Sick and miserable at disney

wellwellwell

Earning My Ears
Joined
May 17, 2024
Hi I was mostly looking for anyone that can help me find a way to overcome the grief of a prematurely ended vacation. We made it three days into our ten day vacation before our son developed a fever on Thursday morning. Coughing and sinus symptoms swiftly followed. We've been in the hotel ever since and it's devastating. Husband and myself are sure to get sick too but hasn't happened yet. We just wait and worry. This is the second trip we've had that involved being sick and losing paid days of our trip. I don't think we can emotionally or financially afford to take this kind of gamble anymore. I'm not blaming anyone either. It's a known risk to be somewhere like this but the benefits don't outweigh the risk for us. Our poor kiddo.

Anyway, just wondering what people do in this situation and if you can relate at all.
Thanks!
 
I'm so sorry that's happening. Being sick when you travel is miserable, but at Disney just makes it worse.

I took my nephew on his first trip to Disney when he was 5 and he got a terrible earache the first night we were there. This was before there were urgent care centers and I didn't have a rental car, so to get anywhere for pain medicine that wasn't sold in the hotel meant taxi or walking.

The hotel staff were wonderful, they helped me get a thermometer to check for a fever, brought me buckets of ice to help bring his fever down and one front desk person even got some pain medication for us because my sister didn't pack enough.

I helped my nephew by letting him watch anything he wanted on TV when he wasn't asleep, ordering room service and just distracting him in general.
 
I'm so sorry that's happening. Being sick when you travel is miserable, but at Disney just makes it worse.

I took my nephew on his first trip to Disney when he was 5 and he got a terrible earache the first night we were there. This was before there were urgent care centers and I didn't have a rental car, so to get anywhere for pain medicine that wasn't sold in the hotel meant taxi or walking.

The hotel staff were wonderful, they helped me get a thermometer to check for a fever, brought me buckets of ice to help bring his fever down and one front desk person even got some pain medication for us because my sister didn't pack enough.

I helped my nephew by letting him watch anything he wanted on TV when he wasn't asleep, ordering room service and just distracting him in general.
Thank you and so sorry about your little nephew. Our son has a nasty cough and he's finally a little better as of an hour ago. Thank goodness. I know we will get sick too so it's a waiting game. I took a walk around our resort and teared up a little. We spent a small fortune on this vacation and it was a really bad year. This was going to be our escape. Our son comes first so I wouldn't feel right trying to return to the parks even if he does get better and isn't contagious after the next few days. Poor thing. I should have seen it coming but I really didn't. We went last year without any issue. Got covid here sadly the year before that though. It's like deja Vu. Same resort and everything 😭😭♥️
 
Thank you and so sorry about your little nephew. Our son has a nasty cough and he's finally a little better as of an hour ago. Thank goodness. I know we will get sick too so it's a waiting game. I took a walk around our resort and teared up a little. We spent a small fortune on this vacation and it was a really bad year. This was going to be our escape. Our son comes first so I wouldn't feel right trying to return to the parks even if he does get better and isn't contagious after the next few days. Poor thing. I should have seen it coming but I really didn't. We went last year without any issue. Got covid here sadly the year before that though. It's like deja Vu. Same resort and everything 😭😭♥️
One thing you might try if he's having sinus pain is Biofreeze. I know it might sound weird, but it works. I put a little on my hand as a portion and then rub a very small amount around my nose, forehead, etc. It's been a lifesaver particularly because I get migraines a lot at the same time as sinus problems.
 
Sorry to hear about your situation, we’ve been there ourselves. One of trips included two trips to the ER one of ours was so sick. They missed 7 days out of a 10 day trip.

Sadly, it is what it is. Kids (especially little kids) get sick….a lot. We tried to make the best of it and took turns taking the other ones into the parks. We ordered room service (kids loved it), and watched movies. Tried to not worry too much while waiting for the rest of us to get sick.

