Expensive watch taken from room

[Kristine316]

The best place for anything of value or that is irreplaceable is at home! But for things we must bring on vacation with us, I highly recommend safe deposit boxes. These rooms are usually in an area where CMs work near 24/7, are under heavy surveillance, require multiple keys to access, and signatures of whoever accesses it. The best part is that it is of no charge to you as a guest.

Sorry if I missed it in the thread, but did OP ever find out anything further? I would be interested to see what the hotel found on the door log. It logs all key swipes so unless someone ducked in when housekeeping had the door propped open, it should be pretty telling.

I once left my smart phone behind at a high end hotel (not Disney). I went back to the room to grab it and it was not where I left it and the housekeeper happened to be in there at the same time. I asked her if she had seen it and she said no. My friend who I was with called the phone and low and behold, ringing came from her cart. I ran to the cart and found my phone hidden between some towels.

I would have loved to have been there to see the look on the maid's face when your phone started ringing...

I bet the maid wanted to crawl under a rock. Oh so sad for the her. Score one for the good guys.

 

[lylone]

We put valuables in the suitcase and place our own lock on it. Unless they take the whole suitcase with them, our stuff is pretty safe.

We do this also. Usually the "items" are under dirty clothes. I would think it would be odd to see someone take a whole suitcase. Not saying that anyone would steal things...but at least we can make it less "tempting".

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Why is it no one ever LOSES anything? It's always "someone stole it" even though we don't really seem to know where it was last etc......


As someone who has worked on the fringes of loss prevention... it's amazing that (A) everything is "valuable" (even more amazing when we find the "top of the line camera that costs thousands" and it turns out to be a $49.99 model. Most folks don't even have the decency to be embarrassed by their lies) or (B) it was stolen (And then when we say "where was it last" they don't know. "when did you last see it" They don't know etc.... )

One guy who wanted us to prosecute did finally have the decency to call back and tell us "I found it at home I guess I never packed it" Of course he had spent HOURS trying to get staff members arrested, but....

Seriously if I leave something out in a hotel or lose it then the person I blame is me. And yes, I have left and lost things in hotel rooms.

 

[Ninja Mom]

My husband just advised me that Disney called him today to tell him that he should file a police report online if he hadn't already. And yes, I have a low opinion of his ability to keep track of his valuables as well as his ability to escalate the matter to the appropriate Disney staff. I shouldn't have to micromanage him, nor do I want to, especially when I'm busy keeping an eye on our bags as well as 2 young children so that no one takes either the bags or my children. In any case, whether I have a low opinion of him with regard to certain things is totally irrelevant to my post. We did not accuse anyone specifically for taking the watch; it could've been the housekeeper or it could've been someone who snuck in and out quickly while the housekeeper was busy cleaning the room. I made it very clear during my 1-minute interaction with the staff that we went thru the room with a fine tooth comb and did not find it and that it had to have been taken out of the room. On top of that, our TV was on when we returned to the room after dinner (we NEVER leave the TV on when we leave the room) and the front panel to the Mickey Band door sensor was on the floor in front of the TV. Both very odd and both of which I told the staff about. They explained it away by saying that the housekeeper could've knocked off the plastic panel (how it ended up from the front door into the middle of the room is beyond me) and that the housekeeper might've turned on the TV inadvertently. Now that I think about it, I wonder if someone was able to thwart the Mickey Band sensor which makes sense since the front panel was removed. My problem lies with Disney not reacting properly as Eeyore's Wife stated above and I was just wondering if anyone had a similar experience with personal property being taken from their room and how Disney responded. I am not naive to think that crime doesn't happen and I always take my valuables with me or deposit them in the room safe. However, that doesn't prevent my husband from being naive and careless.

+1 and good luck with getting everything resolved. Thank you for sharing your experience and I'm sorry some people feel the need to read into your situation in an inappropriate manner.

~NM

 

[sndral]

My husband's very expensive watch disappeared from our room one evening at AKL earlier this week. Didn't realize it was missing until we packed to check out the following morning. Reported it to the front desk and they treated it as a "lost property" incident, rather than stolen property, despite my suggesting ...

Unfortunately, I was minding the luggage and my children nearby while trusting my husband to take care of this properly, especially since it was his watch. Obviously, that was a big mistake.

