Not to scare you but just got back and... sand flies/fleas on castaway cay

[disneygirl1213]

I just wanted to clarify something that seemed a bit confusing. Safe Sea is a protectant and sunscreen that wards off stinging things in the water -- jelly fish and sea lice.

The bugs on the beach sound like sand flies. I don't think Safe Sea would work for these. We had them at the Chesapeake Bay beaches in Maryland. They do hurt and sometimes even draw blood. Repellent -- regular stuff didn't work. I would like to know more about the cactus juice that someone posted. I hope they are gone when we go in a few weeks!

Good luck to everyone!

 

[cseca]

I was just there Saturday and no bugs! Not even one. We were 1/2 down the family beach near the water. We also went to Serenity Bay and did not notice any bugs and we were near the bushes.

Lucky you!
I hope next January when we go on the Dream MV they already sprayed the darn island with some bug spray. We want to actually spend some time there then

 

[GoHerd1028]

speaking of spryaing the island.....why have they not done a localized spraying to keep the bugs away from the vacationer area?

 

[Kyle2123]

Just back from CC last Friday and I have to say, these things were nasty ... I've never seen them there before. Tiny little bugs (way smaller than even a grain of rice), very light brown in color, you won't even see them unless you feel something and then stare at your skin to see what is tickling you. They hop around like fleas so maybe they are sand fleas? I'm not sure if they bite or not, but they were so bad they were driving me crazy ... I could not wait to get back to the room and take a shower to get rid of them. The problem is once you've seen a few of them on you, you just have that "feeling" like bugs are crawling on you for the rest of the day.. sometimes they're there, sometimes you don't see anything when you look.. ick. I would recommend taking along some kind of bug spray just in case.

 

[cseca]

speaking of spryaing the island.....why have they not done a localized spraying to keep the bugs away from the vacationer area?

I think they do spray them they night before, but maybe forgot on our CC day? The one CM said that they usually spray them the night before.

Just back from CC last Friday and I have to say, these things were nasty ... I've never seen them there before. Tiny little bugs (way smaller than even a grain of rice), very light brown in color, you won't even see them unless you feel something and then stare at your skin to see what is tickling you. They hop around like fleas so maybe they are sand fleas? I'm not sure if they bite or not, but they were so bad they were driving me crazy ... I could not wait to get back to the room and take a shower to get rid of them. The problem is once you've seen a few of them on you, you just have that "feeling" like bugs are crawling on you for the rest of the day.. sometimes they're there, sometimes you don't see anything when you look.. ick. I would recommend taking along some kind of bug spray just in case.

AMEN!!! That is exactly how I felt... Oh but they do bite. Both DH and I can attest to that. He is not paranoid to bugs biting either but he felt them before I did... ugh...

 

[Jennifer in MI]

We had them on our four day Jan 17 - 21. I didn't notice them much (but I had a couple bites that I noticed after we got back on the ship - not sure what they were from). Ds, who was on "The Wild Side" teen excursion, said that once they got to the other side of the island after their bikeride, they were AWFUL!!! He said, they'd step in the sand and these bugs would fly up and bite their legs. Luckily, they just had to drop off their bikes and run along the beach to their kayaks!!

 

[Max02215]

I was there on friday as well and castaway was INFESTED with them! We have been on 5 different cruises to CC, and never experienced that before. they sold "Off " bug spray at 8.50 a can, but it did little to prevent the gnats or nocuems (spelling?) from going on you. It was better by the water, but they were still there! I don't know if it was caused by the construction, but I wrote on my comment card that Disney should spray the morning before guests arrive. As beautiful as the island is, it really took away from the experience. They were everywhere! Many people left early.

 

[diane648]

I'm getting seriously freaked out by this thread! Has anyone used Off / Cactus Juice / Safe Sea & found it effective?

 

[moochpuppy]

We were just there two weeks ago and did not have any bug issues. I guess they come and go. Maybe it was their mating season.

Was just at CC on January 22nd and did not notice any bug problem anywhere on the island. There were some random ants on Serenity Bay but nothing out of the ordinary.

Disney always has "warning signs" up for sea lice, jellyfish, barracuda, etc. Not once have I ever encountered a problem.

 

[DoOverDreams]

We were on the Jan 24-28 cruise and didn't notice a single bug. We spent most of our time at Serenity Bay (lovely), but did walk through shrubbery to check out the new cabanas and walked through the family beach area. No bugs or bites! Cold breeze though!!!!

 

[alexandmaddie]

We were on the Jan 24-28 cruise and didn't notice a single bug. We spent most of our time at Serenity Bay (lovely), but did walk through shrubbery to check out the new cabanas and walked through the family beach area. No bugs or bites! Cold breeze though!!!!

We were on this cruise also and didn't notice any bugs. We were at the Family Beach and we also went for a bike ride.

