It can happen to the best of us. And it can strike at any time. It might begin the day you fly in or while you’re waiting in line for Splash Mountain.
Magic Kingdom
You get that telltale little tickle in the back of your throat that gradually gets worse and worse. Before you know it you’re aching everywhere then SO HOT then suddenly SO COLD. Yep…you got sick on your big Disney vacation.
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OF COURSE, you or a loved one would get struck down on the Disney World vacation you’ve been looking forward to for months — or even years! After all, you’ve had to save so much money to get here, and now you’re at THE MOST MAGICAL PLACE ON EARTH. But instead of wishing on a star, you’re wishing you could crawl into bed and stay there for days.
Magic Kingdom
But all is not as bleak as it seems! Here’s a little something we’ve picked up from getting sick at Disney World more than a few times over the decades — a bug doesn’t have you ruin your entire trip!
On a recent visit to Disney World, my son and I both got sick, had to go to Urgent Care, and had to figure out how to get prescription medication…all around managing park passes and dining reservations. Luckily our illnesses weren’t contagious, so we were able to keep riding rides and enjoying Disney World safely…but first, we had to start feeling better!
The Screendoor General Store at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
SO, if dreaded illness strikes, what do you do? Read on for tips on how to handle when this not-so-magical occurrence happens while on vacay in Disney World.
Here’s some advice on what to do if you or a companion gets sick at Disney World.
How can you recover at Disney World?
As hard as this seems, staying back at your resort until you’re feeling better makes the most sense. Yes, you’ll miss out on some of the fun, but if you get some good rest you’ll likely start feeling better sooner than if you push yourself from rope drop to fireworks. You also want to make sure you’re not contagious before you’re around other guests to prevent others from getting sick.
Fantasyland
Think about how many handrails, doors, counters, etc. you’d touch at Disney World on any given day. Limiting your exposure to others is likely your best course of action.
Even if your ailment isn’t contagious, like food poisoning, a migraine, an ear infection, or respiratory issues, consider hanging back to get some much-needed rest.
How can you get over-the-counter medication at Disney World?
If you start to feel unwell while you’re at one of the theme parks, locate the First Aid Center. Each Disney World park has one and you can receive free remedies for minor ailments. Also, if you find yourself feeling particularly ill, you can head to a First Aid Center where nurses on staff are equipped to monitor your condition.
First Aid is located in each park! Just follow the signs!
Gift shops in the parks (and Disney World resorts) also stock a relatively wide selection of pain relievers, cold medicine, allergy relief, stomach relief, and other treatments.
Hotel gift shops offer select medicines and essentials
Should you get back to your Disney World resort late at night after the gift shop has closed and you require over-the-counter medication, contact the front desk and a Cast Member will usually be able to sell you what you need to feel better.
How can you get prescription medication at Disney World?
For ailments requiring a prescription from a physician, Disney has partnered with AdventHealth to offer a suite of wellness resources including virtual healthcare visits for non-urgent matters and prescription delivery to your resort or a nearby pharmacy. All you need to do is download the AdventHealth app and set up a virtual visit with a doctor or nurse practitioner through the AdventHealth app (no appointment necessary!). They’re available 24/7 and will give their diagnosis and prescribe treatments for minor ailments. Just keep in mind that this will cost $59. Some insurance may cover the cost though, so you’ll want to check with your provider.
©Disney | AdventHealth
There are also several options that you can download from the App Store to have a “virtual doctor visit” without having to leave your room. Check with your insurance provider to see if they recommend one, or pay out of pocket to see a doc. We recommend finding a good virtual doctor visit app that takes your insurance (or downloading the AdventHealth app) before you leave. (We found a great one hosted by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan that happened to take our insurance, and we’ve used it multiple times on trips — including to get prophylactic Tamiflu for ourselves when my son was diagnosed with the flu while on a vacation).
