The stockings are hung by the chimney with care…and chilly, flu, and COVID season are right here. It’s just a few days earlier than Christmas, Walt Disney World is full of individuals, and quite a lot of them are sick. This publish affords my favourite tricks to keep away from becoming a member of them, with methods to maintain your immune system sturdy and reduce–however not get rid of–your danger of sickness at Walt Disney World.
I’ve been planning on penning this publish for some time, however have prevented doing so on account of…let’s name it “silly superstition.” Earlier this summer time, I learn this text within the Washington Post that caught with me. Not for the substance of the human curiosity piece about “novids” however as a result of virtually everybody interviewed had jinxed themselves. Now, I’m not truly superstitious in my day-to-day life, however…I additionally don’t need to finish my very own dumb luck.
To the most effective of my information, I’ve by no means had COVID. This is regardless of only a few modifications to my ‘normal’ life since final March, just about all of my household and associates coming down with it (some a number of occasions), having attended occasions that have been subsequently discovered to be superspreaders, and testing each time I’ve realized of a detailed contact who was contaminated. In equity, I’m younger(ish) and comparatively wholesome, so it’s at all times doable that I’ve had an asymptomatic an infection at a time I didn’t check–therefore the “to the best of my knowledge” caveat. In any case, I believed I’d share what I do to keep away from getting sick at Walt Disney World.
I’ll preface all of this by stating the apparent: I’m not a scientist, epidemiologist, infectious illness specialist, or public well being knowledgeable. I hate going to the physician, and am irrationally fearful of needles. (Like a courageous trooper, I get the annual flu shot anyway!) Moreover, I’m a staunch advocate of specialised experience over web fear-mongering and sensationalism.
What I’m presenting right here relies upon what I’ve learn in varied journals and revered publications–not random rants from my uncle Cletus on social media. However, that doesn’t imply that my lay interpretation of the knowledge is correct–I’ve blind spots, biases, and a scarcity of area information which may lead to not totally greedy what I’m studying. Accordingly, this publish shouldn’t be considered as a reputable or complete supply of knowledge relating to staying secure and wholesome.
I’m additionally not going to restate the apparent. We all lived by the final 3 years; no sense in belaboring what you have already got been informed hundreds of occasions. Same goes for the controversial. Way an excessive amount of time on-line is spent condescendingly shouting down “opponents” for the sake of being proper and profitable some perceived victory. I would favor to influence. Whatever strongly-held beliefs you’ve shaped in the previous couple of years should not going to be modified by studying some random dude’s weblog about Disney.
Rather than participating in such folly, I’ll concentrate on illuminating info and sensible ideas that individuals may truly put to make use of. With that in thoughts, listed below are my suggestions…
Mitigate Risk – I wish to consider myself as a pragmatist, eschewing the good however unrealistic for the achievable however unideal. To that finish, I’ve lengthy been a believer in hurt discount fashions and danger mitigation. This is versus zero-tolerance or abstinence, which historical past has demonstrated time and time once more are destined to fail.
Much of that pertains to public coverage, nevertheless it’s additionally relevant on a person degree. It can imply recognizing that tradeoffs exist just about in every single place, and making them when it’s advantageous. If the upside is larger than the draw back, or the inconvenience is minimal, think about decreasing your dangers. Many of the precise suggestions right here movement from this angle, nevertheless it’s value underscoring up prime that nothing on this listing is absolute.
Time Your Trip – If it’s not already apparent, there are patterns to when seasonal diseases peak and plateau. It’s not the identical in every single place, however it’s premised on a few of the identical common ideas. Conditions that drive individuals indoors and in the direction of social gatherings give rise to spikes in illness.
In Florida, this has meant extra circumstances within the late summer time months–when many locals are inside on account of sizzling and humid climate. Pretty a lot in every single place, it additionally means one other spike between round Thanksgiving and New Year’s on account of vacation occasions. This is to not say you can’t get sick in mid-March or early October–you completely can. Just that it’s statistically extra doubtless in late December or July.
Avoid Crowds – We all have heard means an excessive amount of about bodily distancing in the previous couple of years. This just isn’t about that. I’ve zero hesitations about being packed right into a crowd to look at Enchantment or Harmonious. Actually scratch that–however my hesitations pertain to the “watch Enchantment or Harmonious” portion of that, not the crowds. Same goes for “filling in all available space.” That one additionally annoys me, however I’m not significantly involved with out of doors crowds or fleeting congestion.
Rather, we try and keep away from extended, indoor crowds. At house, we go to the theater at 9 am fairly than 9 pm (which actually has extra to do with matinee costs and fewer rowdy teenagers…however let’s fake it’s security!). While touring, we wait at empty airport gates fairly than the place our flight is scheduled.
