Sept trip while heavily pregnant- am I crazy?

[WishUponAStar3]

Hello DIS! I have missed you all and these boards so much during the pandemic, and I've been DYING to plan another trip. It's been really tough to be so close (we live in LA) and yet unable to get our DL fix. So as soon as I got my first dose of the vaccine, I of course started plotting a trip, and we bought tix to the September 9th OBB and are staying a few days that week. We're planning to wait till the week before to tell our son about the trip, just in case things get too dicey with all these variants, but I am having sooo much fun planning and making dining reservations and all, while in the back of my head I'm wondering if I'm totally crazy to be planning this because:

a) I'm pregnant and due November 12th. I'll be fully vaccinated and plan to wear my mask outdoors as well as indoors (except when we can manage to be 6 feet apart form people) and we're also stretching our trip over 3 days so that we're not rushing around and have time to take breaks and rest as needed.

b) My son is 4, therefore unvaccinated. However, he is a pro with masks, wears them at preschool with no problem, and we would keep him masked outdoors wherever it's crowded.

I'd be grateful to hear the experiences/opinions of other parents of young kids in a similar boat, and also any pregnant mamas! I would really, really love to be able to do something special like this for our son before his baby sister arrives, and Nightmare Before Christmas is his FAVORITE, so I know it would be so special. I just of course don't want to be taking giant risks with our health either. Would be so grateful for your advice!!

 

[kappyfamily]

First off, I really feel for you and totally get wanting to get out and do this for your son before the baby is born! To be totally honest, if I was in your shoes I would probably wait. Probably not what you wan to hear, but just the little one alone would change my mind but then being that far along would push it over the edge for me. As much as I love Disney, i personally just dont think it's worth it if I was in your situation. It's a tough call though, I bet you will figure out the right decision though! Good Luck!

 

[gelatoni fan]

I personally would not feel comfortable taking any unvaccinated people, even if they were OK with masks. The fact that you're pregnant further makes me lean towards "no".

But since you already have OBB tickets, you've already kind of made a commitment to go. Maybe just do the bash and not stay or go for any additional days?

 

[BayouQueen]

Not worth the risk

 

[Narcoossee11]

My opinion is:
You are not going to be comfortable. Do want you can . Lot of sitting and watching. Your enjoyment will be seeing your son's happiness.
It appears there is another adult , they will need to be the 'main' leader.
This trip is all ABOUT YOUR SON . Its his last moment as a only Child

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

Since you live in the general area, the heat shouldn't be a surprise/you'll be used to it. If you are comfortable in a mask and feel up to it, and your son is good with masking and hand washing, I would be in the go for it camp - assuming things stay the same as they are now and don't get worse. I read some great advice on this board about making this kind of decision - flip a coin. If you feel relief with the result, it was meant to be that way. If you feel regret, then go with the other option whichever way it goes

 

[Cal-Pie]

Go! Have fun, kids are little for the briefest moment.

 

[kristensideaoffun]

I went to Disneyland when I was 31 weeks pregnant in June. The mask mandate was still in place and I felt relatively comfortable with the distancing measures, but my husband, daughter, and I are all fully vaccinated. We live in San Diego and did a two night trip staying at the Grand Californian. Even with the relatively short walk with staying at GCH, I barely made it through the second day. I ended up leaving them in the park by about 3pm to go back to the hotel and wait for them by the pool. I just couldn’t stand/walk any longer.

As far as being in the parks go, I wasn’t able to go on everything they were able to go on. I ended up finding a bench and having a snack while they rode some rides, which was a welcome break.

I think if you’re comfortable with the crowds and wearing masks, you are doing everything you can to limit your risk of transmission. I’d also plan to do the parks on weekdays so there are hopefully lower crowds.

Personally, we are going back to the parks with our 2 month old for OBB. My husband and daughter will go into the park for the “mix-in” time, and then I will join them later when the crowd levels are lower. I also plan on wearing him face-in the whole time or keeping him covered in his stroller. We also will not be taking him on any rides so we will take turns waiting with the baby. We don’t feel comfortable entering into the parks on a regular day with our infant, but feel the crowds at OBB will be low enough that we can keep our distance and still have fun.

