You Can Get a Doctor “House Call” to Your Hotel Room, If Needed (Though I Hope You Won’t Need It)
During our trip our oldest daughter unfortunately had an awful cold (she had tested negative for Covid/Flu prior to leaving). One night it seemed to peak and we were questioning if it could have developed into pneumonia… we wanted to get her checked ASAP but it was the middle of the night and the local Urgent Cares were closed and we had no transportation. I called the front desk and the hotel could have provided transportation to the local Emergency Room or they could connect me with a third party company that provides “house call” doctor visits in your hotel room.
We opted for doing a house call since it wasn’t a true emergency and we wanted as little disruption as possible for our kids. The front desk connected me with the company and I provided patient information, her symptoms, and payment (they do not take insurance - you must pay up front but you can try to submit to your insurance later for reimbursement). Within an hour a doctor was knocking on the door - he was very nice, professional, and came with a large rolling bag with equipment in it. He took patient history then checked her nose, ears, throat, and eyes, listened to her lungs, and took her O2 reading, pulse, and temperature. Thankfully everything checked out fine - she did not have pneumonia, it was just the peak of her viral cold and she was all set.
When he left he provided us with a superbill that we could submit to our insurance to try to get reimbursed. Unfortunately for us he was not in network for our insurance which was a bummer so we were unable to get reimbursed (though a portion of the bill did go towards our out-of-network deductible so at least that was something). Nevertheless, it was well worth it for peace of mind and convenience - it was still cheaper than an ER visit and a lot less disruptive.
Controversial Opinion - Skip “Pixie Dusting”
A popular trend these days is people bringing small, cheap knick-knacks (like stickers, bracelets, keychains, small toys, etc) into the parks and giving them out to other guests, or Cast Members, or leaving them random places (like in flower planters, on benches, etc) as “Pixie Dust” to kind of pay-it-forward and do something nice for others. While the sentiment is very thoughtful, I personally don’t think it’s a good idea mainly from a environmental standpoint. Typically Pixie Dust items are cheap bulk items that are terrible for the environment... people may be excited to get the item initially (in general people will always want to accept “free stuff”), but items will end up in landfills sooner than later and just further impact the environment negatively. Also after hearing from one Cast Member they appreciate the thought and will graciously accept the item to be kind, but those knick-knacks often end up in the trash when they get home because they get so many things like that. Save your money (and the environment) and be just be kind to people or offer to buy someone’s ice cream at Disney instead if you want to pay-it-forward and spread some “Pixie Dust Magic”.
Most Importantly: Be Flexible and BE NICE
The most important tip of all, in my opinion? Be flexible (set low expectations) and be nice. Seriously.
If you go into your trip expecting nothing but magic and pixie dust and doing every single thing you want you’re probably going to set yourself up for disappointment. Rides go down.. a lot. Character lines can be long and close for breaks. Your kids may be pooped out and want to go back to the hotel at 1PM. One reservation may take longer than expected and cause you to miss another reservation. So be willing to compromise, go with the flow, and be flexible. If you set low expectations on how much you will be able to do, you will automatically win when you exceed those (low) expectations.
And above all - be nice, please. For the most part all the guests we met were very nice but we also came across some doozys who were exceptionally rude to Cast Members or even their own kids. Please have patience with everyone and you’ll have a much better time.
