My wife, daughter and I have all recently recovered from COVID and there’s talk of using our relatively fresh antibodies to wade into the human germ pool with a last minute trip to Disney World.
Does anyone have any random advice for a Type 1 diabetic?
I use a T-slim pump and a Dexcom CGM. Is anyone aware of any danger posed by rides to these devices? I haven’t been on a roller coaster in a while but when I last went on one I did detach my pump for the length of the ride, though I think that was probably overly cautious. Is anyone aware of pumps malfunctioning in those circumstances?
Finally, the food situation. Will it be easy to access food when I want it or is it just lines lines and more lines?
I used to live in Orlando, though Disney wasn’t my main stomping ground. Had season passes to Universal and Sea World instead.
You really should be golden and not have to worry about a thing, other then all the junk food. The T:slim physically cannot over/under deliver based on pressure, gravity, elevation changes, or just about any other situation you can think of. The safety of the micro-delivery technology, where you’re entirely separated from the insulin supply and it cannot accidentally leak into you, was the primary selling point before all the pump automation stuff.
It’s pretty unlikely, but you might get an attitude alarm, because of g-forces and pressure changes on the rides. Living in the mountains, where i can easily change 9,000 ft just driving to the next town over, I see these occasionally myself. It’s no big deal. You just clear the alert, pop the cartridge out, then reseat it. You DON’T need to go through the load screen steps or anything. It just takes a moment, then your pump is back in business. I would just make sure you have a coin, the provided keychain, or whatever it is you usually use when changing your cartridge… handy in your pocket, so there’s no surprises if you do get an altitude alarm.
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First of all, thank you, Robyn, for the reassurance regarding my pump. I’ll feel good just leaving it be and knowing that trick about pulling out and pushing in the cartridge sounds good, too. I once had an altitude alarm. In my case, it was apparently caused by having dirt/pocket lint build up and cover a tiny little hole on the pump. At least that’s what customer service said at the time.
I’ve been wondering if Universal would be slightly cheaper accommodation and possibly less hectic…Not really a diabetes question, but did you just personally prefer Universal to Disney or is there any truth in thinking Universal might be a more manageable environment in terms of crowds and lines…or possibly I’m kidding myself…
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I was diagnosed with T1 while at Disney World.
#DisneyOwesMeAVacation
#DisneyGaveMeDiabetes
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Mostly personal preference, but for many of the reasons you stated. I’ve not been there since before Covid, so my experience might be outdated. Universal was definitely more affordable for me. I was able to get season passes to BOTH Universal and Sea World for half what Disney charged. Sorry, I don’t know how individual day passes compare, nor have I ever tried to book an Orlando area hotel. Mostly though, I just think Universal has better parks. Disney is all about the characters and creating a magical environment… And it’s GREAT at doing that. But there just doesn’t seem to be enough stuff to do for all the people they cram through the gates. Universal seems to have a lot more to do for my demographic, with more interesting to me themes and characters. I’d rather hang out at Hogwarts castle than Cinderella’s. I definitely feel like Universals is better at lines/dispersing the crowds, too.
I think it really might depend on the age of your kids, though. I feel like Disney is more tame (with a few notable exceptions) and caters well to the young and old, whereas Universal is a lot more exciting for everyone in between.
And don’t write off Sea World. You can do it all in a day, but it’s a really fun day. The one in Orlando has rides and fireworks, in addition to really cool shows.
If you’re really wanting to pinch some pennies and are willing to sacrifice a few hours of your time instead, you can get free park tickets by touring the time shares. It’s the only way I’ve ever gone to Disney. I’m too cheap to pay their prices! LOL. The tours are actually kinda cool, until you get to the sales room, where every time you say “no” they sick a more aggressive sales person on you. Eventually, you make it through to the rewards stage, and they’ll give you your choice of different offerings, like two Disney world tickets or dinner show tickets, etc…
And to answer your earlier question, FOOD IS EVERYWHERE. Snack counters seldom have more than a few people in line. Quick service restaurants may look like they have crazy long lines, but they move quickly. It’s the table-service restaurants that are more difficult. In Disney, you need reservations. And for the high demand restaurants, they book up months in advance. Universal has always been easier to get a table, but it might be a long wait. If you choose to eat at odd hours, though, there’s a lot more options in both parks. Don’t be afraid to look outside the parks for proper sit down meals, though. You’ll get more bang the your buck. It’s a pretty common strategy to snack your way through the parks, then hit up I-drive, 191, or 535 for a real meal before bed. Also, you’re allowed to bring food into the parks, if you want to cram a backpack full of sandwiches/snacks. Definitely bring refillable, non-glass water bottles!
I kinda miss Orlando, if you can’t tell!
Check in with guest services at each park. They have the MAGIC.
Also, each eatery had an allergy notebook. It also had carb data.
Hope this helps.
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I’m having the same concerns about Vegas. Any info might be reassuring.
I just went to Disney very last minute in February after getting COVID in January!
I also use Tslim and Dexcom and had no trouble with either one. Lines for snack carts and quick service food options were short for the most part. They offer mobile ordering so we almost always ordered ahead of time. We also brought it lots of snacks and water.
Hope you have a great trip!!
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