Disney Resort Room Light Bulbs

[Ms_Butterfly]

What type(s) of light bulbs are used in the fixtures and lamps in Disney World resort rooms these days? I would assume either CFL (Compact FLuorescent, the twisty kind) or LED. If it matters, I am wondering mostly about the moderates like Caribbean Beach and also the deluxes like Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Fluorescents immediately affect one of my disabilities, so it is important to know if I need to bring bulbs/lamps to certain hotels with me. I was looking into going to a conference in Orlando and spending some extra days at Disney - it isn't going to work out, but it still left me wondering about what they're using these days since it has been years since I have been to Disney. It is helpful for those with various conditions like seizures, migraine, lupus, macular degeneration, autism, fluorescent allergy, etc. to know.

Thanks!

 

[gap2368]

I would contact Disney

Disney Resort Hotel
Reservations
(407) 939-1936

or

Disability Services
(407) 560-2547

 

[mamabunny]

@gap2368 remember that the Reservations line is a call center - so, they won't know what kind of bulbs are in a room. I honestly don't know that Disability Services would even know - given the fact that many rooms have multiple different types of light fixtures, it may be difficult to find out exactly what kind of bulbs are in use in any given Resort room.

@Ms_Butterfly I honestly can't say for sure for every room on property, but I know that our room in September of last year at POR had a mix of incandescent, LED and CF. You may be best served by carrying along some bulbs; better to have them and not need them, then the reverse.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I can't say for sure what all the bulbs were, but I do remember that we've had CFL bulbs in at least some of the fixtures at both All-Stars and POR.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Most are CFL, but changing to LED as they burn out.

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

Thanks, everyone!

Yes, I asked on here because I doubt the call center people would know.

I am looking into some LED travel lamps, which I would probably need three of for a traditional Disney hotel room (one bedside, one at the sink, one in the bathroom). Incandescent bulbs and airplane turbulence don't play well together (I tried it once coming home from a trip just to see if the bulbs I bought on the trip would survive and most didn't), so I would have to bring LEDs, but some fixtures you can't get into easily and others are built for special fluorescent bulbs, so the lamps make the most sense for regular hotel rooms. For our timeshare (not Disney), bulbs make the most sense and we buy a lot of them as needed. I also bring light filter sheets to put over lamps, especially bathroom/shower lights and on short trips, but they can be annoying to cut and tape.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Incandescent bulbs and airplane turbulence don't play well together (I tried it once coming home from a trip just to see if the bulbs I bought on the trip would survive and most didn't), so I would have to bring LEDs, but some fixtures you can't get into easily and others are built for special fluorescent bulbs

1) Regardless of the type of bulb you bring, just do not remove it from the store packaging.
2) Bulbs are packages to resist handling and shipping damage.
3) If placed in your checked luggage between clothes, you should be fine.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Thanks, everyone!

Yes, I asked on here because I doubt the call center people would know.

I am looking into some LED travel lamps, which I would probably need three of for a traditional Disney hotel room (one bedside, one at the sink, one in the bathroom). Incandescent bulbs and airplane turbulence don't play well together (I tried it once coming home from a trip just to see if the bulbs I bought on the trip would survive and most didn't), so I would have to bring LEDs, but some fixtures you can't get into easily and others are built for special fluorescent bulbs, so the lamps make the most sense for regular hotel rooms. For our timeshare (not Disney), bulbs make the most sense and we buy a lot of them as needed. I also bring light filter sheets to put over lamps, especially bathroom/shower lights and on short trips, but they can be annoying to cut and tape.

Before packing travel lamps, or even your own lightbulbs, I would contact the Disability Services group. Since WDW is already working on switching their bulbs out to LEDs, it would seem like a reasonable accommodation for the resort to switch out the bulbs for you. Call the number in the post above and see what they say. It might be something where you would have to wait a bit once you check in so the maintenance crew or Mousekeeping could enter the room and make sure the bulbs were switched, but I'd prefer that over packing my own lamps.

