Are you thinking about doing Disney while pregnant? Whether being pregnant at Disney was an unexpected plot twist or a planned decision, many women are nervous how pregnancy will affect their trip to the most Magical Place on Earth. But fear not- a trip to Disney World can be as magical as ever even if you’re expecting!
Let’s go over some of the major do’s and don’ts of tackling Disney during pregnancy, and then get to the all important question: Can I still go on rides?
Top Tips For Doing Disney While Pregnant
Avoid Heat
Try to plan your travel between the months of October and April if at all possible. May to September can range from pleasantly warm to unbearably hot, and many women are bothered by the heat even more than usual during pregnancy.
If your trip has already been planned and it’s during the sweltering summer months, make sure to go prepared. I always recommend bringing these Misting Fans everywhere you go. It really does help you stay comfortable!
-go back to your hotel room or to the hotel pool during the hottest time of day (noon to 3pm or so). This works especially well if you have a toddler who needs to nap then anyway.
-spend some time at one of the water parks
-plan frequent stops inside air conditioning (Enchanted Tales with Belle, Mickey’s Philharmagic, Carousel of Progress, or inside any shops or restaurants).
No matter the weather, be sure you stay hydrated and keep your blood sugar up. These are easy to overlook when you are going from attraction to attraction, but when you’re pregnant you don’t want to compromise your health in any way.
To stay hydrated: Stick some water bottles in the freezer the night before you head to the parks. Then put a couple in an insulated cooler bag inside your park bag. As they melt throughout the day you’ll have some nice refreshing water without even having to get out of line or make an extra stop.
You can also stop in at any quick service food location in the parks and they will give you a cup of tap water free of charge.
Once you feel thirsty, dehydration is already kicking in. So stay ahead of it by planning your water breaks. Come up with a set interval that you’re going to take a water break. Every time you change “lands”, or every 3-4 attractions might be an appropriate interval. Or you can set a reminder on your phone to go off every hour reminding you to drink up.
Similarly, be planful about your meals and snacks. Of course there are tons of tempting sweet treats on every corner of Walt Disney World, and it’s fine to indulge here and there. But you’ll also want to make sure you are packing or buying nutritious snacks like nuts and fruit to refuel your body.
When you visit Disney World pregnant, you should also make a plan to minimize walking.
WDW Info estimates that an average day at the parks involves 10 to 12 miles of walking! That is a lot more than most of us are used to doing. And if you’re suffering from common pregnancy ailments such as back pain, sore feet, and fatigue, it will be even more difficult.
Take it one “land” at a time
Make sure to plan your day to avoid criss-crossing the park to get to Fastpass and dining reservations. I recommend taking it one “land” at at time and covering what you want in that land entirely before moving on to the next. Personally, at Magic Kingdom I like to start in Fantasyland and then continue on clockwise and end in Frontierland, but you can tackle it any way you like.
Take frequent breaks
Find a comfortable bench to sit out any rides that you can’t go on with your group (more on that later). Take that time to grab your water and snack while you wait and give your feet some rest.
Again, you may want to follow this touring schedule: parks in the morning, break at your hotel during the afternoon, and then you can choose to return (or not, depending on how you feel) in the evening.
No shame in the pregnant mama hitching a ride in a wheelchair! If you are in too much pain to walk and don’t want to miss out on the family memories, renting a wheelchair might be a good option to keep you in the action.
You can rent a wheelchair through Disney for $12 per day, or upgrade for a motorized ECV (Electric Conveyence Vehicle) through outside companies that work with Disney. More info on wheelchair and ECV rentals here.
What Can I Ride At Disney While Pregnant?
The short answer is: LOTS!
Ultimately the decision is yours, but for a normal pregnancy you are safe to ride anything that doesn’t have a height restriction. Rides without a height restriction mean that even babies can ride, so it is a very tame ride and should pose minimal risk to your unborn child.
The rides you want to avoid are marked with an Expectant Mother Advisory on the sign. They are mostly thrill rides that require a tight harness or safety bar. Another type of ride you want to avoid are ones that jerk/bounce you around a lot, such as Tomorrowland Speedway or Kilimanjaro Safaris.
Look for the Expectant Mother Advisory on the sign for each ride to be sure
Here are all the rides in WDW you will want to AVOID while pregnant (by park):
Magic Kingdom
Barnstomer
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Tomorrowland Speedway
Epcot
Mission: Space
Test Track
Hollywood Studios
Rock N Roller Coaster
Slinky Dog Dash
Star Tours
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Animal Kingdom
Avatar Flight of Passage
DINOSAUR
Expedition Everest
Kilimanjaro Safari
Primeval Whirl
If you’re feeling sad about many of your favorite rides being on the “do not ride” list, keep in mind there are many more rides that AREN’T on this list than ARE.
And, in addition to rides without the Expectant Mother Advisory, you can of course enjoy all the non-ride attractions like shows, parades, street performances, nighttime spectaculars, and areas to explore like Tom Sawyer Island and the countries of the World Showcase.
Of course dining experiences and meeting characters are often the highlight of a Disney vacation, and those can certainly be enjoyed while pregnant.
