What would you do? Would you cancel if son is sick?

[brymolmom]

This is just justification for your actions. Your intent is different when you manipulate a situation, or knowingly adjust a situation in order to suit your needs.

Why do you think the germ level is so high at a place like WDW? Because many ill people go to the parks. As I stated, my child was in hospital while on vacation at WDW. We had the Chief of Pediatriacs and 2 other Pediatricians take care of her from Dr. Phillips hospital, and they told us horrible stories of ill children. And, because they do scientific research over there, they have found bacteria and such that even they were surprised at. They basically told us that they wish more parents were like us, and not gone to the parks, and instead stayed at their resort, cancelled their trip altogether, or brought to the hospital.

Like I said, there is nothing neither I, nor anyone else can say, as you have already determined that your decision is the best one, based on the fact that since WDW is a germy place, what's one more germ!

No reason to debate it anymore, as we all know where these threads lead...

I hope the OP and her family are ok, Tiger

I'm not justifying anything...simply stating my reasons for my own beliefs that do not need to be justified. And I don't think you get what my reasons are since you asked the bolded question and then answered it the way you did.

I believe the germ level is so high at WDW because anywhere that you have tens of thousands of people even if they are seemingly 100% healthy at the time, is going to have a very, very high germ level. I do not think it's because people intentionally go when they are sick. I do think this happens, but I don't believe it impacts the level of germs.

If I listened to doctors with horrible stories of ill children, I think it would affect how I might react. So I can understand where you're coming from. But unfortunately, like I said, I don't think that very kind gesture will really alleviate any additional sick children by keeping yours, or mine, or all mildly ill kids, away. Handwashing might help bring the numbers down a bit. I'm guessing that's what a lot of doctors would say too, although I'm not sure if there are enough studies of places with that volume of people and whether or not keeping feverish people out has any impact.

Bottom line, whether people with fevers are there or not, the germ level is huge so we all need to act accordingly. And I think most of us do as I often hear of people bringing their antibacterial lotion and wipes with them. This thread has got me thinking, however, that the antibact. isn't enough - I think we will be going for full handwashing before even eating snacks when we go in August.

OP - No matter what your decision on this - you've got some of us behind you either way. I hope you are either enjoying your vacation now or nursing your family back to health at home.

 

[ccgirl]

Yes, your child is just as likely to have picked it up from a door handle or the pew at church or the grocery store....And actually IMO MORE likely to have picked it up from that same child at school a few days before the fever actually appeared.

Let me ask those who think we are making a morally wrong decision here....Do you truly think the germ level at WDW comes down a significant level if every person who has a fever stayed out? I guess that's what you guys think. I don't - IMO the germ level is not impacted at all (it still stays sky high) by having these people stay out of the park. So truly it is not a morally difficult decision for me as I don't believe my child is impacting any other children or people. The germ level is so high anyway that their risk remains the same whether the mildly ill kids are there or not. I guess if I truly thought otherwise I would think about it more.

I have a question on the bolded part. So, if you brought your child to WDW with pneumonia and your child coughed on my child while in line or coughed on their hands and touched my child (with a compromised immune system) and he ended up on his nebulizer you really can't see how your child can impact others? Yeah...I know he "could" have gotten it from somewhere else too.

I totally get some people aren't showing symptoms but are still contagious. I just don't get how those knowingly with symptoms can still go.

I just think we are turning into such a "me" society.

 

[katla33]

I think the OP's pneumonia situation and my own personal situation were entirely different.
And for the record... I would have gladly stayed back at the condo with DD while my DH took my other kids to the park or vice versa. DD was up to going, so she did. It had nothing to do with losing money, that was about the farthest thing from my mind.
I think each situation needs to be appraoched individually.
And wow, some of these comments.... some of you are acting as if I took DD up to a group of Wish Kids and let her sneeze on them. Which by the way, she wasn't sneezing. Or coughing.
And for the record.... I never send my kids to school sick and hate it when people do that!!! But I think school and WDW are quite different environments.

 

[mb_uh]

I think it is interesting how much of this is focused on immune compromised kids but I think that a huge group of people at disney to consider are Pregnant mamas- 5ths disease- which may only give your child a mild fever or small rash can cause a miscarriage or serious birth defect in a pregant woman in her 1st trimester (some women might not even know they are pg yet).

I agree that school rules should apply to disney. It is not fair to risk the health of others so you are not inconveniced by illness- being sick it terrible, missing disney is teririble-that is why they sell trip insurance because life happens. I hope that we all would think about others as much as we think aboutselves. Plus how much fun is disney when you are sick?

