Zika Impact

[disney4life2008]

You do realize this is not limited to disney correct?

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

Guest starting to cancel their trips over this?

 

[Kylo Ken]

Guest starting to cancel their trips over this?

I sure hope so. That means emptier parks for the rest of us! Plus less traffic

I guess I must be a substandard parent since I have no real fear of letting my young children go to the parks even with the Zika threat hanging over head. Heck, I must be bad for letting them play outside considering I am closer to Broward/Miami-Dade county than I am to Orange/Osceola.

I understand taking precautions and being cautious but for people to cancel their trips over it seems a bit extreme. By that logic, we should all never go to DL since there was a measles outbreak back in 14-15 and it COULD happen again.

 

[21stamps]

I sure hope so. That means emptier parks for the rest of us! Plus less traffic

I guess I must be a substandard parent since I have no real fear of letting my young children go to the parks even with the Zika threat hanging over head. Heck, I must be bad for letting them play outside considering I am closer to Broward/Miami-Dade county than I am to Orange/Osceola.

I understand taking precautions and being cautious but for people to cancel their trips over it seems a bit extreme. By that logic, we should all never go to DL since there was a measles outbreak back in 14-15 and it COULD happen again.

Re: your last sentence--
...or step out our front doors, because every time we do- there is a risk that something COULD happen.

 

[disney4life2008]

It is laughable that people think disney world is in a bubble where nothing can happen. Dare someone get bit by a mosquito they will be ready to sue.

 

[SorcererMC]

Apparently there are thousands of different types of mosquitos and only a few dozen that actually feed on humans. There was a program in one country to release barren mosquitos into the wild so that when fertile ones mated with them nothing would happen. Doing that over the course of multiple years would cause the mosquito to go exstinct .

as for me I use that off fan and I spray my legs and arms when I go running

There are 49 species of mosquito in Florida, 2 of which (Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus) are vectors for the Zika virus (also dengue, chikungunya, West Nile, and yellow fever).

Edit: A CDC map of their ranges

 

[SorcererMC]

I understand taking precautions and being cautious but for people to cancel their trips over it seems a bit extreme. By that logic, we should all never go to DL since there was a measles outbreak back in 14-15 and it COULD happen again.

Zika virus is not measles. There is no treatment or vaccine, and prevention is the key factor in preventing transmission and outbreaks. The consequences of infection are potentially devastating, not just for pregnant women (a projected ~1.5-2 mln in the moderate-high risk area), but for their partners and families. The logic of perceived risk is not 'never' or 'always'. It is case-specific and based on what is known about the current disease/outbreak vs. what is unknown, and subject to human behavior (eg travel/ mobility, susceptibility to mosquito bites). The risk for Zika virus (local transmission in Orlando) is very low at present, but it is an evolving situation as more information becomes available.

Travelers are being advised to consult their medical providers. So, if a trip is cancelled based on medical advice, what is Disney's policy for giving a refund? That may be the crux of the issue for those deciding to go or not.

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

It is laughable that people think disney world is in a bubble where nothing can happen. Dare someone get bit by a mosquito they will be ready to sue.

Or get attacked by a Gator

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

I sure hope so. That means emptier parks for the rest of us! Plus less traffic

I guess I must be a substandard parent since I have no real fear of letting my young children go to the parks even with the Zika threat hanging over head. Heck, I must be bad for letting them play outside considering I am closer to Broward/Miami-Dade county than I am to Orange/Osceola.

I understand taking precautions and being cautious but for people to cancel their trips over it seems a bit extreme. By that logic, we should all never go to DL since there was a measles outbreak back in 14-15 and it COULD happen again.

There will be more of a freak out after the Olympics - The news has to focus on the negative.

 

[SorcererMC]

My wife and I have plans to take our 1.5 year old daughter to WDW for her first time in November. We also plan to start trying for baby #2 in January. We are still planning to make the trip to Orlando, but I confess the recent suspected cases of local transmission of Zika in the Miami area has us a slight bit anxious. I get why most say it's not a big deal and the risk is very low, but when the consequences of a negative outcome are so severe to a child, it's hard not to contemplate whether it's worth going until our family is complete.

Contagion models are showing that the peak of cases occurs in July and then tapers, becoming very low towards December and January. It is encouraging that the number of locally-acquired cases is so low. The Miami cluster may uptick due to better testing and detection. By all means, take precautions and consult your doctor, but I suspect that the risk for Orlando come November of this year will continue to be very low (subject to change as more information becomes available).

 

[21stamps]

From what I can tell, Disney Cruise Line has still been sailing at regular occupancy, they definitely haven't needed to offer any incentives, and maybe someone else has, but I haven't heard of one person cancelling their cruise over Zika.. And that risk was there well before the 4 Miami cases...much higher risk in the Caribbean than in Orlando.

Why are we assuming people will cancel WDW?

 

[SorcererMC]

From what I can tell, Disney Cruise Line has still been sailing at regular occupancy, they definitely haven't needed to offer any incentives, and maybe someone else has, but I haven't heard of one person cancelling their cruise over Zika.. And that risk was there well before the 4 Miami cases...much higher risk in the Caribbean than in Orlando.