Sami enjoys the China pavilion in World Showcase; Megan pals around with characters.
What other questions do you have about doing Disney while pregnant?
If you’re planning a family trip and want to know how to save on Disney World, this is for you!
One question I get asked all the time when people hear I visit Disney World every year is, “how do you afford it?”
Yes, traveling to Disney World can be an enormous expense, especially when you don’t live within driving distance (we don’t) and you have a large family (we do!). A big family vacation including flights, hotel, tickets, and food could EASILY add up to $10,000 or more.
As much as I love Disney, I would NEVER pay that much for one trip there- not even close. So here I am to give away all my secrets of how I save on Disney World trips year after year!
(Don’t forget to bookmark or pin this post so you can refer back as you continue to plan your trip!)
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click one of the product links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Plan Your Trip For the Off Season
This is my number one tip for all aspects of Disney trip planning! In addition to crowds being much lower, hotel rates and ticket prices are less too.
In fact Disney itself refers to off-peak times as “value season” because their prices are adjusted accordingly!
You’ll notice the busy seasons all include times when kids are out of school. It is worth it to at least consider taking your kids out of school in order to enjoy a less expensive, less crowded vacation.
Or, take advantage of any time your child’s school has days off that the rest of the country doesn’t get. Random teacher work days or bonus breaks that are specific to your area work great.
Seasons to avoid:
June to mid-August
Christmas week to New Year’s week
Easter week
Spring break
Thanksgiving week
Great off-peak times to visit:
September (actually late August to early October, but September is the best)
I absolutely love to travel, and I love it even more when I don’t have to pay for flights.
And with a family of 6, paying for flights would be a total budget-breaker.
Luckily, thanks to lots of research and good credit, I have been able to leverage credit card sign on bonuses to avoid paying list price for any of my flights in the last ten years.
The one I love the most is Southwest Rapid Reward Credit Card because they always have sign on bonuses of 40,000 to 60,000 points, which covers three of our round trip flights to Orlando. (And with companion pass, my companion flies free so that means four of us are covered.)
It is intimidating at first to do the whole credit card points game, but once I started and saw how easy it was I quickly grew to love it.
And since I always pay off all my balances in full each month, I maintained my excellent credit score. No, opening new credit cards does not adversely affect your credit!
Such a happy day when I got this!
Check out this post for more details on how to fly for practically nothing, including the best travel perk around: Southwest Companion Pass, which I’ve been using for two years now due to two credit card sign on bonuses.
Rent DVC Points
This is another huge, huge money saver if you read up and delve into it.
In fact, it is the best kept secret for staying at a Deluxe Disney resort for the price of a Value.
Here is how it works. Disney Vacation Club (DVC) members get points on an annual basis to use for their Disney stays (think of a timeshare). If they can’t or don’t want to use them, they can rent them to others for a fee. A service like David’s Vacation Club Rentals acts as the broker for these transactions. The points allow you to stay at Deluxe Disney resorts at heavily discounted rates compared to booking through Disney directly.
Another major perk of booking on DVC points is that there are many suites and villas available to accommodate larger families. (I love staying in a unit with a kitchen so we can save on meals too!)
Want to see how much you can save by renting DVC points? Let’s take a real life example.
The Connors family of 5 wants to go to Disney the first week in October. The first thing they do is check the Disney site for rack rates.
Rack Rates
Disney’s All Star Music Resort (a value resort) is the cheapest option at $313/night or $2,191 total
Disney’s Art of Animation suites, a value plus resort, costs $414/night or $2,898
The Cabins at Fort Wilderness are the only moderate that can fit you all, at $394/night or $2,758
A one-bedroom villa at Bay Lake Tower (Contemporary resort) is a deluxe option on the monorail and closest to the parks, at $850/night or a whopping $5,950 total.
Now we check the same number of people for the same dates at David’s Vacation Club Rentals using their Cost Calculator. All of these options are Deluxe one-bedroom villas.
DVC Rental Rates
The same one-bedroom with standard view at Bay Lake Tower will cost $3,780 (over $2,000 dollars less than rack rates!)
The least expensive one-bedroom suite is Animal Kingdom Lodge, at $2,592 (this is in between the cheapest value option and the value plus option found above)
When I do one on one trips with my kiddos, we rent points to stay in a deluxe studio which costs around $600 for the three nights.
This is a great way to upgrade your vacation with a Disney Deluxe resort while keeping with the prices of the values and moderates.
Skip the dining plan
You don’t need the dining plan to enjoy a meal at Be Our Guest
Or at least crunch the numbers.
Disney is smart (really smart) and good at getting people to spend their money (very good).
They came up with a dining plan as a way for people to essentially pre-pay for their meals, and give an all-inclusive feel to their Disney vacation.
ASSUMING that it would result in a net savings, people bought like hotcakes.
The truth? The Disney Dining plan almost never saves you money.
Lots of people have run the numbers on this one. In order to get the value of your Disney dining plan, you would have to purposefully eat at the most expensive restaurants and order only the most expensive menu items at every meal.
If you ever get water instead of soda, if you ever skip dessert, or if you ever feel like a salad or chicken dish instead of steak… you are going to lose money with the dining plan.
