We missed the tree lighting...it was a scary day for us PARENTS PLEASE READ

[Halloweenqueen]

How scary! It is unfortunate the CM didn't respond correctly.

My husband and I are always fearful of the playgrounds. We always have the children enter with one parent and the other parent waits outside the exit area.

 

[kimmylaj]

how truly frightening. i have chills. we try to avoid those areas too, but sometimes i give in and go, from now on we wont. when we were at mvmcp last year we lost track of my cousins daughter, it was horrific. i cant imagine how you must have felt, thank god everyone is okay. the cm we tried to ask for help kept shrugging his shoulders. i know that disney does a good job training their employees for such a situation, but from what you and i have experienced, i think they need to review it more often. have a peaceful and happy holiday

 

[funkehouse]

i suppose i would be in jail right now if that happened to me. A good ol fashion whooping would have been in order. I dont buy for a second that he thought your child was lost. NO ONE picks up a lost child and carries them away. You might hold the childs hand and get security, and i said MIGHT. i personaly wouldnt even go that far. Im glad you found your child when you did, i cant imagine what this guy was gonna do.

 

[funkehouse]

That is a very tricky playground, as far as keeping track of your kids go. I don't worry so much about older kids but I won't let the little ones out of my sight. They can go in one hole and come out of the other side of the playground. The good thing is that there is only one entrance and one exit. I usually have one person keep watch at the exit.

I'm so sorry you had to go through that and so glad that everything turned out O.K. It just takes one creepo to ruin the fun for the rest of us.

Please remember all, that its not JUST this playground that this can happen at. NEVER leave your kids at WDW anywhere. You never know how many sick people are at the park, there could be 0, there could be 15. There is probably no place better than WDW for these sickos, people always assume that they are safe because they are disney, they forget that its still the real world. I wish we could just forget about the real world and let our kids play like kids should be able to, but thats what these sickos are hoping for. They THRIVE on parents assuming their kids will be safe by themselves and they take advantave of it. And if you do see an incedent please report it, and if the CM doesnt take you seriously, ask for a supervisor. Remember , the guy that did this is still out there, and kids are still at risk. I really hope they catch this guy before he does more harm....

 

[funkehouse]

how truly frightening. i have chills. we try to avoid those areas too, but sometimes i give in and go, from now on we wont. when we were at mvmcp last year we lost track of my cousins daughter, it was horrific. i cant imagine how you must have felt, thank god everyone is okay. the cm we tried to ask for help kept shrugging his shoulders. i know that disney does a good job training their employees for such a situation, but from what you and i have experienced, i think they need to review it more often. have a peaceful and happy holiday

sorry for 3 posts in a row, but i keep finding things i forgot to say !! I worked at Disneyland and honestly there was VERY VERY little training when it comes to things like this. At least for us regular cast members, maybe security has special training, but we certainly didnt.
People always assume when at a Disney park they are protected, almost as if in a little bubble. And 99% of the time you are right, but everyone is flabbergasted when that 1% finally happens...watch your kids people, and be very careful who you trust!

 

[Cibahwewah]

Hugs to you both.
Thanks for the reminder.

 

[GinnyFavers]

All the playgrounds have a cm-attended gate. Disney needs to immediately take some resources off their stupid, useless bag checks and put them on these playgrounds, doing matching stamps for adults and kids coming in together, like Chuck E Cheese does.

 

[Trinity524]

I missed the tree lighting but we had a scary situation at DHS and I wanted to share it with all the parents. This is long but please read.

My kids were playing on the Honey I Shrunk the Kids play ground and my DD3 went in one of those little cave like things with my older two kids that only children can fit in and did not come out with them. We don't know what happened but my husband and sister started looking for her immediately and calling her name. We think she got scared and stayed in it then came out while they were looking for her.

I was at the bath room with my DD2 while this was happening and as i was walking back towards the playground I noticed a child's scream that reached a pitch and intensity i could not ignore, and I recognized the voice. It was my DD3 screaming "mommy, daddy, mommy, daddy" in a mans arms and she was reaching with both arms towards the playground. I had no idea she was missing but adrenaline kicked in becasue I knew this was not right and I ran like I never have. He was already outside and LEAVING the playground area and walking towards the Streets of America through the archway. I started screaming her name and ran to him. I don't remember much beside he had on a hat and sunglasses and he said "she was lost" then he was gone, and not back into the playground either, it all happened so fast it is a blur.......another mother got a CM because I was hysterical as was DD3.

The CM that we talked to did not seem to think that it was a big deal and kept saying "ma'm he gave her too you". We went to guest services immediately and reported what we could to security, but honestly there was not much I could tell them because it was a big blur and i don't remember anything but glasses and hat....... the same thing most of the men wear at Disney. I also know he was light skinned and did not have a foreign accent. I can't tell you if he was even wearing clothes.

I believe this man was not trying to find help because he walked past several CM and was leaving with her. He did not return to the playground and did not stick around, he vanished.

