Parents of Children with Type 1 Diabetes

For insulin, carry it, don't leave it at first aid. That's a total pain to have to walk back and forth any time you need it. Frio works great. Spend the money on it, you'll have it for years and years and years.

We always go in the summer and have never needed a GAC. We just test, probably twice as much as we do at home, so unexpected lows just aren't happening. It was just pointless to ask for "shade" GAC since there was none at the rides where we needed it, and most other lines were covered. There was never a GAC that allowed coming and going from lines. Besides, I figure if my kid can run around outside all day long in the summer, jump in the pool, hit the trampoline, then standing in a line in Disney isn't going to be a problem.

We tend to use longer lines for lows, just wait them out while in line, testing, treating, etc. Since we always just have all our supplies with us in a backpack we have no trouble and there's no need to leave the line. We've only had one or two times, can't recall exactly, where we reached the ride and DS was still low, and the CM just simply gave us a FP return thing. No issues at all. It was far easier than getting in and out of line.


On the other side, I think it just sends the wrong kind of message to our kids : You can do anything other people do, you can be a gymnast, a doctor, an olympic athlete, a race car driver, and you can do great, but you can't wait in a line at disney because your diabetes is too fragile. Nope. Not buying it.
 
For insulin, carry it, don't leave it at first aid. That's a total pain to have to walk back and forth any time you need it. Frio works great. Spend the money on it, you'll have it for years and years and years.

We always go in the summer and have never needed a GAC. We just test, probably twice as much as we do at home, so unexpected lows just aren't happening. It was just pointless to ask for "shade" GAC since there was none at the rides where we needed it, and most other lines were covered. There was never a GAC that allowed coming and going from lines. Besides, I figure if my kid can run around outside all day long in the summer, jump in the pool, hit the trampoline, then standing in a line in Disney isn't going to be a problem.

We tend to use longer lines for lows, just wait them out while in line, testing, treating, etc. Since we always just have all our supplies with us in a backpack we have no trouble and there's no need to leave the line. We've only had one or two times, can't recall exactly, where we reached the ride and DS was still low, and the CM just simply gave us a FP return thing. No issues at all. It was far easier than getting in and out of line.


On the other side, I think it just sends the wrong kind of message to our kids : You can do anything other people do, you can be a gymnast, a doctor, an olympic athlete, a race car driver, and you can do great, but you can't wait in a line at disney because your diabetes is too fragile. Nope. Not buying it.

Thank you for your advice on the frio I will definitely look into it :thumbsup2 Your use of long lines to monitor totally makes sense and I hope you didn't misunderstand what I was saying about GAC...I'm not saying he is too fragile to wait in line because of diabetes, I'm saying when we are in long lines like TSMM which I believe is one that is wheelchair accessible I would like to be able to use his stroller if we think he will get tired (and melt down to be carried/held the whole time) so he can sit and rest. I'm not looking for a front of the line pass, or to skip the line, just to keep him rested if he needs it. Being new to type 1, I have never taken him on vacation but I see what 30 minutes of playing in the park playground does so I am nervous. I agree with you that kids with diabetes are capable to doing anything and I don't believe it will send my 3 year old the wrong message, all he understands right now is that when he gets too high or too low, it makes him feel miserable/tired/thirsty etc.
 
Thank you for your advice on the frio I will definitely look into it :thumbsup2 Your use of long lines to monitor totally makes sense and I hope you didn't misunderstand what I was saying about GAC...I'm not saying he is too fragile to wait in line because of diabetes, I'm saying when we are in long lines like TSMM which I believe is one that is wheelchair accessible I would like to be able to use his stroller if we think he will get tired (and melt down to be carried/held the whole time) so he can sit and rest. I'm not looking for a front of the line pass, or to skip the line, just to keep him rested if he needs it. Being new to type 1, I have never taken him on vacation but I see what 30 minutes of playing in the park playground does so I am nervous. I agree with you that kids with diabetes are capable to doing anything and I don't believe it will send my 3 year old the wrong message, all he understands right now is that when he gets too high or too low, it makes him feel miserable/tired/thirsty etc.

No, I get it, I understand that concern. The thing is with the current GAC , there isn't much Disney can do about it. But with the (rumored) changes to GAC coming it seems that it will work better in cases like yours. You'll be able to get a return time pass which will allow you to wait out the line in a manner of your choosing. It's a win for everyone. You don't feel like you're doing something to game the system, you're not asking to skip lines, and Disney is giving you a way to get your needs met at the same time.
 
