My fear

[eliza61nyc]

Sure, let's pretend placebo effect isn't a thing. You're usually more of a straight shooter, this fluff surprises me.

I know, lol and as a chemist I'm usually right there but as a senior with one knee replacement and on severe osteoarthritis I gotta say there are a whole lot of us getting relief. Placebo effect or faith healing (which is my Pastor belief) I'll take it.
When I take vitamin C, I still can get a cold but the times I have the severity has been a lot less.

All good, what's the worst that can happen?? Op takes some vitamin supplements and feels it works??

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

I fly a lot. Rarely do I get sick. (Sure, it happens once in a while). But take into consideration:

If to alleviate your concerns, you do drive. When you get to the hotel and are waiting in line, the person immediately behind you is sneezing and coughing for 5 minutes. You finally make it to the front desk, and he/she sneezes and coughs. Okay, now you get to your room. Can you be 100% certain the individual(s) previously occupying that room weren't suffering from a cold/flu?

Point being, in certain circumstances - okay I get it. But you are no more likely getting sick flying to Orlando than you are when you are shoulder to shoulder with thousands upon thousands of people wandering around/in queue at the parks, on the monorail, buses, or around the resort in general.

 

[PeoplemoverTTA]

Get plenty of sleep, stay hydrated and eat well in the days/weeks leading up to your trip to boost your immune system. Bring sanitizer and wipes, and I even bring travel Lysol to sanitize the room - even when it’s not cold and flu season.

I have gotten sick within a few days of arriving in WDW during cold and flu season a handful of times, and so have relatives. Probably 4 out of 15 times flying to WDW during cold and flu season. You’re just as likely to pick up germs (moreso) in the parks than on the plane. My brother took a solo trip in January and ended up violently ill 3 days in; he ended up severely dehydrated at Celebration Hospital.

Avoid touching your face as much as possible, wash or sanitize your hands, and have fun. That’s really all you can do!

 

[MaryJaneP]

It seems as though the OP has identified the concern as a "fear" rather than an actual infection. Our minds can make a hell of heaven and a heaven of hell, we simply need to put our minds to it. The multiple posts demonstrate that flying itself in not the cause of any infection, it is the fear of infection that is the hurdle here for the OP. Great job all in trying to allay the OP's fears. We hope the OP can use the support given here and elsewhere to board a flight to MCO and be in WDW in no time! Go OP!

 

[Spookie2018]

I fly a lot. Rarely do I get sick. (Sure, it happens once in a while). But take into consideration:

If to alleviate your concerns, you do drive. When you get to the hotel and are waiting in line, the person immediately behind you is sneezing and coughing for 5 minutes. You finally make it to the front desk, and he/she sneezes and coughs. Okay, now you get to your room. Can you be 100% certain the individual(s) previously occupying that room weren't suffering from a cold/flu?

Point being, in certain circumstances - okay I get it. But you are no more likely getting sick flying to Orlando than you are when you are shoulder to shoulder with thousands upon thousands of people wandering around/in queue at the parks, on the monorail, buses, or around the resort in general.

The drive is just the beginning. As soon as I get to the hotel, everything, and I mean everything is thoroughly disinfected. I also won’t let housekeeping clean the room for the first few days, in case they are sick.

I also touch nothing with my hands. I find other ways to push down on a lap bar or open doors.

If someone in front of me coughs or sneezes, I either let A LOT of people go ahead of more, or leave & come back later. It’s not worth it.

It the last few days of my trip, I don’t really care as much. If I got sick then, it wouldn’t have time to develop before I got home & I really don’t care if I’m sick at home.

 

[larryz]

If getting sick from flying was really such a giant issue then how can all the pilots and cabin crew survive...

They don't all survive without getting sick. DS had to quit flying for a major regional carrier after being sick about 40% of the time.

 

[lazyboy97o]

The drive is just the beginning. As soon as I get to the hotel, everything, and I mean everything is thoroughly disinfected. I also won’t let housekeeping clean the room for the first few days, in case they are sick.

I also touch nothing with my hands. I find other ways to push down on a lap bar or open doors.

If someone in front of me coughs or sneezes, I either let A LOT of people go ahead of more, or leave & come back later. It’s not worth it.

It the last few days of my trip, I don’t really care as much. If I got sick then, it wouldn’t have time to develop before I got home & I really don’t care if I’m sick at home.

I’m going to second @DisneyMedStudent and sincerely suggest you seek professional assistance. What you are describing is beyond just being cautious. It sounds like your life is being impacted and there is no need for you to continue to suffer.

 

[Spookie2018]

It seems as though the OP has identified the concern as a "fear" rather than an actual infection. Our minds can make a hell of heaven and a heaven of hell, we simply need to put our minds to it. The multiple posts demonstrate that flying itself in not the cause of any infection, it is the fear of infection that is the hurdle here for the OP. Great job all in trying to allay the OP's fears. We hope the OP can use the support given here and elsewhere to board a flight to MCO and be in WDW in no time! Go OP!

I’ll keep you up to date. Before I posted this, I was definitely driving, however, reading all the support and suggestions has helped. Thank you to all.

