Vaccine not approved for kids yet... would you still travel?

[ottawamom]

I would not travel with unvaccinated children if I was vaccinated myself. Children have a lot longer to live than I do and we don't yet know what the longer term complications may be from having contracted Covid as a child. The unknown risk is too great (for me) for the reward of a weeks vacation.

 

[martikus]

We have been really cautious but yes we plan to travel once adults are vaccinated. My 14 year old has a better chance of catching it in school.

I worry about long term covid effects so just because it doesn’t effect kids much now I worry he gets and what happens down the road.

He will double mask on the plane and we will
Still ensure we eat outside etc, but yes we will proceed as one year home was one thing. 2-3 years is not reasonable when we have so few left with him. This summer we plan to fly to visit parents in Maine.

That said I am not 100% sure about a cruise yet since it can be a Petri dish in normal times. If they require all 16+ vaccinated maybe. We are booked for may 2022 so plenty of time to cancel if needed.

 

[DisDee1982]

So here's the thing though... this is never going to be over. I mean yes, the urgency of the pandemic will end some day, but Covid is going to be with us forever, per the forecast. They expect it will become a seasonal issue like influenza, requiring an annual vaccine, and that we may see pocket epidemics.



I think 12+ will be available, but I don't think anyone is predicting under 12 being available that soon unfortunately since they are literally JUST starting to trial children in the 5-11 range. Trials in children take longer than adults.


As for the original question... it will basically depend on case numbers. If they're low, then yes. We'll be driving to Florida anyways, so much less risk that way, and they would absolutely be willing to wear a mask when in line/indoors (assuming masks are no longer required by the time we travel), and the risk of outdoor transmission in Florida in summer is extremely low.

I agree... There is no “when this is all over” - we will live with Covid now. So I don’t align with the argument that “Disney will still be there”. If I wait too long, yes Disney will be there, Covid will still be here... but my kids won’t be young anymore!
I already regret not going over the last year (we cancelled 3 trips and would have gone the last time if it weren’t for the hotel quarantine). From a health and safety standpoint I would feel comfortable taking my unvaccinated children and being vigilant while at Disney. From a logistical standpoint I’m not sure how to navigate travel. We could definitely isolate at home for 2 weeks, but cannot afford to isolate the whole family at a hotel. How long do we see this being a requirement.?
Any predictions on land border opening?

 

[bababear_50]

DisDee1982
Careful Hon
Last few threads which strayed onto Border topics got the thread closed/locked.

Regards
Mel

 

[spiffgirl101]

We have a cruise booked for next April. If my son (12) is not vaccinated we will still travel, but only if the need to quarantine after travel has been removed. I am hoping that by then the appropriate number of vaccines have been administered that the health experts say there is herd immunity to the virus. I believe about 70% of people need to be vaccinated?

 

[Gigi22]

Anyone else feeling sorry for all the poor folks at Health Canada who have to review each vaccine, pass them under incredible stress, and then hope like heck that the vaccine producer can actually deliver it? And repeat.

 

[MMSM]

When you and your adult family members are fully vaccinated... would you still consider traveling if the kids cannot get it yet? I think it would be challenging for any parent to make that decision. Since I have kids, I don't think I will be able to return to WDW with them until they can get the vaccines too. So it is almost for sure that 2021 is a no for us.

Yes and I am in a couple weeks.

 

[Aladora]

Yes and I am in a couple weeks.

While I would LOVE to be able to travel again, the mandatory hotel quarantine after coming home is a deal breaker.

Edited to add a question I was wondering about!

Do you have to make the arrangements with the quarantine hotel yourself or do they pick one for you when you come back to Canada?

 

[Minniemoo15]

I am very much hoping my two girls (6 and 8) can be vaccinated, even if partially, before our planned trip next March. If they can’t be, but cases are low - we will still go assuming the border is open and we are able. We usually travel every March and flu season is always a concern but it’s a calculated risk we take. Considering kids rarely get severely ill and all the adults will have had the opportunity to be vaccinated I feel better.

I am wondering if maybe they will do a modified quarantine for unvaccinated people ,something like 5-7 days and negative test? We would make that work for the kids if we had to.

If cases are still high or non essential travel still discouraged, we will wait until our girls are vaccinated as well and push our trip to summer 2022. The florida heat in July is not my favourite but if that’s the soonest we are able to go we will do that.

ETA: just wanted to be clear that I am not comparing COVID to the flu - simply noting that I read horror stories each year of children being hospitalized etc with the flu yet we weigh the risks and choose to travel ... so we will do the same in 2022. We will weigh the risks with COVID, considering the situation at the time and make a decision from there.

 

[MoreTravels]

I would not travel with unvaccinated children if I was vaccinated myself. Children have a lot longer to live than I do and we don't yet know what the longer term complications may be from having contracted Covid as a child. The unknown risk is too great (for me) for the reward of a weeks vacation.

I share the same fear as you. There is this condition kids can get from COVID... known as MIS-C

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/children/mis-c.html

Unfortunately, even CDC admits "CDC is still learning about MIS-C and how it affects children, so we don’t know why some children have gotten sick with MIS-C and others have not. We also do not know if children with certain health conditions are more likely to get MIS-C. These are among the many questions CDC is working to try to understand."

From a parent point of view, I may feel guilty if my child is not vaccinated but gets sick with MIS-C. That guilt may be lifelong.

