Traveling to Walt Disney World While Pregnant!
Most guests know traveling to Walt Disney World is not exactly a ‘relaxing’ vacation, so it’s hard to imagine wanting to do all of the planning, board a plane, make your way to the hotel, and walk through the parks when pregnant. But that’s exactly what I have done many times and I want to share my experience with YOU so you can be more prepared if you decide to take your littlest mouse for their first visit!
My first experience at Walt Disney World pregnant was with my first born for our ‘baby moon.’ Before that trip, my husband and I had traveled to WDW together maybe 5 or 6 times so we were familiar with the parks, resorts, and dining options. I would NOT recommend visiting WDW for the first time while pregnant! For us, this trip was a getaway to our favorite vacation destination, and we just happened to be bringing along our newest addition. We booked our stay at Coronado Springs with plans to spend lots of time at the pool and go slow! We did visit Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT, and spent most of our time taking photos, shopping, meeting characters, and enjoying the International Food & Wine Festival….or for me, the Food Festival. I believe we only went to Hollywood Studios for a Passholder preview of Toy Story Land…and there wasn’t much for me to do there so really my husband just enjoyed Slinky Dog Dash!
I learned a LOT on my first trip to WDW pregnant…and eagerly looked forward to bringing my little one back for her first trip once she was earth-side!
Fast forward to December 2020…and we were back in Walt Disney World (yes, during COVID) with our now almost 2 year old, and I was pregnant again! This time I KNEW we were going to go slow…and it was almost BETTER having my daughter along with us! My general rule is if toddlers can go on the ride, so can I (but of course always read the warnings at each ride). What I mean is, most attractions that are for ‘all ages’ and don’t have a height requirement, are safe to enjoy while pregnant…with a few exceptions. For example, I can safely enjoy Peter Pan’s Flight, Jungle Cruise, Toy Story Mania, and so much more….but NOT Kilimanjaro Safari. Even though the safari is for all ages, it is too bumpy to enjoy when pregnant (risk of placenta rupture among other issues). This trip we were staying at the Polynesian Village Resort using our DVC points, and having the monorail and view of the castle truly made me feel like we never ‘left’ the magic!
Fast forward another few trips to December 2022…we traveled back to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort with my daughter (now almost 4!) and my son (20 months), and I was pregnant again! I will say this trip was much more challenging having TWO toddlers AND being pregnant. This meant that any of the more adventurous attractions my daughter wanted to enjoy, my husband had to take her on – The Barnstormer, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Splash Mountain (my personal favorite!). Which left me to care for my son…which usually meant carrying him or taking him on a more age-appropriate ride which is NO easy task when he’s over 30 pounds! We planned many more rest days into this trip to simply enjoy the resort and pool, while both I and the kids recovered from a park day!
After all of these trips, I have learned some super important tips to help YOU make the most of your trip to Walt Disney World when pregnant!
Consider your accommodations. Deluxe resorts can be pricey, but the easier transportation, proximity to the parks, and upgraded pools are very much worth it. When we stayed at the Polynesian, I truly felt like I was still immersed in my vacation when I could still see the castle, enjoy the nostalgia of the resort, and enjoy the monorail.
Plan for Rest Days. Visiting the theme parks requires a LOT of walking. Ideally, you’d like to take a rest day every other day, but if this isn’t ideal, at least every two days! This also means you may want to extend your trip by a day or two to accommodate those rest days. If you DO plan to spend each day of your trip in the theme parks, make sure you build downtime into your touring plan and enjoy the many benches or indoor shows!
HYDRATE! I highly recommend bringing your own refillable water bottle and ordering packs of bottled water to be delivered to your resort. By the time you’re thirsty, you are likely beyond the point of needing to hydrate!
Listen to your body. This is so so important. If you need to rest, just do it! If you need to leave the park, just leave! The parks will always be there, but you do not want to find yourself in a medical situation far from home!
Check the safety guidelines. Like I mentioned above, most rides that are all ages are safe for women who are pregnant – but still please read the safety guidelines at each ride to see if that ride is appropriate for you! This also goes back to listening to your body – if you’re feeling more sore or uncomfortable, it’s probably not the best idea to hop on Toy Story Mania.
Don’t shy away from enjoying Walt Disney World when you’re pregnant! This can be a wonderful time to create memories with your growing family and your bump – this trip may just look a little different than your other trips, and that’s okay.