 

[ccgirl]

I think the OP's pneumonia situation and my own personal situation were entirely different.
And for the record... I would have gladly stayed back at the condo with DD while my DH took my other kids to the park or vice versa. DD was up to going, so she did. It had nothing to do with losing money, that was about the farthest thing from my mind.
I think each situation needs to be appraoched individually.
And wow, some of these comments.... some of you are acting as if I took DD up to a group of Wish Kids and let her sneeze on them. Which by the way, she wasn't sneezing. Or coughing.
And for the record.... I never send my kids to school sick and hate it when people do that!!! But I think school and WDW are quite different environments.

I wasn't referring to you in my post. Sorry if you thought I was.

 

[imthatgirl]

After reading this thread I am surprised everyone isn't walking around in their own personal bubble.

 

[funcinderella]

I'm not justifying anything...simply stating my reasons for my own beliefs that do not need to be justified. And I don't think you get what my reasons are since you asked the bolded question and then answered it the way you did.

I believe the germ level is so high at WDW because anywhere that you have tens of thousands of people even if they are seemingly 100% healthy at the time, is going to have a very, very high germ level. I do not think it's because people intentionally go when they are sick. I do think this happens, but I don't believe it impacts the level of germs.

If I listened to doctors with horrible stories of ill children, I think it would affect how I might react. So I can understand where you're coming from. But unfortunately, like I said, I don't think that very kind gesture will really alleviate any additional sick children by keeping yours, or mine, or all mildly ill kids, away. Handwashing might help bring the numbers down a bit. I'm guessing that's what a lot of doctors would say too, although I'm not sure if there are enough studies of places with that volume of people and whether or not keeping feverish people out has any impact.

Bottom line, whether people with fevers are there or not, the germ level is huge so we all need to act accordingly. And I think most of us do as I often hear of people bringing their antibacterial lotion and wipes with them. This thread has got me thinking, however, that the antibact. isn't enough - I think we will be going for full handwashing before even eating snacks when we go in August.

OP - No matter what your decision on this - you've got some of us behind you either way. I hope you are either enjoying your vacation now or nursing your family back to health at home.

As a scientist myself, I totally agree with you. In an ideal world, anyone who had any germs at any given time would stay home...but guess what folks, we do not now, nor will we ever live in an ideal world. There will always be a lot of germs at Disney; comparing it to a school or daycare is comparing apples and oranges. The avergae daily attendance at the Magic kingdom is in the ballpark of 40 to 45 thousand people vs a school of maybe a couple hundred, or even less in one classroom. And each day you are at Disney, you are exposed to 40,000 or more different people. Statistically, one more sick kid is not going to make a difference. I know if I had a child that is particualrly susceptible to illness, or even if I was just that concerned, I would take the necessary precautions to protect my own child from others' illnesses. I would never just assume that other people are taking necessary precautions to protect my kid; that's like letting your kids just walk across the street in the crosswalk without looking both ways, because the law says drivers should stop and yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk. Guess what, most of the time. they don't.

 

[ccgirl]

As a scientist myself, I totally agree with you. In an ideal world, anyone who had any germs at any given time would stay home...but guess what folks, we do not now, nor will we ever live in an ideal world. There will always be a lot of germs at Disney; comparing it to a school or daycare is comparing apples and oranges. The avergae daily attendance at the Magic kingdom is in the ballpark of 40 to 45 thousand people vs a school of maybe a couple hundred, or even less in one classroom. And each day you are at Disney, you are exposed to 40,000 or more different people. Statistically, one more sick kid is not going to make a difference. I know if I had a child that is particualrly susceptible to illness, or even if I was just that concerned, I would take the necessary precautions to protect my own child from others' illnesses. I would never just assume that other people are taking necessary precautions to protect my kid; that's like letting your kids just walk across the street in the crosswalk without looking both ways, because the law says drivers should stop and yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk. Guess what, most of the time. they don't.

Believe me, I get it. I'm a scientist myself. You are saying one sick kid is not going to make a difference. Again, we have become quite a "me" society. If we all took precautions to keep our sick children home then there would be less germs. Would you agree? Just because a place has germs doesn't mean we should add to it because, heck, they are there anyway so why not just add to it???

 

[funcinderella]

Believe me, I get it. I'm a scientist myself. You are saying one sick kid is not going to make a difference. Again, we have become quite a "me" society. If we all took precautions to keep our sick children home then there would be less germs. Would you agree? Just because a place has germs doesn't mean we should add to it because, heck, they are there anyway so why not just add to it???

Sigh...no one is going to win this argument. There is obviously two camps here. No one wants their kid to get sick, but they do, life happens. Besides, lot of germs around helps build a good immune system. I was always sick as a kid, not seriously, but with colds and such. Now, I am quite healthy and rarely get sick. Must have been all of those Disney germs I was exposed to at an early age...

 

[brymolmom]

Believe me, I get it. I'm a scientist myself. You are saying one sick kid is not going to make a difference. Again, we have become quite a "me" society. If we all took precautions to keep our sick children home then there would be less germs. Would you agree? Just because a place has germs doesn't mean we should add to it because, heck, they are there anyway so why not just add to it???

