When we started to plan our babymoon to Disney, I knew it would be different. I was not prepared mentally on how different of a trip this was going to be. We did a lot of things right and some things I would totally do differently and take slower. I was really worried that I wouldn’t be able to go on many of the rides at Disney World during this trip. I knew that I could watch the shows and other entertainment that Disney provided but other than that I was unsure. Many people thought we were nuts for doing Disney while 27 weeks pregnant; however, we had a blast! Here are my top 10 tips for doing Disney pregnant!
1. Wear comfortable clothing.
This can be said for anybody really; however, really think about what you are going to be most comfortable in. On a normal, non-pregnant park day, I usually can be found in a tank top or t-shirt and cuffed jeans. However, for my pregnancy trip, I opted for a super thin tank and shorts to make sure that I did not overheat. Even in March, this pregnant gal was warm and I was super thankful for less restricting clothing and my maternity tank from PinkBlush.
2. Think about your shoes.
Again, any park goer should think about their shoes. I opted for my Sanuk Yoga Sling flip flops
3. Water + snacks.
I take my CamelBak Eddy Water Bottle
4. Enjoy more relaxing rides.
Originally I was really bummed about all of the rides that I could not do, but once I got to the parks, it really did not phase our trip much. Yes I would have loved to go on Space Mountain, but I know that we will be back with our baby boy soon and this trip was just not the trip for thrilling rides. Instead, we focused on shoppings, shows, and the more relaxing rides. There were a handful of rides that Dusty had never even been on because we typically shoot for the more popular, thrilling ones. I was amazed by how much I enjoyed Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival, Journey Into Imagination With Figment, and Mickey's PhilharMagic.
5. Take a mid-day break.
This was a easy transition for us on our park day during our babymoon because it rained for three hours in the middle of the afternoon. Instead of fighting the rain, we were able to hop on the monorail and ride quickly back to the Polynesian for a refresher. Dusty was able to go to the gym and I rested a bit with a delightful bath bomb. It also allowed up to avoid the "drown rat" look that we gracious received with the down pour after lunch. We were able to make it back to a new park by late afternoon and felt great!
6. Schedule your Fast Passes.
For me, I like to schedule all of my fast passes earlier in the day back-to-back. This allowed us to have a plan for the morning, and we were able to be more flexible in the afternoon. The pregnant-friendly fast passes that I choose for our morning at the Magic Kingdom were Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, and Pirates of the Caribbean.
What I would do differently is not space my fast passes all over the park. I did do it in a good order where we could easily move from one side of the park to the other without backtracking through lands; however, with my back-to-back timing, it was hard to waddle my pregnancy body through the lands as quickly as usually. If we did this again, I would probably focus more on having my fast passes on one half of the park and in a condensed time frame, still allowing us to have the afternoon and evening less structured and still being able to take advantage of the fast pass perks.
7. Explore non-park adventures.
One of my favorite things that we did the entire trip was actually not park-related at all. Dinner at California Grill during the Magic Kingdom fireworks was absolutely amazing. We were able to spend the day relaxing at Disney Springs and exploring our resort. We finished up the evening by getting dressed up and having our weekly "date night" with the most fantastic view. The dinner itself was delicious, but a little pricey. California Grill is definitely a treat dinner, and not normal occurrence for us on a Disney vacation. I think it was perfect for us to wrap up our babymoon.
8. Do not overdo it.
Overall, I am so so glad that we did Disney for our babymoon; however, as much as I could not fathom it prior, it was a different experience than the past. It was slower, more stops, and more exhausting. On a day-to-day, I feel fairly normal so I did not understand how this could really change our park hopping process during the trip. It did. I was tired. I was worn out. I moved slower. I waddled more.
Just do not overdo it. I am glad that we spent most of our week at Vero Beach and excited that we were able to have the one day at the parks, but more than that would have been an even slower paced experience. We woke up late. We hit the bed early. We took naps and breaks. All of these things made the trip better overall.
- 9. Take lots of photos.
Dusty and I have opted not to have maternity photos taken during our pregnancy. Not because we are anti-maternity photo shoots, but with a babymoon, house renovations, and all the other expenses that comes with a baby, a maternity photo shoot did not make the cut. We did take TONS of photos at Disney and purchased a one day Memory Maker from our trip. It was totally worth the investment. I only saw this option to purchase the one day pass ($59 at the time) on the MyDisneyExperience app itself, and not on the website. We had the best time taking a moment here and there maximizing our photo opportunities throughout the park. We even had the sweetest PhotoPass photographer that ventured out with us through Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival and took some "maternity photo shoot"-like photographs. This was his own idea and I cannot express how much it just made our day!
10. Have tons of fun!
Disney is the place to have fun, so do it! Enjoy the day, take it easy, and maximize on the rides and shows that ideal for your stage of pregnancy. We went during my 27th week and I could not have loved the experience anymore. Yes, there was rain. Yes, I was tired. Yes, the entire experience was a wee-bit different than the last times we have been there. I enjoyed every moment we had. It was such a great vacation with Dusty before our whole world changes and we get to meet our little guy!
