Brought Home a Disney Souvenir- COVID

[DisneyOma]

I was surprised that none of us got COVID on our trip to WDW last month! We did not wear masks, and it was pretty busy.

 

[dvcgirl67]

I think it's important to point out that the article does mention that older individuals could also be mistaken and attribute a symptom that would be long covid in someone else just part of aging to them. My mother-in-law experienced brain fog but in all honesty her memory and focus has been declining before covid. Now a long covid symptom she had for sure was breathing and vocal issues. She described it as she couldn't fully breathe like before and it felt like her vocal cords would get tired quickly so she wasn't as chatty. All that stuff is basically gone but what stuck around is she really doesn't like to eat eggs anymore and she was a person who had eggs all the time for breakfast.

I also think the fact that younger people weren't eligible for everything that older people were and this to me is important because different strains affected people differently. Also increased vaccination is largely due to the body's immune system, there is no reason why I need 6 total doses like another poster has said. Also in-laws have had 4 or 5 doses more than any of us younger ones have had and step-father-in-law, a cancer survivor, has had covid twice one year apart (2022 and 2023) and mother-in-law once (2022).

True, that symptoms of long covid could just be signs of aging in older people. And forgetfulness could be misconstrued with "brain fog". The woman at the center of this piece practiced martial arts and was quite active and now is bedridden at times. Those are the same kinds of long covid stories I hear about with respect to younger people as well. They are people who were living their lives and have now become somewhat....or completely disabled, because of covid.

Good point on the vaccines/boosters for you "Youngers" . I've been an "over-50" since the pandemic began and so other than the first jabs where they started with healthcare workers, long term care residents, and then went by age....we've never had to wait for a vaccine. We've been timing them about a month out from an international trip we've taken, but not sure if we want to wait until December for this updated booster.

 

[dvcgirl67]

I can only speak for myself. Mostly my life is lower end exposure risk. When I go to a rock show in a small NYC club, that’s a much higher risk than typical daily life. It’s a handful of hours with hundreds of people in close proximity from all over plus heavy respiratory exchange.

We visited WDW 4 times since 2020. 10+ hrs/day all week long with 10,000s of people from all over often in close proximity. Intensity multiplied by duration. Rock show on steroids.

If on our next trip we catch covid I’m likely to say we got it going to WDW, partly due to awareness I accepted that much bigger risk. Of course we can catch covid anywhere. Certain activities/environments have higher/highest risks.

We take beach vacations and go camping. We drive and are spread out from other people for the most part. The highest risk is popping into a couple small shops or possibly an indoor dining. Why lump that in with WDW. It’s a different roll of the dice, just like if we went 10 days to Italy spending large amounts of time visiting crowded tourist sites. If during which we got covid I’d say we’d got it going to Europe. Just the way I think about it.

Yup, that's how it works. They still say that the incubation period could be up to 14 days, but it's much more likely that that it's 2-3 days. So, when we took our first trip in 2022...for 8 nights in Mexico, and came home with our first bout of covid, and wore masks in the airports and on flights....it's unlikely we got it here first. We got it there, and brought it back here.

But...we have to live our lives and so we just keep an eye out for waves and adjust where we can. If there's another spike in January when we travel, we'll mask in planes and airports. On Friday we had tickets to see a cover band in the smaller of the two theaters in our town with friends. We're patrons, so met up in the patron lounge with them to have a pre-show drink. As the space began to fill....we heard coughing from both sides of the room. We decided to skip the show and went to a bar in town and sat outside. Our friends are traveling this week, and I have an employee out on vacation so I have a busy week. We didn't want to deal with getting sick. So...we didn't see the band, but did hang with our friends.

 

[Friendly Frog]

Just my 2 cents here on masks. I spent the better part of 2021/2022 wearing KN95s. I wear glasses and it became very apparent to me that the KN95 was not providing good coverage. Sure, when you breath in it "sucks in" and seems like it is (I think there's a term for that), but based on how much my glasses were fogging, even with a nose piece, I was suspect. If I didn't wear glasses, I'd have no clue. When I flew out from east to west coast, I finally got off my cheap side and bought a 3M Aura N95 mask. To be honest, I do *not* like the head straps versus ear loops, but damn, that mask fits well and is way more comfortable that any brand of KN95s I had. My glasses *never* fog which tells me I have a good seal, and it's got great breathability.

