"I’ve been going to Disney World pretty consistently since I was a kid. In fact, my first trip to the parks actually happened when I was only 6 months old when my two newbie parents planned a vacation and essentially thought, “We have a kid now… so I guess we go to Disney World?”
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Since then, I’ve visited the parks dozens of times, both on vacations and as part of my job. I’ve done all the rides, visited most of the Disney resort hotels, and taken in quite a bit of what Disney World has to offer. Still, this past year, I found myself doing a first at the Most Magical Place on Earth: I visited the parks while pregnant.
It wasn’t planned to be that way—my husband and I had planned out a winter Disney trip with our toddler and were surprised with a positive pregnancy test a few weeks in advance. But while I’ll admit the thought of visiting Disney World while pregnant (especially in my first trimester) scared me, it ended up being one of the best trips we’ve ever taken. Here’s a bit of what I learned.
Disney World Pregnant: What You Need to Know
First and foremost, you may be wondering the obvious: Is there actually anything you can do at Disney World while pregnant? With tons of rides and attractions, you may worry there are limitations on what you’ll actually be able to experience.
The truth is that there were really only a handful of rides that were off-limits specifically for pregnant people (think roller coasters and high-intensity motion simulators). While you’re at the parks, you can go through the My Disney Experience app and select attractions, where you can filter by Expectant Mothers Advisory to see what is not recommended.
Now, that being said, you should always speak with your doctor beforehand and consider your own limitations. For example, while Alien Swirling Saucers does not have an advisory, the spinning of the attraction would very much not have sat well with my stomach during pregnancy.
My Experience at Disney World Pregnant
While unexpected, I really enjoyed our family trip to Disney World while I was pregnant. At the time, I was in my first trimester, so not yet showing or dealing with the physicality of a bump. I also managed to go right before the worst of my first trimester morning sickness and fatigue hit (for which I’m eternally grateful). Because of that, I was still able to do quite a bit of what we had planned while leaning a bit more on my husband for helping with our toddler than I would have otherwise.
These were a few of the major pros and cons I personally experienced.
The Pros of Doing Disney World Pregnant
There is a LOT You Can Still Do
One of the most welcome surprises was realizing how much I could do while pregnant at the parks. While my beloved roller coasters were off limits, I found that just about everything my toddler wanted (and was able) to do in the parks was fine for me to go on as well. Frozen Ever After, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid were all hits for her, and I was thankful to be able to experience her reaction for each and every one.
On top of that, we also took in some shows and entertainment—things I’ve found we don’t always take the time to do when we’re running from ride to ride.
Disney World Attractions for Pregnant Moms
Here’s a full list of attractions without the advisory for pregnant people:
Magic Kingdom
- Astro Orbiter
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- Country Bear Musical Jamboree
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Enchanted Tales with Belle
- The Hall of Presidents
- Haunted Mansion
- “It’s a small world”
- Jungle Cruise
- Liberty Square Riverboat
- Mad Tea Party
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
- Swiss Family Treehouse
- Tom Sawyer Island
- Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
- Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid
- Walt Disney World Railroad
- Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress
- Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room
EPCOT
- The American Adventure
- Awesome Planet
- Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along
- Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360
- Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
- Frozen Ever After
- Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros
- Impressions de France
- Journey Into Imagination with Figment
- Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana
- Living with the Land
- Mission: SPACE
- Reflections of China
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- SeaBase Aquarium
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends
- Soarin’ Around the World
- Spaceship Earth
- Turtle Talk With Crush
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Muppet*Vision 3D
- Toy Story Mania!
- Vacation Fun – An Original Animated Short
- Walt Disney Presents
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Affection Section
- Animal Trails
- Conservation Station
- It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
- Na’vi River Journey
- Wildlife Express Train
You Can Set Your Own Pace
Speaking of a slowed down pace, one of the added benefits of going to Disney World pregnant is I found my group naturally took on a more chilled pace than usual. While this may vary from group to group (we only had a toddler with us as opposed to a hyped-up older kid), my pregnancy made it so we took a little longer getting ready in the morning, not forcing us to wake up at the crack of dawn. We also took midday breaks and chose to stay out a little bit later instead.
