Bed Bugs at SSR

[Ivonne]

SSR??

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[eMd]

By the way I think Disney is handling this awesomely based on what you stated.

As I stated with my own experience I was staying at a family rental property. My grandmother was there, and it was me, my cousin, her friend, and two of my friends. When we found the bed bugs my grandmother's reply was "oh when we had them last year they were all over the walls"

My jaw fell to the floor. We handled it about the same way Disney did(new clothes, treated everything best we could-high heat wash/dry). Luckily we didn't bring any home but it still caused a lot of mental paranoia for a good 6 months afterwards.

 

[jackemail]

SSR??

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Saratoga Springs Resort

 

[OklahomaTourist]

The day Disney brings in a highly toxic agent like DDT to combat what is essentially a nuisance, although one with big ick factor, is the last time I even think about staying in one of their hotels.

I'll say this one last time, and will move on -- as I noted in a previous response, virtually all of the hysteria around DDT is from serious junk science from the late 60's and the "Silent Spring" idiocy of Rachel Carson. Millions of souls in developing nations relied on DDT to control mosquito-borne malaria, and Carson's disciples were successful in getting production stopped and igniting what would in any other circle be termed a genocide.

Anyway, as I said, last diversion on the DDT business - but the "toxic agent like DDT" reference couldn't go unchallenged. Its one of the biggest urban legends this side of the cyclamate "scandals" of the same era...

back to topic...

the bugs can come in on the luggage of the new guests.

And that's what makes the creatures next to impossible to stop. Taxis, buses, heck, they could be anywhere. SSR was just unlucky this time, and it likely wasn't the first nor will it be the last.

 

[davedmaine]

Did she mention a room number?

Why? What difference would it make? In the off chance that somebody is checking in at some future time, hears the room #, remembers this post and can say, "No, not that one. That's the one that had bed bugs."

 

[davedmaine]

The day Disney brings in a highly toxic agent like DDT to combat what is essentially a nuisance, although one with big ick factor, is the last time I even think about staying in one of their hotels.

FYI - Aspartame in diet soda isn't dangerous either..

 

[Deb & Bill]

You kill bed bugs with heat or cold. Disney has dogs that can sniff them out and they take the dogs around to the resorts on a regular basis.

People bring the bugs in with their luggage. And if one suitcase brought it in and the rest of the baggage was in Magical Express with that one suitcase, bingo! they all have bugs now.

Check your luggage before you bring it into the room after you have checked the room if the luggage has been out of your sight for any period of time.

 

[clareita]

I'll say this one last time, and will move on -- as I noted in a previous response, virtually all of the hysteria around DDT is from serious junk science from the late 60's and the "Silent Spring" idiocy of Rachel Carson. Millions of souls in developing nations relied on DDT to control mosquito-borne malaria, and Carson's disciples were successful in getting production stopped and igniting what would in any other circle be termed a genocide.

Anyway, as I said, last diversion on the DDT business - but the "toxic agent like DDT" reference couldn't go unchallenged. Its one of the biggest urban legends this side of the cyclamate "scandals" of the same era...

The briefest of internet searches will bring up numerous scientific studies from this century - not the 1960s- that highlight the dangers of DDT. Not that it really matters in this context. The use of highly toxic chemicals might be warranted in areas of the world with high rate of malaria. Bed bugs pose no danger to people, therefore it would be just plain silly to use something like DDT to eradicate them.

 

[Polydweller]

You kill bed bugs with heat or cold. Disney has dogs that can sniff them out and they take the dogs around to the resorts on a regular basis.

People bring the bugs in with their luggage. And if one suitcase brought it in and the rest of the baggage was in Magical Express with that one suitcase, bingo! they all have bugs now.

Check your luggage before you bring it into the room after you have checked the room if the luggage has been out of your sight for any period of time.

Right on all counts. The hot or cold treatment is why it's referred to as thermal treatment, basically using extreme enough temperature (hot or cold) to kill them. And the use of dogs to search hotels has become very common.