If anyone is truly concerned about having to wear one a long time and be comfortable, I'd highly recommend these. Again the head straps, which are like wide rubber bands, aren't my favorite. There is a higher level model that has more comfortable head straps though.

I think you really have to try different types to see what works best for your face shape and size. Of course they all need to be N95 from a reputable company, but I have found that the Aura 3m fit my husband well and he likes it, but for my face I like the 3m ones that are more cup shaped and the elastic fits around the ears.

 

[Christine]

Yup, that's how it works. They still say that the incubation period could be up to 14 days, but it's much more likely that that it's 2-3 days. So, when we took our first trip in 2022...for 8 nights in Mexico, and came home with our first bout of covid, and wore masks in the airports and on flights....it's unlikely we got it here first. We got it there, and brought it back here.

But...we have to live our lives and so we just keep an eye out for waves and adjust where we can. If there's another spike in January when we travel, we'll mask in planes and airports. On Friday we had tickets to see a cover band in the smaller of the two theaters in our town with friends. We're patrons, so met up in the patron lounge with them to have a pre-show drink. As the space began to fill....we heard coughing from both sides of the room. We decided to skip the show and went to a bar in town and sat outside. Our friends are traveling this week, and I have an employee out on vacation so I have a busy week. We didn't want to deal with getting sick. So...we didn't see the band, but did hang with our friends.

I pretty much get out and shop in some from every week. In many instances it's crowded. In the past week, just this week, I have been coughed on directly about 5 times now. It "feels" to me that public coughing has noticeably picked up. And people have zero manners apparently and just cough right on you. I have to say in all cases this time, it's been a man. C'mon people.

 

[Friendly Frog]

I was also in the supermarket earlier this afternoon, and thought I'd be the only one wearing a mask. To my surprise a lot of people were wearing them.

We are seeing an uptick in people wearing them in my city too, but still a minority for sure. I wish masks had not turned so political, I really do think that they help cut down on transmission of not just Covid, but the flu and other respiratory viruses.

 

[dvcgirl67]

I pretty much get out and shop in some from every week. In many instances it's crowded. In the past week, just this week, I have been coughed on directly about 5 times now. It "feels" to me that public coughing has noticeably picked up. And people have zero manners apparently and just cough right on you. I have to say in all cases this time, it's been a man. C'mon people.

Yes, same here....mostly men. Lots of coughing around town. Plus, I'm out and about every weekday and know when my customers aren't feeling well and these days, when someone tells me they're home "sick"....with coughing/congestion, I err on the side of "they've got covid" and act accordingly. I have several medical professionals on my list and they'll always tell me when they have covid....as they still routinely test. Many others aren't doing that anymore. So...comes down to common sense.

I really believe the "exposure+time" deal....and I know I've been in many homes where people have had covid in the "post-mask period", and I quickly grab the dog....head out and return after the walk. If someone else in the household is home (other than the sick one)....I don't hang out and chat with them. I get in and out. I've never caught covid in all this time here....only when on vacation in Mexico.

 

[anniemae]

We got back from Disney last week and came home with colds. We took tests and they came up negative. It was pretty crowded and there were lots of people coughing and blowing noses. Some may have been covid, but some probably just had summer colds. It does not help when they pack you into the pre-show rooms and you have to move up and stand right next to each other.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I pretty much get out and shop in some from every week. In many instances it's crowded. In the past week, just this week, I have been coughed on directly about 5 times now. It "feels" to me that public coughing has noticeably picked up. And people have zero manners apparently and just cough right on you. I have to say in all cases this time, it's been a man. C'mon people.

Yes, same here....mostly men. Lots of coughing around town.

Opposite here almost always women, add in kids too who just cough all over the place without covering and they are ones old enough to do so, parents near them never telling them to cover.

Yesterday around 11am at this restaurant in Vegas this woman tables away from us (decent distance) was just coughing and coughing and coughing.

Meanwhile on the flight down sat next to a man who had a mask on who was telling me don't worry I've tested i just don't want to get sick before I get there (and he did not appear to be sick, just like many others have mentioned here masking up on planes).

But I'm not certain gender has as much to do with it and more just complete lack of awareness or outward care towards others (meaning at least cover your coughs not just keep coughing all over everywhere/one).

 

[Christine]

Opposite here almost always women, add in kids too who just cough all over the place without covering and they are ones old enough to do so, parents near them never telling them to cover.

