Pregnant wait out of sun

[Southerndisney]

Can a very pregnant women ask for GAC to wait out of the sun? She is there now and cannot wait in the lines that are in the sun.

 

[lanejudy]

There really isn't a good way to avoid sun. She will have more sun exposure walking around the parks than waiting in line. Most lines are somewhat shaded anyway, though it obviously can vary by time of day and the sun's position. I recommend she use a cooling scarf, carry a mini misting fan, wear lightweight/light-colored clothing, wear a hat with large brim, and other such precautions for avoiding sun exposure. I don't believe there is a GAC to wait out of the sun, even for people with medical conditions making them very susceptible to heat and sun exposure.

Good luck to her and her baby! I think I'd choose an A/C counter service location to sit a bit while the rest of my party enjoyed the rides.

 

[Lady V]

I am not positive but she would at least need a doctors note I would think. I have never personally had a guest that had a GAC card due to the heat and pregnancy. (of course-that doesn't mean it doesn't happen-I've just never seen it) I do know they are getting stricter about who qualifies for a GAC card. There has been a lot of bad press about abuse on the cards.

 

[crashbb]

I am not positive but she would at least need a doctors note I would think. I have never personally had a guest that had a GAC card due to the heat and pregnancy. (of course-that doesn't mean it doesn't happen-I've just never seen it) I do know they are getting stricter about who qualifies for a GAC card. There has been a lot of bad press about abuse on the cards.

There is no need for a doctor's note (in fact, WDW cannot ask for one). However, like the PP said, there isn't really a GAC that would be helpful - most of the lines are shaded and most of the sun exposure comes walking between rides/attractions. The PP had some good ideas that would be helpful.

 

[andersonsc]

but I've often seen threads where people say how their medicine causes sun sensitivity and therefore they get a GAC to wait out of sun - may mean they get to go in fast pass line so they are in sun for less time.

 

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

PPs are correct, she would be out in the sun more walking than waiting in lines. Most are shaded and many are indoors. She could use an umbrella to shade herself. No need for a GAC.

 

[ABCastillo]

There really isn't a good way to avoid sun. She will have more sun exposure walking around the parks than waiting in line. Most lines are somewhat shaded anyway, though it obviously can vary by time of day and the sun's position. I recommend she use a cooling scarf, carry a mini misting fan, wear lightweight/light-colored clothing, wear a hat with large brim, and other such precautions for avoiding sun exposure. I don't believe there is a GAC to wait out of the sun, even for people with medical conditions making them very susceptible to heat and sun exposure.

Good luck to her and her baby! I think I'd choose an A/C counter service location to sit a bit while the rest of my party enjoyed the rides.

This is some great advice. I've done US and WDW pregnant (both around 5 months). I recommend water, water and more water! As long as I had my full water bottle I was OK. US was in June and I had a harder time there. I'm not really sure why, but there were a few times I had to just ditch my sisters and find A/C or fans.

No one really ever offered anything to be honest. I always had to just wait like everyone else. Sometimes a nice gentleman would give me his seat on the bus. WDW was probably more accommodating though, because there just isn't much you can ride at US while pregnant. One pregnant woman did rent a scooter at US, might not be a bad idea.

 

[buffettgirl]

Can a very pregnant women ask for GAC to wait out of the sun? She is there now and cannot wait in the lines that are in the sun.

Is there something different about the sun in the line area vs the sun in the rest of the park? How is she handling the sun during the rest of the day?

 

[SueM in MN]

There are not many lines where the actual line is not shaded in some way.
If its really busy, the line may extend beyond the area that is marked off for the line. In those cases, people concerned about the sun wait outside of the line in shade ànd join their party in line when they actually get into the shaded area. No need for a GAC for that.

And, even if she got a GAC, the stamp for sun exposure is stated as "when the wait is in the un for prolonged period of time" (not the exact words, but very similar. And, it basically allowed the person to wait out of the sun - not go In the Fastpass line.

As others mentioned, since most lines are shaded, she will get much more sun outside of lines than in them. A parasol or something to shade her, plenty of water, plus using Fastpasses and joining her family after they get to the shaded part of a line would help her a lot more.

 

[crashbb]

If its really busy, the line may extend beyond the area that is marked off for the line. In those cases, people concerned about the sun wait outside of the line in shade ànd join their party in line when they actually get into the shaded area. No need for a GAC for that.

