The Photographer's Wife Parenting, Disney, Travel, Reviews & Other Randomness
Perhaps the point that I can’t stress enough is this:
Just know that if your usual trips are packed to the max, getting up with the sun and staying at the parks until after closing without any breaks because you’re too busy going from one thrill ride to the next, you’ll have to accept the fact that this trip will be different. There are many rides that aren’t recommended for pregnant women and your growing belly might prevent you from touring at your usual pace, but there are plenty of other things to do and different can be great! Take this opportunity to experience things at Disney that you normally wouldn’t and it will be a completely new park to you.
With that in mind, here are some additional tips I can offer based on my experience taking a trip to Disney World at 34 weeks pregnant. I went mostly to take maternity photos at Magic Kingdom and Epcot, since we love Disney so much, but it was also our opportunity to get away one last time before our son arrived. I knew I wasn’t going to go on many rides, if any, and that our pace might have to be alot slower than usual, but we still had plenty to do and had so much fun, as always. It was also interesting to move away from the crowds to seek out photo opportunities. We often found ourselves alone and looking at things we had never seen before.
Most of these tips can even be beneficial to follow during all of your trips, even when you’re not pregnant. Just use common sense and your own feelings to know what you can and can’t do.
Drink plenty of water
There is definitely no shortage of water in Disney World. Everywhere you turn, there is either a water fountain, a restaurant or a cart selling bottled water. Staying hydrated is always important, but even more so while you’re pregnant. Touring Disney requires plenty of walking, so now would not be a good time to have swollen feet due to dehydration. Drink even more during the hot months, which in Florida is pretty much every month. So every time you pass a water fountain, take a sip or fill up your water bottle. If you don’t like water fountains, then bring water with you or buy bottles from the many beverage carts or counter-service restaurants scattered throughout the parks. Powerade can be a good alternative to soda if you get tired of drinking water. I’ve seen some people bring those flavored powder packets to mix in with their water, too. Personally, I don’t like toting around food/drink items, but this could be a good option for others.
Make sure you eat
This shouldn’t be difficult with the plethora of delicious food options at Disney, but Disney can be so much fun that you can forget to eat. Eating is half the fun for us while we’re at Disney, so this was no problem for us. You can be good and have snacks like bananas and carrots, or like me and have Dole Whips and cream cheese pretzels instead. Either way, put something in your tummy to make sure you don’t get light-headed. That baby needs nutrition!
Take breaks from walking and/or the heat
This can be done a number of ways. First of all, don’t unnecessarily stand if the option of sitting is available. There’s plenty of benches throughout the parks, use them! Find a spot to sit while waiting for the parades, such as a bench or the curb. Use Fastpasses so you don’t stand in line any longer than you have to. Also, you can go on rides or attend shows that allow you to sit for longer periods of time, preferably ones that are inside in the air conditioning. Some that come to mind are Haunted Mansion in Magic Kingdom, Finding Nemo in Animal Kingdom, MuppetVision 3D in Hollywood Studios and Spaceship Earth in Epcot.
Enjoy the fireworks from a comfy spot
Finding a good seat while waiting for fireworks was briefly mentioned above, but there’s other ways to accomplish this too. Finding a seat for the Wishes fireworks mostly requires you to find a spot and wait for hours for the show to begin or stand in the middle of Main Street for 30-45 minutes, unless you don’t mind walking up as soon as the show starts and don’t care about getting a good view. One way around this is to book a spot at the Tomorrowland Terrace Fireworks Dessert Party. The party usually starts about an hour before Wishes and is held in the Tomorrowland Terrace across from the castle. You just show up at your booked time and you have reserved seating. There is a fantastic buffet of desserts to gather and bring to your table to enjoy while waiting for the fireworks.
Then, when the fireworks are about to begin, you can either stay in your seat or stand near the ledge to get a better view, both much better options than standing with the crowds just a few hundred feet away. Go here for more info and to reserve your seat: Tomorrowland Terrace Fireworks Dessert Party.
