We got Covid on a Disney trip

[Judique]

You can just as easily contract COVID going to the local store as at WDW. I don't think WDW is any more dangerous then shopping at the local Walmart, it might even be safer.

I agree! That's why nobody has seen me inside a Walmart.

The safest place is at home so long as you don't have a steady stream of people coming through.

The OP doesn't know exactly where they contracted Covid-19. But it's certainly just as possible they got it at Disney as any other place they were on their travels.

The trick is trying to stay away from potential areas or people that may infect you, and if you do get infected, staying away from people you may infect. We can start with the simplest of precautions recommended, whether they work or not.

I've now canceled my 3rd Disney trip but can't wait to get back. I don't intend to go until fall 2021 when hopefully I'm vaccinated along with as many people as possible.

I'm not against people going to Disney. Most can go and enjoy it and keep it alive for those of us who run a much higher risk by going. In fact, thank you for going, enjoying your trip responsibly and reporting back. Just take as many precautions as you can to try to keep us all safe so that we can have our Disney dreams in the future!

 

[PsycProfPlum]

You can just as easily contract COVID going to the local store as at WDW. I don't think WDW is any more dangerous then shopping at the local Walmart, it might even be safer.

Maybe, if you spend 10 hours a day inside your local walmart 4-5 days in a row. My wife and I are just back from Disney (4 day trip). There are definitely times in the parks where you WILL be within 6 feet of people and I'm guessing you'll spend more time in the parks than you do in Walmart in a typical week.

 

[Jen95]

This. Of the handful of people I personally know who have had COVID, zero have had a fever. Small population size, I know, but I do feel it gives people a false sense of safety and needlessly puts the staff taking temperatures at risk putting them nearer people, albeit briefly.

Yes..both of my parents had a mild case of covid and neither ever had a fever. Both lost taste and smell with cold symptoms.

 

[WillAustin]

We spent a week at BLT in July, and a week at BWV over Thanksgiving. Both trips we were in the parks every day and sitting for indoor dining multiple times each day. We were conscious about being careful and staying distanced. We drove across the country both trips, staying at hotels. We had great experiences, and I'd go again right now if I could. It's possible to do everything "correctly" and still catch COVID-19, but the risk assessment should be each persons individual choice.

 

[TinkB278]

Just read an article about a man who died on a United flight from MCO to Los Angeles. He had difficulty breathing and his wife admitted to EMTs once the plane landed that he had been experiencing trouble breathing and a loss of his sense of smell/taste. One of the witnesses on the flight indicated she thought his family was returning home from Disney because they were removing Disney bags from the plane as they left.

This was a big reminder to me that any time you travel by plane or to a destination like this that you will most likely be exposed at some point, even by someone who is knowingly carrying the virus but chooses to board a plane.

 

[PsycProfPlum]

My wife and I are just back from a short trip. We haven't been tested yet, but we've been extremely careful at home and tried to do so in during the trip as well.

The good news is that everywhere we went, guest compliance was excellent (>95%). Even walking in from the parking lot to the parks, people were wearing masks. Another positive was that many things Disney is doing seemed very safe. For instance, ride queues were well spaced and outdoors to the extent possible. Also, the resorts we were in (CCV and BWV) were very quiet with few people and plenty of space. I never felt at risk at all in the resorts. We ate all of our meals outdoors and didn't really feel at risk at any of those locations either (Homecoming, Geyser Pointe, etc.).

The downsides were that distancing broke down quickly in the areas crowds were high and there was no structure imposed with floor markings. For instance, in the Emporium people were not very mindful of personal space, were free to move in any direction, and several people were within easy touching distance. Essentially it's a free for all in shops (except for check-out) and you cannot count on others to be aware of distancing. We experienced that at both World of Disney and the Emporium in particular but also in some of the other shops in the parks (resort shops were much less crowded).

The parks are at 35% capacity which doesn't sound like a lot of people. However, keep in mind that a lot of people-eating attractions and dining are closed (or low capacity) so 35% feels more like 45-50% in terms of the number of people just walking around. 50% capacity is essentially a pre-covid day in some of the parks (according to Len Testa and touringplans). Also, while overall capacity isn't terribly high, people do not spread out evenly across the parks and tend to congregate in the usual particular areas. New Fantasy Land on mid-afternoon Monday was essentially as crowded as it was pre-Covid, maybe more so with the queues taking up some of the outdoor real estate. Adventureland had dozens of people eating Dole Whip (maskless) right by large crowds of people just trying to get to where they were going. Galaxy's Edge and Toy Story land were also quite crowded. I wore an KN-95 mask the last day and was glad to have it.

I'm not trying to sway anyone one way or the other, just trying to provide a realistic preview of what you might experience when you are there. It was a bit of a shock to the system for us as we haven't really been around people much since March. Overall we had a good trip, but it was a bit more stressful just being constantly concerned about distancing from others. It scratched a big itch for us and it was great to be "home" but we will cancel our March trip and rebook for a later date when we are less worried about being around crowds.

 

[anncro54]

I guess if people are worried then maybe they should stay home. It is an individual decision and as a person I would not try to push my beliefs on anyone else. Whats good for me is not necessarily good for the next person.

 

[Pyotr]

Just read an article about a man who died on a United flight from MCO to Los Angeles. He had difficulty breathing and his wife admitted to EMTs once the plane landed that he had been experiencing trouble breathing and a loss of his sense of smell/taste.He had difficulty breathing and his wife admitted to EMTs once the plane landed that he had been experiencing trouble breathing and a loss of his sense of smell/taste. One of the witnesses on the flight indicated she thought his family was returning home from Disney because they were removing Disney bags from the plane as they left.

