Has anyone taken a trip to disney in between chemo cycles?

[ashely612]

My husband was diagnosed with stage 4 t-cell lymphoma a couple months ago. After round one of chemo he spent more time in the hospital than he did out. They removed one of the drugs from his chemo regimen and seems to be doing better after round two. We have a trip without the kids planned for December. It will be between rounds 6 and 7. His nadir (low immunity time) is between days 7 and 10. The way our trip is currently timed we would be traveling days 12-18. Has anyone tried to travel with someone currently undergoing high dose chemo? Should we attempt it or just cancel the whole trip?

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) We went to parks during MrsRustyScupper's chemo.
2) Not too many problems, other than she was easily fatigued.
3) Lots of rest stops in air conditioning and lots of water helped.
4) We also went early-AM, out by 11:00am to avoid heat, then returned after dinner (about 6:00pm).

 

[WheeledTraveler]

I think you should talk to his doctors before making a decision either way. There are definitely folks here who have traveled between chemo treatments, but everyone is different. It's also possible that, if they do think it's okay, they'll have some suggestions or requirements for him to go. It's not uncommon for a doctor to only okay a trip if someone wears a mask and/or uses a wheelchair or ECV. (Those are just 2 when thinking of what might be needed for him to go safely.)

Do you need to know now if you're going to cancel or can you wait another round or two to see how he's doing then?

 

[ashely612]

I don't have to know right now, but soon. I still need to book flights and make the final payment. I am already looking into ECV rentals, and we do keep masks with us whenever we are in large crowds. I read something about a card I can ask for to keep him out of the regular lines. Would this be an appropriate situation for that? Mainly we will be visiting hotels to look at holiday decorations, and experiencing the parks for the first time during the Christmas season. We aren't concerned about any of the major thrill rides. I booked a CP dinner and the Wishes dessert party already. Trying to keep this trip relaxing.

 

[SueM in MN]

I don't have to know right now, but soon. I still need to book flights and make the final payment. I am already looking into ECV rentals, and we do keep masks with us whenever we are in large crowds. I read something about a card I can ask for to keep him out of the regular lines. Would this be an appropriate situation for that? Mainly we will be visiting hotels to look at holiday decorations, and experiencing the parks for the first time during the Christmas season. We aren't concerned about any of the major thrill rides. I booked a CP dinner and the Wishes dessert party already. Trying to keep this trip relaxing.

The card you have heard about is DAS (Disability Access Service) and there is a thread about it near the top of this board. The first post in the thread is a DAS FAQs; no need to read the rest of the thread.
DAS allows for waits outside of the line, and when your ride time comes, you enter the Fastpass line. To request one, go to Guest Relations and explain the issues he would have waiting in lines.

A couple of other things-

1) I don't know when you are going exactly, but if it's around Thanksgiving or around Christmas/New Years, be prepared to find crowds all over, even just walking around. When we have been at WDW over New Years, it has been literally so busy that it's hard to stretch out an arm without touching someone.

2) Even though an ECV would give him more independence, a wheelchair might be a better choice. Someone during an ECV is not going to get tired from walking, but during one can be mentally exhausting, especially when it's busy.
The driver of the ECV needs to be constantly alert and ready to react if people pop out in front of them (which happens often). This could be an issue for him, especially if he is tired, not feeling well or on pain medication.
Besides that, he will be able to see more if he's not watching where he's being driven.

3) the doctor and he will be the ones to decide if the trip is do-able. Find out from the doctor if there are any changes currently planned for his chemo that might affect his ability to go (but, realize the doctor may not be able to give that information this far in advance.)
Also find out if there are specific situations that might make him not able to go and get a recommendation from the doctor of where to go if he has any complications.

4) Trip insurance
Even if you don't normally get it, I would check into it this time.
Right now, he will be between treatments, but while my mom was on chemo, several times her treatment was delayed a week because her white blood count or other blood work was out of whack. Depending on the chemo and the patient, they might re-schedule the treatment to the next week, as they did in my mom's case or just skip that treatment and do the next treatment according to the original schedule.
If the therapy date ís changed, his nadir will also change.
Since chemo is cumulative, some people do find later rounds harder than they were earlier.

5) it's hard to know this far away what will be his better times of day, but keep in mind it might be early morning for some people and later in the day for othe.
Nausea, diarrhea or tiredness can be died effects that hit people at different times. My mom consistently was not good for the first few hours of the day, but got better as the day went on. So, in the next treatments, try to figure out his best times.
And, keep in mind, a few hours a day and not even going out every day might be what he can tolerate. The best part of vacation will just be being in a warm place with family.

 

[momto3gsds]

I have Stage 4 Lung Cancer and will be going to WDW in November. I think the most important thing you can do is to purchase trip insurance as soon as you book the trip and make sure it covers pre-existing conditions. For me, I'm planning all this but I do understand that the trip can be cancelled anytime.

Unfortunately, his numbers can and will change throughout treatment. There is no way to determine now what these numbers will be in December. Being able to get the chemo on time is very important and you don't want to do anything that might disrupt and delay treatment if you can. Also remember the flu season is going strong about December so there will be more challenges to his body. Make sure he has his flu shot (if recommended by his doctor) in plenty of time before the trip. That might help some.