My husband just advised me that Disney called him today to tell him that he should file a police report online if he hadn't already. And yes, I have a low opinion of his ability to keep track of his valuables as well as his ability to escalate the matter to the appropriate Disney staff. I shouldn't have to micromanage him, nor do I want to, especially when I'm busy keeping an eye on our bags as well as 2 young children so that no one takes either the bags or my children. In any case, whether I have a low opinion of him with regard to certain things...
I made it very clear during my 1-minute interaction with the staff that we went thru the room with a fine tooth comb and did not find it and that it had to have been taken out of the room. On top of that, our TV was on when we returned to the room after dinner (we NEVER leave the TV on when we leave the room) and the front panel to the Mickey Band door sensor was on the floor in front of the TV. Both very odd and both of which I told the staff about. They explained it away by saying that the housekeeper could've knocked off the plastic panel (how it ended up from the front door into the middle of the room is beyond me) and that the housekeeper might've turned on the TV ... However, that doesn't prevent my husband from being naive and careless.

OP here: it's certainly possible that the housekeeper turned on the TV inadvertently and the front panel fell to the floor (still doesn't explain how it made it to the middle of the room), but with the watch disappearing, the more likely scenario to me is that someone gained unauthorized (or maybe even authorized) access to the room by tampering with the sensor panel somehow after removing the front panel (the exposed sensor panel looks like a computer board), walking into the room quickly with the panel and throwing it onto the floor while searching the room for valuables. Why someone would turn on the TV is beyond me, although I can't put myself into the mind of someone who intentionally does a criminal act (assuming that my scenario is how it all went down in the first place). Those who feel the need to judge me for letting my husband carry around valuables in the first place or him for not having used the safe are probably the same ones who think that the woman asked for it by dressing provocatively.

OP here: As I said, we never accused anyone specifically because we don't know who stole the watch, but we know that someone stole the watch. We were only there for a couple of days and didn't even really unpack, so it was easy to go through all the nooks and crannies in the room and around the furniture carefully. All I said to the staff was that it had to have been taken from the room by someone else because I went through the room very carefully several times. I don't believe we will ever get the watch back and my homeowner's insurance doesn't cover valuables stolen or lost outside of my home. She went in for the evening turndown service and I wouldn't think she'd have enough time to hang out with all the rooms she's responsible for.

OP here: Let's put it this way...I am a mom of 2 young children who gets very little help from DH while on vacation. I agree that he shouldn't have had an expensive watch with him on vacation and yes, he was careless about it. I do not expect to ever see the watch again, nor do I expect Disney to do anything about it..., nor did it fall into the trash cans (both of which, by the way, the housekeeper failed to empty that day) and how Disney responded.

OP again: to reiterate, at no time did we accuse anyone specific of having taken the watch especially the housekeeper. Do I think she did it? In my opinion, yes (just a gut feeling I got from my limited interaction with her. She was thoroughly annoyed by us having been in the room much of the day.). But, did I ever voice my opinion out loud to anyone at Disney? Absolutely not, because I know that someone else other than the housekeeper could have accessed the room. We would never falsely accuse someone without any proof because their livelihood

I don't see much evidence that the watch was stolen, although it is clear OP has convinced herself that someone (probably the housekeeper she had a 'gut' feeling about) has stolen her husband's watch. Perhaps - but it is as likely that it was lost or misplaced. We have no information about when he last wore it, which would help narrow where the watch was likely to have disappeared - the fact that OP searched the room thoroughly before checking out is less helpful than knowing exactly when husband last wore the watch - did he take it off to go swimming, ride a wet ride, etc..
It's also possible that the latch of the watch broke and it fell off somewhere I once had a very valuable diamond fall out of it's setting.
And as mentioned OP indicates she has 2 children requiring her attention - maybe one of them played w/ daddy's watch and lost it.
Hopefully the watch was lost and will find it's way home (as my diamond did 2 months after falling out.) If the housekeeper had sticky fingers Disney will be keeping track and take appropriate steps.

 

[Port Orleans fan]

I have no fear of anything being lost or stolen from our room.

