Bigger Guests Realize Disney Isn’t Making It Easier For Them

As a bigger Guest at any of the Disney Parks, there’s always that brief moment of panic just before you get on a ride for the first time. There is the general fear of the unknown, but there is also the question of what the ride vehicle will be like. More importantly, will that ride vehicle be big enough for me to fit into it? 

Many larger Disney Parks Guests told Business Insider how frustrating the process can be and how little Disney has done to address this problem. Because if a Guest cannot fit into the ride vehicle, there is the proverbial “walk of shame” that larger Guests must take, leaving their friends/family and meeting them at the entrance, as everyone else waiting in line knows that they were too big to fit into the ride.

This issue came to the forefront when Disney opened Tron Lightcycle/Run at Magic Kindom earlier this year. Many larger Guests struggled with the seating, especially the bars behind the calves.

Theme Park reporter Madison Blancafor told Insider:

The Cast Member up front was kind and gave me a few tips for how to shimmy my legs deeper into the knee hold for the seat. But there was no amount of wiggling my hips or changing the angle of my knee or sucking in my stomach that was going to make that metal bar fit over my calf to lock me into place. It is still discouraging and disheartening and, frankly, embarrassing every time it happens.  As someone who has always loved roller coasters, it’s sad that one of my favorite things is now also a source of insecurity and shame.

It is not just Tron Lightcycle/Run that is giving Guests problems. It is also rides like Avatar Flight of Passage at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, “it’s a small world” in Magic Kingdom, and Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom. At Disneyland, Goofy’s Flight School is also a problem for any Guest over five feet tall.

Walt Disney World or any Disney Park does not have guidelines for larger Guests at any attraction. For certain rides at Disney World, there is a test seat outside the attraction for Guests to try out before they get onto the ride. But as many Guests have pointed out, the test seat is usually used for photos rather than their intended purpose, and larger Guests don’t feel comfortable being in someone’s social media post.

Disney officials have guidelines on their websites, but those are only for height requirements rather than for Guests with size issues. This is a problem for Guests who want to enjoy their favorite attraction but struggle with their weight. Perhaps it’s time for Walt Disney World to devise an alternative for those who need it.

We will continue to update this story at Disney Fanatic.