Bedbugs?

[eltonsha]

We are planning a trip this October and were originally planning to camp but due to an unforeseen code that we were given it is almost the same price to stay at a Value hotel. My hubby has never stayed at a hotel, he always camped and was excited at the idea but has now became worried about the possibility of bedbugs at the hotels.

Has anyone seen them and if so where? Was it taken care of if you did?

 

[Allison]

Bedbugs could be in any hotel or anywhere for that matter. I know someone who just had them found in their workplace. It's just a fact of travel. You can't rely on what people have seen as it changes. If there is a report of a problem, then it would have been addressed and cleaned so an old report doesn't mean anything as of today. No reports of seeing them in a hotel don't mean anything either, they could have been brought in right before you arrived. You need to be aware and check a room before settling into it and look for signs of an infestation.

 

[JeannieKY]

I think Disney also uses bedding from bedbugcover.com. I ordered a pillow from them after I loved the one in the room. I'd worry less at Disney than most places.

 

[AshleeH]

I would worry less at Disney because of their high standards of cleanliness.

Does he know that bedbugs can be anywhere and everywhere? Including your own house? They're not just designated to hotel rooms.

 

[patty57]

As others have said, bedbugs could always be a possibility, although unlikely. I have to think your chances of lots of bugs would be much greater camping than at a WDW resort.

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Disney's cleaning standards are far less than some hotels. I would check my room very carefully for bedbugs at any Disney resort.We love Disney and have been visiting for over 30 years but unless their protocol has changed, Disney does nothing special and no longer even closes the rooms next door, above or below after a confirmed bedbug report. They move guests in quickly after treating the room with heat.

It is easy to google how to check for bedbugs - you can learn every possible way to be safe. As other's have mentioned, it can happen in any hotel, store, movie theatre and especially airlines. One cannot see eggs, so even if you do not see adult bedbugs (also not necessarily easy to see) you are not protected.

We keep everything in plastic bags, do not use the drawers or put our clothing in drawers in the plastic bags. When we get home, we leave suitcases in the garage in sealed plastic bags, as well as laundry, and do all laundry as quickly as possible. Some laugh at us, but it doesn't bother me - would much rather be safe than bring those critters home where it wll be very costly and lengthy to get rid of them.

You really can still have a great trip!!

 

[goofy4tink]

30+ stays at WDW resorts and no bedbugs to date. Now, my dd had them at camp...twice!! So yeah, we know all about them
And keep in mind...you can get them at a store, at a restaurant, just about anywhere that human beings hang out at.

I always check my room before unpacking anything. I check behind the bed, along the seams in the mattress, baseboards, etc.

 

[Three cats]

I worry about this too but realize there is only so much I can do. I check the room completely before bringing anything in. Honestly though, they can even get into your luggage in the cargo area on the airlplane. Like I said, only so much you can do. I just do the best I can by checking and hope for the best. Having said that, i've taken many trips to Disney and never had a problem.

 

[StillWorldlyWise]

Not going to get bedbugs camping unless you're in a cave. (Camping = not the same as "at camp").

 

[patty57]

I wasn't referring to bedbugs as much as bugs in general when I mentioned camping.

 

[disnut8]

We are planning a trip this October and were originally planning to camp but due to an unforeseen code that we were given it is almost the same price to stay at a Value hotel. My hubby has never stayed at a hotel, he always camped and was excited at the idea but has now became worried about the possibility of bedbugs at the hotels.

Has anyone seen them and if so where? Was it taken care of if you did?

I would suggest your husband do some research on bed bugs and how they get into hotels and homes. Even with camp gear, you can have bed bugs in things like sleeping bags. And if you have a trailer, you can still get them in the mattresses there as well.

I go to Disney World about three times a year and have never, ever checked for bed bugs. I don't check my home for them. I travel a lot and never check any other hotel or motel for bed bugs. I'm not the paranoid type - way too many other stressers in my life to think of the slim possibility of getting bed bugs in a hotel room.

 

[Magssno]

My advise to you would be no matter where you stay always thoroughly check the bed and furniture close to it for bed bugs before even think about opening any luggage to check for signs of bed bugs.

 

[Magssno]

Disney's cleaning standards are far less than some hotels. I would check my room very carefully for bedbugs at any Disney resort.We love Disney and have been visiting for over 30 years but unless their protocol has changed, Disney does nothing special and no longer even closes the rooms next door, above or below after a confirmed bedbug report. They move guests in quickly after treating the room with heat.

