We chose to go at the beginning of May because I would be around 20 weeks along in my pregnancy. Which meant that the nausea period was over, I was getting some energy back, and I was not too big or uncomfortable yet. It was also a perfect time seasonally, because the weather was nice and not too hot. I, of course, made sure to check with my doctor before making any concrete plans, especially since we would be flying to Orlando. Luckily, I was healthy and it would only be a short flight from Greenville, SC so there were no concerns. He did tell me to take things slow and to be sure to stay hydrated. I packed my own water bottle so that it would be easy to hydrate anytime. There were places all over the park to fill up with water for free! I took a water bottle with a water filter built in, to make sure I was getting the best quality possible while traveling. This also saved a lot of money not having to pay for drinks all day long.
We stayed onsite at Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort. It is a very cool, retro themed, family-oriented resort with free transportation to and from all Universal properties, all day long. This was great because we chose not to rent a car. I loved that it was easy to come back to the room anytime, so I could rest or take a break in one of the pools. The hotel was very nice, not over-crowded, and had everything we needed. Cabana Bay Beach Resort includes a lazy river, retro bowling lanes, a diner with tons of options, and a Starbucks! It was a great place for families, and would love to take the kids back when they are older.
Also, by staying onsite at a Universal resort, you get passes to enter the Wizarding World of Harry Potter before the park officially opens! This was totally worth staying onsite for! The WWoHP gets super crowded after the park opens and it can be difficult to really take in all the details and to get a chance to use your interactive wand, which of course I had to have! You have to check out every little nook and cranny, because they really went all out to give you the Harry Potter experience. For, example, in one of the bathrooms you can hear Moaning Myrtle wreaking havoc among the toilets! Knocturn Alley is super dark and creepy, and the butter beer is fantastic!
You may be wondering how much there is to do for a pregnant lady at a theme park. Well, I knew I wouldn't be able to ride very many rides, but there is so much more than rides at Universal. We saw countless shows, both indoors and out, which were great when we needed to sit for awhile. Although I couldn't ride anything at the WWoHP, just walking through was absolutely amazing. The details were incredible. I was able to ride the Hogwarts Express, which we did several times because you see different things going to each park. You do need tickets to both Universal studios and Islands of Adventure to ride the train and to see both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. I also was able to see all the 3D shows except for Transformers, because most include stationary seating. Poseidon's Adventure was a walk through show that was really cool and involved some really neat water and fire tricks! The Horror Make-up show was very funny and one of our favorites, but maybe not appropriate for young children. There are also lots of parades and characters roaming around to interact with throughout the park. If you get the chance, make sure to see Universal's Cinematic Spectacular. It is a water show out in the middle of the lake at Universal Studios that showcases 100 years of memorable movie moments!
Make sure to download the Universal Orlando App that includes maps of all parks, show times, and wait times. It helped us plan out our entire day and to make sure we got to see everything we wanted to see. We bought Park-to-Park tickets on a deal where we got two days plus a third day for free. I loved this option because it gave us plenty of time to see everything without having to run between attractions. It even gave us time to rest at the resort during the hottest times of the day. I was able to take a nap in the afternoons to recharge before going to the CityWalk for dinner.
I will warn you, there will be a lot of walking. We walked both parks entirely all three days, but we saw something new every time. You have to walk through Universal's CityWalk to get to the Park's Entrances. The CityWalk is full of restaurants and shops, including Margaritaville, Hard Rock Cafe, and Emeril's Restaurant Orlando. They also have Burger King, Panda Express, and many, many more! Our favorites were the Red Oven Pizza Bakery and The Cold Stone Creamery! Lines weren't really a problem for us because we didn't hit any of the big, popular rides and we planned our day out in order to do the more popular ones first before the park got too crowded.
We had a blast and totally felt like we got our money's worth even though I couldn't ride too many rides. I still want to go back so I can experience the whole park one day. We would love to take the kids when they get older! I was so impressed with the details all over the park! It was awesome just walking through the different areas. I'm glad I planned ahead and was prepared, because it definitely made a difference staying onsite being pregnant. It was a great baby-moon, and we can't wait until the kids are both old enough to go back!
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