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Caribbean · 8 days / 7 nights

Caribbean Cruise for Fat People: A 7-Night Comfort Plan

A big modern ship, docked ports and a private island with trams make a Caribbean cruise one of the easiest vacations for a bigger body. This plan picks the cabin, ports and excursions that keep you comfortable and gives you the weight limits before you're standing at the gangway.

Length
8 days / 7 nights
Budget
$$
Best time
December–April
Best for
Big-ship cruisers who want beach days and island views without tender boats or long excursion hikes
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Why it works for bigger bodies

  • You unpack once. Your cabin, the buffet, the pool and the theater are all an elevator ride apart.
  • Eastern Caribbean calls like St. Thomas and St. Maarten aren't on Norwegian's tender-port list, so you usually walk straight off the ship.
  • Accessible cabins have roll-in showers with benches, higher toilets and grab bars, per Norwegian's accessibility page.
  • Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day at CocoCay runs trams between the arrival plaza, beaches and the waterpark.

Watch-outs

  • Tender ports are the hardest part of a cruise. Norwegian lists George Town (Grand Cayman) as a tender port, and Cozumel, Roatán and Grand Turk as dock-or-tender depending on the call.
  • On Norwegian, tenders may not be fully accessible, mobility devices must fold to go aboard, and crew can't lift a combined 100 lb of scooter or wheelchair on or off a tender.
  • CocoCay limits: Up, Up & Away balloon 275 lb max; Daredevil's Peak slide 300 lb max.
  • Ziplines, horseback rides, ATVs and parasailing all set their own weight limits. Check the excursion page or ask the shore excursions desk before you pay.
  • Standard cabin showers are compact. If that's a dealbreaker, book an accessible cabin or a suite early, because they sell out.
  • A scooter used in a standard cabin must fit through the door (Norwegian caps it at 26 inches wide) and must be stored in your cabin, not the hallway.
  • Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30.

Getting there

Fly into Miami (MIA), Fort Lauderdale (FLL) or Orlando (MCO, for Port Canaveral) the day before you sail. Missing the ship over a delayed connection is the one cruise problem you can't fix. Every major US airline will sell you a second seat, usually through reservations by phone. Alaska stands out for refunding it after travel if every flight left with an open seat. Southwest's agents can again give you a free adjacent seat when there's room, but Southwest still recommends buying one ahead to guarantee it. Take the aisle, ask the crew for the airline's own seatbelt extender, and request airport wheelchair assistance if long terminal walks wear you out. At the cruise terminal, tell check-in staff if you use a mobility aid and ask about assisted boarding.

Check your airline’s current customer-of-size policy before you book: airline policy guide.

Day by day

  1. Day 1 — Embark

    • Arrive at the terminal early in your window. Ask for assisted boarding if you use a mobility aid.
    • Lunch onboard while cabins are readied, then find your cabin and test the shower, bed height and chair.
    • Muster drill, sail-away from your balcony or a shaded deck, early night.

  2. Day 2 — Sea day

    • Book specialty dinners and shows now, and request aisle seats in the theater.
    • Spa or thermal suite in the morning, pool in the late afternoon when it's quieter.

  3. Day 3 — Perfect Day at CocoCay (or your line's private island)

    • Take the tram to a beach and stay in one spot. Bring a rash guard, a cooling towel and water.
    • Back onboard for a late lunch and nap before dinner.

  4. Day 4 — Sea day

    • A true rest day: room service breakfast, a matinee show, an early dinner.

  5. Day 5 — St. Thomas

    • Morning safari-bus island tour with lookout stops.
    • Back to the ship by early afternoon to beat the heat.

  6. Day 6 — St. Maarten

    • Semi-submarine or a catamaran sail, then a seated lunch near the pier.
    • Afternoon on your balcony.

  7. Day 7 — Sea day

    • Pack in the afternoon and put your bags out at night, or plan to carry them off yourself.

  8. Day 8 — Disembark

    • Request wheelchair assistance off the ship if you used it boarding. Leave plenty of time for your flight.

Where to stay

Royal Caribbean Oasis- or Icon-class ship

7-night Eastern Caribbean from Miami, Fort Lauderdale or Port Canaveral (itineraries vary by season)

Among the biggest ships at sea, with lots of elevators and dining options, and many itineraries include CocoCay. Book a balcony for a private, seated place to watch the ocean, or an accessible stateroom for a roll-in shower. Request scooters, shower chairs or other equipment through Royal Caribbean's Access Department at least 30 days before sailing.

Check rates

Norwegian Cruise Line accessible stateroom

Caribbean sailings from Miami, Port Canaveral and other US ports

Norwegian spells out its accessible cabin features: wider doors, roll-in showers with benches, higher toilets and handrails. Its preferred vendor, Scootaround, rents scooters for US departures. Tell the Access Desk at least 45 days ahead.

Check rates

Pre-cruise hotel with a port shuttle

Miami, Fort Lauderdale or Cocoa Beach

Spend the night before at a hotel with elevators, an accessible room and either a cruise shuttle or a short rideshare to the terminal. Ask the hotel how far the shuttle stop is from the lobby, and arrive at the port rested instead of straight off a red-eye.

Check rates

Things to do (comfortably)

Perfect Day at CocoCay beach day

Trams connect the arrival plaza with the beaches and the waterpark, so the walking is short. Claim a lounger or rent a cabana near a tram stop and stay put.

Weight limit: Up, Up & Away balloon: 275 lb max; Daredevil's Peak slide: 300 lb max

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St. Thomas island tour by open-air safari bus

Bench-seat safari trucks drive you to the island's mountaintop lookouts with no hiking. Ask about the step height to climb in, since you board up into a truck bed.

ViatorGetYourGuide

Semi-submarine or glass-bottom boat

See the reef and fish sitting down, with no snorkel ladder and no wetsuit.

Weight limit: Varies — ask the operator

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Catamaran beach and snorkel sail

Shaded seating and a sea breeze. Before booking, ask how you get into and out of the water (stairs or ladder) and whether they carry larger life vests.

Weight limit: Varies — ask the operator

ViatorGetYourGuide

Which cruise cabin is best for a plus-size traveler?

Cabin Why it helps Trade-off
Accessible stateroom Roll-in shower with bench, wider door, grab bars Limited numbers; book early
Balcony Private seating outdoors, no fighting for deck chairs Shower is the same compact size as inside cabins
Suite More floor space, bigger bathroom, often a sofa Price

If the standard shower is your worry, ask the line for the shower dimensions of the exact category you're booking. More line-by-line advice is in best cruise lines for plus-size travelers.

Docked ports vs. tender ports

At a docked port you walk down a gangway onto the pier. At a tender port the ship anchors offshore and you step across a gap onto a small boat that bobs in the swell. Norwegian's tender-port page warns that tenders may not be fully accessible and that crew can't carry mobility devices over a combined 100 lb on or off them. When you compare itineraries, check each port against your line's tender list, and favor sailings where most calls are docked.

Excursion weight limits

Royal Caribbean posts limits for CocoCay's attractions: 275 lb for the Up, Up & Away helium balloon and 300 lb for Daredevil's Peak. Most third-party excursions (ziplines, horseback, ATV, parasailing, snorkel boats) set their own limits, and they change. Ask the operator directly before you book, and see our vacation activity weight limits guide.

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