Early pregnancy. . .Slinky Ride and Avatar Flight of Passage?

hdnyc

Mouseketeer
Joined
Mar 5, 2017
Hi - I will be traveling to Disney when I am 12w pregnant. Disney advises against pregnant women riding the Slinky Ride and Avatar Flight of Passage, but the height requirements for those rides are pretty low, so they seem like fairly tame rides. Disney also advises pregnant women against riding The Barnstormer, which seems a little extreme to me since 2-year-olds can ride it and it is not jerky at all. I rode the Barnstormer last time I was pregnant (also 12 weeks). Are these two rides really that dangerous for pregnant women, or is Disney being overly cautious and it would probably be fine in earlier pregnancy? I can normally judge for myself since I've been on most of the rides already, but I haven't been on Slinky or Avatar FOP before. Personally, I wouldn't feel comfortable riding Space Mountain when pregnant because I think it's pretty jerky, but I would feel comfortable with 7 Dwarves Mine Train in early pregnancy because that ride is pretty smooth and geared towards smaller kids. Thanks!
 
Slinky was pretty fast and with surprisingly big drops, not tame at all! It's more intense then Mine Train and Barnstormer.
 
I would ask your doctor, if I were you. Sure, maybe Disney is covering their behinds, but it's better to check to see if there are risks that maybe you aren't aware of. Your doctor is in the best position to advise, not a CM and not us.
 
I went when I was 15 weeks and avoided all rides with a pregnancy warning. These 2 rides didn’t exist yet, but I wouldn’t have gone on them. I tend to be pretty cautious, though. Have you sought advice from your doctor? That would be the best person to ask.
 
I would ask your doctor, if I were you. Sure, maybe Disney is covering their behinds, but it's better to check to see if there are risks that maybe you aren't aware of. Your doctor is in the best position to advise, not a CM and not us.

This

Nothing else needs to be said.
 
I agree with asking the doctor but also wanted to add- the odds of a miscarriage during early pregnancy are there. Why do anything to add to it? And if something did go wrong, would you ever let go of the guilt from going on a ride that warned you against riding it?
 
Slinky was pretty fast and with surprisingly big drops, not tame at all! It's more intense then Mine Train and Barnstormer.
Thank you! If it's more intense than Mine Train, that's helpful to know so I won't go on it then.
 


Hi - I will be traveling to Disney when I am 12w pregnant. Disney advises against pregnant women riding the Slinky Ride and Avatar Flight of Passage, but the height requirements for those rides are pretty low, so they seem like fairly tame rides. Disney also advises pregnant women against riding The Barnstormer, which seems a little extreme to me since 2-year-olds can ride it and it is not jerky at all. I rode the Barnstormer last time I was pregnant (also 12 weeks). Are these two rides really that dangerous for pregnant women, or is Disney being overly cautious and it would probably be fine in earlier pregnancy? I can normally judge for myself since I've been on most of the rides already, but I haven't been on Slinky or Avatar FOP before. Personally, I wouldn't feel comfortable riding Space Mountain when pregnant because I think it's pretty jerky, but I would feel comfortable with 7 Dwarves Mine Train in early pregnancy because that ride is pretty smooth and geared towards smaller kids. Thanks!

FOP might be restricted partially because the restraints are really tight (and push your midsection up against the front of the seat/bike) and partially because of what the experience could do to your heart rate. Every pregnancy is different but I'm sure they are erring on the side of caution.

Many rides like Barnstormer and 7DMT aren't rated for age/height based on how jerky they are, but at what height the restraints will safely hold a person in place. But the amount of movement could affect someone who is pregnant.
 
I agree with asking the doctor but also wanted to add- the odds of a miscarriage during early pregnancy are there. Why do anything to add to it? And if something did go wrong, would you ever let go of the guilt from going on a ride that warned you against riding it?

