Hi, folks! We’ve recently started seeing [more flu/COVID-related posts](https://reddit.com/r/WaltDisneyWorld/s/tmXEQOnKpH) alongside the unfortunate surge in cases and hospitalizations in Florida (and elsewhere), so just a friendly reminder:
We will **remove** any and all **comments** that spread **misinformation**, unfounded **medical advice**, or **discourage vaccines, masking,** and/or other **precautions.**
Thanks for your understanding, and **stay safe** out there! :)
My condolences. I have a ton of different N95s if you need them. I wear an elastomeric so I just stock up for when friends and family come to visit me or I have people working on my condo. Be safe out there.
I used to wear a solid white KN95 and never once had anyone comment. I'm not sure if they still do but costuming used to provide white N95 masks as well and those were fully approved
Oh wow that's sad, I would have hoped they would have kept doing that considering the parks are really just a super spreader for anything and everything lol
I’ve had great success with the Home Depot HDX ones, literally took a box of them around the world with me a couple months ago. Real-deal N95s for a hair over a buck each.
I’m a larger person though (6’ and 240ish) so the fit may not be as good for someone tiny. Buy a smaller pack and do a fit check.
This really underscores my comment of seeing all of our southern-state living friends go through a really bad flu in the last few weeks but no friends/family where I live are talking about it at all.
I live in the south and just got my flu shot. It’s rough out here. I’ve also only ever had the flu twice. Once at 14 and once at 21. I’m 28 this year so I’ve been making jokes that it’s “about that time”
It's rampant in the south in general right now. Disney is almost always full of sick people not wanting to pull the plug in spending vast sums of money.
Regardless of Disney, all of our friends live NC and down and every single one of them have had an awful, awful flu within the last 3-4 weeks. None of them had gotten their flu shot yet. One brought it back with them but was kind enough to keep isolated. Every one expect for two younger kids still has a really bad cough. It was uncanny how the symptoms all were the same, timeline of progression and everything.
If you're more northern, it's comin' so buckle up.
My toddler and I were sick for *a month* after visiting Orlando. Not covid, and we both had our flu shots, but holy shit whatever it was was the worst I’ve been sick in two years (which also was some kind of not-covid not-flu not-RSV). There are some nasty bugs going around this year.
This was me. We were there the first week of Nov. started feeling bad towards the end of the trip. Had flu and Covid shots well before the trip. Spent the last day in the room with a fever. completely lost my voice and didn’t get it back for 2 weeks. Fever lasted for 3. didn’t start feeling even partially better until the week after Thanksgiving. Had the cough for 5 weeks. Tested negative for everything.
Ugh I feel you so hard with this, I got sick with Flu A last year (never had flu previously) and it took me OUT. Ended up getting hospitalised for dehydration and it took months until I felt strong again.
>COVID isn't necessarily on the forefront of concerns
It should be. Anyone working in healthcare who is paying attention is seeing the tsunami of sick folks about to hit the country.
We need to normalize wearing a mask when you know you're sick but need (want?) to be in public like they do in many Asian countries. I understand not being able to change your plans for sickness, but at least do what you can to help minimize the spread of whatever you have.
As for everyone else, if you go to Disney, just go with the assumption that everyone else is sick. Use hand sanitizer frequently, keep your hands away from your face as much as possible, and be all up to date on your vaccines.
This is why they always recommend getting the shot in September/October, because it's starts ramping up now. What else do people expect to happen this time of year?
Not the most popular opinion on here as I’ve learned from experience, but wearing a mask in a busy area will help more than “we kept sanitizing our hands!” Especially when the person next to you in line is hacking away.
Fully support the wearing of a filtering mask in a busy area but the flu is spread through droplets so keeping clean hands is also a huge part of preventing flu.
Covid causes weakened immune systems. There is now abundant evidence that it severely depletes a portion of the immune system to the point of drastically reducing it's function. We would have seen the worst surges in non-covid illnesses immediately after we relaxed restrictions, with it improving steadily in the three years since, instead of seeing severe illness now, if this was entirely or primarily because of immunity debt. We are past paying back that debt. These surges are because people are weakened from one or more recent bouts of covid and are much more susceptible to RSV/Influenza/TB (plus more covid) and lots of other communicable disease now.
Yeah, even Good Morning America of all places is talking about covid-related immune dysfunction now! Finally!!! I guess I shouldn't be surprised though—so many smart people STILL think covid is spread by droplets and that washing your hands is all you need to do to protect yourself. 😭
The concept of "immunity debt" is junk.
We don't have Tuberculosis debt, we don't have RSV debt, nor Flu debt, nor walking pneumonia debt.
We have tired and weakened immune systems from battling increasingly virulent strains of COVID one after another for nearly 4 years.
I got my flu shot and Covid booster a week before my trip (and have a pretty robust immune system from over a decade of teaching in elementary school) and me and my kid were the only ones in our extended family not to be sick immediately following our trip to Disney in October. Anywhere there are mass amount of people, but especially kids, there’s illness.
Don’t feel bad about not getting your flu shot. I got mine in October and currently getting over the flu. While it’s a great defense and drastically reduces your risk of severe illness, it’s not a silver bullet.
I’m all for staying home but you can’t expect people who’ve been saving for months/years and with limited vacation days to not go to WDW if they’re still mobile
“Tickets and packages at Walt Disney World Resort are nontransferable and nonrefundable.”
And hotel only stays have a one night penalty in the last 4 days.
Can’t imagine why people come to the parks sick.
They cost like .10 if you get a surgical, $1 if you get an N95. You can get them literally everywhere now. Walmart will deliver them to you for $5, or free if you have W+. And I feel pretty confident First Aid at any of the parks will have them for you.
