Securing Your Laptop at the World?

[sdzman]

WDW is just not computer friendly; no wi-fi and small safes. How and where do you secure your laptop in your room when you leave for the day? I am going to have to bring my laptop for work when we go to the WL for a week. I have a security cable that locks but I dont know where I can attach it. Someone mentioned the top shelf in the clost area but that seems pretty flimsy. Any suggestions?

 

[cbombard]

I tried a couple things.. I had (and will have to again in October) bring my laptop.. I have smaller one though.. so I might have had more options than you...

At ASMovies I was able to fit the laptop in the dinky safe.. (Dell XT2), as well as looping around the shelf slats..

In other hotels I have also used the entertainment center.. as they will often have a hole through it that is not easy to mess with..


Also on a few occasions I have used the cables the hotel (not disney) uses to lock their LCD panels.. Though I prefer to use something more fixed.. But sometimes you do not have a lot of options..

I too wish Disney was more business traveller friendly..
I hope this helps..

 

[A Mickeyfan]

I know this sounds crazy, but it is what I do as a last alternative... I always have my car with me, and my deductible is only $100.. sometimes I will store my laptop in the back area of my suv, in it's case with towels or a blanket from my home thrown over it while I am at the parks. If it were to get taken from my car, at least I will be covered through my auto-insurance! If it gets stolen from the room.. good luck trying to recover anything from Disney... You just don't place it back there, then leave it... you have to place it back there, and go to where you were going.. so no one has actually seen what you have placed back there, you never know who cases the parking lots. Sure Disney has "security" at the resorts, but what does it take to get into their parking lot? Show your DL that is it.. or even take the bus from Down Town Disney... Many seem to forget it really is easy to access these resorts....

Disney really needs to update their safe's.. and become more tech friendly!

 

[CoachBagFanatic]

We always lock our lap top in our suitcase and then place the suitcase in the closet with stuff on top of it. I have two different combo locks that I place on the suitcase as well. My lap top doesn't fit into the safe anyway. There was a thread here on the DIS about a default code for some safes in hotel rooms.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2794745&highlight=safe

Whether the hotel management changes the default code or not, doesn't matter to us as we just don't trust them. The past few trips we have made, we only had house keeping come in twice. The days that they didn't come in we just changed out the towels with the housekeepers.

 

[POOHsie]

I would bring the laptop to the front desk and ask that it be secured in the hotel safe. I wouldn't bet odds on a car break-in. And cars get super-hot in central Florida. Would that be a concern to your laptop's operation? Even though car ins. would cover the theft from a car, could you afford to lose the contents of the laptop? And let's consider the increase to your ins. premiums from reporting the theft.

 

[sdzman]

I would not leave a laptop in car all day, way too hot IMO. My laptop is large, 17" screen. The front desk is an option as well as anchoring it to the entertainment center.

 

[christine*]

I would hide it under the bed, I don't think housekeeping ever looks under there. Or if you don't care about getting housekeeping to make you bed just leave the "do not disturb sign" on your door the whole trip and call them when you want to switch out towels.

 

[dzorn]

I know this sounds crazy, but it is what I do as a last alternative... I always have my car with me, and my deductible is only $100.. sometimes I will store my laptop in the back area of my suv, in it's case with towels or a blanket from my home thrown over it while I am at the parks. If it were to get taken from my car, at least I will be covered through my auto-insurance! If it gets stolen from the room.. good luck trying to recover anything from Disney... You just don't place it back there, then leave it... you have to place it back there, and go to where you were going.. so no one has actually seen what you have placed back there, you never know who cases the parking lots. Sure Disney has "security" at the resorts, but what does it take to get into their parking lot? Show your DL that is it.. or even take the bus from Down Town Disney... Many seem to forget it really is easy to access these resorts....

Disney really needs to update their safe's.. and become more tech friendly!

With the Florida heat I would not leave it in the car.

DH usually lock it around the desk somehow.

Denise in MI

 

[pbrim]

I had my house broken into one time and they found every clever hiding place, cut cables and broke open locked drawers, finding everything of value in minutes. Since then my attitude is that, unless I have access to a well attached save with a combo lock, a determined thief is likely to be able to get my stuff and there is little I can do about it. So I have good insurance and take steps to protect myself from a casual, impulsive thief.

Before I leave the room each day, I make sure that any valuables are out of sight in places housekeeping isn't likely to go into in the course of their job -- bedside table, in a dresser drawer, etc. A suitcase is good for that -- a determined thief could just walk out with the whole case, but you'd have to be looking for it. I have taken my laptop with me on dozens of trips to Disney and elsewhere, and have never had a problem.

