What to do for first anniversary

FSU Girl

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Me again :)

So I was thinking of doing a surprise trip for my first anniversary. I wasn't sure where to post this since I'm on the fence between a Disney cruise and Disney World. I suppose we could go somewhere else, but I don't really want to fly anywhere.

I was thinking a 4 night Dream cruise, our anniversary is 11/11 and that falls on a Monday. We've already sailed this before though in 2017, has anything changed on the cruise? I like that it would be a total relaxation vacation and was thinking doing Concierge for extra niceness. Downside to that is we are trying to save money to buy a house so not super practical, but would go with the cheapest option.

My other thought is Disney World. We let our annual passes expire so we'd either renew or just buy a multi day ticket. I'm a little concerned though since we are trying for a baby if I end up pregnant than can I even go on a ride? At the same time it would be kind of special being back on the day we were married there and it's more flexible of a vacation since I can cancel the hotel 5 days before.

We had been discussing doing something special since it's our first anniversary and I told him to take off the days and I'd surprise him where, so he's somewhat aware.

Should I post this on the Disney World section too?
 
If there's a chance that I would be pregnant for the trip, I would personally choose a cruise. (I mean, I would personally choose DCL over WDW most of the time!)

If not a 4-night on the Dream right on your anniversary, you could wait until later in November when the Magic arrives in Miami and do one of the 5-night itineraries. If you haven't been on the Magic since Rapunzel's Royal Table debuted, that could be a fun new experience.
 
I'm a little concerned though since we are trying for a baby if I end up pregnant than can I even go on a ride?

You can go on most Disney World rides while pregnant, but not all. You'd need to check with your doctor, of course, but you might be advised to avoid roller coasters and motion simulators. Soarin' should be OK, but probably not Tower of Terror. In addition to rides, though, you'd need to think about how you'd feel walking around all day, especially if you're in the early stages of your first pregnancy.

A cruise is more relaxing, and you should be OK to sail in mid-November even if you get pregnant in the next few weeks. Again, though, you'd need to be sure you're feeling well enough to enjoy the cruise. I cruised at about 21 weeks and really enjoyed it (especially the safe-for-pregnancy massage treatment), but I was well past the morning-sickness phase.

Because of the more lenient cancellation policy and the uncertainty over possible pregnancy, I'd say it's safer to go for the parks. If you do become pregnant soon and think you'll be up to the cruise by November, you could try to book it later, but it would be more difficult to book the cruise and then switch to the parks after PIF in August.
 
How about some novelty socks? JUST KIDDING!!!!!

I agree with @DisneyPiPhi that you can spring it for your anniversary but consider sailing on the Magic a few weeks later. The Dream just got the Tiffany's upgrade and the Beauty and the Beast stage show was added last year.

I would venture to just get a Verandah room for the reason you listed, to save on costs. I suspect that even if you purchase snacks and goodies from the onboard cafes you'll come out way ahead vs concierge lounge. You'll also come out ahead on the island if you just plop down in the sand under an umbrella on serenity beach. Yes concierge is wonderful and a luxury, but you can still have a wonderful time without it. Chances are you aren't going to need the advance booking for excursions or some of the other perks that you would get.

Why not consider a trip to Disney's Vero Beach for the weekend instead of the parks? A quiet resort area without tons of distractions. Won't cost you park tickets either. Wife has done Disney while pregnant with both kids. You;ll be better served on the appropriate subforum for that though.
 

If there's a chance that I would be pregnant for the trip, I would personally choose a cruise. (I mean, I would personally choose DCL over WDW most of the time!)

If not a 4-night on the Dream right on your anniversary, you could wait until later in November when the Magic arrives in Miami and do one of the 5-night itineraries. If you haven't been on the Magic since Rapunzel's Royal Table debuted, that could be a fun new experience.
I'd really like the trip to be on our actual anniversary since it's our first one . Also for work it'll be easier to take off then instead of closer to all the holidays. I haven't been on the Magic since Rapunzel was added, but I did book a cruise on it next year. I feel like all my vacations are up in the air with trying to have a baby lol.

You can go on most Disney World rides while pregnant, but not all. You'd need to check with your doctor, of course, but you might be advised to avoid roller coasters and motion simulators. Soarin' should be OK, but probably not Tower of Terror. In addition to rides, though, you'd need to think about how you'd feel walking around all day, especially if you're in the early stages of your first pregnancy.