If you are a big eater, drink lots of soda, and never share meals or get too full, you MIGHT be a good candidate for the dining plan. Maybe. You will still want to run the numbers first.
My family doesn’t drink soda and almost never gets dessert. We also tend to split meals and snacks between the kids. An adult size chicken tenders and fries is plenty of lunch for two kids, for example.
Sharing is caring! There’s plenty of shaved ice here for two
Instead of doing the dining plan, we like to stay in a suite that has a kitchen and get groceries delivered to cover our breakfast and snacks. Then we do one sit-down meal per day and one quick service. If we get a dessert, it is shared.
Remember you can always get a tap water from quick service locations for free.
Get grocery delivery
Getting groceries delivered is an awesome way to cut costs on food.
Even if you don’t want to cook on vacation (I know I don’t!) it still makes sense to order some quick and easy food items like cereal and milk, bananas, peanut butter and jelly, granola bars, yogurt, etc.
Having a quick breakfast in the room each morning also lets you get to the parks early and take advantage of the short lines without wasting time on a sit-down breakfast!
You can also get beer and wine delivered with your grocery order to enjoy in the evenings after the kids are in bed.
We use Orlando Grocery Express and have had all good experiences. And don’t worry about having to be present for your delivery- your Disney hotel will hold and even refrigerate your groceries for you until you get to your room.
Take advantage of free fun
Disney parks are fantastic and full of WAY more than you could do in a day.
They can also be exhausting and overstimulating for both adults and kids alike.
If you are staying five days or more, I highly recommend doing a “down day” without a park ticket.
Enjoy your hotel pool and the other activities available at your hotel. Visit Disney Springs and check out the huge LEGO store and World of Disney. Rent bikes and enjoy the leisure time as a family.
Biking to Disney Springs was literally the highlight of Tiana’s one on one trip!
The change of pace feels so good in the middle of several busy park days. You’ll also spend a lot less money by not doing a park! Just try not to be upset if your down day ends up being the kids’ favorite day!
Don’t rent a car
I love staying at the Disney resorts for many reasons, but one great perk is being able to use Magical Express transportation to and from the airport.
Once you’re at your Disney hotel, you can use the free Disney transportation to go to and from the parks.
This eliminates the need to rent a car (estimated $250/week) and cuts out the $22/day parking fee.
If you want to go where Disney transportation won’t take you (from one resort to another for example), you can use Uber all over the area. Since the distances are short, the prices are very affordable. You can enter the trip into the app ahead of time to see how much it’s going to cost.
Park hopping can be awesome, especially if you have only a couple days in WDW and want to cram as much in as possible.
But at $55 per ticket, it’s worth thinking about if being able to park hop is really necessary. For trips that are 5 days or longer, you should be able to configure your days without needing park hoppers. If you aren’t planning to cover all four parks, you could do without park hoppers with even fewer days.
I’ve had amazing Disney trips both with and without park hopping, so it’s certainly not a necessity!
Stay on top of souvenirs
These dresses were bought on sale six months before the trip and hidden from the girls until that day
Kids can make this difficult, but don’t let souvenirs bust your budget!
I always make sure to manage my kids’ expectations as far as toys and souvenirs ahead of time. They know before that plane even takes off that they will see tons of things they want that they won’t be getting.
I know, I know, I’m the meanest Mom ever!
My favorite way to eliminate the entire problem of kids asking for stuff is to get them each a gift card. I have my kids save coins in a coin jar that they can then cash in for their Disney gift card. You could also give them one for Christmas or a birthday gift.
$25 or $30 have been amounts that work well for us.
The kids then have the freedom to spend their gift card however they please. If they blow it all on the first day, that is that. Encourage them to think about the one thing they really want, but ultimately the choice is theirs.
It also makes sense to buy certain souvenirs ahead of time at a lower cost, such as princess dresses, light up toys, or any plush toys that can be bought at your local Disney store.
Get discounted gift cards
Disney gift cards frequently go on sale at Sam’s Club or BJs at a discount of around 5%. You can also use your Target Redcard to buy them at 5% off.
5% might not sound like much, but considering you might need $2000 for park tickets and food, getting discounted Disney gift cards would save you $100 with minimal time or effort.
Some people throw in a $25 Disney gift card every time they go to Target. This won’t save you any money, but it does feel like you spent less by buying them slowly throughout the year and spreading out the expense.
There are tons of other little ways to save! What is your best tip for how to save on Disney World?
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Not to be confused with Extra Magic Hours (the extra hour at an assigned park for guests staying at a Disney resort hotel only), Early Morning Magic is a ticketed event open to any guest who books it in advance.
Early Morning Magic is offered on select Sundays and Tuesdays from 7:45 to 10 am. (For specific dates, check the official Disney site). During this time, seven Fantasyland attractions are open including:
Winnie the Pooh
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Peter Pan’s Flight
Princess Fairytale Hall
It’s a Small World
Mad Tea Party
Under the Sea- Journey of the Little Mermaid
If you’ve done Early Morning Magic in the past, you’ll notice it now includes a few more attractions than it used to! (My review of EMM in fall 2018 took place before Princess Fairytale Hall, Mad Tea Party, and the Little Mermaid were added.)