Why are we assuming people will cancel WDW?

In general, tourists avoid areas of disease outbreaks. This is why tourism industry stocks (hotels, airlines, cruise companies) took a hit in January/ February over Zika. I haven't checked them out yet today, but wouldn't be surprised if they fell a few percent.

Edit: Expect few cancellations. The issue for tourism is that people usually plan vacations 3-6 months out, and will decide not to go or simply go elsewhere.
It can take up to 2 years for a tourist destination to recover from a disease outbreak (according to World Travel and Tourism Council reports).

 

[gljvd]

There are 49 species of mosquito in Florida, 2 of which (Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus) are vectors for the Zika virus (also dengue, chikungunya, West Nile, and yellow fever).

I was saying in general. But yes if the 2 are the problem they could breed them out of the wild in a few years

 

[21stamps]

In general, tourists avoid areas of disease outbreaks. This is why tourism industry stocks (hotels, airlines, cruise companies) took a hit in January/ February over Zika. I haven't checked them out yet today, but wouldn't be surprised if they fell a few percent.

Edit: Expect few cancellations. The issue for tourism is that people usually plan vacations 3-6 months out, and will decide not to go or simply go elsewhere.

I can't post a link now on my phone. But everything I've read in the past several months has reported that there has been no noticeable change in cruising in the Caribbean.
Not one line has reported that they've "taken a hit".

 

[gljvd]

From what I can tell, Disney Cruise Line has still been sailing at regular occupancy, they definitely haven't needed to offer any incentives, and maybe someone else has, but I haven't heard of one person cancelling their cruise over Zika.. And that risk was there well before the 4 Miami cases...much higher risk in the Caribbean than in Orlando.

Why are we assuming people will cancel WDW?

You really have a narrow group of people that zika actually effects. Its those looking to have children in the 2-3 months after the vacation. Heck I wouldn't try to have a child for a year after a vacation in a zika out break area.

I think the majority of those going on a Disney curise already have their children

 

[SorcererMC]

I was saying in general. But yes if the 2 are the problem they could breed them out of the wild in a few years

In April, there was a proposal by the biotech firm Oxitec to introduce GMO mosquitoes to Key West, FL, which had a dengue outbreak in 2010 (and also makes the area more susceptible to Zika). And the FDA was seeking public comment, but I don't know what came of it. It's a potential solution, but there's a lot of distrust and fear of the unknown.

 

[21stamps]

You really have a narrow group of people that zika actually effects. Its those looking to have children in the 2-3 months after the vacation. Heck I wouldn't try to have a child for a year after a vacation in a zika out break area.

I think the majority of those going on a Disney curise already have their children

It's not just Disney cruise line though. Every major line has reported than cancellations have been few and far between. Most, if not all, stated publicly that they would offer refunds to pregnant women if the woman wanted to cancel. The tourism in the Caribbean islands have not seen a noticeable impact either.

Plenty of couples go to these places on a cruise or on a land vacay.

If you are pregnant/actively trying to become pregnant, then make a choice... But this thread is getting blown out of proportion. Caribbean travel has not been affected..and we haven't heard horror stories of thousands of people returning deathly ill. But now all of the sudden WDW is potentially dangerous? I don't understand how DCL travelers are different than WDW travelers.

 

[21stamps]

In April, there was a proposal by the biotech firm Oxitec to introduce GMO mosquitoes to Key West, FL, which had a dengue outbreak in 2010 (and also makes the area more susceptible to Zika). And the FDA was seeking public comment, but I don't know what came of it. It's a potential solution, but there's a lot of distrust and fear of the unknown.

Ok please, please I'm not trying to be rude, but can we please keep this somewhat non-alarming. There was cases of dengue in Key West @ 2009-2010, it was not an epidemic in the slightest bit. Tourism was not affected, locals didn't flee, nor were they overly concerned.

Sorry to seem passionate about this, but we're talking about a part of the country that I know and love, and what is being talked about here is completely sensationalized.

Let's not try to scare people away from SoFla, the Keys, or even WDW. There are a lot of dangerous things in Florida, even more "danger" in SoFla if you want to get technical. Most people never actually experience any of that danger. Locals or tourists. They certainly don't walk around in fear.

There are plenty of us on this thread @Kylo Ken just mentioned earlier as well, who don't stop living because of a potential small chance of danger.

 

[seabreezept813]

I sure hope so. That means emptier parks for the rest of us! Plus less traffic

I guess I must be a substandard parent since I have no real fear of letting my young children go to the parks even with the Zika threat hanging over head. Heck, I must be bad for letting them play outside considering I am closer to Broward/Miami-Dade county than I am to Orange/Osceola.

I understand taking precautions and being cautious but for people to cancel their trips over it seems a bit extreme. By that logic, we should all never go to DL since there was a measles outbreak back in 14-15 and it COULD happen again.

The thing is zika is risky for certain groups of people. If you have no plans for having babies in the near futur, then you are risking mere flu-like symptoms. If you are pregnant or want to have a baby soon, there is a potential for serious birth defects. So it makes sense for those people to be overly cautious.

 

[NormC]

Early form of Zika was discovered in 1947. I am not going to start worrying about it now just because the media wants me to do so.