Allergies at Disney...what should I expect?

[mitch30]

Ok...we are heading to Disney for the 1st time next month. My 8 year old son has severe allergies to certain trees. Real severe as in his eyes get glued shut and he has a hard time seeing! Anyways....he has meds that work somewhat but I am so afraid that his trip will be ruined by his allergies because when it hits, he is miserable. Now....we are in NJ and the trees and pollen seasons are different in FL I am sure. Anybody have advise or info on what allergents are around mid to late April in FL?????

 

[ancestry]

I can't help specifically but you may be able to get more information if you post which types of trees your child is allergic to. Also you may want to post this question on the disabilities board.

 

[badblackpug]

I have terrible allergies and blooming palm trees kill me! Make sure you take allergy medicine!

 

[Kae]

Have him shower before bed if you can, ask for new pillow cases each day, take a wash cloth in a ziploc bag so he can wipe his face while at the parks. this is all way of removing pollen which helps alot. I tend to due bad on the years I travel during begining of the season. Start him on the meds a week before you leave.

Kae

 

[AmandaLee]

Allergies can be bad, especially when you are exposed to a whole bunch of new pollen and trees...I agree with the previous poster, and i'd ask your Dr. if they had any suggestions as well, they may want to increase the dose, change the medication or add something- I'd call soon incase they would want to see him in the office beforehand!

 

[clutter]

I'd check with your allergist. He/she should be able to find out what pollens are in FL when you go. They may also suggest a low dose of prednisone for the trip.

 

[NJ2Boardwalk]

Hello fellow New Jerseyan. I also have severe tree/pollen/grass allergies. I have never been to Disney during the spring months, so I don't know if I will be of much help, but I know in the summer my allergies are drastically different. The tree/pollen issue isn't as high in Florida as it is in New Jersey and in general the types of trees are different. So depending on what type of trees your DS is allergic to, might make a difference. My suggestion though would be to try and stay away from the Flower and Garden Festival, located in Epcot, which displays many different topiaries that could affect your DS. Also, like PP have said, talk to your doctor, bring wet cloths to wipe is face down, and make sure you have allergy medicine on hand in case he flares up. My only other suggestion would be to locate the First Aid stations in the parks where he can sit down in air conditioning. Hope all goes well!

 

[puffkin]

My DH has all sorts of tree and pollen allergies and he loves going to Disney. He can breath easy there all week with no issues. As soon as we return home (like clockwork ) his allergies flare up and he gets a pretty bad sinus infection. He really hits the allergy meds hard when we come home now to avoid the sinus infection. We have been to WDW pretty much every month of the year.

 

[clanmcculloch]

DD9 is like you. Until this past trip, she always ended up needing her antihistamine eye drops and ended up on albuterol and prednisone after our trips due to her tree allergies.

This past trip was so different. She didn't have any problems. Here's what we did. Even though it was non-allergy season, we started her back on her allergy season medication (in her case daily Zyrtec and Nasonex) every day starting just over 2 weeks before our trip. I also requested the a special allergy cleaning (I think it's called a VIP cleaning; my TA took care of it for me). This means a much deeper cleaning including the filter in the air conditioner. They also use sheets that have been washed with an allergy safe detergent and they change the bedspread. We brought her eye drops and doubled her up on her Zyrtec (with doctor's approval) during the trip but we never needed the eye drops. Of course we also figured out between our previous trip and this past trip that her overall allergy load was being affected by unknown food allergies so we did also eliminate those which I'm sure also helped since her body wasn't fighting constantly with that.

We'll now do this every trip.

 

[belahboodog]

I've been to disney several times and my son has asthma. I would recommend taking all the necessary precautions/medicines you need. He is allergic to something there, but not sure what. We always have his asthma and allergy meds with us in the park. Hope this helps!

 

[Leezer]

I live in Fl about 2 hours north of Orlando. My allergies (pollen) are worst at the end of Feb - March. This year our winter has been colder/longer and my allergies have not been bad yet. So I am expecting them to be pretty bad in April. Bring whatever meds work best for him and have them ready.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Probably not going to be a problem, since most of the trees in NJ aren't in Florida. I have mold spore allergies that don't affect me in Florida.

Here is a list from weather.com, but they don't have specific dates.

 

[disneybliss2]

My DD7 gets weekly allergy shots for various things (several tree types, mold, pollen, etc.). She's never had any problem while on our trips. She even had to miss one of her allergy shots due to the length of our stay. She still did okay. The environment in Florida is very different than Arkansas, so she's always been fine. However, my youngest went on her first trip a couple of years ago and her allergies flared up horribly. She had a lot of trouble while in our room and it got out of hand during the nights. I think there was something in the room that bothered her. I was glad to see a previous poster mention something about special cleaning. I'm going to check into that for our upcoming trip. You might look into that as well. I would take whatever prescriptions or extra medicines your child takes and be prepared for how he'll react.

 

[2poohbears]

My boys fight seasonal allergies, so we make sure they are taking Zyrtec before we go to WDW. I also bring a nasal rinse... I use OTC SinuCleanse Kids Mist because it's all natural (found at pharmacies like Walgreens), but you could just use a saline rinse found OTC as well. I rinse their noses in the morning and at night. I also wash their hair every night in addition to their baths. We bring their nebulizers with pulmacourt and xopenex "just in case" we need it during the trip...we have had to use it a few times. I also bring a small air purifier for the hotel room, and we leave it running the entire trip.

Our ped mentioned that he's noticed a number of children showing up with sinus infections/active allergies after going to AK...he believes it's due to so many different trees and plants there.

You should probably contact your son's doc, and ask his advice. He may have you give certain meds before and during the trip, or he may give you a presciption to bring along "just in case" he needs it.

I hope you have a great, allery-free trip!

 

[Schmeck]

If your child has any mold allergies, ask to be placed on the second floor (or higher) at you resort. The first floor rooms always trigger my older daughter's mold allergy.

 

[TinkerBrie]

I'm from PA. I also have lots of tree allergies. We went in March last year and my allergies were HORRIBLE! Even in the room at the GF they were so bad. We have been there in September and also a few January trips with no problems at all. Just pack all meds you might need to keep him comfortable. I spent so much time and $ looking for otc allergy meds. I over pack it now, just in case!

 

[Best Aunt]

If you're going during the Flower & Garden Festival at Epcot, stay far away from the two gardens in front of France. They have plastic stands which have buttons that people push to get a perfume sample. You can be standing several feet away and still get the perfume scent on your clothes and hair.

 

[bellebud]

My DH has all sorts of tree and pollen allergies and he loves going to Disney. He can breath easy there all week with no issues. As soon as we return home (like clockwork ) his allergies flare up and he gets a pretty bad sinus infection. He really hits the allergy meds hard when we come home now to avoid the sinus infection. We have been to WDW pretty much every month of the year.

exactly the same w/ my dh!! he's allergic to trees, grasses, weeds, and other things. he feels great in florida!