Muslim Mom in Disney World

Disney World is the happiest place in the world right? It can be! Disney World has a lot to offer but can also feel overwhelming. It is easy to find tips and tricks for your stay online, but I found there  were a few tips that were specific to muslim moms. I have gathered a lot of the tips mentioned here from Touring plans and personal experiences.

But first: why is Disney World a good vacation?

Personally, because the focus is on family fun, I am able to participate in most, if not all the activities. The staff, or as they call themselves, cast members, go out of their way to make sure that everyone is having a good time. The look on my daughter’s face is just an added bonus.

 

Halal Food

 

My biggest issue at Disney World, and quite frankly most vacation is food. Finding halal options can be hard. Luckily, Disney has thought about that and come up with a solution. You can request halal meat at restaurants that offer table service by emailing specialdiets@disneyworld.com a few weeks in advance.

You must make a reservation at a restaurant and choose the type of meat your party will want to eat. For example, if you choose chicken, then your whole party has to have chicken. It doesn’t have to be the same dish, but it has to include chicken.

When we went, we ate at the sci-fi diner in Hollywood Studios. We chose to get beef as our meat of choice. I was able to enjoy a ruben sandwich while my husband enjoyed steak! The chef usually comes to your table and talks through the menu with you to come up with a unique dish that works for you and your group.

So here is the catch. Sit down restaurants can take up a decent amount of time during the day, especially if you have little ones! We decided to only make a reservation a day to keep our day flexible. Since Disney allows you to bring basically any kind of food or drink into the park, we packed supplies to make sandwiches . From peanut butter and jelly to kabab rolls, we had our supplies in our bag

Prayers

Praying in public is not easy, but going back to your room to pray five times a day really dampens your plan to do every ride in the park! Unfortunately, Disney World does not have a designated multi faith rooms for prayer. I try to find either an isolated portion of the park or a table at a counter service restaurant to pray in. Combined with tips on the touring plans website here is my prayer guide for the parks:

Magic Kingdom

Walking down Main street USA towards the castle, there is a small side street on the right that doesn’t get very much foot traffic. There is a small ledge to sit on and is a perfect place to stop and pray. If you are in the Tommorow Land area, there is an open area near space mountain and an area near carousel of progress that is usually not too crowded either.

Epcot

This is the easiest park to pray in because the store in the Morrocon pavilion actually has prayer rugs available! The other good spot at Epcot is on the right side of Imagination pavilion. It is a wide open area that is usually pretty isolated.

Hollywood Studios

Currently its very tricky to find a good spot because of the construction and changes to the park lay out. The only spot I found mentioned was right outside the Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow as it is a lightly attended show so doesn’t get much foot traffic. Most times, we simply sat at a table in a counter service restaurant to pray.

Animal Kingdom

Because the park is set up to be so large with little sections it is easy to find a nook to pray in. Your best bet will be to walk down the paths around the Oasis and the Tree of Life. There are lots of resting spots down the path that are ideal for some privacy during prayer.

If at any parks, you are struggling to find a spot, don’t hesitate to talk to the cast members. They will be happy to help you out! Who knows, they might show you a spot we don’t know about!

 

Baby Centers

 I breast fed my daughter till she was almost 18 moths. As they get older, it becomes harder and harder to feed them in public without wardrobe malfunctions! A little known secret is that each park has baby care centers. They include:

• An air conditioned room with toys and a movie playing for toddlers to get a break from the heat and chaos of the park
• High chairs, sinks, microwaves and basically almost everything you need to feed your squirmy baby
• A supply store with diapers, over the counter medications and everything you thought you wouldn’t need but your child needs the minute you enter the park
• Diaper changing station! Not the koala bear inserts in public bathrooms, but one with a comfortable changing pad
• Toddler sized bathrooms for those kiddos in the process of potty training.
• A private closed room with comfortable rocking chairs to breast feed in!

So when you get into the park make sure to locate the baby center in the park!

Rider Switch For Adult rides  

Going with your kids doesn’t mean you are stuck on the kiddie rides only. Disney offers parent swap on all rides. The way it works is that one person stands in line for the ride while the other parent or guardian enjoys the park with the child. When they get to the front of the line they get a pass for their partners. After riding the ride, they hand of the pass to their partner who gets to skip the line and can go ahead to the front of the line or the fast pass line. This saves time because you only have to wait in line once! We used this most while my daughter was napping in the stroller.

Have you been to Disney World? Do you plan to go? What are your favorite tips and tricks? Do you find it a good vacation for a modern muslim family?