The unofficial Bed Bug Report

[daginch]

I haven't been a member of the DIS Boards for very very long and I don't have very many posts, but I have to comment that this thread has been the least useful of all.
Nothing personal against anyone.
I have found a lot of awesome inside stuff on the DIS and appreciate everything that goes into this site.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Hello! Reference: Page 1 Post #9.

Hello yourself.

Page 1 is not page 2.
Neither person you quoted in your "miniscule/chaos" post, used the word choas.
Neither person you quoted in that post is the Moderator who posted the THEIR agreement to avoid chaos on these message boards.

 

[daginch]

How many bedbugs can you get with a DDP snack credit?[/QUOTE

Good one!!

 

[drew64]

Why not stop worrying about bed bugs and get back to important issues like - pool hopping, savings spots for parades, and reusing refillable mugs.

 

[BigKids]

Yes! Those are certaintly important issues!

 

[portocall]

I understand that when we pay as much $ as we do for a vacation, we get nervous that something might go wrong. Some people worry about the weather and delayed or cancelled flights, car accidents along the way, a freak accident or illness, and now bedbugs.

Since we can't control when and where bedbugs strike, the best that we can do is be vigilant. I am not sure that knowing that a certain resort had them is useful information. Shouldn't we check anyway, be it Disney, Super 8, or the Mandarine Hotel. I even check at home since DH travels quite a bit and I am nervous he might bring them home one day. Of course I don't want them, which is why it is the first thing I do in any hotel since first hearing reports on the bugs in the US.

I think if this tread has some feeling better about getting their concerns and worries out then its not bad, it just isn't my fear... which is my vehicle breaking down on the way.

 

[tnmomof4]

Why not just let WDW handle it as they are handling it? There is a report on the DVC boards about how POR handled a guest who arrived from VB where they had been infested; I think that everything possible was done to mitigate the situation.

The guest that arrived to POR from Disney's Vero Beach was myself and my four kids. I didn't even start the post on the DVC board. I guess someone saw what I had said in the November thread I usually post on. I post on that thread because we are returning to Disney in November. Those on that November thread knew I was going to Disney for a trip, and I just gave them a trip report. I never knew those posts went from that November thread to the DVC board to this thread here. My report is on the Long Time to Wait -November '08- Will You Be There?? thread.

I will say again that every manager and CM that worked with us and handled our whole situation was great. I was told they do have a protocol to follow when bed bugs are found. I have no complaints about how they reacted to my discovering the bed bugs or to how they handled it after they knew.

They did everything possible to correct the situation. From the room that was infested, to our luggage, to our clothes, to our car, etc.... Disney was fantastic in how they handled everything. I can't give enough praise for how every person we dealt with and dealt with us treated us. Remember, it was just myself and my four kids. All boys ages 12, 10, and 5 year old twins. Everyone was awesome with the kids!!! It was stressful, and the managment of POR was so kind and very, very apologetic.

I also have learned a lot about bed bugs. I have been a member of the disboards for a while now, and the few times I did read things on here about bed bugs the description and info that was given was wrong. (there might have been right info, I am just saying that what I read was wrong) Bed bugs are not pin head size. They are not small like lice. They can be seen. They also can hide in seams and other places and might not be seen at first glance. They do not just come out at night. They are not found just in the bed. They can leave a bite that might look like a red, swollen mosquito bite.

I didn't panic when I found them. In fact... since the description I had read on a certain thread was wrong, when I first found the bed bugs, I didn't even realize they were bed bugs. Some on the DVC board where this is being discussed can't believe I did this, but since I didn't think they were bed bugs, I just flushed the bugs when I found them and didn't report it until the day I was leaving. I honestly didn't think it was that big of a deal. I really thought it was a sand tick or some other bug. I didn't let my kids sleep in that bed, and I thought that was good enough. Some were questioning how I could stand for any bug to be in my room no matter what I thougt it was. I guess I just wasn't worried about it. This was also the same week that Tropical Storm Fay hit the Vero Beach area, and that was more upsetting than these bugs I found. I posted all the reasons I stayed in that room on the DVC thread so I won't do it again.

I also want to add that I was told this was the first time bed bugs have ever been found and confirmed at Disney's Vero Beach.

I am returning to Disney in November. I am not at all worried that I will find bed bugs. Now, yes, I will be checking for them. I also now know what I am looking for. I don't expect to find them. I am not nervous that this trip will be ruined by bed bugs.

