Help solve a spouse debate on germs, sickness and Disney

[Happy_2_B]

what approach do you/your family use and what have been the results on getting sick or not during or after your vacation?

We use the approach that the DW in the OP uses: "try not to needlessly run your hands along handrails, etc, use hand sanitizer/wipes after rides, wash with soap and water before eating, try to avoid sickness by doing what you can."

We travel a lot- and not only do the above with every trip, but also take an immune boosting supplement starting a week before and continuing throughout the trip- as well as a trace mineral supplement for electrolyte balance since we walk a lot on vacations- often putting in 10-13 miles a day. We fly first class, wipe everything down with a disinfectant towelette (armrests, seatbelt, dining tray, etc.), use black out masks, compression socks and noise reduction headphones during our flights- and walk the plane, stretch a lot, and sleep/rest as much as possible on long haul flights. We wipe down hotel remotes, phones, doorknobs, switches, etc. We wipe down restaurant tables- especially the edges. Three months before a trip- we 'step up' our exercise regimen. We are about 50 days out from our next WDW trip, and are currently walking/hiking a little over an hour a day and will continue to slowly and gradually increase time and distance as we get closer. In short, we do as much as we can 'preventatively' to reduce the chance we will catch something and optimize our vacation experiences. Our philosophy is that our trips cost us many thousands of dollars, prevention only takes a few minutes a day- and is a type of trip insurance to allow us to enjoy every moment of every day while on vacation. Increasing our exercise routine allows us to be among the first in an attraction line at rope drop, and we never have to think about when and where we 'need' to take a break to rest. We are fit enough to rest, or keep going, and we have the choice- as we don't 'have' to rest. Since implementing these strategies, we haven't been sick during or after a vacation.

I wasn't always like this- used to be more like the DH in the OP- and one trip to WDW my DS and I caught something and were in bed in the hotel for 3 days while my then partner and other DS went to the parks. It was so bad we had to have a concierge doctor come to the room, look us over, and prescribe meds because we were so 'out of it' that we couldn't get up to go to the clinic. DW and I will continue to do what we can to prevent this from happening again regardless of where we are vacationing. The old adage "you live and you learn" applies very much to me regarding this topic.

 

[Indio]

We do exactly the same thing at Disney that we do at home. We never wash or sanitize after rides or after opening doors or touching handrails or touching things in stores. That's just too much. None of us have ever become sick at Disney or after getting home.

 

[Aurora0427]

Serious question...does it matter if the table is not the cleanest? Does your food ever touch the table? I keep my food on the plate, not the table, and my utensils sit either on a napkin or the plate rather than the table, so I really never would think to clean the table unless I saw a liquid or sticky spill that I was worried would get on me.

If you have small children, they put their hands on the table. Sometimes they drop food on the table and then pick it up and eat it if you don't catch them quickly enough. Besides, those table are gross. They're cleaned with water. Maybe sometimes they're sprayed down, but most quick service tables are cleaned with the same dirty wet rag. I like having a decently clean table to sit at while I eat my $12 cheeseburger meal. If you don't, hey, good for you.

 

[PeasandCarrots]

I think Disney World is the perfect storm for catching something. Lots of people from all over the world packed tightly together (lines, strapped down in rides, etc), people going sick because they already paid for the vacation, long hours, little sleep, burning the candle at both ends, and for most of us probably eating more poorly than normal and drinking more alcohol than normal.

Like a previous poster until my last trip I did exactly what I do at home, wash hands, try not to touch anything I don't have to, etc. However, this last trip I made a point to eat more green stuff. Most QS will sub broccoli for fries and I also ate a lot of salads. And for the first time in a long time I did not go home with a cold. Was it that or just luck or just that the parks were less crowded in Sept? Who knows, but I will definitely continue to do that.

