On my December 2012 trip to Disney World I got to have a new experience, getting sick. Even better, I got to see this from two different angles.
First, my sister gets arthritis in her ankle. Second, I got a virus.
My sister has had trouble with arthritis in her ankle since a few Disney World trips ago. She was preparing for a day at the Animal Kingdom and was in too much pain to go and instead went to Urgent Care. On this trip it was less dramatic. Her ankle had started to bother her after 2 days, she got information on the Urgent Care and we decided to go in the afternoon. Too bad she missed one major bit of information, you can schedule an appt. We ended up waiting for 3 hours for a 15 minute appointment.
So here's the info you need for Urgent Care at Disney World. Centra Care is the Urgent Care centers in the area. There are 4 in the area of Disney World and they offer shuttle service to and from Disney World, just check with security or your resort front desk and they can make the arrangements for you. If you're sick and need to see the doctor, but don't need to go NOW, you can schedule an appointment. I got the impression that they often have waits, but 3 hours isn't the norm.
Here is what Centra Care treats: Broken bones, cuts & scratches, coughs, cold, flu, sore throats, ear infections, stomachaches, fevers, pneumonia, vomiting, diarrhea, sinus infections, asthma, allergies, rashes, headaches, back pain and much more....
While they can fill the prescriptions that they write, not all of them have a wide variety of medications on hand. If you are visiting the world and know you need heavy duty medication then you should mention that when picking a location (if you have a choice). The location (off property near Animal Kingdom) we went to had the medication my sister needed, but there was also a Wal Mart across the street. There is another location near Crossroads (main entrance to The World) and I know there are pharmacies there too, so there is a work around, but depending on what is wrong, it's far from ideal.
As for me my virus was less dramatic. Too bad it started to set in later in the day AFTER my sister and I had already been to Centra Care. It started with some mild nausea (fried chicken might not have been my best idea) and exhaustion, pretty typical cold like symptoms. Of course that night we went to a special viewing of the Osborne Lights. I really wanted to have fun there, and I tried for my sister. But I was miserable.
The rest of the 2 days after that was kinda similar. Take medication and feel ok, then get knocked on my ass at night while at an Illuminations Dessert Party and the airport. I considered telling my sister to go off on her own one day, but felt bad, and I was afraid she wouldn't want to go on her own. So I kept going, it is Disney after all. It probably wasn't my best move. I'm not sure if I had a virus to start with, or if I over did it in those 2 and a half days, but by the time I got home I was at the wanting to die stage...
I'm not sure what the answer to that dilemma is. Although I felt crappy for a night and a day, buy the time I realized it was possibly more then a cold I was already on the way home. But I did make use of the store at Pop Century and bought whatever cold medicine they had. I would suggest that if you're picky about medicine or feel you might be getting a cold before you leave, then it's worth it to bring medicine from home. The on-property stores don't have a large selection.
Do you have any stories of getting sick on vacation? What's the biggest issue?
