Need help to have Disney understand allergies

[te2077]

to the op. so sorry to hear about your allergy problems. As one who has allergies (severe w/epi pen, etc) and asthma, I know it can be very hard and scarry sometimes.

I dont have the answers, but maybe some of these ideas would help.
I too would agree that staying at the AKL would be a good idea. Perhaps renting you own car so you do not have to ride the bus with others. I bet that when you check into a resturaunt and tell them of your situation they will be able to set you at a table that is away from any children with balloons. I bet your server would even keep an eye out for you. I hope you have a wonderful trip without any incidences.

 

[Schmeck]

te2077, I think you've given the most practical advice! I believe there are many areas in WDW that could have latex - are the handlebars on Splash Mountain latex? How about the ground mats at the play areas in the parks? Those should be areas to avoid as well.

Also wanted to mention that the only ride I've seen that has people taking their balloons in with them was IASM, quite a few years ago. I don't think they allow them in the attractions anymore.

Best of luck to the OP, I hope you find a solution to your situation.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I'm always surprised by the many people who post on these boards who take everything so personally and feel the need to attack posters who do not share their opinions. Grow up.

I agree with the poster who pointed out that Disney World is not the only place with latex. Avoid latex at Disney World the same way you do in your everyday life. Even if you could convince Disney to not sell Latex balloons (and if you are successful, great), they will still be sold all over the world.

And before you start quoting statistics- look them up, latex allergy is a lot more prominent than you realize.

Then please educate me. Can you provide any statistics from a RELIABLE source, which I would be happy to look at? Why didn't you do so in your post? Or are you just repeating some "fact" which you heard on Fox news?

So what you're saying is if my family is sitting on the bus back to the resort and a child boards with a balloon, my family should have to get off; or if we are sitting in a restaurant eating and someone comes in with one, we should get up and leave our meals behind.

No. Please do not put words in my mouth. Doesn't it seem pretty simple in this type of situation to simply ask that the balloon not be brought on the bus or ask that a balloon be removed from a restaurant?

 

[ANiceNurse]

While I agree with the posters suggesting Animal Kingdom Lodge as an alternative, even there balloons get by. We stayed there last month, and on our last day, I watched a family walk right through the lobby and down one of the far hallways with a bunch of balloons attached to a stroller. I couldn't believe that not one CM said anything to them.

 

[sanctus]

I have to say, the response on this board surprises me. To the OP, you have my sympathy. I hope Disney listens to you and goes back to the Mylar balloons. It seems that when there is an easy substitute available like this, then why would they not use it?

Thankfully my family has no such allergies, but put me on the list who will happily trade my latex balloon for mylar if there is even the possibility that it could save someone's life.

Is the world responsible for conforming to the needs of a few? Of course not. But is it basic human decency to try to make life easier and safer for others when we can? I sure hope so.

 

[Luigi's Girl]

I have to say, the response on this board surprises me. To the OP, you have my sympathy. I hope Disney listens to you and goes back to the Mylar balloons. It seems that when there is an easy substitute available like this, then why would they not use it?

Thankfully my family has no such allergies, but put me on the list who will happily trade my latex balloon for mylar if there is even the possibility that it could save someone's life.

Is the world responsible for conforming to the needs of a few? Of course not. But is it basic human decency to try to make life easier and safer for others when we can? I sure hope so.

Very nicely put!

 

[ducklite]

As a person with severe allergies and asthma, I can empathize. But I also don't expect the world to revolve around me, and make informed decisions, and take personal responsibility to manage my health.

The chemicals in cigarette smoke aggravate my asthma. Do I expect WDW to ban all smoking? Of course not, although it would be nice if they'd do a better job at enforcing their smoking policies in the parks and keeping non-smoking rooms truly non-smoking.

I'm highly allergic to pollen from many of the trees at WDW, and that allergy triggers a severe asthmatic episode. Do I expect them to dig them up and replace them with trees I'm not allergic to? Of course not. I simply avoid visiting when those trees at at their peak of pollenation.