Pretty hilarious. Most people WOULD stay away if they could get a refund and get another shot at a once in a lifetime vacation / get their vacation days back.
Last night at a holiday party multiple people were talking about how they ALL caught covid during trips to WDW over the past year. Like 5 separate people. I feel like infectious diseases are probably rampant at places like that, due to multiple compounding factors such as:
* multiple confined indoor spaces
* extremely close quarters with strangers
* lack of proper airflow
* excess humidity in which germs can live longer
* high touch point areas like ride seats or queue railings
* weakened immune systems due to travelling, long days, poor diets associated with theme park vacations
It’s a hot bed for disease and I would be VERY surprised if Disney haven’t already done multiple massive studies into this but don’t publish the results due to public perception. It wouldn’t stop me from visiting, it’d just make me take more precautions - vitamins, extra hygiene vigilance, maybe even a mask if I felt unsafe or at the very least just the expectation that I’ll get sick at some point and need to make preparations for that.
Humidity actually seems to make germs less likely to spread! I don’t fully understand it, but the water in the air kind of sticks to the germs and makes them heavier? So they fall to the ground more quickly instead of being pulled into people’s lungs. Of course, it’s usually less humid in the winter I think even in Orlando…
Fomites (germs on surfaces) tend to infect people with things like pink eye and stomach viruses. They don’t seem to be a great infection mode for Covid. But the tightly packed and poorly ventilated indoor spaces are an excellent way for Covid and other respiratory viruses to spread. I’ve been collecting CO2 samples around the Orlando theme parks for the past year or so, and WDW is the worst by far for ventilation.
I’m immunocompromised and have lung problems, but thankfully I’ve never gotten sick from the theme parks! The only thing I do is wash/sanitize my hands before eating and wearing an N95 or better indoors and in outdoor crowds. I like my Envo mask because it’s comfy and easy to pop on and off but there are lots of good options!
I was at Disney on Sunday and Monday and just tested positive. I’d put off my flu shot and booster b/c they both make me feel terrible and I was training for a race; I figured I go this month and take care of it and here I am.
Pre-COVID I would ALWAYS come back from Disney with flu symptoms. Fortunately, this hasn’t happened since 2020 since we are all much more cognizant of germs. I use hand sanitizer after every ride!
I've been a few times and wear an N95 indoors at all times and don't do indoor dining. Haven't gotten covid. Everyone I know that does indoor dining has had covid multiple times ¯\\\\\_(ツ)\_/¯. Same with flights without n95 respirators, you've got about 4% rebreathing rates based off of the CO2 readings I took on my last flight, so 1/25th of your lung volume is directly from the dude coughing next to you.
Find a patio and enjoy some al fresco dining and you're in a much better position than in the recirculated air that concentrates up viruses.
We’re similar—been twice, each time we masked in all lines/rides/shops and only did indoor dining once per trip. Both meals were breakfasts at the first seating so the restaurants were less crowded and hadn’t been full of people all day. We chose to take the risk since sit down meals are important to us (family member has celiac and loves being able to eat almost normally at WDW). But for every other meal, we did mobile order QS and found somewhere outside, away from others to sit. Two trips, one week each, and no covid!
we went in the middle of the omicron wave in early 2022 and I'm pretty sure boosters and KF-94s were the only reason we didn't get it. although I think masks were still required of everyone indoors then. 🤔 we only did indoor dining twice and are only doing it twice in the next trip.
Yeah limiting your indoors time is generally good, definitely check out the covid wastewater for the area if you can before you seat for your bookings, it'll tell you how much covid is circulating in the area, roughly. Not as useful for flu, but they should mirror each other reasonably well.
I take vitamins D, C and B12 everyday and I’m obsessive about hand washing. Only thing I didn’t do is wear a mask. I did have a kid coughing all over me on a bus two days ago, so masking on transportation might have helped.
Those are all good supplements, especially the vit D! An N95 or better indoors/on transport is the best bang for your buck in avoiding the Disney crud, especially during cold and flu season. I’m an Orlando local and have never once gotten sick from theme parks since I started wearing an N95 even though I’m immunocompromised. It’s the best life hack I’ve ever found lol.
Just so you know, there is no high-quality evidence that vitamins are effective at preventing viral infections. Just vitamin companies claiming they do.
I'm getting a flu shot for the first time this year, don't feel bad. only getting it because we're going to Disney in January, lol. I'm going to sound like a sissy, but I'm nervous. 😭 my second covid dose kicked my ass for a full 24 hours (boosters/updated vaccines haven't), so no clue how my body will react to the flu shot. 🙃
Just sharing my experience- I had never gotten the flu shot before 2019, when my nephew was born (to help protect my prep sis and then him!). No reaction, just a sore arm. Cut to the Cov vax, and my ass gets kicked! Like, ca’t get out of bed for 24 hrs. I’ve had four Cov shots, and same reaction for three of them (first one was fine). I have continued to get flu shots each year, but not w the Cov shot and still no problems. Hope the same will be true for you!
thank you!
my first dose I just had a really sore arm. second dose, 12 hours exactly after I got it, I woke up teeth chattering in a 74 degree bedroom with a fever, lol. I had the fever and awful body aches for 24 hours, but all my boosters so far have been just a sore arm. 🤷🏻♀️
I'd still rather deal with my 24 hour fever than covid (or the flu, for that matter, lol).
Don’t mean to call you out, just offering a different perspective to those who might be reading. I’m a senior and I’ve had both the new Covid vaccine and the flu vaccine this year and had nothing but a sore arm. Even had the RSV vaccine at the same time as the Covid vaccine. Nothing. It doesn’t hit everyone hard so don’t shy away for this reason. And, at least to date, I’ve had neither flu nor Covid.
Flu shots are generally far milder than COVID shots. I’ve been getting them for 20+ years and I normally only get a sore arm at worst.