 

[larryz]

I’m going to second @DisneyMedStudent and sincerely suggest you seek professional assistance. What you are describing is beyond just being cautious. It sounds like your life is being impacted and there is no need for you to continue to suffer.

Exactly. In fact, if you'll send me the $1100 next year, I'll drive you to WDW!

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Never.

If I get sick it's after being there for a week and constantly going from the heat to ice cold A/C, especially on the buses when they're not full. Another reason why I'm going to love the gondolas!

I've never been sick when flying anywhere else but I always get a cold in FL so it's a FL thing, not a plane thing.

My fears are snakes, possessed clowns and the letter “V”...

But seriously...never is the correct answer on sickness.

And if you did - so what? Life has a finite number of days and humans have an infinite appetite to enjoy things. Let them both serve each other

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I would never hesitate to fly if the fair is non-egregious. Driving sucks and I believe to be much more unhealthy long term - not just statistically.

However...I have driven several times down 95 the last 6 years or so...and it’s tolerable and terrible in the same way.

Maybe if the “freedom” section would figure out that a 4 lane road built on sand in 1967 might occasional need to be replaced. Pay a few more cents on your gas or tobbacky tax, huh?

 

[BoarderPhreak]

Litany against fear:

"I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain."

 

[twilight mitsuk]

Did you consider amtrak

 

[DisneyDoctor]

I know, lol and as a chemist I'm usually right there but as a senior with one knee replacement and on severe osteoarthritis I gotta say there are a whole lot of us getting relief. Placebo effect or faith healing (which is my Pastor belief) I'll take it.
When I take vitamin C, I still can get a cold but the times I have the severity has been a lot less.

All good, what's the worst that can happen?? Op takes some vitamin supplements and feels it works??

Absolutely, the placebo effect is still an effect. It’s better than nothing.

 

[DisneyDoctor]

Yeah that article is all based on studies not absolute proof.
One study last week said one glass of red wine per day is amazing for you and this week omg you're gonna die!

In that article after the first study of taking Vit C at the onset there was another study showing it could help prevent.
That's more what people are doing with Vit C now a days is boosting their immune system so they don't get sick not really taking Vit C after they already are sick.

This isn’t difficult information to find. It’s well known that vitamin C has no clinical effects on preventing illness.

 

[thomas998]

Every year, I buy plane tickets to Orlando in order to avoid a 16 hour drive. Every year, as my trip date draws closer, I talk myself out of flying, and into driving. It's not the fear of flying. It's the fear of getting sick (cold/flu), having been on a plane, sitting by strangers, during flu season (October) who may or may not be sick. If I don't use the tickets I purchased this year, I'll have thrown away $1100 in airfare over the last two years, so I ask to those of you that fly to Orlando, how often are you getting sick after flying???

I've flown so many miles in my life I stopped worry about collecting miles... The guy I worked with gave me several pointers over the years the one that made the most sense and that I live by when I fly is drink lots of water. Air on a plane is very dry compared to what you are likely used to and it tends to quickly dry out your nose. If your nose gets dry it makes it much easier for germs to get into your body instead of being caught in the mucous in your nose. I religiously drink lots of water when I fly and the only time I ever got sick on a trip was from food poisoning during a trip so never from anyone on a plane. And if it makes you feel better I've done multiple trips in the month of October and even later in the flu season and never gotten sick.

You are worrying about something that is unlikely to happen. You are probably more likely to get exposed to the flu if you go to a fast food restaurant or your local grocery store during flu season. If you are really concerned, you can also just buy some travel insurance. It doesn't cost that much and it would allow you to avoid having to eat the cost of the tickets if you did actually get sick.

 

[SamandplanningUK]

I read somewhere that if you get sick from a plane its usually because of the germs on your tray table or entertainment screen. A quick wipe with anti bac wipes should do the trick. We fly from the UK each year and haven't gotten sick yet

 

[Raineman]

I've never gotten sick from flying (there was the one time I had an epileptic seizure on a flight, but that's a whole 'nother story), but I prefer driving for other reasons-a roadtrip with family, enjoying the scenery of the mountains in Kentucky/Tennessee, not having to worry about luggage weight or what I have in a carry-on, not having to go through the TSA hassle. I did feel kinda crappy during a drive to WDW, but that was after spending 20 hours driving in one day after leaving my home at 3:00 am, and having to experience a 4 hour detour through the mountains of northern Tennessee, and only getting to Cordele, Ga after the first day instead of Valdosta.

 

[Hockey89]

More likely to get killed driving.... Have a drink and jump on that plane...

 

[larryz]

I've never gotten sick from flying (there was the one time I had an epileptic seizure on a flight, but that's a whole 'nother story), but I prefer driving for other reasons-a roadtrip with family, enjoying the scenery of the mountains in Kentucky/Tennessee, not having to worry about luggage weight or what I have in a carry-on, not having to go through the TSA hassle. I did feel kinda crappy during a drive to WDW, but that was after spending 20 hours driving in one day after leaving my home at 3:00 am, and having to experience a 4 hour detour through the mountains of northern Tennessee, and only getting to Cordele, Ga after the first day instead of Valdosta.

At least you got to see more scenery of the mountains in Tennessee...