I'm deathly allergic to pine nuts. Does that mean I expect every restaurant at WDW to take them off the menu? Of course not, I simply avoid those establishments, and if I do choose to take the risk and dine at one (Epi-pen at the ready), I ask to be seated as far away from others as possible and speak to the chef in depth about any precautions they will take in handling my food.

Avoiding latex balloons is something you can do fairly easily. You can choose to drive your own car rather than using Disney transportation. You can stay clear of the balloons in the park. You can choose to eat at restaurants less likely to have kids (and their balloons), and let the hostess know about your allergy when you check in and ask to be seated far away from balloons and not allow anyone with a balloon to be seated near you.

As far as your hotel room, you'll always be taking a chance that the person there before you had a large bunch of balloons in the room, and there's nothing you can do to prevent that. That goes for any hotel room you might stay at anywhere.

People visit other attractions while in the area and can get balloons from other places. It would be inappropriate for them to disallow any latex balloons on their property. BTW--Balloons brought into the AKL are generally held at bell services which you need to walk past each time you go in and out of the resort. It is NOT balloon free.

Latex balloons and products are all over. In malls, grocery stores, Chuck-E-Cheese, party supply stores, card shops, florists, the list goes on. Do you expect all of these establishments to change the way they do business to accomodate you as well? If every business stop selling everything that everybody could possibly be allergic to, there wouldn't be anything left on the shelves.

The ADA expects "reasonable accomodation." That doesn't mean an establishment needs to do anything and everything possible, regardless of the economic impact to the business to accomodate the total needs of someone with a disability.

Plan your trips during the slowest times of the year and note your allergies on your ADR's, calling ahead and speaking with a manager about keeping you as far away from patrons with balloons as possible. Call WDW's "Special Services" and talk to them about having your room "Special Cleaned" before you arrive. Request a GAC to be able to wait in a different queue away from any balloons. There are plenty of things you can do to mitigate your situation and still enjoy WDW.

Anne

 

[ToriLammy]

So what you're saying is if my family is sitting on the bus back to the resort and a child boards with a balloon, my family should have to get off; or if we are sitting in a restaurant eating and someone comes in with one, we should get up and leave our meals behind. The chefs at restaurants take precautions for people with life-threatening food allergies to protect them yet it is unreasonable to expect them to take precautions for people with other types of severe allergies. Yes, the number of people that die each year of a latex reaction is relatively small, but personally, I don't want my small child to be among them.

Well no but if my child had such an allergy I would never put them in the position of being on a bus in the first place, I'd rent a car or drive my own to Disney. That way I could ensure less exposure to balloons.

As for chefs and peanut allergies - I've not seen anyone asking WDW to completely ban peanuts. It is more along the lines of "what should I eat" not "everything needs to be something I can eat". There is a difference. Disability laws call for "reasonable accomodation" but doesn't relieve the individual from taking necessary precautions.

 

[Hannathy]

Anne I think you summed it up beautifully! Great Job.

 

[dixiedizfan]

Could you maybe take a Claritin or two each day before entering the park? So in case you came into contact with anything latex it might help until you could receive medical treatment.

 

[mking624]

I think one way to look at this is to judge how often you've even come in contact with a balloon, period. I've never been in contact with one. As someone else pointed out, latex is all around us...it's near impossible to be completely away from it. So looking at it that way, have you had a reaction in every other place you've been? I'm not saying to not write Disney, because maybe they're not that aware of this allergy and you can help educate them. However, take the same precautions you take everywhere else in the world since chances are probably 100% that sometime during your typical day you're in the area of latex or someone who has been in contact with latex. Disney will be no different in this respect.

 

[MycatlovesEeyore]

To the OP-

You are the most informed about your condition. You know your tolerances better than anyone else ever will. You know what will make you sick and what will not. You know what to avoid. You must take responsibility for your condition because you cannot expect anyone else to do so. Follow the same precautions you do on a normal basis and throw in a few extra for being away from the safety net of your normal routine.