 

[LMCmom25kids]

Does anyone happen to have any info about these or any other bugs/ biting things etc.... during the month of April?

We will be on Castaway Cay on April 17th (Mid April.) We sure are hoping this is not something that occurs every year. Perhaps as someone had posted, maybe it is just due to the construction going on...??? Not sure.

Also, I'm wondering what others have to say about the current construction going on. I hope it does not spoil the look of the island. Do you see much equipment sitting around? I would think that Disney would most likely do most of the actual work when cruisers are NOT on the island. They are usually very considerate in this way. Any info would be most appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Vegaslover]

Avon makes a nice sunscreen with Skin so soft bug repellent. We use it and love it. We also have safe sea. Now I'm wondering which product I should put on first. maybe i need to buy put the sea safe on and then spray on some separate skin so soft. Decisions, decisions.

Here is the link from Avon:
http://www.avon.com/1/1/5951-skin-s...ool-n-fabulous-disappearing-color-lotion.html

 

[KarenFL]

We call them "No-see-ums" and Skin So Soft does seem to work.

It's a warm tropical climate....there will be bugs.

 

[bokolo]

Does anyone happen to havej any info about these or any other bugs/ biting things etc.... during the month of April?

We will be on Castaway Cay on April 17th (Mid April.) We sure are hoping this is not something that occurs every year. Perhaps as someone had posted, maybe it is just due to the construction going on...??? Not sure.

We were there in mid-April last year. We had no problems with any kind of bugs/creatures in or out of the water. I had bought some Safe Sea after reading about sea lice, but forgot it on the ship and only used our regular sunblock. Enjoy the day, I'm sure it will be great!

 

[love2driveinct]

I was looking around online to find out what I could about sand flies and sand fleas... sounds like folks were talking about sand fleas, but not sure.

Here's some info:

Sand Fly (also called Sandfly): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandfly check out the photo -- it is very tiny, but it does look like a typical fly

Sand Flea: http://www.flea-i.com/sand-fleas.html in this second link there is a close-up picture, showing that they are not dark in color, but almost have no color http://www.healthy-skincare.com/sand-flea-bite.html

It seems that, although they both bite, and both bites/stings are painful and itchy, the main difference between the two is that sandflies are insects, while sand fleas are actually crustaceans.

Can anyone verify which of these they might have seen? Might help future cruisers determine the best type of repellant to bring... thanks.

 

[Blanche_Neige]

I'm itchy all over after reading this tread yuk yuk

 

[Max02215]

The actual view of construction was kept to a minimum. Disney does a good job of keeping it screened off behind these temporary walls, and there was no noise pollution from it at all. you will see some of the work from the ship (back hoes, etc). But it won't take away from the view. They give out a letter as well basically stating they are working on improvements on the island and you may encounter some construction.
I wouldn't worry about the bugs. We were there 4 times and didn't see anything. Like I said in an earlier post though, this past friday (1/29) was bad. I'm not talking a few bugs here, and there, they were everywhere! Even the crew was suprised. Still, they were more of a nusiance. My family didn't have bites or itching afterwards. They swarmed anything white (which is only the real way you can see them b/c they are so small). we notated this on our comment cards, and our Server told us many people were talking about it. I'm sure Disney will resolve it, if it happens again. looks like other cruisers that were there a day or 2 before or after, had no problems. It really is a beautiful island.

 

[tikibirds]

Thanks for the heads up OP - we leave today for our cruise tomorrow and I once was bitten by these things at the Wilderness Lodge - ended up on the urgent care due to the reaction I had to the bites. I'm now armed with Off wipes and Benadryl - nothing is going to stop me from my Konk Kooler at Serenity Bay!

 

[cseca]

I was looking around online to find out what I could about sand flies and sand fleas... sounds like folks were talking about sand fleas, but not sure.

Here's some info:

Sand Fly (also called Sandfly): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandfly check out the photo -- it is very tiny, but it does look like a typical fly

Sand Flea: http://www.flea-i.com/sand-fleas.html in this second link there is a close-up picture, showing that they are not dark in color, but almost have no color http://www.healthy-skincare.com/sand-flea-bite.html

It seems that, although they both bite, and both bites/stings are painful and itchy, the main difference between the two is that sandflies are insects, while sand fleas are actually crustaceans.

Can anyone verify which of these they might have seen? Might help future cruisers determine the best type of repellant to bring... thanks.

It's so tiny it's hard to tell but I can say it doesn't look like a fly. It looks like tiny brown sticks... ugh...

Thanks for the heads up OP - we leave today for our cruise tomorrow and I once was bitten by these things at the Wilderness Lodge - ended up on the urgent care due to the reaction I had to the bites. I'm now armed with Off wipes and Benadryl - nothing is going to stop me from my Konk Kooler at Serenity Bay!

Have fun at the beach! I'd say now that you know you could always find a CM to get sprayed with the bug spray if you see some.