BEDBUGS at Disney Resorts

[zeusywoo]

OK lets take a deep breath here. WDW has a regular cycle of spraying for insects and rodents. I know 'cause I found a roach in my room one time.
One in 21 straight years of WDW travel. As I moved to another room they were coming into spray the old one. While yes you could come in contact with a bed bug, the odds are sure with you that this worry at WDW is a not great threat. Icky subject.

Yes, I am breathing. You know this could happen anywhere. Not just Disney. I will just be careful. Thank you. I have been down in Disney over the years & never had a problem. That last visit was 2006. This must have come up after that visit.

[GIOny]

just found this site that also lists complete list of hotels who have had a major bug problem
How to Avoid Bed Bugs When Traveling

Don't lay on top of those bedspreads...those are seldom cleaned.

That's a good site, thanks J&J. Your right elvistelth, those bedspreads are gross. The first thing I do when I go in any hotel/resort is fold them down to the bottom of the bed. I would never sleep with it on me.

[Jujube]

I haven't run into this problem at any of my trips to Disney. Granted, my first many were at Fort Wilderness campground so we had other bug visitors but the 7 resorts I have stayed at (Caribbean Beach, FW Cabins, All Star Sports, SS, AKL, OKW, and Contemporary) I haven't had any issues. Although with the news reports lately it makes me relieved that I'll be staying at Kidani villas on our trip in September, since it's the newest resort and less likely to have bed bug issues but I'll still be taking precautions! You never know what could happen! Eww is right!

[sueellenholmes]

Yes, I repeat....YES, Disney has bedbugs!!!! And for those of you who think "How harmful can bedbugs really be?" Well, it costs thousands of dollars to get rid of them once you bring them home and infect your house and car, and you get bitten all over with itchy mosquito-like bites that take weeks to go away. It ruins your vacation, puts you through the emotional distress of being totally skeeved from travelling again, and like I said, it is very costly to get rid of them because you WILL bring them home.

And for those of you who think that Disney cares, or that it must only happen in the cheap all-star resort and not the others - think again. How about tons of reports from different people about how they complained, got moved and given itch-relieving lotion at the front desk, and then they move someone else into the bedbug-infested room within 24 hours!!!! It takes 3 treatments to get rid of them completely, and this is only done properly over a period of a week. Don't believe me? Check bedbugregistry (it's listed under walt disney world resort for all of their site hotels)

When you are done reading those horror stories:

Google "Disney bedbugs" to read about how guests were paid to keep quiet and not go to the media about the huge issue in both 2009 and 2010.

The only way to know for sure when you travel? Check bedbugregistry.com; check tripadvisor.com for reviews of where you are going, and then....check all 4 corners of every mattress in the room, bottom and top of mattress, for little black/brown/orange penpoint size dots (it is the fecal matter of the bedbugs). It truly looks like ink. If you see this, or if you see that the mattress corners have been cut off, then run. Do this checking BEFORE you bring your family and luggage in. And yes, rental cars, airplanes, movie theaters, dressing rooms, and cruise ships are finding this to be a huge issue, too.

How do I know about this stuff? I manage apartment buildings for a living, and in the instances where someone brings them in, in order to get rid of the issue quickly and make sure the whole building doesn't get infested, we have to pay approx. $1,200 to get the one apartment treated, not to mention that they have to bag their stuff for days, dry it twice, get rid of their mattresses and couches, etc. Imagine the cost to do all of Disney properties. I am going to Vegas for a soccer trip with my daughter, and I now know I can't even stay at the Venetian!!!! That is one of the priciest places on the Strip! I am staying way off-strip in a safer, new place. Now I only have to worry about the rental car and show theater seats...uggh! Happy Travels [I'm itching just thinking about it, and yet, I can't avoid travelling because I am a soccer mom!]!

[HauntedGabe]

I have no doubt about keeping ya quiet. When Port Orleans was only open a few months we stayed there my DD first trip 2 months old. Woke up pre-dawn to warm a bottle and on the table, the nipple of her bottle from the night before, a roach.

I slipped a large ziplock bag over the bottle and captured the booger with the bottle. -----> me------->front desk, in my jammies, clerk, manager, guests freaking out in the lobby, not loud but upset, we Mommas get that way.

They gave me an employee to watch my DD as I shook everything we had repacked, moved us to another room, another building while my DH took my DS to the parks. We got a free dinner at the once Bonfamillies and a huge fruit basket and another basket with all sorts of Southern cooking items.

[20K]

I genuinely used to think these things were just something my mother made up.

[HauntedGabe]

They were so gone. Unfortunately we banned the chemicals that killed the little goomers instead of using them more properly.

My Mom often said sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite. Wrapping yourself tight in sheets and bed clothes so the bed bugs couldn't get you, she explained from her youth.

[kandjad]

My daughter's french teacher was paid 500 per person and was comped the entire trip to keep quiet about their bed bug experience at All-Star Music last year. Of course, she is using the money to pay for her next trip to Disney - so Disney makes out ok in the end!!!

[HauntedGabe]

Thinking it is a good move on Disney's part.

[Disney_Dan]

I work for one of the biggest hotel companies and I can tell you that the media is making a much bigger deal out of bed bugs than they should be.

Once and a while a hotel will have a problem but all major hotel companies (including Disney) go great lengths to prevent getting problems.

My advice to anyone checking into ANY hotel would be to inspect your room as soon as you check in. Some places you will notice them are in the corners of the mattress under the sheets, behind or on the headboard, and under the pillows. If they are there, they will look like specks of pepper. Another tell tale sign is spots of blood on the mattress and bottom sheet.

Also FYI- a bed bug bite is less harmful than a mosquito bite!

Hope this helps!

[zeusywoo]

Yes that does help, thank you very much. Dominican Was my worry not Disney!