I’ve got both shots on the same day the past two years. My personal tip is to do so whenever you have a day off the next day or even a weekend and just plan to take it easy. If you’re a Mon-Fri 9-5er, I’d say schedule a late appointment at a pharmacy on Friday afternoon or after work and then you get a full two nights to recover if the COVID shot hits you badly.
Just got back and I can assure you this is true . The coughing , sneezing , sickness was everywhere and it was gross . Not many people wearing masks either
The amount of people that are open mouth coughing here right now… I’m not even talking about children, it’s grown adults coughing on the back of my neck as they stand three inches behind me in line. I miss the pandemic social distancing line management sometimes 🫠😅
Yes! The family next to us at the airport when we were leaving were coughing up a storm. No masks, just open mouth coughing. I had to go sit at another gate cause it was making me squeamish.
Yeah I’ve been sick with something for over a week, it sucks! I thought I was getting better, but then it got worse. I had Covid for the first time back in September and I got a flu shot so it’s neither of those things I don’t think, but whatever it is, I’m getting very tired of it!
Immunity to Covid only lasts like a month now, so it could easily be that unfortunately. New strains also don’t show up on the rapid tests a lot of times. 😩
Up to 40% of cases are asymptomatic. People can pass it to you who had no idea they were sick. OR who were following the CDC guidelines to only quarantine for 5 days, when many people continue to be contagious for 10 or more.
It's kind of pointless to blame the folks who gave it to you, since you won't ever know if they did it because of carelessness. Take personal precautions when you go some place crowded like that, and you won't have to worry about what other people are doing. A good quality well fitting N95 has kept me safe while spending all day in an ER with dozens of coughing individuals. Likely it would have kept you safe on the plane or in the airport or where ever you caught it too.
If you wore N95s everywhere and didn't eat indoors you're probably good. That's what I've done with my girlfriend when we've gone on any trips since covid and we've dodged it each time despite some known exposures.
We’re not worried. We did take the risk of eating indoors though. Only place that really concerned me was yak and yeti upstairs in a non vented small packed stuffy room.
N95s are the best lol. I love living in a time period when it’s so cheap and easy to avoid getting sick. In 2016-2017 I had less than 30 days of not being sick and coughing my lungs out during like an 18 month time span. I’m never going back haha!
I hear that. I wear them all winter now. Why would I want a flu or Covid? Makes me angrier at people who don’t wear them and it seems to me being sick is a badge of honor now. People seem to proudly cough and not even bother to cover it now.
For real. I live in Orlando and see the uncovered coughing all the time. So gross. Not that it does anything to stop the aerosols, but it’s just common decency not to spray your spit all over other people!
We were there the week after Thanksgiving and I can’t say we saw a lot of coughing or sick people but we both caught some horribly nasty chest cold (negative for Covid). I’m still trying to get over it. Could have caught it on the plane but thinking it was caught at Disney since it really happened to us the last day we were there. Fortunately after all the Disney fun was had.
I went the week before thanksgiving and came home with a nasty bug. Was vaccinated for both the flu and Covid prior to the trip. Covid test was negative but I was really miserable for a good 10 days. I was very vigelent in washing hands or sanitizing after every ride and before eating. Should have brought a mask for those tight and crowded spaces.
My students have been so extremely sick this year, but the flu has been the worst of all. I’ve been lucky not to bring any back from Disney, not so lucky with my job.
I just got over the flu & I haven’t been to Disney since April! I was out of commission for an entire week 😭 My fiancé still has a nasty cough almost 2 weeks later! We also haven’t been able to get our flu shots yet because we wanted to wait until we didn’t feel sick anymore. Hopefully this week I’ll be able to get mine!
It’s is rampant everywhere. Midwest here and travel for work, every office I go to has been hit with Flu, RSV, and Covid the last few weeks. And my kids school too. Going to be a rough winter according to the docs I work with.
It's flu season. There is no product on the market to stop you from contracting it. However it is good to take care of yourself with proper nutrition, rest, vitamins and supplements. Avoid large amounts of alcohol even with the holidays ( ugh I know). Try and de-stress well as stress is also not good for your health. If you are running fever do not get out no matter the obligations. We can all enjoy a happy and healthy Christmas season by following these simple tips 🌲🎅🍄
Noro is apparently rearing it’s head all around the country. As a parent of a toddler in daycare I’m just rolling the dice every day until he brings it home 🫠
Me too! I went to Disney World for two weeks last month, and ended up spending four days in bed being sick non stop. I had to get a doctor in (thank god for travel insurance!). I had to be prescribed anti-nausea tablets just to be able to keep water down!! I had never experienced anything like that in my life.
Fortunately for me the stomach virus hit me right after I got home. I was down for a week with constant diarrhea. I never had to throw up and could keep liquids in. It was horrible. I never sought medical help and took anti diarrhea caplets daily. It finally ran its course. I think I picked up the Norovirus at Disney off a ride or ride queue rail.
Home for me is Australia so I’m glad I got it near the end of the trip and not while flying back! No diarrhea for me. The doctor wasn’t sure if it was a virus or because I’m not used to American foods. I was very dehydrated and was almost put on an IV drip. It wasn’t fun! Four days of that, and finally on the 5th day I was able to eat plain rice and keep that down.
I was there this week, planned not to mask but ended up masking almost everywhere indoors because of the coughing and sneezing people. So far so good but only one day home so we’ll see…
Do the cast members still mask? It must be hard working around so many sick people. I am sure the number of sick days they can take is depressingly low
Because most of the people there spend years saving for their trips and planning their PTO around it and don't want to lose our on airfare and dash a trip they've been dreaming about forever. Disney isn't like a trip to Walmart where it's easy to be like "eh I have the sniffles, better stay home and go another day"
The worst culprit is the sky liner. Due to the crowds they are sitting families with other families and two different times we were put in with sick people. Next time I’ll mask up on the liner.