When staying at an on-site resort, we get out the door tremendous early (beating the crowds to the bus cease) and keep till the bitter finish (avoiding the night exodus). If you’re not an early riser or night time owl, you possibly can nonetheless journey at off-hours to cut back crowd publicity. This thought will be prolonged to bars, meals courts, and numerous different places within the parks and resorts at Walt Disney World.
Dine Outdoors – One of my largest disappointments of the final ~3 years is that larger emphasis was not positioned on air flow, and as a substitute a lot focus was positioned on highly-visible however finally meaningless well being theater measures. And this isn’t Monday morning quarterbacking with the advantage of hindsight–we knew air flow mattered again in 2020 (see “We Need To Talk About Ventilation”).
I nonetheless maintain out hope that the Healthy Buildings motion good points extra momentum in company America, because it has public well being and financial advantages. In the meantime, I’ve turn out to be more and more cognizant of air flow, human density, and air filtration (or presumed lack thereof). More than anyplace else, that is particularly the case at eating places.
One choice to mitigate danger is by avoiding crowded indoor bars & lounges across the parks and resorts, and selecting eating places with open air seating. This is arguably the largest and smartest thing you are able to do, however Walt Disney World doesn’t make it straightforward–most desk service eating places solely provide indoor seating. See our Best Outdoor Dining Options at Walt Disney World for suggestions on that entrance.
With that stated, we do dine inside very often. Again, this isn’t an all-or-nothing method. When it’s not inconvenient, we eat outdoors. We additionally usually dine at off-hours (early or late seatings) when eating places are usually much less crowded. In some circumstances, we’ve additionally accomplished extra out of doors eating early in journeys and higher-risk (comparatively) indoor eating in the direction of the tip. We don’t upend our lives or holidays to incrementally scale back danger–we simply go for the low-hanging fruit.
Eat This, Not That – Come to seek out out, Adventureland pizza rolls paired with Dole Whips should not the definition of a “balanced” eating regimen regardless of one being sizzling and the opposite being chilly. Cupcakes and cocktails which are an amalgamation of synthetic colours and flavors aren’t the epitome of wholesome consuming. Who might’ve identified?!
The simple recommendation right here is to eat a balanced eating regimen even whereas touring, as correct diet is one key to not getting sick. You know the fundamentals there, so I’m going to take {that a} step additional since we’re regularly requested how we keep wholesome regardless of consuming a lot theme park meals. The easy reply is that you simply solely see ~5% of all meals we eat, that are admittedly unhealthy. However, 95% of our meals should not in theme parks, and our common diets don’t even remotely resemble what we eat within the parks.
At house, we eat quite a lot of greens, beans, nuts, fruits, tea, poultry, and fish; we solely eat pink meat about as soon as per week, and infrequently eat added sugars or alcohol. We kind of unintentionally comply with a combination of Japanese and Mediterranean diets, with our personal quirks.
In specific, I eat quite a lot of kimchi, kombucha, miso, cottage cheese, and greek yogurt. Beyond the final well being advantages, fermented meals have been related to mitigating sickness severity. I additionally eat quite a lot of cold-water (learn: fatty) fish, that are excessive in polyunsaturated fatty acids–comparable story there. These are simply two of many different research that hyperlink the intestine microbiome to immune response, however not all have a excessive diploma of confidence within the conclusions about COVID, particularly.
Nevertheless, the holistic well being and wellness advantages are well-established. This has been our eating regimen for years as a result of common/general advantages, and it has improved a number of features of our lives. (One of my different largest disappointments of the final ~3 years is that larger emphasis was not positioned on wholesome residing given the commonest COVID comorbidities.)
When we lately traveled to Japan, it was tremendous easy to keep up this eating regimen. Green tea and rice are ubiquitous, identical for salmon and kimchi. There’s a 7-11 or Lawson comfort retailer on just about each nook, and our breakfast would comprise virtually all of these things. (Fruits and greens will be dearer or tougher to seek out–I ate quite a lot of bananas and jumbo carrots, that are straightforward to seek out and low-cost.)
At Walt Disney World, we advocate grocery supply to resorts. We’ve accomplished this many occasions, because it’s a good way to eat a wholesome breakfast (the least “exciting” meal within the parks, anyway) whereas nonetheless having fun with indulgent lunches and dinners. There are a lot of totally different grocery supply providers, however Walmart+ has turn out to be our go-to lately. It’s the most cost effective, best, and most effective.
Nevertheless, I need to stress that I’m not overzealous about any of this. We don’t observe what we eat or ‘do’ weight-reduction plan–that is our eating regimen, nevertheless it’s loosely-followed and has virtually turn out to be second nature or routine. ‘Everything in Moderation’ is an effective mantra, and should you eat nicely more often than not, you possibly can go nuts a few of the time. I most positively try this, as anybody who has learn a few of our meals critiques can attest.