A cruise is more relaxing, and you should be OK to sail in mid-November even if you get pregnant in the next few weeks. Again, though, you'd need to be sure you're feeling well enough to enjoy the cruise. I cruised at about 21 weeks and really enjoyed it (especially the safe-for-pregnancy massage treatment), but I was well past the morning-sickness phase.

Because of the more lenient cancellation policy and the uncertainty over possible pregnancy, I'd say it's safer to go for the parks. If you do become pregnant soon and think you'll be up to the cruise by November, you could try to book it later, but it would be more difficult to book the cruise and then switch to the parks after PIF in August.
Ya the cancellation policy on the cruise is what's making me most hesitant. Since I won't really know how I am if I do end up pregnant it makes the cruise more uncertain than the parks. That's good to know I'd still be able to do some rides.

How about some novelty socks? JUST KIDDING!!!!!

I agree with @DisneyPiPhi that you can spring it for your anniversary but consider sailing on the Magic a few weeks later. The Dream just got the Tiffany's upgrade and the Beauty and the Beast stage show was added last year.

I would venture to just get a Verandah room for the reason you listed, to save on costs. I suspect that even if you purchase snacks and goodies from the onboard cafes you'll come out way ahead vs concierge lounge. You'll also come out ahead on the island if you just plop down in the sand under an umbrella on serenity beach. Yes concierge is wonderful and a luxury, but you can still have a wonderful time without it. Chances are you aren't going to need the advance booking for excursions or some of the other perks that you would get.

Why not consider a trip to Disney's Vero Beach for the weekend instead of the parks? A quiet resort area without tons of distractions. Won't cost you park tickets either. Wife has done Disney while pregnant with both kids. You;ll be better served on the appropriate subforum for that though.
OMG that made me laugh lol. I'm not a huge fan of just laying on the beach, so I'd think I'd get bored real quick at Vero Beach. We were on the Dream with the new show, realized I wrote 2017 but it was 2018. So the only new thing would be Tiffanys which really doesn't interest me. I really want to do something on the actual anniversary it's a shame Magic isn't back by then.
 
I looked at Disney's website and the hotels I like are booked and the restaurants I like are booked lol. So a cruise is looking better.
 
I know exactly where you're coming from! My husband keeps proposing new trips and I keep having to respond, but that's only possible if we don't get pregnant ;) It's exhausting to plan cool trips, but also have a back up (or plan really late)
It's such an exciting time :) But it does make planning trips complicated. I booked two cruises next year, I figure we could lock in the lower price and then I'll know 4 months out if we can go or not. They aren't until August and December next year so they're far enough out I'm not really focused on them yet.
 
Me again :)

So I was thinking of doing a surprise trip for my first anniversary. I wasn't sure where to post this since I'm on the fence between a Disney cruise and Disney World. I suppose we could go somewhere else, but I don't really want to fly anywhere.

I was thinking a 4 night Dream cruise, our anniversary is 11/11 and that falls on a Monday. We've already sailed this before though in 2017, has anything changed on the cruise? I like that it would be a total relaxation vacation and was thinking doing Concierge for extra niceness. Downside to that is we are trying to save money to buy a house so not super practical, but would go with the cheapest option.

My other thought is Disney World. We let our annual passes expire so we'd either renew or just buy a multi day ticket. I'm a little concerned though since we are trying for a baby if I end up pregnant than can I even go on a ride? At the same time it would be kind of special being back on the day we were married there and it's more flexible of a vacation since I can cancel the hotel 5 days before.

We had been discussing doing something special since it's our first anniversary and I told him to take off the days and I'd surprise him where, so he's somewhat aware.

Should I post this on the Disney World section too?

Have you ever talked to your mom about how she fared with morning sickness (in my totally anecdotal observations, it seems like that is a semi-reliable predictor of what it would be like for you). I ask because when I was pregnant, up through my second trimester (the first six months), any motion of any kind, car, train, plane etc had me vomiting up a storm. Riding the metro to work? I had to get out every station to throw up. Airplane flights when I had to travel for work were spent in the bathroom huddled over their icky little toilets. And of course, no lovely anti-nausea meds when you are pregnant because everything has a doctor's advisory (and the prescription kind they give you that is safe for pregnant ladies is a joke and doesn't help at all). A cruise at that time would have my own personal hell. I've had friends who had it worse (i.e., being sick right up until the day they gave birth), and friends who had it super easy and never even got queasy.