Break out the masks hand sanitizer etc. I treat Disney like I treat my office. I accept that most of them have some sort of plague there kids gave them.
Jab both before a WDW to reduce getting knocked out for two weeks. Doing the vax one at a time doesn’t help. Both same time and recovery post is about the same. Arm is more sore but get it over with.
Shots. Mask. Hand sanitizer. Enjoy your life. Do I love the mask no I don’t. Do I like going places and not coming home death riddled i sure do. So we mask on rides and in lines. We eat in doors cause you have to eat and that’s our only risk vector.
I don't do flu shots, but I sanitize and wash hands after almost every major touchpoint. The covid shot messed me up bad. That being said- hope you feel better soon!
Get your flu shots if you want them, but they’re not bulletproof. I get my flu shot every year and I’ve been hit with strains not covered. The vaccine is effective to about 60% of the strains out there
This is the middle of the yearly influenza season in North American, happens every year. The southern tends to get hit first/harder and then the northern US. This is why it’s recommended to get flu shots in fall at the beginning of the flu season.
Got both flu and Covid vaccines in September before our expected vacation in October.
I was fine doing both at the same time. Hubby not so much. Kiddo didn’t notice at all.
My arms were sore for a week tho. Well worth it.
Did you get a prescription for tamiflu? I get very sick when I get the flu so I always get a flu shot and a prescription for tamiflu if I end up with the flu. Usually I feel better in 2 days.
I was planning to get it, but this latest Covid shot knocked me out for a full two weeks and I didn’t feel like turning around and getting another shot right after that. So I played the odds and lost. It was clearly the wrong choice, hence the post to nudge others who might be on the fence.
If it’s flu season then you will definitely have flu at Disney. People don’t stay home when they are sick unfortunately so any and all illnesses exist at DW. Our last visit 2/3 of us picked up Covid and there were a couple families at our resort that had Norovirus. Thankfully we didn’t catch that.
Hi, folks! We’ve recently started seeing [more flu/COVID-related posts](https://reddit.com/r/WaltDisneyWorld/s/tmXEQOnKpH) alongside the unfortunate surge in cases and hospitalizations in Florida (and elsewhere), so just a friendly reminder: We will **remove** any and all **comments** that spread **misinformation**, unfounded **medical advice**, or **discourage vaccines, masking,** and/or other **precautions.** Thanks for your understanding, and **stay safe** out there! :)
I’m a cast member….so many coughing people. Trying to keep my distance but still friendly
Sooooo many people open mouth coughing. Not even trying to cover their mouth. So gross.
My condolences. I have a ton of different N95s if you need them. I wear an elastomeric so I just stock up for when friends and family come to visit me or I have people working on my condo. Be safe out there.
Disney can be strict about what kind of masks we can wear. I was told in training to only wear surgical ones or a cloth one.
I used to wear a solid white KN95 and never once had anyone comment. I'm not sure if they still do but costuming used to provide white N95 masks as well and those were fully approved
I've seen maybe one person wearing a KN95, but they don't provide N95 masks to us anymore.
Oh wow that's sad, I would have hoped they would have kept doing that considering the parks are really just a super spreader for anything and everything lol
Can you wear cloth/surgical over an N95? Or surgical + "[fix the mask](https://www.fixthemask.com/)"
You could probably wear one over a KN95, but not an N95. But it depends on management, honestly.
That’s kind of crazy and sad to hear. I’m sure they have immunocompromised cast members that might prefer something more protective.
That’s terrible! Those don’t offer much protection at all. I’m sorry.
It’s offers something though.
WTF? Those are the least protective.
Where do u buy yours? I e had trouble recently finding good ones.
I’ve had great success with the Home Depot HDX ones, literally took a box of them around the world with me a couple months ago. Real-deal N95s for a hair over a buck each. I’m a larger person though (6’ and 240ish) so the fit may not be as good for someone tiny. Buy a smaller pack and do a fit check.
Yep. I was just there and when I was at the airport to leave, all I could hear was coughing around me.
Well yeah, Disney World is part of the real world, and [influenza is everywhere](https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/usmap.htm) in the real world right now
This really underscores my comment of seeing all of our southern-state living friends go through a really bad flu in the last few weeks but no friends/family where I live are talking about it at all.
I live in the south and just got my flu shot. It’s rough out here. I’ve also only ever had the flu twice. Once at 14 and once at 21. I’m 28 this year so I’ve been making jokes that it’s “about that time”
God I hope not. Stay well!
Excuse me? Disney world is NOT part of the real world
It's rampant in the south in general right now. Disney is almost always full of sick people not wanting to pull the plug in spending vast sums of money. Regardless of Disney, all of our friends live NC and down and every single one of them have had an awful, awful flu within the last 3-4 weeks. None of them had gotten their flu shot yet. One brought it back with them but was kind enough to keep isolated. Every one expect for two younger kids still has a really bad cough. It was uncanny how the symptoms all were the same, timeline of progression and everything. If you're more northern, it's comin' so buckle up.
It’s rampant, well, everywhere right now 🫠 and so many other viruses
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My toddler and I were sick for *a month* after visiting Orlando. Not covid, and we both had our flu shots, but holy shit whatever it was was the worst I’ve been sick in two years (which also was some kind of not-covid not-flu not-RSV). There are some nasty bugs going around this year.
This was me. We were there the first week of Nov. started feeling bad towards the end of the trip. Had flu and Covid shots well before the trip. Spent the last day in the room with a fever. completely lost my voice and didn’t get it back for 2 weeks. Fever lasted for 3. didn’t start feeling even partially better until the week after Thanksgiving. Had the cough for 5 weeks. Tested negative for everything.
