When you need medical attention in Disney World

This may not be a topic that you want to be able to talk first hand about, but after my trip to Disney last month I now can.  And if there’s going to be a bright side to a bad experience at Disney, at least I can say I can blog about it now!  And if that helps anyone else then it certainly helps to make me feel better.

Of course depending on what kind of medical attention you need your experiences will differ, but I had two different issues during my trip that I can at least talk about.  And what I can say with confidence is that Disney will go above and beyond to help you out and handle whatever the situation.

Paramedics

If you have an issue in one of the Disney theme parks (or your hotel room), you can get the paramedics called.  I had a bad panic attack in the middle of Frontierland and felt like I was going to pass out.  My friends grabbed the nearest cast member who was able to call the paramedics.  They also offered to get me water or anything I might need while we waited for them to show up.

The paramedics were nice and funny.  The one pulled me aside to walk around a little, do some breathing, and then talk to me.  His assistant stayed with my friends and entertained them, apparently.  They also took my vitals to make sure everything was okay.  Though there’s not much they could actually do for a panic attack it helped to know there wasn’t something else going on too.

I was shaking a lot and feeling light headed so they got me a wheelchair, which my friends were more than happy to push me around in for the rest of the night.  They also asked if I needed food and got me a Mickey pretzel – plus one for each of my friends, and there were 7 of us!  I thought that was so nice and it really stood out to me as a way that Disney tries to make a difference.

How I felt for most of this vacation.

First Aid

At the end of my trip the panic attacks were gone… but my last day in Disney I was not feeling well at all.  We were in Hollywood Studios and had checked out that morning so I didn’t have any place to go except the theme parks.  I tried to push through the morning but ultimately I couldn’t do it and I went to first aid.  They let me lie down there for a few hours and gave me some tylenol and water.  They also took my temperature which was high.  It wasn’t the most comfortable cot but at least I had a quiet place to lie down.

The first aid stations offer lots of solutions for anything that might come up.  If you need any sort of over the counter medication or things like band-aids, they have that too.

If the attention you need goes beyond what Disney can offer you, there is a nearby urgent care facility.  They also offer a free shuttle to and from their location for Disney guests.  And if you’re willing to pay for it and don’t feel you can leave your location, there are doctors who will do room visits as well.

Being sick is a little better with friends.

Even though getting sick on vacation is one of the worst feelings, rest assured that there would be few better places to have it happen than Disney.  They have a lot of services available to you and will do what they can to make your time a little easier and see that you get what you need.  And it doesn’t hurt to have the best friends ever by your side.  Now here’s hoping that I won’t have to use any of these services this weekend!

Have you ever gotten sick on vacation?  What happened in your situation?