The ticket also includes a breakfast buffet at Starlight Ray’s Cosmic Cafe (formerly at the Pinocchio Village Haus). It includes a good variety of breakfast foods and is all-you-care-to eat.
Just one of many trips we made through the buffet
At 9am, the park is open to everyone so this event gives you a nearly empty park from 7:45 to 9 where you can ride the aforementioned attractions as many times as you want with no lines. Then at 9:00 you can ride anything in the park (while people start to file in and lines are still short), as long as you get your fill of the breakfast by 10am.
So how much does all this magic cost?
The cost for EMM is $79 for adults and $69 for kids, plus tax.
It is important to note that unlike other ticketed events like the Halloween and Christmas parties, Early Morning Magic DOES require a day’s admission in addition to the event ticket.
EMM is actually booked like a dining reservation. You still need to use a regular day’s admission to enter the park.
Given this cost, let’s examine the pros and cons of Early Morning Magic at Magic Kingdom and determine if it is worth the price.
We decided on Magic Kingdom and Epcot as the two parks we wanted to visit that day. Even just scratching the service of these two huge parks would be difficult in such a short period of time, so I made the decision to splurge on Early Morning Magic as soon as I learned what it was.
Starting our day early was not an issue for us, as Zari is an early riser anyway. We were staying onsite at Universal so it was only a short Uber ride away from Magic Kingdom.
A quick timeline of our morning
7:00: Uber to the TTC
7:30 Take the monorail to Magic Kingdom, check in and get our bracelets.
7:45 Enter Magic Kingdom. Walk down Main Street with the small herd, then take a few photos in the nearly empty park.
7:55-8:55 Fantasyland attractions (almost all walk-ons, the first couple Mine train rides had a wait of maybe 2-3 minutes): Seven Dwarfs Mine Train FIVE times total, Peter Pans flight, Winnie the Pooh, the Carrousel (not guaranteed to be open but it was for us), one bathroom break, and It’s a Small World.
8:55 We head towards Tomorrowland. At 9 o’clock they let us leave Fantasyland and we had only a few minutes wait to ride Space Mountain. My plan after that was to go on Buzz Lightyear Spaceranger Spin, but my son had a bit of a panic attack on Space Mountain which derailed our plans (whoops, forgot how intense that one is!).
9:30 ride Splash Mountain (10-15 minute wait). Debated riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad while lines were still short, but he was still a little gun-shy from Space Mountain.
9:45 Brunch at Pinnochio Village Haus. The brunch was delicious and we really enjoyed it. We didn’t feel rushed at all despite walking in during the last 15 minutes. We were even able to take some food for the road (pastries to eat later) since I always carry ziplock baggies in my park bag.
If you’re keeping count, that’s 11 rides plus a meal by 10am.
And no, we weren’t running around or rushing in any way. I let my son lead the way and do as he pleased. We enjoyed ourselves every step of the way (well, except for the Space Mountain part!)
Here is a picture of him pretending to pull the sword out in front of the Carrousel.
After 10:00, EMM was officially over and we spent a couple more hours at Magic Kingdom enjoying the rest of the park. Then we took the monorail over to Epcot where our 3 pre-booked Fast Passes were, and enjoyed about 7 hours there.
Early Morning Magic Pros
It maximizes your time.
If you have a very short trip like I did and still want to be able to do and see a lot, EMM is a great way to do more in less time.
As you can see from our day outlined above, we were way ahead of the game by getting that early start and riding several of the most popular rides early. It set us up many steps ahead of the pack for the rest of the day.
It eliminates several of the longest lines.
In addition to having very little time, I also knew I wanted to do Early Morning Magic because my son has ADHD and can not handle long lines. I’ve done enough of these trips with him to know that even a “mild” 15 minute wait can break him.
For us, EMM was essentially the equivalent of having a Fastpass for Mine Train, Winnie, Peter Pan’s Flight, Space Mountain, and Splash Mountain PLUS the three FP we actually used at Epcot.
When you first enter the park, you are grouped with everyone going to EMM plus the people with early dining reservations. So you aren’t exactly walking alone down Main Street. However if you wait a few minutes to allow people to pass, you do get the cool experience of seeing a nearly empty park.
Just don’t make the mistake I made allowing an 8 year old to take your fantasy castle photo, because it might end up looking like this:
Oh no he didn’t. (Oh yes he did.)
It’s probably the only way you can ride your favorites over and over.
I can’t think of any other way to ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train five times in a row like we did that morning (and some people have ridden it many, many more times than that!) besides Early Morning Magic.
If you love Peter Pan’s Flight (one of the longest lines at WDW), the same applies. Even if you do everything possible to beat Disney World crowds, these super popular rides will still have a wait.
My son was absolutely GIDDY getting off the ride and turning around to run through the empty queue and get right back on. He got to try riding in the first car, the last car, and the middle. Those are the little things that make the experience memorable for a kid.
You get a pretty great meal.
When crunching the numbers to decide if EMM is worth the cost for you, don’t forget about the cost you would pay for food without EMM.
Since we ate close to 10:00, it was essentially breakfast and lunch for us. We also had the pastries we packed up for later as a snack, and we refilled our water bottles with juice.
