What Happens If You Get Sick On A Disney Cruise?

This is not the post I was expecting to write, but sometimes, in spite of our best efforts, you get sick on a Disney cruise. Not ideal! It was a memorable trip (we always say “you don’t remember the boring vacations”, the ones that go according to plan.) Gratefully, it was a quick illness and we were able to get great care, but if you’ve ever asked the question “what happens if you get sick on a Disney cruise?” this post is for you.

Every year after Christmas we take a warm weather vacation. It’s become one of our favorite rhythms as a family. We have found that the film industry is pretty quiet after the holidays and if we are going to get away and not be bothered, this is the time to do it. (Hawaii in 2023, Grand Cayman in 2024, Bahamas in 2025)

This year we had a few limitations and Josh suggested that we look at booking a Disney cruise. Hugo had seen a commercial for Disney Cruise Line years ago and would still talk about wanting to go. Since Disney is one of the few cruise lines that allows you to cruise with a baby (and doesn’t requires a passport) and we were already in Orlando to spend Christmas with family, a Disney cruise checked all of the boxes!

matching set (mine is old, similar) – straw visor

NOTE: I booked our cruise though Costco Travel and received about $1000 back in Costco gift cards. If you already have a Costco membership, I highly recommend taking advantage of their travel website. We had a seamless booking experience.

One thing to keep in mind, Disney considers Costco to be a “travel agent” and travel agents handle some changes to your reservation. You are able to edit your reservation on your Disney account with preferences and activities, but when I called Disney to add transportation from Orlando airport to Port Canaveral I was informed that my travel agent would need to do that and I had no way of contacting one at Costco. We booked GOPORT as roundtrip transportation from the airport to port with no issues.

The best peppermint striped pajamas! We all have matching pairs (mens, kids.)

After a wonderful Christmas with family, we left the next morning for Orlando and our cruise boarded later that afternoon. We thought we were brilliant with our timing and congratulated each other all the way up th gangplank! About 18 hours into our cruise, we woke up in the Bahamas as the ship was docking at Castaway Cay. We were sipping coffee and talking about plans for the day when Hamilton just let loose and vomited all over our veranda. I have never seen anything like this in my life. It was so dramatic, it felt like something out of cartoon!

THE WHOLE STORY:

I was feeling seasick (something I’m very familiar with thanks to HG) and figured that his little tummy was upset too. We packed our beach bags and planned to be first off the boat. But as the morning went on he continued to projectile vomit after every feeding. A little before noon, I decided to take Hamilton back to the boat to see if he could take a nap. After vomiting a few more times I knew it was time to call the doctor. We headed down to the bowels of the ship where the doctor checked him out and sent us out with Zofran and pedialyte popsicles.

I took him back to the room and continued to note every feed and vomit for the rest of the day. Meanwhile, after I left for the boat, Josh turned on his cell service and noticed a lot of activity on his family’s text chain. After about a dozen notifications he finally started to check them and saw that they were all discussing a virus that was sweeping through the whole family. He was convinced that we were just seasick took Hugo to see a movie while I rested with the baby.

About 20 minutes into Zootopia 2, Hugo looks at Josh and goes “Dad…” Josh grabbed a popcorn bucket and starts running with him to the bathroom leaving a trail of vomit the whole way. Parenting is so glamorous. Josh messaged me that they were now headed to the doctor to get him checked out.

By the time Josh and Hugo came back to the room it was getting late in the day we made the call to take Hamilton to get an IV because he was starting to get dehydrated. A truly scary experience. The doctor and nurses were so kind and careful as they placed the IV and helped him get comfortable.

By now we knew that we were dealing with a virus (confirmed by our 15+ family members), Josh said “I’ve seen enough documentaries to know how this goes, we’re letting the ship know.” Let me tell you, THE SHIP ALREADY KNEW. We set off a flurry of activity, CDC paperwork was filled out and we received several calls from guest services.

They put our room on isolation/quarantine until we were 24 hours from the last symptom. Hugo would need a doctor’s note to be allowed back into child care. Guest services called us to say that all soda, smoothies, pedialyte popsicles, laundry service and extra room service items were complimentary during our quarantine. All of our medical care was covered, we received no extra charge for anything. Our room attendant checked in on us several times, bringing fresh towels and sheets as needed (they were needed!)

STARTING TO IMPROVE:

Disney was incredibly accommodating. They truly thought of everything to make our time comfortable and to make sure that we were taken care of. They sent huge stuffed animals for the boys, and our cruise director dropped off an activity kit for Hugo. We settled in for a long haul but thankfully this virus was quick passing. Josh and I had zero appetite and the rocking boat got to us, but neither one of us got sick. We were able to get clearance from the doctor the next day.

The IV did the trick for Hamilton and he started to improve almost immediately. Hugo also improved quickly and even slept through the night. We were out of quarantine in time for pirate night but we were all so wiped that we were asleep and missed the fireworks.

DISNEY CRUISE HACKS:

Before leaving on our trip I read dozens of cruise hacks, here are the ones that I used and loved!

An over the door organizer. Cruise suites are very small, I unpacked our suitcases immediately and hung this on the connecting door. It was perfect for holding every. little. thing. Diapers for middle of the night changes, sunglasses, sunscreen, toys, extra pacifiers, etc.
Room service is included on a Disney cruise. It’s not listed on the menu, but you can have Mickey ice cream bars delivered right to your room! I also filled out our breakfast room service form every night. It was really lovely to wake up to a hot coffee delivery! I also included gluten free toast and cereal and OJ for Hugo to eat while we were getting ready for the day.
There are specialty coffee shops (at least on the Fantasy) located above the lobby or in the adult section of the ship. If you order a latte they will add these fun latte art designs.
There is a walking path on deck 4 (Fantasy) that we didn’t discover until later in our trip. It’s the perfect spot to get some fresh air or to watch the sunset. Ours never felt very crowded.
I packed detergent sheets in case I needed to do laundry (OH YES I DID!) These are great for travel since they are dry, no chance of spillage! Disney ships have self-service laundry for a small fee.
Magnetic hooks. Almost every surface on a cruise ship is metal. I ordered these hooks but we didn’t end up using them (I passed them along to a friend who’s cruising this week.)
Cash. Disney cruises are all-inclusive and they truly cover almost everything, but you will want to have some cash on hand for tipping porters at the airport and port as well as your staff on the boat (we were able to go to guest services add extra for our wonderful room attendant and then use venmo off the boat, but I wish I had heeded this advice.)

And there you have it! The Walsh Family Disney Cruise Saga. WHAT. A. TIME.

It was the most memorable trip and I’ve now had to tell the story so many times. This is what happens when your child excitedly tells everyone for weeks that you’re going on a Disney cruise! It really could have been so much worse and I’m grateful that we were able to recover quickly without any major issues.

We were very happy to return home to a long New Years weekend where we could rest and prepare for January. There are so many good things ahead.