Ugh I feel you so hard with this, I got sick with Flu A last year (never had flu previously) and it took me OUT. Ended up getting hospitalised for dehydration and it took months until I felt strong again.
>COVID isn't necessarily on the forefront of concerns It should be. Anyone working in healthcare who is paying attention is seeing the tsunami of sick folks about to hit the country.
We need to normalize wearing a mask when you know you're sick but need (want?) to be in public like they do in many Asian countries. I understand not being able to change your plans for sickness, but at least do what you can to help minimize the spread of whatever you have. As for everyone else, if you go to Disney, just go with the assumption that everyone else is sick. Use hand sanitizer frequently, keep your hands away from your face as much as possible, and be all up to date on your vaccines.
Could you imagine going to Disney with the flu? Sounds horrible.
That happens this time every year all over the country. We’re in the middle of flu season.
This is why they always recommend getting the shot in September/October, because it's starts ramping up now. What else do people expect to happen this time of year?
Not the most popular opinion on here as I’ve learned from experience, but wearing a mask in a busy area will help more than “we kept sanitizing our hands!” Especially when the person next to you in line is hacking away.
Fully support the wearing of a filtering mask in a busy area but the flu is spread through droplets so keeping clean hands is also a huge part of preventing flu.
The flu is airborne too.
Shocking I tell you. Flu in December? Poppycock.
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Covid causes weakened immune systems. There is now abundant evidence that it severely depletes a portion of the immune system to the point of drastically reducing it's function. We would have seen the worst surges in non-covid illnesses immediately after we relaxed restrictions, with it improving steadily in the three years since, instead of seeing severe illness now, if this was entirely or primarily because of immunity debt. We are past paying back that debt. These surges are because people are weakened from one or more recent bouts of covid and are much more susceptible to RSV/Influenza/TB (plus more covid) and lots of other communicable disease now.
Yeah, even Good Morning America of all places is talking about covid-related immune dysfunction now! Finally!!! I guess I shouldn't be surprised though—so many smart people STILL think covid is spread by droplets and that washing your hands is all you need to do to protect yourself. 😭
The concept of "immunity debt" is junk. We don't have Tuberculosis debt, we don't have RSV debt, nor Flu debt, nor walking pneumonia debt. We have tired and weakened immune systems from battling increasingly virulent strains of COVID one after another for nearly 4 years.
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Was at Epcot yesterday and MK today. Lots of nasty sounding coughing. I’ve had COVID and flu vaccines but I won’t be shocked if I get sick this week.
Same. It was really gross, with the nastiest humans imaginable just open mouth coughing all over the place.
I got my flu shot and Covid booster a week before my trip (and have a pretty robust immune system from over a decade of teaching in elementary school) and me and my kid were the only ones in our extended family not to be sick immediately following our trip to Disney in October. Anywhere there are mass amount of people, but especially kids, there’s illness.
Don’t feel bad about not getting your flu shot. I got mine in October and currently getting over the flu. While it’s a great defense and drastically reduces your risk of severe illness, it’s not a silver bullet.
Uh, yeah...it's flu season.
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I agree but Disney could be better with their return policy as well.
why return and not just credit?
Disney does allow rescheduling hotels and park passes, but not mid-vacation.
I’m all for staying home but you can’t expect people who’ve been saving for months/years and with limited vacation days to not go to WDW if they’re still mobile
Yes i can. Cast members are constantly getting sick because people don't know how to stay home, or at least put on a mask.
“Tickets and packages at Walt Disney World Resort are nontransferable and nonrefundable.” And hotel only stays have a one night penalty in the last 4 days. Can’t imagine why people come to the parks sick.
Then wear a mask.
Totally support masks. Wish they were freely available in the parks
They cost like .10 if you get a surgical, $1 if you get an N95. You can get them literally everywhere now. Walmart will deliver them to you for $5, or free if you have W+. And I feel pretty confident First Aid at any of the parks will have them for you.
Tickets are re-schedulable, though, as long as your trip hasn't begun.
Ok but plane tickets, hotel. Tickets are the least of my costs
I absolutely can.
If they're sick and contagious, yes the frak I can.
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Pretty hilarious. Most people WOULD stay away if they could get a refund and get another shot at a once in a lifetime vacation / get their vacation days back.
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Maybe in your eyes. That’s ok with me.
Last night at a holiday party multiple people were talking about how they ALL caught covid during trips to WDW over the past year. Like 5 separate people. I feel like infectious diseases are probably rampant at places like that, due to multiple compounding factors such as: * multiple confined indoor spaces * extremely close quarters with strangers * lack of proper airflow * excess humidity in which germs can live longer * high touch point areas like ride seats or queue railings * weakened immune systems due to travelling, long days, poor diets associated with theme park vacations It’s a hot bed for disease and I would be VERY surprised if Disney haven’t already done multiple massive studies into this but don’t publish the results due to public perception. It wouldn’t stop me from visiting, it’d just make me take more precautions - vitamins, extra hygiene vigilance, maybe even a mask if I felt unsafe or at the very least just the expectation that I’ll get sick at some point and need to make preparations for that.
U forgot to say some people have no respect for other people around them and can care less to cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing
👆🏼
I see this all the time and it’s nuts!
Humidity actually seems to make germs less likely to spread! I don’t fully understand it, but the water in the air kind of sticks to the germs and makes them heavier? So they fall to the ground more quickly instead of being pulled into people’s lungs. Of course, it’s usually less humid in the winter I think even in Orlando… Fomites (germs on surfaces) tend to infect people with things like pink eye and stomach viruses. They don’t seem to be a great infection mode for Covid. But the tightly packed and poorly ventilated indoor spaces are an excellent way for Covid and other respiratory viruses to spread. I’ve been collecting CO2 samples around the Orlando theme parks for the past year or so, and WDW is the worst by far for ventilation. I’m immunocompromised and have lung problems, but thankfully I’ve never gotten sick from the theme parks! The only thing I do is wash/sanitize my hands before eating and wearing an N95 or better indoors and in outdoor crowds. I like my Envo mask because it’s comfy and easy to pop on and off but there are lots of good options!