I have an idea for you--how about a wait and see approach? Wait until a month before your anniversary to book. Then, if you are already preggers, you will know how you feel and if you would be up to it. And if you are not, you will be too early along to have any morning sickness (which usually kicks in around the 6-week mark). I know it is hard with cruising because the rates go up, but there are also discounted VGT rates at the last minute that might become available. And the cost of a fare increase between now and then would probably be less than the cost of having to cancel because you are feeling to sick to go.
 
I'm currently 15 1/2 weeks pregnant and a Disney World local so hopefully I can provide some useful info!

I'm gold on DCL, but I would have HATED going on a cruise during my first trimester. Yes, it would have been extremely relaxing, but I wasn't in the mood to eat hardly anything. I actually said to my husband once that I was so glad we didn't have a cruise planned because it would have been so depressing being around so much good food and not wanting to eat any of it. Plus, I was so gassy and bloated all the time that even when I was in the mood to eat, I could only eat small meals at a time. (If you're not into the food part of the cruise, this won't bother you as much, but this was my experience.) I'm currently in the second trimester and want to eat all the time and wishing I had a cruise booked, lol.

We haven't been to Disney as much recently, mostly because it's so hot and I've been so tired all the time, but I really enjoyed walking around Epcot during Flower and Garden. We took it easy, sat down for lots of breaks, and I made sure to stay hydrated. We planned a Babymoon for October (baby is due in December), staying at the Swan, and I can't wait! Not being able to go on rides doesn't bother me since we're local. We also did a sort of "last hurrah" before our IVF transfer was planned so I could go on all the rides in case I got pregnant (and thankfully I did on the first try!).

ETA: Here are all the rides at Disney with the expectant mothers advisory warning. https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/#/expectant-mothers/
 
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Have you ever talked to your mom about how she fared with morning sickness (in my totally anecdotal observations, it seems like that is a semi-reliable predictor of what it would be like for you). I ask because when I was pregnant, up through my second trimester (the first six months), any motion of any kind, car, train, plane etc had me vomiting up a storm. Riding the metro to work? I had to get out every station to throw up. Airplane flights when I had to travel for work were spent in the bathroom huddled over their icky little toilets. And of course, no lovely anti-nausea meds when you are pregnant because everything has a doctor's advisory (and the prescription kind they give you that is safe for pregnant ladies is a joke and doesn't help at all). A cruise at that time would have my own personal hell. I've had friends who had it worse (i.e., being sick right up until the day they gave birth), and friends who had it super easy and never even got queasy.

I have an idea for you--how about a wait and see approach? Wait until a month before your anniversary to book. Then, if you are already preggers, you will know how you feel and if you would be up to it. And if you are not, you will be too early along to have any morning sickness (which usually kicks in around the 6-week mark). I know it is hard with cruising because the rates go up, but there are also discounted VGT rates at the last minute that might become available. And the cost of a fare increase between now and then would probably be less than the cost of having to cancel because you are feeling to sick to go.


This is great advice!
I am someone who was very ill through both of my pregnancies with 'hyperemesis gravidarum'.
With my first I was in and out of the hospital for the first 4 months, then I felt better.
With my second, I was ill the entire 9 months and lost 20 pounds and never gained an ounce back. They gave me a home health nurse since I had a 4 yr old at home. I walked thru my house with an IV and a pole for months and months.
Needless to say, we did nothing during my pregnancies.
My daughter was like me too, but she was given nausea medication, which weren't available in the late 80's/early 90's.

I hope and pray this isn't the case for the OP or anyone its awful.
But plan something that can refundable until you know for sure is my advice.

*** remember you can't sail after 24 weeks of pregnancy on any cruise lines these days.
 
Have you ever talked to your mom about how she fared with morning sickness (in my totally anecdotal observations, it seems like that is a semi-reliable predictor of what it would be like for you). I ask because when I was pregnant, up through my second trimester (the first six months), any motion of any kind, car, train, plane etc had me vomiting up a storm. Riding the metro to work? I had to get out every station to throw up. Airplane flights when I had to travel for work were spent in the bathroom huddled over their icky little toilets. And of course, no lovely anti-nausea meds when you are pregnant because everything has a doctor's advisory (and the prescription kind they give you that is safe for pregnant ladies is a joke and doesn't help at all). A cruise at that time would have my own personal hell. I've had friends who had it worse (i.e., being sick right up until the day they gave birth), and friends who had it super easy and never even got queasy.