 

[Disneyadore]

Not to speak for Safetymom, but can you imagine if even a handful of readers appeared at the Front Desk to check in and said 'I don't want room 1234, 4444, 2222, 2343, 4323, 4343, 4878, or 4788 because I read that they have bed bugs'. Imagine the situation if other guests overhead, or the situation the Front Desk would face trying to reassure this guest that the rooms are not infested.

Further more there will be lists of rooms with mold,stains in the carpets,bad mousekeeping ,rude CM ,bad views and all the other problems people complain about.

I would not like to stand in the waiting line at the Front Desk behind such person.

 

[phlufster]

More about your fantasy about people here being Disney employees. I love DISboards, but we are but a speck on the back of the ear of a flea on the shoulder of a 4th-string Mickey Mouse assigned to a water park. DISboards currently has 191,585 members (most of whom probably aren't very active), and WDW has roughly 35 MILLION guests annually. So all of us here represent 0.5473% of Disney's guests ... that's about one-half of one percent of Disney's annual guests. But there's an even more important statistic ... so far, this thread has had 1,243 views ... so that means that .003% of Disney's annual guests have read this bed bug thread ... three one-THOUSANDTHS of one percent.

Three one-thousandths of one percent of their potential guests have read this thread ... I'm sure Disney woke up all its top people on a Sunday morning to stop this threat to their bottom line.

Hey can you run the numbers on which is more likely: die in a plane crash on the way to WDW or get bed bugs once I arrive?

 

[Kristina]

In some airports, especially in Asia, passengers can pay to have their suitcases enrobed in plastic, in an effort to reduce the spread of bugs. Aircraft are also fumigated regularly, which is not done in North America to the same degree or frequency.

I have seen this when I have traveled in Italy and other places too, and I wondered why they do this! I actually thought it was to keep their luggage from getting further scratched or damaged lol!

 

[goofy4tink]

Every single room, in every single hotel/resort in the world is open to bugs. It makes no difference where the room/resort is, or how much it costs to stay there. All it takes is for one guest to have a bug or two in their luggage. Now, those bugs have jumped off and made themselves at home, in that room. The guest who brought the bugs in can be the cleanest person in the world..doesn't matter.

Threads like this just get people going. It makes some people nervous, it gives them something to worry about. Solution?? Every time you check into a room, check it out before unpacking. Check the mattress for those tell-tale red drops. Check around the baseboards and in drawers. If you are at all concerned but have found no sign of infestation, don't unpack you clothes. Leave them in your suitcase, with the suitcase up, off the floor. IF you do find signs of bugs, then call the front desk, have someone come check it out and asked to be put in another room.

My dd goes to the same summer camp every year. Even after they had to sleep in fields for a night because of bed bugs in one of the bldgs. Yes, she still goes to that camp. The camp is clean and did all that was possible to rid themselves of the bugs. It can happen anywhere...even your own home if someone visits you and brings the little critters in with them.

 

[NMW]

Last week my Ehrlich guy was doing his normal 3 month treatment/inspection of my home and told me that his least favorite things to deal with are snakes and bed bugs. You have to understand that this guy is chatty and very "all bugs, all the time." Anyway, he told me that recently they had to treat a movie theater that was infested with bed bugs. He told me how exciting it was for him because up until that point he had never seen anything like that, except in a training video! This guy gets seriously charged up about bugs.

I asked him how to tell if your hotel room is infested and he said that before you even bring your stuff into the room, you should go in and pull up the bedding and mattress pads. Then check for any rust colored streaks and check the seems of the mattress. check all beds, including a sofa bed. He also said that when you return home to leave your luggage outside and bring in just the piles of clothes you are putting directly into the washer. Then you can inspect your bags closely with a flshlight before bringing them into your house. However, if its winter, the cold "should" kill any bed bugs in your bags left outside. This guy just likes to be extra carefull with bed bugs!

 

[goofy4prez]

I can assure everyone that I will not be bringing bugs with me to WDW. With our tempertures being around 10 degree's I don't think much would survive the trip to the airport.

Personally I don't get to worried about bed bugs or the Norwalk flu, or the Bangcock bateria, or the Montreal Mold, or the Vermont Virus or whatever else named sickness, bug or virus that is out there. Sure I'm going to take precautions but I'm not going to walk around with surgical gloves on and a white medical mask and look like Michael Jackson either. I'm going to go down and have fun.

