Need help

[Lesverts]

Hi. I am very sorry if this is in the wrong place and feel free to move it to the correct one. But I’d really appreciate some advice and kinda an AITA Disney edition.

So I get to pop century on Friday and get into my room. I’m in building 4 on the fourth floor. Right from the beginning I have noticed an unusual number of bugs. (In the shower, around the toilet etc). Come back from a 11 hour park day where I am prevented from riding guardians because of a fire alarm at the very last minute. Have a shower and then come back out into the room to see a wash cloth on the area with the coffee maker. I go to pick it up and it unfolds to show multiple dead bugs and spiders in it. I phone the guest services and get a curt response that more wash clothes would be sent up and that is all.

I think about things for a minute and decide to go to the front desk. I ask for a manager and speak to a very professional lady that empathizes and says she will have someone sent up to sanitize and check the room. She also puts on a 75$ credit to the room. I am generally happy with the level of caring and the stated outcome of sending someone up from house keeping and the credit is just an over the top bonus.

Now I come back to the room and move my toothbrush in the bathroom to see multiple bugs scurry away from it. I am tired and just want to relax and go to sleep for a big day at DHS tomorrow. Lay down on the bed and look up at the ceiling to see the corner of the room with what appears to be a spider web and a dozen or more bugs in and around it. And another half dozen bugs on the ceiling over top of my bed. And while I come on here to ask for advice I have multiple bugs fly around me.

I went down to the front desk again with a picture and ask for a room change and a new toothbrush to use for the reminder of my stay. Cannot get a room change until the morning. But did get the toothbrush.

I just want to know if I am over reacting due to being tired and with the associated costs of staying on Disney. I understand that it is Florida and bugs are a thing here. But out of 14 trips this is the first time I’ve seen any more than 2 bugs in a room. I am just so disappointed and with my mom coming to stay a week with my I would be embarrassed for her to walk into this room. Just makes me think the room is unclean and wondering what else is going on.

I was told pest control and house keeping would come up to check out the room and for one it’s been about 2 hours and no one and the other about an hour and nothing.

I don’t want to be an overly picky and disgruntled guest. I genuinely love pop and had an amazing day at Epcot today. But I am just so disappointed right now.

 

[maggymd]

You’re not overreacting at all. I am sick to death of excuses that are made for bad accommodations. Disney continues to raise prices and hides behind lack of staff and so on. Bugs are not guests I want on my vacation. You should have been moved immediately.

 

[Rory607]

I don’t think you’re overreacting. You are right that bugs are common in FL, but that seems really excessive. I’ve never had a bug issue at any Disney resort. I would be unable to relax in the room. I generally don’t complain, but I would keep pushing them about it.

 

[fireflyer]

I wish I could ease your concerns but I can't. YOU NEED TO STAND YOUR GROUND.
Also, the "type" of bug is extremely important.
--If these are bedbugs, you need to get your suitcase out to the car immediately. Capture one and take it to Dept. of Health/Human Services in the morning. Pack your stuff, get out, and stand at the front desk until a refund is granted. Call the police if refused.
--If these are roaches/"palmetto bugs", capture one and take it to Dept. of Health/Human Services in the moring. Pack your stuff, get out, and stand at the front desk until a refund is granted. Call the police if refused.
--If these are sugar-ants, it can be mortifying but it's harmless,... you need to put ALL food in the frig. And you need to insist that housekeeping come vacuum the area around your bed, and insist that they bring disinfectant and ant-traps.
--If these are spiders, take pictures and also force housekeeping to identify what species.
--If these are flies or gnats, take some Ambien and try to relax.

I'm so sorry for your predicament. I've been in your situation at a non-Disney place, a different state. On the first night of a 3-night stay. I packed and left at 12:30am, after capturing a bedbug in a cup, 1 of about 30 crawling in my bed while I was in it. Mgmt refused any kind of refund at 12:30 am and said "it's just a tick" when I showed them what I had captured. I took that bedbug to Portland's HHS in the morning, and they knew immediately what it was, and they sent an inspector to the hotel. I got the full 3 pre-paid days refunded.

Please stay safe.

