Plus sized women..Comfort on cruise for Plus sizes?

[gjules]

I don't have anymore advice to add to all the wonderful posters on here. I just want to say that I think you sound like a very sweet, loving daughter in law to be so concerned with your mother in law!! I hope everything goes well and you all have a wonderful trip!:)

[Crusintogether]

this topic is one that I am sure crosses more minds than we realize, what a great group.

[judy&steve]

Hi. As mentioned earlier in this thread, American Airlines seems to be the most comfortable leg room. I used to go First Class so I wouldn't have to deal with row-mates on flights. I always would lift the arm rest between me and the person next to me so I could fit in the seat. Some people were downright ugly about it. I lost a lot of weight so I can fit in in airplane seats now. It sounds like you are travelling together, so sitting with strangers won't be an issue. Just lift up the armrests and use the extenders and your mother-in-law should be comfortable.

I had other seating issues in normal day-to-day things. There were theatre seats that I just couldn't fit in without bruising my thighs. In my synagogue, the seats weren't roomy enough. Booths in restaurants were bad, because there was not enough room between the seat and the table. Losing 80 pounds has made me fit into places easier, but the memory is still fresh and stings.

Your mother-in-law is a lucky lady to have such a lovely and thoughtful daughter-in-law.

Have a great cruise and she will never feel out of place or self conscious because of her size.

Judy, too.

[sarahruth23]

I almost cried when I read this thread. :) Thank you so much for posting it and for all of you who replied. I am leaving next week for my very first (and probably only - I'm not much of a traveler) cruise. (Carnival Liberty 4/1) I thought that I was the only one worried about this and was too embarassed to ask anyone! I still have plenty of things to stress about, but that can be one less for now. Thanks so much!

[Norfolk Brit]

What a lovely daughter in law you are. If you study these boards, weight is a recurring theme (I have even learnt the American word - fluffy - it occurs so often). So, ignore the brochures showing slim beautiful people; most people seem to be 40+ with attendant imperfections.

 

May I suggest that you e mail the cruise company and airline, outline your concerns, and try to get what your MIL needs already in place before your arrival. Also, if your cruise is a little way off, and she wants to lose some weight beforehand, she could probably shift quite a bit to help her confidence (we have a programme here called Celebrity Fit Club; an American ex-basketball player called Geoff Rudum(?) lost 23lbs in the first week). The more you have to lose the quicker it goes (at least initially).

 

As a fellow newcomer to these boards, you may already have realised that out there are lovely, helpful, non-judgemental people.

 

Have a wonderful holiday, Mary

[daughterinlaw]

Everyone!!

Thank you! Thank You! Thank You! I feel so much better about this. I even had my DH, her son, read this and he got all misty eyed. He says to thank everyone too! He was also concerned about his mother. We are both going to make sure she is comfortable, and you have let us in on all the little extra things we can do to assure she has a wonderful time. I hope you all have amazing, relaxing vacations. Thank you again.

-judy

:D

[daughterinlaw]

SARAHRUTH23!!! ;)

If you have a chance, please post back after your cruise to give us your thoughts, that would be great. Have a wonderful trip.-Judy

[MaryContrary]

Would a plus-size person have problems on snorkle/sail excursions? We've booked the Golden Eagle catamaran trip, and I'm a little concerned about climbing on and off the boat...Any suggestions? Thanks-

[Julie of the North]

Have her take a look at some of the cruise pictures that people post. She will soon see that many women on board are not small boned. Seeing is believing, so have her take a look at real cruisers "in action". I wish we didn't get so uptight about weight.

 

Please asure her that she will have the time of her LIFE! :)

 

Julie

[Anni L]

Would a plus-size person have problems on snorkle/sail excursions? We've booked the Golden Eagle catamaran trip, and I'm a little concerned about climbing on and off the boat...Any suggestions? Thanks-

 

Mary, contact the agency (Golden Eagle?) and ask them what kind of ladders they have on their boats. Most of them understand when you tell them you have "iffy" knees (I do!) and that you need to know how easy it is to get in and out of the boat. I have been on a couple dive boats that were more of a challenge, but many (especially those aimed at cruisers, who tend to be a bit older than divers) have ladders that are angled up and are a piece of cake to get back on board with. Not only that, but those guys on the boat WANT you to have a good time - believe me, they'll help you and make you feel like you did them a favor by letting them assist you!

 

DON'T worry - go and enjoy!

 

Anni

[kelz66]

This has to be one of the nicest threads I have ever read.

 

She is going to have a great time. Show her some of the pictures and videos from the board. I'm sure by looking at them she will notice all the different shapes and sizes of the passengers.:)

[MaryContrary]

Thanks, Anni! You put my fears to rest- I'm sure i'll be fine. Thanks again for the reply- Mary:)

[celbercrz333]

There are a lot of sites out there for plus sized women. If she has some nice outfits on her cruise at least she can look cute while she cruises....no matter how nervous she feels. We had a plus sized lady with us on our first cruise. Ok, she wasn't supersized, but boy did she have some nice outfits. I was tempted to ask her where she bought some of them because I am chubby enough and so is one of my daughters. What I remember most about this lady isn't her size, but her clothes!!! Even formal night she looked nice. She was probably about a size 24.

