Bibbidi Bobbidi Bump: Being Pregnant at Disney World
“Megan, you can’t ride a lot of the rides when you’re pregnant. What are you going to do at Disney World?”
“I’m going to eat.”
Visiting the most magical place on earth while you’re expecting a bundle of joy can bring about some interesting challenges. True, you cannot experience all of the rides, but there is still much merriment (and FOOD) to be had. Here are my tips for visiting Disney World when you’re expecting from our trip right before the holidays!
Practicing for motherhood by cradling my precious gluten free beignets
Consult your doctor: As with all things with pregnancy, it seems the go-to first piece of advice would have to be to consult with your doctor before any travel or before you try to spend 15 hours on your feet in the Parks. For me, visiting during the second trimester was a nice sweet spot – I still had good energy during our trip and wasn’t yet too uncomfortable.
No longer a single rider : You’ve probably seen the “Expectant mothers should not ride.” signs outside a few of your favorite rides. Now that you’re pregnant, you’re likely paying closer attention to these, and true, you should not ride these rides while you’re expecting. This is going to rule out coasters and most thrill rides. However, you can enjoy your favorite shows, ride-throughs and low-impact rides. We spent our one park day in the Magic Kingdom, and I was able to enjoy most of my favorites: Peter Pan’s Flight, Mickey’s Philharmagic, the Jungle Cruise and more! If someone in your party wants to ride Space Mountain, get yourself a snack and take a rest while they’re in line.
I found this helpful list from Build A Better Mouse Trip about which rides were safe for pregnant women, but as the Disney website says, you should always consult signage and ask a Cast Member if you have questions. Above all, trust your bump! If you don’t feel safe doing something, skip it for this trip!
Take breaks: You might know that Allison and I are used to going Beauty-and-the-Beast Mode – regularly spending 18-hour days in the Parks without resting – but we knew this wouldn’t be that kind of trip. Mama, take your time and enjoy a leisurely stroll down Main Street, U.S.A., take a snack break, plan to take a nap back at the hotel or lounge near the pool in the afternoon. Your feet and your back will thank you for resting. We took many snack breaks – Baby Noble really enjoyed his Mickey Rice Krispie in Storybook Circus, and it turns out that being able to put my feet up for a bit in the afternoon back at the hotel helped me to enjoy our evening in the Magic Kingdom.
Sleeping Beauty: Speaking of hotels, Allison and I have long preached the benefits of a moderate resort bed over the value resort beds, and opting for moderate was a no brainer for this trip. Knowing that sleep can be hard to come by for mamas-to-be, it might be worth it to pay a little more for a more comfortable bed. You also might want to consider proximity to the Disney bus stop for added convenience! We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter, and it was perfect (post coming soon on why this is our new favorite resort)!
Drink water: Your body is very busy growing a human, so don’t let the magic distract you from giving your body what it needs. Being pregnant, air travel and walking all day can make you extra thirsty so keep an eye on your water intake. If you don’t want to buy a water bottle every hour, consider bringing a reusable water bottle into the Parks and know that you can always ask for a free cup of ice water at quick service restaurants, if you’re cool with Florida water. Dependent on when you visit, it is also likely to be warm so be sure to drink extra water and find air conditioning when you can. It’s a Small World is always a great option to find respite from the heat!
Eating for two: Easily the best part of Disney World when you’re pregnant (and all the time) is the FOOD! In addition to the fabulous table service meals we were able to enjoy (check our review of Topolino’s Terrace here), snacks are in no short supply around the World so Baby and I were well fed. Another plus to Port Orleans French Quarter was the regular access to gluten free beignets. Baby loves beignets.
Almost all restaurants also offer tasty non-alcoholic beverage options so even if I couldn’t enjoy a mimosa at brunch, I was still able to join the fun! Trust me, Disney makes a mean mocktail. I didn’t even miss the booze!
Make memories: For Allison and I, it was nice to have a girls trip together since many of our trips will likely involve kiddos in the future. I was also able to get a start on Baby Noble’s Disney fandom with a few special Christmas ornaments and having his first set of ears embroidered with his name.
Whether you already had your trip planned before getting pregnant, or like us, you plan your trip with pregnancy in mind, your time at Disney World will be filled with magical memories and you can tell your bebe all about their very first visit to the most magical place on earth someday!