I had booked an early dinner reservation for us at Epcot, and aside from an ice cream treat we didn’t spend anything else on food for that day.
Here are a couple pictures of the buffet:
Pictured above is the cold food, including cold cuts and cheeses, sliced fruit, croissants and pastries.
Not the most helpful picture because all the containers are closed! But I can see by reading the labels they had a vegetable frittata, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs. waffles, and French toast.
We made several trips through this line and enjoyed everything!
Early Morning Magic Cons
It makes an expensive day turn into a VERY expensive day.
Ok so I always cringe when I actually do the math and figure out how much a fun-filled Disney day actually costs. To be honest I try to avoid doing that at all costs! But for the sake of this article, I will.
The cost of a one day ticket to WDW is $109/adult and $104/child age 3-9 (this varies by day and is actually the low season pricing- it goes up from there!) = $213
Add on $55 each to make those tickets Park Hoppers = $323
Add the $79/adult and $69/child ticket for Early Morning Magic = $471
$471 for the two of us for a single day. That may or not be including taxes. It’s a big number.
It requires waking up early on vacation.
For the 7:45 start time, you’ll want to arrive at Magic Kingdom no later than 7:30. Considering how long you take to get ready in the morning and how far from the park you’re staying, this could mean getting up earlier than 6 am.
For us, this is no biggie. For others, it’s a deal-breaker.
It only includes the 7 Fantasyland attractions.
If those don’t include any of your favorites, it probably doesn’t make sense for you to spend those hours only having access to those.
Is Early Morning Magic Worth the Cost?
For some people, 100% yes.
For others, maybe not.
If you have a longer trip planned with more than one full day dedicated to Magic Kingdom, then I would say no, it’s not necessary to book EMM.
If you have teens who are going to stay up until midnight the night before and be impossible to wake up in time, it’s a definite no.
Lastly, if you have a tight budget and would rather spend your dollars on other experiences, this is probably not going to make the cut.
So who do I recommend Early Morning Magic for?
People with limited time, only 1 or 2 park days like we had. (A more enjoyable way to tour is a longer trip but when that’s not possible this is very helpful.)
People who don’t do well with lines.
Super Disney fans who want the experience of riding the rides over and over or seeing entire lands without people in them.
We most likely will not be booking EMM for every Disney trip we take from now on, as it is a substantial expense. But overall we had an amazing experience and I would LOVE to do it again on another one of our short whirlwind visits!
They also have Early Morning Magic at Hollywood Studios now at Toy Story Land, which I’m definitely considering for next year.
What questions do you have about Early Morning Magic?
If you’ve been following my blog, you know I’m a Disney fan through and through. But when it was time to take my second child on a one-on-one trip with Mom, my Harry Potter superfan son had other ideas.
We ended up doing a split-stay between Disney World and Universal Studios Florida/Islands of Adventure. The combo turned out to be amazing, and through our experience I came up with these first-timer tips for visiting the Wizarding World with your Harry Potter obsessed kid!
Do all you can to minimize crowds
As much as I love theme parks, I absolutely hate going when the parks are stuffed with people. And my hyperactive 8 year old can’t STAND waiting in line.
While the crowds at Universal are more manageable than Disney crowds in general, the two Wizarding World sections (Diagon Alley in Universal Studios and Hogsmeade in Islands of Adventure) attract so many people, they almost always feel crowded. The design of the spaces with their narrow alleyways and small shops create bottlenecks all over.
I’ve written about how to beat crowds at Disney and many of the same principles apply to Universal. The most important of which is to go during a low crowd time of year!
We were there in September, which has the lowest crowds of the year, and it was fantastic. If at all possible, avoid going during holiday weeks like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. The whole summer also sees high crowds until the second of half of August.
Even minor holidays like Columbus Day will draw higher crowds at the parks.
The second best way to minimize crowds is to get there early! We had early park admission due to staying at a Universal hotel, so we were able to get in at 8am when the park opened at 9am. The crowds were non-existent at 8, and stayed low all the way until noon! This was when we enjoyed the parks the most.
If getting up early doesn’t appeal to you, staying late is another good plan. (Or do what we did, and do both!) Crowds start to die down around dinner time as people fatigue from the day. 8-9 PM was a wonderfully empty hour for us at Diagon Alley.
Finding Diagon Alley
Remember in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone when Hagrid takes Harry to Diagon Alley for the first time?
In case you forgot, it is located behind the Leaky Cauldron, an unassuming little bar found in between a bookstore and a music shop. And, it’s impossible to be found by muggles.
As authentic as everything in the Wizard World of Harry Potter, Diagon Alley is hidden from view when you’re walking through the section of Universal Studios that looks like London.
In fact, it’s so well hidden, my son and I walked back and forth about five times without finding it!
I think I was expecting a big sign or something, not realizing how authentic all the Harry Potter details are.
Eventually we noticed a lot of people walking into this indiscriminate brick opening which I had assumed to be a bathroom:
Once we passed through the brick opening, we found a completely hidden, bustling world that looked and felt completely different than what was on the other side. It literally took my breath away!
