WDW AT LARGE

Introduction
Animal Kingdom
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Epcot
Magic Kingdom

Attraction Photo Gallery

AllEars® Feature Articles
WDW - The Big Picture
The Big Picture Revisited
Zooming In

Special Reports
Reader "At Large" Trip Reports!
How I "Fit" In!

Animal Kingdom
--Kali River Rapids

Disney's Hollywood Studios
-- Rock'n' Roller Coaster

Epcot
-- Mission: SPACE

Downtown Disney
-- Cirque du Soleil
-- DisneyQuest
-- House of Blues

Resorts
-- Spirit of Aloha Luau

Water Parks
-- Blizzard Beach
-- Typhoon Lagoon

Disney Cruise Line

Disney Clothing

Islands of Adventure - Universal Studios

Your Comments

ATTRACTION	SEAT TYPE	DESCRIPTION
Dinosaur	narrow seat with bars at the hips ample seat belts	short standing pre-shows; one waiting in line and one movie and then an extremely bumpy, jerky ride Special Notes
Expedition Everest	Roller Coaster	Roller Coaster, steep drops, fast curves, backwards Seating Photo Gallery Special Notes
Festival of the Lion King	bleachers without backs, covered	fabulous show!
Finding Nemo: The Musical	wooden bleachers with backs, covered	Musical show based on Disney's Movie
Flights of Wonder	bench seats without backs, covered	a bird show
It's Tough to be a Bug!	bench seat with backs	a wonderful 3-D movie; special effects
Kali River Rapids	narrow seats (I use two for myself) with seat belts... they have extenders	a fun and not-so-scary raft ride with one 30 foot drop Special Notes
Kilimanjaro Safari	bench truck seats	very bumpy ride, no seat belts
Maharajah Jungle Trek	long walking trail	Tigers, bats, an aviary, and more
Pangani Forest Exploration Trail	long walking trail with benches throughout	naked mole rats, underwater hippos, aviary, meercats, gorillas, and many other animals
Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends	bench seats without backs, uncovered	a live animal show
Primeval Whirl	lap bar - small area	quick and jerky tilt a whirl/small coaster ride Special Notes
Triceratop Spin	small space	gentle up and down, round and round ride (Like Dumbo) Special Notes
Wildlife Express to Rafiki's Planet Watch	train ride to area, bench seats	this is a long walk from the train station to the building, but worth it.

General Comments

As a very large Disney guest (400+) and in a wheelchair(due to a severe leg injury) I have a couple tips. One at the AK recommend anyone in a wheelchair pay the price and rent a ECV. I didn't the first time and with the horrible condition of their paths/walkways (which they obviously designed with absolutely NO CONCERN for the handicap) I ended up with a 175.00 repair bill on my wheelchair. They will gladly store your own wheelchair when renting and asr very nice about getting it and bringing it right to you when you return.

Expedition Everest

I am person of size and so is my husband. I am 5'9" and weigh about 310, and my husband is 6'2" and weighs about 340. I was a little worried since I am about size 28 on bottom, but much smaller on top. To my surprise, I fit with no problems. Most of my weight is im my butt, hips, and thighs, but I didn't have any problems clicking the lap bar. Neither did my hubby, who has a belly, and carries his weight up top. We even bought the ride photo because we loved the coaster so much! My advice would be... if you worry that you won't fit, go straight to Everest after the park opens and try the test seat, if you can't fit, there is plenty else to do in the park. If you can fit, it's a great start to a fun day, plus you won't have a 2 hour wait!

I almost did not try this ride based upon some very early comments. I just got back from Memorial Day weekend at Animal Kingdom. The seats on the EE train are very wide and the ride was comfortable. Being a large rider at 300 plus pounds, I have been on my share of rides that I "fit" into but they are not comfortable. This was a comfortable and thrilling experience. I highly recommend you go for it. You can try the trial seat located next to the EE gift shop (practically within the ride quque). The cast members were very friendly and helpful when I tried it.

My brother (320lbs) and I (298lbs) had read all the reports about Everest, we weren't even going to try to get on. Well, while we were at Animal Kingdom today (May 18,2006)we saw the testing vehicle and decided to give it a go. The cast members have this vehicle roped off so not just anyone can go in and test it out. They were so friendly and told us we would have no problem riding.It was so nice and decreet we didn't feel uncomfortable at all. After testing the vehicle and getting encouragement from the castmember we rode Everest. Sure enough it was great! We had room to spare. All you have to do is get the lap bar to click down on to your lap, it doesnt really matter how far down it goes. The seats were really nice and wide too. Just thought I'd write in to calm any worries.

