Air Conditioning Cough??

[Ohio Disney Girl]

We've been to Disney three times and always stayed at the Value Resorts. We LOVE them all, but each time, my whole family gets a cold within 24 hours of arriving! My husband SWEARS that this is because of the yucky air conditioning filters and the volume of those hotel rooms as this doesn't happen when we travel elsewhere. I think that us "Northerners" aren't used to that Florida weather! Either way- does this happen to anyone else? Anyone know how to or have actually checked the air conditioning filters at their hotel? Just curious! We'll be loading up on "immune defense" vitamins beforehand anyway and having a wonderful time despite the coughs!

 

[HappyDznyCamper]

I don't know about the air filters but there are a lot more people in close contact at Disney then just about anywhere else you vacation. All those people touching handrails, ride rails ect, then you touching them and then wipping the sweat off your face is a great way to pick up germs. Don't worry so much about the air conditioning but, wash your hands often and try not to touch your face(good luck with that), oh yeah some things are airborn, so the whole wash your hands only helps a little.

 

[safetymom]

Are you flying? It is more likely that you got your cold traveling to WDW than the a/c in the room.

 

[safetymom]

Welcome to the DIS.

 

[mskayjay]

Northerner here too and I get it everytime I travel into A/C environments, period! If you think it is the filters, ask nicely, tell them you have very bad allergies and ask if you can get them changed out even if you pay an upcharge for it.

 

[HeyIt'sMe]

We always stay at the Poly. Usually we don't have any problems but in 2004 DH had a terrible time with a cough and nasal congestion. He would cough at night and just feel terrible. When we were out of the room he felt better. That was the first time we stayed in a room by the water (marina @ Fiji) and he does have an allergy to mold. Maybe that had something to do with it? I did notice mid-week maintenance was changing the air filters.

 

[Ohio Disney Girl]

I LOVE this board! You are all so quick, helpful, and friendly! Thanks for the information! If anyone still has anything to add, please do! I really try not to be picky as I know the Disney Cast Members put up with a lot from a lot of people! I just thought that if anyone has had any experience with replacing the air filters helping (or actually seeing really gross ones!), it might be worth trying next time. I'll stock up again on hand sanitizer, too. I pretty much EXPECT this to happen, regardless of the cause, prepare for it, and then can be pleasantly surprised if we avoid it!
Even when our house was pet free, just the dust in our filter was pretty gross and it didn't have thousands of people coming through every day!

 

[TrixyA]

My mother used to get sick anytime she came into long-term exposure to air conditioning. The fact that your whole family gets ill every time makes me think that it's a possibility.

 

[kelleigh1]

I think that many Northerners who are used to the four seasons and the changing climates tend to overdue it a bit with the AC anyway. (And I am a Northerner.) It's like we hit the warm weather and we need the AC.

For myself personally, I rarely use my AC because I don't like the fake air feeling. And when we are traveling in warmer climates, I try to keep the AC on low and/or use the fan setting more. Although hubby likes to crank it up until he's cold and then turn it down.

Our last trip, it was 80's the whole time and we had the AC on the whole week. No colds for either of us. The previous trips, we didn't really need the AC much at all because it was cooler and the last day of the trip, I ended up with a cold. Go figure!

 

[Mrs Grumpy]

I got the cough last trip but I am from Kansas and very used to air conditioning. I blamed mine on the airplane.

 

[mskayjay]

I think that many Northerners who are used to the four seasons and the changing climates tend to overdue it a bit with the AC anyway. (And I am a Northerner.) It's like we hit the warm weather and we need the AC.

For myself personally, I rarely use my AC because I don't like the fake air feeling. And when we are traveling in warmer climates, I try to keep the AC on low and/or use the fan setting more. Although hubby likes to crank it up until he's cold and then turn it down.

Our last trip, it was 80's the whole time and we had the AC on the whole week. No colds for either of us. The previous trips, we didn't really need the AC much at all because it was cooler and the last day of the trip, I ended up with a cold. Go figure!

Aha! So then here is the solution! We vacation at the same times and get two rooms with two queen beds. The guys can sleep in one room and you and I can sleep in the other! lol I HATE AC being on at night and my DH is with yours. Don't turn it down till its snowing in the room!

 

[kapoof]

i might be old school but i totally believe that cold air blowing on you all nite will give you a cold.

 

[Ohio Disney Girl]

O.k.- all of us women who could live nicely without air will be rooming together and all of our men who need penguin-like room temperatures can sleep elsewhere!

Too funny!

 

[Nie0214]

My mother hates sleeping with A/C on too, strange.

I live in the North and haven't had to turn on my A/C yet this season (*knock-on-wood*). I don't mind either way, I usually run a fan in the apartment. I will turn on the A/C to cool off the bedroom before I fall asleep if I need to. I love the timer setting on the newer ones!

My boyfriend put his A/C in a few weeks ago and for whatever reason he sleeps with it on (I don't think it's that hot), and he got a cold a few days later! I'm pretty sure he didn't clean the filter before putting it in the window. Men..

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

If the condensation does not drain properly from the air conditioner mold can grow inside the A/C unit. Your family may have sensitivity to mold.

This might sound obsessive but we both carry a bottle of purrel with us. The ones that can be attached to a belt loop or a handle of a bag. After riding rides or before eating we use it. I carry a large pump bottle in our toiletry bag so I can refill our bottles. Look at target in the travel toiletry bins I just picked one up this weekend for 1.00.

I also take clorox wipes and clean the hotel room. I know this sounds crazy but after a news channel recently did a hidden camera report on how hotels are cleaned - housekeeping cleaned a toilet with a rag and then used the same rag to clean the drinking glasses- I wipe door handles, facets, TV remotes ect. You never know.
The best thing about being a DVC member is that housekeeping only enters your room once during your weekly stay and that is just to take out the trash and give you clean towels. So I don't have to disinfect everyday. But I do it every so often during our stay.

 

[mdhkitten]

It happens to me too and I'm from Alabama and in the A/C all of the time. I believe it's due to the change in weather because it seems to happen to me when it's really humid in Orlando. It's not like that here.

 

[DISNEYNY]

I too hate the A/C blowing on me all night. My husband loves it cold...drives me nuts. Last year in August I was sick for two weeks when I returned from Disney.

 

[marivaid]

Yep. Got the A/C cough the first 2 trips we took to Disney, and my sister & her friend got it on our last trip too. I don't know if it's the airplane A/C or the room's, but either way, what I do is take a booster dose of my asthma meds for 3 days before I leave. Haven't been sick since

 

[Ratpack]

Here is a bit of info I pulled up:

Ever wonder whether going in and out of air conditioning can give you a cold?

The short answer is "no" but going in and out of air-conditioned stores and offices can play a role.

"Spending time in an air-conditioned environment -- and a more crowded environment -- make you a little more susceptible to catching a cold," says University of Cincinnati otolaryngology professor Dr. Allen Seiden, who adds that colds are transmitted by viruses.

 

[famsen]

We don't fly, we drive from Chicago to WDW so I know it isn't from a plane but it never fails, I get a cold by the third day of our vacation. This last time, we arrived on Sunday and by Wednesday, I was in full-fledge stuffed up, coughing, yucky mode . I have had a dry persistant cough ever since and that was 7 weeks ago!
I think the OP is on to something about the air conditioning in the rooms.