WE will NEVER go in that play area again. We have never cared for it because it is so crowded and hard to keep up with your kids. We have ALWAYS stayed right with our kids while in this playground. We had 3 adults watching 4 kids and this happened. I don't understand how a man could walk out with a little girl screaming "mommy, daddy" and reaching out like she was and no CM stopped him.

My husband has always been edgy at WDW and I thought he was being silly. NOT now! Unfortunately we are thinking about not getting passes next year, it has affected us to that point.

I was so worked up I got sick (bless the people in first aid) from what happened that we went back to the hotel, we had FP for TSM and gave them away.

I could not go to the tree lighting meet.

I could not be around crowds anymore, even if they were DIS crowds.

I did not sleep at all and could not get the image of my baby girl screaming out of my mind.

This morning we went to Epcot but by 10 I could not handle it because i was so jumpy in the crowds and we left and came home.

I am thankful tonight that I was able to kiss my baby and say prayers with her.

I know this is kinda a down post and not the up beat, light hearted post that normally are on this board but out story needs to be shared.

PLEASE! WATCH YOUR CHILDREN, DON'T LET YOUR GUARD DOWN AT DISNEY!

What an important reminder.... Thank you!

 

[longstangetrip]

What a horrible experience for everyone in your family. Your little girl did exactly the right thing. If she had not been screaming; who knows. I have told my kids to yell "I don't know you" hoping that would get someone's attention. I don't of course know if they really would, and hope to never find out. If I had been standing near by as a stranger seeing and hearing this unfold, I can in all honesty say I would have at least followed the man (with the child yelling for mommy and daddy) and let a cast member know something just isn't right. People are so afraid of offending someone, and people are so defensive when approached, our society has become afraid to intervene. Thank God that your story turned out the way it did. Merry Christmas.

 

[Tricia819]

All the playgrounds have a cm-attended gate. Disney needs to immediately take some resources off their stupid, useless bag checks and put them on these playgrounds, doing matching stamps for adults and kids coming in together, like Chuck E Cheese does.

I was going to say something to this effect. Last time we were there, there were 2 CM's by the entrance, however I camped out at the exit while DH played with the kids. I, too, don't like these playgrounds because it is way too easy to lose track of the kids, even when you are diligently trying to keep your eyes on them. Like OP said earlier they go in one place and come out on the other side of the playground, it's a flawed design. That's how we lost our DD4 for 2 minutes; she went in with her sister, but didn't come out with her. Turns out she ran over to the digsite.

Also, how on earth could the CM just let that man walk out of the playground with a child screaming like that? I would think it was obvious that the child was not his.

 

[disneynuts777]

I am glad that you are all together safe and sound.
The shivers and the fear running down my spine was unreal.
My DD's were 12 and 14 when I took them myself this summer. We were waiting for the fireworks to start at MK and they asked if they could go and get ice cream. I told them to go together and I would hold the spot. 20min later the younger DD comes back. When I asked where her sister was she replied she was right behind me. NO she was not!!!! I started to panic and tried to look around....it was almost dark.....it seemed like forever...when all of the sudden there she was. I asked what happened as I was looking her up and down almost in tears. She looked at me and said I forgot the receipt for the ice cream and I know that you like to keep them all. I gave her the biggest hug. I was just so glad to see her.....I cannot explain all the things that were racing through my mind. For the rest of the trip I never left there side. It is a fear that I will never forget.
Thank the Lord you were in the right lace at the right time

 

[S. C.]

So very glad your little one is safe and home with you.

Please post this on the other boards. I didn't know this board was here and fear lots of people might not see this thread. I think everyone needs to read this.

 

[The Disney Fanatic]

i suppose i would be in jail right now if that happened to me. A good ol fashion whooping would have been in order. I dont buy for a second that he thought your child was lost. NO ONE picks up a lost child and carries them away. You might hold the childs hand and get security, and i said MIGHT. i personaly wouldnt even go that far. Im glad you found your child when you did, i cant imagine what this guy was gonna do.

I am with you funkehouse! I would have kicked his butt for trying to make off with my child! I am so glad that the little girl is O.K. I work in a jail and I am around these types all of the time. I was very naive to how many weird and SICK people there are in our society before I started working with inmates. Parents never let your guard down. Be bleesed and have a Merry Christmas!

 

[PathGirl]

Ack! What happened to those two girls???

Well of course this was told to me second hand by a man I worked with, but he said the family was (like he was) European and they stayed here as long as they had money/permission to be in the country, but eventually had to give up and go back home.

I'm just glad someone posted about their experience and hopefully everyone on the boards will at least have it in the back of their minds.

 

[kafitty]

yikes! we had a "Code Adam" in my store the other day because a little 5 year old girl wandered off from her mom...very scary stuff! she was found eventually, hiding in the clothing racks, thank heavens!

i'm so glad your daughter is okay!