Edited to add: IF HOUSEKEEPING DOES NOT SHOW UP, TAKE A VIDEO AND PUT IT ON YOU-TUBE. This filth in the overpriced Disney rooms needs immediate correction.

 

[HopperFan]

UGH. Maybe close to 40 stays at POP and never seen one bug. SOMETHING IS WRONG in that room/building and Disney needs to make it right for you. You paid way too much money.

Never call, always go to front desk, always ask for a manager and good for you on photos. If they don't make this totally right by time you leave, you follow up with email and photos even if you have to send them to Josh. Totally unacceptable.

 

[FCDub]

I wish I could ease your concerns but I can't. YOU NEED TO STAND YOUR GROUND.
Also, the "type" of bug is extremely important.
--If these are bedbugs, you need to get your suitcase out to the car immediately. Capture one and take it to Dept. of Health/Human Services in the morning. Pack your stuff, get out, and stand at the front desk until a refund is granted. Call the police if refused.
--If these are roaches/"palmetto bugs", capture one and take it to Dept. of Health/Human Services in the moring. Pack your stuff, get out, and stand at the front desk until a refund is granted. Call the police if refused.
--If these are sugar-ants, it can be mortifying but it's harmless,... you need to put ALL food in the frig. And you need to insist that housekeeping come vacuum the area around your bed, and insist that they bring disinfectant and ant-traps.
--If these are spiders, take pictures and also force housekeeping to identify what species.
--If these are flies, take some Ambien and try to relax.

I'm so sorry for your predicament. I've been in your situation at a non-Disney place, a different state. On the first night of a 3-night stay. I packed and left at 12:30am, after capturing a bedbug in a cup, 1 of about 30 crawling in my bed while I was in it. Mgmt refused any kind of refund at 12:30 am and said "it's just a tick" when I showed them what I had captured. I took that bedbug to Portland's HHS in the morning, and they knew immediately what it was, and they sent an inspector to the hotel. I got the full 3 pre-paid days refunded.

Please stay safe.

Edited to add: IF HOUSEKEEPING DOES NOT SHOW UP, TAKE A VIDEO AND PUT IT ON YOU-TUBE. This filth in the overpriced Disney rooms needs immediate correction.

Uh.... what? What is HHS going to do about a palmetto bug, which are native to Florida? And to call the police over this? My gosh, calm down. This is like the person in North Carolina who called 911 because her barbecue was pink.

 

[fireflyer]

Uh.... what? What is HHS going to do about a palmetto bug, which are native to Florida? And to call the police over this? My gosh, calm down. This is like the person in North Carolina who called 911 because her barbecue was pink.

I am calm.
I disagree.
I described the appropriate health steps to take if the vendor does not provide appropriate response. An infestation requires a serious response, and remediation to the room.
Lesverts, you deserve a room you can rest in.
Take a sample.
And record a video.

FCDub, the OP described:
--"multiple dead bugs and spiders", and
--"multiple bugs scurry away from it", and
--"corner of the room with what appears to be a spider web and a dozen or more bugs in and around it" and
--"half dozen bugs on the ceiling over top of my bed." and
--"while I come on here to ask for advice I have multiple bugs fly around me."

If the situation is as described, then it is an infestation and is an immediate HHS issue. FCDub, I regret you've been trained to accept FL roaches in bedrooms as okay. In a motel room ROACHES ARE NOT OKAY. Even roaches in a kitchen are abysmal. But when they infest a hotel room--which is not a food source--that is an extreme cause for concern and needs pest control immediately before the room can be rentable.

 

[Lesverts]

Ok. So update:

Pest control came. Guy was super friendly and did ease my mind about type of bug. I was already fairly certain I was not dealing with the bed bug issue. This is my third day and I check the bed always.

I checked around the room and saw a fair number of dead bugs in the shower area. And this really speaks to my disappointment in the cleanliness issue.

I am getting moved tomorrow but I still don’t feel ‘satisfied in the resolution’. I am not happy that I had to pack and am going to have to worry about moving tomorrow. I’m not gonna be happy I have to carry a lot of stuff with me tomorrow in the parks. But I don’t know how to push this any further without coming across badly.

