I received a frantic email tonight about

[Buckalew11]

bed bugs at WDW.

A friend is planning a trip and has heard there are bed bugs problems at WDW resorts. While I am sure WDW is not immune to bed bugs, I just haven't heard of this being a big problem.

Anyone have any info I can pass along? TIA

 

[vicki_c]

I recommend you tell her you've confirmed it's a huge problem, but you'd be willing to go in her place!

There are reports here and there of bed bugs at Disney, just like any other hotel. There were a number of threads on it earlier this year.

I've never had an issue, but I really think you should take my suggestion!

 

[Buckalew11]

Thanks for your answer. I've already got 2 trips in the works tho.

I've been 2x this year and didn't know there were bedbug issues.

I need to get off the CB and get around the DIS a little more maybe. LOL

Any other ideas, comments or advice. She is really upset and not wanting to take this trip. Her DD is wanting to go so badly though. Her DD is in her 20s so we're not talking a little princess here. I told her I'd try to find out any info I could.

 

[vicki_c]

Personally, I think it's not something I have ever worried about. If you really want to know, I'd just do a search for bedbugs on the boards here - there were quite a few over the top posts (IMO) about it.

Not sure what to tell your friend - bed bugs happen sometimes - at all kinds of hotels - nice ones, not so nice ones, whatever. I don't think it's common at Disney, but I'm sure you couldn't guarantee that there can't be any.

I'm glad I don't have these issues!

 

[cinderella73]

Its pretty much a problem everywhere now. from the Hilton to Super 8. I heard Garden Wing of the Contemporary , some cabins at Fort Wilderness ( It might be just one) , and a couple rooms at Port Orleans ( I heard they had it there the worst.

My husband is a manager at a family resort chain and from what he tells me its very very common now. Just do a check of the mattress and headboard areas before you unpack.

Tell her not to worry to much as Disney is so much better than most about these things. If you do a search here on the boards you will find that a few people posted the actual rooms they were in .

And for that matter tell her to get a cabin at Fort Wilderness. If she checks one out and its all clear chances are she is totally safe as its not connected to any other rooms or buildings. I heard only one had been affected at one time.

Just remind her thats its better to stay at WDW where they dealt with bedbugs many times than most chain hotels that have no idea what to do about them. I could tell you about this one place that has NEVER gotten rid of them.. Ugh.. But my husband has forbidden me to give names .

The good thing is a place like Disney cant afford that kind of bad press. They deal swiftly with that kind of stuff.

 

[disnut8]

Well, if your friend is worried about bed bugs, then she shouldn't ever stay at any hotel ever again in her life. The only bed she should ever sleep in is her own. But since she is so concerned, she should check the bed for signs of bed bugs. I doubt she'll find anything but if she does (a VERY remote possibility), she should immediately inform Disney and they will take the necessary steps to get that room fumigated for the pests.

I don't think anyone can come on here and say Disney World is 100% bedbug free. However, the chances of having them there is very, very, very small. She might have a better chance of winning the lottery than finding a bed bug in her room at Disney World.

 

[goofy4tink]

No hotel is immune to these nasty little buggers. Yes, Disney resorts have had their issues in the past, and most likely will again in the future. But, that's just part of traveling nowadays.
My dd was at camp earlier this summer. The first night there they found bedbugs. The girl in the bunk above her was eaten alive!! They moved the kids out of that entire building, washed every single thing that was in the bldg with them (clothes, pillows, bedding, stuffed animals..everything!!!). Moved them to another building and it was fine. My poor dd did show bedbug bites a week later though..as did one of the girls who had gone home already. Seems that some people don't show the effects until days later!!!


Just check the mattress area, along the seams. Check behind the bed, and in the drawers. If you don't see any evidence of bed bugs, you should be fine.

 

[sherabby]

There are also virus bugs and bacteria in Disney too that you might want to watch out for as well. We all got sick during our June visit. You cannot worry about everything you read online or it will drive you crazy.

 

[fitgirl36]

If bed bugs are the worst thing to worry about when going to Disney, that's not bad at all! I've been bitten the last 2 trips to the BC by bed bugs. 2 years ago I thought they were mosquito bites, never even thought bed bugs were real! Even saw posts on here titled "bed bugs" and thought it was a new disney movie coming out!! I know really smart huh?