You can also go to a hospital or urgent care center. These are plentiful in the Orlando area. The AdventHealth Centra Care Urgent Care clinics are open 7 days a week, and their Lake Buena Vista clinic is open 24 hours, making it a convenient option for anyone who may need assistance. Plus, transportation to Centra Care Urgent Care is actually complimentary for Disney World Resort guests and can be arranged through Disney’s first aid centers, front desk Cast Members at the Disney hotels, or by calling the AdventHealth Experience Center. Again, it’s best to check with your insurance company before traveling to one of these health care facilities to see if your visit will be covered.
The My Disney Experience app has an entire section dedicated to AdventHealth resources ©Disney
When we were sick in Disney World, we visited an urgent care center and received prescriptions for our medicine. Knowing we had an Epcot dining reservation that evening and wouldn’t have time to wait at a pharmacy (again, our ailments weren’t contagious), we contacted Turner Drugs, a pharmacy delivery option who we knew would accept prescriptions and deliver them to our resort for a fee (our fee was $9…significant, but worth it). But what we DIDN’T KNOW is that Turner Drugs will also deliver prescriptions to the FIRST AID LOCATIONS IN THE PARKS!
EPCOT
This was a HUGE benefit since we didn’t have to cancel our reservations to hang around the hotel all night for the delivery. Instead, we headed to our Epcot dining reservation and picked up our prescriptions at the First Aid location in Epcot after the meal! Super convenient! All you have to do is be sure to give the prescription order to the First Aid cast member, and they’ll pass it along to the Turner Drugs rep the next time they’re delivering. It’s genius — and so, so convenient!
Don’t Miss Meeting Mickey — get your prescriptions delivered to the park!
Note that Turner Drugs does not work with any insurance plans. They will give you an itemized receipt and universal claim forms that you can handle with your insurance once home. So expect to pay more for meds than you would at your local pharmacy back home.
Magic Kingdom’s parking lot entrance
If you don’t want to use a delivery service, keep in mind you can always hop in an Uber, Lyft, or other rideshare services in the area for a quick trip to a pharmacy if you prefer to pick up prescriptions yourself. There are many pharmacies located just outside of Disney World Property a quick ride away.
How can I get other necessities without leaving my Disney World resort?
Well, technology is awesome when it comes to things like this. Apps like Instacart can help you get creature comforts you need to recover (including foods or personal care items from places such as CVS, Target, Publix, and Costco), while Amazon Prime Now, Shipt, and Walmart Delivery can also get you on the road to recovery! Just check with your resort to see if there are any fees for holding packages, and make plans for that extra cost.
All-Star Movies Lobby
How can I get better quickly?
The key to recuperating for us has been to stay in the air-conditioned comfort of our rooms (or if you must get some fresh air, at least stay out of the direct sun!) and drink lots AND LOTS of water!
Many Quick Service restaurants give out free water cups — just ask!
You also have to keep yourself well-fed, which luckily isn’t very hard at Disney World! Most resorts offer some type of room service, or you can always use popular food delivery apps like Uber Eats, Grub Hub, DoorDash, or Postmates to bring you a meal. You can even order from some of the restaurants at Disney Springs on Postmates — they just might take a really long time to get to you!
Be sure to stay well fed!
But hey, if you’re holed up without anything better to do, why not munch on some Earl of Sandwich while you binge-watch Mickey shorts back at your room?
Check out what happened when we tried to order Disney World food to our hotel here!
How can I avoid getting sick at Disney World in the first place?
If you aren’t sick (and looking to stay that way), you can take steps to prevent picking up an illness while at Disney World.
It’s hard to stick to your regular sleep schedule and normal diet on a Disney World trip with how many things there are to see, do, and EAT! But if you can keep yourself well-rested, clean, and hydrated, you’ll stand a much better chance of not getting ill.
Get Lots of Rest!
Remember to wash your hands ALL THE TIME, but especially before eating! Carry some hand sanitizer for use on the go. We’re especially big fans of individually-wrapped towelettes to clean our hands or wipe down any surfaces we’re about to eat on. Maybe that sounds a little extreme, but trust us!
Star Wars Hand Sanitizers
If you’re sensitive to dry air, pack a travel-size humidifier to keep your room comfortable and prevent any respiratory conditions from being exacerbated by the hotel AC blasting. Remember to rinse off before and after swimming, too!