 

[fireflyer]

Ok. So update:

Pest control came. Guy was super friendly and did ease my mind about type of bug. I was already fairly certain I was not dealing with the bed bug issue. This is my third day and I check the bed always.

I checked around the room and saw a fair number of dead bugs in the shower area. And this really speaks to my disappointment in the cleanliness issue.

I am getting moved tomorrow but I still don’t feel ‘satisfied in the resolution’. I am not happy that I had to pack and am going to have to worry about moving tomorrow. I’m not gonna be happy I have to carry a lot of stuff with me tomorrow in the parks. But I don’t know how to push this any further without coming across badly.

Again, I feel your pain. This is not a situation you should've had to endure. But also, the type of bug is relevant to whether compensation is warranted.

If it isn't an infestation, then you are in the clear! You will get past this, and you will have a (rough) story to tell your friends for the rest of your life. LOL.

FYI you shouldn't feel the need to carry your belongings into the park. If you don't have a car, then simply leave your baggage to bellhop at Guest Services. They will store all your bags until tomorrow night, when you come to retrieve them after visiting the themepark.

Unsanitary conditions & poor housekeeping are not okay. If "unsanitary" and "poor housekeeping" are the true conditions in your room, then you have recourse. But please take a good look and evaluate what's around you. Some bugs are gross but expected; others are infestible and NEED REMEDIATION AND RECOURSE. It sounds like your bugs are "okay". You get $75 and a new room and a story to tell.

 

[lockets]

i wonder if that room was taken out of service during covid and bugs just left to stew in the emptiness of it? smh.

Sorry you're dealing with this. It's not very vacation-vibey to talk to a pest control operator on a trip.

 

[Magical2017]

It sounds like you have a reasonable request to change rooms. I don't think it is over the top to ask them to address this issue.

 

[FCDub]

I am calm.
I disagree.
I described the appropriate health steps to take if the vendor does not provide appropriate response. An infestation requires a serious response, and remediation to the room.
Lesverts, you deserve a room you can rest in.
Take a sample.
And record a video.

FCDub, the OP described:
--"multiple dead bugs and spiders", and
--"multiple bugs scurry away from it", and
--"corner of the room with what appears to be a spider web and a dozen or more bugs in and around it" and
--"half dozen bugs on the ceiling over top of my bed." and
--"while I come on here to ask for advice I have multiple bugs fly around me."

If the situation is as described, then it is an infestation and is an immediate HHS issue. FCDub, I regret you've been trained to accept FL roaches in bedrooms as okay. In a motel room ROACHES ARE NOT OKAY. Even roaches in a kitchen are abysmal. But when they infest a hotel room--which is not a food source--that is an extreme cause for concern and needs pest control immediately before the room can be rentable.

LOL. You don’t need to involve the authorities over this. What a joke.

 

[Mrs.AMC]

I wish I could ease your concerns but I can't. YOU NEED TO STAND YOUR GROUND.
Also, the "type" of bug is extremely important.
--If these are bedbugs, you need to get your suitcase out to the car immediately. Capture one and take it to Dept. of Health/Human Services in the morning. Pack your stuff, get out, and stand at the front desk until a refund is granted. Call the police if refused.
--If these are roaches/"palmetto bugs", capture one and take it to Dept. of Health/Human Services in the moring. Pack your stuff, get out, and stand at the front desk until a refund is granted. Call the police if refused.
--If these are sugar-ants, it can be mortifying but it's harmless,... you need to put ALL food in the frig. And you need to insist that housekeeping come vacuum the area around your bed, and insist that they bring disinfectant and ant-traps.
--If these are spiders, take pictures and also force housekeeping to identify what species.
--If these are flies or gnats, take some Ambien and try to relax.

I'm so sorry for your predicament. I've been in your situation at a non-Disney place, a different state. On the first night of a 3-night stay. I packed and left at 12:30am, after capturing a bedbug in a cup, 1 of about 30 crawling in my bed while I was in it. Mgmt refused any kind of refund at 12:30 am and said "it's just a tick" when I showed them what I had captured. I took that bedbug to Portland's HHS in the morning, and they knew immediately what it was, and they sent an inspector to the hotel. I got the full 3 pre-paid days refunded.

