Tips to share on not getting Covid while at WDW?

[cutie_dinokun]

Hi everyone! We are leaving for WDW in less than a month. We are a bit worried due to the recent rise of Covid cases in Florida. I’m wondering if anyone is kind enough to share some tips with us without being judgemental ? We are both fully vaxxed and boosted. We do not mind wearing masks at all even if it means getting rude remarks from others. I’m especially hoping to hear tips from someone who just recently came back from Orlando without getting Covid. Thank you .

 

[Jennasis]

The only way to not get it is to not go. There is a whole thread a little ways down about masks and such as well as recently returned folks who describe taking no precautions to taking every precaution and still catching Covid.

We wore masks indoors, on any ride or line or when in any crowd indoors or outdoors, avoided public transit, and ate all meals but 2 outside. Neither DH nor I got sick. We are vaxxed and boosted.

If you plan to mask up, get a mask lanyard. Was a big help.

 

[GusGus77]

You can do everything with caution and still catch it. The only way to prevent it is to never leave your house. My family was all boosted, almost always wore masks in indoor locations (my tween/teen children did occasionally see other kids for play dates at houses without masks, but are homeschooled,) avoided large groups even outdoors, and we still all got it about a month ago.

 

[kanerf]

I on the other hand while fully vaccinated including both boosters and only wearing a mask when mandated to do so, have never caught COVID. I have been to WDW 6 times since the parks re-opened in 2020.

 

[DeeBee3]

Agree with all of the above. It's a total roll of the dice, IMO. You can read the stories on the threads here. Only people I know who ever got covid were recently this year and they were all full vaxxed and boosted. Also people who were very cautious and stringent about group gatherings and masking. You just don't know.

I, on the other hand, was in a hospital room with another patient who eventually tested positive and I never caught it. She was coughing all over the place and I had a gut feeling something was wrong, but it took a few days for her to test positive and for them to move me. Who knows!

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

Hi everyone! We are leaving for WDW in less than a month. We are a bit worried due to the recent rise of Covid cases in Florida. I’m wondering if anyone is kind enough to share some tips with us without being judgemental ? We are both fully vaxxed and boosted. We do not mind wearing masks at all even if it means getting rude remarks from others. I’m especially hoping to hear tips from someone who just recently came back from Orlando without getting Covid. Thank you .

We went in July of ‘21, Christmas of ‘21, February of ‘22 & April of ‘22. We did not get Covid, and have never had Covid. We:
1. Wore a mask indoors at **all** times; (N95’s or well-fitting KN-95’s).
2. Wore a mask outdoors if stuck in a crowd;
3. Ate all our meals outdoors or in our room;
4. Did not use an airplane;
5. Carried around antibacterial hand wipes and wiped everyone’s hands after every ride;
6. We did not take the buses, and preferred the ferry to the monorails where possible;
7. Carried around Clorox wipes and wiped down toilet seats, flushers, and door locks when using the bathroom;
8. We did not do indoor shows.
9. We bypassed the stretching room on Haunted Mansion.

We had a great time every trip. Good luck!

 

[mom2rtk]

The only way to not get it is to not go.

This. ^^^

 

[bluedolphin32]

Something not mentioned yet would be to boost your vitamin D levels.

 

[PalmettoPath]

We were there in August 2021 during Delta and again in March 2022 during Omicron. We wore N95s whenever around crowds. No indoor dining and no long ride lines (we never wait in any line longer than 20-30 mins anyway). No one contracted covid. We're back in August, December and then March (our next three booked). So for us, the N95s did their job. We've avoided covid so far, so may as well keep it at bay as long as we can.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Given how incredibly contagious the current strains are and how good they are at evading vaccines, I think we're officially at the point where it's unrealistic to believe that you can avoid it with precautions. Even if you do everything right, the people around you absolutely aren't. Prevention measures won't work if others aren't masking and distancing, too.

My daughter brought it home last month. She never spiked a fever, never felt sick, I only tested her because her cough sounded a little worse than typical seasonal allergies and I had a feeling. Her two sisters subsequently tested positive with even milder coughs that would not have even registered for me if not for knowing we had a positive in the house. I'm SURE other folks with similar symptoms would have remained out in the world throughout the course of their illness thinking their allergies had just kicked up a bit.