The Pool at Wilderness Lodge Resort
Although you can’t fully prevent you or a family member from getting sick at Disney World, you CAN keep the good times rollin’! While you might not be used to having downtime or resort days on your Disney World vacations, you might actually find you enjoy the slower pace! Besides, being at Disney World sure beats being at work, so enjoy the time off and get. enough. REST! Your body and mind (and attitude) will be better for it.
Here’s hoping this helped YOU to prepare for your upcoming Disney World adventure. You can’t always keep illness at bay, but you can prepare for it just in case!
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Always pack GasEx in your bag. Neither WDW nor Turner Drugs carries it. Found this out the hard way a couple of years ago at Animal Kingdom.
Our son ended up with croup on a trip a few years ago. We were able to obtain a humidifier at the Polynesian front desk for use during our stay just by asking!
Check your information on Turner drugs… It is incorrect. I have use them multiple times to fill prescriptions and they accept my insurance
My 10 year-old daughter got a severe migraine while we were at Epcot. We didn’t catch it in time, and had to quickly head to the first aid building for meds. The nurse was so fantastic and thankfully let her rest on one of their medical beds while she recovered from the severe pain and vomiting.
Because we were resort guests they even arranged a ride for her and my husband back to the resort once she was semi-well enough to travel. They were so helpful and caring, and even though she was ill, she still talks fondly of that day!
Yes our daughter did 4 years ago. She was 6 and got the croup. Scared us, never heard it before. Ended up at Celebration. Told us where to get Prescriptions and spent next day in room resting! You are real fans to worry about making reservations and having illness that needed a prescription. Walt will never be more important than my health.
We had amazing support from Disney during our last stay when our little one was struck with illness during the first night. While staying at Port Orleans Riverside, our 2 year old needed a trip to Urgent Care. We were using Disney’s complimentary busing to get everywhere so we didn’t have a car seat and weren’t sure of how best to get there so we called down to the front desk. The Cast Member explained that they could pick us up at our room and shuttle us to get medical care, car seat and all, and it ran regular drop offs back at the resort. They also explained that we could also do Doctors On Call where a physician can come to your room, but it could be costly depending on insurance. We stuck with the shuttle to Urgent Care and were seen and treated and back at the resort in 2 hours. Unfortunately, just 2 days later we were back for the same problem and needed medication. But, we were able to get them filled at the Urgent Care without an additional trip to a pharmacy. After each visit a Cast Member would call and check in our little one and make sure that she was on the mend- which was a sweet gesture. They also helped us with rescheduling our dining reservations which was one less thing for me to worry about in an already stressful situation.
The night before checkout we were just chatting to a Cast Member at the front desk about needing more towels or something trivial and the conversation turned to my daughters illness and her missing the park she was most looking forward to, Animal Kingdom. The Cast Member jumped up right into Magic Mode and issued us additional one day park tickets to Animal Kingdom! My heart swelled at the kind gesture and the next day after check out, we were able to leave our bags at the Front Desk and go check out Animal Kingdom before heading off to the next leg of our vacation.
Disney truly took a terrible situation and helped us make the best of it!
Just curious at to what illness a person could possibly have that isn’t contagious? I’d say maybe food poisoning but that sure doesn’t start with a tickle in the back of your throat.
Definitely stay hydrated. I underestimated the Florida sun in February, and ended up dizzy and nauseous at Epcot last week.
Also … don’t FORCE yourself to eat ALL of the yummy treats featured on this blog! I always go to Disney with eyes way bigger than my stomach. A lot of the food is very fried, very rich, very sweet. Sometimes all three! I like trying to find places where I can get a salad, or even a place like Satuli Canteen where there’s fresher “healthier” food that isn’t so different from how I eat back home. I try to pick my top three “must eat treats” and then eat more like I usually do.
This happened to my entire family a few years back. We were all throwing up and it was miserable. HOWEVER, when we went to check out the manager at Art of Animation saw we missed meals and days in the parks and ended up gifting us a return trip to Art of Animation, 4 days of park hopper passes, a gift card to pay for the dining plan again, and extra fast passes everyday. Even though Christmas Vacation was killed by the stomach bug Disney showed my Family what the Magic is all about.