The stark contrast from the muggle world to the wizarding world is just the first of many times you will feel like you’re living Harry’s experience from the books.
The interactive wands are a must
Yes, paying fifty-some dollars for a plastic wand stings for a minute. But that interactive wand was the highlight of the entire trip for my son.
If your child dreams of becoming a wizard like Harry Potter, this will allow them to make magic!
Hopefully, you’ve followed the first tip and are there without huge crowds. It isn’t nearly as much fun to do a spell when 10 people in front of you have just done it.
Here you see my son in front of Ollivander’s, dying to get in and get his wand, yelling at me for stopping to take a picture!
This is why our FIRST stop of the morning was Ollivander’s to get Zari his wand. He was out and about casting spells before anyone else so they were truly a magical surprise for him.
Letting the wand choose you
Another reason we got to Ollivander’s first thing in the morning was because I really, really wanted my son to get picked for the wand show where “the wand chooses you”.
We did end up being in the first group of the morning to get in, but Zari was not picked. A brother/sister pair was chosen instead.
My son loved the experience anyway!
I had planned on getting back in line and doing the show again until he was chosen, but when the time came I decided this was a bad idea. Once I saw how my son was a true believer in the magic of the show, I realized it would completely spoil the magic for him to see it again and realize it’s the same every time.
As it turned out, my son was secretly hoping for Harry Potter’s wand (they sell a version of the wand for each character from the movies) so it was completely a non-issue.
Zari scouring over his wand choices before choosing his perfect one:
If you aren’t picked to have the wand choose you in the wand show, there are still other ways for your wand to find its way to you: Look for the wall that lists descriptions of personality traits and the corresponding wand that goes with them. The description that best matches you will lead you to your wand.
If none of those work for you, you can also be matched with your wand based on your birth month.
Or just go with Zari’s method and get the same wand as your favorite character!
When choosing a wand, be aware that the boxes with gold labels are interactive wands. Boxes with white labels have wands that are only for collecting and don’t have the ability to cast spells around the park.
Avoiding frustration with the wands
A bit of a warning if your child is inclined to get frustrated easily- making magic with your wand truly does take practice.
In fact, we actually returned the first wand to the store thinking it was broken. In reality, we just weren’t doing the spells exactly right.
By the end of the trip, Zari had mastered casting spells with his wands using these techniques:
Keep your arm out straight and only make the motion with your wrist. Kids tend to want to wave their whole arm around and it makes the motion too big. Think of it almost like writing with a pencil.
Be sure to stand right on the plaque on the ground or just slightly behind it. If you’re too far away, the spell won’t work.
If the spell isn’t working, look for the black square censor hidden in the display window (it’s usually visible). Aim for that.
Other factors like direct sunlight on the windowpane sometimes interfere with the censor’s ability to read your wand. Try again later in the day if you think that’s the case.
Grab a cast member nearby to help if you still can’t get your spell to work. There are typically some hanging around the areas with a lot of spells just for this purpose.
This is what the plaques on the ground look like, indicating where the magic spells are. If you have a hard time deciphering the map that comes with your wand, just look for these on the ground.
Here you can see the spell is called “Aguamenti” and you need to move your wand in a wave-like motion.
Riding the Wizarding World Rides
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter rides are some of the most unique and immersive I’ve ever encountered in a theme park. There aren’t many of them, so I’ll go through each one.
Escape From Gringotts
Get up close and personal with the Gringotts bank goblins in the queue for this ride!
A hybrid of roller coaster and simulator, this 3D ride is exciting and fun (and just a little bit scary). You do get jerked around a bit, but I did not experience any motion sickness.
It is required that you put all your belongings inside a locker to ride Escape from Gringotts. The locker room next door allows you do this for free while you ride. The machine is relatively easy to figure out and it has directions in many different languages.
Escape from Gringotts is the only ride in Diagon Alley, unless you count the Hogwarts Express (located at King’s Cross just outside the entrance to Diagon Alley).
The Hogwarts Express
This train is not only an attraction, it’s also your transportation between Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade (inside Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, respectively). For this reason, you need to have park-to-park tickets to ride.
The train ride is quick but a lot of fun for Harry Potter fans, because it looks just like the train Harry and his friends take to get to Hogwarts in the movies. And instead of looking out an actual window, there is a virtual window showing some of your favorite characters and places from the books, while moving to make it feel like you’re looking out a real window.
If you look in the opposite direction at the divider on your train car, you see shadows of various people and creatures and hear their voices, making it seem like they are riding the train with you.
The experience is different in each direction, so ride it both ways if you can.
Forbidden Journey
Get inside Hogwart’s Castle on this intense, in-your-face thriller.
Completely innovative, this ride is part virtual-reality and part being thrown around like a rag doll by a robotic arm. It is truly unlike anything I’ve ever ridden.
All of the scary aspects of Harry Potter including spiders and Dementors are way too close for comfort on this ride, which definitely frightened my sensitive 8 year old. And all the whipping around made me a little queasy.
But we were both still glad we rode it.
In fact we rode it again the next day! So put your fears aside, and just go for it. It really is that cool.
