parks & pumps
This is a bit of a niche post! We recently took a road trip down to Florida to visit family and stay with my bestie in her and her wife’s new home near Orlando. While we were there, we were able to take our daughter to The Magic Kingdom and Islands of Adventure with her Aunties!
the most magical pump on earth
My wonderful bestie sent me information ahead of time about all the ways that The Magic Kingdom is baby and breastfeeding friendly. Florida laws allow you to breastfeed in public wherever and however you like, but for those (like me) who prefer a more private, quiet place to pump, Disney provides!
If you are planning a trip to Walt Disney World while breastfeeding, here is a bit about our experience:
The Baby Care Center in The Magic Kingdom is located between The Crystal Palace and Casey’s Corner. It recently underwent a renovation and now has an Alice in Wonderland theme (swoon)!
The Welcome Center/Guest Relations building has an office that they can turn into a private breastfeeding room upon request. I didn't know if a breastfeeding area was available at Disney Springs, but when I happened upon The Welcome Center right in the middle of Disney Springs and asked the question, I was immediately taken back to the room with a smile. The room has a couple standard leather chairs inside, along with a table (and a microwave if you need it).
While I pumped in the semi-private nursing room, my husband was able to feed our daughter her lunch in the main room, which is stocked with high chairs. He also changed her diaper in the spacious changing area. But—let me tell you about the nursing room! There are six cute, cozy recliners—each with a table that has a built-in electrical outlet to plug in your pump—carrying on the Wonderland theme with an adorable stained glass teapot lamp (want to see photos? Check out my Instagram post)!
When I first went into the room, there was one other pumping mama finishing up, and one nursing mama. After a few minutes, both left and I had the room to myself for the remaining 15 minutes of my pump session! It was a welcome break in the A/C from the Florida heat.
pumping is universal
We found that Universal Studios both was and was not as accommodating to babies and breastfeeding mamas as Disney was.
At Universal's Islands of Adventure, there is a room set aside in the First Aid Station in The Lost Continent area. You can find this tucked away in Sinbad’s Village, near the eateries. Inside the private room there is a single recliner chair, a collapsible changing table, a sink, and a microwave. While it was not as cozy as The Magic Kingdom’s accommodations, it was a perfectly nice, secluded place to pump and get some A/C, too. My husband needed to stay outside in Sinbad’s Village to feed our baby girl her lunch, so that is one area that was lacking compared to our experience at Disney.
When I finished pumping and went to the front desk to “check out,” the attendees offered me something that Disney did not: the ability to store my pump bag there for the rest of the day, and the ability to store my pumped breastmilk in their medical fridge as well! I was a bit speechless at this, since we were given a firm “no” at Disney when we asked. We wouldn’t have asked the question at Universal after our experience at The Magic Kingdom, and we were happy to have this offered to us without even needing to ask the question!
In summary, The Magic Kingdom is accommodating to babies and breastfeeding mamas, but you’ll need to carry your pump bag around with you the entire day—and continuously ask eateries for ice cubes to keep your pumped milk cold, since they will not store anything for you. Islands of Adventure is not as accommodating to babies, but they will store both your pump bag and your pumped milk, and keep it cold for you!