DON"T let this happen to your family!!

[mickey family]

Wow! How scary! I'm surprised this wasn't reported in the news! Were you interviewed by anyone after the incident?

I don't think anyone outside of the hospital and Disney knew of the incident. I'm sure Disney does not want the bad press on something like this. Toward the end of our stay my son wanted to take the sling off so he wouldn't have to retell the story. People would see his sling and ask if he broke his arm. You should have seen the expressions when he told them what really happened.

 

[jinia]

I am so glad your son recovered! We are staying at CBR in Oct so we truly appreciate the warning.

 

[ShannonMB]

Thanks for posting the story again, I never read it the first time. I have never given even one thought to worrying about snakes while at WDW. Now I know to take precautions. I am so sorry this happened to you guys, and I'm so glad your DS is getting better. The whole thing is just awful and heartbreaking!

 

[MomWith2Cinderellas]

I am glad your son is doing better. We live in Texas and know to watch out for venomous snakes, but for some reason when we visit WDW we forget all about those things. Now, we will always remember to aware of our surroundings!

 

[1971DBday]

I am glad your son is doing well thanks to all of your fast actions! I think it is wonderful that you are still keeping a positive attitude towards Disney as well - wildlife is everywhere and I'm sure they do their best to monitor and keep their grounds safe.

 

[wvdislover]

Wow! So sorry to hear about what happened to your DS! Glad to know he is recovering, though. Thanks so much for reminding us of what can happen when we let our guard down. We leave next week for our vacation...I'll have to keep this in mind and warn my DD's to be careful about where they play/walk, esp. with as much rain as it looks like Orlando has had recently.

 

[disneynewbee]

Never even gave snakes a thought. Thank you for the warning. My girls will be getting a very firm warning about staying away from the landscaping. Wow Disney got off easy with just a $100 copay. My insurance it would have been $0 copay since he was admitted but I would have been responsible for 10% which is a good amount.

 

[floydfamily4]

OH My! I am so glad your son is alright and thank you for sharing. I honestly wouldn't have stopped my kids from doing the same thing and would have been shocked to see a snake. Thanks for sharing and hang in there!

 

[~Kik-Kik~]

What a terrible story!!! Thank you for the story though as I would have never thought of true poisionous snakes in WDW, you seeem to for get about the dangers of FLorida when you're there.

Your story actually reminded me of this one that happened in June.

Be aware that snakes get into the water parks aswell, when we were at Blizard Beach there as a snake in the Lazy River, and the CM telling us this had such a strong eastern accent that I didn't understand what he was saying untill I heard the people yelling "snake" from outside of the river. Very scary, but from the looks of it it was a garden snake so I just swam a little faster, lol. Now I wonder if it was a water mockison, that would have been horrible!!! So just be on the look out, especially in Summer, late Spring, early Fall in Florida.

 

[Rhonna]

He was given 12 vials of Cro-Fab because he was bitten 3 times and received a good dose of venom from the snake. I, my husband, and my oldest daughter all saw the snake and were able to identify it. My husband's Army training kicked in and he wanted to catch it for identification purposes, but my mother instinct kicked in even harder and he was told in no uncertain terms to leave the snake and get on the phone for an ambulance.

Very sorry your son and family went through this. Proof that kids are usually resilient and can bounce back fast.

I don't understand the price you quoted. I looked up Cro-Fab and got varying prices - from $750 - $1500 per vial. They come in different strengths and they give the stronger doses first, then lower doses.

At those prices, the TOTAL cost for 12 vials would be in the $9,000 to $18,000 range. How on earth did they get away with charging $130,000??? That's over $10,800 per vial!

No offense, but did you by chance misplace the comma or did the price perhaps include the hospital ER treatment, etc., all that came along with treating your son? Two hospitals and three days in pediatric ICU would make sense. Otherwise, I would think your insurance company would contest those anti-venom fees with the hospital.

Regardless, glad you son is well. Has an impressive story to tell later in life.

 

[LilGMom]

How incredibly scary for your entire family! Very glad that your son is recovering.

Unfortunately snakes and alligators are a very real part of the environment in South Florida.

 

[mickey family]

Very sorry your son and family went through this. Proof that kids are usually resilient and can bounce back fast.

I don't understand the price you quoted. I looked up Cro-Fab and got varying prices - from $750 - $1500 per vial. They come in different strengths and they give the stronger doses first, then lower doses.

At those prices, the TOTAL cost for 12 vials would be in the $9,000 to $18,000 range. How on earth did they get away with charging $130,000??? That's over $10,800 per vial!

No offense, but did you by chance misplace the comma or did the price perhaps include the hospital ER treatment, etc., all that came along with treating your son? Two hospitals and three days in pediatric ICU would make sense. Otherwise, I would think your insurance company would contest those anti-venom fees with the hospital.