The other thing, if anyone notices them or even possible signs of them tell the hotel management immediately. Honestly, we want to know and deal with the problem immediately. That's how the guest can help to spot them early and keep them under control. It's one of the best things guests can do to help prevent the spread of bed bugs.

 

[mybatmobile87]

I recently replied to a non-Disney hotel thread regarding Bed Bugs.
I had my own run in with bed bugs at a family rental house in New Jersey Memorial Day of 2011. Here is what I wrote in the other thread.

This is exactly what we do every time we stay at a hotel. It takes a little bit of time and is a little bit of a pain, but it's well worth the time, in my opinion. We keep our hard-shelled suitcases in the bathroom, keep the clothes in Ziplocks in the luggage (PJs get their own bag!), and thoroughly check the room. Don't forget to check the pillows! We also have a mattress encasement at home.

I think part of the reason that bed bugs are spreading so fast is that people don't know to look for them until they've already brought them home. And once home, they don't know how to properly treat for them. As others have said, the only way to get rid of them is thermally treating for them and it's so expensive that people are willing to try other, cheaper, methods first.

 

[Rosanne]

I have a pretty extreme paranoia about bedbugs, lice, and fleas. I totally get the anxiety. I was driving in the rain at night through road construction and a semi was passing me at tight quarters. I was initially tense about it but then I kept saying to myself... "It's not bedbugs, it's just a semi. It's not lice, it's just a semi. It's not fleas, it's just a semi. A harmless little 18 wheeler".

Anyway, as part of my routine I use these huge xxl ziploc or glad or something.
They come in, like, L, XL, and XXL. I can cover my entire suitcase with the XXL (the kind you can use as a carry on). I use other other sizes to contain everything else.

I have other ways to ward of the evil bug o' the bed but the ziploc type bags could be helpful even to normal people . None of my ways involve sprays... just checks and following certain self-imposed rules.

I also agree that Disney does a great job with this.

 

[brertoad]

Wow, this is surprising to me. I've never even thought about looking for bedbugs. We just stayed at SSR this month, plus we've stayed dozens of nights at various DVC and Disney Resorts. After reading all the comments, I realize it can happen anywhere, but I hope we never have a problem with it sounds horrible, definitely not magical.

I would think Mousekeeping would be really good at catching it when the turn the room over.

 

[aubriee]

I too check every time and have never seen any thankfully!! BUT I have a lot of friends who have seen them expecially in TAXIS!!

Best you can do for yourself is thoroughly check the room before you move in with any of your belongings. Unfortunately the hotel may not always be the source of these little buggers - could've picked them up on the plane or if the luggage was stored with any other luggage at any time.

Huge nuisance for everyone.

OK, probably a stupid question, but these little buggars have to be coming in from somewhere (either on tourists' persons or their luggage). Wouldn't these people know they had them at home and would need to take care of them for their own sake? If they have them on their person and luggage, then their home would be infested also. How could they not treat them before leaving their own home and thus transporting them to the rest of us?

 

[firstwdw]

Do people actually put their entire suitcase in a huge ziploc type bag before checking it on the airplane??? I think it's a good idea since most are probably picked up in cargo holds, luggage transfers etc but do people really enclose their entire suitcase in giant plastic bags for air travel?

I have a pretty extreme paranoia about bedbugs, lice, and fleas. I totally get the anxiety. I was driving in the rain at night through road construction and a semi was passing me at tight quarters. I was initially tense about it but then I kept saying to myself... "It's not bedbugs, it's just a semi. It's not lice, it's just a semi. It's not fleas, it's just a semi. A harmless little 18 wheeler".

Anyway, as part of my routine I use these huge xxl ziploc or glad or something.
They come in, like, L, XL, and XXL. I can cover my entire suitcase with the XXL (the kind you can use as a carry on). I use other other sizes to contain everything else.

I have other ways to ward of the evil bug o' the bed but the ziploc type bags could be helpful even to normal people . None of my ways involve sprays... just checks and following certain self-imposed rules.