 

[akcire]

I would absolutely just figure out what resort you are going to stay at and then ask for an accommodation. As long as they know in advance they can do it. Don't bring your own lights...that sounds like a recipe for luggage disaster. My MIL had issues with some lightbulbs years ago and we did the same thing at many Marriotts and at Disney. One Marriott property the IL's stayed at regularly (7-8 times per year for a night) just deemed two rooms to only have specific bulbs. At Disney after we had our reservation I just contacted the front desk of the hotel and got the manager's info. He put me in touch with a maintenance guy. Since we did not care at all about a "room type" they sorted it the day we arrived. I actually called the guy from the airport to remind him, he had bulbs in his office and selected our room while we traveled to the resort. When the IL's checked out they called the same maintenance manager and reminded him about the low watt bulbs being in the room. This was like 20 years ago...

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

1) Regardless of the type of bulb you bring, just do not remove it from the store packaging.
2) Bulbs are packages to resist handling and shipping damage.
3) If placed in your checked luggage between clothes, you should be fine.

They were in the store packaging and brought in a carry-on bag. The filaments inside broke, not the glass.

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

Before packing travel lamps, or even your own lightbulbs, I would contact the Disability Services group. Since WDW is already working on switching their bulbs out to LEDs, it would seem like a reasonable accommodation for the resort to switch out the bulbs for you. Call the number in the post above and see what they say. It might be something where you would have to wait a bit once you check in so the maintenance crew or Mousekeeping could enter the room and make sure the bulbs were switched, but I'd prefer that over packing my own lamps.

By the time I get back to Disney, they'll probably all be LEDs anyway, but that would make sense since they're already switching. I just usually bring my own solutions to hotels, save for one a couple years ago that we did ask for a lamp because their Web site actually said their bulbs were all LEDs, so I didn't bring my usual stuff, but that turned out to be false - thankfully, they had a lamp with an incandescent bulb in it in one of their offices, so they put it in my room. The reading lamps on the bed were LED. The lights inside the bathroom mirror edges were fluorescent even though the front desk guy said they were LED (LEDs aren't soft white, don't flicker on, and don't need to warm up in order to be full-strength ... but he probably isn't in the rooms often, so...).

 

[DisneyOma]

I hate LED lighting - it's one of my migraine triggers! So I guess I have to bring light bulbs with me. We switched lighting at the school I work at - so many people have issues with the new lights that most teachers leave half of them off, or teach in the dark if it is light enough outside for the kids to see written things on their desks. Not sure what the new lights are, but they make me miserable.

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

I hate LED lighting - it's one of my migraine triggers! So I guess I have to bring light bulbs with me. We switched lighting at the school I work at - so many people have issues with the new lights that most teachers leave half of them off, or teach in the dark if it is light enough outside for the kids to see written things on their desks. Not sure what the new lights are, but they make me miserable.

Fluorescents, sunlight, flashing lights, and some other lights are my triggers, but I haven't had issues with LEDs. I wear TheraSpecs all the time, but obviously not in the shower etc. and they still don't block all the light (top, sides, bottom), so I would not do well in a hotel room with fluorescents. If you haven't tried them, they might help you with the lights in your classroom! They're probably fluorescents, which can affect even healthy people (think of the sick office building syndrome - I forget the name of it).

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

BTW, when I said travel lamps, I meant small, desk-sized things made to be travelled with, not regular lamps. I don't need a lot of light (currently just have one ceiling light on maybe about 24 feet away, plus the TV and obviously my tablet screen is backlit - that's all I would need by the bed).

 

[DisneyOma]

Fluorescents, sunlight, flashing lights, and some other lights are my triggers, but I haven't had issues with LEDs. I wear TheraSpecs all the time, but obviously not in the shower etc. and they still don't block all the light (top, sides, bottom), so I would not do well in a hotel room with fluorescents. If you haven't tried them, they might help you with the lights in your classroom! They're probably fluorescents, which can affect even healthy people (think of the sick office building syndrome - I forget the name of it).