Yesterday around 11am at this restaurant in Vegas this woman tables away from us (decent distance) was just coughing and coughing and coughing.

Meanwhile on the flight down sat next to a man who had a mask on who was telling me don't worry I've tested i just don't want to get sick before I get there (and he did not appear to be sick, just like many others have mentioned here masking up on planes).

But I'm not certain gender has as much to do with it and more just complete lack of awareness or outward care towards others (meaning at least cover your coughs not just keep coughing all over everywhere/one).

I wasn't trying to imply that gender had anything to do with who is the greatest cough offender. Just my experience this past week. Coughed on by like 5 men (all older too!!). I obviously get that women and kids do the same thing. Adults for sure should know better than to hack openly in public.

 

[DLgal]

We got back from Disney last week and came home with colds. We took tests and they came up negative. It was pretty crowded and there were lots of people coughing and blowing noses. Some may have been covid, but some probably just had summer colds. It does not help when they pack you into the pre-show rooms and you have to move up and stand right next to each other.

This is why covid will always be around. It's kind of unfortunate that for so many people, covid feels like just a cold or allergies. It makes it hard to know who is infected and who isn't when you're out in a crowded place and people are coughing and sneezing around you.

And you really can't expect people to stop and drop everything every time they have a tickle in their throat or a stuffy nose. So I get that. Covid doesn't affect everyone the same way and a lot of people feel absolutely fine and can easily continue working, going to school, etc. I understand why they shouldn't, but in reality, tests are expensive (they are NOT covered by all insurance, we have to pay out of pocket for ours) so people are not going to take a test every time they have cold or allergy symptoms, especially those people with chronic allergies. It's just not a realistic expectation.

So, it falls on the individuals to protect themselves when they are going to be in a crowded situation. It's like you have to assume covid is ever present and tailor your behavior according to your own threshold for exposure.

 

[shh]

This is why covid will always be around. It's kind of unfortunate that for so many people, covid feels like just a cold or allergies. It makes it hard to know who is infected and who isn't when you're out in a crowded place and people are coughing and sneezing around you.

And you really can't expect people to stop and drop everything every time they have a tickle in their throat or a stuffy nose. So I get that. Covid doesn't affect everyone the same way and a lot of people feel absolutely fine and can easily continue working, going to school, etc. I understand why they shouldn't, but in reality, tests are expensive (they are NOT covered by all insurance, we have to pay out of pocket for ours) so people are not going to take a test every time they have cold or allergy symptoms, especially those people with chronic allergies. It's just not a realistic expectation.

So, it falls on the individuals to protect themselves when they are going to be in a crowded situation. It's like you have to assume covid is ever present and tailor your behavior according to your own threshold for exposure.

I like this approach, because it's so easy to get incensed at others when people are rude or clueless. If I can just keep the focus on myself the best I can, that equals a lot less stress and aggravation.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I wasn't trying to imply that gender had anything to do with who is the greatest cough offender. Just my experience this past week. Coughed on by like 5 men (all older too!!). I obviously get that women and kids do the same thing. Adults for sure should know better than to hack openly in public.

Sorry I would think specifically calling out that it was a man everytime, and then the other poster saying that as well would imply something otherwise an oddly specific detail to mention. But no worries we're saying the same thing peeps need to be better in general

 

[DLgal]

I like this approach, because it's so easy to get incensed at others when people are rude or clueless. If I can just keep the focus on myself the best I can, that equals a lot less stress and aggravation.

Exactly.

It's a lot easier to control your own actions versus the actions of others.

 

[Lehuaann]

This past May, DH came home from Disney with Covid. Seems like it was going around then since my BIL’s family all had it as well. The rest of us tested negative.

DD is a teacher and, only a few weeks into classes, now has a nasty summer cold.

Viruses gonna virus

 

[TinkAgainU]

We got back from Disney last week and came home with colds. We took tests and they came up negative. It was pretty crowded and there were lots of people coughing and blowing noses. Some may have been covid, but some probably just had summer colds. It does not help when they pack you into the pre-show rooms and you have to move up and stand right next to each other.

Curious if Disney (you did not say if DLP or WDW) had the hand sanitizers filled at least? A few times we've gone and the sanitizers seem to no longer be dependably filled. We take sanitizer but of course, handling our sanitizer bottle a lot decreases its effectiveness too. We ARE careful to use the bathroom soap regularly - but the bathrooms always seem the scaryest part of Disney trips lol.

