Disney Stomach Bug - Be prepared!!

[dwolf]

We just had the most horrifying Disney vacation ever. We arrived on Sunday 3/14 at Saratoga Springs Resort. We realized after we checked in quite late, that our room smelled of vomit. On Monday, we called housekeeping and were informed they would be able to shampoo the rugs on Tuesday but could offer us a deoderizer for the time being. TOO LATE. On Monday afternoon, my 5 year old started to vomit in Magic Kingdom. That was followed by my 3 year old on Monday night. By Wednesday, my husband and I had it. Our 7 year old was the only hold out...he didn't get it till our plane left the gate to go home on Saturday.

There is a nasty stomach bug going around Central Florida. You won't find much about it on the internet and certainly won't find it linked to Disney. We had severe vomiting, nauseau, headaches and neck pain. I suspect we contracted Norovirus on our flight or in our room. There were several families around us dealing with the same issue.

If you are traveling to Disney World, bring Lysol Wipes with you. Wipe down the seats and trays in the airplane and if you can help it, don't use the plane bathroom. When you check in to your room, spray every surface with Lysol. Disney does not clean door knobs or dresser drawer handles and these are places Norovius or any other Gastro Virus can live. I would also recommend spraying down the bathrooms. I was extremely dissapointed in the lack of cleanliness of our room given the price we paid for this vacation.

 

[schoen]

only bleach kills norovirus.

so sorry to hear about your whole family being sick on vacation, that is the worst. :-(

 

[scottmel]

I am so so sorry that happened on your vacation. Last summer we went while the whole Swine flu was in full swing and I was the anti bacterial maniac. I am always diligent when it comes to that but certainly always hope my hotel is clean as well. Thanks for the reminder about doorknobs, dresser pulls etc - never realized that. Out of curiousity is this something Trip Insurance could have helped with? I always purchase trip insurance but am never quite sure WHAT it covers...

 

[lemondog]

Oh man that sucks, I am so sorry! We were there the same week and luckily we avoided it. DH, however, did get sick on Thurs. with a NASTY cold. He is still coughing and congested a week later.

 

[mlittig]

So sorry your trip was spoiled But now you have to plan another trip to make up for it

 

[MikeyNS]

My father got sick 3 days into our vacation as well. Don't know where he got it, but 24 hours later he was fine and no one else in our party got sick. With the number of people coming through the Orlando area I'm surprised there isn't something going around every day of the year!

 

[livie1205]

so what would be the best thing to bring? clorox spray? We norm bring lysol but maybe this trip we will bring the clorox.I will also pick up the clorox wipes to wipe things down.I always clean the room BEFORE anyone else goes in....it always works for us so I guess I will be doing it again this trip!

 

[HappyDznyCamper]

Unfortunately that "bug" has been making the rounds everywhere, not just Disney. It visited my house back in Feb. took about a week to go through the whole family. Now almost a month later it seems to be hitting another family I know. This is a mean bug going around everywhere, even with being vigilant about hand washing and bleach cleaning when possible I'm not sure it can be avoided if you leave your house to go anywhere.

 

[francie57]

We took clorox wipes last Aug. when the swine flu was around. We will do the same this coming trip in Aug. We wiped down all counters, toilets, faucets, doorknobs, drawer handles, phones, and tv controllers. I would wipe any surface that can be wiped. It doesn't take that long and could save from getting sick. Don't forget to wipe down the room safe also since they are usually used by everyone and the coat hangers.

 

[RachelTori]

Atlanta newscasts are stating that Swine Flu is making a comeback in Georgia. After the initial frenzy to get the vaccine died down, so did the number of people getting immunized.

 

[MinnieGirl33]

Clorox wipes live in our Owners Locker & our room gets a full wipe down the moment we walk in.

Don't forget about:

• the remotes
• door knobs
• drawer pulls
• light switch plates
• thermostat buttons
• bathroom fixtures
• washer/dryer knobs (villas)
• fridge handle (villas)
• dining table (people tend to dump bags, etc. on table after walking in door)

 

[jlk806]

no matter how well you sanitize your room, it is impossible to sanitize every surface - you cant very well sanitize every seatbelt for each ride, the holding poles on the Disney buses, etc. There are unfortunately germs everywhere!

 

[jackemail]

That's not just a Disney stomach virus--it has been all over this city and surrounding areas in the last month.

 

[DeniseinNS]

My son came down with a virus like this on the 5th day of our recent Disney trip, it was awful

 

[bitohoney]

Where there's more people, there's more germs. There's always something going around so we always have to take precautions.
I was sick last vacation but managed and it was from a nasty medical condition that I already have.

 

[pocuita]

That bug went through our school the past couple of weeks. So bad they were worried it was food poisoning from the school lunches. My sister and her family had it too and they live in another state.

It is always good to wipe down the phone, toilet handle etc I think. Makes me feel better at least

 

[eelkmj01]

While it may be a virus everywhere, you could not have contracted a virus on Monday evening from a room you checked into Monday afternoon. A virus needs an incubation period of at least 72 hours. You may have contracted it prior to your trip. It's certainly awful your room was like that and I'm not trying to minimize your family's illness, I just don't think it would be fair to pin the entire illness on Disney. Although I think they should have offered you another room. I hope you have better luck on your next trip.

 

[dmccarty]

That bug went through our school the past couple of weeks. So bad they were worried it was food poisoning from the school lunches. My sister and her family had it too and they live in another state.

Our youngest just got it last week for a couple of days. Other kids at school go sick too. A guy at work at hit as well. Surprisingly the rest of us did not get it. The DW was using Lysol and vinegar to wipe down all surfaces which either worked or we got lucky since we did not get sick.

This is at least the second wave of stomach illness this year in our area.

Later,
Dan

 

[JLVermillion]

only bleach kills norovirus.

so sorry to hear about your whole family being sick on vacation, that is the worst. :-(

Exactly....I buy a plastic bottle at the store , about 12oz and fill it 1/4 with bleach the rest water cap it and bring a seperate spay nozzle . That way I can spay to my heart is content. As far as the plane it is not so much the touching of things as it is the recycled air. If someone is sneezing , coughing , or just plain sick and breathing well you got it. Taking a zinc, vit C a week or so before you leave always helps.

 

[bartleby1]

I'm so sorry your family was sick on vacation. The stomach bug is awful at anytime, but on vacation it is even worse. As someone who never gets trip insurance, I'm curious as to if it would help in a situation like this as well.

Unfortunately, you can pick up a bug anywhere. The best thing to do is to teach your kids to keep their hands away from their faces and be sure you and your husband are doing the same. Try hard not to touch your eyes, nose, or mouth.

Also, even though it is very tempting at times, don't share drinks or eat off each others plates. Often, someone is contagious before they start showing signs of illness and sharing food/drinks will spread the germs throughout your family before you even realize that someone is sick.

I also LOVE my purell!