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Unwanted “souvenir” from The Happiest Place on Earth


Bensmom2
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We go to Walt Disney World every January. (Usually ~10 days). While we are there I keep hand sanitizer hanging  on the outside of my backpack so it is super handy and we all use it multiple times a day. I also carry a package of antibacterial wipes and we will typically use those before eating...sometimes in addition to the regular hand sanitizer. When we return to our room everyone washes their hands and of course there is bathroom hand washing throughout the day. Despite our efforts every single year we come home sick.  We have never knowingly gone to WDW sick but seem to either be ill by the last day or within about a day after returning home.  This year it seems only dh and I are sick but I imagine we will eventually share our vacation souvenir with our son 😏

 

Does this happen to anyone else???

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Yep. Last time we went I had hand sanitizer for each of us. We used it ALL day long. Every ride, multiple times. Every time the kids touched any of the interactive things or the railings. I was super vigilant about it. I also had everyone wash their hands before meals. That was the only time we didn't get the "puke bug" from Disney.

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That stinks. I’m sorry you guys got sick. We haven’t brought home illness from DW, but that’s likely bc we’ve gone in the warmer months. However, we have come home from Great Wolf Lodge sick a few times. Once, my ds didn’t even make it out of the hotel before we were dealing with fever and vomiting. *shudder* I hate being sick on vacation! My guess is you’re likely getting sick every year there bc of going in January. It’s hard to not get sick in January no matter where you are!

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Since as a family, we only went to WDW one time and that was probably 27 years ago, we didn't get sick.  We went to Disneyland twice, the last time was 17 years ago and no sickness.  We went to Disneyland Paris about 15 years ago when we lived in Belgium and that was winter and I can't remember if we got sick.  When we first got to Belgium, we kept getting sick because we were being exposed to European varieties of the common cold.  There are over a hundred varieties and it is one reason people often get sick in new environments.

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Well, look at it this way...  at least you were able to enjoy the trip (hopefully most of it if not all of it!) and didn't get sick till the end.  (And maybe your ds won't get it!)

I don't think when my kids were young that we'd get sick any more often on trips than just staying home doing our normal routine.  But, I do agree with Traveling Chris about getting sick in new environments -- at any age.  We've had family members with mild upset stomachs throughout an entire trip and then the instant we're back home eating and drinking the foods that our bodies are used to, the stomach thing clears up overnight.

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We just returned from Universal Orlando.  We did the same things as you did (wiping down hand rests and tray tables on the plane, hand sanitizer after every ride, trying not to touch anything unnecessarily, etc.).  Fortunately, none of us got sick.  It sounds like you did all of the right things.  Sorry that you got sick!

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We’ve done better since adding adding daily elderberry to our travel routine.   Last winter we travelled 5 weekends in row for my kid to do college music auditions.  We had plane travel in the mix too.  Diligent with the hand washing/sanitizer, elderberry, we had a travel humidifier we set up between our beds.  Neither of us got sick!   I considered it a miracle.  🥳   I think with younger kids it is harder to keep their hands away from their face, etc.  we get the elderberry gummies for travel.  I make syrup at home.  

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1 minute ago, FuzzyCatz said:

We’ve done better since adding adding daily elderberry to our travel routine.   Last winter we travelled 5 weekends in row for my kid to do college music auditions.  We had plane travel in the mix too.  Diligent with the hand washing/sanitizer, elderberry, we had a travel humidifier we set up between our beds.  Neither of us got sick!   I considered it a miracle.  🥳   I think with younger kids it is harder to keep their hands away from their face, etc.  

Can you post a link to the type of travel humidifier you use?

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We went to WDW regularly when my kids were younger and never noticed this, but do you fly down?  If so, maybe it's the plane?  I have adopted very strict sanitation practices when we fly--we all use hand sanitizer after going through security, do a real hand-washing as soon afterwards as possible and, when, we get to our seats, I pull out Lysol wipes and wipe down my tray table, arm rests and seat belt.  We used to get sick regularly after flying, but no one has gotten sick since we started this routine.  My kids aren't littles any more, either, so that probably helps.  Have you ever read those studies about the most germ-laden spot in an airport?  I think it's always the bins in the security lines.  Blechhh. 

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Hey man, that's not fair. 

DisneyLAND is the Happiest Place... Disney World is the "Most Magical Place." 

I'm sorry you're sick 😞

We don't usually get sick after Disney... but we don't do any of the sanitizing. Hand sanitizer destroys my kid's skin (massive bleeding eczema issues). Just regular hands washing. And I'm too lazy to carry around wipes for every surface though I do usually have some baby wipes for quick hand clean up. We also don't drink the water in Floida (we are picky and dont care for the taste, in Orlando I cant even drink fountain drinks because I can taste it). (Though we do in California). 

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I hadn’t thought about picking up germs from the airport, but that is certainly possible. We do drink the water in the parks/resort, but try to keep our eating as normal as possible because we have definitely had tummy trouble in the past due to overindulgence and just eating unfamiliar foods. I will definitely get some elderberry before we travel again and look into the humidifier. 

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I generally get sick some way or other every time I travel.  Often it is several problems layered one on top of another.  Though usually I experience these joys during the trip rather than afterwards.

I think it's a combination of the exposure to thousands of people plus the stress impact on immunity.  Oh well ... it has saved me from gaining weight on some trips, so there's that ....

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2 hours ago, Bensmom2 said:

We go to Walt Disney World every January. (Usually ~10 days). While we are there I keep hand sanitizer hanging  on the outside of my backpack so it is super handy and we all use it multiple times a day. I also carry a package of antibacterial wipes and we will typically use those before eating...sometimes in addition to the regular hand sanitizer. When we return to our room everyone washes their hands and of course there is bathroom hand washing throughout the day. Despite our efforts every single year we come home sick.  We have never knowingly gone to WDW sick but seem to either be ill by the last day or within about a day after returning home.  This year it seems only dh and I are sick but I imagine we will eventually share our vacation souvenir with our son 😏

 

Does this happen to anyone else???

My daughter came back from UCA Internationals at Disney last year with a BAD flu strain that wasn't caught by the shot. The incubation period was just right for her to have caught it there (and I got sick about 2 days later).  

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One place I lived as a kid was near DisneyLAND so that it was a common place for special outings, school incentives, birthdays...     Don’t recall ever getting sick and didn’t use hand sanitizers or even particularly wash hands.  

I wonder if you could be getting sick from something else?  Food? Water? Hotel? Travel? 

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Planes are the one of the dirtiest things ever. I recall watching something at some point that claimed they are never cleaned much less sanitized. They are closed up bacteria incubators, with very little fresh air allowed in.

I'd lean towards something on the plane making you sick, more so than Disney, especially at this time of year.

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