Bedbugs at Disney Resorts?

[hawt1]

Just did a search on this through the forum and it seems like Disney Resorts are not immune to the whole bedbug resurgence that is happening right now. I am sure that one of our four rooms had them at Movies last fall so we eventually requested a room change.

Apparently there are a lot of hotels that are starting to find that they have a few rooms infested...usually from hitchiking bugs that come in the luggage of a traveler.

I am wondering who here has seen them and at what resorts - just to get an idea of how prevalent they may be?

And what do we know that Disney does about them if they are found?

I know that I will be taking along my spray bottle of Kleen-Free enzyme cleaner on our next trip to spray down the seams of the mattress even if I do not see signs of the bugs. I am a bit paranoid about them since I had a friend who brought some back (unknown to her) and they had to deal with about 6 months of chemical and non-chemical treatment at their house before they hope they have an all clear. I carry the bottle everywhere I travel now and do a spraying of the room and walls, etc. Since the contents are chemical free and do not leave any residue it is harmless to people and allows me to sleep a little more soundly.
I know it only kills what it contacts so if there is nothing there then it is doing nothing but...kind of like checking under the bed for the boogie monster and giving the all clear!

So, I will start the list with All Star Movies - trying to remember our section...will go and check the photos and add this info later.

 

[Lavazza]

Bedbugs have unfortunately been found in almost all hotel chains (even the more high end ones). Best thing to do is check behind the mattress. In all our hotel stays we've been bedbug free.

Hopefully it will remain that way.

 

[suzimar57]

thanks for the link - thinking about getting some!

 

[hawt1]

thanks for the link - thinking about getting some!

Not why I posted the link although happy if Kleen-Free helps you or someone else. I have personally seen it kill a bedbug before so I know it works on them when you hit them with it.

My spray bottle is always in my suitcase - I travel alot - and I have a larger bottle of the concentrated version at home to mix and refill it.

When you have seen them or had a friend have them in their house, you just take some extra precautions since they can be VERY hard to get rid of...

 

[jacksmomma]

Looking for bedbugs was one of the first things I did after checking in at POFQ in Feb. We were bug free and had a great stay!

 

[perla75]

Taken from the Wikipedia page on bedbugs:

Travel Tips

Since most bedbugs are carried by travellers through contact with beds and hotel rooms of infected locations, following are some tips for those travelling to hotels that might be at risk.
1) First look at the room to seek potential hiding places for bedbugs, such as carpet edges, mattress seams, pillow case linings, bedboards, wall trim or other tiny crack-like places bedbugs might hide.
2) Next, look specifically at the mattress seams for signs of bedbug activity: droppings, eggs, bloodstains or even bedbugs themselves, hiding in tiny folds and seam lines.
3) As mentioned, keep a flashlight nearby when sleeping, to immediately observe activity during the night without having to get up out of bed, thus giving bedbugs time to hide in safety.
4) Never leave your clothing laying on the bed, or any location of possible infestation (as mentioned above). Instead, use hangers or hooks capable of keeping all cloth distant from the floor or bed.
5) Close your suitcase, travel bag, when you're not using it. This way, during the night the bugs may move over top of your luggage with greater difficulty to get inside.
6) Elevate your luggage off the floor to tables or chairs. These may also be hiding places, but less likely.
7) Keep any bedbug you find (intact if possible) to show the hotel owner.
8) If you have a bad feeling about a location, trust your instinct. Look carefully for possible activity, or change locations.

 

[hawt1]

Good tips Perla.

I no longer put my clothes into the drawers at a hotel as it is likely that there could be bedbugs hiding in the drawers.

The seam of the mattress is the most obvious place but that may mean tearing off the covers and the sheets and the mattress pad - but well worth it to do so just in case IMO.

 

[Rootskate]

So far we have stayed at CSR and POR and didn't see anything, luckily.
(And believe me, I was LOOKING for those suckers too.)

 

[Schmeck]

Just to point out - Kleen free claims to be an 'enzyme based chemical free' product. Idiots on that website don't realize that enzymes are chemicals and some enzymes are very dangerous. Enzymes are chemicals that speed up chemical reactions - so all they are doing is speeding up some reaction of some sort. Could be a harmless reaction or a very dangerous reaction.