Your best bet for travel right now is to have tests on hand and a plan for what you'll do if you need to isolate. At least now, with the period reduced to five days, it's not as significant a disruption to your life when it does come calling.

And, to be clear, I'm not saying everyone is going to get covid. Heck, I had three contagious little girls crying directly into my face and didn't get it despite multiple PCRs to confirm. I just think, at this point, we're all getting exposed and it's as much luck as anything else whether your vaxxed, boosted immune system is able to kick it before it takes a foothold.

 

[PalmettoPath]

The only way to not get it is to not go. There is a whole thread a little ways down about masks and such as well as recently returned folks who describe taking no precautions to taking every precaution and still catching Covid.

We wore masks indoors, on any ride or line or when in any crowd indoors or outdoors, avoided public transit, and ate all meals but 2 outside. Neither DH nor I got sick. We are vaxxed and boosted.

If you plan to mask up, get a mask lanyard. Was a big help.

"The only way to not get it is to not go." That is not the only way not to get it, as we know many people who have visited without catching covid. It might be the only way to guarantee you won't get it at WDW, but that's not the question at hand. We've been twice (two week-long trips) in the past nine months and no one has caught covid. N95 masks whenever we're around people. No indoor dining. Other common sense avoidance protocols. We had great times both trips and have three more weeks booked in the coming 10 months. So for us, the N95s seem to be doing their job, along with avoiding close contact and crowds. We go a lot, so we can avoid situations that others may not want to avoid if they go less frequently and are running hard in the parks. But you can certainly visit and not catch covid.

 

[Mango7100]

We went May 21, July 21, March 22, April 22, and May 22. Our last trip was the end of our luck as I tested positive 2 days after our WDW stay. We drive down, wear KN95 masks indoors (including bathrooms and hotel), drive to parks, and take the ferry from TTC to MK. We did eat indoors March and April trips a total of 3 meals. May 22 we only ate outside. While we would wear masks in some crowded outdoor situations previously, we did not wear them outside at all on our last trip. We do not watch the MK fireworks in front of the castle (more because we don’t like Enchantment ). I have no idea where I got it. The only part in hindsight I can maybe pin down was on the Kilimanjaro Safari the guy seated behind me was wearing a mask (only guy in our vehicle) but coughing a lot and kept pulling it down to drink water. I was not wearing one. We do bring our own hand sanitizer and rapid tests just in case.

I know several families recently who had been to WDW in the last 3 weeks and tested positive 2-3 days after returning home. Even with all our precautions I still got it for the first time, and then gave it to my husband. DH and I are 8 months past our booster since we do not qualify for a second booster at this time. DD9 never got it (she is vaccinated and we tested her multiple times). If you go now, be prepared to have someone test positive in your family. If they don’t, it’s a pleasant surprise.

My symptoms were mild, head cold type For 4 days. When I tested myself I had a headache the night before and woke up with a dry but not sore throat. Precovid I would have 100% never thought I was sick and would have kept going about my day. I think there are a lot of people with it that are chalking it up to allergies.

 

[martikus]

I don’t think you can avoid it anymore. It’s too contagious and too many people acting like Covid is gone. The best you can do is be vaccinated and boosted to give best chance. I decided after 2 years I don’t want to miss out on memories with my high schooler so we just got back from universal where I did in fact get Covid. Still glad I went and made memories. I’ve been very fortunate with super mild case.

My husband caught it last month and while very mild got dehydrated and fainted in shower resulting in 2 day hospital stay.

So I know how serious this is. But since the world seems to have decided we have to live with Covid I really don’t know what else we can do.

The only true way to avoid is to not go. But life is short and there are memories to be made.

 

[Mrs.AMC]

"The only way to not get it is to not go." That is not the only way not to get it, as we know many people who have visited without catching covid. It might be the only way to guarantee you won't get it at WDW, but that's not the question at hand. We've been twice (two week-long trips) in the past nine months and no one has caught covid. N95 masks whenever we're around people. No indoor dining. Other common sense avoidance protocols. We had great times both trips and have three more weeks booked in the coming 10 months. So for us, the N95s seem to be doing their job, along with avoiding close contact and crowds. We go a lot, so we can avoid situations that others may not want to avoid if they go less frequently and are running hard in the parks. But you can certainly visit and not catch covid.