Flight of the Hippogriff
Photo credit: Themeparkreview.com
Right across from Forbidden Journey is a relatively small roller coaster called Flight of the Hippogriff. This ride is what I’d consider a family coaster (just a slight step up from Barnstormer if you speak Disney).
It’s a fun ride, and you get to see Hagrid’s hut, but it is very short. No big deal if you have Express Pass or the line is 5 minutes, but if it has a long wait I would probably pass it over.
Don’t Miss the Fire Breathing Dragon
The focal point of Diagon Alley is Gringott’s Bank, with its gigantic dragon on top. At various time intervals, this dragon shocks and awes all the guests by breathing a giant angry fireball.
As far as I could tell, there isn’t a specified time interval for you to be able predict when this will happen. One of the days we spent in Diagon Alley, it only happened once. The other day it seemed like it breathed fire every 10 minutes.
You may not be able to schedule your visit around it, but you will have a warning sign to take your camera out before the fire. The dragon starts grumbling and groaning about 30 seconds before it blasts. When you hear it starting to get angry, move yourself to a good vantage point and get ready!
Try ALL The Butterbeer Variations
If you’re planning a visit to the Wizarding World, you’re already planning on trying its signature drink, butterbeer. But did you know there are three variations of this marshmallow-meets-cream-soda deliciousness?
The regular butterbeer is carbonated like soda and comes with a marshmallow-y white topping. (Don’t try to order it without the topping- it’s a trademarked beverage so they will not serve it any other way even to accommodate allergies).
They also make a frozen version of butterbeer, with a consistency that’s more like a smoothie. This variety is great for cooling down on a hot day, but it isn’t carbonated so it seemed somehow less refreshing to me. Frozen butterbeer is also served exclusively with the white topping.
In the photo below you can see frozen butterbeer on the left, and the original on the right:
Lastly, there is butterbeer flavored soft serve ice cream. It’s very good, as long as you’re in the mood for something super sweet.
You won’t get butterbeer anywhere in the Muggle world, so live big and try all three varieties while during your visit to the Wizarding World! I wasn’t planning on doing so, but my son talked me into it and I’m glad we tried them all.
The Secret Spell Locations
This is truly NOT essential to enjoying the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but if you have a spell-obsessed child like mine, knowing the secret spell locations will delight them.
Unlike all of the known spell locations, the “secret spells” are not found on the map that comes with the wands, nor are they marked by a plaque on the ground. (You can however spot the little black censor that you point your wand at, if you look closely.)
I can’t say for sure how many of these there are, but we can verify two in Diagon Alley:
Invisible Ink
Take a right at Gringott’s bank and walk a little ways down the alley. Just past the “Wingardium Leviosa” spell where you lift a feather, you will see this window (above).
Successfully cast a spell, and a secret message will appear on the scroll written in invisible ink.
Dragon Poop
When you walk into the main alleyway of Diagon Alley, look for a purple storefront on the left hand side called “Slug and Jiggers Apothecary”:
Through the store window you will see a big bowl full of brown mush (yup, that’s the dragon poop). Spin your wand in a small spiral motion, and the poop will rise up while a foul scent is emitted from the window.
As you can imagine, this spell was a favorite for my pre-pubescent boy!
So many photo opps
You could spend hours exploring every nook and cranny of the parks if you’re a big Harry Potter fan.
Even if you’re more of an Instagram fan, there are plenty of fun photo opps to enjoy. Here are just a few I got when I was able to pry my son away from casting spells:
The Knight Bus
Hagrid’s motorcycle
The Hogwarts Express Train Conductor
If you get a minute to chat with the characters, they stay true to their roles and it’s very entertaining.
The time has come for my two great passions- Disney and baby names– to collide! I’ve scoured all Disney movies and shows, princes and sidekicks, to come up with the BEST Disney boy names.
Put aside the fact that half of these names are represented as animals. This is Disney after all!
(Want to check the popularity or meanings of any of these names? Nameberry is my favorite source for name analysis!)
Here are the names in no particular order:
Disney boy names
Flynn
Ok so any true Disney fan knows this character’s real name is actually Eugene Fitzherbert. But that doesn’t stop Flynn Ryder (of Tangled) from winning us over with his famous smolder.
Eric
Speaking of The Little Mermaid, who wouldn’t want to name their baby after Ariel’s studly Prince?
Kenai
If you like more unconventional boy names, Kenai is an adorable choice from the movie Brother Bear.
Henry
Perhaps the most classic of all the Disney boy names, Henry is the name of Cinderella‘s Prince Charming.
Sebastian
Sure he might just be a crab with anxiety in The Little Mermaid, but his name is pretty darn cool.
Milo
Milo Thatch is the main character in Disney’s Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Milo would be a great not-so-obvious Disney boy name choice.
Philip
A traditional name for a classic prince, Philip is the young prince who Aurora met once upon a dream in Sleeping Beauty.
James
Prince James might not be the first Disney prince that comes to mind, but he is the brother of Princess Sofia in Disney Junior’s Sofia the First.
Felix
Who can forget the well-loved good guy, Fix-It Felix from Wreck-It-Ralph? This name is on-trend and has a cool Euro vibe.
Terence
The sweet male fairy from Disney Fairies, Terence is a solid, underused boy name choice for the modern boy.