Stay Hydrated – This is a extra apparent one however I’m going to incorporate it anyway as a result of it can’t be overstated. Not soda or alcohol, however water. However a lot you drink at house, at the very least double it at Walt Disney World. Many individuals say that you simply aren’t getting the complete expertise should you don’t do the grand circle tour of the Top 10 Toilets at Walt Disney World, anyway.
While shopping for bottled water is one possibility, that’ll get costly quick given how a lot you’ll want to drink to remain hydrated. Instead, we advocate going into counter service eating places or different walk-up home windows and asking free of charge cups of water. They’re small, so that you may need to request as many as you possibly can carry. Another apparent possibility is ingesting fountains, however we’ve gotta warn you: faucet water at Walt Disney World is sourced straight from the swamp, and is definitely 3% alligator urine. (Not actually, nevertheless it certain tastes prefer it!)
Because of that, we extremely advocate the Life Straw Go Filter Water Bottle. Our jokes apart, Florida water can style funky straight from the faucet (it’s an acquired style), so it’s key to get a bottle with a filter. This bottle is the best choice, palms down. It’s sturdy, BPA-free, dishwasher secure, and makes use of a 2-stage activated carbon filter reduces odor, chlorine and leaves zero aftertaste! (If you’re searching for a less expensive various, Brita Filter Water Bottles are nice, too.)
There are just a few devoted bottle filling stations popping up across the parks, however not practically sufficient. Our go-to location is inside Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe at Magic Kingdom (they’ll offer you cups of ice in order for you chilly water), and there are different spots on the entrance to World Showcase in EPCOT and scattered across the parks. Still not practically as many as a theme park in Florida ought to have, nevertheless it’s a begin.
Stop Touching Stuff – I can already anticipate the offended responses to this one: “YOU CAN’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO. I’m not going to bubble myself in my basement to stay safe, I’m going to live my life…by touching stuff that thousands of children have licked (or worse).”
Joking apart, that is in all probability the one which’s the best ‘sacrifice’ to make in concept, however the single most tough in apply. I’ll admit that I’m a tactile individual. I contact stuff. I like the feel of the wood handrails within the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad queue, I can not resist taking part in the mostly-broken interactive queue video games within the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. I’ll reduce this listing of examples quick as a result of it’s already embarrassing–I sound like a small baby.
Nevertheless, I’ve made a concerted effort to not contact as a lot at Walt Disney World. It has been surprisingly difficult, however I’ve gotten a lot better about it. And whereas I’m nonetheless a sucker for an excellent buffet (the whole lot sparsely!), I make some extent of washing my palms between journeys (amongst different issues).
Do “Down” Days – If this listing have been another person’s, it will embody “get plenty of sleep.” I can not embody that as a result of I burn the candle at each ends, and am often within the parks from opening till closing on a go-mode day. I do know that’s unhealthy, however can’t cease, received’t cease.
To compensate for that, we regularly do “down” days outdoors the parks that (generally, hopefully) contain sleeping in. On days after I’m testing Disney’s Hollywood Studios technique and staying at Crescent Lake, I usually handle to sneak in a noon nap break fairly than watching these stage exhibits for the thousandth occasions. You additionally ought to sleep in or get to mattress early some nights, however that positively falls into do as I say, not as I do territory.
For the ultimate time, none of this recommendation is absolute. It ought to go with out saying, however a trip mustn’t revolve round decreasing danger of sickness. Have enjoyable first, decide and select methods to be wholesome second (or third/fourth/and so on). You might do the whole lot “perfectly” and nonetheless find yourself sick throughout or after your journey. The reality is that there’s no such factor as eliminating danger, solely decreasing it.
When it comes right down to it, anybody visiting Walt Disney World should have a point of danger tolerance, because it’s inherent within the vacation spot. If you have been actually preoccupied with security from illness, there are superior choices, corresponding to U.S. National Parks, state parks, or the seaside. Now should you’ll excuse me, as I’ve to go relaxation up. I can solely assume writing this text has jinxed me, and I’ll must spend the subsequent few days recovering from being sick. 😉
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Learn about accommodations on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To get monetary savings on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets publish. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips publish takes a singular take a look at intelligent objects to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the most effective place to start out is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for the whole lot you’ll want to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Any ideas about staying wholesome when visiting Walt Disney World? Anything else you do to keep away from getting sick–or at the very least lower your possibilities of it–whereas touring? Keep the feedback civil, as this isn’t the place for politically-charged arguing, antagonism, private assaults, debating the efficacy of NPIs, or perpetuating pointless tradition wars. We will likely be heavy-handed in deleting feedback that cross the road, even when it’s solely a single sentence. You should not going to alter anybody’s thoughts by way of the feedback part on this weblog, nor are you going to affect public coverage. If you want to shout your opinions into the web abyss, that’s why Facebook was invented.