If you are flying try to book a non stop flight to reduce the time he will be in the airport and on the plane.

As other have said, be sure to get the ok from his doctor. Carry lots of hand sanitizer and use it often. Wear masks in crowded areas. Request your room to be deep cleaned before your arrival and wipe down surfaces that will be touched (light switches, remotes, phone, etc).

Have lots of water available for him at all times. I know dehydration has been a huge issue with me.

Your plans sound good as far taking breaks during the day.

 

[ashely612]

I think the most important thing you can do is to purchase trip insurance as soon as you book the trip and make sure it covers pre-existing conditions.

Do you have any recommendation as to where to get the travel insurance from? I adjusted the dates last week on our existing reservation to better accommodate his current chemo schedule. I have not made the flight reservations though.

 

[Goofy14sure]

I've traveled during chemo (not to Disney tho) made it through the trip but ended up in the hospital as soon as I got home. Be sure to talk to your doctors!
If they give you the go ahead, use wheelchair assistance at the airports, he should save as much energy as possible, not just at the parks.

Rest AS much as possible, fatigue gets worse as you go along.

Be careful in crowds, his immunity will be low even on good days ( I had to avoid small children if they recently had certain immunizations)

There are many good suggestions in previous posts use as many of them as you can especially the trip insurance. Everybody reacts a little different to chemo and sometimes your blood counts can change pretty fast and cause last minute changes.

If you go just be ready to make any last minute changes that you might have too and don't push too hard

 

[madaboutMickey]

You might want to try looking at www.*****************. They have lots of different policies to choose from. We have used them for our cruises.

 

[momto3gsds]

Do you have any recommendation as to where to get the travel insurance from? I adjusted the dates last week on our existing reservation to better accommodate his current chemo schedule. I have not made the flight reservations though.

I got my insurance through Allianz. I found out about it from these boards, the company seemed to be well respected here. As long as I purchased the insurance within (I think it was) 14 days from the day I booked the trip then pre-existing conditions were covered.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help further.

 

[lanejudy]

... As long as I purchased the insurance within (I think it was) 14 days from the day I booked the trip then pre-existing conditions were covered. ...

Yes, to get a pre-existing condition waiver, you typically have to purchase the insurance within a short period of time after making the initial deposit. That period seems to range between 7-21 days, depending on the insurance company.

OP, it sounds like you already have the WDW reservation so you might already be outside of that time period. It will take some hunting, but you CAN still purchase insurance that will include the PEC waiver, it's just likely to cost quite a bit more. Purchase the insurance now, then you can adjust it later to include your airfare -- don't wait until all the pieces are booked.

Remember if you do a room-only reservation at WDW, only the one-night deposit is paid up front and the rest isn't due until arrival; that might be a good option for this trip rather than a package. Tickets can be purchased separately and as long as they are unused you can hold them for another trip.

Good luck to your DH with his treatments and enjoy your vacation!

 

[lanejudy]

You might want to try looking at www.*****************. They have lots of different policies to choose from. We have used them for our cruises.

Please don't circumvent filters. That website is not allowed to be linked in posts.

You can do a Google search on "compare travel insurance" and find the site, as well as a couple others I've heard recommended. I suggest calling and speaking with someone directly, they are very knowledgeable and can make sure you get what you need. Good luck!

 

[ashely612]

From what I can tell travel insurance is not a possibility for us. First, we booked over a month ago. Second, every insurance I looked into doesn't consider this a pre-existing condition. It is considered a foreseeable event, therefore not insurable. I spoke with Disney today. The agent told me that I could cancel up to two days before arrival and not lose any money on our package. Does this sound right? Also, if I cancelled with less than two days notice I would only lose $200. What would be the point in having insurance that costs almost as much as what I would lose by canceling?

 

[Goofy14sure]

From what I can tell travel insurance is not a possibility for us. First, we booked over a month ago. Second, every insurance I looked into doesn't consider this a pre-existing condition. It is considered a foreseeable event, therefore not insurable. I spoke with Disney today. The agent told me that I could cancel up to two days before arrival and not lose any money on our package. Does this sound right? Also, if I cancelled with less than two days notice I would only lose $200. What would be the point in having insurance that costs almost as much as what I would lose by canceling?

I agree, there is not a lot of risk there. You can check on insurance for your airline tickets when you book them, the terms might be better.

You'll know by 2 days out if he feels like going.

 

[momto3gsds]

If you are only concerned about cancelling the trip at the last minute, you can get insurance in the amount that you would actually loose under such circumstances. That's all you would get anyway as the insurance company wouldn't reimburse you for what Disney returns to you (the balance of the package less $200.00).

The benefit of the insurance is when you are there and if you suddenly have to return home or need medical attention. It is my understanding that once you are there Disney will not prorate any refund of unused days/tickets prices. For example, if the package costs $2,000, you check in on a Monday, but on Tuesday you have to leave-I believe you loose whatever you have paid ($2,000). Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[KathyTX]

Please check with your oncology team! You really don't want to risk his recovery, they are the best resource for advising about travel during this time.

Do you have a plan for how you'll get treatment if he gets sick while on the trip?