Unfortunately I had to visit the Urgent Care on 2 separate trips with my sons. Ot was very convenient & the doctors on staff were very compassionate. The only thing that wasn’t so go8d was getting stuck on the people mover with my 5 year old at the time with a 101 fever. Had to walk down a flight of stairs off the ride.
We are going to Disney soon. Concerned about the Corono virus. Any news of Disney screening for people with fever as they enter the parks?
The little individually wrapped hand wipes are great but they can get costly. You can buy the same ones in a little pop-up tub dispenser that isn’t much bigger than a water bottle and will fit in your park bag! I carry one with me at all times, so that I can wipe my hands off right before (and sometimes after! LOL) I am eating in the parks. Especially helpful during the EPCOT food fests!
I ended up in the ER after fainting in a long line. I’m still not over the disappointment and guilt of losing most of a day at the Magic Kingdom. My favorite park it rained that evening so rides were closed. We rode like 1 ride and had dinner. My family was concerned so left the park with me. Lesson is to not beat yourself up too much about the lost fun. I think. It bothered me more than my family.
Don’t hesitate to let your resort manager know if you become ill before hitting the parks. My family and I have needed their expertise and they are wonderful at providing help. They called EMS for us and from the resort, we were sent to a hospital for further care. We’ve had to use their assistance twice in the past couple of years,
and it was remarkable.
Boy do I know this all too well! I just returned from WDW and I’m just getting over the flu!
But I took my sons to WDW for a fun vacation and I ended up at the beautiful Celebration Hospital for half of our trip! I ended up having surgery unfortunately!
Thanks for this article!
Our 16 year old daughter came down with bronchitis while at WDW. The desk staff at POR was so helpful. They gave us the phone number of a local pharmacy that delivers. We had her doctor call in the Rx there, and it was delivered right to the desk at POR. So convenient.
Cyndi — we’re putting a post together on that topic right now. Stay tuned later today.
Joanne — There are plenty of illnesses or issues that require medication that are not contagious. For example, my son has asthma that is induced by allergies. He needed to get prescription medication so he could continue to breathe safely. Thank you for your concern.
Bethany — Wow, what an amazing magical moment! I’m so glad your trip wasn’t ruined.
Michelle — Absolutely agree. To specify, the main illness we were dealing with was allergy-induced asthma, which, after getting the correct meds, didn’t hinder our visits to the park. So, no; Walt is not more important than our health.
My last trip in May 2019 I got VERY sick. I had just gotten over a kidney infection before we left (or so I thought). I was able to go to the parks 2 days out of the 10 that we were there and I was feeling horrible those 2 days. My 32 year old daughter with me was scared and wanted me to go to the first aid station. Stubborn me – I refused to go because I didn’t want to spoil her (and my) trip. I forced her out the door to go to the parks alone. She didn’t want to do it, but I insisted. It was a big deal for her because she has severe social anxiety. But that was the one thing good that came out of this trip. She went and did everything on her on. I could not eat or drink anything and I fell several times. I don’t remember ANYTHING about what I was able to do on those first 2 days. I don’t even remember the maids coming into the room while I was laying in bed! Needless to say – I learned my lesson and I have now told her that if I ever refuse to go to a first aid station, to ignore me and go to the front desk and ask for help. I was literally going into kidney failure and could have easily died. Like I said – stubborn me! Lesson learned.
My wife got a throat infection while we were staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge. As it didn’t clear up after a couple of days we decided we ought to seek medical advice. As we hadn’t got a car we got a cab to Walgreens and booked to see a Nurse Practitioner who examined her and prescribed an antibiotic. This was filled in the same branch of Walgreens All done inside an hour inc the cab ride home.
