Germs and getting sick at Disney

[Wendy417]

We are planning a trip with 6 adults and 5 kids for September 2016. I always worry about getting sick on vacations because obviously no one wants to be sick on vacation! But I'm also planning to run a marathon within 5 days of getting home from our trip.

My biggest fear is our family getting sick on vacation and ruining the vacation AND/OR me being so sick I won't be able to complete my marathon.

I've had a lot of people tell me about how they got sick (stomach flu) while at Disney, or they know someone that did, or whatever. Its making me nervous!

Obviously hand washing is the best way to prevent it, but I can't imagine lugging all of those kids to the bathroom every time we eat. And hand sanitizer does not kill stomach flu germs.

How big of a problem is this, really? Am I being paranoid?

 

[Alesia]

We have never gotten sick at WDW. We don't take Airborne (or any other vitamin supplements,) spray the room down with lysol, put the remote control in a ziploc bag, or any of the other nonsense that people will recommend.

All we do is just maintain good general health the old-fashioned way - we eat a reasonably good diet, get plenty of sleep, keep stress at a minimum, wash our hands after going to the bathroom, and avoid disinfectants whenever practical.

 

[greentea]

I've gotten a mild cold, but not stomach flu. I don't take any special precautions, just the usual washing hands and such. Also got a flu shot in preparation for our November trip.

 

[leahgoogle]

We didn't get the stomach flu, but we did come back home with a nasty respiratory virus. Actually, DH and I got it. The kids were fine. I think we stressed so much about the trip and details that our immune system was taxed before we even left. Just relax, wash hands when you can and have fun!

 

[Happyjen27]

The kids and husband both got the flu. DH spent a morning in urgent care getting diagnosed for Influenza B.

Where we went wrong was staying longer than 7 days, LOL. From now on, by the 7th day I want to be heading home, so that we can be sick at home, and not on our Disney time.

The next trip, nobody got sick at Disney. I just came back a week ago, and no sickness yet, so, I'm sure it's not a certainty that everyone will get sick all the time.

 

[blackpearl77]

We all just got our flu shots! Lots of hand washing before you eat! I think the airplane and its re-circulating air is more germy than disney!

 

[Mousemommy1]

I think you're being paranoid.
Yes, it can happen, but just use proper hygiene and you should be good.
In the many annual trips we have done, we have had ONE incident of someone getting sick (this past April, our oldest daughter got a stomach bug). It really did stink that she didn't feel good, because she didn't even want to go to the parks. We spent a lot of time at the resort.
But, I'm not counting on it happening again. I think the odds are in our favor.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Your worrying about something that hasn't happened. Your looking for it to happen. Just go and enjoy your vacation.

 

[gtpoohbear]

I don't think it happens nearly as often as you are led to believe. Everyone who DOES get sick tells everyone about it, but those that are just fine wouldn't even think to mention it. So the perception is very skewed.

The only time we have had an issue was a couple of years ago - DS got strep throat. But that was during the time that he was getting it every month, and we finally had to have his tonsils out. He was probably exposed before we even left home.

We don't do anything special when we travel, and our hygiene even at home probably wouldn't be up to some people's standards, but it's not been a big problem for us.

There's always a minor chance, but it's not worth stressing and ruining the fun anticipation of the trip. Get travel insurance just in case, then put it out of your mind!

 

[jazzyscoob]

Don't touch your face, wash your hands after the restroom and before you eat, and stay hydrated!

I know you say you can't imagine bringing all the kids to wash up before meals but it really is the best way to keep you healthy.

 

[milza26]

We just got back on the 22nd and caught the stomach flu but I think we picked it up at the airport on the way home! It is going around up here in NH. We followed all the precautions while down there and was fine minus a stuffy nose from allergies. Go have fun, follow the precautions, and wipe things down on the plane. If you go down with the idea of getting sick, you will get sick. It is proven mind trick that our minds do to us.

 

[MrsJamesPSullivan]

Like someone else said I worry more about the tin can of recirculating germs than Disney. I don't eat on planes, every time I hear someone sneeze or cough I picture those germs blowing right onto my peanuts! Ugh.

 

[kj2mom]

I worry about everything, about a month before the trip I joked about how my children needed to be in a bubble no injuries - no sickies because our trip was coming up. I think a big reason for trip illness is the change in sleep/eating patterns. We tried our best to get the most sleep possible (I know it sounds obvious but what I did was not allow my children to get Wifi on their devices. You know how that one check of FB or quick check of email can turn into a couple hours of lost sleep.) and I did make sure to have them take vitamins. It is probably all in my mind but I like to think what their immune systems might lack because of the change in routine the vitamins can help boost it back up. Every morning I left their vitamins with their Magic Bands so take your vitamin, grab your band and off we go. I tried really hard to keep the week before our trip completely on schedule so we were all well rested going into the trip (not stressed/crazed and already run down).

 

[DisneyCAL]

IMHO the most important place to mindful of is the airport. Always wash after check-in and security and again after the plane ride on the way there and back. If you think about it, it makes sense to hear stomach bug stories while there, most likely picked it up touching the security buckets or the holding onto the poles on the tram etc., took a couple days to incubate then bam, stomach flu midway or end of trip.

 

[North of Mouse]

Obviously hand washing is the best way to prevent it, but I can't imagine lugging all of those kids to the bathroom every time we eat. And hand sanitizer does not kill stomach flu germs.

How big of a problem is this, really? Am I being paranoid?

We have never had the stomach flu at, or after Disney, but we have always been very pro active in hygiene - hand sanitizer, hand washing, etc. etc.

Why is it so hard to have your children wash their hands before meals? That was a #1 rule at our home, and away from home - was just common sense to me, not a big effort. Also, use wipes, sanitizer with snacks - then just try to relax and enjoy your vacation.

Also, as some have mentioned, what you are breathing in an airplane is probably the biggest problem, and you can do nothing about that if you fly. We choose not to fly anymore (not for that reason) but realize it isn't always practical for others not to.

 

[buzznina]

Based on a 20/20 show the highest germ count comes from the tv remote(higher than the toilet area) and at parks, the ride bars or the guns on TSM and the trays that you put your food on. We just wash our hands and use hand sanitizer, nothing drastic. I would guess that a lot of the people who got sick at Disney might have got it from the airplane with that very healthy re-cycled air.

 

[TXStormtrooper]

I got food poisoning once at Disneyland, but was back at my sister-in-law's home that night before I got sick. None of us has ever gotten sick at Disney World. I keep us home as much as possible the week before our trip and be sure to be well rested going into our vacation. We don't touch our faces, use hand sanitizer throughout the day and always wash our hands before we eat. Like others, I'm more worried about the plane than the parks.

 

[newestkg06]

I worried too, so here's what I did: brought Chlorox wipes on the plane and wiped down the tray tables and arm rests on the plane. I made sure to wash our hands frequently and use some hand sanitizer if necessary. I also brought a travel size lysol and sprayed down the light switches, toilet handles, and door handles in our room.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I am super careful with hand-washing, etc. but I still caught some sort of virus on our last WDW trip. Yes, you might get sick. I don't think there is really a sure-fire way of completely guaranteeing you won't. But that's life in general!

 

[Mamasmurf227]

We carry the individual packs of Wet Ones wipes to clean our hands before we snack in the parks. We are on our way home from a 10 day trip--my one daughter did end up with a cold a couple days ago, but thats the only sickness in 8 visits to WDW. (Although, as a runner, I also get a bit anxious about stuff like that before a big race. So, do anything you can that will give you the best odds! Have a great trip and race!)