Plus-size travellers praise cruises as the best way to holiday

Airlines have come under fire over the years for making larger travellers feel uncomfortable

Cruise ships offer more comfort than airlines for plus-size travellers (Getty Images)

Several plus-size travellers have spoken out praising cruise ship holidays as far more comfortable than trips by plane.

Holidaymakers have explained how they became converts to cruises, as they can worry less about the risk of feeling humiliated about their size.

Brittany Bloomfield told USA Today that she hadn’t flown since the age of seven, partly in fear of how she would be treated by airline staff.

The 31-year-old from New Jersey had driven 20 hours to Florida for her first cruise after her newly-divorced friend was left without a plus one for her trip.

She said she was pleasantly surprised by the week-long Caribbean cruise last November as there were sturdy metal deck chairs, dining room seating with no armrests, and a spacious enough cabin bathroom.

Ms Bloomfield said: “I felt like I had just wanted to travel my whole life and I finally was able to and it was everything that I wanted it to be.

“I wanted to see all these tropical places and I just felt like getting on a plane and crossing the ocean on these long plane rides was never something I was going be able to do.

“I feel like it changed my life.”

Matt Waitt, from Michigan, has been on five cruises and has another booked for next month. He said cruise ships are “pretty much the best way to travel.”

The 38-year-old had told the media outlet that, in his experience of airline travel, he has had to buy an extra seat or board before other people.

Mr Waitt added: “[Passengers] are looking at me kind of funny that I got to go on first when I don’t have a physical impairment.”

Libby Sergey-Kalen, from Massachusetts, has also been on five cruises. She told reporters: “The worst part of trying to do a cruise is getting on the flight.”

She said that, although some cabins can be a bit small, she hasn’t felt “particularly cramped or like things aren’t made for people my size.”

Amanda Ervin, who posts YouTube videos about plus-size travel on channel Chubby and Away, encouraged larger travellers “to not ever feel embarrassed to advocate for yourself”.

In 2015, a resort opened in the Bahamas which claimed to be the first hotel aimed specifically at plus-size travellers.

The Resort – on the Bahamian island of Eleuthera – was built specifically with obesity in mind.