Multiple guests have complained of bed bugs at one Universal Orlando Resort hotel this week.
When it comes to travel nightmares, bed bugs rank among the worst. These stubborn pests can infiltrate homes, hotels, and even public spaces, lurking in mattresses, furniture, and wall crevices. While they don’t spread diseases, their bites can lead to itching, allergic reactions, and plenty of stress—especially if they unknowingly hitch a ride back to your home.
Bed Bugs at Theme Park Hotels
While the likes of Disney and Universal have famously high standards, there have still been several reports about bed bugs creeping into their hotels over the years. Last year, fears were rife for Disneyland Paris after the French city made headlines for its stubborn bed bug infestations. Pest control visits surged by 65% in 2023, according to France’s Union Chamber of Insect Control.
Multiple guests have shared their experiences with bed bugs at the French resort’s hotels (including Disneyland Hotel, Disney Hotel Santa Fe, and Disney Sequoia Lodge) online. One wrote, “Just got back a day ago, and yes, we got bit by bedbugs. The hotel gave us a different room but said it was very common.” Another added, “I was there in September and have been itchy since I got home. Had little bites on all of us. I’m guessing this was the cause.” It seems these pests are becoming an unfortunate part of the experience for some visitors.
In August, Disneyland Paris stepped up its fight against its months-long bed bug problem by advertising a “Bedbug Detector Dog Master.” The park began searching for skilled dog handlers and specially trained canines to sniff out these tiny pests and bolster its Pest Control team—taking a proactive approach to tackle the issue head-on.
Elsewhere, guests have reported bed bugs at Disneyland Resort. One Reddit user said in a now-deleted post from June that they experienced a severe bedbug infestation in their room at Disneyland Hotel. Another guest was paid $100,000 by The Walt Disney Company in 2022 due to her experience being bitten by bed bugs at the same hotel in 2018.
In 2019, a family also filed a lawsuit against Disney for bed bug bites that allegedly occurred while staying at All-Star Movies Resort in 2018, which apparently left their autistic son traumatized.
Alleged Bed Bugs at Universal Orlando Resort
Now, guests are accusing Universal Orlando Resort of a similar issue.
A recent guest at Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort took to Reddit to detail their experience with bed bugs at the hotel, which is inspired by the retro 1950s and 1960s aesthetic.
“So my [fiancé] and I booked a vacation through Costco travel, I decided on Cabana Bay,” they wrote. “I saw posts on here about them and still decided to book. We checked in on Monday and checked our first room saw nothing. We were getting ready to leave and I see one on the couch and kill it with a piece of toilet paper and bring it to the lobby.”
After visiting the lobby, they filled out a form to get moved to another room while checks confirmed that the room did, in fact, have bed bugs. “The manager was helpful and gave me a $100 room credit and comped my first night,” they said.
But their bed bug nightmare didn’t end there.
“Fast forward to this morning I wake up and find this on my sheet and another spot on my pillow,” they wrote, later adding, “I am terrified of bringing these home with me.”
This isn’t the first report about bed bugs at the hotel. Earlier this month, another guest at the hotel reported the insects in their room. “They moved me to another building cause they were sold out which is fine so I’m in beachside room 8517 and same problem I’m in bed around 11:40pm my arm is breaking out in bites and is red (as shown in picture),” they wrote on Reddit. “Nobody has contacted me back about my first investigation currently losing sleep because of this.”
Bed bugs at Cabana bay beach resort in Orlando
byu/Dependent-Top-8964 inUniversalOrlando
A month ago, yet another guest detailed a similar experience. Having found bed bugs in both beds in their room, they noted that the room in general was not clean. “What did they offer me?” they wrote, also on Reddit. “Universal’s compensation for my traumatic experience is an express pass good for 4 rides.”
Universal’s hotels have been in the news a lot today with the announcement that the resort’s third park, Epic Universe, will open on May 22, 2025. Not only does this feature new lands such as a third Wizarding World of Harry Potter area, plus SUPER NINTENDO WORLD and Dark Universe, but it will add three new hotels – Universal Stella Nova Resort, Universal Terra Luna Resort, and Universal Helios Grand Hotel – to the Universal lineup. Hopefully, any bed bug problems will be sorted out well before the new park debuts!
Have you ever spotted a bed bug at a theme park hotel?
The post Universal Orlando Hotel Allegedly Full of Bed Bugs, “I Am Terrified” appeared first on Inside the Magic.
