What do you do if you have a bad cold the day you leave?

[ChicagoJ]

H and our kindergartener and I all have bad head colds right now and it got me thinking...what do we do if we’re sick the day we leave for WDW? We’re going end of November. It’s our first trip. Do you do anything special leading up to the trip to try to prevent illness? The thought of spending all our time sick in a pricey hotel, well, makes me sick!

 

[Moms]

Just take the usual precautions as you would anytime. If a bad head cold comes your way again then suck up some Dayquil and go! Not much else can be done.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Moved this to the Disney World Tips board.

For me.... a good probiotic.... vitamin C supplements.... eat lots of leafy greens / spinach / kale... hand washing... etc.

I more or less do that stuff anyway, but if I have a big winter/cold season trip coming up I do try to be extra mindful of eating well in the weeks leading up to the trip. Not to be earthy/crunchy, but a happy gut = better primed immune system to fight off stuff that comes your way.

I will also sometimes start a Flonase regimen in case I were to get a head cold...keeps things a little clearer in the sinus department.

YMMV!

 

[iheartglaciers]

The day before my last trip I thought I might be coming down with a cold. My throat felt funny and I was a little sniffly. I took Walgreens dissolvable zinc tablets every 3 hours for the next two days and I felt better, no cold (but who knows, maybe getting to Disney made me feel better haha). I think these tablets are the store brand of Zicam.

I definitely plan on having a bottle on hand and even bringing one with me on trips just in case! I also bring Sudafed-D (pseudoephedrine) with me on trips because last year my sister got sick and it was a pain having to take an Uber and get the pills when a pharmacy opened (the pharmacist that delivers medicine to Disney won’t do pseudoephedrine, you have to come in person for it).

 

[quandrea]

When my kids were really little, in preschool and kindergarten, I went so far as to pull them from school seven to the days prior to the trip. I have twins and a cold would linger in our house for weeks. Ds had asthma as a small child, so no cold was a minor thing. It meant weeks on puffers. Extreme, but I wanted us well for our trips. People send their kids to school Sick all the time now, so this was the only way to avoid exposure.

 

[kathy884]

I bring lots of vitamin C, generic Advil, and tissues in those little packets. We have a family where everyone is in general really healthy (knock on wood), but one time - not Walt Disney World (We were meeting extended family and doing a cruise out of San Juan) and flew in the day before -- thought we'd get there early and enjoy two days in San Juan. All three of us DH, DS, and I had bad head colds, got to the hotel around 2 p.m. and just crashed out (fell asleep - we did have to get up early for the flights). Then we woke up around 6 p.m., had dinner, and then just relaxed a little and just went back to sleep. DS and I felt better the next day and DS and I even got out and about -- went to a beach with some waves (DH skipped the included breakfast and slept in), and later all of us explored one of the Forts. But it is really amazing how much a bad head cold can wipe you out. // Fortunately while maybe not 100% we all still really enjoyed the cruise. The extra sleep in San Juan helped a ton.

 

[sjberg79]

My son is in pre-k and I have chronic low white blood cells from an auto immune problem, so colds are just a way of life in our house. Our last trip to Disney in August both my son and I had one. Was it ideal? No. What did we do? Well, I can take whatever OTC meds I want so I medicated myself and still had fun. My son can only take his normal allergy medication and I just carried tissues with us. I will say one bonus to being sick there is people will give you space in lines.

 

[disneyworldsk]

I do not book any dental appts. prior to a trip (like for cleanings). I find it lowers the immune system in our house causing colds. I bring otc meds always (the usual ones) and I pray no fevers before a trip. A cold we can deal. anything worse, big problem.

 

[fla4fun]

I haven’t checked into Disney sick, but have become sick while there. The first time it was the fever and chills flu, and I couldn’t even get out of bed for anything but the bathroom for two days (I had ended up in an accessible room on that trip and the grab rails and seat in the shower were a godsend). I wanted something hot to drink so bad but at the time they didn’t have coffee makers in the room so I was drinking lukewarm tap water . I learned on that trip to always travel with enough meds to dose the entire trip, to always have the ability to make a nice cup of hot tea (I bought one of those coil immersion heaters for rooms that don’t have a way to heat water) and to bring plenty of cough drops and tissues.

