Plus size cruiser needs tips

II was really hoping to lose like 50 lbs before my first cruise in a month but due to an overload of stress and stress eating it doesn't look like that's going to happen. 🙁 This may sound like a silly question but can I still have fun being so overweight? I'm afraid I'm going to be the biggest woman on the ship and I won't have fun. It's only me and my 14yr old son going. I already can't do the zip line or horseback riding and probably not the snorkeling as they all seem to have the same weight limit. Our cruise is 4 days and from Long Beach to Catalina Island to Ensenada and back.

I think that's completely up to you to decide. My wife is in the middle of losing a lot more than your goal, yet had no trouble with two Alaska cruises at/near her heaviest.

Welcome to cruise critic.

Many of the shore excursions have weight limitations because of safety and insurance requirements.

You can still walk around the ports/ship, swim, go to the beach, enjoy the entertainment.

There are always heavy people on board. For example, in the dining room if chairs with arms bother you don't be afraid to ask for one without arms.

Enjoy your cruise!

Believe me you won't be the biggest! Enjoy the cruise!

We discovered a few years ago that the spa or gym showers are usually similar in size to the ones at home, the ones in the cabin are almost always tiny, and to me ,claustrophobic. I always volunteer to shower there for my own comfort, and it also makes it easy for all,of us to get ready at once.

Don't be fooled by the marketing photos, not everyone is 25 and tiny and stunning on cruise ships :)

There's lots to do no matter your size (or mobility, for that matter). You can still have a good time. Look at the port subforums for ideas on what you may be able to do in port, and checkout what there is to do on the ship.

I'm plus size myself and although I used to worry about the way I look I don't anymore it's just about having fun and enjoying vacation. I cruise 2 to 3 tips a year and there are people of all shapes and sizes on the ship. Actually, I find that cruisers tend to carry a little more weight, it must be all the food. 😉

II was really hoping to lose like 50 lbs before my first cruise in a month but due to an overload of stress and stress eating it doesn't look like that's going to happen. 🙁 This may sound like a silly question but can I still have fun being so overweight? I'm afraid I'm going to be the biggest woman on the ship and I won't have fun. It's only me and my 14yr old son going. I already can't do the zip line or horseback riding and probably not the snorkeling as they all seem to have the same weight limit. Our cruise is 4 days and from Long Beach to Catalina Island to Ensenada and back.

Whether or not you have fun is totally up to you.......even if you can't do various excursion activities, they are not the only fun things to do. You won't be the biggest woman on the ship, and no one will care how you look or if you're overweight. I'm probably at least 70 or 80 lb overweight, and I still have fun on vacations.

There will be people of all shapes and sizes are onboard.

Lots to do at both ports that aren't active.

The water is too cold to snorkel, do the semi sub if you want to see what's happening under the waves.

Look on the Carnival, West Coast Departure, Mexican Riviera, California Coastal and, Fashion & Beauty boards for more info.

Here are two threads to get you started--(could search for 'plus' or 'fluffy')

Plus size cruiser wants to look nice

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2388432

bigger passenger

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1218007

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I'm plus size too. I don't ride horses or zip line (I'm also 71) but I love snorkeling. Get a mask & snorkel & go to the beach!:)

I am plus size have been most of my life... have been crusiing for 30 years... plus size is more the norm these days then it use to be.

I enjoy swimiming, walking in ports and on board... I am 69, so would not want to try a zip line, or a banana boat anyway... there are lots to do and I am sure you will enjoy it with your son.

What!! Don't worry about size, just have fun. You will see fellow cruisers in all sizes believe me. It does not matter at all.

I am a fluffy Nana and I have a condition that causes swelling. I will cruise as often and as far as I can.

Last year I went to Tahiti and went swimming with the rays. The world is still spinning and the rays didn't care. All around the world I have seen some good sized wonderful Native people.

Everyone is different and everyone has challenges so just go with a big smile and teach your son that it is what is in your heart that counts. I would love to lose weight but if you see me my face will greet you with a smile. I might be smaller for my next cruise but I am the exact same person.

Enjoy every minute of life and try and unload some of the stress. I know it is very hard but do not pack any extra burdens.

Smooth sailing

6boysnana

Have you ever seen the TV show CSI: Miami? Believe it or not, all the people that live in Miami don't look like that.

Thank you all so much, I feel so much better! It's nice to know I'm not alone. I was hesitant to post this, so thank you for not judging.

I'm fifty years old, and I've been overweight almost my whole life...and I don't mean just a few pounds....I mean OVERWEIGHT!

My husband and I cruise together every year, and we have a great time. I don't feel limited at all by my size. I have found that all types and sizes of people go on cruises, and I've never been made to feel uncomfortable.

Go...enjoy yourself.

No reason whatsoever to feel limited by your weight on a cruise ship. You will see every size and shape. One of my daughters is a plus size. We love going out on a catamaran but aren't fond of snorkeling so we just stay on the catamaran (you son would be able to go with the crew to snorkel..and you can enjoy the free rum drinks while the others are snorkeling. There are gorgeous beaches to enjoy, semi-submarines to go on and enjoy the underwater sights, there are shops and fabulous foods to try on all the islands. We've never been at a loss or limited to find fun things to enjoy. AND as everyone has said..not everyone you will encounter is skinny and looks like a model. Just go and enjoy yourself.