 

[CanadianGuy]

I know of a family who realized when they arrived at a Disney hotel their luggage was pretty well infested with bed bugs from their previous hotel.

Disney bought them new luggage, new temporary clothing and sent ALL their clothing over to be steam cleaned. For a couple of items of clothing that were nylon/plasticy type fabric and couldn't be heated to the correct temperature, Disney replaced those items!

And this is for people who ARRIVED with the bed bugs!

Disney handles this pretty well usually - when they can catch it.

Knox

 

[hawt1]

I know of a family who realized when they arrived at a Disney hotel their luggage was pretty well infested with bed bugs from their previous hotel.

Disney bought them new luggage, new temporary clothing and sent ALL their clothing over to be steam cleaned. For a couple of items of clothing that were nylon/plasticy type fabric and couldn't be heated to the correct temperature, Disney replaced those items!

And this is for people who ARRIVED with the bed bugs!

Disney handles this pretty well usually - when they can catch it.

Knox

WOW! Now that is Disney service!

Schmek, I am guessing that they mean chemcial free in terms of pesticide type chemicals but point taken.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Its probably in Disney's best interest to react to the problem the way they did in order to stop the spread of the little critters. Otherwise Disney might have a bigger issue to deal with when the family checks out and the little buggers have made themselves at home in that room.

 

[jenniferhornsby]

I woke up with 7 bites on my hand while staying at SSR. I don't know for certain it was bed bugs, but I don't know what else it could be.

 

[TinkerCarol]

I know this may sound stupid, but what does a bed bug look like. I would like to know what I am looking for. Although, I guess any bug would be a turn off!!!

 

[Reginak]

Now, I realise that bedbugs must sometimes inevitably appear at WDW as well as other hotels with all of the people who pass through their doors, but I would like to mention something that I learned at Fort Wilderness.

We were staying in the cabins a few weeks ago when I met the head of housekeeping outside our cabin. (The kids had flagged down his golf cart so that they could trade pins.) While talking he told one of my children to be sure and don't let the Spanish Moss touch his hair: he said that there were mites in the moss which could also transfer to the bedding. He said that they have gotten calls from people in the cabins who suspected that there were bedbugs but were instead infested with the mites; they would check the bedding only to find the mites. I looked on the internet and apparently Spanish Moss is a wonderful home for chiggers. Anyway, some of the reports may be the result of adventurous children.

Regina

 

[Cool-Beans]

No bedbugs in my CBR Trinidad South room last month.

I've slept in almost all of Disney's hotels - many of them a bunch of times - and have never had a bed bug issue. I don't actually know what they look like, but I know I've never been munched on that I could tell.

 

[I Love Pluto]

I hope NONE OF US will have to endure those little buggies when we're at Disney. Stay safe, everyone - and check your mattresses!

 

[safetymom]

Just a reminder to take everything you read here with a grain of salt. Once in awhile people like to post to get people upset.

So be prepared and informed and investigate for yourself before making any decisions on your WDW resort. Remember bed bugs can be anywhere, not just at Disney. Private homes, condos, offsite properties can have them also.

 

[hawt1]

I know this may sound stupid, but what does a bed bug look like. I would like to know what I am looking for. Although, I guess any bug would be a turn off!!!

About the size of a grain of rice and translucent when it is not full of blood. Once they have fed they are much easier to spot as they turn a reddish brown and get a little fatter.

Telltale signs are small brown spots on the sheets or the mattress - usually around a seam where they may have been inadvertently squished. You may also see small brown spots or droppings.

Here is a link to various pictures from a Canadian University.
http://www.utoronto.ca/forest/termite/Bedbugs/photoindex.html

Hope that helps but also that you never get to see them.

 

[Bella O]

I woke up with 7 bites on my hand while staying at SSR. I don't know for certain it was bed bugs, but I don't know what else it could be.

It also could be from other small creatures - like mites or what I call "sand fleas" - that can cause a reaction similar to bedbugs. Pretty harmless, just annoying. I always check the mattress now, and behind the headboard, and along the baseboards in a hotel room.... - so now in addition to my Lysol/wipe routine, I unwrap the bed as well - dh thinks I'm nuts - but man, I can't think of any worse souvenir than bringing home bedbugs