It is easy to google how to check for bedbugs - you can learn every possible way to be safe. As other's have mentioned, it can happen in any hotel, store, movie theatre and especially airlines. One cannot see eggs, so even if you do not see adult bedbugs (also not necessarily easy to see) you are not protected.

We keep everything in plastic bags, do not use the drawers or put our clothing in drawers in the plastic bags. When we get home, we leave suitcases in the garage in sealed plastic bags, as well as laundry, and do all laundry as quickly as possible. Some laugh at us, but it doesn't bother me - would much rather be safe than bring those critters home where it wll be very costly and lengthy to get rid of them.

You really can still have a great trip!!

You can see adult bugs because they are about the size of an apple seed. Bed bug eggs measure about 1 mm so depending on what color surface they are laid on (they are white) you can just about see them if you look closely.

 

[OklahomaTourist]

Disney's cleaning standards are far less than some hotels. - See more at: http://disboards.com/showthread.php?p=47664309#post47664309

Lower?

Can't say that's been my experience. My experience has been that Disney is at least or more meticulous with their standards. I will say, however, that the standards are more rigidly enforced as you go up the price ladder - have heard anecdotally about issues at the values, but not to the extent of bedbugs. I think all hotel chains have stepped up their cleanliness issues since the bedbug issue has resurfaced.

More importantly, though, the variability ties to the individual cleaning crew member. Within one hotel, you might have a meticulous, five-star cleaner, and another who is doing the least they can to get a paycheck. That's where management comes into enforce standards. And my perception is that Disney does a better-than-average job than most at it.

I'm not a big traveler at all compared to most, but I've stayed in sleepy little side-road motels that were absolutely immaculate, and big-name, big-brand hotels that were absolutely filthy. But no bedbugs.

For me, I admit I'm easily more concerned than the average bear about the bugs, (get it from my mom, who by any measure is absolutely fanatical about hotel cleanliness...think she could teach ol' Anthony Melchiorre of "Hotel Impossible" a few things), so when I go into a motel room, I check the corners of each mattress/box spring, which is nothing more than an observation of the most likely spot to see bedbugs. Not exhaustive or conclusive by any means, but I do think if they're clean, you've shortened the odds pretty drastically. And, bedbugs notwithstanding, I've never liked the idea of using the hotel dresser.

Watch a few undercover cams/news stories about how some cleaning crews don't clean rooms and you'll get more like my mom about hotel rooms pretty darned quick

 

[Reese D]

We keep everything in plastic bags, do not use the drawers or put our clothing in drawers in the plastic bags. When we get home, we leave suitcases in the garage in sealed plastic bags, as well as laundry, and do all laundry as quickly as possible. Some laugh at us, but it doesn't bother me - would much rather be safe than bring those critters home where it wll be very costly and lengthy to get rid of them.

You really can still have a great trip!!

We do all of these things too - not just at Disney, but any time we travel. Our suitcases never see the inside of our house. I pack and unpack in the garage or mudroom and then vacuum out the suitcases.

 

[aml3679]

This is just my 2 cents. Why another thread about bed bugs? I think Disney has very high standards as far as cleanliness. If someone is really afraid of bed bugs, maybe they should not travel. Again, just my 2 cents.

 

[StillWorldlyWise]

I would suggest your husband do some research on bed bugs and how they get into hotels and homes. Even with camp gear, you can have bed bugs in things like sleeping bags. And if you have a trailer, you can still get them in the mattresses there as well.

I go to Disney World about three times a year and have never, ever checked for bed bugs. I don't check my home for them. I travel a lot and never check any other hotel or motel for bed bugs. I'm not the paranoid type - way too many other stressers in my life to think of the slim possibility of getting bed bugs in a hotel room.

I think if you do your own research, you will find that times have changed and that it is now prudent to at least give a cursory inspection to the bedding and matttess seams. Those little biters can be ANYWHERE.

 

[mamamary]

Just like some previous posters stated, we check the beds as well as we can. I keep as much clothes in plastic bags as I can (before and after we wear them). I even wrap our suitcases up (yeah DH thought I was a little nutso for doing that). Then when we come home the luggage does not enter the house. Clothing only enters the house when it can go straight into the wash (clean clothes too). Then when suitcases are eventually emptied I have a steamer that i steam them with.

These are all tips that I had gotten from my pest control company.

 

[iheartjuppy]

It may also help to look up your resort on one or several of the online bedbug registries. AKL hasn't had any reported since 2011 as far as I can see, so I think I'd feel pretty OK about the cleanliness standards.