That's exactly what we did with my mum (many years ago - when we didn't know about the existence of GACs anyway). It worked out well, but we didn't often need to use it since, as you've said, most lines are shaded.

 

[sunshinehighway]

The France pavilion and a little booth behind Sleepy Hollow sell painted umbrellas.

 

[Southerndisney]

Thanks for the advice. I will pass it on. When she is walking in the park she walks on the side where there is shade. You can stay in the shade most of the time if you make the effort, except for Epcot.

 

[crashbb]

Thanks for the advice. I will pass it on. When she is walking in the park she walks on the side where there is shade. You can stay in the shade most of the time if you make the effort, except for Epcot.

Can you share some of her tips about doing that? I have trouble with the sun (autoimmune condition) and have never been able to "walk in the shade" - especially at Animal Kingdom.

 

[buffettgirl]

Can you share some of her tips about doing that? I have trouble with the sun (autoimmune condition) and have never been able to "walk in the shade" - especially at Animal Kingdom.

truth. My son has some issues regulating body temperature and we actually use lines to cool down. AK is totally the worst for him.

 

[Mom2six]

but I've often seen threads where people say how their medicine causes sun sensitivity and therefore they get a GAC to wait out of sun - may mean they get to go in fast pass line so they are in sun for less time.

I have seen people ask about them but I don't think I have ever seen someone say they had a GAC to wait out of the sun. But that may be because they don't really have a place like that to wait. And since all of outside is sunny I don't think fast pass would work. It would be nice if they did have areas for people to wait who had a medical problem with the sun.

I am very fair skinned and burn easily. I find wide brimmed hat works really well to keep me more in the shade and portable fans work too!! Me and one of my daughters has a little bit of a sun allergy and hats/tons of sunscreen applied regularly work well.

 

[Piper]

I have Lupus and sun problems among other diagnoses. I also take several medications that advise sun avoidance. I tour early mornings and late evenings (although sometimes I am don't feel well enough to go back in the evening.) I also wear a wide brimmed hat, SPF treated long sleeves, a cooling vest, use my own scooter for other difficulties (can't stand longer than 3 minutes without extreme pain and dizziness and sometimes not even that long) and go around the perimeter as much as possible. Sun in lines is not a problem--sun everywhere else is the difficulty and the closer it gets to noon, the more difficult it is to avoid!!

 

[PatMcDuck]

but I've often seen threads where people say how their medicine causes sun sensitivity and therefore they get a GAC to wait out of sun - may mean they get to go in fast pass line so they are in sun for less time.

Fast pass is your friend in these situations. My daughter has juvenile dermatomyositis, and the sun can cause (very serious) flares in diseases activity. She would not even go to the parks much until after 6-7pm/ She said at night, she could relax, feel safe, and have fun. And she HAS a GAC, for the sun and serious mobility issues. But, the sun is the worst walking around, not on the lines. A few lines are really rough with sun exposure, like the Nemo show at AK, for one.

 

[Desnik]

This was a long time ago, but when I went to WDW pregnant I was very ill at the parks. I was lucky to have all day sickness with my pregnancy and that with the combo of the heat was too much at times. I went to guest services to ask if there was a way to wait in the shade or in AC, I didn't care if it was a longer wait. They told me no. I limited my time at the parks. It really wasn't that big of a deal.

Then we went to Universal & within the first hour the heat was getting to be a bit much. I went to their guests services & they gave me a private escort! We only wanted to go on a handful of rides and then leave because it was too much for me to do more. But we had an escort & he had us wait in an A/C room for the rides we wanted to go on. It was awesome, appreciated & totally unexpected!

But I learned my lesson & never went to Florida when I was pregnant again! Did I mention it was July, our first WDW trip as adults, before I found the DIS and I was on my honeymoon?

 

[dawnball]

Can you share some of her tips about doing that? I have trouble with the sun (autoimmune condition) and have never been able to "walk in the shade" - especially at Animal Kingdom.

My recollection is that I felt "less sun exposed" at AK when I went toward the right first thing in the morning. Around Discovery Island to the right, past flights of wonder, then left to the Safari. That line is covered, and then I'd reverse the same path for Kali/Everest. A lot of the animal trails seemed shaded too. Dinoland is a lost cause, although you might be able to get to Dinosaur with the only sunny bit you have to have being right across the bridge and past the boneyard. Likewise, I avoided Camp Minnie-Mickey.