I'm 6'2" and weigh 400lbs, with a 58 inch waist and I had no problems at all riding this ride. My wife and I were able to locate the trial car outside the EE giftshop after probably 20 minutes of searching for it. I sat in the car and was able to sit rather comfortably considerring my size, and I pulled the lap bar down for testing only to find the green and red 'go or no-go' guage shown in the photo on the At Large section gone. I was ready to give up and leave when a cast member happened to stroll by. I asked her where the bar locks and she told me that it locks at whatever point it stops at once its pulled down. After a 30 minute wait in line the big moment came and I was seated in the front car and sure enough, I got into my seat without any trouble and pulled the bar back and it clicked in place. I was THRILLED to say the least, it was a great ride and I'm extremely happy to be able to ride it, so happy in fact I decided on the spot to submit a report for anyone else w ho might be slightly hesitant about attempting to ride it. Oh, and my brother who is also a rather large man himself rode beside me and we were able to sit side-by-side without feeling wedged together.

Shortly before a recent WDW trip, I read the "At Large" report regarding Expedition Everest. After reading the report, in which a 5'9" 325 lb. Big Mama reported that she didn't fit in the test seat, I was very disappointed that, at 5'11" 350lbs. it looked like I wasn't going to fit in the ride the I was most looking forward to going on. When I got to the Expedition Everest area, I looked for the test seats, which I found behind a roped off area. I asked a cast member if I could try the seat. He said "sure" and also said that he didn't think that I'd have a problem and that the issue for people is fitting into the width of the seat and not so much a belly problem. As I was getting into the seat, I told him about Big Mama's report which said the opposite thing. He then told me that when the ride was first opened for testing, I probably wouldn't have fit on it, but that they had made a few modifications to the lap bar that seem to have eliminated the problem. One of the things that I noticed it that there is no longer a gauge on the test seat to show how far the bar must come down (which was reported by Big Mama). As I was pulling the lap bar down the cast member immediately said "You'll be fine. As soon as the bar clicks, you're good and it clicks really early." The biggest issue for me was getting both of my legs between the lap bar. I had to squeeze them together tightly in order to get the lap bar around them. If anyone has any concerns about fitting into these seats, go check out the test seats. I think that you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I am 6'0" 320lbs, my wife is 5'2" 256lbs and we were concerned about fitting on EE. We both had no troubles at all getting the bar to close. I did see some larger people have trouble but it seems if you stand a little while pulling the bar down and then sitting you avoid the bar not snapping into place. The second time I went on it I thought the bar didn't close but it seemed no ones closed until everyone was seated. I am not sure if the ride vehicle throws a switch that allows the bars to lock at a certain time. As Big Mama wrote there is a test vehicle near the exit that should not draw crowds of onlookers.

I thought I'd write with a tip for over-weight riders wanting to ride Everest. I am over-weight. I am 5'3" and 310 pounds with weight in stomach and behind. As I do read your Newsletter I was aware that there were two seats I could try out before riding--and I did try the seat beforehand. I fit in the seat quite easily. The thing I did not realize until I got on the ride was that the bar has to click. Once I was on the ride, I could not pull the bar over my stomach until it clicked as it was supposed to. The cast member was very helpful, he suggested I pull the bar until it clicked then try and push myself down behind it. I tried twice but unsuccessfully--I still do not know if it was my embarrassment or uncoordination--but I couldn't quite 'get it". I think part of my attempt was half hearted, because I had read all the warnings signs and the idea of riding cramped and uncomfortable on a ride with twists and turns and drops--didn't quite appeal to me. While in line, I had seen 2 large gentlemen with large stomachs in line and they said I would have no problem as this was their second time on. However, they did not have the weight in both stomach and butt as I do. I think this ride could present a problem if you have majority of your weight in the middle area. It was a problem for me. My tip would be to try out the seat beforehand, as i did... but also try to see if you can squeeze behind the bar in a locked position. My husband loved the ride--hearing his reviews along with the other readers may even give me the incentive to lose some weight! Maybe not--but next time--I will try seat bar first before waiting for 2 hours to ride!