 

[WishUponAStar3]

I personally would not feel comfortable taking any unvaccinated people, even if they were OK with masks. The fact that you're pregnant further makes me lean towards "no".

But since you already have OBB tickets, you've already kind of made a commitment to go. Maybe just do the bash and not stay or go for any additional days?

Ahh, I thought about just doing OBB but in some ways it would be too painful for us to go just for that half day and not get to see DL, etc. (Not to be dramatic!) I would accept forgoing the cost of the OBB tix if it seems like the smarter move to keep us safe. I was just hoping there was a way to still do this trip safely, like if the crowds would be less during the early-Sept weekdays and keeping both me and my little one masked... Argh such a hard decision!!

ETA: Thank you for the feedback!

 

[WishUponAStar3]

I went to Disneyland when I was 31 weeks pregnant in June. The mask mandate was still in place and I felt relatively comfortable with the distancing measures, but my husband, daughter, and I are all fully vaccinated. We live in San Diego and did a two night trip staying at the Grand Californian. Even with the relatively short walk with staying at GCH, I barely made it through the second day. I ended up leaving them in the park by about 3pm to go back to the hotel and wait for them by the pool. I just couldn’t stand/walk any longer.

As far as being in the parks go, I wasn’t able to go on everything they were able to go on. I ended up finding a bench and having a snack while they rode some rides, which was a welcome break.

I think if you’re comfortable with the crowds and wearing masks, you are doing everything you can to limit your risk of transmission. I’d also plan to do the parks on weekdays so there are hopefully lower crowds.

Personally, we are going back to the parks with our 2 month old for OBB. My husband and daughter will go into the park for the “mix-in” time, and then I will join them later when the crowd levels are lower. I also plan on wearing him face-in the whole time or keeping him covered in his stroller. We also will not be taking him on any rides so we will take turns waiting with the baby. We don’t feel comfortable entering into the parks on a regular day with our infant, but feel the crowds at OBB will be low enough that we can keep our distance and still have fun.

Thank you so much for this feedback, and CONGRATS on your new little one!! Have you delivered yet? I hope all is going well!! It's so nice to hear from another mom who went while pregnant. So funny but I will be at the same number of weeks as you if we do end up going, our planned departure day is the day I hit 31 weeks! Do you remember which rides you were able to ride safely? I don't mind missing a lot of rides, I'm most excited at the prospect of doing this for my son and watching him enjoy it all and soaking in the Disney magic- but I would love to join him and my husband on whatever I can!

One thing I'm trying to figure out but haven't been able to find much info on is if unvaccinated kids have been fine after visiting DLR or have there been any reports of kids getting sick? I really don't want to shrug off any risks at ALL, but I also would hate to have my son miss out on this special trip before his baby sister arrives if thousands of kids like him are going and are totally fine... Ahh, decisions decisions!

 

[kristensideaoffun]

Thank you so much for this feedback, and CONGRATS on your new little one!! Have you delivered yet? I hope all is going well!! It's so nice to hear from another mom who went while pregnant. So funny but I will be at the same number of weeks as you if we do end up going, our planned departure day is the day I hit 31 weeks! Do you remember which rides you were able to ride safely? I don't mind missing a lot of rides, I'm most excited at the prospect of doing this for my son and watching him enjoy it all and soaking in the Disney magic- but I would love to join him and my husband on whatever I can!

One thing I'm trying to figure out but haven't been able to find much info on is if unvaccinated kids have been fine after visiting DLR or have there been any reports of kids getting sick? I really don't want to shrug off any risks at ALL, but I also would hate to have my son miss out on this special trip before his baby sister arrives if thousands of kids like him are going and are totally fine... Ahh, decisions decisions!

Thank you. Congratulations to you too! I still haven’t delivered yet. Any day now! I was able to go on a lot of rides - everything in Fantasyland, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Pooh, Monsters, the new Webslingers ride, Toy Story, etc. Our daughter is 14 so I am sure her and my husband went on some rides that your 4 year old might be too short for. If you use the app, you can click on each ride and it will show you the different warnings/precautions. If it has a pregnancy precaution it will say so. The only ride I went against the “don’t ride while pregnant” precaution was Radiator Springs Racers. I’ve been on that ride many, many times and didn’t feel like I was at any greater risk on that ride than driving in a regular car.