No, I don't agree. I am not saying one sick kid won't make a difference - I'm saying 1000 sick kids wouldn't make a difference. Yes there might be fewer germs, but statistically speaking, it would amount to an insignficant difference thus leaving the risk of someone getting sick exactly the same. And that is even if you take every person with symptoms out of the park completely.

And it's not me, I've never brought a sick kid to WDW. I don't believe it is shelfish/me of people to bring a child who won't affect the outcome of anyone else's visit to the parks.

 

[brymolmom]

As a scientist myself, I totally agree with you. In an ideal world, anyone who had any germs at any given time would stay home...but guess what folks, we do not now, nor will we ever live in an ideal world. There will always be a lot of germs at Disney; comparing it to a school or daycare is comparing apples and oranges. The avergae daily attendance at the Magic kingdom is in the ballpark of 40 to 45 thousand people vs a school of maybe a couple hundred, or even less in one classroom. And each day you are at Disney, you are exposed to 40,000 or more different people. Statistically, one more sick kid is not going to make a difference. I know if I had a child that is particualrly susceptible to illness, or even if I was just that concerned, I would take the necessary precautions to protect my own child from others' illnesses. I would never just assume that other people are taking necessary precautions to protect my kid; that's like letting your kids just walk across the street in the crosswalk without looking both ways, because the law says drivers should stop and yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk. Guess what, most of the time. they don't.

Yes. That's it exactly. I'm with you. I'm a computer programmer, so think in terms of statistical significance too.

 

[bumbershoot]

Statistically, one more sick kid is not going to make a difference.

Statistics are interesting, but are useless for what is being talked about here.

If I go to WDW and get sick, it's not because of the masses. It's because ONE person coughed on me, because one little kid smeared their full-of-germs snotty nose on the wall that I then leaned on and wiped my face forgetting to wash my hands in between. Getting sick is *personal*. It's coming into contact with just ONE person.


In October '09, DS had been sick the week before our Disneyland trip. I knew he was run down, but he was basically better. We don't medicate unless it's drastic here so I knew exactly where his illness stood (didn't have to wonder how he was doing "beneath" the drugs).

We went, we exhausted ourselves.

He was in line for TSMM, messing around with the chain (there's a chain at one point instead of the "fence" there where people can go in and out if needed), and he slipped. He slipped and slammed his mouth into that chain. It actually cut the frenulum connecting his upper lip to his gums, and at that moment I concentrated on the bleeding.

By the time we got home, he was diagnosed with strep with a VERY high number (they did the longer test to quantify it). I *know* that it was because ONE person had messed around on that chain and had put their streppy little being on it, and I know that he was exposed at that moment.

Statistically maybe there was just that one streppy kid at DLR, and it was statistically nearly impossible for him to run into that one spot...the odds were very low that it would happen. But it happened.

And the last days of our trip were miserable.

It was on me b/c I took a run down kid. It was on the streppy kid that messed around with that chain, though, too.



I just got home last night with DS from a family reunion that was over with last Monday. We went from the reunion to Anaheim, and we were supposed to play in the parks for 3/4 of the day until we caught a flight home on Tuesday night last week. Tuesday morning around 2am he threw up ALL over. We canceled our flight, we didn't use our tickets. On Wednesday my brother in San Diego came to pick us up so we didn't have to have him recuperate in a hotel room, and because CA Screamin' was taunting us when we went outside (could see the scream tube and could hear it a bit).

He missed a week of YMCA classes, it cost us more money for the flight last night, etc etc etc....but there was just no way I was going forward with our plans even though we were *right there*. I was not willing to do it to *him*, nor was I willing to spread whatever it was he had.

After all, he was the last at the reunion to get it (he got it 2 days later than the other last person who got it)...a 24 hour stomach thing swept through our reunion, hitting young and old...in everyone ELSE it was 3 hours of HARD vomiting and then then 21 hours of sleeping and then everyone else was fine. With DS, he was still throwing up on Friday after falling ill Tuesday morning...

DS isn't immunocompromised, but he still got it far worse than the rest of the family...and I don't want to do that to a stranger if I can help it.



With the OP, it sounds like they had something really nasty going around their household. I hope they stayed home just for their own sakes, so that their bodies could fully heal.

 

[disneyandme]

Just checked OP signature and it looks like they rescheduled. I hope you are all on the mend and that it was just a matter of needing more time to recover. Get well soon!

 

[katla33]

Wow, Bumber. That is an awful story.
In all fairness, the streppy kid might not have know they had strep. Years ago, my mom and I kept getting strep over and over and my brother was fine, never got sick. Finally, he was tested for strep and we found out that HE was the carrier, the one that was never getting sick. So you never know!