Be aware if traveling to WDW within the next few days

[Daryl]

I'm there right now! Thanks for the info, thanks to this heads up I will be extra vigilant. Thanks again

 

[Edna "E" Mode]

We're traveling there for the marathon with the kids soon. I hope we don't get this either.

My son just had something similar to this in Nov.

Got sick on his 10th birthday with vomiting and diarrhea. He lost 6 pounds in less then a week and it took about 10 days before he was able to eat normal again. This stuff is very violent. Won't go into details but we had to stay in close contact with the Dr and it was bad enough that it really scared us. Not just the regular worry you have when you kid is sick but truly scared.

That Norwalk virus closed down a college here and in the next town over closed other schools.

Here's hoping everyone stays healthy and those that are sick recover quickly.

 

[lisaanddenny]

i work in a major hospital in Pittsburgh, everyone has had it, its awful, anywhere from 1-3 days

 

[RMulieri]

Is it too late for a flu shot? I am sure it wouldnt protect against Norwalk, but in general is it too late?

No.Flu season is just starting to pick up in Dec and jan, but it will not protect you in anyway against a stomach virus.

 

[RMulieri]

How long will this bug last at WDW?? Are they doing anything extra to get rid of it or is there anything they can even do? How awful! We leave after Christmas (Dec. 31) and hope not to see that virus.

We went in Sept. and my son was sick for 2 days of that trip...once is enough for us!

No way to tell.Stomach viruses as is any virus , has to run its course( no pun intended).Disney can sanitize and sanitize but no guarantees to get all the virus.It is simply that time of year.Antibacterial wipes and gels are useless.you need hot water and soap.As for vaccines available, there is a rota virus vaccine on the market, but it is not for adults only the little kiddies.I truly feel for all those people traveling right now.this is another reason I hate travelling during cold and flu season.

 

[Soarin08]

I had Norwalk last month. I had HORRIBLE diarrhea every 15-20 minutes for about six hours, nausea, dry heaving (what saved me from vomiting was the fact that I had not eaten since 4pm the previous day), and a massive headche and cramps. It started at about 8am and lasted 12 hours. I missed all my classes and could not even move!! It went around our college dorms last month and lucky me, I caught a whopping case of it! I thought it was menstrual cramps (sorry, but what else could I write?) until I told my parents. My dad works at the local hospital and he told me Norwalk has been rampant around here. We'll be at POR the 24th-28th so here's to hoping we stay healthy and no one else gets sick!!!

 

[polineedyan]

Just an FYI..after reading about the Norwalk Virus, the information said that it is mostly inneffective to wash with soaps or detergents. The wikipedia says that only chlorinated cleaners work. So..take some bleach rather than lysol and hand sanitizer, or in addition to..
no illnesses that I could see at CSR last week..

 

[mickey mouse lover]

We were at Ssr last week and were to check out on Friday the 12th. Well, as luck would have it, I came down sick with the virus the morning we were to check out. Thankfully, they had availability for us to stay another night and get the same villa. I was so surprised and thankful. No one else in the family got it but me.

 

[mandymommy4]

I live in Ft Lauderdale and my dd15 had this the Sunday after Thanksgiving in the middle of the night. She sat up in her bed and got sick (this is the first time she didn't make it into the bathroom since she was 4, she always makes sure she gets to the bathroom in time) I just thought it was her regular cold. She gets these weird fevers that will last for a week. She's had them since she was 3 (they used to be scary because she really burns up. We think they are stress related) The stomach bug lasted 24 hours but she had so much pain from getting sick about 10 times. We visited Disney over the weekend but neither of us got it while there ( thank goodness).

I think its just something going around in Florida.

My whole family had the same thing the week before Thanksgiving and it was bad.

We just got back from a long weekend at WDW and we are fine, thank goodness!

 

[sparkyboy]

Both my 4 yr old gd and I had it within 3 days of each other here in Iowa. This is the first time that she has had any type of accident during the middle of the night and she cried because she hadn't been able to get to bathroom in time. I was drinking a cup of tea getting ready to go to church and I had such severe stomach cramps that I could hardly walk into the bathroom. Lasted for about 8 hrs. but took both of us about a week to fully recover. We are all very diligent about handwashing but it's a real nasty virus.

We'll be in WDW in late January so hopefully it will be virus free and great vacation for all.

 

[wld]

It's here in Michigan too...so far we have been spared but many of my coworkers have not been.........

 

[zackiedawg]

I was lucky to have stayed at SSR from Thu Dec11 through Mon Dec15 and didn't have any problems...nor my friend who came up with me. I didn't notice any particularly sick looking folks, but actually thought I heard someone throwing up in a room next door one night, and one photo group member who came up for Mousefest was laid up in their hotel room and missed much of the event from some form of bug. Glad I didn't get it - I just got over a long-lasting cold 3 weeks ago - and didn't want anything else just yet!

I cruise alot too, and anytime you are in closed-in areas with lots of people, Norwalk can strike. Schools, planes, ships, theme parks, office buildings, restaurants...you name it. Honestly not a whole lot you can do other than get lucky - all the anti-bacterial soap you can buy won't keep the virus away, and even the strongest immune systems won't stand much chance spending a few hours in a narrow tube like a plane with other virused folks onboard.