Regarding asking my doctor, I'm guessing my doctor might not know the intensity of Slinky or Flight of Passage either, so I don't know how they would be helpful in this situation. Some doctors say to not drink any caffeine while pregnant, some doctors say it's fine to have 1-2 cups of coffee a day. Some doctors say to never ride a bike while pregnant, others say it's fine to ride one up until the day you have a baby. You have to assess risks and make your own decisions.
 
Regarding asking my doctor, I'm guessing my doctor might not know the intensity of Slinky or Flight of Passage either, so I don't know how they would be helpful in this situation. Some doctors say to not drink any caffeine while pregnant, some doctors say it's fine to have 1-2 cups of coffee a day. Some doctors say to never ride a bike while pregnant, others say it's fine to ride one up until the day you have a baby. You have to assess risks and make your own decisions.
Good luck! I will be 24 weeks pregnant on our Dec trip and I will not be riding any of the restricted rides. But I would not have ridden them at 12 weeks pregnant, either.
 
Some doctors say to not drink any caffeine while pregnant, some doctors say it's fine to have 1-2 cups of coffee a day. Some doctors say to never ride a bike while pregnant, others say it's fine to ride one up until the day you have a baby.

What does YOUR doctor say?
 
FOP might be restricted partially because the restraints are really tight (and push your midsection up against the front of the seat/bike) and partially because of what the experience could do to your heart rate. Every pregnancy is different but I'm sure they are erring on the side of caution.

Thank you! That's helpful to know about the restraint and the midsection and why it might be included in the list. Just trying to understand why it's ok to ride Soarin' while pregnant but not Flight of Passage!
 
Thank you! That's helpful to know about the restraint and the midsection and why it might be included in the list. Just trying to understand why it's ok to ride Soarin' while pregnant but not Flight of Passage!

Yeah - Soarin is totally different, shoulder restraints and a belt. FOP you're basically sitting on a stationary motorcycle-type contraption, and there's a restraint that comes up from behind and pushes your lower back toward the front. It can get squishy around your belly.
 
I agree with asking the doctor but also wanted to add- the odds of a miscarriage during early pregnancy are there. Why do anything to add to it? And if something did go wrong, would you ever let go of the guilt from going on a ride that warned you against riding it?

Yes, I would be fine with it. Because the odds are likely that there was some kind of genetic issue causing the miscarriage, and not because I rode on the Barnstormer with my 2yo daughter. I do high intensity spin classes while pregnant and I'm bopping all over the bike. . .I think that causes more shaking around than a kiddie roller coaster.

I've had miscarriages in the past and did everything 100% correctly. I've had successful pregnancies in the past where I rode on some unadvised rides at Disney and ate cold cuts and sushi.
 
My own experience: I have the same thinking, and rode E.T. 11 weeks pregnant, is just lame E.T. right? let me tell you that while it might not be the same for all, I felt terrible during the jerking of it, and had some cramping afterwards, and the guilt was even worse. Be safe and don’t ride.
 
Yeah - Soarin is totally different, shoulder restraints and a belt. FOP you're basically sitting on a stationary motorcycle-type contraption, and there's a restraint that comes up from behind and pushes your lower back toward the front. It can get squishy around your belly.

Gotcha, thanks! That sounds like it would just make me feel nauseous while pregnant, so I would probably skip it for that reason alone! I can't even wear tight jeans, so something pressing against my midsection sounds awful!
 
I absolutely have no judgements when I offer this so please don’t take it as such as I would support you with either decision. But I am going to ask you a question that only you can answer. Is it worth the risk to you? Again no judgements what so ever. Only you can answer for yourself and only answer it to yourself. If it isn’t it will always be there when you go back with your little one.


Have so much fun either way you chose.


And congratulations!!
 
I rode everything including FOP at 6 weeks pregnant b/c I didn’t know I was. I went back at 7 mos & followed wdw pregnancy warnings. I was way too scared of miscarriage.
 
The issue is the forces that seem "not that bad" to us can cause serious damage to the delicate vessels in the developing fetus. Skip anything with a pregnancy warning. It's not worth it,
 

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