Since you say it's a work laptop, if it has information on it that MUST be kept secure, take it down to the desk each time you leave your room and ask them to lock it up. Get a receipt with the signature of the person who takes custody, this encourages them to make certain it's secure. Otherwise, I would check with my homeowners insurance or workpalace to make sure it's covered (the credit card you pay for your trip with may have some insurance also), back it up well, put it out of sight, and then don't worry about it.

 

[mrbghd]

I have left my laptop numerous times in the bottom dresser drawer covered by clothes w/ no issues. The first time I took it with to do some work I would drop it at the front desk on the way out and pick it up on the way back. That just became too big of a pain, so I opted to just leave it in the room and take my chances.

 

[KatMark]

I have left my laptop numerous times in the bottom dresser drawer covered by clothes w/ no issues. The first time I took it with to do some work I would drop it at the front desk on the way out and pick it up on the way back. That just became too big of a pain, so I opted to just leave it in the room and take my chances.

I have done this, as has my son, and we have never had any issues.

 

[Miss Hunnybee]

We do the same as others. I have a Sony Vaio - doesn't fit in the safe. So it either goes in a dresser drawer, sandwiched between t-shirts. Or it gets locked in the suitcase and put in the closet area, between other suitcases. We have NEVER had any problems. But if it is going to be something you worry about, just bring it to the front desk.

 

[TDC Nala]

If you really want it to be secure, including if the laptop contains any proprietary work information, ask at the front desk about leaving it in the hotel safe.

If I can't fit one in the room safe it's usually standard procedure for me to leave it inside a zipped or even locked suitcase, which should deter anyone from just picking it up because it happens to be there. To find it, someone would have to be theft-minded from the beginning and go through the suitcase, or break into the suitcase, or steal the entire suitcase. I tend to like this option better than dresser drawers.

 

[yrdlyprincess]

DH wants to take the laptop...really I dont see a reason for him to take it dont know when he can work on it and then he would have to pay for the connection (he brought it down last time...spent the money for the connection and didnt really do anything on it) I used it more than him since it was on (to check email, and wastebook)

 

[Denise M]

Does an Ipad fit in the room safe?
I want to bring mine, hoping it will ,,
Thanks

 

[robinb]

I just leave mine out in the open on the desk. Then again, it's an old boat anchor with a battery that lasts about 30 minutes without being plugged in. I don't think a housekeeper would bother risking their job to steal *my* crappy laptop . In addition, there is absolutely nothing of importance on it.

 

[Sammie]

I am with Robin, I live dangerously and it's on the desk until I pack up to leave.

I don't travel anywhere with any items I would be upset to loose. Those things stay at home.

 

[lin7]

I bring my laptop all the time with me. I just lock it in my suitcase.

I've never had anything stolen but I dont want the risk of anyone playing with it and me losing all the data

 

[coconutprincess]

We don't lock ours. First time we brought it, we put it in the suitcase. Last time, we just left it out. I'm a worrier and had a hard time handling DHs decision on that one, but it was okay. It is an older laptop.

DHs thought is we know its there and they can see who in Mousekeeping entered your room. A laptop isn't like a pair of earrings or something small you could have just "misplaced".

 

[drinkme]

I know this sounds crazy, but it is what I do as a last alternative... I always have my car with me, and my deductible is only $100.. sometimes I will store my laptop in the back area of my suv, in it's case with towels or a blanket from my home thrown over it while I am at the parks. If it were to get taken from my car, at least I will be covered through my auto-insurance! If it gets stolen from the room.. good luck trying to recover anything from Disney... You just don't place it back there, then leave it... you have to place it back there, and go to where you were going.. so no one has actually seen what you have placed back there, you never know who cases the parking lots. Sure Disney has "security" at the resorts, but what does it take to get into their parking lot? Show your DL that is it.. or even take the bus from Down Town Disney... Many seem to forget it really is easy to access these resorts....

Disney really needs to update their safe's.. and become more tech friendly!

Do you know for sure that your auto insurance covers theft? When I had things stolen from my car, the claims had to be under our homeowner's insurance, not our auto insurance. Since our homeowner's insurance deductible is so high, I didn't make the claim. I'm not sure if this is something different in each state. I just thought I would let you know.

To the OP: I'm on the fence about allowing DD12 to bring her laptop with on our upcoming trip because I'm worried it will get stolen.