Tips for visiting Disney World with medication and medical supplies
With some good planning up front, you should have no problem dealing with your medications and medical supplies during your trip to Disney World.
1. If you’re flying to Disney World with medication:
- Check the current TSA Rules for flying with Medication or Medical Supplies. Visit the Travel Security Administration site for up-to-date rules here.
- Always keep your medication on you in your carry-on, purse or pocket. If you put it in luggage that you check in, you run a very big risk of losing it.
- See #10 below for info on medical marijuana.
2. Always bring more medication and medical supplies than you need for your trip.
This protects you if you should lose a dose, or if for some reason your trip is extended.
3. At Disney you’ll be exposed to a LOT of sunlight. Check your meds in advance to see if there are any problems with that.
Some medications warn to avoid sun exposure. Be sure to see if your medication has such a warning, and if so, read the article called Managing Sun & Heat Sensitivity While at Disney World.
4. Handling your medications in your Disney World resort:
Medications that need refrigeration – All Disney hotel rooms have at least a small mini-refrigerator that should be adequate for storing medication. Be sure to check to make sure the refrigerator is cool when you arrive. If not, use the phone in your room to request maintenance, and let them know it’s for medication that needs to be kept cool. Disney should be able to store it for you in a refrigerator temporarily if necessary.
Do you need a freezer? Unless you’re in a Villa with a refrigerator/freezer, the standard mini-refrigerators do not have a freezer section. If you require freezing for medical reasons, you can try calling Special Resort Reservations at Disney World to request a refrigerator with a freezer here: (407) 939-7807 and press #1 or (407) 939-7670 (TTY). While it’s not guaranteed, they may be able to help you. You can also ask Bell Services to freeze your item(s) for you. They should be able to take care of that.
Security for your meds – We often leave our medications that don’t require refrigeration in the small room safe that Disney provides in their guest rooms. Perhaps this is overkill, but we prefer to be on the safe side. We’ve never had a single item taken from our room in the Disney resorts, and we’ve only heard of one theft in all the years of being a part of the “Disney community”. Regardless, we wouldn’t want to have to deal with replacing medications if they went missing. Most off-property hotel rooms also offer a small safe.
You also may wish to bring a copy of your prescription, just in case. Sue Mickelson, a contributor to my books and website recommends the following:
“I would definitely store any medications with “street value” in the safe. This would include controlled medications such as pain medications, and some medications for attention deficit disorder.”
5. Getting Over the Counter Meds:
The resort stores usually carry basic over the counter medications such as benedryl and Tylenol. However if think you may need something during your visit, it’s best to bring it with you.
6. Consider Bringing an Extension Cord for Medical Equipment.
If you’re bringing medical equipment for use in your room, you may wish to bring an extension cord. You may find that the room set-ups and location of the outlets may not be quite right for you without it. If you have multiple devices that need charging, you may want to bring an extension cord with multiple outlets.
7. Prescription & compounded medications in the Disney World area:
There are many pharmacies in the Disney area. The Disney resorts are spread out, so if you need medication, ask the front desk to point out the closest location. Should you have a problem and need to have a compounded medication made for you, the following is the one accredited pharmacy we’ve found within reach of the Orlando area (please note we’re not endorsing this company, but giving you information for your research):
Pharmacy Specialists
www.makerx.com
Phone: 407-260-7002
Toll Free: 800-224-7711
They’re located in Altamonte Springs
If you use a pharmacy with national branches, they should be able to help you if you’ve forgotten a medication or have a problem with a prescription. Depending on the medication, they may be able to temporarily transfer your prescription to one of their pharmacies in a branch near your resort. Examples of national pharmacies would be Target, Walmart, Walgreens and CVS.
8. Bringing Medication in the Parks:
If you need your medication cooled during your park visits, you can either bring a small cooler into the park, or leave your medication at First Aid. For more about First Aid and what they can help you with, read our article here. They can refrigerate it for you.
Many people who need to keep medication cool rather than at refrigerator temperature use water activated coolers. One popular brand is called a Frio Insulin Cooling Wallet. These are very popular with people carrying insulin. For other medications, check with your Pharmacist to see if a Frio wallet would be appropriate.
IMPORTANT TIP: To leave your medication with First Aid, it must be in the original container and labeled properly for the person taking it.
8. Bringing Medical equipment to the Parks:
First Aid will also hold your medical equipment for you. If you need to use it to take a treatment, they can provide you with a place to do so.
If you plan to carry around your medical equipment in a bag such as a backpack, you’ll be able to do so. Backpack sized bags can be brought on most rides. You’ll usually lay it on the floor beside you. There are some rides that provide you with a place for your bag. Here are a few examples:
- Flights of Passage in Animal Kingdom provides an area for your bags behind your ride vehicle.
- Kali River Rapids in Animal Kingdom doesn’t allow you to bring the bag on the ride, but they provide free lockers.
- On Soarin at Epcot, if your bag is small enough you can put it in the mesh basket under the seat. If it won’t fit, you can leave it on the ground or it can be left with your wheelchair/scooter if you have one.
9. Getting Over the Counter Medication in the Disney World Parks
Most of the stores in the parks usually have some medications available such as Benedryl and Tylenol. These items are not on the shelves. Just let a cast member know that you need this and they can get it for you, or show you where to go to get it.
You can also get these items at First Aid at no cost. However if think you may need an over the counter medication during your park visits, it’s best to bring it with you.
10. Medical Marijuana and/or CBD oil and Disney World
If you’re taking medical marijuana or CBD, be sure to check the laws on the TSA website before traveling. Here’s the link:
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/medical-marijuana
Due to the restrictions, here’s what contributor Sue Mickelson did for her daughter prior to visiting Disney World:
“We’ve made 2 trips since our daughter started medical marijuana. Until/unless the laws change, it can’t legally be brought into federal buildings (including airports) or brought over state lines, and can’t be legally packed in checked bags. We worked with her providers to find a close equivalent CBD product that contains CBD, but not THC (the compound ingredient that is actually illegal). We were able to go on the CBD product website and get a printout of the actual batch composition, which shows that the THC amount in the product is below the legal limit for CBD transport.” —Sue Mickelson
Have you had any challenges with your medical equipment or medications when you visited Disney? Do you have any tips? Tell us about it below!
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