A few years ago I ate something at EPCOT I didn’t know I was allergic to (a sandwich made with sunflower bread-which was not listed on the menu…I never knew I was allergic to sunflower seeds). Within 20 minutes I was voiding profusely, and almost constantly, from both ends (sorry to be graphic). I broke out in hives and had a high fever. I can now write a review of every restroom between the American Pavilion and the front gate. We went back to our room at CBR and my wife called the desk who suggested we call the fire dept. Since I was still breathing OK, they referred us to an Urgent Care nearby. I was in bad shape by now. The Urgent Care picked us up at the resort (and brought us back), treated me (a steroid injection), and had a pharmacy on their property. They even took our insurance (and we’re from NY state)!
My wife asked at the CBR restaurant if she could buy some bread to make plain toast for me, and they not only gave her the bread, but also toasted it. Disney Cast Members are sooo great. We only missed one evening in the Parks. After about 10 hours of sleep, I was good to go the next day (a little slower).
Nothing but praise for the way I was treated.
We emailed the restaurant at the American Pavilion when we got home and they emailed the label from the bread loaf; that’s how we figured out what I was allergic to. Again: they were nothing but helpful.
My husband caught a stomach virus on our last full day in Disney World. It was hellish. I tried to take my son and daughter to dinner by myself, but my son had a panic attack (he has anxiety over throwing up) and the cast members at Wilderness Lodge said they could not help me get back to my hotel, Coronado Springs. They told me to try to get one of the Minnie Cabs, which even they could not get using my cell phone. I ended up having my son talk to his babysitter to distract him while we took the buses back. My husband called the front desk and told them how sick he was and asked if we could get an additional room so the rest of us did not get sick. They told him the entire hotel was booked (which it wasn’t). My husband told them he can book a room online so they definitely have a room available. They told him we would get booked a full price, but we had no other choice. When I got back to Coronado, I went to get the room key changed. I started to cry because I was so overwhelmed. I was shocked that no one offered to help move our luggage. So I and my two little kids dragged our bags across the property to our new room. We lost out of dining and snack credits. When we got home, I emailed and told them what happened. They offered to add 4 fast passes to my account for our next visit. I do not expect Disney to cover what we lost, but I could have used a little compassion when I was so unbelievable overwhelmed by the situation.
Hey AJ😀 great topic. a few years back I had an alergic reaction after swimming in the Shark Reef at Typhoon Lagoon. My face swelled up like a ballon, ultimately limiting my vission. My daughter and I were staying at Caribbean Beach. I called the front desk and explained my issue. They put me in touch with an urgent care clinic. The clinc sent a shuttle to pick me up right at my room! They took me to the clinic, then even drove me to the pharmacy to get my medication, and finally back to my hotel room. They could not have been more accommodating! I did have to pay upfront, but my health care provider reimbursed me 100%. Disney staffers are great . And the service from the clinic was outstanding.
One common thing, at least in the summer months, is heat exhaustion. My daughter was so overheated in AK one day that she was in tears and ready to pass out. We were in line at Festival of the Lion King and there was part of the queue that was shaded. We shoved our daughter up to the shaded part where there is also a retaining wall so she could sit. The people in that part of the line were total heroes. They didn’t complain about it and instead turned all their fans onto her to try to cool her down. As soon as we were out of the show, she was still feeling horrid, so we tried to get some fluid in her. Despite it being extremely hot, she was freezing and had a fever and a headache and upset stomach from the heat. I ended up having to take her to first aid where they gave her tylenol and offered a bed for her to lie down and rest. They are so helpful there. I’m sure they see that all the time.
Beware!!! Three out of seven of our family members got flu like symptoms at Disney. One member developed a fever, chills, etc upon our arrival. The other two got sick two days later. We all purchased six day passes and were able to arrange fast passes and dinner reservations months before. The three of us lost a total of 12 days of paid park passes being too sick to go. When we contacted Disney, they said nothing could be done to recoup the funds, including allowing us some time to use the passes at a future date. We just lost all of that money! With the amount of money the Disney corporation makes, we felt that we were robbed!
So appreciative you are going to discuss this virus / precautions. We have plans for end of May (after all the Spring Breaks but still Flower/Garden Show) and thinking of canceling. Unfortunately I got the Fl resident pkg 3 days 3 parks (great deal) and this is the only time we can go. I read these can be applied to annual passes , true?
