I know I've been speaking about pregnant in Disney but I had some requests regarding Universal as well! So I decided to write about Universal next! I only went while I was pregnant with Talia and not with Jace and I'll explain why later in the blog. First off, I want to put the disclaimer again that this is all based on my personal opinions and experiences. Please speak with your medical provider before coming to the Parks. Every pregnancy is different and you may have more restrictions from your doctor vs others.
Starting with attractions, I will say Universal/Islands of Adventure have a whole lot fewer options vs Disney. Many attractions will have a warning on them against expectant mothers to ride. Even some of the rides you thought would be alright are not. I recommend visiting their Guide for Rider Safety and Accessibility which will have all attractions breakdown of what attractions have the warnings. Plus this is a great place to read up on for any other medical concerns you may have! I believe honestly other than the shows, there are only two or three attractions that you may ride. Don't worry there are other things to do while there! Majority of all the shows (if not all) you can attend. The Horror Make-Up show is a pretty fun show to watch so I for sure recommend that one! One of my favorites used to be the Beetlejuice Graveyard Revue but Fast and Furious took over that area sadly. If you have children in your party I recommend the Barney show! The shows are great for you to sit and relax while sitting in AC too. If you are there in the Holiday season, Grinchmas is the best! Also of course riding the Hogwarts Express (be sure to have a park to park ticket to ride) is a great experience that you can do! Plus sitting and AC! My personal favorite experience is meeting Blue at the Raptor Encounter. When I was pregnant it was pre Blue being at the park so it was just a raptor, but still so much fun! It's a little modified right now due to COVID, but in the past, she nuzzles up to you. It used to be just fun watching everyone freak out! I am hoping after COVID, we can meet her the old way.
Now my favorite part. Eating and drinking(non-alcohol) around Universal! Honestly, I had my AP because of Harry Potter and butterbeer. While pregnant I just constantly craved butterbeer items. Frozen butterbeer, butterbeer ice cream, and the butterbeer fudge were my week spots. There are of course plenty of other treats just in the Harry Potter areas plus our favorite place to eat, Leaky Cauldron. They have so many awesome, quick service options! Plus being able to sit and relax in AC is always a lifesaver, especially while pregnant of course. Also one of my favorite things Universal offers is their Freestyle cups. Once you buy one of these cups you get unlimited refills all day! This is perfect when your pregnant and need to stay hydrated. There are freestyle machines all over both parks with so many options to drink, including water and flavored waters. My personal favorite is mixing cherry Sprite with vanilla Sprite! Also, participating icees are included too! I think this is such a great benefit that Universal offers. Once you have a cup too you can bring it back any visit to reactivate it for unlimited refills for that day at a discounted price (plus you get an ap discount). I always recommend this option. Also, another option for food is their dining plan options. I haven't done one yet but I heard they are worth it! You can check out more about them here. City Walk also offers many yummy dining locations! Our favorite is Margaritaville!
We also did some pregnancy announcement photos in Universal. Depending on your favorite things this may be a great place! For example, if you love Dr. Seuss they have thing shirts available so this would be adorable to wear then get a thing baby onesie. Harry Potter of course if a big spot where many may want to do one so there are plenty of ideas just there. Jurassic Park area with meeting Blue is a fun spot especially with her! Then of course Marvel area for all the Marvel fans! If during the holiday season you can do it with the Grinch! He's great to meet. Also, you can do a movie type in Universal itself with all the sets. Don't forget E.T too! Also if you are anything like me and obsessed with just taking photos visiting is perfect to do this. I have so many adorable bump photos around Universal!
Many times we would go we would just walk around. There are so many places there just to explore. We would walk around both parks and then sit and relax while drinking a butterbeer. We would just take our time and explore. I loved just being able to walk around the parks. They have plenty of benches and sitting areas as well to relax. They also have child swap rooms/family rooms so you can ask the attractions if you can stand in line and then just sit in that room when they go on the rides. This option is nice because these rooms have seating and AC. I will say with COVID right now, many are not offering the rooms right now due to how small many of them are, you can always ask though and see!
We were already passholders with Universal before becoming pregnant with Talia so we were enjoying the parks of course prior as well. Universal is so much more restrictive vs Disney. In my personal opinion, if I didn't already have an AP, we wouldn't have been going. If you are a passholder it's great and great for just walking and getting exercise in. I wouldn't have bought a ticket and gone while pregnant because to me the worth it isn't there. If you have an entire family that adores Universal I would say go though! With it just being the two of us while I was pregnant my husband would've had to go on all the rides alone which he didn't want to do. If you have more it may be worth it more. That's why when I was pregnant with Jace when we visited Orlando we didn't visit Universal because we didn't have our pass during that time. This is all based on my opinions again. We just renewed in December and I am so happy to be back. I do love Universal and I love visiting their parks! Just remember if you are going to the Parks while pregnant, please stay hydrated and know how much your body can take. Don't over push yourself, especially in this Florida sun. I hope this helps with putting perspective with doing Universal while pregnant!
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