One thing to keep in mind is to get plenty of rest in the weeks leading up to the trip so your immune system stays strong. We all tend to run ourselves ragged getting homes and jobs ready to go, and don’t have anything left to fight germs.

I haven’t been ill at Disney since I started using the individually packaged Wet Ones to clean up before I eat or drink anything on vacation. I prefer them to hand sanitizer because they actually kill the norovirus, among other things.

I would rather be sick at Disney than sick at work, but it’s better not to be sick at all.

 

[indoshakespeare]

I would get a surgical mask to prevent spreading the germs to other people but I wouldn't cancel the trip

 

[amie416]

If you come down with a cough and a fever, there’s a good chance of influenza. Apparently, there are anti-viral drugs that can be effective against the flu virus if you take them in the first day or two... so if you get to a doctor quickly you may be able to shorten the duration of your illness. Colds are pretty short-lived, but the flu can dog you for a week or more. (Source: Healthcare Triage on YouTube. If I can find the video I saw this in, I’ll link it here.)

 

[klo1335]

When my youngest got the flu last year, I discovered Elderberry Syrup. We dosed ourselves for a week after to make sure no one else got it and no one did. You can find it at any drug store and they have adult and kid kinds. I am going to start taking this a week before we leave.

 

[Ceilidhscot]

Watch the air con as that can cause havoc with your sinuses if you have a cold (speaking from experience having developed a sinus infection when I was away which wasn’t fun). Never had anything there but took Sudafed tablet when I got back and it’s helped (decongestant).

 

[bapcap]

Getting sick right before a big trip is always my fear, especially a trip to WDW.
We are a family of 6 traveling next April and I’m going to make sure we all take Airborne(helps immune system with lots of Vitamin C) tablets about 4-5 days prior to leaving. I’m also going to take Zicam tablets to take if anyone starts to develop the sniffles/ cold. I have found Zicam really shortens a cold if taken at the first sign of stuffiness. Also, taking lots a wet wipes and hanitizer, as my granddaughter calls it. Washing hands frequently helps a lot too.

 

[UpStNYmouse]

I have 2 recommendations if you have a head cold or stuffiness. Saline nasal spray. You can use often (unlike OTC meds) and it clears and protects your nose. If flying buy earplanes. These are ear plugs for flying. On a non-Disney trip my DH had a head cold. 2 days after our arrival we were in ER. His plugged ears messed up his balance and he couldn’t even walk. Now we carry both every time we fly.

 

[Lynn CC]

I use a Neti pot if I feel stuffiness
I always take Dr. Mercola Immune Support a couple days before I fly & while I’m on vacation. I also wipe down everything on the plane & hotel room. So far so good!

 

[QueenElinor]

It's not too late to get flu shots for the whole family. October is the ideal time for that, actually. Influenza would be a much bigger disaster than a cold. We lost a previously healthy little girl at my kids' old school last year to flu. It is dangerous.

I also have a very weak immune system because I take strong immunosuppressant medications- the last cold I know for a fact I picked up shaking hands with people at church- those germs have no shame!

So, probably the best thing is to liberally use hand sanitizer a week before hand. If you fly or rent a car, wipe down your seating area with sanitizer wipes (most wipes are not antiseptic, so read the package label carefully). Airplane seats are well-known to be incredibly germy. I fly a lot and do this every time, I don't care if I look like a hypochondriac doing it.

I haven’t been ill at Disney since I started using the individually packaged Wet Ones to clean up before I eat or drink anything on vacation. I prefer them to hand sanitizer because they actually kill the norovirus, among other things.

Yes, Wet Ones are the brand I use, too. All hand wipes are not created equal!

 

[KellyHonos]

vitamin c vitamin c vitamin c!!!

 

[gardengalB4]

We start drinking a cup of grape juice each day a couple weeks before we leave on a trip....

 

[Disney Fam of 3]

When my kids were really little, in preschool and kindergarten, I went so far as to pull them from school seven to the days prior to the trip. I have twins and a cold would linger in our house for weeks. Ds had asthma as a small child, so no cold was a minor thing. It meant weeks on puffers. Extreme, but I wanted us well for our trips. People send their kids to school Sick all the time now, so this was the only way to avoid exposure.

We've done the same - pulled from school a week ahead of the trip. I don't regret it - if nothing else it gives me some peace of mind in that hectic week before a trip.