[Anni L]

Mary, SO glad I could help - hope you have a GREAT time!

 

Anni

[DandyCandy]

something that I wish someone had told me to bring on the cruise as far as comfort goes is some anti-chaffing gel. It's a long walk from the pool/spa/hot tub to your room and let me tell ya the thighs are smokin by the time you get there!

I personally have not tried an anti-chaffing gel so i'm not able to say whether or not it works, but if anyone has, please let me know. I just have it in my head that it will work and am planning to use it on our next cruise, especially on beach days.

Also, let your MIL know that she wont be the only plus-size woman on the ship. So she shouldnt be ashamed or embarassed or afraid to parade around like a bathing beauty. There will also be men who are plus-size and wearing speedos! At least there were on our cruise!

[cathyoo]

Shame they moved this thread. It really isn't about fashion. I couldn't care less about fashion but I am interested in plus size accomodations.

 

You are a wonderful DIL and your MIL is very lucky. If she is sensitive about her weight I wouldn't have her join CC. On this thread everyone is supportive and kind. However, there are occasionally posts that could make a plus person very self conscious.

 

It's great that everyone says "be confident in yourself", "you'll never see these people again",etc. Then you read those posts that trash the "fat people or whatever other nickname the poster cleverly (they think) assigns. Don't get me wrong, it is not just fat folks, it's folks with hairy backs, or pot bellies or whatever the poster DOESN"T have wrong with them. I truly don't want to spoil anyone's vacation so I keep as much of me covered as possible. Don't utilize the pool and don't even wear shorts. I'm aware that someone is probably commenting about the food on my plate even if their plate holds three times the amount. Or maybe she would run across the thread that has pictures poking fun of people including a wide bottomed person. Then she could worry that a picture of her could end up providing amusement to a whole bulletin board.

 

It always amazes me that the people who are the most critical of someone's else's appearance usually are not the "10's" of the world. It really no one's business if the guy in the speedo weighs three hundred pounds or not. Don't look if it offends you. Or when the person who is 50 lbs overweight trashes the person who is 100 lbs overweight.

 

The one good thing I have found is that most people reserve their mean comments for a bulletin board so you MIL should have a wonderful time especially with a DIL as lovely as you. Both her and your dh are lucky to have you in their lives.

 

Have a grand cruise... you truly deserve it.

[MrsMoose2001]

Hi I have only one piece of advice, don't strees, enjoy!! I wanted to say I think y'all are beautiful people. You are a fantastic DIL and your MIL and DH are lucky to have you.

 

I only had one cruise to Alaska, (no pool stuff), and to be honest, I can't remember their sizes. I was too busy with my own stuffs to look at the size of a person. I go to Maine every year. I see people in all sizes and shapes in bathing suits, no one cares. Since I hate the sun and heat dont sit in the sun, we have two umbrellas one for me one for DH, I don't wear a bathing suit (or shorts), I hate them always did even when I was a size 2 and I am covered. I go to the beach because DH likes sitting near the ocean and we both enjoy being near the ocean and listening to the ocean. People must think I'm strange, not for size, but for sitting in a t-shirt and pedal pushers under an umbrella putting sunscreen on on any exposed part of my body and then covering my toes with a beach towel. Do I care, not one bit, and to the best of my knowledge neither does anyone else.

 

Life is too short, enjoy and please don't stress or worry!!!

I wish you healthy, happy safe travels, and wonderful cruise!!!

[Ehpride]

Shame they moved this thread. It really isn't about fashion. I couldn't care less about fashion but I am interested in plus size accomodations.

 

You are a wonderful DIL and your MIL is very lucky. If she is sensitive about her weight I wouldn't have her join CC. On this thread everyone is supportive and kind. However, there are occasionally posts that could make a plus person very self conscious.

 

It's great that everyone says "be confident in yourself", "you'll never see these people again",etc. Then you read those posts that trash the "fat people or whatever other nickname the poster cleverly (they think) assigns. Don't get me wrong, it is not just fat folks, it's folks with hairy backs, or pot bellies or whatever the poster DOESN"T have wrong with them. I truly don't want to spoil anyone's vacation so I keep as much of me covered as possible. Don't utilize the pool and don't even wear shorts. I'm aware that someone is probably commenting about the food on my plate even if their plate holds three times the amount. Or maybe she would run across the thread that has pictures poking fun of people including a wide bottomed person. Then she could worry that a picture of her could end up providing amusement to a whole bulletin board.