As far reports of kids getting sick goes, without contact tracing there is really no way of knowing. Families go home and then symptoms set in and their cases are reported in their home counties. I doubt COVID is spreading any faster at DLR than anywhere else, but it is now spreading quickly pretty much everywhere. Everyone has to weigh the risks for their own families. Like I said, our comfort level is going to OBB only because I know the crowd levels will be low. I’d love to go to DL, too, but that will have to wait. For now, we are staying at our daughter’s favorite hotel (DLH) and spending time at the pool on the Monday after we go to OBB.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Yes

 

[gelatoni fan]

One thing I'm trying to figure out but haven't been able to find much info on is if unvaccinated kids have been fine after visiting DLR or have there been any reports of kids getting sick? I really don't want to shrug off any risks at ALL, but I also would hate to have my son miss out on this special trip before his baby sister arrives if thousands of kids like him are going and are totally fine... Ahh, decisions decisions!

Just from the news and stuff, the percentage of COVID cases and COVID hospitalizations that are children have been steadily rising the entire pandemic. About 5.6% of children have been infected with COVID compared to about 9-10% of all Americans. Contract tracing in the US is pretty bad so I don't think there will be any accurate info on if unvaccinated kids have been getting COVID at DLR.

When I go out for extended periods in the day, I make sure to throw away my mask rather than re-use the same piece of dirty cloth that might have virus on it. If you do end up going, it may help lower your child's risk to do that if you aren't already rather than get sucked in to buying a Disney reusable mask that may be more fashionable but less effective.

 

[whoever]

Hard pass.

 

[Epicnemesis]

We are likely doing the same in September with our 5 year old. We are currently recovering from Covid while my Covid free wife is a refugee at my in-laws, but once the keys are released we are booking a long over due trip

 

[beachdreamr1229]

My personal opinion is that I'd worry less about the kids than you. My kids have been going to amusement parks and water parks all summer. As long as your kiddo is good with masks, which you said he is, it should be fine. At 4, he might not be in school yet, but my kids are a little older and the germ cesspools they call school are probably worse in some ways since the exposure it prolonged.

As for you though, it's not so much the covid I'd worry about (though you can still get a mild illness, especially with delta), but the heat. In September, it's usually 90-110 degrees outside. You can get dehydrated very easily and that late in pregnancy, dehydration can lead to preterm labor. So, if you do go, be very careful to stay hydrated, don't overdo it, and take a lot of breaks.

 

[whoever]

You aren't crazy, you are completely GONZO if you think DLR while late term pregnant is gonna be anything enjoyable.

 

[WishUponAStar3]

Based on all the feedback, I'm wondering if the safest move (in lieu of canceling altogether) is to just do our OBB day, getting to DL early on Thursday 9/9 when crowds are lighter and then switching over to DCA with hopefully lighter crowds for the party. This would be instead of also having park days on Tuesday and Wednesday, thus lowering our exposure to guests without having to call off the whole thing... Any thoughts?

 

[whoever]

I still think you are cray-cray for #1, being well along in a pregnancy, and #2, wanting to take unvaccinated children to Disneyland, but you do you. That is gonna be both a MISERABLE and dangerous situation.

 

[travelgirl06]

We had APs when I was pregnant with my youngest and went frequently, probably until I was 8 months along (I was due in Sept, so it was summer). My older daughters were 6 and 3 and enjoyed these visits a lot. We were less than an hour from the park, so knew we could get back relatively quickly if needed.

Take a big water bottle and refill frequently, take lots of breaks. We did lots of snack breaks and restaurant meals, and I was able to enjoy most of the rides my 3YO was interested in - and would send my 6YO off with dad for the “big kid” rides.

I’m only weighing in on the “while pregnant” side, because you’ll need to decide on the covid side on your own based on your comfort level and how things evolve. You could also talk to your OB/GYN if that would help with your decision.

I like that you are not telling your son yet- this gives you time to see how you are feeling and see how the situation evolves.