This month, I’m writing a series titled 31 Days of Disney! In this part of the series, I’m reviewing past Disney trips and lessons learned along the way. Today’s post is a review of our second trip to Disney World. I was 25 1/2 weeks pregnant with our second child during this trip. If you’re considering a visit to a Disney park while you’re pregnant, love Disney or just want a quick, easy and interesting read, this post is for you!
Quick Summary of Our 2005 Trip to Disney World
When we found out my husband was going to be taking another trip to Orlando, Florida, to attend the North American Veterinary Conference running marketing programs for a client, we realized it would be a perfect opportunity for me to join him for the tail end of his trip and have a little pre-baby #2 getaway. In the history of our 1 1/2 year engagement and 17 1/2 year marriage, my husband has done fairly extensive travel for business. This was the FIRST and ONLY time I ever joined him for a portion of a business trip. Never before. Never since.
My husband typically spent a whole week in Orlando for this particular convention. So he flew to Orlando early in the week and went about business as normal. On Friday, I dropped our two-year-old son with his grandparents and made my way to the airport. When I arrived in Orlando, I headed straight for the hotel.
My husband had plenty of business to finish up, including at least one day of work that Saturday, so I knew I’d need to keep myself busy for a whole day. Yes, I was 25 1/2 weeks pregnant. But ultimately, I decided that the best option would be to head to the Magic Kingdom!
We were staying off property at an incredibly large resort, so they had shuttle service to Magic Kingdom. I vividly remember waiting outside for the shuttle outside the hotel that morning. They dropped me at the gates, ferried me over to Magic Kingdom, and I spent the entire day there ALL. BY. MYSELF. For this 25 1/2 weeks pregnant with my second child, introverted Disney lover, it was absolutely perfect. Magical. Highly recommended.
Lesson 1: Let Disney take care of your every need.
Disney trips are amazing on any occasion. Pregnancy is no exception. Disney cast members will go out of their way to make your day magical, ladies.
In 2013, I wrote about a special encounter from my 2005 trip in Letters to the Unthanked if you’d like to read the whole story. Here it is in brief. I really wanted to go on a particular ride, but the line was ridiculously long and I wasn’t willing to wait 90 minutes. So I went to grab a Fast Pass so I could come back later and walk in without waiting, but when I went to get my Fast Pass, the Disney cast member attending the kiosk looked at my belly, smiled, handed me a Fast Pass and said “have a magical day!” It was incredibly magical, and a memory I’ll never forget.
Fast Passes work differently now, so if you go to a Disney park while you’re pregnant, don’t expect the magic to play out the same as it did for me in 2005. My point is that Disney cast members are aware of and accommodate all guests, including you, expectant mama. They will go above and beyond to meet your needs and make magic happen. Ask for help when you need it. Let them love on you. Let them work their magic. Let them take care of your every need.
Lesson 2: If you’re expecting your first child or have an invitation to leave children at home with family for the day, weekend or week, don’t be afraid to take the opportunity and visit a Disney park by yourself.
So I know it’s a little weird that I went to Disney World by myself for a whole day, especially when I was pregnant. Maybe that was a little out there? Maybe it was a little risky? Maybe nobody else does that? I don’t know. I guess I’m just “that person,” the person who feels totally comfortable doing things by myself. But let me just say, it was totally awesome, totally worth it, totally amazing to do Disney alone when I was pregnant. I never once feared for my safety, or worried something was going to go wrong. It was relaxing. I meandered as I pleased. I took in some afternoon reading with Princess Belle. And I had an amazing time. I always knew I was in the loving and caring hands of Disney, and that if anything were to go even slightly haywire with me as an expectant mama, that Disney cast members would be by my side. Plus, I did have my mobile phone, which helped both me and my husband feel secure knowing I could contact him at a moment’s notice and he could pop right over. I most definitely understand that not everyone has the luxury of going to Disney World for a day alone when they’re pregnant like I did that year, but if you’re local or in Orlando for business, I wouldn’t hesitate a second to recommend the experience.
Lesson 3: Look forward to your next Disney trip with great anticipation!
Okay. I kind of cheated a bit by dating this post 2005. Because actually? I’ve been to Disney World twice during pregnancy. I went to Magic Kingdom that day by myself during our trip to Orlando in 2005 when I was pregnant with our second child. Then I was pregnant again, this time with our third child, when our family of four visited Disney World in 2011. So I have a fair amount of experience doing Disney while pregnant (although admittedly, NOT during the third trimester dog days of pregnancy). Let me give this word of wisdom to pregnant mamas visiting Disney…it’s kind of cool to realize that when you walk out the gates of that Disney park for the LAST TIME when you’re pregnant and realize that the NEXT TIME you come, you’ll have that sweet baby with you. Right now, I’m so excited because I vividly remember walking out the gates of Magic Kingdom in 2011. I was pregnant and teary eyed, fully aware that the next time we come, we’d have that baby with us! Now that baby’s almost four and about to experience Disney for the first time ever. What a cool thing for sentimental mamas to experience. Live in that moment, mamas. That baby of yours is going to love Disney just as much as you did when you were pregnant.
This post is part of a month-long series titled 31 Days of Disney! If you’d like to read more posts from the series, click here and you’ll be directed back to the 31 Days of Disney landing page. ALL posts from the series are linked within the body of that post. Find a title or topic that intrigues you, click on it, and the post will pop up for your Disney reading adventure!
I also placed the series graphic on the right sidebar of my blog’s home page, so click it anytime and it’ll bring you back to the 31 Days of Disney landing page where all 31 posts are listed and linked.
You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/AmyBPederson where I’ll tweet links to all 31 posts using hashtag #write31days, and I’d LOVE to connect on Facebook at facebook.com/AmyBPederson. You can also find me on Instagram at instagram.com/AmyBPederson, and I might even do a few scopes live from Disney World, so follow me on Periscope at @AmyBPederson to see if I get brave!
So glad you stopped by! Make yourself comfortable. Take a peek around the place, and know you’re welcome back anytime.