 

[Aurora0427]

I dislike hand sanitizer more than I dislike germs-some of the hand sanitizers smell quite fruity and may be of interest to little ones. Also, not so sure I want them licking that stuff off their hands while they eat. The evidence shows me that we are over cautious, over protective and we are harming our children's immune system by never exposing them to common germs. If they can't handle a simple rhinovirus, how do we expect their bodies to tackle something big?

Well, I'd prefer to not get the rhinovirus while on vacation. But I agree that I'm not even sure sanitizer works all that well. But I do wash my kiddos hands more frequently with soap and water at Disney. We've been working on not touching everything and not putting hands on face etc too.

 

[wuzzy6]

Everyone should wash their hands as much as they are comfortable with. But the #1 thing that you can to do avoid illness in crowded areas is stop touching your face. If you get germs on your hands, you don't get sick. If you get those germs in your eyes, nose or mouth, you get sick.

Stop touching your face.

This, verbatim! We wash our hands after the bathroom and before we eat. I keep hand sanitizer available for those quick moments when we decide to grab a snack and no bathroom is in sight. So, we pretty much just do what we normally do at home. Keeping your hands away from your face is the best thing you can do, even if you're washing/sanitizing after everything you touch.

 

[Lilminx]

We went to DLP and I took hand sanitizer with us. I had great intentions in using it to keep germ free. tbh it lay in the backpack used once on the first day now iv no idea where it is! I never do it at home Iv no idea why I thought I'd make everyone do it on holiday!

Iv never wiped around plane trays or anything. I think washing hands after every ride is excessive you must spend more time in the loos than on rides! We wash our hands after the loo and if they feel grubby. I cant remember the last time anyone in my family (me hubby ds14 dd8) where sick as in vomiting the odd cough but that's it. We are very resilient and I put it down to the fact I'm not a germaphobe.

And I love touching things! I love going into shops and picking up everything I lay my mitts on! But you have to do with what you feel comfortable with. No point walking around stressing that you have germs on you the whole holiday when a little sanitizer will put you at ease. Well that's my 2cents

 

[BeerMe]

I self medicate with copious amounts of alcohol.

 

[5Hfan]

Our first 3 trips we all got some sort of sickness either at/right after Disney. Since we started using cleaning wipes to wipe down the tv remote, phone, light switches, door handles, alarm clock, tables etc real quick as soon as we check into our room, we have not been sick during/after the last 3 trips. Also do bring Lysol spray for the hotel/bathrooms, and I do also give everyone a handwipe after washing hands after bathroom/pre meals. And jokingly chide the children as they go through ride ques and must.touch.everything "yes yes touch ALLL the germs"! I guess it sounds obsessive, but doesn't seem that big a deal to me. They laugh, I laugh, and it's all good!

 

[eliza61]

Is anyone here old enough to remember the '3 second" rule. If a piece of candy hit the ground you had 3 seconds to pick it up and still be able to eat it?

 

[North of Mouse]

Please help solve a little debate for DH and I. We have very different approaches on germs and Disney.

DH approach: touch lots of things without concern, don't wash hands after rides or at all throughout the day, wash hands before meals if it is convenient, hope you don't get sick, but if you do it's just a part of life.

My approach: try not to needlessly run your hands along handrails, etc, use hand sanitizer/wipes after rides, wash with soap and water before eating, try to avoid sickness by doing what you can (while knowing that you can't avoid everything and want to have fun in the process).

We're truly curious your thoughts and experiences on this and if either approach really makes a difference... what approach do you/your family use and what have been the results on getting sick or not during or after your vacation? Thanks!

On your side 'completely'!!!! In all the years we have been going to Disney (since '72) we (and two/three children) have only gotten sick twice - stomach issues after eating, and severe sore throats). We practice the same hygiene cleanliness at the parks as we do in our everyday lives.

Why 'ask' for sickness?? Sometimes you may get it no matter what you do, but am sure prevention saves us most of the time!! Seems like common sense to me!