Setting the pace you’re comfortable with while pregnant is key, whether that means taking it easy while others go on the rides or sleeping in a little bit in the morning to ensure you have energy through the day.
A Welcome Distraction
First trimester symptoms can be rough, and while I wasn’t experiencing the worst of them yet, I was already dealing with a slight bit of nausea, headaches, and fatigue. While this made me worry about how I’d be able to handle the parks, I honestly found that the vacation ended up being a welcome distraction. Instead of zeroing in on the symptoms (which is what I tend to do at home), I found that moving around and having my mind focused on being in Disney helped a lot with taking my mind off some of the more unpleasant things I was feeling.
The Cons of Going to Disney World While Pregnant
Certain Rides Will Be Off Limits
As someone who has been to the parks multiple times, I wasn’t particularly worried about missing out on any ride. However, if this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip for you, it can be disappointing to not be able to experience every ride.
Disney World Attractions With Pregnancy Advisories
While many options are still available for you, the following rides are not advised for expecting parents:
Magic Kingdom
- The Barnstormer
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (closed until 2026)
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Space Mountain
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- TRON Lightcycle / Run
EPCOT
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
- Mission: SPACE
- Test Track
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Avatar Flight of Passage
- DINOSAUR
- Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
- Kali River Rapids
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
The Weather (Depending)
It’s no secret that Disney World can get hot. From June through mid-October, the weather can be borderline unbearable with high temperatures and humidity you need to experience to believe. From experience, I know being pregnant in high temperatures can be miserable, and that can definitely affect your enjoyment of your trip.
If you are pregnant and visiting during the summer, you’ll want to make sure to take extra precautions to stay cool, from spending time in air conditioning to using cooling towels and a fan when outdoors.
It Can Be Exhausting
While setting your own pace is key to Disney World, especially while pregnant, there’s no denying that it is a very physical and exhausting vacation. Going from place to place, you’ll definitely get in your 10,000 steps per day (in fact, plan for quite a bit more), whether you’re taking it slow or not.
Depending what stage of pregnancy you’re in, this is a consideration you’ll definitely want to take into account when planning whether to take the trip or not.
Would I Do It Again?
Yes, experiencing Disney World pregnant was tiring and made for a very different kind of trip. But would I do it again? Personally, I’d say yes—with a few notable caveats. If I were to plan a trip knowing I would be pregnant, I’d shoot for the second trimester. While it’s not always possible to plan these things out, I know for me the first trimester could’ve made for a much more unpleasant trip if I’d visited just a little while later once my symptoms had set in. And from a previous pregnancy, I know by the later stages of the third trimester, I’d have been out of breath walking around the parks.
I also would consider how often you plan on visiting Disney World with your family. If this were a once-in-a-lifetime trip, it may be worth holding off until you are able to go and experience everything Disney has to offer since some rides will be off limits.
Best Advice If You’re Going to Disney World While Pregnant
But if you are doing Disney World while pregnant, my biggest piece of advice would be this: don’t panic. Immediately after realizing we’d be visiting while expecting, I began Googling and seeing dozens of threads from people saying they had the worst time visiting while pregnant or recommending against going. And that, I would disagree with.
While it’s ultimately up to you and your specific situation, there is still plenty of fun to be had while visiting the parks—especially if you have other kids you’ll be taking along with you! Nothing could compete with getting to experience the joy in my daughter’s eyes when we sailed past Anna singing Let It Go on Frozen Ever After or pointing out every Winnie the Pooh character on The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Sure, the trip was different than my other Disney trips, but overall, with a few changes, it will go down as one of my favorite trips to the park I’ve ever taken.
Morgan Flaherty, Contributing Writer
Morgan is full-time writer, editor, and mom. Along with her work as a contributing writer for The Everymom on all things Disney World, beauty products, and the latest fashion trends, her writing has appeared in Well + Good, InStyle, Scary Mommy, Byrdie, and Baby Chick.