We also try and take precautions during the trips, still masking in crowded indoor spaces (and on planes), and using hand sanitizer and constantly reminds our kids to keep their fingers out of their eyes/noses/mouths! 🤪

I know it sucks now, but really it doesn’t matter where you vacation, anywhere with lots of people someone can get sick.
I'm so sorry! I ended up in the ER with covid in 2022. They wheeled me out of our Disney resort and it was traumatizing. I have vocal cord dysfunction so any irritation in my throat sets off scary breathing symptoms. I was otherwise okay. Any slight scratchiness in my throat triggers it. I can't imagine an ER visit for your kids ☹️

We did the masks when nobody else was in 2022 and we got covid that year. I don't necessarily blame the masks. It could have been from indoor dining where you have to take masks off. It was just disappointing. We didn't wear masks last year and didn't get sick so I got a little overly confident for this year.
I wish we lived closer to Florida so we could take frequent shorter trips. I'd rather get sick at the end of a trip than in the middle or beginning.

I appreciate your reply ♥️
 
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First, I'm sorry this happened. Second, and this is just my experience, is to load up on Zinc lozenges/supplements and, as nasty as it sounds, raw garlic. Garlic has incredible medical benefits, and it usually cures my symptoms with 1 to 2 days, max (I'll sometimes add honey to lessen the potency). I wonder if you can get a grocery delivery service.
 
This probably won't make you feel any better except in the "misery loves company" sense.....I have some friends who went on a 25 day cruise/land trip around New Zealand, Australia, Polynesia last winter. Including air probably a $40,000-50,000 trip. Third day out wife got Covid. Both confined to cabin for 5 days. Day 6, guess what....husband succumbed. Finally got to enjoy last half.

If he's feeling better but not great, maybe have pajama day, pancakes for dinner night, board game day.....
 
It's so hard when little ones fall sick. I had a terrible case of bronchitis one year. My family forged ahead and went to the parks (I was lucky we were at a treehouse villa so I was able soak in the tub and relax on the deck). Thankfully there are urgent care centers nearby. Hope he's on the mend soon! Go enjoy the parks , take turns. You'll still have fun.
 
The last time I got sick at the beginning of a WDW vacation, DH and I went home. We were able to change our train reservations easily and since we had a room-only reservation, SSR very nicely didn't charge us for the nights we weren't there.

If you have a package, I don't know how that would work out.

I've also been sick at WDW and lasted it out, losing only 2 days and not the entire vacation.

These days I am a serial hand-sanitizer (did this even before covid) and hand-washer and, since covid, I wear a mask in all indoor and crowded spaces. I realize these things might not be easy to do with a child, and also this isn't helping you now.

I hope your child gets better quickly and you're able to salvage some WDW time from your trip. And, as others have said, anyone can get sick anywhere. It's not just about WDW.
 
So sorry your son got sick. That really stinks. Hopefully you and your husband stay well. If he continues to feel better today, maybe try some mini golf or something small out in the fresh air tomorrow. You'll be outside and probably not super close to others so probably wouldn't be sharing germs and might help you all feel better to do something fun together. Hope things improve.
 
So sorry your son got sick. That really stinks. Hopefully you and your husband stay well. If he continues to feel better today, maybe try some mini golf or something small out in the fresh air tomorrow. You'll be outside and probably not super close to others so probably wouldn't be sharing germs and might help you all feel better to do something fun together. Hope things improve.
Thank you. Yes we took a walk where there weren't any people to get some fresh air. We hope to maybe take him to the pool in a few days if he's feeling okay and not contagious. I feel so guilty. He really deserved this vacation.
 
The last time I got sick at the beginning of a WDW vacation, DH and I went home. We were able to change our train reservations easily and since we had a room-only reservation, SSR very nicely didn't charge us for the nights we weren't there.

If you have a package, I don't know how that would work out.

I've also been sick at WDW and lasted it out, losing only 2 days and not the entire vacation.