Thanks for the info - I'll look into Theraspecs I know LED is a trigger for me because the LED Christmas lights we got lasted about ten minutes before I had to turn them off. I was hoping the colored ones would be OK, but they aren't. And that time when hubby changed bulbs to LED in the recessed kitchen lights and didn't tell me, and I couldn't figure out why I was getting so many migraines at home

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

Thanks for the info - I'll look into Theraspecs I know LED is a trigger for me because the LED Christmas lights we got lasted about ten minutes before I had to turn them off. I was hoping the colored ones would be OK, but they aren't. And that time when hubby changed bulbs to LED in the recessed kitchen lights and didn't tell me, and I couldn't figure out why I was getting so many migraines at home

That stinks about the LEDs. We use incandescents at home, but I have been to some hotels that have had LED bulbs in their lamps and I was fine with those. I have heard that the earlier bulbs were different than the ones out now and that some people have been triggered by certain brands but not others. The LED Christmas lights flicker, so that's probably why you had an issue. If you take a photo of them, sometimes you'll catch part of the string looking like it is out because of the flicker.

 

[DisneyOma]

I just miss old fashioned (energy inefficient) bulbs. They never caused me a single problem, except for the cost of electricity.

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

I just miss old fashioned (energy inefficient) bulbs. They never caused me a single problem, except for the cost of electricity.

That's what incandescent bulbs are. You can still legally buy them, as the ones made today fit the energy efficiency regulations. Newcandescent is one brand available and you can buy them online or see if they're in a store near you.

 

[stitchlovestink]

Fluorescents, sunlight, flashing lights, and some other lights are my triggers, but I haven't had issues with LEDs. I wear TheraSpecs all the time, but obviously not in the shower etc. and they still don't block all the light (top, sides, bottom), so I would not do well in a hotel room with fluorescents. If you haven't tried them, they might help you with the lights in your classroom! They're probably fluorescents, which can affect even healthy people (think of the sick office building syndrome - I forget the name of it).

Florescent, sunlight and rapidly flashing lights are a few of my migraine triggers as well. I am super sensitive to lights/lighting. I haven't had a problem with LEDs causing migraines. To date, I have not had an issue with the lighting in the various hotel rooms I have stayed in on property. I think you will more than likely be fine.

 

[cobright]

I know LED is a trigger for me because the LED Christmas lights we got lasted about ten minutes before I had to turn them off. I was hoping the colored ones would be OK, but they aren't.

Just to pop in with a little food for thought on this. There is a reason the LED Xmas lights hit you so hard. Normally an LED is powered by direct current electricity, as you get from a battery or from a power supply block you plug into the wall. DC is steady and LED light is very constant. Now look at an LED Xmas light string, where is the power supply?

This type of light string plugs right into household mains electricity. Home wiring delivers alternating current (AC). With AC the voltage actually fluctuates up to 60 volts and then down to -60 volts and does this 60 times a second. With an incandescent bulb, the filiment never cools enough to stop glowing. But an LED will only produce light when the electricity is flowing in one particular direction. So feeding a string of LEDs this way means there is a very pronounced 30 hertz flicker, especially if you look while moving your head side to side.

The round a bout point I'm going for is to not make presumptions on all LED lighting based on your experience with Christmas lights. Try a few brands and styles of LED bulbs as they vary greatly in quality. Generally speaking, LED light is far cleaner and smoother than even incandescent so it's possible your reaction to the LED floodlight may have been due to a poor quality bulb or a temperature of light that is disagreeable. You may require warm bulbs or the much cooler sunlight temp.

If you find a bulb that agrees with you it will be worth the effort. My switch to LEDs paid for itself in the first year and many times over in the years since.