Regardless, glad you son is well. Has an impressive story to tell later in life.

Unfortunately, that is the cost. It was $11,622.90 per vial. I was shocked because everything I read online was stating prices in the range you said. I called my insurance and the hospital to confirm the price and it is correct. Thankfully we have great insurance. The total hospital bill was well over $160,000!!

 

[bgdiznee]

Wow, what a horrible experience for your whole family. Everyone is correct, we need to remember there's alot of wild life in FL outside the animatronics.

Just this past July, after our Disney stay, we went to Clearwater to visit our DS. I was sitting on their couch, looking into the yard and here comes a four foot alligator walking down the side walk. They live a very residential area, with a lake blocks away from their house.

When we stayed at POFQ and rode the boat to DTD, the CM who drove the boat warned folks not to climb or sit on the rock retaining wall by the boat dock as it was "full of snakes". Most people jumped right off, but of course there's always one smart a$$ who said he didn't believe her. You really wouldn't wish a snake bite on anyone but...

 

[Feralpeg]

I don't think anyone outside of the hospital and Disney knew of the incident. I'm sure Disney does not want the bad press on something like this. Toward the end of our stay my son wanted to take the sling off so he wouldn't have to retell the story. People would see his sling and ask if he broke his arm. You should have seen the expressions when he told them what really happened.

Poisonous snake bites are fairly common in Florida. Once in awhile, we'll hear something on the news about a bite. Most of the time, the bites are not considered news worthy.

About a year ago, I was working in my yard. I was pulling weeds in my front flowerbed when an Orange County Sheriff pulled up and stopped. He asked me how I was doing. Then, he told me to be careful. There was a woman in my development who had been bitten by a pygmy rattlesnake a few days prior. It is just something we have to watch for. I always look before I leap in any overgrown area.

They said earlier this summer that water moccasins were more of a problem this year due to the amount of rain we had received. Maybe that is still the case. Glad the OP's son is okay!

 

[Feralpeg]

I just wanted to add that it is a good idea to keep your little ones out of any type of bushes or flowerbeds at WDW or any place in Florida. Not long ago, I spotted a banana spider in the UK area of Epcot. I was doing the Kim Possible Adventure with my daughter. A clue had sent us over behind the tea shop. The spider was near the next clue area. Banana spiders are not something you want to bite you. In the past, I saw a black widow on some bushes in another part of Epcot. Black widows are very common. I've killed several outside my home.

Any way, they can be anywhere there are a lot of bushes or flowers. It's just best not to go into the flowerbeds. I'm saying this, because I see it happen on a fairly regular basis. Not a good idea.

 

[Mousemom]

How absolutely terrifying. Being a parent and feeling so helpless when our kids are sick is awful. I am so glad to hear that your son is OK. Coming from a part of the country where snakes, spiders, etc are not an issue I would have never thought of worrying about snakes while vacationing in WDW. With this kind of snake being attracted to water is it a problem at the water parks. I love the lazy river and have seen snakes in it before but did not think much about it. Things are going to be different now. We leave in 3 weeks and I will be much more careful.

 

[ShortyNBug]

I am so glad he is ok. How scary for him, and for you. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[dis-happy]

Wow, this thread makes me almost LIKE cockroaches!! They may be yechy but at least they're one form of Florida vermin that can't kill you.


Glad your story had a happy ending, OP. Hugs to you and your ds.

 

[CLR4321]

To thr OP, I am really glad to hear that your son was taken care of and he is doing better. I am also glad that you and your DH had the immediate instinct to call 911. Many people would think otherwise, and assume it was "just a bite". Every minute that passes without treatment can increase the chances of a more grim outcome.

To the PP's who asked where the OP was at and where she was staying...I understand if you are curious as to where she was staying. If you are using this as means of picking another hotel, do not stay away from CBR simply because this happened. Snakes are just as likely to be found at any WDW hotel as well as in the parks. While Disney does their best to keep snakes as well as alligators off the property by relocating the animals, they do get in as FL is their natural habitat, and WDW was built right in the middle of it. Disney maintains the same caution throughout the entire property. Do not think that they are more likely to keep an extra eye out at GF than they are at Pop or one of the All-Stars. The hotel plays no difference, as all Disney hotels have an environment that the snakes would naturally live in. Just be careful, stay on the designated paths and stay out of bushes or areas that are not designated paths. If you do happen to see a snake, let a CM know ASAP, as Disney will make their best attempt to remove the snake and relocate it.

 

[bytheblood]

Oh honey - I am so sorry. Praise God that your son is okay.






On a side note: I hope that Disney did something to help you so that you can have another vacation in the future.