 

It always amazes me that the people who are the most critical of someone's else's appearance usually are not the "10's" of the world. It really no one's business if the guy in the speedo weighs three hundred pounds or not. Don't look if it offends you. Or when the person who is 50 lbs overweight trashes the person who is 100 lbs overweight.

 

The one good thing I have found is that most people reserve their mean comments for a bulletin board so you MIL should have a wonderful time especially with a DIL as lovely as you. Both her and your dh are lucky to have you in their lives.

 

Have a grand cruise... you truly deserve it.

 

Those that are talking derogatively about overweight people are probably not the ones who are being supporting.

 

Personally, I think you should use the pool if you want to. It's your vacation and there's no point in limiting yourself that way.

 

Honestly, I'm a size 8. I'm not tiny but petite (preferable to short :D) Most of my friends are larger than me. I couldn't care less what size they are. They're my friends because they're nice and have great personalities. I want them to be happy and healthy. And I would hope what size clothes I wear wouldn't be a factor in why they are my friend.

 

So, basically, not everybody is like you describe. There are people that don't care about size. I've come to realize that most people are not 100% happy with their body.

[cathyoo]

So, basically, not everybody is like you describe. There are people that don't care about size. I've come to realize that most people are not 100% happy with their body.

I am so sorry if I gave the impression that most folks are insensitive or rude. I didn’t mean to do so at all. There are many people who see beyond physical appearances and many of those people post to this board. My comments were about those that feel certain things are “open game”. I’m not sure they realize their remarks can be hurtful. But just the fact that the OP’s mother in law is nervous about the cruise because of her weight tells you something about our society.

[Ehpride]

I am so sorry if I gave the impression that most folks are insensitive or rude. I didn’t mean to do so at all. There are many people who see beyond physical appearances and many of those people post to this board. My comments were about those that feel certain things are “open game”. I’m not sure they realize their remarks can be hurtful. But just the fact that the OP’s mother in law is nervous about the cruise because of her weight tells you something about our society.

 

Unfortunately, not everybody realizes that even written remarks from Internet strangers about weight or appearance or personality can hurt.

And it absolutely does say something about our society, that thinness is valued above who people really are. I think we're agreeing here :)

[moonvine]

Would a plus-size person have problems on snorkle/sail excursions? We've booked the Golden Eagle catamaran trip, and I'm a little concerned about climbing on and off the boat...Any suggestions? Thanks-

 

You know, this so depends on the person. Are you in pretty good shape generally? If you have upper body strength you can pull yourself up the ladder, if you have lower body strength you can push.

 

I was soooo nervous about this before my first SCUBA diving trip (I was more nervous about getting back in the boat than I was about actual diving) so I asked a fat friend of mine who is certified. She says what she does is wait for a wave to come and time her step up with the wave so that the wave kind of pushes her up the ladder.

[moonvine]

It's great that everyone says "be confident in yourself", "you'll never see these people again",etc. Then you read those posts that trash the "fat people or whatever other nickname the poster cleverly (they think) assigns.

 

And if I see that....I *will* call them on it..so that they know it is not acceptable.

 

 

 

I truly don't want to spoil anyone's vacation so I keep as much of me covered as possible. Don't utilize the pool and don't even wear shorts.

 

Oh my gosh, it makes me feel bad when I hear people saying stuff like this. I wear whatever I want on cruises, or anywhere else. I wear shorts and a bathing suit. If people choose to allow me to "spoil" their vacations simply by wearing shorts they are giving me an *awful* lot of power over them, aren't they? You only live once, and you deserve to use the pool or wear shorts or anything else you desire. They will forget all about you once they see me in my bikini, I can assure you.:D

 

I'm aware that someone is probably commenting about the food on my plate even if their plate holds three times the amount.

 

Wow, if they are, they must be really small minded people. I've never even considered that someone might notice the amount of food on my plate - I've certainly never noticed the amount of food on anyone else's!.

[cathyoo]

 

 

 

Wow, if they are, they must be really small minded people. I've never even considered that someone might notice the amount of food on my plate - I've certainly never noticed the amount of food on anyone else's!.

 

I thought the same until I started reading posts on this board. Cruisers who commented on the huge people piling up their plates. Doesn't take much to make me insecure.

 

You have a great outlook and someday if I keep working on it, maybe I can get there.

[MrsMoose2001]

Unfortunately, not everybody realizes that even written remarks from Internet strangers about weight or appearance or personality can hurt.

And it absolutely does say something about our society, that thinness is valued above who people really are. I think we're agreeing here :)

 

Ehpride, I just wanted to say that you are a credit to young people to say that. I wish more people would see things the way you just wrote it. Unfortunately and very sad what you wrote is true, and I agree with you and what you wrote.

[moonvine]

I thought the same until I started reading posts on this board. Cruisers who commented on the huge people piling up their plates. Doesn't take much to make me insecure.

 

You have a great outlook and someday if I keep working on it, maybe I can get there.

 

I still think they are small minded, even if they do post on this board!:)

 

You can get there, keep working.:)