I will not pretend to understand your condition but I know that I had juvenile diabetes as a child. I still went to birthday parties that had cake and candy. I still went Trick-or-Treating. I did not expect everyone to change for me. I simply tried to take the best precautions I could at the time and was pleasantly surprised when friends did make allowances..

I now have a transplanted kidney and pancreas. Therefore I am immuno-suppressed. Do I expect everyone who has a cold to stay home? No. I just take all of the precautions I can reasonably take and go on.

My point is, do not expect others to make allowances for your condition. No one else will ever be as informed or concerned as you about it. Do what you can reasonable do, and if someone else does make an allowance for you then be pleasantly surprised. But in the end, it is you condition and you are the one that has to live with it.

 

[snusnu]

I'm deathly allergic to pine nuts. Does that mean I expect every restaurant at WDW to take them off the menu? Of course not, I simply avoid those establishments, and if I do choose to take the risk and dine at one (Epi-pen at the ready), I ask to be seated as far away from others as possible and speak to the chef in depth about any precautions they will take in handling my food.
Anne

Me, too! It's supposedly one of the most common food allergies. I was told by a chef in the Magic Kingdom on my honeymoon trip that WDW does not use pine nuts in any park restaurant. I don't know if this applies to the hotels or not, but since it is such a common allergen, they just don't use them. I imagine that the fact that they are so expensive doesn't hurt! I wish they'd do the same for peanuts, but I understand that eliminating peanut butter would wreak havoc on the children in the parks.

To the OP, since Disney doesn't use pine nuts, I can't imagine that they would be adverse to eliminating latex balloons. And I think the suggestion from another poster of taking your own car and staying at AK are very reasonable suggestions, and ones that would probably save your trip.

 

[MichelleChell]

I feel for you and understand the severity of your allergy and hope that you are able to get in contact with someone at Disney about your situation. However, don't expect much sympathy from posters here. I learned the hard way that ignorance is bliss as it appears that a good number of people who post here have trouble seeing the big picture and only care about what affects them. My DS has a severe peanut allergy and from my past experience posting here about it, I realize that there is still a large number of people who do not take allergies such as the ones we are dealing with seriously/care/realize/or understand how exposure can lead to death. I hate to say it, but it appears as though it's every man for himself--at least on these boards. So please put your flame-retardant suit on, because I'm sure the flames will be coming---for both of us.

That is exactly why I stopped carring to ask questions or say much. Everyone is very sensitive and will flame you at the drop of a hat. I think latex is a sever allergie. So much that hospitals are starting to not use them. So yes I think Disney should take that into concideration and not have it in there parks.

 

[ducklite]

Me, too! It's supposedly one of the most common food allergies. I was told by a chef in the Magic Kingdom on my honeymoon trip that WDW does not use pine nuts in any park restaurant. I don't know if this applies to the hotels or not, but since it is such a common allergen, they just don't use them. I imagine that the fact that they are so expensive doesn't hurt! I wish they'd do the same for peanuts, but I understand that eliminating peanut butter would wreak havoc on the children in the parks.

To the OP, since Disney doesn't use pine nuts, I can't imagine that they would be adverse to eliminating latex balloons. And I think the suggestion from another poster of taking your own car and staying at AK are very reasonable suggestions, and ones that would probably save your trip.

Disney DOES use pine nuts in some of their resort hotel restaurants. They have not entirely eliminated them from their menu's company wide.

The point is that many people are allergic to many things, and if Disney did away with everything people might be alergic to, they wouldn't exist.

Anne

 

[TinkerbellMama]

I think the latex balloons are a bad idea for several reasons:

1. They are worse for the environment than mylar balloons.
2. They are a choking hazard for small children, who are legion at WDW.
3. They create a trash problem when popped or partially deflated, which is sure to occur during the day if the balloons are sold from opening time on (the shelf life is much shorter than a mylar since they pop easily and deflate quickly).
4. Yes, some people are deathly allergic to latex. It isn't the most widespread of these reasons, but it is certainly the most serious.

