big guy too, 6'6 and 330, and I was wondering what he might not be able to fit into as well.

How about INDY?

Also, if someone cannot fit, do they tell you early on in the queue or do you find out as you try and ride the ride? That would be pretty tough to swallow if you tried to get on a ride and were asked to step out.

[Gemini Cricket]

I seem to remember seat belt extenders for Indy. But I'm not sure. Maybe a CM on MC knows the answer for sure. But I'm 98% sure I saw them whip one out for a guest...

I would talk to a CM early on. That way you won't have to wait the whole wait to find out you can't get your brother on...

[dramaqueen]

^ agreed- most of the rides with long queues have CM's outside that you can talk to (Matterhorn, RRCTS, Indy, HM, etc)

[CinderellaPrincess]

I didn't realize how great DL was about discretion until I went to Magic Mtn and saw how awful their employees are to large people, they say it soo loudly so that everyone can hear when someone can't fit in a ride vehicle. I was w/ my ex there about a year ago and one guy had this girl in tears because she couldn't fit on X.

Recently I saw a CM very discretely come over to a larger woman on Star Tours and hand her a seat belt extender. Nobody even knew what was happening. The only reason I saw is because she was only a few seats away from us in our row...

I saw a pretty big guy get into the last seat in the Splash log fume and fit pretty easily as well.

[dlrfanatic]

There are no seat belt extenders on star tours (at least nowadays) and I dont think indy has them either. Both attractions have extremely long seatbelts though (they could seriously stretch across like three seats) and the biggest challenge on these two rides is being able to find the console to snap it into. the best trick is to kind of stand up while you put the seatbelt in and then sit down, both attractions seatbelts are long enough to do this. or have your friend sit on your left (star tours and indy) or right (tower of terror) to assist you in fastening it if you dont want the embarassment of a cm doing it for you.

The only rides that will be a major challenge will be maliboomer, space mtn (they cannot do what Gemini Cricket said they did anymore due to dosh regulations), and maybe mullholland madness. You dont even have to worry about attractions like splash mtn, matterhorn, big thunder mtn railroad, or haunted mansion.

[AllisonWonderland]

This is a cool thread, thanks for it.

My bro is a big guy too, 6'6 and 330, and I was wondering what he might not be able to fit into as well.

How about INDY?

Also, if someone cannot fit, do they tell you early on in the queue or do you find out as you try and ride the ride? That would be pretty tough to swallow if you tried to get on a ride and were asked to step out.

My husband is fairly tall (about 6'2") and he has problems with his knees banging on some rides. I don't think Indy was a problem, but some of those Fantasyland rides are uncomfortable but not so bad he can't ride.
I have heard (although not witnessed) that there is a weight limit on Space Mtn. and if the entire car is overweight, they will stop it and re-distribute some passengers to other ride vehicles. This could be embarrassing.
As far as Indy, Soarin', etc. those are the rides you need to worry about fitting side-to-side. If your friend can fit in a movie theater seat, they'd probably be fine.

[DifrntDrmr]

Knott's actually has the ride vehicles outside of attractions where size may be a factor so that you can try it out before getting on line.

I had read that they build a lot of the safety mechanisms for up to 225 lbs., so I am pushing it. Therefore, when the operator came over to me on Knott's Perilous Plunge, I thought I was in for an embarrassing moment. Turns out my son was too skinny for the seat belt!

[101 Dalmatians Rule]

My husband did not have any problems at Disneyland. He is approximately 300+ lbs. and went on every ride. He just pulled out the seat belt before sitting down in the seat. Pulling out the seatbelt before sitting seemed to help when it came time to buckling the seat belt.

However, he did have to adjust himself so he could fit in the Mummy ride at Universal Studio. The lap belt has to go down far enough so the cast member can see the yellow metal piece on the bottom. He was wearing a pack around his waist to carry his wallet and sunglasses. Once he removed the pack he could fit in the seat.

[Malcon10t]

Maliboomer would be one he may not want to try. Also, the orange stinger. Otherwise, he probably would have a blast. On the rides with seatbelts, just follow the recommended 'Pull out the seatbelt standing up, locate the other end, then sit and plug in" method and he should be fine. Indy might be a bit cramped. And in the shows, look for the seats that have the armrests that release. I hope you convince him to go.

[GuardianDragon_Mushu]

Okay i'll admit, i'm not thin. But, as far as concerning people with weight issues, Disneyland has been the most accomodating theme park i've ever been to. Great America was the -worst- one, however. I tried to go on Top Gun a couple of years back...the seatbelt wouldn't fit me by an inch, so they made it their duty to say as loud as they can: "SORRY MA'AM BUT YOU'RE TOO BIG. YOU HAVE TO GET OFF THE RIDE." It made me absolutely livid. -_-;

[MickeyJCA]

I'm a big guy (about 270... but I carry it well...) and I haven't had trouble. Of course, I usually "size up" the attraction vehicles before I even attempt to get on. I've never done Mailboomer (doesn't interest me) or Orange Stinger (rides like that are just too scary, especially for a big guy) or the other cheesy Paradise Pier rides. Mullholland was very uncomfortable because of my knees, not my waistline. But Screamin' is surprisingly comfortable for me.

I did get an extender for my one time on Rocket Rods, but on the other seatbelt rides I've found that (like lots of people have said) the belts are long enough to do the "pull it out while you're standing and then sit down" trick. Even Soarin' is extremely comfortable for me.

If you see the Aladdin show (and why would you want to anyway...), be forewarned that the seats are much smaller than movie theater seats. Someone mentioned moveable armrests, but I haven't been fortunate enough to find those seats.

I really hope you can convince your friend to go. Disneyland is the best and they really seem to try to make everyone as comfortable as possible.