I have an idea for you--how about a wait and see approach? Wait until a month before your anniversary to book. Then, if you are already preggers, you will know how you feel and if you would be up to it. And if you are not, you will be too early along to have any morning sickness (which usually kicks in around the 6-week mark). I know it is hard with cruising because the rates go up, but there are also discounted VGT rates at the last minute that might become available. And the cost of a fare increase between now and then would probably be less than the cost of having to cancel because you are feeling to sick to go.
I've talked about it with my mom. She was fine except around certain foods that made her nauseous. That's how she actually found out she was pregnant with me, the smell of turkey made her sick and it was Thanksgiving. I'm really hoping I don't feel nauseous, I really hate that feeling when I'm sick. That is a good point how cruises you are locked into it, so I'm thinking of leaning towards Disney instead. It's pretty risk free since we live close and drive and hotels are refundable 5 days out. The hotel I want is booked for that week so I'm not going to book anything right now.

I'm currently 15 1/2 weeks pregnant and a Disney World local so hopefully I can provide some useful info!

I'm gold on DCL, but I would have HATED going on a cruise during my first trimester. Yes, it would have been extremely relaxing, but I wasn't in the mood to eat hardly anything. I actually said to my husband once that I was so glad we didn't have a cruise planned because it would have been so depressing being around so much good food and not wanting to eat any of it. Plus, I was so gassy and bloated all the time that even when I was in the mood to eat, I could only eat small meals at a time. (If you're not into the food part of the cruise, this won't bother you as much, but this was my experience.) I'm currently in the second trimester and want to eat all the time and wishing I had a cruise booked, lol.

We haven't been to Disney as much recently, mostly because it's so hot and I've been so tired all the time, but I really enjoyed walking around Epcot during Flower and Garden. We took it easy, sat down for lots of breaks, and I made sure to stay hydrated. We planned a Babymoon for October (baby is due in December), staying at the Swan, and I can't wait! Not being able to go on rides doesn't bother me since we're local. We also did a sort of "last hurrah" before our IVF transfer was planned so I could go on all the rides in case I got pregnant (and thankfully I did on the first try!).
I don't know if food would be a deterrent for a cruise, I'm not a huge fan of the food anyways. I am leaning more towards Disney though just because its a lot more flexible with cancelling since we live three hours away. I know my husband would take it easy for me, I also wouldn't mind waiting for him while he goes on roller coasters I've done that before at Universal. The nice thing is it'll be November so the weather typically isn't as hot then. Have fun on your babymoon!

This is great advice!
I am someone who was very ill through both of my pregnancies with 'hyperemesis gravidarum'.
With my first I was in and out of the hospital for the first 4 months, then I felt better.
With my second, I was ill the entire 9 months and lost 20 pounds and never gained an ounce back. They gave me a home health nurse since I had a 4 yr old at home. I walked thru my house with an IV and a pole for months and months.
Needless to say, we did nothing during my pregnancies.
My daughter was like me too, but she was given nausea medication, which weren't available in the late 80's/early 90's.

I hope and pray this isn't the case for the OP or anyone its awful.
But plan something that can refundable until you know for sure is my advice.

*** remember you can't sail after 24 weeks of pregnancy on any cruise lines these days.
Ugh I'm sorry you went through that it sounds horrible. My mom has cautioned me about planning trips when I'm pregnant. It's just hard to not plan a trip when I'm not pregnant yet and I don't want to not do things just because I could be pregnant then. I know the rule for not sailing when pregnant, I don't think I'd be that far along since I'm not pregnant yet. I do think I'm leaning more towards Disney since the cruise is pretty inflexible with canceling. I just hate that all the restaurants and hotel I want are booked right now.
 
I would probably pick a cruise but if not pregnant by PIF day I would take a couple months off of trying then resume closer to cruise time. I would absolutely NOT want to be on a cruise in the first trimester for a couple of reasons. One of them being that emergencies can happen and I wouldn't want to be on a ship out at sea if one did. The other being that I would have found it very unpleasant to be on a cruise in early pregnancy.

With either trip, you just don't know how pregnancy is going to affect you. You also don't know how long it may take to conceive and if it takes a while, putting other plans on hold or organizing your life around possibly being pregnant at such and such a time can get really depressing.
 
