Food Poisoning at the BC [Archive]

coliemouse

07-31-2008, 09:33 AM

Hey all,

My boyfriend and I recently stayed at the Beach Club resort for three nights. We were having a fantastic stay up until eating at the Cape May Clambake buffet. We thoroughly enjoyed the meal but sometime during the night, both of us received a very, VERY unpleasant dose of food poisoning, which lasted well into the next day. We spend most of our time in the bathroom of the room. When we called to inform the front desk, they unsympathetically told my boyfriend there was nothing they could do except transfer us over to the restaurant to speak with the manager. He didn't feel like talking to anyone else and I was busy getting sick, so we just simply left. I emailed Disney to complain, but no one has responded to me. I'm really disappointed. I love the resort and we made reservations to stay there for my birthday but this lack of response has really turned me off. Has this happened to anyone else?

brownie

07-31-2008, 09:49 AM

disneymom15

07-31-2008, 10:18 AM

A funny thing happened to us. One year while at Disney (me, DH, DD, DD friend) we were a few days into trip when DH felt sick, so he when back to the room to rest but spent most of his time in the bathroom. The next day, we when to Blizzard Beach, I felt sick so I went back to room. A few hours later,DD got sick, then her friend got sick the next day. We kept pushing everyone to eat the fruit, that'll make you feel better. Well, it turned out the cantalope was the problem. When we got home we had heard on the news that there was a problem with the cantalope at Disney. To this day DD still won't eat cantalope.

coliemouse

07-31-2008, 10:24 AM

Cantalope? Interesting. I don't think I could ever eat it again either.

Brownie -- I didn't know that about food poisoning, but in our case, we had already been there for three days and we live in different towns. So, for us to both get the same illness on the same night when we had only been together for three days and had only eaten at Disney, I'm pretty sure it was Disney-food related.

WTDing

07-31-2008, 10:30 AM

More likely a virus.

jonahbear2006

07-31-2008, 10:37 AM

this is ironic compared to how we felt about disney because everytime we eat out, during our home stay, someone usually gets a belly ache or something, however, when we were in disney for 9 days on the dining plan, not one of us got sick, out of 6 people. No belly aches, no puking or diarrhea, nothing. So, we came home making the joke that cooking with pixie dust has binding properties. I do wonder if they dont put something in their food that binds things a bit, because;
1.what would it be like if everyone in Disney were sick or getting sick on rides,
2. all of their food, no matter where you eat, has a certain underlying smell to it.

doodleboy

07-31-2008, 10:37 AM

Something similar happened to me, and I still blame Beaches at BC.

We have eaten at Cape May before, and I have to tell you that I have questioned their food handling procedures in the past. We always try to schedule for first seating and the last time we at there in May I noticed that the hot items on the first round of the buffet were not so hot. I also wonder how much of that food was from the night before. The thing is you can't really spend too much time worrying about stuff like this, because it's happening in every restaurant you eat in. Between cross contamination and things being left out too long, it's a miracle we are not puking all day.

dixielandings

07-31-2008, 10:39 AM

The same thing happened to DH and me a few years ago. It is tempting to blame the food - we were eating so much of it! haha But the DOCTOR we had to call in to deal w/ dehydration (scary) told us we had the regular ol' stomach virus - very common at places like WDW, where so many people (esp. kids) are sharing space (handrails, anyone?).

I would be disappointed if the CMs were actually rude to you - I hope they were not - the staff at the Dolphin where we were when we got sick were a great help to us. But the fact is that people get sick, even on vacation. I'm not sure what they could've done differently. I'm really sorry this happened to you.

Strmchsr

07-31-2008, 10:39 AM

Just a note on Disney response. They get TONS of emails/calls, etc with complaints, praises, requests and so on. They are excellent at responding to the feedback. However, it often takes 4-6 weeks for them to get back to you. I don't know how long it's been for you, but if it hasn't been that long, just be patient. I'm sure you'll get a response.

As for food poisoning, as brownie noted, actual bacteria in the food that will cause a problem usually takes a couple of days. If they food was bad enough to sour your stomach immediately you would have/should have noticed the food you were eating tasted spoiled/rotten/off whatever. So, most likely it was a virus. When you're at WDW you're surrounded by people from all over the country (and world) who often take vacations sick or not, but viruses are easily passed. It really is amazing how many people get sick at WDW (or arrive sick). It could have been the food, but regardless of the cause I'm still sorry that it made for a bad time during your vacation.

coliemouse

07-31-2008, 10:45 AM

Thanks for the responses. I've always been very pleased with Disney food. We've never before had a problem.