I also agree that Disney does a great job with this.

 

[donnaf516]

Do people actually put their entire suitcase in a huge ziploc type bag before checking it on the airplane??? I think it's a good idea since most are probably picked up in cargo holds, luggage transfers etc but do people really enclose their entire suitcase in giant plastic bags for air travel?

I wish I could find ziploc bags big enough to fit our luggage. I am super paranoid when it comes to bed bugs! My family knows that nobody steps foot into the room before I inspect.

 

[eMd]

I wish I could find ziploc bags big enough to fit our luggage. I am super paranoid when it comes to bed bugs! My family knows that nobody steps foot into the room before I inspect.

My earlier reply has a link to something called a bug zip. It's not really meant for use on the airline itself, but it's basically a big enough ziplock for your luggage to use in room and then leave behind/thrown out when you leave.

 

[eMd]

OK, probably a stupid question, but these little buggars have to be coming in from somewhere (either on tourists' persons or their luggage). Wouldn't these people know they had them at home and would need to take care of them for their own sake? If they have them on their person and luggage, then their home would be infested also. How could they not treat them before leaving their own home and thus transporting them to the rest of us?

For the most part, after looking into the history of bed bugs in the United States...they were pretty much obsolete because of the used of chemicals like DDt. In aroudn 1996, something was signed that completely banned this chemical and other harmful pesticides. Since then beg bugs have been on the rise in the US again. It basically comes from foreign travelers. Once they have brought them back to the US people didn't realize that they needed to look out for them. Realistically, as a kid I always thought "don't let the bed bugs bite" was a saying. Then, in my 20s after waking up with bed bug bite welts all over, I learned it is in fact not just a saying.

Some people aren't allergic to the bites(just as some aren't allergic to poison ivy...me=allerigc to bed bug bites but not poison ivy-ask me how I know). If you aren't getting a reaction to bites, and you don't know to look for them at all you might not even notice it. Also, you can pick them up in movie theaters, people's homes, cabs, airplanes, etc. So really someone might not be infested at their own house, but picked it up in transportation to their hotel.

 

[Lynne M]

OK, probably a stupid question, but these little buggars have to be coming in from somewhere (either on tourists' persons or their luggage). Wouldn't these people know they had them at home and would need to take care of them for their own sake? If they have them on their person and luggage, then their home would be infested also. How could they not treat them before leaving their own home and thus transporting them to the rest of us?

Well, they may not be aware they have them in their home yet, it might be a very recent infestation. Or, they could have picked them up on the plane, or the taxi or shuttle on the way to the airport. Or, the bugs could have gotten into their luggage from a neighboring bag in the plane's cargo hold. Or, if they were driving to Disney, they might have picked up the bugs at another hotel on the way down.

 

[Alic]

I recently stayed at the All Star in the Baseball section with a school trip. My roommate is paranoid about bed bugs and checked our room when we arrived. Our third day in I noticed several bites on my arm. By the time I got home, after 5 days there, I had 59 bites on my one arm and 17 on my one hand. Not to mention the bites on my other arm, hand, neck, legs, torso and FACE!! I called Disney and put in a claim. They were not very polite or helpful. I called them every other day for 3 weeks. I asked to speak to a supervisor several times and even left a message for one to call me...NO call back. After 4 WEEKS...They finally checked the room with the dogs...positive for bed bugs. I honestly think the only reason they even checked it was because I kept calling. They said they couldn't check it sooner because GUESTS WERE STAYING IN THE ROOM!!! How many families had to suffer after me because Disney dropped the ball and did NOT do their jobs? My guess is atleast 5-6. IRRESPONSIBLE!! Disney is paying for a new suitcase, my copay, my prescription and $500. It was a horrible experience and I am nervous to go back. I understand that bed bugs are not Disney's fault but how they are handling the situation is. The problem is out of control and they are not stepping up. We checked our room so im not sure what else you can do....

 

[xipotec]

This bed bug thing is over played, just a bug....

Like mosquitoes.