The first trip my legs were pretty bitten up and last time we went a wore sleep pants instead of shorts and had only 1 bite on my arm when I woke up. I even looked at the mattress when we first checked in but couldn't see anything. My husband has never been bitten, don't know what's up with me!! The thought of them really grosses me out, but so do mosquitos and flies and even staying in a hotel, when you think about how many other people have used the same room. We went during the swine flu scare and I did enough lysoling & chlorox wiping down ofthe room to last me a whole year! I suggest go and have a great time!!

 

[Buckalew11]

OK, thanks for these replies.

I'm not sure what to tell her except to tell her things you all have said here. I am not sure what she wants to hear and like a pp said, I cannot guarentee they won't have bedbugs.

I'd never heard of any specific problems at WDW and when I typed bed bugs at WDW resorts into google, sure enough there were reports there. I think she must have done the same before she emailed me because her resorts were the same as what google had there.

It is nothing I have ever worried about. I always take lysol and clorox wipes with me anyway and sanitize my hands along with washing them a lot.

We mostly stay at the Swan/Dolphin which I tend to find cleaner than WDW resorts in general but we are DVC members and were at the Beach Club in January.

I worry more about stomach bugs than bedbugs when I'm at places like WDW because of all the railings, handles, and seatbelts etc. we're all touching.

Thanks again for these comments. I do hope they go on and go but if it will ruin her good time, maybe she shouldn't go. I'm not sure a bed bug would ever keep me from seeing Mickey Mouse! LOL

 

[JPN4265]

bed bugs at WDW.

A friend is planning a trip and has heard there are bed bugs problems at WDW resorts. While I am sure WDW is not immune to bed bugs, I just haven't heard of this being a big problem.

Anyone have any info I can pass along? TIA

This was a rumor started by Universal Studio's.

 

[beachbunny]

Yes, there are bed bugs at WDW. In late May, I was bitten by bed bugs at Port Orleans Riverside - Alligator Bayou. I didn't report it on the DIS because I thought a quick e-mail to WDW would have them spray the room down and all would be taken care of. And before any suspicious minds start going in the wrong direction, I did not ask for any compensation. Well, I just received an agressively worded letter yesterday from the Disney claims department denying all and saying that they had "investigated" and found nothing. Their so-called investigation didn't include contacting me to ask for specifics. I know that they can't admit anything because that would open them up to liability, but I can't help think there is a better way of handling these reports of bed bugs rather than accusing the person making the report of fabrication. For the sake of others staying at Riverside, I sure hope the room was sprayed down.

 

[bartleby1]

bed bugs at WDW.

A friend is planning a trip and has heard there are bed bugs problems at WDW resorts. While I am sure WDW is not immune to bed bugs, I just haven't heard of this being a big problem.

Anyone have any info I can pass along? TIA

Unfortunately, ALL hotels and resorts are going to have bedbugs from time to time. The big difference between good hotels/resorts and bad ones is that the good ones take care of the problem before it gets out of hand. The bad ones just let it slide until it is a total infestation. I'm sure that disney does train their housekeepers and employees on what to look for and takes care of it promptly.

And, if your friend is that afraid of bedbugs, she had better not fly anywhere either. I have read that it is possible for someone to stay in a hotel room with bedbugs (or even have them at home) and bring them on the plane via their luggage where they can be transferred to someone else's luggage.

Believe me, I don't want to encounter them either! But I won't let it stop me from going on vacation either. Do a google search on how to search for them and what to look for. I check every hotel room we stay in BEFORE bringing in my luggage. I certainly don't want to bring home any stowaways with me!

 

[f15robyn]

My mom is a member of our state legislature. She stays in a high end hotel in the capital Tuesday through Friday, January through May.

Since she's a regular, she's had the same room every week... for 7 years!!!

And her room got bed bugs one day early this year. They moved her immediately. They told her they have a contract with a special firm that comes in and deals specifically with the removal of bed bugs. A few weeks later she was back in the same room and no problems for the rest of the session.

As everyone has said, it can happen anywere. But I'm sure Disney usually deals with it the same way this nice, albeit local, hotel does.

 

[tinkbyday]

Prior to our last trip, there were reports popping up about this issue at WDW again and I panicked

I wasn't going to cancel my vacation, though, so I just read up on what to look for and the precautions to take. I checked the mattresses and the dresser drawers the best I could. We kept our clothing either hung up in the closet or in sealed plastic clothing bags in the drawers.