Large bellied folk, listen up! I'm a 5'9", 325-pound woman who looks as if she's nine months pregnant but is not. I had already made the decision not to ride the new Everest attraction, but took the opportunity to sit in the sample car. Here's the deal: I had plenty of hip and shoulder room, but not one breath of belly room to spare. You may need to stand up and shimmy around. And take note that the Cast Members will not assist you with the bar (or so I was told by several Cast Members who came to see me not fit in the car). The sample cars are out of the way, and I did not feel put on the spot whatsoever. Try it out if you aren't sure!

Dinosaur

Important Note: It is Standard Operating Procedure on Dinosaur to have the Cast Member do a seat belt check at a safety stop after the ride has left the boarding area but before it enters the main ride path.

*****

We always used the tip of extended the seatbelt all the way out before sitting down and that helped immensely. We rode everything! The only thing I had a problem with was Dinosaur in Animal Kingdom. I was seated in the back row on the end and restrained with a lap belt. This ride bucks up and down and pitches from side to side. I will never ride it again. I thought I was going to be "thrown" from the ride. I did not feel that the belt was going to hold my 250lbs with all that force. Everything else on the trip was great!

I am 5'8" and 300 lbs( a size 26). This ride was tight. You sit 4 across. And there is a seat belt that you have plenty of room for. So no worries there. HOWEVER, the seat dividers are hard, and if you have thick thighs, these dividers hit your right at the tops of your thighs. And this ride is extremely rough. So although it doesn't go fast, you spend half of your ride trying to brace yourself, so your thighs don't get beaten and bruised to death. It actually hurt my legs during this ride. Plus, its LOUD! These dinosaurs jump out and bite at you and its really TOO loud. And let me mention one more time, it hurts. I wouldn't ride this again if you paid me to. So if you don't have a love for Dinosaurs, avoid this one. Pretend you have to go to the bathroom, and take a small break for yourself.

I am a large man, about 315 lbs and I found that riding the count down to extinction an uncomfortable ride. When you sit in the seat there has to be clearance for the seat belt to retract or it will not snug up. This is what happened to me and I spent the entire ride holding on for dear life.

No Problem. I am 5'11" and 320 pounds.

My thighs didn't hit the arm rests like yours did, maybe because of the length of my legs. No problems with length of the seatbelt either. I am an agile size 26, with long legs 36 inch inseam.

I am 330 lbs and I fit in the seat (barely). The only problem is that went the ride went bouncing and jerking I found my upper thighs, saddlebag area, you get the point, to be in agony from being shoved against the sides of the hard seat in fast jerking motions. I did not enjoy the ride due to being uncomfortable to the point of pain.

Kali River Rapids

Even though it's over so fast I liked this more than Splash Mountain - go figure. No problem with seat belts or seat size but again I needed help from hubby with buckling the seatbelt. I am an agile size 26, with long legs 36 inch inseam.

Primeval Whirl

We just got back from a wonderful week at WDW! We are both BBW (big beautiful women) (each weighing over 350, I'm 5'9" and she's 6'). Primevil Whirl however was a different story. Neither of us had been on this one before so during EMH we decided to try it. This ride litterally beat us up and I have the bruises to show for it! Billie's bar went down too tight over her chest and she could barely breathe! I would not recommend this one for larger folks. We had to sit and rest afterwards because we felt like we had been beaten up!

***

Primeval Whirl is a cross between a roller coaster and a "whip" ride. The cars are designed to hold four people -- two people on each side. When we rode, we each took one side of the car. Warning: Don't pull the lap bar too tight or it will poke you in the stomach on some of the spins, making it uncomfortable.

The seats are created for an adult and a child/junior. The seat doesn't fit two adults comfortably. My mom and I were in one seat and we're just a bit above average size and we were able to get into the seat but for anyone bigger than us it wouldn't work. The cars never stop either so if they assign 2 people to the seat and they don't fit, it could be a problem.

Primeval Whirl: At 6'6" and 390 lbs, I had to ride in the front on this ride. They initially tried to load us into the back seat, but my knees were mashed into the seat in front and I just didn't fit back there, so we tried to switch it up and I fit in the front seat just fine. For those who haven't ridden it, this roller coaster takes the 'whirl' part seriously - it's a hoot! Joshua Olive

 

TriceraTop Spin

Triceratop Spin is a Dumbo-like ride, designed to hold two people in the front and two people in the back, similar to the fairly recent Magic Carpets Of Aladdin in the Magic Kingdom. Both my husband and I are people of size (both height and width). We always share a "carpet" with one of us in the front and one of us in the back without any problems.