Hello parents out there. My family will be going on our first Disney World Orlando trip this spring. We're all excited/ anxious in a way on how this vacation would go in terms of his condition. How should I pack my sons diabetic supplies (insulin and stuff) during our 5 day park hopping? Any input would be great!!
Thanks and God Bless!
Knicko's Mom
Hi, I took my son to Disney World last year. I was alittle nervous at first, but actually it turned out great. He is 11 yrs old, so not being alot younger did help. We basically put all of his supplies in a backpack and took that with us everywhere. I did put the insulin in a softcase with ice, just incase it was really hot. I have to say his numbers that week were prob. the best stretch that he has had for one week. Don't worry, you will have a great time. Hope the weather is nice for you. Have a safe trip.
Dwight
A few weeks after diagnosis we went to Disneyworld - at the strong urging of our diabetes educator. It was sage advice. It put us in the mindset that our daughter Cassie was a kid FIRST and a person with diabetes second.
I recommend you take a separate fanny pack or light bag with snacks and your diabetes supplies - having an insulated pouch would be ideal to help keep your insulin cool. Bring extra insulin to keep in he hotel room in case your "to go" supply gets too hot.
Thanks guys! I was thinking I didn't have to bring insulin while park hoppin since he'll be very excited and all over the place that he will easily burn his excess sugars. Anyway, insulated pouch is a great idea! Thanks again.
Hi! We go to Disneyland every month since we are nearby and have passes. We always just carry a backpack with supplies and food and we are off. His sugars are usually high from excitement. Then dive when he is running around. We just check blood sugars more and keep sugar supply handy. You can also talk to Guest Services and get a card that allows you "Handicap" status. If it is really hot or something you can get to the front of the line if you need to. Dehydration is huge here in CA when you have to stand in line for hours to get on a ride. We dont do that since we dont want our boy to use diabetes as a crutch to get him places. So far we have had a great time and have had no problems. Go and have fun!!!
We took Ocean when she turned 6, after being diagnosed Type 1. You simply need an insulated pack to carry insulin and keep cool. Your syringes, glucose meter etc can be kept in it as well. Always keep some kind of snack handy for lows that won't melt and/or money for food. I also suggest bringing one of those small books that lists food and carbs. The restaurants we ate in didn't have the nutrition info if I am remembering correctly. So, you may need to guestimate.
It was no problem for us.
Colleen
Mom to two Type 1 daughters, 19yo and 7 yo
We took my 4-year-old for the first time this past November and she did great. We reduced all her basals by .05 for the length of the trip to avoid lows. We also got a travel letter from our doctor so we did not have any trouble bringing syringes, etc on the plane or anywhere else. We also took that letter to the City Hall when we got to Disney and they gave us a "special assistance" pass so we did not have to wait in long lines - we got to use the handicapped lines and it made a HUGE difference in wait times. I think it also helped to prevent any lows during the trip. Good luck and have a great time!
We took our 8 yr old daughter last October. It was VERY hot still. The ice and backpack are a definent must.
Something we noticed was that almost all the rides had nets and such for bags and things. This was a great thing for keeping the bag handy.
You'll want to bring the insulin because we experienced just what some others here have mentioned. Our daughter was so excited that she went up considerably at times.
Security will want to look in all the bags but they never even hinted at questioning the supplies, though they did want to look in all the bags. We prepped by having them all unzipped before we went through. They didn't question the snacks either. They were great!
Have a BALL and don't forget to check out the child/parent swap thing Disney does. An adult can wait in line then switch out for a child at the end of the line.
We didn't know about this until we got back but this would have been a great thing.
Have a SUPER trip and let us all know how it goes!
Thanks you guys! This trip means so much to my two children and they can't actually wait till then. Now with all your inputs, I can say this trip will be much more enjoyable for my family than I can ever imagine. God Bless all of you!
Most important......HAVE FUN!!!!! If it is possible, try to take a few "Diabetes free" MOMMY MOMENTS. Remember it is your vacation too! Just think how much fun Disneyworld will be after you have had a massage at the hotel, or a spa pedicure with a nice glass of champagne! Have a wonderful time and please let us all know how it goes!
I would bring some Cakemate Gel. it is 15 carbs and is absorbed in the mouth, great for lows and is very fast acting. it will not melt in the heat. That is what we brought along with us this last august.
Hi Knicko's Mom,
We went to Disney and had a great time. As one of the other parents mentioned, if they are not over crowded they can give you a handicap pass which gets you through the lines faster. This was helpful since the park is so big. It was comforting to know that we had a bit more control over our schedule and could get in and out in time for lunch, etc. I was not sure how all the walking and exercize would impact his sugar so we played it safe and used the pass.
Another piece of advice is that there is a very nice first aid station (which is air conditioned!). We brought a few ice packs and would stop by first aid to swap out a frozen one. They would also store the insulin in their refrigerator if you find that helpful. They were very nice. We used the air conditioned waiting room to administer insulin because my son is not on the pump. It was nice to get away from the crowd and heat once in a while to test and swap out the ice pack.
I carried a backpack with snacks, emergency sugar and water. We also always carry cake jel which works well to raise sugar quickly. A tip from our diabetes educator was that it can be wiped on the inside of their cheeks if they are not willingly eating. I had to do this once when my son was 4 and it worked very well. My son is 10 now but I still carry it everywhere. Just remember to choose the white or yellow color, I had red which was frightening looking when it was smeard on a crying childs face. lol...
Hope this information helps you. We had a blast, enjoy your trip.
Hi. Our family went last summer to Disney World too. So much fun. If you going from out of town, just be sure to get a note from the doctor for emergencies and if your flying you may need one to get through security with syringes. Also call the airlines ahead of time to be sure of what you need and get them to send you something in writing.
Just be prepared. Have a prescription for everything you use, in case you lose your bag or drop the insulin vile. And have some snacks onhand. We used one of those insulated bags to carry her supplies.
Tell Mickey "Charleigh says Hi" :)
I will, thanks fred!
We just got back from Disneyland and we had a blast. Our sons still needed insulin and there were lots of fruit stands or churro stands if we needed anything. We also got a family assistance pass at Disney City Hall that let us in the handicap line so we didn't have huge waits and sugars dropping. Have fun and check sugars alot.
We are going to disney world. where can we get that "special pass" . Can I request that from the resort hotel where we are staying?
I imagine they would have a city hall at Disney World as well. You can always ask the gate attendant when you go there.
After we entered Disney we went to customer service (or similarly named). I showed them our diabetes travel letter from our diabetes educator and our medical supplies and explained that we were concerned about making it through the park and having control over where we were should our son need sugar, insulin or a glucose test. They said that Diabetes was not considered a disability but that since the park was not overcrowded and there were not a large number of visitors with mobility disabilities that day, that we could have a disability pass. This was awesome and gave us so much comfort and confidence. However, you cannot count on them being able to grant this to you.
Another option which was great at Universal is the fast pass (not sure if Disney has similar). This costs more (like $20=$25 a day I believe) but is well worth it and serves the same purpose. You use a shorter line and can move through the park faster. Another thing that parks have now is where you can take a ticket to go on the ride at a specific time. This also gives you control over your schedule.
You may want to the web site and click on disabilities to research more.
Hope this helped.
hi ..why did you have to go to city hall...I thought you just had to go to guest services
You may want to check out this website: http://allears.net/pl/diabetes.htm
I have not read the whole thing, and we have not traveled to Disney since our son was diagnosed, but it looks like it has a lot of helpful information. Let us all know how the trip turns out!