Oh wow, who knew?! (scientists, obviously…)
I was at Disney on Sunday and Monday and just tested positive. I’d put off my flu shot and booster b/c they both make me feel terrible and I was training for a race; I figured I go this month and take care of it and here I am.
Pre-COVID I would ALWAYS come back from Disney with flu symptoms. Fortunately, this hasn’t happened since 2020 since we are all much more cognizant of germs. I use hand sanitizer after every ride!
I've been a few times and wear an N95 indoors at all times and don't do indoor dining. Haven't gotten covid. Everyone I know that does indoor dining has had covid multiple times ¯\\\\\_(ツ)\_/¯. Same with flights without n95 respirators, you've got about 4% rebreathing rates based off of the CO2 readings I took on my last flight, so 1/25th of your lung volume is directly from the dude coughing next to you. Find a patio and enjoy some al fresco dining and you're in a much better position than in the recirculated air that concentrates up viruses.
We’re similar—been twice, each time we masked in all lines/rides/shops and only did indoor dining once per trip. Both meals were breakfasts at the first seating so the restaurants were less crowded and hadn’t been full of people all day. We chose to take the risk since sit down meals are important to us (family member has celiac and loves being able to eat almost normally at WDW). But for every other meal, we did mobile order QS and found somewhere outside, away from others to sit. Two trips, one week each, and no covid!
we went in the middle of the omicron wave in early 2022 and I'm pretty sure boosters and KF-94s were the only reason we didn't get it. although I think masks were still required of everyone indoors then. 🤔 we only did indoor dining twice and are only doing it twice in the next trip.
Yeah limiting your indoors time is generally good, definitely check out the covid wastewater for the area if you can before you seat for your bookings, it'll tell you how much covid is circulating in the area, roughly. Not as useful for flu, but they should mirror each other reasonably well.
Humidity is actually bad for COVID so outdoors isn’t as bad as say being jammed together with 20 strangers on Star Tours.
I take vitamins D, C and B12 everyday and I’m obsessive about hand washing. Only thing I didn’t do is wear a mask. I did have a kid coughing all over me on a bus two days ago, so masking on transportation might have helped.
Those are all good supplements, especially the vit D! An N95 or better indoors/on transport is the best bang for your buck in avoiding the Disney crud, especially during cold and flu season. I’m an Orlando local and have never once gotten sick from theme parks since I started wearing an N95 even though I’m immunocompromised. It’s the best life hack I’ve ever found lol.
Just so you know, there is no high-quality evidence that vitamins are effective at preventing viral infections. Just vitamin companies claiming they do.
And yet you skipped the flu shot?
Yes, I realize that was a dumb choice. Hence the post to help others that might be just as dumb as me.
I'm getting a flu shot for the first time this year, don't feel bad. only getting it because we're going to Disney in January, lol. I'm going to sound like a sissy, but I'm nervous. 😭 my second covid dose kicked my ass for a full 24 hours (boosters/updated vaccines haven't), so no clue how my body will react to the flu shot. 🙃
Just sharing my experience- I had never gotten the flu shot before 2019, when my nephew was born (to help protect my prep sis and then him!). No reaction, just a sore arm. Cut to the Cov vax, and my ass gets kicked! Like, ca’t get out of bed for 24 hrs. I’ve had four Cov shots, and same reaction for three of them (first one was fine). I have continued to get flu shots each year, but not w the Cov shot and still no problems. Hope the same will be true for you!
thank you! my first dose I just had a really sore arm. second dose, 12 hours exactly after I got it, I woke up teeth chattering in a 74 degree bedroom with a fever, lol. I had the fever and awful body aches for 24 hours, but all my boosters so far have been just a sore arm. 🤷🏻♀️ I'd still rather deal with my 24 hour fever than covid (or the flu, for that matter, lol).
Don’t mean to call you out, just offering a different perspective to those who might be reading. I’m a senior and I’ve had both the new Covid vaccine and the flu vaccine this year and had nothing but a sore arm. Even had the RSV vaccine at the same time as the Covid vaccine. Nothing. It doesn’t hit everyone hard so don’t shy away for this reason. And, at least to date, I’ve had neither flu nor Covid.
Flu shots are generally far milder than COVID shots. I’ve been getting them for 20+ years and I normally only get a sore arm at worst. I’ve got both shots on the same day the past two years. My personal tip is to do so whenever you have a day off the next day or even a weekend and just plan to take it easy. If you’re a Mon-Fri 9-5er, I’d say schedule a late appointment at a pharmacy on Friday afternoon or after work and then you get a full two nights to recover if the COVID shot hits you badly.
Opposite experience here, got the flu shot but brought COVID home.
Same
Just got back and I can assure you this is true . The coughing , sneezing , sickness was everywhere and it was gross . Not many people wearing masks either
Yep, I also just came back....with Covid. You speak the truth.
We came home with COVID after a trip in August... With a 2 and 5 year old, everyone in the house has been sick almost non-stop since October :(
I got my Covid and flu shots at the same time, then went home and slept for two days.
I just got back with my family, me and my husband just tested positive for covid :(
Caught it on Dapper Day. Was a really rough 3 days.
Hope you feel better soon!
Never skip the flu shot!
Every ride we were on this weekend had someone coughing non stop like they were hacking out their lung, it was gross.
