You’ve made it to Orlando and are having a blast at Disney, then it happens. You get sick! Now what do you do? Your family physician and local pharmacy are miles away, and if you took Magical Express you don’t have a car! This is a disaster right? Wrong! Disney thinks of everything, including what to do if you get sick on property. On my recent trip to Disney, I was faced with this very issue. The morning of our first day, I started coming down with the dreaded Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). If you’ve ever had one, you know they are painful and no fun at all. Especially when you are on the go constantly in a humid climate. Through partnerships with off-property pharmacies and medical facilities, getting the medial attention I needed was much easier than I thought. Below are four resources that can come in very handy should you find yourself sick at Disney.
1) First Aid Station
When dealing with a UTI, the first thing I try is the over-the-counter medicine AZO. I searched all the shops in Magic Kingdom and the Polynesian with no luck. Since it was such a specific request, I decided to check with the First Aid station. Every park has one and they are usually close to the entrance. On my trip, I visited the Magic Kingdom location which is next to the baby care center between Casey’s Corner (Number 10 on the map) and The Crystal Palace (Number 11 on the map). They have several over-the-counter pain relievers, ice packs, band aids, and other treatment for minor injuries and heat related illnesses. Unfortunately for me, no AZO, but they did have information on other outlets. If you are just having minor issues, the closest First Aid station is your best bet. Even if they are not able to treat you, they can point you in the right direction.
2) Local Pharmacy
First aid was able to tell me that no location in the parks, or anywhere on property for that matter, would carry the medicine I was looking for. They did give me the name and number for Turner Drugs. This is a local pharmacy that delivers anywhere on property and can leave your order at the front desk. They will charge it to your room and you just have to come by and pick it up. If you could get in touch with your local doctor, they could call in a prescription for you. This could potentially save you a ton of money, as your primary care doctor will have your record, know what you need, and hopefully take care of you from home. I did order AZO and cranberry juice from Turner and was very pleased with their courtesy over the phone, quick delivery time, and the ability to charge to the room was very convenient.
3) Doctors on Call
When the meds didn’t work, I decided I needed to seek medical attention. I wanted to minimize the time it took to receive care so as to not impact the trip for my family. I’ve had a few trips to the Emergency Room and they take FOREVER! For me, the ER would be a last resort. Plus, with no car, I would also need a taxi or an Uber to get there. I did a little Google search and found Doctors on Call. This is a service where a physician will come right to your room and treat you. I found out later that they do not accept insurance, but will provide you with detailed receipts so that you can later file a claim with your insurance provider. They can only treat certain conditions in the room, so they do a phone evaluation with you first to see if they will be able to help before coming to you.
4) Centra Care
After ruling out Doctors on Call, I decided to go with an urgent care clinic called Centra Care. They have a free shuttle that will pick you up at your resort and bring you back for no charge. They also accepted my Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance. I was called back to the exam room with only a ten-minute wait. Angel, my nurse, was awesome! He took my vitals and started the tests that were needed, all while being kind and courteous. The doctor came in just a few minutes later and confirmed a UTI. She prescribed a shot and some oral antibiotics. The best part was they had the medicine I needed right there at the clinic, no extra trip to the pharmacy! Only paid a $25 co-pay and $10 for my meds that day. I was expecting a huge bill in the mail, but after my insurance it was a very reasonable $161. For an emergency care clinic, that was not bad out of pocket, considering the total charges were over $600! And the time I saved was perfect. I was gone a total of 2 hours, and during that time the two kids on the trip took their naps, no fun time lost!
Yes, it sucks to get sick while on any vacation, and especially at Disney. Hopefully, if it should happen to you, one of the above options will work out best. As always, if it is a life threatening emergency call 911 or get yourself to the closest emergency room.