I think I was most disappointment with the front desk response. But, it's over now. Just wanted to hear other's experiences.

tikiman

07-31-2008, 10:51 AM

Mousemates

07-31-2008, 11:03 AM

So, we came home making the joke that cooking with pixie dust has binding properties..

:thumbsup:

CleveSJM

07-31-2008, 11:04 AM

... As for food poisoning, as brownie noted, actual bacteria in the food that will cause a problem usually takes a couple of days. If they food was bad enough to sour your stomach immediately you would have/should have noticed the food you were eating tasted spoiled/rotten/off whatever. So, most likely it was a virus. ...

Symptoms of food poisoning depend on the type of contaminant and the amount eaten. The symptoms can develop rapidly, within 30 minutes, or slowly, worsening over days to weeks. Usually food poisoning is not serious, and the illness runs its course in 24-48 hours.

I know I got food poisoning from Breakfastasuarus a couple years ago. It hit my father in law as well. We were the first siting and I question their food handling techniques now as well. I think it was the orange juice. I think it was the previous days left over and they did not store it properly. Anything in a caraffe like that should be tossed out after each table but I think at the end of the service the previous day, they saved at least one and I paid for it... :sick::ill:

Polynesian Dweller

07-31-2008, 01:57 PM

Hey all,
When we called to inform the front desk, they unsympathetically told my boyfriend there was nothing they could do except transfer us over to the restaurant to speak with the manager.

Really, there is nothing unsympathetic about that. All hotels are run as departments and one department really has little to do with the operations of another. The front desk was actually doing what they should do and put you in contact with the person who is responsible for the area, in this case the restaurant manager.

As far as food poisoning, that's always hard to show. To know for sure that's what it is would take a few people being ill due to the same cause. At a buffet, more than one party would get ill from one batch of food. So reporting it is good, but it would take them a while to sort that out.

Also, as other say, you can pick up all kinds of viruses at WDW. I had a real bad one about 5 years ago. It appeared to come on very quickly and it would have been easy to blame that nights meal. Except, I remembered that about 5 days earlier, in the airport leaving home, a lady behind me in line who was ill sneezed on me and a reasonable gestation time for the disease. There was the source, not the food that I had had.

So, one can't blame the food until other things are ruled out and even touching a water fountain, a railing, a few days earlier where someone who was ill had touched the spot could be the source. That's the reason we should all wash our hands regularly before we touch our mouths and transfer the disease to ourselve.

Maleficent's Dad

07-31-2008, 02:28 PM

From Web MD:

What Is Food Poisoning?
You can get food poisoning after eating food contaminated by viral, bacterial, or chemical agents. Food poisoning causes mild to severe, acute discomfort and may leave you temporarily dehydrated. Mild cases last only a few hours and at worst a day or two, but some types, such as botulism or certain forms of chemical poisoning, are severe and possibly life-threatening unless you get medical treatment.

Generally, food poisoning causes some combination of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea that may or may not be bloody, sometimes with other symptoms.

Abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting, starting from one hour to four days after eating tainted food and lasting up to four days, usually indicate bacterial food poisoning.
Vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headaches, fever, and chills, beginning from 12 to 48 hours after eating contaminated food, particularly seafood, usually indicate viral food poisoning. Vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, dizziness, tearing in the eyes, excessive salivation, mental confusion, and stomach pain, beginning about 30 minutes after eating contaminated food, are typical indications of chemical food poisoning. Partial loss of speech or vision, muscle weakness, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, muscle paralysis from the head down through the body, and vomiting may indicate botulism, a severe but very rare type of bacterial food poisoning.

coliemouse

07-31-2008, 02:30 PM

So, one can't blame the food until other things are ruled out and even touching a water fountain, a railing, a few days earlier where someone who was ill had touched the spot could be the source. That's the reason we should all wash our hands regularly before we touch our mouths and transfer the disease to ourselve.

Sorry, but, you have no idea the extent to which my boyfriend and I are clean freaks. We wash our hands every five minutes when possible. I'm also far from five years old, so talking to me like I am is extremely disrespectful. I never asked for your opinion on whether or not I had food poisoning. Ever. I simply asked for other experiences. The next time I have a completely miserable time on vacation, I'll remember not to complain here.