This is great advice!
I am someone who was very ill through both of my pregnancies with 'hyperemesis gravidarum'.
With my first I was in and out of the hospital for the first 4 months, then I felt better.
With my second, I was ill the entire 9 months and lost 20 pounds and never gained an ounce back. They gave me a home health nurse since I had a 4 yr old at home. I walked thru my house with an IV and a pole for months and months.
Needless to say, we did nothing during my pregnancies.
My daughter was like me too, but she was given nausea medication, which weren't available in the late 80's/early 90's.

I hope and pray this isn't the case for the OP or anyone its awful.
But plan something that can refundable until you know for sure is my advice.

*** remember you can't sail after 24 weeks of pregnancy on any cruise lines these days.
+1 to both of these! I was so sick and miserable for the entire 9 months of my pregnancies! Not as sick as Lorimay, thankfully, but I did lose a lot of weight due to vomiting/nausea/inability to eat.

I did go on DCL when I was ~21 weeks pregnant with my third (I think--I was under the "week limit" by a couple of weeks, we even had to change our cruise dates due to the pregnancy). I was nauseous the entire trip and even threw up in rough seas off Grand Cayman. And you can only take regular Dramamine, and only after your first trimester, although ginger and sea bands are supposed to help.

So, given all that, I would go for the land trip. It's much easier to stop doing something that makes you miserable. It's also easier to pace yourself, relax by the pool, etc.
 
I would pick the land trip I was not extremely sick during my pregnancy, but did have plenty of nausea. My husband (at the time) planned a surprise trip to Key West when I was 4 months pregnant (we lived in S. Florida at the time). He is a pilot and he was going to fly us down in a small plane. When he told me this, there was no way I could fathom getting on a plane. We drove instead. I know I would not have wanted to get on a boat either. Thankfully, driving was an option or I would have ruined his entire plan!
 
Fun fact: I didn't realize I was pregnant with #1 until I was 19 weeks along. Yes, looking back, I was a bit of an idiot, but I was also very stressed at work, working long hours for weeks on end, and feeling extremely fatigued. Then I went to an all-inclusive with DH and my boss and other colleagues and families. Thank goodness I'm not much of a drinker, because I was still so tired that I finally went to the doctor when I got back. Surprise! 21 weeks till your baby arrives. Oh well, aside from fatigue, I didn't have morning sickness - here's to that for your first pregnancy, FSU Girl!
 
Me again :)

So I was thinking of doing a surprise trip for my first anniversary. I wasn't sure where to post this since I'm on the fence between a Disney cruise and Disney World. I suppose we could go somewhere else, but I don't really want to fly anywhere.

I was thinking a 4 night Dream cruise, our anniversary is 11/11 and that falls on a Monday. We've already sailed this before though in 2017, has anything changed on the cruise? I like that it would be a total relaxation vacation and was thinking doing Concierge for extra niceness. Downside to that is we are trying to save money to buy a house so not super practical, but would go with the cheapest option.

My other thought is Disney World. We let our annual passes expire so we'd either renew or just buy a multi day ticket. I'm a little concerned though since we are trying for a baby if I end up pregnant than can I even go on a ride? At the same time it would be kind of special being back on the day we were married there and it's more flexible of a vacation since I can cancel the hotel 5 days before.

We had been discussing doing something special since it's our first anniversary and I told him to take off the days and I'd surprise him where, so he's somewhat aware.

Should I post this on the Disney World section too?

Unsollicited advice: I would definitely put the money on the house instead of a concierge short cruise. (It's 4 nights vs lifetime.)

When DH and I decided to renew our vows on the Disney Dream (just the two of us on the balcony docked at Castaway Cay), we treated ourselves with a dinner at Remy that night and it was amazing.
 
So I decided on a week long trip to Disney. I got the time off approved at work now I just need to find a hotel and some restaurants that aren't booked up lol. I'm really glad I asked here I was totally ready to book the cruise. I like that we'll be back where we got married and I'm working on getting a mini replica of our cake done for one dinner :) It's a lot easier trip, hotel can be canceled 5 days out and we just need to drive up.
 
I hope it's a great trip! Our 14th anniversary is coming up and I'm like - maybe I should order a cake? Lol.
 
I hope it's a great trip! Our 14th anniversary is coming up and I'm like - maybe I should order a cake? Lol.
Do it! I've never ordered a cake at Disney before so I'm excited to see how it turns out. I want to plan one day to do a tour, I think I'll ask on the other forum for some suggestions. I'm excited :)
 


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