My husband and I cruise at least once a year and while I'm plus-size, I'm more muscular than "pudgy" and I still cannot do some of the weight restricted excursions. My husband on the other hand is very large and while we cannot do the Zip-lines, we've found there is very little else that we've been excluded from. Sailing, snorkeling, boating, dune buggies, ATVs, and pretty much everything else that we wanted to do, we've done.

The one thing that I'd like to add, aside from the excursion things, is that I always worry about what I'll look like in a swim-suit. But it NEVER fails, once on board, everyone has on swimsuits and no one cares!! You will see all kinds of shapes and sizes, in all kinds of shapes and sizes of suit!!! Just go in what you feel comfortable and you will enjoy!

Take good comfortable shoes for the evening. I always take some gorgeous, sassy heels in hopes of wearing them around and by the second evening, I'm into flats and even flip-flops if my fee swell up too much. So much easier to be comfortable....than glamorous. ;)

Hi plus size cruiser,

I have been a plus-size cruiser for most of my adult years, but have recently lost over 150lbs, so I know the issues you are worried about. You are right about the shore excursions having weight limits, so some you may not be able to go on. Don't worry - there are plenty of things to do on shore that don't involve those excursions. You can get a day pass at a beach resort, go on an island tour, go to the zoo, etc., depending on your port). If you are self conscious using the pool on the ship, you can always get a pass to the thermal suites (most ships have something like this), which limits the number of guests, so less people are using the pool there, it is indoors (not in the blazing sun), and nicer/bigger lounge chairs are readily available. I have never had any trouble with the shower in the room, even at my highest weight. I have had a problem with chairs on the ship, the odd time. For instance, the chairs at the pub on the Royal Caribbean ships are too small and have arms, so I just don't go there. There was only one buffet that had most of their chairs with arms, but I mentioned my issue to a server there and she took care of it. I have also had a chair in the dining room switched out to one without arms once. Most dining rooms and buffets are fine though, so don't let that deter you. Really, don't limit yourself and have an amazing time. You deserve it as much as the next person! And remember, you won't be seeing any of these people from the ship again, so wear what you want, even a slinky bathing suit....

One more thought to add: I know you're not heading to Alaska on this cruise, so probably not all that applicable, but many of the flying excursions in Alaska have a weight threshold: above the threshold, you usually pay a 50% surcharge. Here's the thing: whether booking through the cruise line or direct with the vendor, you can usually take care of booking the surcharge up front, so all you have to do when you meet the dock rep is hand over your two tickets (one admission, and one surcharge), and tell them your weight. If they believe the number you give them (in other words, if you don't lie), that's the end of it. You normally don't have to go stand on the scale to verify unless you're right on the fence of the surcharge, and I bet you can avoid it altogether by handing them the second ticket. When I did a helicopter ride in Skagway, I took two cameras (to have two different lenses; carry-on bags aren't allowed so I didn't have a good way to carry a second lens alone), and that put me rather close to the limit (though under), so I had to go stand on the scale. I can't say for certain that I wouldn't have to do it, but I bet if I just "lied high" and said 260 instead of 249, AND handed them a second surcharge ticket, they'd have said thank you, enjoy your flight, no need to step on the scale. So just in a sense "own it" and it'll be easier.

Have you ever seen the TV show CSI: Miami? Believe it or not, all the people that live in Miami don't look like that.

They filmed that in LA:D

II was really hoping to lose like 50 lbs before my first cruise in a month but due to an overload of stress and stress eating it doesn't look like that's going to happen. This may sound like a silly question but can I still have fun being so overweight? I'm afraid I'm going to be the biggest woman on the ship and I won't have fun. It's only me and my 14yr old son going. I already can't do the zip line or horseback riding and probably not the snorkeling as they all seem to have the same weight limit. Our cruise is 4 days and from Long Beach to Catalina Island to Ensenada and back.

I've been on 14 cruises and have yet to zip line, horse back riding or snorkel and I have still manage to have fun. There are plenty of other things to do that do not have a weight/size limit. You just have to open yourself up to the options.

I'm plus size and believe me I fit right in on a cruise

Don't be fooled by the marketing photos, not everyone is 25 and tiny and stunning on cruise ships :)

 

There's lots to do no matter your size (or mobility, for that matter). You can still have a good time. Look at the port subforums for ideas on what you may be able to do in port, and checkout what there is to do on the ship.

True that! They also show pools that look quite large with only 2 or 3 people in them, lots of empty loungers, and everyone dressed to the nines in the dining room!

We like to compare those commercials to the ones for the casino near us in North Carolina - everyone is young, beautiful, and dressed elegantly. Not one 70 year old, blue haired, sweat-suit wearing, cigarette-smoking, oxygen tank hauling person to be seen. :eek:

I've struggled with my weight my entire adult life, up, down, up, down. The one place where I NEVER feel "too fat" is on a cruise ship! You will find a few thousand people of every shape and size, and yes, quite a few more plus sized people than you will find in the general population. Cruisers love to eat! We love our buffets and sun loungers. And everyone wears a bathing suit-.or I should say every size wears a bathing suit. It's not a problem. I gave up dieting for a cruise long ago because I know I'm just going to gain most of it back on the cruise. All I do is eat! So no worries, you'll be fine. Just go and chill and keep an eye on weight limits for excursions- and be careful about walking in the heat.

Hope you have an excellent cruise with your son. I cruise with my son (now 18) all the time. They're excellent at running and getting you snacks :D

You'll be fine. No need to worry.:)