And thank you to the above poster for the research on food poisoning. I'm glad to know I wasn't making it all up in my head.

TheRustyScupper

07-31-2008, 05:13 PM

. . . I do wonder if they dont put something in their food that binds things a bit . . .

1) Not actually IN the food.
2) It might be the potato salad in the Florida sun for 5-hrs.
3) I keep telling them PIES are kept on the window sill, not mayonnaise.

Polynesian Dweller

07-31-2008, 07:19 PM

Sorry, but, you have no idea the extent to which my boyfriend and I are clean freaks. We wash our hands every five minutes when possible. I'm also far from five years old, so talking to me like I am is extremely disrespectful. I never asked for your opinion on whether or not I had food poisoning. Ever. I simply asked for other experiences. The next time I have a completely miserable time on vacation, I'll remember not to complain here.

And thank you to the above poster for the research on food poisoning. I'm glad to know I wasn't making it all up in my head.
Don't take everything you read here so personally. Things are said in general as was my post It was about the numerous ways in which we all, myself included (do I ever wish I could have washed my hands in that airport but it was too late at the loading gate), can get things and its not always the food.

I'm sorry that my post upset you. But, when we post here, most of us are trying to provide alternatives and maybe, just maybe mind you, that you might not have thought about. They are not personal in any way. If they don't apply then ignore it but perhaps somebody else reading may not have thought about it. So all I can say is, don't take things personally on a board like this when really people are trying to provide helpful possibilities.

disneymom2000

07-31-2008, 08:12 PM

You know - I feel totally sorry for anyone who get sick during a Disney vacation. When I was there for Christmas this past year, a group of 13 people were staying at our resort. About the second day of their seven day vacation, almost all of them got sick. When I say one of the ladies in the group on the fifth day down in one of the little stores buying sprite and crackers she was talking to me about how only a couple of them had gotten a chance to see the parks and everyone else was still sick. Gosh, I thought what a bummer. I made a silent prayer that if they all got to the parks on one day, they would get dream fastpasses to help make up for all they missed. :ill:

KAT1811

07-31-2008, 09:25 PM

I feel for you wholeheartedly. I am just getting over a violent stomach bug. Being pregnant didn't help much (smells are intensified 1,000 times right now) and the whole time I was sick I kept telling myself it could be worse we could all be in Disney and I could be sick there. Sorry it had such a damper on your vacation. Even being from NE I'm not a big seafood fan so I don't plan on trying the buffet anytime soon. I hope your birthday trip is better!!!

Maybe you'd like to try a different resort just for the sake of trying a different resort? I'm a little more inclined to the monerail resorts, great transporation to both MK and Epcot, my two favorite parks!!!

PAYROLL PRINCESS

07-31-2008, 10:45 PM

I'm really sorry that you got sick. I also know that a restaurant will not admit to food poisoning until quite a few people complain about being sick in the same time frame.
My youngest sis and her 2 sons have all been sick this week with a stomach bug, but unfortunately they haven't been to Disney.

Toodle

07-31-2008, 10:53 PM

Coliemouse - it is terrible that you got sick on your trip especially because you were celebrating your boyfriend's birthday.
Unfortunately, there is no way to tell if you actually had food poisoning or just a plain old virus. If lots of people had gotten sick at the same buffet and it got reported, then you might have had more proof that it was food poisoning.
I am in agreement with you about washing your hands - it is a great way to stay healthier. The problem at places like Disney is that it is impossible not to touch contaminated surfaces. And, lots of people go to Disney when they are sick.
We don't go to the buffets anymore - we have watched too many people touch the food with their hands - it is no wonder that illness is spread through food!
Don't let this one frustrating experience outweigh all the good times you've had at Disney!

MNNHFLTX

08-01-2008, 08:06 AM

I have never personally got a stomach bug while at Disney World, but I can imagine how distressing it was for you and your boyfriend. And feeling like no one cared undoubtedly only made you feel worse. I would give WDW a little more time to respond to your email and if they don't, you can always send them a hard-copy letter in the regular mail:

Walt Disney World Guest Communications
P.O. Box 10,400
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

If there were enough complaints about illnesses possibly related to people eating at Cape May, the restaurant should investigate this. If it's only a complaint here and there, there's probably nothing more that can be done.

Jeniflower

08-01-2008, 08:29 AM

anybody else going to wash their hands now..........

sorry for anyone who got sick, though feel better:ill:

WishingStar2006

08-01-2008, 09:17 AM

The same thing (getting sick within hours of eating) when I ate the sushi at California Grill. I was in my room the entire next day:ill:. I think with seafood you just have to be extra cautious.