OP, can't hurt to contact them with your concerns! If WDW has no obligation to eliminate the latex balloons (or peanuts, or whatever else happens to threaten a person's life), which I believe 100%, then neither does anyone else have the RIGHT to purchase latex balloons or peanut butter sandwiches at WDW.

 

[jjarman]

So what you're saying is if my family is sitting on the bus back to the resort and a child boards with a balloon, my family should have to get off; or if we are sitting in a restaurant eating and someone comes in with one, we should get up and leave our meals behind. The chefs at restaurants take precautions for people with life-threatening food allergies to protect them yet it is unreasonable to expect them to take precautions for people with other types of severe allergies. Yes, the number of people that die each year of a latex reaction is relatively small, but personally, I don't want my small child to be among them.

Uh, yes. If I had an allergy as severe as you describe, I would not take a chance. I would get off the bus or leave the restaurant. What else could you do? Ask the other people with the balloon to leave? By the way, my son has an allergy to corn. Should I ask Disney to take out all the soft drinks except the diet ones and most of the fruit juices? Take out all the candy and sweets of any type? Close the mexican restaurants? We just take precautions. Granted, his allergy is not as severe as yours but if it was I would take my own precautions and not depend on someone else to handle it for me. There is too much room for an error which, in your case, could be fatal

 

[TheZeppo]

I don't understand why when someone gives a different opinion they are automatically flaming someone.

Like has been stated, you have to deal with your latex allergy everyday of your life just like other people have to deal with their allergy or handicap. Just employ the same practices you use everyday.

I have to laugh when someone says that Chefs conform to peoples allergy requests so they should conform to my latex request and not sell balloons. If you have a nut allergy and you go into a restaurant and don't say anything, you have no idea if you're going to end up with nut products in your dinner or not. That's why you mention it to the waiter or the chef. If you're walking down Main St. and see latex balloons, it's very easy to just cross to the other side.

Just take the precautions that are necessary.

 

[Schmeck]

Other things with latex at WDW that you need to avoid - koosh ball toys in the gift shops (and the areas around them, since kids play with them and touch other stuff) and the baby changing areas in the restrooms, since diapers contain latex in the lining's elastic (and the rubber pants some kids wear are latex too!) and there could be cross contamination. Also, beware of any of the computer areas, as mousepads are usually latex-backed, so any CMs using a computer could have latex on their hands (some pens have latex soft-grips too, so be careful at the cash registers if you are handed a pen)

Watch out for worn carpet on the attractions, and in the resorts and restaurants, as the carpet could have a latex backing, and the wear and tear could get the particles airborne.

I'm not sure about the audio-animatronics - the skins used to be latex, didn't they? Not sure if they are now, but with them being in constant motion, latex particles could also be released.

 

[snusnu]

Disney DOES use pine nuts in some of their resort hotel restaurants. They have not entirely eliminated them from their menu's company wide.

The point is that many people are allergic to many things, and if Disney did away with everything people might be alergic to, they wouldn't exist.

Anne

Ah, I wondered about this. It doesn't really matter, though, as I always ask, even if I know the answer. Too important to not.

It isn't flaming to have a difference of opinion. Those who have allergies have the same responsibilities as those who have any other kind of condition or disorder. We have to take care of ourselves and make decisions based on our own best interests. For the same reason, all of the rides list warnings. When those warnings aren't heeded, terrible things happen. If you, like the woman who recently died on MS, have uncontrolled high blood pressure, you're taking your life into your hands by riding an attraction that warns against it. If you know you have an allergy to latex, you must be responsible for avoiding exposure. Wear a mask. Carry Benadryl. I personally think that Disney should remove latex balloons as there are increasing numbers of people with these allergies, but latex is everywhere. It would be very difficult to remove it completely.