We basically live out of our suitcases and keep all of our bags locked up 24 hours a day. If we need to go in to one of our bags to get something, the lock goes right back on as soon as we are finished.

We also make sure that our room is spotless (make beds, dispose of garbage, clean counter top, pile suitcases neatly in a corner, etc). This way nothing is missed and all personal property is put away.

As far as the safe is concerned, I leave all of my money in it. But I also have a trick to that as well. If let's say I have $1000 cash, I keep it in a bank envelop with an elastic band wrapped around it. I also have a signed chain of command system set up when removing money from the safe. On a piece of paper attached to the envelop, I (or DW) record the amount taken and date/sign it. Our money gets counted each and every night before going to bed. Someone (maid, Disney employee) would be stupid to think that we wouldn't notice a $20 bill missing.

 

[lacy1101]

Just a couple of quick thoughts:

Several years ago, my wedding band and engagement ring went missing. We were not traveling at the time either. It wasn't until a couple of months later that I discovered them in a piece of luggage. Seems we had returned from a trip and after unpacking, had left a couple of pieces of luggage lying around the bedroom before storing them in the attic. Our daughter who was a toddler at the time, must have picked my rings up off my dresser and put them in the zipper pocket of the suitcase. Not sure how old the OP's children are, but something to think about . . .

Also, a boss of mine one time returned from a trip out of the country and insisted that his wife's pearls had been stolen by the hotel staff. A few weeks later, they found them in a makeup or jewelry bag that she normally didn't store them in. Not sure if she put them there in haste or what, but, again, it may be worth going through every piece of luggage, every little bag, etc. to make sure it didn't wind up in there somehow.

OP, hope the watch finds its way back to you!

 

[carrie1626]

My husband's very expensive watch disappeared from our room one evening at AKL earlier this week. Didn't realize it was missing until we packed to check out the following morning. Reported it to the front desk and they treated it as a "lost property" incident, rather than stolen property, despite my suggesting that it had to have been physically removed from our room and that it wasn't lost somewhere in the room between the bedsheets. Supervisor came and said they would look at the door log to see who entered the room and that they would mail the watch to us if they find it. Seems to me that they were not prepared to deal with this as a stolen property incident. Has anyone dealt with this? Not sure what to do now that we're back home. If I was back in a hotel back home and not on my way to the airport, I would've insisted that the police be called.

What else did you expect supervisor to do?
Where was the expensive watch last set down?

 

[DebbieB]

OP again: to reiterate, at no time did we accuse anyone specific of having taken the watch especially the housekeeper. Do I think she did it? In my opinion, yes (just a gut feeling I got from my limited interaction with her. She was thoroughly annoyed by us having been in the room much of the day.). But, did I ever voice my opinion out loud to anyone at Disney? Absolutely not, because I know that someone else other than the housekeeper could have accessed the room. We would never falsely accuse someone without any proof because their livelihood

So did you file a police report? Probably will not get the watch back but at least there's a record of it in case there are other incidents.

 

[d1sn3yguy]

"Some people seem to get Disney Brain and think nothing bad happens on Disney property. Just take a look at all of the stuff left behind in strollers, and you will see what I mean."


This reminds me of the last trip we took in May 2013.....we came out of the aquarium building in Epcot and there were squirrels in the diaper bags that people had left in their strollers! The squirrels were actually eating all types of snacks that were down inside the bags in the strollers and I don't think that people would have even noticed because the little guys were going from stroller to stroller fairly quickly! One of the the funniest things I had seen in the stroller parking area but kind of scary really when you realize they were in the actual diaper bags and removing items! We brought it to the attention of the CM at the parking area. But if you came outside and saw that your bag had been gone through I doubt you would have thought it was a squirrel! I sure wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself!

 

[kaytieeldr]

OP again: to reiterate, at no time did we accuse anyone specific of having taken the watch especially the housekeeper. Do I think she did it? In my opinion, yes (just a gut feeling I got from my limited interaction with her. She was thoroughly annoyed by us having been in the room much of the day.). But, did I ever voice my opinion out loud to anyone at Disney? Absolutely not, because I know that someone else other than the housekeeper could have accessed the room. We would never falsely accuse someone without any proof because their livelihood

Are you sure it was even the same person? My experience with turn down service is that - primarily because of the time of day - the staffing is different. The daytime room cleaners generally aren't the same people who are still there in the evening to provide this extra service.