These days I am a serial hand-sanitizer (did this even before covid) and hand-washer and, since covid, I wear a mask in all indoor and crowded spaces. I realize these things might not be easy to do with a child, and also this isn't helping you now.

I hope your child gets better quickly and you're able to salvage some WDW time from your trip. And, as others have said, anyone can get sick anywhere. It's not just about WDW.

Thank you ♥️ Yes we hope to maybe salvage a day or two near the end. Trying to make the best of the hotel time. Cartoons, husband getting food for us, etc. It's still better than being sick at home I suppose. I get emotional when I see happy visitors walk by our window planning their day.

We were strict about masks and hygiene in 2022 but still got covid ☹️. I agree that it's just not avoidable sometimes. We didn't get sick last year without masks so I became a little falsely hopeful. I appreciate your response. Kiddo seems better. He's starting to joke around and cough less. It's hard to relax when he's so miserable.
 
Hi I was mostly looking for anyone that can help me find a way to overcome the grief of a prematurely ended vacation. We made it three days into our ten day vacation before our son developed a fever on Thursday morning. Coughing and sinus symptoms swiftly followed. We've been in the hotel ever since and it's devastating. Husband and myself are sure to get sick too but hasn't happened yet. We just wait and worry. This is the second trip we've had that involved being sick and losing paid days of our trip. I don't think we can emotionally or financially afford to take this kind of gamble anymore. I'm not blaming anyone either. It's a known risk to be somewhere like this but the benefits don't outweigh the risk for us. Our poor kiddo.

Anyway, just wondering what people do in this situation and if you can relate at all.
Thanks!
When my daughter was younger, she'd often get sick at WDW. And when she got sick, it also affected her asthma. Her asthma symptom is a cough. No fevers though. This is what her asthma doctor told us and what to do: In my daughter's case she thought the mold in Florida had something to do with it (doctor used to live in Florida). When going to Florida, or any travel, the doctor started a regimen of Zytec, her inhalers and a saline spray to keep her nose clean. Also said to shower at night. Get all the "gunk" off of you and your clothes and sleep clean. Doing that helped a lot and made a difference. I always travel with her inhalers and I have RX prednisone if it gets really bad. I'm sorry this is happening to you and your family. Going to WDW is a big expense. Perhaps to go an Urgent Care?
 
Hi I was mostly looking for anyone that can help me find a way to overcome the grief of a prematurely ended vacation. We made it three days into our ten day vacation before our son developed a fever on Thursday morning. Coughing and sinus symptoms swiftly followed. We've been in the hotel ever since and it's devastating. Husband and myself are sure to get sick too but hasn't happened yet. We just wait and worry. This is the second trip we've had that involved being sick and losing paid days of our trip. I don't think we can emotionally or financially afford to take this kind of gamble anymore. I'm not blaming anyone either. It's a known risk to be somewhere like this but the benefits don't outweigh the risk for us. Our poor kiddo.

Anyway, just wondering what people do in this situation and if you can relate at all.
Thanks!
I certainly can relate! We went to WDW every year from 2010 on, and Every Time one of us got sick the day before we were to leave. It never failed. We got the fever, chills, congestion, cough every time. At least we only got it one at a time and on the 2nd to last day before we left.
I know what to expect when going to disney because there are so many people from all over and I'm sure some of them visit even though they are sick. There is no way for disney to keep handrails, etc clean all the time. I am just resolved that this is the way it is.

BTW, we now go to Universal and we have not been sick once. I don't know why, but guess there are many more kids at WDW than at Universal, but who knows?
 
Thank you. Yes we took a walk where there weren't any people to get some fresh air. We hope to maybe take him to the pool in a few days if he's feeling okay and not contagious. I feel so guilty. He really deserved this vacation.
Why do you feel guilty? I have 5 kids who were sick all of the time when they were little. Maybe think about travel insurance next time so you won’t need to worry. You guys should split up and enjoy the parks. Childhood illnesses tend to be brief.
 

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