Anyone else get sick after eating at 1900 Park Fare on November 3rd (dinner)??

[plutosmyfav]

Belle5,

Wow, I hadn't thought about the handles of the serving utensils. Most people don't wash their hands before eating in restaurants-- gross! I tend to be very "germ cautious". I don't use hand railings for stairs and escalators, wash my hands as soon as I get home from being out, wash my hands many times per day, etc. It never occured to me that buffets could be so gross. I have PS for H&V lunch at 11:10, so that should be early in the buffet. We also have PS for Donald's at 9:40 and Chef Mickey at 10:40 for breakfast. Now I'm wondering if I should try to get to them early. I notice in the trip reports alot of people oversleep for early AM PS, so maybe walking in isn't so hard first think in the morning.

Your post also made me think that I'll have each family member how does their own plate either use a wipe at the table or go back to the bathroom and rewash their hands. Thanks for the word of caution.

 

[mrsbigglesworth]

Actually, for the last month and a half there has been a sever stomach flu bug going around the Orlando area. My daughter was out of school for a week about 6 weeks ago. My boss was hospitalized with what they thought was appendicitis. At least 25 people at my workplace have had it in the last 3 weeks. And my sister was here last week for Super Soap weekend, and barely made it through. She was severly ill for days. So, I don't think it's food poisoning, because not all of these people have been to the parks or eaten at Disney. Its just going around, and I suspect it is the same virus that affected all those people on that Cruise ship.

 

[adisneynut]

There are some rather nastly intestional flus out there. Too bad that people are getting sick while on vacation though.

 

[beattyfamily]

Yes, I believe what affected my 2 DD's (and me but differently) was, indeed, a virus and not food poisoning as my DD's had the exact same symptoms but 2 days apart. There's no way it could be food poisoning...

We thought about it when it was only the one DD but then realized it couldn't be after the second DD got it so much later.

 

[mrsltg]

My local news did one of their "special reports" not to long ago on sickness vs. food poisoning. The verdict was that people (including restaurants) generally don't handle food the way that they are supposed too, and people get mildly sick. Most likely you won't even realize that you picked up something from food, and you'll just assume it's a "stomach bug". The major sign of a somewhat serious food poisoning is a "violent" illness. Something where you feel fine and then in a matter of minutes you're sick. Apparently once your body detects the bacteria, it forces it out quickly. Pretty amazing actually!

Hope all have better experiences next time!

Erin

 

[cgcw]

I hadn't thought about the handles on the spoons at buffets either. I know most kids in my DS8's class do not wash their hands after using the bathroom or if they do, it's just with water (DS tells me). I think there are alot of people who don't - adults included. I tend to be a bit compulsive about washing my hands, so much so that they are very chaped at this time of year and will be until spring. Anyway, I will carry and use the waterless hand soap after getting our food from a buffet. Just an extra precaution. Thanks for the tip.
Sorry to hear about your bad experience.

 

[kayeandjim00]

We ate at 1900 Park Fare's dinner buffet in May and my DH got sick that night and I got sick the next day. We were guessing that it was food poisoning as well because we had never experienced anything like that. Not exactly related to your experience but a strange coincidence. We were sick enough to say we would NEVER go back and eat there because we really felt like it was the food there.

 

[epcotfan]

Originally posted by Belle5
I think that people plan and save for their trips for months or years and nothing is going to stop their vacation so they come as they are. (Yes, sick--contagious, unless it's something visible like chicken pox.) Think how "confined" you are with potentially contagious people in the lines as you wait for rides.

I agree with you Belle on people knowingly travelling when they are ill although I beg to differ on the chicken pox:
I went to WDW in 1999 and several days after I was home I was COVERED in chicken pox. (I was 27 at the time!) It was awful! Adulthood chicken pox is EXTREMELY painful. I couldn't work for 3 weeks. I had blisters on the palms of my hands...you name it! I figure I picked it up at WDW since I had been there for two weeks prior to my outbreak. (outbreak occured about a week after I was home) Obviously someone had it while I was there. It makes me mad when people travel when they are knowingly contagious. I have MS and everytime I have an illness it further weakens my immune system. I wish those that travel while knowingly ill think of the others they may be adversely affecting.
I know some people aren't aware they are contagious when travelling (you can't control the spread of all diseases) but it makes me angry when they knowingly drag sick kids or themselves around because they paid big bucks for the vacation and the heck with everyone else.

I too had a stomach ailment at WDW after eating at Hollywood And Vine. I will never eat at WDW buffets again. I think the majority of people get sick from spreading rotovirus via the shared utensils used to dole out food at buffets.
I find going to full service restaurants a little bit better. You don't have people handling the same utensils or breathing/sneezing/coughing over food.

 

[Belle5]

Epcotfan,
Funny you should mention chicken pox. I got them when I was 7 months pregnant with my 4th child and I had them EVERYWHERE--inside and out!!! (And I couldn't take the serious kind of meds that an adult patient needs so I had to suffer and sit on my bed and cry...)

I think a lot of kids are contagious with those before mom and dad even notice the kids have the disease...

 

[epcotfan]

Oh Belle,
That is terrible you experienced them while pregnant. That must have been very scary. Chicken pox are awful! I still can't believe how painful they were. Thank goodness for codeine

Unfortunately like you said most don't know they've been exposed to them until the blisters show up. Not much you can do. I guess I was ranting because I'm peeved at the people who do try to vacation when they are visibly and sick and contagious. I recall an airline ticket agent here who talked about denying a family boarding with a child covered in measles. There was a pregant woman on the flight. She wouldn't risk the health of the pregnant passenger's baby. Like one wants to really want to breathe the recycled air or share an airline seat with someone that ill.