Our luggage was on the luggage racks as suggested by other posters.

When we came home (we live up north in freezing cold!), I left our luggage outdoors for a couple of weeks - I brought in the clothes only when they were going directly in the washer and dryer.

It really was not a big deal and it made me feel better than just in case anything hijacked us in either the room or the airplane...it would probably be a nonissue.

 

[goofy4tink]

Dealing with bedbugs, properly, isn't just a case of 'spraying the room'. It involves powerful chemicals, tossing out the mattress, and sometimes replacing carpet!! That room is out of commision for more than a night!! Bedbugs are not bothered by most pesticides, so the bug companies have to bring in the 'big guns'..and you don't want to be in a room that was treated with those chemicals for a bit!!!
Sometimes, depending on how bad the infestation is, the entire room has to be emptied, all furniture tossed. Imagine how expensive that gets??
There are many things that may bite you at night...not just bedbugs. For heaven's sake, I woke up this morning with some bites on my arms, that weren't there last night. But, I don't have bedbugs!!!

 

[SassyCat]

A couple of months ago I saw threads about bed bugs. To tell you the truth, I had no idea these things existed anymore. I was really freaked out (freaked out a little too much...). Anyway, I researched what to look for so I would be well-informed.

I like to be uber-careful - so I made sure we did a proper search of the room. Once we got to the WL, we put our bags down on the balcony. Hubby pulled up all the sheets and the mattress pad to check the mattress (which was really clean looking ). He checked under the mattress and behind the headboards and such. We didn't find anything (thankfully), but it made me feel a lot more comfortable to check.

We also kept our bookbags (all we took) sealed in those HUGE ziploc bags in the closet.

Once we got home I kept the bookbags in huge ziploc bags except when I yanked stuff out (we live in an apt so no garage).

Anyway, I'm happy to say it has been a month and we had no problems. I know I sound overly cautious, but I got so freaked out about the possiblity of bringing those things back to our apt (which means they would most likely spread to other units...) that I was over-careful. But, it made me feel better and really wasn't a hassle.

My advice would be to educate yourself on the internet for what to look for (a lot of web sites will have pics of what an infested mattress, headboard, etc) will look like. Know what to check for, and and when you get to your hotel room, give it a once over before you put any of your luggage down in the room (unless you put it on the luggage racks or in the bathroom).

I know it can seem really scary, but the best thing is to try to go about it in a level-headed way. I understand how your friend feels because I was feeling that way, too. But, you have to remember, how many times have you stayed in a hotel without getting them? It is not a LIKELY thing, but it is a POSSIBLE thing.

 

[Tink3Bell]

Not bed bugs again...
What are the odds for this x how many hotel rooms?

 

[beachbunny]

Goofy4Tink: I knew I'd be opening myself to criticism just for mentioning my personal experience. But I didn't expect it from a moderator.

I do realize it is not cheap to disinfect a room. But Disney should not wait for an infestation before doing something about it. Now if you're telling me that you, in your position as a moderator on this board, know that Disney has done the cost/liability analysis and decided not to do anything until a full infestation, then that is a poor business decision because Disney's good reputation is what keeps bringing in the customers.

For your information, I have pictures of the bites and I did see a doctor to confirm that they were indeed bed bug bites. The reason I went to a doctor was because I needed an antibiotic for a couple of bites that got very infected.

 

[CoachBagFanatic]

Goofy4Tink: I knew I'd be opening myself to criticism just for mentioning my personal experience. But I didn't expect it from a moderator.

I do realize it is not cheap to disinfect a room. But Disney should not wait for an infestation before doing something about it. Now if you're telling me that you, in your position as a moderator on this board, know that Disney has done the cost/liability analysis and decided not to do anything until a full infestation, then that is a poor business decision because Disney's good reputation is what keeps bringing in the customers.

For your information, I have pictures of the bites and I did see a doctor to confirm that they were indeed bed bug bites. The reason I went to a doctor was because I needed an antibiotic for a couple of bites that got very infected.

beachbunny, I am sorry but I don't see where Goofy4Tink was criticizing you. This was an unfortunate thing for you. When you were there did you report this to the Management at the time? Bed bugs are nasty little critters that take all but an atom bomb to get rid of them. I hope it did not take too long for your medication to kick in to get rid of the infection.