 

[anniemae]

This is why covid will always be around. It's kind of unfortunate that for so many people, covid feels like just a cold or allergies. It makes it hard to know who is infected and who isn't when you're out in a crowded place and people are coughing and sneezing around you.

And you really can't expect people to stop and drop everything every time they have a tickle in their throat or a stuffy nose. So I get that. Covid doesn't affect everyone the same way and a lot of people feel absolutely fine and can easily continue working, going to school, etc. I understand why they shouldn't, but in reality, tests are expensive (they are NOT covered by all insurance, we have to pay out of pocket for ours) so people are not going to take a test every time they have cold or allergy symptoms, especially those people with chronic allergies. It's just not a realistic expectation.

So, it falls on the individuals to protect themselves when they are going to be in a crowded situation. It's like you have to assume covid is ever present and tailor your behavior according to your own threshold for exposure.

Yes! We can't control what others do, so we have to take responsibly for ourselves. I knew that going to a place like Disney has risks. I knew it would be crowded and there would be people from all over the world, all bringing our germs. I only have the power to protect myself if I chose to go to a crowded place like Disney. I made sure to wash hands a lot and I had masks to put on if we felt we needed them.

I don't blame people at all for going about their business with or without covid. Like you said, some feel totally fine, and some don't even have any symptoms, or they have slight symptoms that don't even register on your radar. Many stopped testing, so even if they do feel sick they never know if they had covid or not. Those who do test negative and go out while sniffling and coughing have no way of alerting others that they took a test and were negative. I feel like we should treat covid like any other virus at this point. If you have a fever, are throwing up, or have diarrhea, stay home. Or if you simply feel lousy and want to stay home, stay home. We can't keep micromanaging covid and constantly test and quarantine etc. I don't know what the current guidelines are, but last year it was to quarantine for 5 days and then you could go out in public, but you had to wear a mask for 5 more days. I can't see people doing that now.

 

[anniemae]

Curious if Disney (you did not say if DLP or WDW) had the hand sanitizers filled at least? A few times we've gone and the sanitizers seem to no longer be dependably filled. We take sanitizer but of course, handling our sanitizer bottle a lot decreases its effectiveness too. We ARE careful to use the bathroom soap regularly - but the bathrooms always seem the scaryest part of Disney trips lol.

we were at WDW. They had a lot of hand sanitizer containers, and I would say most of the times they were filled. There were many times that they were empty and I was glad I had my own bottles with me.

 

[ronandannette]

Yes! We can't control what others do, so we have to take responsibly for ourselves. I knew that going to a place like Disney has risks. I knew it would be crowded and there would be people from all over the world, all bringing our germs. I only have the power to protect myself if I chose to go to a crowded place like Disney. I made sure to wash hands a lot and I had masks to put on if we felt we needed them.

I don't blame people at all for going about their business with or without covid. Like you said, some feel totally fine, and some don't even have any symptoms, or they have slight symptoms that don't even register on your radar. Many stopped testing, so even if they do feel sick they never know if they had covid or not. Those who do test negative and go out while sniffling and coughing have no way of alerting others that they took a test and were negative. I feel like we should treat covid like any other virus at this point. If you have a fever, are throwing up, or have diarrhea, stay home. Or if you simply feel lousy and want to stay home, stay home. We can't keep micromanaging covid and constantly test and quarantine etc. I don't know what the current guidelines are, but last year it was to quarantine for 5 days and then you could go out in public, but you had to wear a mask for 5 more days. I can't see people doing that now.

I couldn't agree more. I think there's very little political will left in Western countries for imposing mandates of any kind and even less public will to comply with them. What we do have is a decent amount of information and personal anecdotal experience as to what can be done (distancing/isolation, masking, sanitizing, etc.) and unfettered access to vaccines. These measures can and should be applied by each of us as we see fit, in our own best interests.

 

[focusondisney]

I understand why they shouldn't, but in reality, tests are expensive (they are NOT covered by all insurance, we have to pay out of pocket for ours) so people are not going to take a test every time they have cold or allergy symptoms, especially those people with chronic allergies. It's just not a realistic expectation.

And part of the problem is the cost of tests. When tests first came out, I heard news stories about how inexpensive they were in other countries, just change in US money. Those countries had them inexpensive so people would test regularly, even every day, before they went out. But at $10 a test, there’s no way for families to do that before work & school.