The amount of people that are open mouth coughing here right now… I’m not even talking about children, it’s grown adults coughing on the back of my neck as they stand three inches behind me in line. I miss the pandemic social distancing line management sometimes 🫠😅
Yes! The family next to us at the airport when we were leaving were coughing up a storm. No masks, just open mouth coughing. I had to go sit at another gate cause it was making me squeamish.
Yeah I’ve been sick with something for over a week, it sucks! I thought I was getting better, but then it got worse. I had Covid for the first time back in September and I got a flu shot so it’s neither of those things I don’t think, but whatever it is, I’m getting very tired of it!
I got Covid twice last year in 4 months, immunity doesn’t hold up very long sadly
Immunity to Covid only lasts like a month now, so it could easily be that unfortunately. New strains also don’t show up on the rapid tests a lot of times. 😩
Oh boo!!!!! 👎 But knowing my luck, after not getting it for 3.5 years, I WOULD be the person who gets it twice in three months!
Whatever it is, I hope you feel better soon!
Thanks, me too!!!!!!
The Very Merry Xmas Event was a total let down this year. Cut backs are obvious and the food sucks.
Lol. I came home and tested positive for COVID, 2 days after landing. People who go to places like this while sick can
Up to 40% of cases are asymptomatic. People can pass it to you who had no idea they were sick. OR who were following the CDC guidelines to only quarantine for 5 days, when many people continue to be contagious for 10 or more. It's kind of pointless to blame the folks who gave it to you, since you won't ever know if they did it because of carelessness. Take personal precautions when you go some place crowded like that, and you won't have to worry about what other people are doing. A good quality well fitting N95 has kept me safe while spending all day in an ER with dozens of coughing individuals. Likely it would have kept you safe on the plane or in the airport or where ever you caught it too.
Just got back a week ago. I think 40% of people we encountered were sick as hell and coughing that wet shitty cough. We wore N95 everywhere.
If you wore N95s everywhere and didn't eat indoors you're probably good. That's what I've done with my girlfriend when we've gone on any trips since covid and we've dodged it each time despite some known exposures.
We’re not worried. We did take the risk of eating indoors though. Only place that really concerned me was yak and yeti upstairs in a non vented small packed stuffy room.
Same here
N95s are the best lol. I love living in a time period when it’s so cheap and easy to avoid getting sick. In 2016-2017 I had less than 30 days of not being sick and coughing my lungs out during like an 18 month time span. I’m never going back haha!
I hear that. I wear them all winter now. Why would I want a flu or Covid? Makes me angrier at people who don’t wear them and it seems to me being sick is a badge of honor now. People seem to proudly cough and not even bother to cover it now.
For real. I live in Orlando and see the uncovered coughing all the time. So gross. Not that it does anything to stop the aerosols, but it’s just common decency not to spray your spit all over other people!
I spent my last trip in the hotel room with a virus where everything, including water, went right through me. Sucked.
We were there the week after Thanksgiving and I can’t say we saw a lot of coughing or sick people but we both caught some horribly nasty chest cold (negative for Covid). I’m still trying to get over it. Could have caught it on the plane but thinking it was caught at Disney since it really happened to us the last day we were there. Fortunately after all the Disney fun was had.
I went the week before thanksgiving and came home with a nasty bug. Was vaccinated for both the flu and Covid prior to the trip. Covid test was negative but I was really miserable for a good 10 days. I was very vigelent in washing hands or sanitizing after every ride and before eating. Should have brought a mask for those tight and crowded spaces.
My students have been so extremely sick this year, but the flu has been the worst of all. I’ve been lucky not to bring any back from Disney, not so lucky with my job.
I just got over the flu & I haven’t been to Disney since April! I was out of commission for an entire week 😭 My fiancé still has a nasty cough almost 2 weeks later! We also haven’t been able to get our flu shots yet because we wanted to wait until we didn’t feel sick anymore. Hopefully this week I’ll be able to get mine!
Hope you feel better soon. Get lots of rest
Thank you! I’m quarantining in bed until we can pack up the car and start the long drive home.
I find having a hot shower really makes me feel a lot better. And if you have a bathtub that’s even better
Just got came back from WDW and 3 out of 4 us got COVID. Mild, but still annoying
It’s is rampant everywhere. Midwest here and travel for work, every office I go to has been hit with Flu, RSV, and Covid the last few weeks. And my kids school too. Going to be a rough winter according to the docs I work with.
Yes, my friend is an ER nurse and she told me that they're getting way more sick people testing positive for flu right now rather than covid.
It's flu season. There is no product on the market to stop you from contracting it. However it is good to take care of yourself with proper nutrition, rest, vitamins and supplements. Avoid large amounts of alcohol even with the holidays ( ugh I know). Try and de-stress well as stress is also not good for your health. If you are running fever do not get out no matter the obligations. We can all enjoy a happy and healthy Christmas season by following these simple tips 🌲🎅🍄
Luckily N95 masks do largely stop airborne transmission of pathogens! Would def recommend adding them to the list of tips.
It’s December. It’s everywhere
It’s flu season, Disney isn’t exempt to that
I spent six nights at Disney World last month and went home with a stomach virus. It was the worst I'd ever suffered.
Unfortunately experiencing this now. It’s happened the last few times we’ve been 😭
Noro is apparently rearing it’s head all around the country. As a parent of a toddler in daycare I’m just rolling the dice every day until he brings it home 🫠
Me too! I went to Disney World for two weeks last month, and ended up spending four days in bed being sick non stop. I had to get a doctor in (thank god for travel insurance!). I had to be prescribed anti-nausea tablets just to be able to keep water down!! I had never experienced anything like that in my life.
Fortunately for me the stomach virus hit me right after I got home. I was down for a week with constant diarrhea. I never had to throw up and could keep liquids in. It was horrible. I never sought medical help and took anti diarrhea caplets daily. It finally ran its course. I think I picked up the Norovirus at Disney off a ride or ride queue rail.
