Over the years, I’ve been to Walt Disney World in Florida more times than I can count. However, I had never been to the o.g. park: Disneyland in California. When my husband and I decided to go for our three-year wedding anniversary, I was so excited to ride the Matterhorn, see the differences with their Space Mountain, and so much more. But just a couple months before our anticipated trip, we found out that we were expecting a little Mouseketeer. That meant no Matterhorn, no Space Mountain, and no Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout. While I was overjoyed about our upcoming bundle of joy, I was disappointed that I wouldn’t get to do many of the things I was looking forward to.
Being pregnant at Disney didn’t stop me from having a blast anyway. I was about 12 weeks along at the time. Definitely check with your doctor before going on some of these rides. Here is a list of rides that I went on but probably wouldn’t if I were further along:
- Indiana Jones Adventure
- Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
- Radiator Springs Racers
- Grizzly River Run
I also went on the following rides, which I think would be fine no matter how far along you were (but again, check with your doctor first):
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Haunted Mansion
- It’s a Small World
- Disneyland Railroad
Lucky for my husband, we spent the $10 each to be able to choose fast passes from our app and get all of our photos included. It was absolutely worth it, especially considering we only had one day to go to both of the California parks. I let him have my fast passes while I went around looking for characters to take photos with. Here’s a list of photos he did without me because I would not recommend doing any of them while pregnant:
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Space Mountain
- Matterhorn Bobsleds
Now let’s talk about food because that’s honestly the best part about going to any Disney park while pregnant: eating whatever you want without guilt. Of course you’re eating for two, but there’s so much walking (we lost count of how many times we hopped between the parks) that you’re burning so many calories that you shouldn’t feel guilty anyway.
We had lunch at Carnation Cafe because one thing you can’t do at Walt Disney World is eat right there on Main Street USA and watch the people passing by. Not only is it great people watching, but the food is pretty good too. I specifically wanted to get a bowl of Walt’s Chili because Walt Disney himself was a creature of habit—he had the same lunch every single day. What lunch was that? Chili and crackers of course! He took two cans of chili from two different brands (one with more beans than meat and one with more meat than beans) and mixed them together. The chefs at Carnation Cafe I think probably put more thought into their chili recipe, but I still felt like I was walking in Walt’s footsteps as I ate lunch.
For dessert, we walked next door to the Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor. Michael got a scoop of mint chocolate chip and a scoop of strawberry in a waffle cone, and I got a scoop of cookies ‘n’ cream in a chocolate-dipped waffle cone with sprinkles. I don’t know what Disney does to their ice cream to make it so good, but that was some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had. And I love the smell of the fresh waffle cones.
We went to dinner at Carthay Circle in Disney’s California Adventure, and this was by far the nicest meal I’ve had inside of any Disney park. The Brown Derby Cafe at Disney’s Hollywood Studios or Le Cellier in the Canada pavilion at Epcot are pretty good too, but they still aren’t as opulent as Carthay Circle. In fact, while I’ve never personally been inside of Club 33, I’ve seen pictures and still think that Carthay Circle is nicer. The only nicer Disney restaurant I can think of is Victoria & Albert’s inside of the Grand Floridian Resort at Walt Disney World, but of course that’s a hotel and not a park. The service at Carthay Circle was excellent, and my only disappointment was that I couldn’t enjoy one of those yummy-looking mixed drinks. Both Michael and I got steaks for dinner, and we shared the warm citrus upside-down cake for dessert. Everything was mouth-watering and delicious. I highly recommend Carthay Circle for an anniversary dinner or any other special dining experience. It is a bit pricey though, so don’t make reservations if you’re on a budget.
How about you? Have you gone to Disneyland while pregnant before? What would you recommend? Let me know in the comments!