I also remember another poster mentioning a trip where they were hanging outside a pool and they some little kid went vomiting in and around the deck area. The child was quite ill but the guardians didn't seem to care. Meanwhile the family that observed this got sick too. Gee I wonder where they got that from? LOL

 

[mlj'smom]

I agree that buffets are pretty yucky - because of what I saw firsthand, and yes, it was at Disney, although it could have happened at any buffet, and probably does. It was last summer, and a child - looked to be about 9, (clearly old enough to know better) picked up the serving spoon for the mac & cheese at the kids table, and put a spoonful onto his plate, and then PUT THE SERVING SPOON into his mouth, licked it clean, then put it back into the mac & cheese!!! But what was even worse was that his mother was within sight. I'm sure she had to have seen what he did, but said nothing. I was so grossed out! That's when I told my husband no more buffets EVER, no matter how convenient it is with kids. You just never know who did what to the food before you got to it.

 

[Belle5]

These threads about buffets always lead to horror stories. I've witnessed several incidents, myself. The last one I posted a few months back but since it's on topic and it's been a while I'll do it again.

In March we were at Boma and a woman in the buffet line in front of me shook the food from the spoon onto her plate. When the food stuck to the spoon she decided to use her fingers to push the stuck food onto her plate. She then licked her fingers and repeated the scenario at each bowl of food she came to. My salvation was that I had already eaten and was only walking over to get some zebra domes.

I won't even start on the stories of things I've seen parents let their children do at buffets...

 

[DeeP]

Well since everyone is telling gross buffet stories here is mine.....We were at Chef Mickey's for the dinner buffet, we had just been seated and were waiting for our server to come and take our drink order. During this time I watched a woman at the next table, change her child's poopy diaper AT the table and then, without washing her hands, proceed to the buffet where she not only touched the serving spoons but also picked up items with her hands, licked her fingers and continued on down the buffet line doing the same things. We got up, walked out and have not been back to a self serve WDW buffet since! I know that no one knows what goes on in the kitchen to your food before you get it, but this was just too much for me. I would rather not know.

 

[Local_Girl]

I had been looking forward to our dinner at Chef Mickey's...instead I'll be thinking about all the gross stories on this thread . Guess I've been fortunate that I've never seen anything horrible at any buffet I've ever been to. With any luck, we'll be so excited to be there and having so much fun that I won't remember these yucky buffet stories!!

 

[IvyandLace]

First of all, I wanted to thank you all for writing on what I thought would be a dead topic by now! WOW! Three pages of replies...I feel so proud.

Anyways, we are almost totally convinced that it was food poisioning as it presented within the time period and only half of our party became violently ill. (If you ate breakfast at Donald's Breakfastosauros on November 4th, you may have been privileged to watch my nephew throw up...right in the restaurant! poor kid!!) The three of us that didn't get sick either didn't have chicken wings at all or ate very little of a later batch. We did contact the restaurant while we were there, but no one else had complained...so there was not a whole lot they could do.

Yes, it was frustrating and not at all fun for those who got sick...but everyone had a great time! We will be back...just not to 1900 Park Fare.

Thanks again for all the support....IVY

 

[TeenaS]

I visit WDW about 5 times a year and we always eat at 1900 Park Fare and Chef Mickeys and no one I know has ever been sick down there. Of course, I also love the buffets in Las Vegas and never get sick there either. I've been to very expensive sit-down restaurants at WDW and elsewhere and I've seen waiters do really gross things, like wipe utensils (steak knives) on their filty apron and then put it on a steak platter, etc. so I think unless you are eating at your own home, doing your own washing and cleaning, you are leaving yourself open to getting sicknesses at restaurants. However, I figure I have just as good a chance at getting food poisoning or whatever at a restaurant here at home as I do there at WDW and since I'd rather be at WDW than here at work or cooking dinner at home, I'll take my chances and continue to eat with Disney characters at their buffets. At least I'll get sick laughing and smiling! I'm just not a worry wart I guess.

 

[ead79]

I tend to be very germ conscious myself. I try not to touch many commonly handled things (like restroom door handles, escalator rails, etc.) and I always wash my hands before I eat. I do not touch food with my hands (like a roll or something) after touching buffet serving handles. I do think that there are cases of food poisoning at WDW, but often it's probably viruses going around. I just try to wash my hands a lot!

 

[epcotfan]

I will no longer eat at buffets anymore after a few bad experiences. I'm fastidious about being clean (washing hands, etc...) BUT I'd rather eat in full service restaurants where fewer people (ie chefs) are handling the same food/utensils as opposed to a whole dining room.

 

[cboudre1]

We don't normally eat at buffets because of germs but I broke down and ate at the H & V because of the fantasmic show. Luckily we escaped with no illness. We also don't use drinking fountains or unbottled water. We try the best we can.

Chicken pox is contagious up to 36 hours before the first spots appear. You can't help but spread it before you even know you have it. It is going around right now in the school I work at. The kids starting going home today with it.

 

[amid chaos]

DS got food poisoning when he was just under 2 years old at WDW. Whe we got home we insisted the dr take a stool sample. Salmanella...We got a call a few weeks later from our state board of health.
They said it wasnt a local strain and wondered where we had traveled. they told us that the state had many people who visited WDW the same week we did and got salmanella.