Turns out that there are several kinds of crab meat that just doesn't agree with me :sick:(I didn't know that before this experience)...so I'm not saying that it was spoiled it just spoiled my next day.

We had read good things about the Cape May Buffet and were going to try it next week when we go to WDW...maybe we won't...just as a pre-caution.:mickey:

BeccaO

08-01-2008, 10:57 AM

I can totally sympathize with you. I have had a couple episodes with food poisoning in the past and it is not fun. I can't imagine how it would feel to be in Disney while fighting something like that. The last time I had food poisoning was in 2003. I had chicken salad at a restaurant and later found out from the dr. that I had a type of food poisoning that comes from using the same knife or fork to cut raw chicken as you use to mix the chicken salad up after the chicken is cooked. Apparently the utensils were not washed after touching the raw chicken. Needless to say, it took almost a month for the symptoms to be completely gone from my body. It was horrible. I don't ever order any salads prepared with mayo anymore, because you never know how long they have been sitting around. I think there are an awful lot of people that get food poisoning than we are actually aware of, people that just shrug it off as some kind of bug that is going around. When I had this last episode in 2003, the Dr. actually wanted all the information of the place that I ate so that they could inform the board of health.

judoma

08-01-2008, 11:22 AM

Oh man, I'm so sorry to hear that you were sick in Disney World!:ill: I made ressies for our upcomming trip at Cape May. My family are all huge seafood fans. I'm feeling a little nervous about eating there now. But I guess it could happen anywhere. All it takes is one bad clam...

TINKERBELL_82

08-01-2008, 11:32 AM

I don't want to beat a dead horse here, but I just want to share my experience with what I thought was food poisoning.

In February I ate a Kashi microwave meal for lunch, and within 3 hours I was sick as a dog. Every gastro symptom you can think of (I'll spare you the details. Trust me- they were 7 whole grains on a really messed up mission:sick:). I was so ill that my hubby had to come pick me up from work- I couldn't even drive. Needless to say I was totally planning on calling Kashi and giving them a piece of my mind because I thought they poisoned me!

Of course I called in the next day- as had 13 (out of 18) other people on my floor. Come to find out, we had a co-worker who had come back from a cruise and brought home the norovirus. Its highly contagious and displays all the symptoms of food poisoning. I'm not saying that you had this, but it sounds like it could be the same thing.

I do understand though- to this day I can't even look at those Kashi meals. :sick:

DisneyOtaku

08-01-2008, 11:40 AM

So sorry to hear your expereince, but like others, I wonder if it was really food poisioning, because here's my little Disney-food poisioning story:

Last December, my group and I went to WDW and on our last day there, we ate at Chefs des France. That night, everyone seemed fine. Five AM that morning though, one of my party members began throwing up among other things. My other friend and I were quick to blame food poisioning--we all had different meals, and she has chicken, so maybe it had been under cooked or something.

She started to get better then relapsed. We needed to check out that day but we first had to take her to the hospital to figure out what was wrong (btw, the CMs at the POP were EXTREAMLY helpful).

Turns out it was NOT food poisioning, but a 24-hr bug. She was so sick due to the dehydration the sickness caused. To this day, I still have a picture of the two IVs they hooked up to her on my phone, so whenever I want something from her, I open it up and (jokingly) go "Remember what you put me through?!?!?"

It should also be noted that my friend is also a very neat person who always washes her hands and the like. So it doesn't matter how often you wash your hands--the fact of the matter is that other people don't, and that's what leaves all the nasties behind.

thumperbug

08-01-2008, 02:26 PM

Another thing to keep in mind, the original poster mentioned eating at a buffet. When eating at a buffet it is easy to eat more then you are used you. Sometimes eating amounts more then you are used to and eating foods your are not used to can cause major stomach issues. Sometimes you just don't realize how much you are eating when it comes to buffets and all those choices.

Another cuplrit for a sudden and nasty stomach virus can be the water. Even if you are not drinking the water, food is cooked in it and since the water is completely different then what your body is used to, it can throw things off.

I had a few experiences where I thought I too had food poisioning at WDW and then I figured out that it was from Salmon. I don't normally eat salmon at home but enjoy it when I am at WDW and figured out that my stomach just can't handle salmon.

I definitely agree the staff should have been more sympathic and accomodating.