At HS, I do the usual "walk through the buildings" trick. I want to say that you can get to TSMM with minimal sun, then down that street to Muppetvision. A quick dash up the sunny path to Star Tours, and then you just have to find your way out of the parks. When the sun comes over the buildings it's awfully yucky, though.

At MK, main street seems shaded enough in the mornings to just walk on the right. The hub is sunny, but once you got there, Adventureland was ok. I could get to BTMMR without too much trouble, and then the train will take you out. Alternately, we had some luck getting up to Teacups, but really that only gets you teacups and Indy Speedway in the morning.

Most other things I left for dusk/dark. Knowing which buildings are connected helps.

But, when I was pregnant, the issue for me was really overheating, not direct sun exposure. So I'd have been walking in whatever shade I could find, and then taking breaks in the air conditioned shops. Waiting in the shade isn't going to help you immensely, because the lines are all full of hot, sweaty people.

It's kind of late now, but I have an amazing chilling scarf from one of the sportswear companies. The fabric is impregnated with xylitol, which has a distinct cooling effect when it's wet, plus the usual evaporative cooling. I got another one that holds little tubes of gel-ice. They've both helped me a lot in situations where I'd previously been overheating.

 

[cobright]

Is there something different about the sun in the line area vs the sun in the rest of the park? How is she handling the sun during the rest of the day?

There are major differences between walking in the sun and standing in the sun. I suspect the OP considered these differences self-evident but people who do not have more than a passing annoyance at sunlight often are blissfully unaware.

How much detail should I go into ... I'll start heavy and lighten up as I go.

Everyone should know by now that absent sunblock or (ick) sunscreen, sunlight doesn't damage skin until the skin cells are exhausted of the anti-oxidants the body supplies. It is true, with high doses of anti-oxidants you can prevent burns and cellular damage from the sun. Exercise is necessary to cycle those anti-oxidants into the skin cells as they are depleted. Standing still results in getting burns, tanning, cellular damage, and the kinds of metabolic reactions that cause problems in those with sunlight sensitivities sooner than if you are walking.

Less known is that even with sunblock, your skin-cells and body as a whole is being depleted of anti-oxidants as a result of sunlight exposure. You are also creating all manner of photo-chemical reactions and the product of these reactions more or less require movement to distribute them throughout the body. Build-ups of such things as vitamin-D can happen by standing still in the sun. Normally not a problem, for some it's a trigger.

Let's talk about thermal-dynamics. Overheating caused by exposure to sunlight can actually be worse standing still. This is rookie level physics. That .75-1.5MPH walking speed does create a net themal gain across the whole body BUT it causes a thermal cooling effect local to the exposed skin. the Skin, our largest organ, is instrumental to regulating all sorts of body chemistry and waste and that function is diminished by overheating. I have enjoyed two pregnancies (my wife was pregnant so I got to enjoy them) and I suspect that overheating, particularly of the skin, is as much of an issue for the OP as actual sun exposure.

Then there is the matter of overall exposure vs. localized exposure. It's far worse to expose your skin cells to sunlight for 30 minutes straight then shade for 30 minutes than to expose a skin cell to 5 seconds of sun then 5 seconds of shade over and over and over for an hour. This is what walking does, it puts us into motion and breaks up our whole body exposure as well as the localized exposure.

Lastly there is the assumption that you spend more time walking through the park than waiting for a ride. On many trips the average wait line for the park's rides near one hour. The average walk time between rides is much less.

Now Disney is usually pretty good about park design and keeping us out of direct sun, but especially at higher crowd times like ... now, you can still find yourself waiting in the direct sun for 20-30 minutes. If I traveled like an average guest, even with all the SPF, I would be in blisters waiting in line in the sun after 10-15 minutes; dead in 40.

All that said... and I don't know how much help it can be now... but I would encourage the OP to work towards traveling like the Bedouin do. Fully covered with flowing breathable garments.

ETA: When I speak about anti-oxidants I'm not using it in the new-age pseudo-hippie sense. It starts to sound like something you read in an herbal medicine flyer at the yoga salon. That's not my thing at all. This is the wisdom of a decade marching through foreign sand.