At Epcot, a good trick is to book your dinner at a restaurant along the lagoon, like Rose & Crown Pub in Great Britain or La Hacienda de San Angel in Mexico, close to the Illuminations time. You may have to request a seat for this purpose and Disney will do its best to accomodate you. Then you can enjoy your dinner and a show at the same time, all from your reserved seat.
Go back to the hotel to take a nap or swim
This is not something we ordinarily do, but since we had gotten up so early to have breakfast and take photos in an empty park one day, a midday break was just what the doctor ordered. Just when it was starting to get crowded and hot, we went back to the hotel to get off of our feet and relax, eat lunch and then freshen up before going back to the park for the evening and nighttime activities. We avoided the most crowded and hot times of the day by doing this. We felt refreshed and enjoyed the evening much better than if we had stayed at the park the entire day. Bring or request extra pillows if you need them!
Wear comfortable shoes and clothes
Your definition of comfortable may be different than mine, but now’s not the time to wear 4 inch heals and a short skirt. (Although I don’t know why anyone would want to wear that to the parks anyway, pregnant or not, but I definitely see it every time I go!) I find sneakers or flip-flops comfortable, along with shorts and a sleeveless top. My feet still hurt at the end of the day (this is what I call “Disney feet” and takes several days to get used to) but I know it could have been much worse. We also find it helpful to alternate shoe types each day (i.e. wear flip-flops one day and sneakers the next).
Focus on things other than thrill rides
Food - Eat somewhere you’ve never eaten at before. If you usually eat quick-service chicken tenders, try eating at a table-service restaurant and enjoy the atmosphere and break from the hustle and bustle outside. You just can’t go wrong with Disney food. If you have any pregnancy-induced food aversions, look up the menus prior to booking to make sure you’ll be ok. (We use Allears.net to view menus)
Shows - If you usually skip certain shows, like Beauty & the Beast while making a mad dash towards Tower of Terror, take time to experience the shows you may not normally watch.
Entertainment - Take a moment to watch the entertainment provided throughout the parks, like DeVine in Animal Kingdom, the street performers at Hollywood Studios, and the many performances around Epcot, such as the Jammitors or Off Kilter (two of our favorites). Grab the entertainment schedule once you enter the park and have fun!
Don’t overdo it
It can be difficult to stop yourself from trying to do everything that Disney has to offer. This task is nearly impossible even for non-pregnant people! Especially if you will be there more than one day, you want to pace yourself and just remember that you can’t do everything in a day, or that some things will just have to wait until your next trip. You should have a new addition to your family to have fun with on your next trip…and that’s something to look forward to!
Here is a list of rides at each park that Disney advises pregnant women not to ride.
Magic Kingdom: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, Goofy’s Barnstormer, Space Mountain, Tomorrowland Indy Speedway
Epcot: Test Track; Mission: SPACE
Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Tower of Terror, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Star Tours;
Animal Kingdom: Dinosaur, Kali River Rapids, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest, Primevil Whirl
I also wouldn’t recommend taking the trip after 37 weeks if you have to travel quite a distance to get home. Your insurance might not cover your expenses if you are out of their coverage area and you’ll end up in an unfamilar hospital with an unfamiliar doctor. Everyone’s pregnancies are different, so please take the advice of your physician/midwife before you even consider going on a Disney trip while pregnant. I spoke to my doctor before going and I was cleared to go. We also frequently go to Disney World, so we knew exactly what to expect.
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Thanks for these great tips!! We’re going in May with our 2.5 year old. The nice thing about a toddler is that she will remind me to slow down too.
I’ll be 29 weeks pregnant!
I’m glad you liked them. Congratulations and have fun on your trip!
I love the photo of you holding the rifle! When we toured the WDW parks I ended up doing so many things I would not have normally done if I wasn’t preggers. There were so many nooks and interested things I had never noticed before.