Well, my DD (21.5 months) was perfectly fine, or else we wouldn't have gone to Orlando. About 3 days into our trip, she contacted Strep Throat - rare in babies, but she caught it. Because of this, her body became weak, and consequently, she caught Rotovirus, acute gastroenteritis, severe acidosis and severe dehydration.
We are the most vigilant parents you will see - always wipe down with antibacterial wipes all carts, handles, etc.... Extensively use Purell, don't let her touch any toys, only use our own strollers (usually our own highchair, but we wiped down all Disney highchairs with Lysol wipes) - you get the picture. We also don't let her touch any characters, but a couple of times, the characters actually kissed her on the face! The character's outfits harbour a tremendous amount of germs. We also had Wilderness Lodge completely sanitize our room and dispose of the decontaminated linens as she was contagious - they said people hardly ever do this, which was a surprise to us seeing as how she was contagious! We also didn't visit the parks while sick either - would have gone home early, but she was too sick, and it was a good thing too because the doctors told us she most probably would have gone to sleep and never woken up, that's how sick she was! We obviously missed something, and have been beating ourselves up over this, despite the fact that everyone has told us we did nothing wrong.
We are parents who absolutely believe that we need to keep her away from others while she is sick, for the good of others, as well as her own, so I totally agree with the cruises not letting people on who are sick. Based on the extensive testing that she had done, as well as the incubation days, she caught everything while @ Disney, so I would be EXTREMELY vigilant. We are so much so, that my DH and I didn't catch anything - the doctors commended us for that and said it was a testament to our clean sanitation practices seeing as how she was quite contagious with several different things. On a related note, I completely sanitize each hotel room before we enter it as well: phones, remote, lightswitches, handles, etc... Others might call it obessive, but I have a weakened immune system, and consequently have problems with allergies/sensitivities, and she is showing some of the same health issues, so we are as vigilant as we can be, but we can't control other people, and that is the problem.
I would also stay away from the Once Upon a Toy store in Downtown Disney - this place is a breeding ground for bacteria. We took a quick trip through there, and there were lots of disgusting things going on (kids mouthing toys, sneezing on toys, you get the picture). We are definitely staying away from this place next trip - all of the healthcare people said this was a good idea as well!
Not trying to scare you and I know people have differing viewpoints of the whole germ thing (some people on my other DVC Community post have told me to lighten up about it - how can you lighten up when your child is so sick due to other people not practicing proper hygiene?), but Orlando is in its peak season for viruses right now, so be careful. The hospital and clinic (we had visits to both) were full of very sick kids and adults, and consequently we won't be visiting at this time of year for a very long time (we always go in July)!
Be safe, and have fun! Hopefully all will go well for you and your family, Tiger
P.S. The last thing I forgot to mention is the biometric finger scanners. I absolutely hate these things, but I guess Disney feels ticket security is more important than health since they don't provide any hand sanitizers at all. Please use your Purell as all of the doctors/nurses said these things are an absolute breeding ground for germs.