Sorry for those whose vacation was dampened...and hope it fades itself away soon so others going don't have to suffer.

 

[Tinker*Shell*Bell]

We had the same stomac flu here in Maine last week...many kids missed days of school, and many staff did as well. These things happen at disney and anywhere with crowds. Alarmist posts do not help.

 

[mommyoftwo08]

We were down last Friday night (the 12th). Checking in at 10pm went to Epcot the next day for 2 hours then Downtown Disney in the afternoon. We cleaned our room with Lysol and the kids used hand sanitizer after EVERYTHING they touched. (literally). By Sunday at 8am my 2 year old started in with the vomiting. After reading the warnings on here before we left my husband and I just looked at each other and said "let go home". Luckily we live in Atlanta and only had a 7 hour drive which took 13 hours to do when my husband started with symptoms half way thru the trip.

I honestly am not sure how the heck we contracted it. We took EVERY precaution there way. Luckily is stopped at the two of them and my other son and I did not come down with it. Interesting to read the bleach comment by another poster. That would explain it.

I feel SO bad for all of the people who have their vacations ruined by it as well as those who actually have to get on a plane! Breaks my heart.

I know it would cost extra money for Disney, but I really think some type of sanitizing should be done to those rides after each park closes. Just my opinion though.

Hope all of you heading down stay well and manage to steer clear of it!

 

[3boymthr]

I feel bad for everyone who's gotten sick and boy am I glad we're going in late spring!

That being said, just wiping down handrails and doorknobs is not going to do it. They have to sanitize everything, and I do mean everything. Our school had a nearly deadly bacterial hit (Scary, child collapsed, taken away in ambulance put on Life support). Per BOH, they had to clean everything because many bacteria and viruses live anywhere not just on doorknobs. Books, pencils, desks, walls, floors, ceilings, everything not just doorknobs, handrails. They had to shut the school down and have a special cleaning crew come in to clean the school floor to ceiling with special cleaners. WDW would have to do the same to wipe this out quickly and would have to do it repeatedly and not just in the resorts and there's no guarantee someone would bring it again from home and start the whole cycle again.

So, since as we all know WDW is not going to shut down, I think that until this goes away on it's own, people are just going to have to take precautions and hope they are immune.

 

[scarlett24]

We also were a victim of this horrible virus during our WDW vacation 12/4-12/11. Our first 2 days were fabulous. A friend of ours and her family were at the tail end of their vacation when we arrived. She reported to me that her husband was sick in the room vomitting all day at the Poly. We decided we would not see them during our trip, as we did not want to catch this. After our first 2 days, my 2 yo DD started vomitting, then my 5 yo DS. 24 hours later, I vomitted once and my husband started with it. My husband and both kids were more ill than I had ever seen them. One had use of the toilet, while another was using the trash and I am scrambling to find a place for DD to vomit. Oh it was a blast. I am 3 months pregnant, so I was worried about myself, but was only affected that one time. We were staying at CBR, and while I love CBR, there is no way to get fresh air in your room in a mod. So here I am with the door propprd open all day. It was more like the year of a million nightmares. Mousekeeping was very good and came to change the bedding as requested, but at one point I requested a room change as I did not know if the people in the room prior to us were sick as it seemed we could not get better. My kids were sick for the last 5 days of the trip and on the plane ride home. When we got home, I santized everything, but guess what, almost everyone we have been in contact with (parents & neighbors) have gotten this virus after being with us. Certainly this is not Disney's fault, and we love Disney so we will return, but if this had been our first WDW visit it would have been our last, as it was that bad of an experience. Not so much the dining credits and park tix lost ($), but all the anticipation and excitement was lost. Hopefully our next trip will be as good as our others. And good health to anyone venturing into WDW in the near future.

 

[pixie921]

You guys are seriously freaking me out!! I feel so bad for everyone who got sick on their trips, but we leave the day after tomorrow and I am so paranoid that we're going to spend our vacation being sick! We'll take every precaution of course, but will have little ones with us for a couple of days and it will be harder to keep a handle on their hand-washing than my teenager's. I am praying this virus dies out quickly!!

 

[lagasan]

I think I just found the reason NOT to upgrade to the Dining Plan. We will be at Disney 1/11 - 1/18 and I have been doing the math. The possibility of illness (Missing out on the prepaid meals) and the $200 gift card are tipping me in the direction of not upgrading.

I am very worried about getting sick because I have Adrenal Insufficiency (Addison's Disease) and may require hospitalization if I get a bad stomach bug. I just added antibacterial stuff to my packing list. I have seriously been considering wearing a face mask on the plane to and from Orlando.

I feel for all of you who were sick on your Disney vacation.

Stay healthy everyone!

Anne

 

[LovinPooh]

I went and got a flu shot today... any kind of preventative of having my trip ruined. I just couldnt imagine and feel so bad for people that have had their trip ruined.

 

[Soarin08]

You guys are seriously freaking me out!! I feel so bad for everyone who got sick on their trips, but we leave the day after tomorrow and I am so paranoid that we're going to spend our vacation being sick! We'll take every precaution of course, but will have little ones with us for a couple of days and it will be harder to keep a handle on their hand-washing than my teenager's. I am praying this virus dies out quickly!!

I know, I've shifted into full panic mode!