I agree it’s not the only way not to get it. So it doing nothing special
We’ve gone on trips all over the US, went to hundreds of sporting events between season tickets for football, basketball and baseball seasons. Been to concerts, flown on airplanes. I’ve continued to work in an office environment and never masked unless required to and then never with a 95 type.
We’ve never caught Covid. We’ve even had antibody tests. We are positive we’ve never had it.

 

[FtW Mike]

As previously stated , the only way to ensure you don't get Covid at WDW is to not go there. That doesn't mean you wont get it someplace else.
Whatever precautions you take at home is what I would take it at WDW. If special precautions are mandated by local authorities comply with them.
Remember WDW is a destination for others from around the WORLD. Not everywhere has the same vaccines and infection rates and soon international travelers will NOT be required to prove a Negative status apon entering the country.

 

[Anthony1971]

Personally if I were concerned I would not go. A vacation shoukd be stress free if it causes you stress go when you feel comfortable.

At Disney we only wore masks when we had to which was indoors only we did wash and use hand hand sanitizer that every ride had dispensers for. The covid rate was far higher when we went. We did get covid in a state with stricter rules. Come into close contact and the rest is history no matter what you do.

 

[Smugpugmug]

I agree with the other posters in that your best bet would be to not go. But you could also get Covid from your local grocery store or anywhere else. Even if you don't get Covid at WDW, you could get any sort of sickness. I did trips to WDW September 2021, February 2022 and May 2022 and I did not get Covid during any of those times, however I did come back with a cold on the May trip (I have all of the vaccines and boosters that are available for my age group).

On the latest trip I wore a mask on the flight to and from Orlando, at the airports and on all Disney transportation as they really do pack you into those busses like sardines. There were moments where I would be sitting and the people standing were so close to me that they were practically sitting on my lap. Absolutely no one said anything when I wore a mask so I would not be worried about that. Do be aware that there is absolutely zero social distancing at WDW. It's business as usual at the parks. I also bring my own hand sanitizer since all of the dispensers were empty and I sanitized my hands after every single ride. I brought wipes for the plane where I wiped down the arm rests, seat belt and tray table.

I did notice a lot of people with heavy coughing, as if they were nearly gagging so people are definitely going to WDW despite being sick.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

"The only way to not get it is to not go." That is not the only way not to get it, as we know many people who have visited without catching covid. It might be the only way to guarantee you won't get it at WDW, but that's not the question at hand. We've been twice (two week-long trips) in the past nine months and no one has caught covid. N95 masks whenever we're around people. No indoor dining. Other common sense avoidance protocols. We had great times both trips and have three more weeks booked in the coming 10 months. So for us, the N95s seem to be doing their job, along with avoiding close contact and crowds. We go a lot, so we can avoid situations that others may not want to avoid if they go less frequently and are running hard in the parks. But you can certainly visit and not catch covid.

Yeah, this. You can reduce your risks at WDW but not eliminate them, but that still doesn’t mean you shouldn’t reduce your risks. You should also have a plan for what to do if you or someone in your party gets sick.

 

[cutie_dinokun]

Thank you so much to the kind hearts that took the time to share their tips and advices without being judgemental . They are all very helpful and we will for sure keep them in mind .

 

[VandVsmama]

Some ideas to consider:

• wear a mask everywhere indoors.
• only eat outside.
• rent a car and don't use WDW transportation.
• take 3000 mg/day of Vitamin C.
• take extra Vitamin D.
• do the above 2 consistently for a couple of weeks before the trip and during trip.
• wipe down door handles and all surfaces in your hotel room upon arrival.
• every time upon entering hotel room, everybody takes shoes off and leaves by door.
• try to limit exposure to people for 2 wk before trip.
• wear mask everywhere indoors for 2 wk before trip.
• avoid night time shows, which will involve standing elbow to elbow with thousands of other people, all of whom won't be wearing masks.