Please stay safe.

Edited to add: IF HOUSEKEEPING DOES NOT SHOW UP, TAKE A VIDEO AND PUT IT ON YOU-TUBE. This filth in the overpriced Disney rooms needs immediate correction.

You go right ahead and take a palmetto bug to FL HHS
They'll laugh you out of the building.
They are not roaches that are attracted to filth
The police would likely just hang up on you.
Talk about wasting resources
Neither are needed to resolve what is a consumer room issue.
Wow, just wow.

 

[Mrs.AMC]

Ok. So update:

Pest control came. Guy was super friendly and did ease my mind about type of bug. I was already fairly certain I was not dealing with the bed bug issue. This is my third day and I check the bed always.

I checked around the room and saw a fair number of dead bugs in the shower area. And this really speaks to my disappointment in the cleanliness issue.

I am getting moved tomorrow but I still don’t feel ‘satisfied in the resolution’. I am not happy that I had to pack and am going to have to worry about moving tomorrow. I’m not gonna be happy I have to carry a lot of stuff with me tomorrow in the parks. But I don’t know how to push this any further without coming across badly.

Have you spoken to the Resort manager? If you have not, I believe you need to. Not housekeeping management but Resort manager. This is an issue they need to know about and you should speak with them because yes, more than 1, 2 bugs running around is abnormal. Dealing with it has been disruptive to your vacation and something a guest shouldn't have had to address more than once. The manager needs to know that you felt it wasn't handled well when first brought to the resorts attention.

 

[2vets]

You are decidedly NTA. They should have moved you immediately to another resort if necessary. One bug or two, fine. But this sounds like a major issue - you are PAYING for this ($75 credit barely makes a dent), and have now been disrupted by multiple factors related to what frankly sounds like an infestation. And bugs scattered and also in a washcloth? Someone knew and didn’t report it or they missed some major cleaning. No.

In the 30 years I’ve been paying for my own Disney accomodations (before that these were childhood trips) and probably 60+ stays, I have asked to change rooms twice. I don’t say this lightly. I’d have a tough time sleeping over worries that there would be bugs everywhere while I slept. I think you should speak with management.

 

[FCDub]

OP, yes, this is an issue that warrants a remedy from Disney. It does not need to involve health inspectors or the police. Housekeeping isn’t there to identify species of bugs.

 

[Lesverts]

So final update:

Spoke to a different senior member of the pop century team today. They had received a report from the pest control cast member from last night that included the observations of pest related lack of cleanliness. He put in a credit for the one night. Put through multiple premium guest experiences for every day of the rest of my trip (so no running to the major attractions at rope drop) and I have a VIP tour guide for tomorrow. He said I should have been moved last night and I should have come back down after pest control had left to push the issue.

 

[R&RsMom]

Wow! That’s making things right. The VIP tour is worth probably $3-4k.

 

[disneyfan150]

So final update:

Spoke to a different senior member of the pop century team today. They had received a report from the pest control cast member from last night that included the observations of pest related lack of cleanliness. He put in a credit for the one night. Put through multiple premium guest experiences for every day of the rest of my trip (so no running to the major attractions at rope drop) and I have a VIP tour guide for tomorrow. He said I should have been moved last night and I should have come back down after pest control had left to push the issue.

I am so happy for you . . .VIP Tour Guide. . . .yay you!

 

[toodycat]

So final update:

Spoke to a different senior member of the pop century team today. They had received a report from the pest control cast member from last night that included the observations of pest related lack of cleanliness. He put in a credit for the one night. Put through multiple premium guest experiences for every day of the rest of my trip (so no running to the major attractions at rope drop) and I have a VIP tour guide for tomorrow. He said I should have been moved last night and I should have come back down after pest control had left to push the issue.

I was going to say you’re NTA and I’m glad a senior member of the team agrees. This sounds like much more than the typical “hey, it’s Florida. There are bugs.” We visit Florida all the time and have never had this experience at any resort. It was not normal and I’m happy Disney made amends.