IamBelle

08-01-2008, 04:17 PM

OMG! I have an ADR for this Cape May!! I hope it as not as bad as some ppl say!
BTW, is it outside??

PAYROLL PRINCESS

08-01-2008, 11:08 PM

Nope, it's an inside restaurant.

BelleLovesTheBeast

08-03-2008, 11:37 AM

People tend to blame the last thing they ate, since that is what's coming back. Most foodborne illness takes 48 hours-2 weeks to show up. It may not have been due to Cape May Cafe at all but something else.

Actually food poisoning symptoms can start just hours after eating the food up to 48 hours after. How soon you react to the bacteria, viruses or parasites depends on age, how much you ate and your health.

It may have been food poisoning...it may not have been. However food poisoning is more likely to occur at food carts and buffets because it is harder to keep the food at the correct tempatures. Buffets are more likely to become contaminated because of all of the people that are going by it.

MMouse6937

08-04-2008, 11:24 AM

Really, there is nothing unsympathetic about that.

Don't take everything you read here so personally. Things are said in general as was my post It was about the numerous ways in which we all, myself included (do I ever wish I could have washed my hands in that airport but it was too late at the loading gate), can get things and its not always the food.

I'm sorry that my post upset you. But, when we post here, most of us are trying to provide alternatives and maybe, just maybe mind you, that you might not have thought about. They are not personal in any way. If they don't apply then ignore it but perhaps somebody else reading may not have thought about it. So all I can say is, don't take things personally on a board like this when really people are trying to provide helpful possibilities.

My only comment to that is as someone who has posted over 1000 times and knows Intercot very well, we should be more understanding to someone who might not understand the boards as well. We should be sympathetic ourselves!!

To the op, I'm sorry this happened to you. Being sick on vacation for ANY reason just plain stinks! I hope you go back to the BC and have a great time. I know you'll be leary about the food you eat, but just be careful, and have a much better time this time!

satchel01

08-06-2008, 09:15 AM

Symptoms of food poisoning depend on the type of contaminant and the amount eaten. The symptoms can develop rapidly, within 30 minutes, or slowly, worsening over days to weeks. Usually food poisoning is not serious, and the illness runs its course in 24-48 hours.

I know I got food poisoning from Breakfastasuarus a couple years ago. It hit my father in law as well. We were the first siting and I question their food handling techniques now as well. I think it was the orange juice. I think it was the previous days left over and they did not store it properly. Anything in a caraffe like that should be tossed out after each table but I think at the end of the service the previous day, they saved at least one and I paid for it... :sick::ill:
That's exactly what I was going to say. And found this info as well: After they are swallowed, there is a delay, called the incubation period, before the symptoms of illness begin. This delay may range from hours to days, depending on the organism, and on how many of them were swallowed. During the incubation period, the microbes pass through the stomach into the intestine, attach to the cells lining the intestinal walls, and begin to multiply there. Some types of microbes stay in the intestine, some produce a toxin that is absorbed into the bloodstream, and some can directly invade the deeper body tissues. The symptoms produced depend greatly on the type of microbe. Numerous organisms cause similar symptoms, especially diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and nausea. There is so much overlap that it is rarely possible to say which microbe is likely to be causing a given illness unless laboratory tests are done to identify the microbe, or unless the illness is part of a recognized outbreak.

That's from the CDC, so as you see it CAN develop in as little as 30 minutes to a few hours to days or more. It could very well have been the Disney food you had. It's unfortunate they didn't take your complaint more seriously as many more people probably suffered the same symptoms.

wonderalice23

08-06-2008, 02:23 PM

Ok, saw this on the first page - regarding the canteloupe - it wasn't just Disney if this is the same incident. I work at a grocery store and ours had to be pulled and recalled as well. It was where the canteloupe came from - but I can't remember the origin. Love those produce recalls.....can't wait to have my own garden!

Mackflava99

08-06-2008, 02:57 PM

Food poisoning is such a miserable thing to have happen on a vacation, i totally understand-
I have eaten at Cape may many times, but never have had an issue- but 2 years ago i got it on a cruise and was bed-ridden for day--
it just *****, you don't want to do anything.
basicaly a wasted vacation day-
i don't drink alot, but when i used to travel alot internationally, a fellow traveler said to take a shot of vodka to kill bacteria while in mexico- it worked. i recently went to a buffett in my hometown that scared me, so i took a shot. - i didnt get sick.
Maybe cape may should offer free shots...:)