Jack
Whether you want to say he’s named after the spooky Jack Skellington or the charismatic Jack Sparrow, either Jack will do for a Disney fan’s son. Come to think of it, Sparrow makes a pretty cool name too!
Clayton
Clayton was the poacher in Tarzan who traveled to Africa with Jane to hunt gorillas. He may have been the villain in the movie, but his name is preppy and classy.
Toby
Cute and sweet Toby was the turtle from Robin Hood as well as the basset hound from The Great Mouse Detective.
Victor
Raise your hand if you’re a fan of The Hunchback of Notre Dame! This strong, classic male name is both a character in the movie (one of the trio of gargoyles) as well as the author of the original novel, Victor Hugo.
Rajah
If you’re looking for an adorable name with a middle eastern flare, Rajah is a super cute choice. It pays homage to Princess Jasmine’s pet tiger in Disney’s Aladdin.
Apollo
Apollo, the god of the sun in Greek mythology, is of course found in the movie Hercules. The name Apollo has been increasing in popularity steadily since 2012.
Oaken
Bet you didn’t think you’d find a name from Frozen on here! Do you recall the minor but memorable character Oaken from Wandering Oaken’s trading post? Not the friendliest guy, but definitely a cool name!
Nicholas
Nick Wilde is the con-artist fox from Zootopia who completely wins you over in the end. Maybe your little Nicholas would be similarly clever?
Elliott
Elliott is the clumsy but kind dragon of Pete’s Dragon. The name is better suited for an intellectual type child than an animated dragon any day.
Bruno
Ok, forget for a moment that this is the dog in Cinderella. It’s a totally underrated name!
Gus
Another animal from Cinderella with an awesome three-letter name. This was the chubby little mouse who palled around with the skinny mouse, Jaq.
Florian
Though he’s not named in the movie, the name of the prince in Snow White is actually Florian, though it was rumored to be Ferdinand. Florian is a much more trendy name, so we’ll stick with that.
Arthur
Another name that is on the rise in popularity, Arthur is the scrawny orphan boy who becomes King Arthur in the Sword in the Stone.
Dashiell (Dash)
Who wouldn’t want a super cool kid with super powers like Dash from the Incredibles? He is mega fast, and I can see this name exploding after the recent release of Incredibles 2.
Phineas
While still unique, Phineas isn’t as rare as it once was after Julia Roberts used it for her son (although with a different spelling). It is still a quirky name though, just like its Disney title character from Phineas and Ferb.
Pascal
No one needs to know that your little one’s traditional yet whimsical name came from Rapunzel’s chameleon companion in Tangled.
Maximus
Another animal from Tangled, this white palace horse was all business on his hunt for Flynn Ryder. The name has good versatility, with the casual nickname Max a nice alternative to the formal (and somewhat stiff) Maximus.
Arlo
Arguably my favorite of all the Disney boy names, Arlo is the protagonist in the movie The Good Dinosaur. Could this name be any cuter?
Peter
Go ahead, name your kid after Peter Pan. Don’t we all want to be young forever?
Thomas
Another classic name with solid roots, Thomas hails from the Disney classic The Aristocats. Smooth-talking alley cat Thomas O’Malley shows the rich sheltered cats the joy in a life of freedom.
Preston
The name Preston just sounds like it belongs to a rich person, so it’s quite fitting that the Disney character from Atlantis: The Lost Empire named Preston is a millionaire.
Otto
In contrast to Preston, the character Otto of Robin Hood is poor, hapless, and shown with a broken leg. That still doesn’t make the name any less adorable, however.
Taran
The courageous young Taran is the protagonist of The Black Cauldron. This simple-yet-different name is a great choice if you’re looking for something unisex.
Duncan
You shouldn’t associate this name with Dunkin’ Donuts just because Disney named the doughnut cop Duncan in Wreck-It Ralph. Given the rise in popularity of names like Deacon and Declan, it seems likely that Duncan would be well-received.
Boomer
Dinky and Boomer are a sparrow and a woodpecker constantly at work trying to catch a caterpillar in The Fox and the Hound. No one thought to use this name for a person until Michael Phelps named his son Boomer in 2016. Since then, it’s been popping up here and there.
Oliver
Oliver is the orphaned kitten in the Oliver Twist-esque animated movie Oliver and Company. It’s also a very on-trend name for a little boy.
Gideon
One of two con artists in Pinocchio, Gideon’s name is nicer than his character. (And I have plenty more if you like old-fashioned baby names!)
Amos
Ok, so the bad-tempered old man Amos from The Fox and the Hound isn’t doing the name any favors. But if you’re looking for a name that everyone has heard of but no one has, this is IT.
Achilles
Another name straight out of Greek mythology that appears in the movie Hercules, Achilles is a strong masculine name that will remind everyone of the hero with a weakness in his heel.
Louis
Louis, the alligator from The Princess and the Frog, just wanted to play his trumpet. While the character is a bit goofy, the name is a traditional favorite that will surely be exploding now after the birth of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s third child.
What’s your favorite Disney boy name? Let us know in the comments!
everywhere you go. It really does help you stay comfortable!
