DW throws major wrench in all my perfect plans

For months, I have been doing the usual research and meticulous planning for our trip coming up in May. Two days ago, I even showed my DW my beautiful spreadsheet that lays out every step of our vacation. I was ready to sit back and relax for the coming weeks as I’ve already done the hard work of planning. Then my DW yesterday goes and rips the entire things to shreds… (Well, not really, I’m being dramatic). She goes on to tell me that she’s 5 weeks pregnant. We were both surprised, nervous, and freaking out (we have a 2 year and 1 year old right now), but after the initial shock, we are extremely happy, up for the next challenge, and ready for another baby to love.

Yay, Congrats, blah blah, none of you know me or my family, so keep it on the down low. That’s not why I am bringing it up. Last time we did Disney in late 2019, my wife was pregnant, so we mostly know the drill. With two little kids already, it’s not like we were going to be hitting things too hard anyways and sticking to mostly rides for the family.

Questions I have:

  1. RoTR has a pregnancy warning. While none of you are her Dr and we will likely be playing it safe, I am just asking about the motion of the ride. Is it much different than say TSM? Even that ride can jerk you around, but doesn’t have a pregnancy warning.

  2. With COVID, are the QS restaurants allowing dining indoors, such as Cosmic Rays? I thought I read that you can only enter if you have a MO. Are you able to eat inside there only with a MO? Can we just walk in and sit down to enjoy some AC and take a break?

  3. What are some peoples favorite spots in the parks to have their kids take a nap in the stroller, or do you just do it on the move? In the couple times we have gone with our little ones, we mix it up, but one of our favorite quiet spots in MK was in between Speedway and Space Mountain, near the exit of SM.

  4. Any other tips for us as I try to keep the kids and DW from all being exhausted? Oh and I should mention, we are staying off site and my wife would never leave the parks early, pregnant or not. If we paid for a full day, she wants the full day.

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Congrats!

Check out my username before I say this: if a ride has a pregnancy warning, you ought to heed it.

Plan a daily rest around mid-day - TS works well for this if you’re not going to leave the parks. Consider, also, visiting a resort near to whatever park you’re in and eat lunch there. It can be helpful to get away from the crowd for a bit, and you may find the kids nod off on the way to or from.

I’m sure others will chime in to answer the rest!

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Congrats!

  1. The lateral movement of RotR is probably similar to moving from one game to the next in TSM, maybe just a little jerkier with more unpredictable changes of direction. The only part I would be concerned about, and sorry if it’s somewhat of a spoiler for anyone, but the drop. It’s about 10 ft and a brief feeling of free fall.

  2. I was just there last week, and they were strictly requiring MO to enter Cosmic Rays and any other QS, but you can dine indoors there. If nothing else, just MO a water to be able to relax in there. And the protocols could be totally different by May, who knows.

  3. The tried and true methods of staying hydrated and getting into as much AC as possible during hot days is so important.

(The last one is for #4 obviously, but the forum auto corrects to 3. I’ll leave 3 for others who have smaller kids.)

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Congratulations!!! :blue_heart::heartpulse:

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There are relaxation stations in each park (more than one) where you can rest and get respite from the sun. These are offered in lieu of being able to enter places like Cosmic Rays without a MO.

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Congratulations.
I’ve been recently when pregnant (2018) and with little kids who need naps (2019 and 2020).
At MK, liberty square usually has several quiet spots. We also had a nap break outside of Stitch’s great escape while my DH and older son rode buzz multiple times.
One of my favorite quiet places to stop at HS is down sunset boulevard right behind the trolly car cafe. There are a few small tables and the area is shaded. There’s rarely anyone sitting here.
Another good spot at HS right now is past one man’s dream in front of the Joffrey’s coffee cart before you go in to TSL. There are some benches there and restrooms, but it’s typically pretty quiet.
At AK the walkway between Dino Land and Everest (past where the Nemo theater is) is really quiet right now. If it’s not blocked off you can sit in the bleacher seating where RoL used to be.

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I just love how you say DW has thrown a wrench in your plans. Dude, I’m pretty sure you are complicit with this new problem! :rofl: Seriously, congrats and have a great trip!

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I was thinking about saying the same thing…unless he WASN’T complicit. But that’s a whole different issue! :wink:

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Good point, I would just MO something small if we really wanted access to sit down. For some of the smaller QS, did you notice any being too busy inside that there were no available tables inside? Is that how they limit MO time slots?

Part of the reason they are limiting to MO is because they have limited seating, and so they can now control how many seats are available. You should be able to find seating if you MO because they typically only let enough parties to MO that there is seating for. :slight_smile:

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Appreciate the response and agree, no ride is worth it. I shouldn’t even consider it as an option for her.

Going to a resort is a good idea for lunch.

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Haha, who knew there were consequences to my actions?

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This is perfect. At EP, I’m also thinking maybe walk around Boardwalk might be quiet.

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We didn’t spend much time at Epcot with the littles so I don’t have much advice there.
My youngest son spent what feels like the entirety of his first trip napping :joy: I have dozens of pictures of him asleep all over the parks.

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My girls are 21 and 18 now, but this brings back memories! DD18 could sleep anywhere in her stroller. She loved it. It was her safe space. DD21 would not even stay IN the stroller unless you were moving at a pretty fast pace. She figured out the clips and would undo them and climb out, even if we were moving slowly. Can you guess which one has ADHD?

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YES! Because my oldest son has ADHD as well! I’m starting to see similar traits out of my younger son now that he’s 2.5, but he’s still a pretty good napper.
That second picture is inside FotLK DURING THE SHOW. Everyone around us was getting a kick out of seeing if the loud noises would wake him up.

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Also - SNACKS. Snacks for pregnant DW and snacks for the kids - both are key for success at WDW. Although you can’t snack in line any more, it’s still good to keep small quick snacks in your bag to delay those meltdowns.

Congratulations! I found out I was pregnant with my son the week before we went to Disney in 2009, so we joke that it was his first Disney trip.

Once when going between Hollywood and Epcot once on the Friendship boats, my son fell asleep. My husband and son just stayed on the boat while he napped and my daughter and I went into the parks. Another friend shared that they rode the monorail for a while during naptime.

I’m not sure how they are handling things with COVID, but my kids have also napped in both the lobby of Reflections of China and Impressions of France.

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:rofl::rofl::rofl: I love that you just totally put it out there!

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Both when I was pregnant and when he was a toddler, I loved the Baby Care center. I could nurse without all of the excitement and have a cool, quiet place to sit and rock while they napped. The bonus is they keep it really cool in there so it was perfect as a respite from the oppressive heat.

I also loved the walkway between Barnstormer and Space Mountain, but I think they have all that construction there now, right?

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