From a child's point of view, he or she may blame the parents for being selfish and taking risk when only they are protected. Even with a full recovery of that child, he or she may have lifelong resentment and irreparable gap with the parents.

So I think it would be a very difficult decision for me to make.

 

[Tattylou]

The other adult in my house won’t get a vaccine, so I’m the only one vaccinated here. I booked Feb 2022 for WDW, so hoping by then travel feels safe.

Sincs I’m fully vaccinated, I’d personally go right on a trip right now, but the travel quarantine is a hassle and my family isn’t vaccinated.

 

[shaunacb]

You all have me thinking about changing our fall family trip to adults-only (both of us will be vaccinated), but we would only go if the quarantine requirement was removed. I’m not worried about severe COVID19 illness in my healthy kids (similar to Minniemoo15, we travel in influenza and norovirus season all the time and accept those small risks), however one thing I hadn’t really considered is the logistical issue if one of my kids actually gets COVID in WDW and we can’t travel home on a plane. Sounds like it could be stressful if they get symptoms or there is still required testing and they test positive. We’ve never been to Epcot in the fall - what’s Food & Wine like for a short adult trip? How is F&W different than regular Epcot?

 

[mshanson3121]

Do you have to make the arrangements with the quarantine hotel yourself or do they pick one for you when you come back to Canada?

No. They essentially have an internment camp set up. You are told what hotel to call, do so, and then are taken by security to your room.

 

[Minniemoo15]

No. They essentially have an internment camp set up. You are told what hotel to call, do so, and then are taken by security to your room.

I’m not sure that is entirely true..you are given the choice of several hotels to book from in the area. You are allowed to drive yourself to check in if you have parked at the airport or walk yourself if in walking distance. Many of the hotels are even providing private transport as part of their package.

It is certainly not ideal nor conducive to non-essential travel, but we had looked into it for an international work trip we thought Dh would have to take. Luckily he didn’t end up having to travel but it was overall much less rigid than I had thought it was or the media made it out to be initially. An article I read this week of a man going through the process said he was allowed to order uber eats, go on 15 min outdoor wellness walks, and had his results within 24 hours. Doesn’t sound too terrible if you absolutely have to travel internationally.

 

[Minniemoo15]

You all have me thinking about changing our fall family trip to adults-only (both of us will be vaccinated), but we would only go if the quarantine requirement was removed. I’m not worried about severe COVID19 illness in my healthy kids (similar to Minniemoo15, we travel in influenza and norovirus season all the time and accept those small risks), however one thing I hadn’t really considered is the logistical issue if one of my kids actually gets COVID in WDW and we can’t travel home on a plane. Sounds like it could be stressful if they get symptoms or there is still required testing and they test positive. We’ve never been to Epcot in the fall - what’s Food & Wine like for a short adult trip? How is F&W different than regular Epcot?

That’s a good point...sick kids out of country in covid era is not for the faint of heart. My daughter got sick while we were in PEI last summer. It wasn’t even COVID symptoms but I was absolutely panicked about being out of province during this time while she was sick. Would she need to test ? Would we have to quarantine ? Would we have to deal with out of province Medicare ? Would they allow us back into NB? We were only 3 hours from home but I made us pack up in the middle of the night and book it home. It made me realize I wouldn’t want to be dealing with that out of country. However - the world was very much on edge back then which caused me to be on edge for a simple stomach bug ... maybe once the vaccines are more widely distributed the world will return to a sense of calm and I will feel more comfortable. It’s something to think about for sure though.

 

[mshanson3121]

Nm

 

[Minniemoo15]

Yes, there is a list to choose from, but you aren't allowed to drive yourself or walk. You're escorted by security and they deliver your car at the end.

That is not true. Right from the Government of Canada’s website:

How do I get to the hotel?
One of the hotel's main responsibilities will be to safely transport travellers from the airport to the hotel. This is done either though appropriate transportation from airport to hotel or by providing parking for travellers arriving by private vehicle.

 

[mshanson3121]

That is not true. Right from the Government of Canada’s website:

How do I get to the hotel?
One of the hotel's main responsibilities will be to safely transport travellers from the airport to the hotel. This is done either though appropriate transportation from airport to hotel or by providing parking for travellers arriving by private vehicle.

Yes...I deleted my post. There has been a lot of miscommunication as many had reported you're not allowed to drive yourself.

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

While my husband and I plan to get the vaccine ourselves (likely) I am more hesitant at this point to vaccinate my kids. I think vaccines are safe, my children have been vaccinated according to the health Canada schedule. However, I worry about long term effects of a vaccine approved for emergency use, our paediatrician who is very pro vaccination is saying he’s not sure yet how he feels about the covid vaccine for kids. Kids in general are more at risk from seasonal influenza and I know lots of people don’t give their kids flu shots. I’m not saying no for sure but to answer the OP question, yes we would travel with unvaccinated kids as long as the pandemic was declared over and we have achieved herd immunity in North America.

 

[TammyLynn33]

Being vaccinated stops you from getting really sick, at this point it is unclear how much transmission it stops . So couldn’t you go away , come home and quarantine in the house with your kids and pass it on ? Or are you thinking quarantine away from them after you return.
Personally I would feel worse if I brought it back with me and passed it on to them after not taking them ..
And I might manage being away from the kids for a week, but not a week plus quarantine time .
Everyone needs to do what’s right for them, I find these posts no matter what is posted hard to not come across as judgey because we all have different comfort levels, risk factors etc But we all can agree on more than anything we all love our kiddos and would hate to see them get sick .