For those of you who haven’t seen my popular TikTok video, I ran into some trouble in Universal Studios in Spring 2022. Less than 6 months after becoming a Travel Agent, I was on a business trip in Universal Orlando, and I discovered that many of the rides in this park are not Plus Size friendly. As a person who is active yet obese, I have had myriad issues in theme parks as a result of my size, but I’m here to help you prepare for your next trip.
To avoid suffering the embarrassment that I’ve faced, let’s get you set up for success.
Whether you’re visiting Disney, Universal, or even a local amusement park or county fair, these items will help your day go more smoothly. (Please note that the links included are affiliate links, which can help me continue producing quality content to help you out!)
1)Avoid Chub Rub
When I think about wearing shorts, one of the first things I think about is whether or not they’re long enough. If shorts don’t have an inseam of at least 5″ I WILL get a rash, and it WILL hurt. (Bonus tip, the best overnight relief I’ve EVER gotten for bad chaffing is Calmoseptine)
There are two solutions that work well for preventing chub rub, both alone and in combination. The first is having skin tight bottoms that are long enough to prevent your thighs from rubbing together. When your shorts are too loose they can rub against your skin (creating friction) and cause chaffing, and when they are too short your thighs will rub against each other directly, same result.
Many people wear Spanx or other brands of shape-wear under their shorts, skirts, or dresses. This definitely works, but I’ve found that athletic bike shorts work much better. You get the same fit on your thighs, but your tummy will be more comfortable for a full day of wear and in most brands you get the benefit of pockets!
I’ve also found the most comfortable dress in the world (with built in shorts) and I cannot get enough. In preparation for my next Disney trip I bought 2 more dresses and a skirt from Halara! The fabric is buttery soft and the clothing is flattering. I did a Kuzco’s Poison Disneybound in my first Halara dress and I was SO comfortable all day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
The second thing you need either on its own or in addition to the bike shorts, is some kind of protective lubricant for your skin. I know, it sounds weird, but your skin is your most exposed organ and it’s not used to walking in short-shorts for 12 miles in Floridian heat and humidity. If you use Body Glide or the Arm and Hammer equivalent you will absolutely reduce your likelihood that you’re going to be walking like a cowboy at the end of the night.
2)Blisters can ruin a while trip
Last year I was meant to go on a business trip to Walt Disney World in late January/ early February, but the business trip was postponed. My birthday is in February so I kept the girls trip so that I could do some celebrating with my friends in the Most Magical Place on Earth.
Something odd happened on this trip – I got the deepest, largest, most intense blisters I’ve ever had. I had two pairs of shoes that I thought were well broken in that did NOT help me. By day 3 of my trip I was limping and could barely walk. I ended up going to the UGG store in Disney Springs and buying a pair of very cushy boots to wear on my last 2 days of the trip.
During that trip, the only thing that brought me any relief was blister bandaids. I want to be very clear about this; I’ve tried several brands and the Bandaid brand are the only ones that would stay in place. Don’t bother with regular bandaids of any kind, with foot and toe blisters it’s all about the Hydrocolloid Gel.
Since that trip I’ve found something that works remarkably well for preventing blisters. There are a few different types of foot cream/lotion/gel/ointment that protect your feet in the same way that Body Glide helps your legs. These foot balms are an absolute game changer. A lot of them are targeted toward runners and/or avid hikers, but they work just fine for a park day!
The biggest thing that makes these balms a game changer is that I can wear sandals to the parks now. This is incredible for me, I’ve never been able to do that before this year.
If you’re wearing Sandals you would put the balm along the bottoms of your feet and toes. It feels a little squishy to start but you get used to it. If you’re wearing socks with your shoes, you can actually cover the bottom of your feet with the balm prior to putting your socks on!
4)The right shoes for YOU
Did you know that your gait can impact the fit and function of your walking shoes as well as your running shoes? Did you know that your walking shoes and your running shoes may not be the same shoe? If you have a local running store, consider getting fitted for sneakers. Getting fitted for sneakers taught me that I require a stability shoe and that I have a high instep. This resulted in me fitting correctly in exactly one type of running shoe. When I train for a RunDisney race, and when I walk around the parks in a sneaker, I travel in the New Balance 860.
If you’re unable to get fitted for walking shoes, I recommend aiming for something with arch support. My lower shouts at me within minutes if I try to do strenuous activity in a pair of Converse rather than my New Balance. (Meanwhile my typical sized partner can spend a park day in Vans or even flip flops and doesn’t bat an eye.)
I mentioned earlier that I can wear sandals to the parks now. I’ve found 3 types of sandals that work remarkably well for me as long as I also bring my foot balm! Teva makes two sandals with arch support that work incredibly well for me, the Zymic and the Tirra. The bronze medal would go to a pair of sandals that were recommended to me by a friend and worked as a great option when I needed more variety. These Baretraps sandals are awesome for people who need to be on their feet all day for work, but want cuter footwear!
3)Bring a spare outfit
For some people this might seem obvious, and for others it might be a wild recommendation. If your park bag is big enough, bring a spare outfit to the park with you. If your bag isn’t big enough, consider swinging by your resort room sometime between lunch and dinner for a costume change. I started doing this because I was doing photoshoots for marketing, but along the way I realized that there were health/comfort benefits as well.
Water Rides can help cool you down, but wet clothes can increase chaffing. If you ride Splash Mountain (RIP), Kali River Rapids, The Jurassic Park River Adventure ride, or Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls, in all likelihood you’re going to get wet. You can even get wet on more tame boat rides like Frozen Ever After or Pirates of the Caribbean. Walking around in soggy shorts may help cool you off on a hot day, but if your clothes don’t dry within an hour or so, you run the risk of being more likely to develop a rash or even other health complications.
This August we went to Disney for 10 days (never again) and we attempted a family vacation in the hottest week of the year in Orlando. This turned out to be an interesting choice for a variety of reasons, but the massive amount of sweating we did was unlike anything else. Getting the opportunity to change into clothing that wasn’t soaked through was a lifesaver. I wouldn’t want all of my magic shots to have sweat stains, would you?
5)Don’t let heat get you down
The August trip was BRUTAL. I learned a LOT about visiting theme parks as a plus sized person in 2022, but I think dealing with the heat was one of my top learning opportunities. Handheld fans helped a lot AND they helped keep my kids entertained in long queues. The other item that helped a great deal was a cooling towel. There are several types of cooling towels available online, but the general idea is that the towel allows cool water to evaporate off of you, typically around your neck, and may even protect you from the sun a little bit depending on how you wear it. Something like this is perfect for throwing in your park bag – just make sure that you don’t leave it in there for a long period of time when it’s been wet and sweaty all day. Make sure you rinse it at the end of the day and hang it to dry!
If you found this list helpful, please consider checking out my Social Media for other tips and tricks, and feel free to check out my Amazon Storefront where I feature a variety of helpful theme park shopping lists!