 

[Mississippianna]

Bed bugs are not pin head size. They are not small like lice. They can be seen. They also can hide in seams and other places and might not be seen at first glance. They do not just come out at night. They are not found just in the bed. They can leave a bite that might look like a red, swollen mosquito bite.

Every time you check into a room, check it out before unpacking. Check the mattress for those tell-tale red drops. Check around the baseboards and in drawers.

These are the kinds of things that should be in this thread: helpful, descriptive things about what to do and what to look for. Thank you.

 

[fireflymedic]

Well I wish they would have had a poll with this thread

that would have given us a much better idea of how bad a problim this was.

I read the whole thread and upuntill about the last 2 posts didnt get a lot of usfull info.

did like to know what I should be looking for.

 

[goofy4tink]

Last week my Ehrlich guy was doing his normal 3 month treatment/inspection of my home and told me that his least favorite things to deal with are snakes and bed bugs. You have to understand that this guy is chatty and very "all bugs, all the time." Anyway, he told me that recently they had to treat a movie theater that was infested with bed bugs. He told me how exciting it was for him because up until that point he had never seen anything like that, except in a training video! This guy gets seriously charged up about bugs.

I asked him how to tell if your hotel room is infested and he said that before you even bring your stuff into the room, you should go in and pull up the bedding and mattress pads. Then check for any rust colored streaks and check the seems of the mattress. check all beds, including a sofa bed. He also said that when you return home to leave your luggage outside and bring in just the piles of clothes you are putting directly into the washer. Then you can inspect your bags closely with a flshlight before bringing them into your house. However, if its winter, the cold "should" kill any bed bugs in your bags left outside. This guy just likes to be extra carefull with bed bugs!

Yep...that was me after the 'camp incident'...two weeks worth of laundry all over the garage floor....dd's stuffed animal spent a few days in the freezer!! Never saw a bug but I wasn't taking any chances!!!

Well I wish they would have had a poll with this thread

that would have given us a much better idea of how bad a problim this was.

I read the whole thread and upuntill about the last 2 posts didnt get a lot of usfull info.

did like to know what I should be looking for.

Believe me....it's not all that big a problem. If it were, you can be sure that Orlando's media would be on it. Most of the resorts have had bed bug issues at some point. They deal with it and move on...that's about all you can do. Just check the room, as described. If you see nothing, then great...go off, unpack, have a terrific vacation. Try not to get caught up in the ...Oh no, bedbugs, or the 'I have to remove all the bedding' or the 'I spray Lysol over every surface before the family comes in' arguments. To each his own. Plenty of bugs (both multi legged as well as bacterial/viral) out there, not just in the room, but in the parks, restaurants, buses...everywhere you go. You'll drive yourself nuts if you give into the worry!!!

 

[ntsammy5]

Actually rumor has it that Disney is about to introduce it's own version of the bed bug

 

[momof2intx]

I used to work at a hotel and all of those tips are great....very accurate as far as what to look for when you get into your room.

My mother also brings a can of lysol spray that she sprays the bed, headboard, baseboards, etc....with even if she doesn't find any signs of "critters"!!!

Also, avoid putting your luggage on the floor.....use those little luggage racks that they provide in the closet. You certainly don't want to take a chance of anything hitching a ride home with you!

 

[tinkbyday]

UGGGGHHH - I should not have opened this thread - la la la la la la la

I was just thinking how I hadn't seen a thread about the stupid bugs in a long time and how happy I was about that.

I will check the beds, baseboards, etc - here's my dumb question - people say to put your luggage on the luggage racks - these things crawl, right - I mean they crawl from behind the headboard and underneath the mattress to come dine on you, right - what stops them from crawling up the luggage rack and setting up house in your luggage?

I just don't get it....

AND the other question is - if there was an infestation, I would imagine the mattress is tossed, right? So, if you find blood spots on the bed from the bugs, does that mean it's a brand new infestation or the previous person didn't mind getting chewed on???

 

[risingsunmom]

I'm new to Disboards and enjoying most of the threads. I have actually picked up several great tips for our first trip. But after reading this thread, its time for me to get the heck out of here. Some of you guys/gals are nuts.

Thank you NMW for putting actual info on finding bed bugs on this thread. I think you were the only person who did.