Pregnant and going to Disney World? What you can do to make your vacation memorable!
Congratulations! You and your family are expecting a new Mouseketeer soon and you want to plan a trip to Disney. Don’t think that being pregnant means you can’t have any fun or experience any of your favorite attractions. Yes, there are certain attractions that should be avoided, but list of things you CAN do far outnumbers the list of things you can’t.
The first thing you want to do is check with your physician and make sure you are safe to travel. Depending on how far along you are in your pregnancy or any special conditions you may have, your OB/GYN may caution against traveling. Also, many airlines have stipulations for traveling expectant mothers that may prevent you from flying. If you get the green light from your doctor, you will also want to check with the airlines before booking a flight. Now that you are all cleared, you are ready for travel!
Two important things to remember while touring Walt Disney World is to stay hydrated and take plenty of breaks, especially during warmer months and/or if you are farther along in your pregnancy. Always have a drink in hand!
Now comes the question, “What can’t I do?” As I mentioned earlier, that list is actually fairly short. We’ll go through the list, park by park.
At the Magic Kingdom, you should definitely stay away from the three “Mountains” (Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain). If a ride has several fast drops or is at all bumpy, you don’t need to be on it. This would also include the Barnstormer.
If you really want to ride the Teacups, there is no warning against it. There are some teacups that don’t spin as much as others that the friendly cast members can guide you towards. That being said, if you are still in your first trimester and are suffering from morning sickness, I would definitely recommend you stay away. Actually, if you are still suffering from morning sickness, you may not want to ride anything.
Tomorrowland Speedway should also be avoided. The sudden jolts and occasional bumping into other vehicles can be considered a danger to a fetus, and is highly recommended that expectant mothers avoid this attraction.
You may wonder if being an expectant mother rules out one of my favorite attractions: Pirates of the Caribbean. If you are not already familiar with Pirates, there is one drop during the ride, although if you are having second thoughts then by all means, sit that one out. While the rest of your party is on the ride, perhaps you can enjoy seeing Jack Sp-, um, I mean Captain Jack Sparrow, give his Pirate Tutorial to the new recruits.
At Epcot, there are two main attractions you should definitely sit out: Test Track and Mission Space. Lots of fast motion and potential jolts that can easily be harmful to baby. That being said, expectant mothers automatically have the rights to design the Test Track vehicles for the rest of their party, or at least that’s what I’m claiming as my right. 😉 Test Track has recently been re-imagined, and I highly recommend at least walking with your party through the queue for that part of the experience. After that, enjoy browsing through the various after attraction activities while you wait for the rest of your party to join you.
Soaring does not have any restrictions for expectant mothers, although once again, if you are experiencing motion sensitivity, you may want to skip this one.
And hey, your pregnant, so you gotta eat, right? Why not eat around the World Showcase? I promise, just about every craving can be satisfied right there (I know this from experience). Take this time to really explore the different pavilions and see what they have to offer!
There are just a few attractions at Hollywood Studios you would need to avoid. The loops on the Aerosmith Rockin Roller Coaster and the unpredictable drops on Tower of Terror mean avoid those attractions! If the rest of your party wants to ride them, then you can take the time and enjoy the streetmosphere of the popular Citizens of Hollywood while you wait.
The other attraction to avoid would be Star Tours. This ride contains a lot of jolts that could prove harmful for the baby. While your party is on the ride, you can watch young Jedis take on Darth Vadar in the Jedi Training Academy.
Finally, we come to Animal Kingdom. Pretty much every ride at Animal Kingdom has pregnancy restrictions. But you can still enjoy the park! One of my favorite activities to do is visit Rafiki’s Planet Watch early in the morning and see if there are any procedures being done in the viewing area. It is so fascinating to watch the vets at Animal Kingdom treat the animals with specialized instruments. There’s always someone there to answer questions, and the lead vet will often get on the microphone and tell the audience about the animal.
Animal Kingdom also has some great shows. One of my favorites is Finding Nemo: The Musical. I can’t watch the movie now without hearing the songs from the show at Animal Kingdom in my mind! You can also catch It’s Tough to Be a Bug and Flights of Wonder here, as well.
If you’re an animal lover, you’ll want to explore the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail and visit the meerkats, gorillas, and monkeys. Or, if you’re up for more of a predator, try the Maharajah Jungle Trek where you can come within inches of a Bengal tiger, separated by very strong glass, of course! On warmer days, you might even catch the tigers playing around in the tiger pool!
How about making your trip to Disney a special memory? You can find some great photo ideas on Pinterest to announce your pregnancy to your friends or do a unique gender reveal. Don’t forget to purchase the Memory Maker before your trip and have the PhotoPass Photographers capture all of those great moments. Some of them have experience in this genre of photos, so I’m sure they would love to offer up their ideas and suggestions. You can even ask some of the characters to help you out in the photos, as well. Just remember that it won’t be long before your sweet little one will be climbing into Dumbo for the first time with you!
For more info on traveling to Disney World while pregnant, please feel free to contact me directly! All my services are 100% free and I’d love to help make your Disney vacation magical and memorable for years to come!