 

[gwynne]

Are you sure it was even the same person? My experience with turn down service is that - primarily because of the time of day - the staffing is different. The daytime room cleaners generally aren't the same people who are still there in the evening to provide this extra service.

That has been our experience, too. As repeat guests, there are a two resorts where we've gotten to know a couple of the daytime housekeepers-very nice, helpful and kind people. They remember us from previous trips. They are not there by the time turndown rolls around.

 

[dmccarty]

I don't like house keeping in the room, and since we are in DVC, they will only clean a few times depending on the length of our stay. Our last trip was to VBR and I put the Do Not Disturb sign on the door on our first day and took it off when we left.

Mouse Keeping left us a message one day asking us to schedule a room visit but we never called back. They would only clean for one day anyway on that visit so we did not miss the cleaning.

If we needed new towels or TP we just asked CM's in for more.

This does not prevent a theft but it does make it a bit more difficult.

Later,
Dan

 

[rockingrollercoaster]

it was a "very" expensive watch? Can I ask why you would take a "very" expensive watch to a hotel and not wear it and not know it's wear abouts at least every time you came back to the room???

If you had a gut feeling about the housekeeper, why would you leave this "very' expensive watch in the room without you?



My gut feeling is, you lost it.

 

[rockingrollercoaster]

I have no fear of anything being lost or stolen from our room.

We basically live out of our suitcases and keep all of our bags locked up 24 hours a day. If we need to go in to one of our bags to get something, the lock goes right back on as soon as we are finished.

We also make sure that our room is spotless (make beds, dispose of garbage, clean counter top, pile suitcases neatly in a corner, etc). This way nothing is missed and all personal property is put away.

As far as the safe is concerned, I leave all of my money in it. But I also have a trick to that as well. If let's say I have $1000 cash, I keep it in a bank envelop with an elastic band wrapped around it. I also have a signed chain of command system set up when removing money from the safe. On a piece of paper attached to the envelop, I (or DW) record the amount taken and date/sign it. Our money gets counted each and every night before going to bed. Someone (maid, Disney employee) would be stupid to think that we wouldn't notice a $20 bill missing.

Your one smart little cookie.............kudos to you! Do you use luggage locks or other types of locks on your suit cases?

 

[georgina]

Like dmccarty, I am uncomfortable with people being in my room. We keep the do not disturb sign on at all times. I usually ask the housekeeping staff once during our stay to empty the trash and replace the towels while we are there. I know someone posted earlier that wouldn't prevent maintenance from entering, but I feel better with less traffic in the room. I have no need for someone to make my bed or vacuum on a daily basis.

 

[gwynne]

Like dmccarty, I am uncomfortable with people being in my room. We keep the do not disturb sign on at all times. I usually ask the housekeeping staff once during our stay to empty the trash and replace the towels while we are there. I know someone posted earlier that wouldn't prevent maintenance from entering, but I feel better with less traffic in the room. I have no need for someone to make my bed or vacuum on a daily basis.

I think everyone should do what makes them comfortable.

We travel frequently. We enjoy our hotel stays, and appreciate the housekeepers stopping by. It works for us.

That said, I don't bring "very expensive" items with us when we travel. I sort of have the same guidelines for travel that I used to use when the kids asked to take things for show and tell. Is it very expensive? Sentimental? Hard to replace? If so, it stays home.

 

[angierae]

We also generally leave the do not disturb sign up. Disney housekeeping usually leaves a bag of towels hanging on the door for us.

 

[Port Orleans fan]

Your one smart little cookie.............kudos to you! Do you use luggage locks or other types of locks on your suit cases?

We use TSA luggage locks. We never travel without them. The locks go on our luggage (including carry on) before being loaded into the airport limo, and doesn't come off until we get back home. I rather be safe than sorry.

 

[Janet-TX]

I was given this advice many years ago and I think it still holds true. Don't take expensive watches or jewelry when you travel (or anything that you would be devastated to lose and can't be replaced). I do wear my wedding rings, but never take them off. With nice costume jewelry and inexpensive watch choices, it hasn't been a problem.