Thank you AJ and team for everything!!👏👏
I had to go to the ER when I was 17 on our arrival day (20 years ago 😥) due to a ruptured ear drum when we landed. I rested up the arrival day and first full day and my parents were awesome to switch our days around as you could easy do back then. We were able to get Meds and help from the CMs with a late dinner too.
We travelled with another family who happened to have caught the flu the day of departure. We had joining rooms so we had a hard time trying to keep the little ones apart. Eventually my littles did get sick but only for a day and a half each. We went to the mousekeepers station and asked for a spray bottle of disinfectant. We used it after every incident. Thankfully it was over quickly. Couldn’t say the same for our friends. Very thankful for the Mousekeepers 🙂
We used Turner Drugs last December for a medication delivery. It was very easy and convenient.
However, it was VERY expensive. The $9 delivery fee is very fair. However they charged over $50 for a prescription that we could have purchased from CVS for $5 (no-insurance price). I weighed the costs and decided to go with Turner Drugs, as a round-trip Uber/Lyft would cost $ and we were able to continue our park day while we waited for the medication delivery.
If you have time to get your meds filled at a pharmacy and pick up in person, you will save money, especially if you have a car with you.
Wow … lots of great information… Not sure it all came from you or from Disney … but it does not matter.
If. Disney really wants to be proactive in the fight against the spread of viruses, flus, … Disney could do it’s part as well.
1. Make it easy to cancel a dining reservation (on the app) same day without penalty. Just make a reason check box available. Simple.
2. Make it easy for ticket holders to “bank” the days they cannot or should not go to the park because they are sick. It is easy for Disney to say stay away after they collected all your money. Perhaps a full refund would be too much for shareholders to stomach, but at the very least Disney should allow you to bank your pass to be used within a set amount of time … like one year.
Just a few suggestions Disney. We all must do our part.
Just to add my 2 cents here: Disney was so great when my teen son who was battling depression and anxiety basically stayed In His room For half of his vacay w/8 day hopper tkt .
I was buying MNSS tickets and just mentioned that we really hoped he would use this add on because he wasn’t using his tkts so far…she looked his info up and Put a note that this year when we go he can use the 4 days he didn’t use. She, and Disney were so sympathetic and kind to us ! Recognizing mental illness’ -Made a bad situation so much better!
We just got back on the 10th and me and my oldest got really nasty colds the last. 2 days of our visit . Water! Water! Water! And relaxing rides on the Skyliner. We didn’t rush anywhere, slept in and scrapped all but our dining plans so we wander at a slow comfortable pace and stop when we wanted. Not a great way to end our vacation but we still made lots of great memories!
Clearly you went to the parks and your dining reservations sick. Hummmmm.
Most people would … why? Well, rather than speculate your why, I will tell you why I would likely go …. $$$$$. After spending all that money to be there, a cold or flu isn’t likely going to keep most people away. Particularly if this was a planned big event.
Disney could do it’s part though and help.
1. Allow people to cancel same day dining reservations without penalty. But make this process easy. Do it on the app with a reason check box. Don’t offer this and then make the experience painful. Remember the person or family having to cancel is seriously unhappy they must do this and are likely not feeling well.
2. Offer to bank park pass days for future visits or provide refunds in the event that a person or family chooses to protect others when they discover they are sick.
Missing out on your Disney vacation is a big deal and seriously expensive for the guests.
Just recommending to stay in your room and think of the others who are all having fun out there is clearly designed to only favor Disney.
Disney should also participate in the solution. Ticket prices have skyrocketed in the past 3 years… time for Disney to come to the table with solutions too.
Great article. Great comments. The Food Blog is my favorite place for Disney information. I just hope we never get sick while on vacation.But if we do it sounds like the Cast members know what to do to help
My 3 grandbabies got sick on last visit February 2020 fevers sick to stomach 2 days straight disney was very helpful with getting meds, clean bedding, doing up children laundry, gave us extra park tickets and fast passes for when we up and able to go