This was a big reminder to me that any time you travel by plane or to a destination like this that you will most likely be exposed at some point, even by someone who is knowingly carrying the virus but chooses to board a plane.

Can you link the article? I would like to read it and I cannot find it.

 

[choirfarm]

Can you link the article? I would like to read it and I cannot find it.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.fo...t-makes-emergency-landing-msy/?outputType=amp

 

[Pyotr]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.fo...t-makes-emergency-landing-msy/?outputType=amp

Interesting. People normally don’t suddenly die from Covid. If he knew he was Covid positive he should have never gotten on that plane. Maybe he had symptoms (since almost everything is a Covid symptom) but tested negative before the flight? More info is needed.

 

[choirfarm]

Interesting. People normally don’t suddenly die from Covid. If he knew he was Covid positive he should have never gotten on that plane. Maybe he had symptoms (since almost everything is a Covid symptom) but tested negative before the flight? More info is needed.

This story is on multiple sites. United is saying he lied on the form and now CDC is contacting passengers. Now whether he got it at Disney who knows. But this is why it spreads. May have been sudden because big a blood clot. Known complication from Covid

 

[TinkB278]

Interesting. People normally don’t suddenly die from Covid. If he knew he was Covid positive he should have never gotten on that plane. Maybe he had symptoms (since almost everything is a Covid symptom) but tested negative before the flight? More info is needed.

A couple articles say this:
The incident was documented in a series of tweets by a passenger, model Jordan Pope, who said that the wife of the deceased man "confirmed a positive test when talking to EMTs."

Also, it was noted he lost his sense of smell and taste and I think at this point if either of those things happen to you there isn’t much of a question, you have Covid.

 

[Princess Merida]

Yes..both of my parents had a mild case of covid and neither ever had a fever. Both lost taste and smell with cold symptoms.

No fever for my Dad either. He ended up with pneumonia, still no fever and never lost taste or smell. Originally the doctor diagnosed him with a sinus infection. They only found the covid after dehydration and nonstop headache sent him to the ER.

 

[kverdon]

Thankfully it sounds like you beat it with no major setbacks. It does prove the threat is real. Counting our trip in Jan/Feb we have had 3 trips now. Given that we probably won’t qualify for an antibody test and will both be vaccinated as we work in Laboratory Healthcare we will never know. If we did get it, it was on the Jan/Feb trip. After we got back my wife spiked a temp and a bad cough and I felt like I’d been hammered. We did not qualify to be tested at that time as “We had not been in contact with anyone from China”. Even not knowing we’ve felt safe on our two subsequent trips in July and Dec. Granted we have eaten about 50% of our meals in our 1 Bedroom Suite and only grocery shopped at mask enforced places like Trader Joe’s when in Orlando. If you travel smart, I feel it’s an acceptable risk. One thing I have seen in 35yrs of healthcare is when your number is up, it’s up. You could catch Covid and die from it but have a probable equal chance of getting into a car accident on the way to the airport or the plane going down on your trip. Life, especially now, Is full of risk when you leave your front door, you just have to find a level of risk that is acceptable to you and live with it.

 

[sevenseaslagoon1971]

Hope all who have been diagnosed are taking care and feel better soon.

Husband and I returned from a 3-day WDW trip 3 days ago and plan to get tested for COVID tomorrow. No symptoms. We were very careful during our trip and flight. No indoor dining, masks at all times (except when in our hotel room or eating/drinking). There’s still a chance we got it and I’m feeling nervous waiting to find out.

We knew the inherent risks and decided to go anyway. I’m glad we went and Disney is doing a good job but it’s certainly not a perfect system. For those who are very nervous I would recommend waiting. But it’s certainly up to everyone and their own risk tolerance.

 

[DebbieB]

Rumor is Disney increased capacity to 50%. Pete mentioned it on Tuesday’s podcast. With high Covid numbers countrywide, I think that’s risky, especially when the largest crowds of the year are Christmas to New Years.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

Just saying it's also possible it occured on the airplane or in the airport.

I would say it's even more likely that contraction occurred during the travel to/from Disney, rather than at Disney itself.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

Maybe, if you spend 10 hours a day inside your local walmart 4-5 days in a row. My wife and I are just back from Disney (4 day trip). There are definitely times in the parks where you WILL be within 6 feet of people and I'm guessing you'll spend more time in the parks than you do in Walmart in a typical week.

The difference is that, as you said, Walmart is INSIDE. Most of WDW is OUTSIDE. That matters.

 

[choirfarm]

nm

 

[Einstein509]

A couple articles say this:
The incident was documented in a series of tweets by a passenger, model Jordan Pope, who said that the wife of the deceased man "confirmed a positive test when talking to EMTs."

Also, it was noted he lost his sense of smell and taste and I think at this point if either of those things happen to you there isn’t much of a question, you have Covid.

Just saw an article that confirms the man on the flight from Orlando to Los Angeles died due to acute respiratory failure associated with COVID based on the coroner's report. He had COVID symptoms prior to boarding and lied about them to get on the plane. He also had pre-existing health conditions (high blood pressure & upper respiratory issues) and was 69. The airline was unaware and continued the service to LA in the same plane. People also performed CPR on the guy and are now showing COVID symptoms.