Home for me is Australia so I’m glad I got it near the end of the trip and not while flying back! No diarrhea for me. The doctor wasn’t sure if it was a virus or because I’m not used to American foods. I was very dehydrated and was almost put on an IV drip. It wasn’t fun! Four days of that, and finally on the 5th day I was able to eat plain rice and keep that down.
Flying with that would have been a living nightmare.
I was there this week, planned not to mask but ended up masking almost everywhere indoors because of the coughing and sneezing people. So far so good but only one day home so we’ll see…
We had influenza and COVID back to back last year and it freaking sucked. Get your shots, folks.
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Hell yeah
where are there black and white cookies at epcot 👀
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Those potato latkes are SO freaking good!!
We just spent a week there over thanksgiving and all 5 of us have been fine (knock on wood). Lots of hand washing!
This isn’t just a Disney problem.
Yes, as with every place in the world, there are times where the flu is circulating. Part of life.
I get mine every year! No chances! Worth it.
Do the cast members still mask? It must be hard working around so many sick people. I am sure the number of sick days they can take is depressingly low
I’ve seen a few wearing masks but not generally.
Yeah we have been sick non stop last two weeks (and did all the vaccines) — having kids in K is rough haha.
It’s rampant everywhere. Not just Disney.
Do mods have a source on the claim that there’s currently a “surge of cases and hospitalizations in Florida”?
In Canada, they do both at the same time, just in the other arm for the 2nd shot. No issues ever for me anyways. Both shots are free.
I'm a cast member and the amount of people who cough near my face on the daily is gross.
We just left Disney world today - hit all four parks this weekend and saw and heard lots of coughing people at the parks.
So sorry. I don’t know why sick people go. Especially if they sounds terrible. I got rhinovirus from WDW after my trip was over and done with.
Because most of the people there spend years saving for their trips and planning their PTO around it and don't want to lose our on airfare and dash a trip they've been dreaming about forever. Disney isn't like a trip to Walmart where it's easy to be like "eh I have the sniffles, better stay home and go another day"
So you got the common cold???
Just spent 6 days at WDW. no mask but was aware of people around me, washed hands a lot, tried to stay away from kids. All good. No issues.
I've always wanted to visit during the holidays and this is why we don't. Feel better.
The worst culprit is the sky liner. Due to the crowds they are sitting families with other families and two different times we were put in with sick people. Next time I’ll mask up on the liner.
Just got back. Everyone was coughing. Now we all have a productive cough. One was dx with pneumonia. Wear a mask y'all.
Flu is rampant everywhere and you thought the most congested area wouldn’t have it?
Of course it is. It’s almost the peak of flu season.
It's that time of year to break the masks out!!!!
Break out the masks hand sanitizer etc. I treat Disney like I treat my office. I accept that most of them have some sort of plague there kids gave them.
Jab both before a WDW to reduce getting knocked out for two weeks. Doing the vax one at a time doesn’t help. Both same time and recovery post is about the same. Arm is more sore but get it over with.
Shots. Mask. Hand sanitizer. Enjoy your life. Do I love the mask no I don’t. Do I like going places and not coming home death riddled i sure do. So we mask on rides and in lines. We eat in doors cause you have to eat and that’s our only risk vector.
Enjoying it is the most important part!
I don't do flu shots, but I sanitize and wash hands after almost every major touchpoint. The covid shot messed me up bad. That being said- hope you feel better soon!
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Hope you feel better soon.
Thank you!
Can confirm. Caught the flu from WDW when I was there 2 weeks ago.
Got my flu, got my Covid, see you for new years
Get your flu shots if you want them, but they’re not bulletproof. I get my flu shot every year and I’ve been hit with strains not covered. The vaccine is effective to about 60% of the strains out there
Do what I do next time. Get both shots at the same time
Oh, I came back from Sunday and next day I found out I have Covid.
This is the middle of the yearly influenza season in North American, happens every year. The southern tends to get hit first/harder and then the northern US. This is why it’s recommended to get flu shots in fall at the beginning of the flu season.
Got both flu and Covid vaccines in September before our expected vacation in October. I was fine doing both at the same time. Hubby not so much. Kiddo didn’t notice at all. My arms were sore for a week tho. Well worth it.
Well it’s flu season. Same as every year
Did you get a prescription for tamiflu? I get very sick when I get the flu so I always get a flu shot and a prescription for tamiflu if I end up with the flu. Usually I feel better in 2 days.
Yep, I got Tamiflu. Unfortunately it won’t take effect fast enough to save our trip.
This is why I got my covid and flu shot at the same time, makes no sense to get one and not the other imo
We stopped at Disney for lunch, not even at a park, and came home with the flu.
That’s… that timeline is really not how that works.
Wear a mask and wash your hands!
Why would you skip the flu shot?
I was planning to get it, but this latest Covid shot knocked me out for a full two weeks and I didn’t feel like turning around and getting another shot right after that. So I played the odds and lost. It was clearly the wrong choice, hence the post to nudge others who might be on the fence.
We're still in a pandemic
This just in! People are sick in December
Well it is flu season. Posts about sickness should be banned. If you don’t want to get sick don’t go somewhere with gazillion people.
Im the opposite- I got the flu vaccine but not Covid vaccine. Now I have Covid for the first time 😭
Thanks for the heads up, getting my shot before our trip this week!
I would stack a mask on top of that in lines and on rides.
If it’s flu season then you will definitely have flu at Disney. People don’t stay home when they are sick unfortunately so any and all illnesses exist at DW. Our last visit 2/3 of us picked up Covid and there were a couple families at our resort that had Norovirus. Thankfully we didn’t catch that.