I 'do' believe that those that fly are really prone to airborne 'bugs' from the horrible circulating air (filtered or no) and close quarters with others for so long at a time.
I no longer fly because I hate it for other reasons.

 

[madge]

I wonder if folks realize that the cell phone that we put up against our faces non stop are dirtier than all the other places we sanitize in an effort to protect ourselves.

ding ding ding! I mentioned that earlier! I wipe mine down with alcohol wipes as much as (if not more, sometimes) than I do my hands. LOL

 

[disneypanda11]

I lean more toward your approach, OP! This is really not exclusive for us to Disney though. I'm pretty careful about hand washing and general cleanliness no matter where we are, since I seem to be a magnet for whatever bugs are floating around. It's true that no matter how careful any of us are, we aren't immune to everything; that being said- I like to improve my chances where I can!

 

[redkel]

We are in the same camp as many of you...immune systems don't change when you go south of the mason-dixon line, so we stick to what works at home = hand washing at appropriate times, don't touch your face, hand sanitizer when you can't get to soap/water conveniently, etc.

We've never been sick at or after a Disney trip or vacation in general -- but I saw maybe 1 or 2 other people mention that good rest and eating well/regularly also boosts your immune system's ability to handle the plethora of germs that WDW attracts. I know that people are into their commando touring, but getting enough sleep at night and eating decent, balanced meals goes a long way for your general overall health every day -- vacation included.

 

[GreatLakes]

Disney isn't really any worse then most public places where a lot of people pass through. Subway stations, airports, the mall. I don't do anything really different there then in normal life. Wash your hands before you eat and after using the restroom and don't touch your fact at all.

I let my immune system handle anything that manages to still get through.

 

[rinnythepooh]

I do the exact same things at Disney that I do in the rest of my life - wash hands before eating and after using bathrooms, and don't lick handrails or strangers' faces.

This isn't funny. Last week we were taking a crowded bus back to French Quarter and a boy was licking the main handrails near the front of the bus. Wash Your Hands!

 

[prettypatchesmsu]

I do the exact same things at Disney that I do in the rest of my life - wash hands before eating and after using bathrooms, and don't lick handrails or strangers' faces.

I just LOL at this at work because...

We saw a kid at the Crystal Palace licking the back of the backrest on the white metal chairs. He was running his tongue up and down the whole design. My mother pointed it out while we were sitting there eating. She could not understand why the parents (who totally noticed what their kid was doing) did not stop him. He was probably about 6 yrs old if I had to guess.

 

[hope23]

OP here... THANKS SO MUCH, everyone, for sharing all your great opinions and experiences! I think it's really interesting to see what others do and what the results are. What will I do? Honestly, while this has been insightful and gives me something to ponder, I'm pretty sure I'll continue my current approach. Just the belief that I could potentially help keep someone in my family from getting sick and missing out on the fun keeps me going... it's also just kinda how I am. I'll try to relax about it a bit, though, and hopefully DH and I can now see one another's perspective and find a good balance. But I don't think I can stop licking stranger's faces... come on, where is the fun in that? THANKS!

 

[prettypatchesmsu]

On a serious note, for the first time my DH did not get what we call the Disney Crud this trip. He always gets sick the last few days of our trip. He's good about washing his hands before eating and after the bathroom etc, but he is horrible about touching his face a lot as he had bad allergies, allergy eyes. So this time he made an effort to not do that, and this time he did not get sick.

So our philosophy, do not touch some of the more germy items (Pooh's honey wall I'm looking at you), I don't run my hands down handrails unless necessary, wash your hands well after the bathroom and always before eating, and do not touch your face. And pack some cold medicine in your bag for just in case

 

[chicagogrl]

I agree with getting something from air travel or for me, just being on a different schedule.
You can get stuff at the grocery store! I visit the nursing home and touch the elevator buttons etc. I think for me to not touch my face. I just make sure to wash my hands or use hand gel.