I have a partially paralyzed lip due to tongue cancer surgery. I drink all hot or cold drinks with a plastic straw. Not having a straw is very difficult for me. A paper straw will not hold up to coffee or tea.
I plan on getting the metal straws, but I question how hot the straw will be with them. I do not have feeling in my mouth, and I am concerned about possible burns.
I will follow Disney’s decision. I don’t want to cause any problems.
Does anyone know if Disney will be selling the metal or silicone straws?
Thanks for your answers.
I have not heard of Disney selling metal or silicone straws. I have heard that straws should still be available on request (except AK); not sure if lids will be. I do know people who need the lid to hold the straw steady enough to drink with it. So, if they can only request a straw, that will only solve part of their issue.
I do know people who have used metal straws. They tend to take on the temperature of whatever liquid they are in - so freezing cold in something icy and very hot in hot drinks.
So, be very careful and test the temperature before putting it into your mouth.
Also, they csn be hard to clean, especially if they are not washed right away using the small brush. Anything sugary or protein based (milk, coffee creamer) tends to be hard to clean off.
I think a fairer compromise to the whole straws debate would be to switch to a type of plastic that is durable in a drink, but will naturally biodegrade like paper and is made of plant, while being made hypoallergenic. I'm sure there's a company out there that's already developing one as straw bans and phaseouts spread like wildfire.
My daughter can’t actully drink with a straw, so I don’t have a direct connection with this. We do travel with a cup she is able to drink from and a set of regular silverware (she tends to bite down hard and has shattered plastic forks and spoons (really an issue if it’s the clear plastic kind).
I’m very active on social media in different disability groups and have read a lot about the straw debate.
Some of my social media friends have been doing beta testing for different types of straws, including biodegradeable ones. All of the people need straws to drink and were successful with regular plastic straws.
So far, none of the tests I’ve read about have been successful. Some were too soft and collapsed when drinking or tore if bitten, some started dissolving enough to get gummy, some were too hard and were dangerous if bitten. Some were too brittle and broke into sharp pieces.
People with many different types of disabilities can use the current plastic straws without an issue, but none of the alternatives (so far) are able to be used as universally as plastic straws.
So, there will be a lot more to come.