My DD10 was just diagnosed on 9/22. She went back to school yesterday and her numbers ran low all day with a huge drop after dinner that required sugar. The doctors are still adjusting her insulin day by day right now it seems.

We have a trip planned in December. She's been lots of times and like me enjoys doing as much as we can while we are there. Last year it was fairly cool in December but I know that's not always the case. I'm nervouse about how she will do this time.

And of course the food. I think only two of our ADR's this year are buffets but I'm nervous about guessing the insulin for those. The regular menu restaurants I'm not as worried about.

Thankfully we have two months to get a better handle on things but I'm still nervous about how to keep her safe on this trip. Appreciate any tips you guys have!
 
The learning curve is pretty steep to begin with. I suspect that by December the numbers will be pretty well ingrained.

Best of wishes for your daughter. I hope she does better today.
 
I'm not sure if you went already or will be soon (either way - yay!) but I hope you will let us know how things went. We go on our first DL trip since the type 1 diagnosis (and an ASD diagnosis for my oldest son but that is for a whole other thread!) in over a month so I am feeling both extremely excited and a little bit nervous! I wonder how the GAC worked for you. I am thinking of asking for one to use my 3 y/o's stroller as a wheelchair because we have learned he gets tired easier and it is rough to carry a 40 pounder around, let alone while waiting in potentially long lines! I am not sure how hot and sunny it will be at the later part of October but I am still weighing looking into what a GAC can do to keep him from dropping too low in hot, sunny lines - I just don't want to take chances, even if our wait ends up longer. I'm goinbg to have his JDRF backpack filled with snacks and drinks just in case too.

In a side note to anyone/everyone: do you guys prefer to check insulin at the First Aid station to keep in their fridge or use a Frio case to keep it cool and carry with you? Or another 3rd option:laundy:? We are syringe/vial users and I'm so torn what to do since I see frio costs 30 bucks at our pharmacy, if it is very useful I would be willing to spend that, but we don't know how often we'd use it after we go to DL. Thanks :)

We had a great time. it was hot though! We ended up not doing a GAC since crowds were down and with fast passes we never waited in line more than 15 minutes. The girls numbers were great. With all the snacking we just tested lots, and I was greatful for the dexcoms for overnight. Even TSA was a breeze! All in all traveling with the girls D really ended up not being as stressful as I thought it would be!
 
My DD10 was just diagnosed on 9/22. She went back to school yesterday and her numbers ran low all day with a huge drop after dinner that required sugar. The doctors are still adjusting her insulin day by day right now it seems.

We have a trip planned in December. She's been lots of times and like me enjoys doing as much as we can while we are there. Last year it was fairly cool in December but I know that's not always the case. I'm nervouse about how she will do this time.

And of course the food. I think only two of our ADR's this year are buffets but I'm nervous about guessing the insulin for those. The regular menu restaurants I'm not as worried about.

Thankfully we have two months to get a better handle on things but I'm still nervous about how to keep her safe on this trip. Appreciate any tips you guys have!


We just got back and I found the food the easiest thing. My T1D is younger (21 months) but he was normal to low most of the time due to activity and excitement so he ate almost anything he wanted (including sharing a hot fudge sundae) we even had to turn his pump settings down most days.

The worst was the last 24 hrs when he was throwing up due to some Gastro and his numbers went insane but that was totally beyond our control.

Also you will really start to get a feel for counting carbs and knowing what portion sizes are. Also I was able to guess a lot because he was running low. We would underestimate if anything.

I do have to say that the pump was a godsend I think it would have been a lot harder without it as it gave us so much freedom with food choices.

We also tested him ALL THE TIME like every hour because he would drop so fast. I always carried everything with me (kit, tester, cookies, juice) so he'd be eating a cookie in line for Minnie. It's just our new normal.


We are WDW veterans and this was a whole new experience.
 


Subbing....our son is 7 and has been T1 for a year. Heading to Disney in December.

Does Disney have carb info for their food? A little stressed about that....
 
Subbing....our son is 7 and has been T1 for a year. Heading to Disney in December.

Does Disney have carb info for their food? A little stressed about that....


No (unless it's packaged like an Uncrustable or something) I relied on what I knew (ie a piece of bread, a hot dog bun) and used Calorie king for some things but because he ran low most of the trip my guessing wasn't an issue.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top