Any other Disers have problems with hotel theft?

[AustinTink]

The other thread got me wondering how many people have had similar experiences with theft. If so, where were you staying? This seems like valuable info to me. We're staying at the CCI for the first time. Has anyone had a bad experience with theft there?

 

[Jynxed]

IMO, theft can happen anywhere, even the Happiest Place on Earth. You should always be aware of potential theft. Do not leave valuables lying around. Do not carry tons of cash. Take advantage of safes hotels may offer, if not in room, they sometimes have safes located at the front desk. Do not pack valuables in your luggage, always carry them on the plane and with you. The smarter you play it, the less likely it will happen to you personally.

 

[purplecrush]

The thread about the theft really woke me up. I never ever thought about theft at the hotels. We leave all our stuff out, cameras, laptops, my purse, etc when we leave. Never thought twice about it. I, for one, will be buying a lock for my suitcase. I'll also make use of the safes

 

[Love Tink]

In my experience, it takes being the victim of a theft to truly wake you up.

In this case, we've all experienced this theft vicariously, through reading the thread, and we all get to learn from it.

 

[AustinTink]

The thread about the theft really woke me up. I never ever thought about theft at the hotels. We leave all our stuff out, cameras, laptops, my purse, etc when we leave. Never thought twice about it. I, for one, will be buying a lock for my suitcase. I'll also make use of the safes

We do the same! Our favorite hotel chains are Loews and Westin. We've never had any problem leaving things out. I'm a bit worried now about safety for our Disneyland trip.

We've never done a Disney vacation staying off property. At WDW, we stay at the Beach Club or the Swan. Never thought twice about theft. But, I just couldn't bring myself to pay the inflated prices for DL on-property hotels. So, we chose the CCI for it's great reviews and dedicated shuttle. Hoping for the best...

 

[Queenbillabong]

I've never had problems with theft from a hotel, but then I always lock up everything when I'm not in the room. If there's a safe, I make use of that. If not, I lock everything up in my suitcase. Why take the chance??? I would hate to lose something valuable.

 

[dmked]

I always hide my somewhat valuables (usually they are with me though) when I leave the hotel - I never leave stuff out in the open. And I ALWAYS hide my toothbrush that's for sure! I have heard horror stories about what maids do with toothbrushes while you are gone!

 

[LavenderPeach]

We've stayed at CCI a few times now and never had a problem but I'm always careful at any hotel not to have valuable stuff lying around and also I don't really bring anything with me to DLR that would be that valuable (no laptops, etc).

And I ALWAYS hide my toothbrush that's for sure! I have heard horror stories about what maids do with toothbrushes while you are gone!

Ewwww......now that's one I never thought of.

 

[purplecrush]

I always hide my somewhat valuables (usually they are with me though) when I leave the hotel - I never leave stuff out in the open. And I ALWAYS hide my toothbrush that's for sure! I have heard horror stories about what maids do with toothbrushes while you are gone!

OMG!!! What do they do to your toothbrush!?!?!?! Ive never heard of anything

 

[disneyluvbug]

I just wanted to add over here also that if it wasn't for reading on these disbaords, I would have never suspected the hotel staff stealing it.. It was that voice in the back of my head recalling what other people had said/done and their stuff just showed back up.. Totally not ok..at all.. We are staying at a hotel next weekend in long beach.. thankfully we have no reason to get there early and we will take our locked bags to our room.. I always have checked our bags..liek 10 or more at times lol.. from teh drive to down to Disney for a week stay, bags were open, my laptop was there, the camera bag, etc.. and nothing has ever gone missing.. ever.. I apparently needed a wake up call.. I also am very good at reading people and call bullshiot when I see it.. and that is what you have to do.. sad, but shady people can put a damper on things

 

[AustinTink]

I heard it said that if you don't tip housekeeping, they'll use your toothbrush to clean the toilet.

 

[purplecrush]

I heard it said that if you don't tip housekeeping, they'll use your toothbrush to clean the toilet.

Eww thats just wrong....

 

[arftle]

What gets me is that people think that theft won't happen just because they are on Disney property...it can happen anywhere! I always travel with a lock on my luggage and I really don't think I would trust my unlocked luggage, with valuables inside, to hotel staff....that's just my honest opinion.

 

[tanyaewa]

I travel enough to know that theft can happen anywhere - from 1star to 5 star properties.
You need to be careful and aware of your surroundings wherever you are.
That does not mean being afraid - but aware.

Hotel employees are carefully hired and trained - no hotel can afford to have a bad reputation. However unfortunately there are less than honest people every where and temptation can be too much for less moral individuals.

Don't leave valuables out in the open, don't leave things that can't afford to go missing. Be as careful with your property as you would be if the room were to catch fire.

 

[bumbershoot]

In my experience, it takes being the victim of a theft to truly wake you up.

Which is why, when we were using a stroller at DLR, I stopped leaving *anything* in it. Had a brand new pirate hat stolen out from the bottom, when it was completely under a ratty sweatshirt, then 2 years later had a balloon taken out of the plastic holder thing (so someone just took the balloon, not the ribbon...if it had just popped there would have been balloon shards) when the ribbon was tied to the stroller. After that...it's just not worth it to leave anyhing. DS was 3 and his pirate hat was gone...ugh. How do you explain THAT one? ("bad" pirates...not the good Disney pirates who were still wandering DL back then, and not fellow guests either b/c I didn't want him glaring at every other guest..."bad" pirates worked for him)

 

[Angel Ariel]

I've never had problems with theft from a hotel, but then I always lock up everything when I'm not in the room. If there's a safe, I make use of that. If not, I lock everything up in my suitcase. Why take the chance??? I would hate to lose something valuable.

100% agree with all of this.

 

[DahliaRW]

I've honestly never had anything stolen on vacation, guess I've just been lucky! I usually try to hide my laptop and such, but I have left it out on occassion. And never had an issue with my stroller at DL either (or anywhere else for that matter!). Never leave valuables in it or souveniers for that matter, but jackets, sun hats, diapers, sunblock, etc.

 

[SilentFeline]

I've never had any problems with theft in hotels either, but I make it a point to bring as few valuables with me as possible. The one time I thought having internet would be valuable while on vacation (at a hotel outside of Anaheim), I made sure that the hotel my boyfriend and I stayed in had an in-room safe and he brought his iPod touch for internet use, which was easily stored in the safe. I don't lock up my suitcases, but I only leave clothes in there and they're not expensive. I will lock up any suitcase that holds souvenirs in it. However, after reading that thing about the toothbrushes, I think I will also start locking them up in my suitcase!

This is just a theory, but I think our different levels of trust may be based on where we were raised and our surrounding environments. My boyfriend and I come from a big city and although we don't live in fear, we are completely aware of our surroundings at all times, and the happiest place on earth is no exception. Dishonest people are everywhere. Protecting my belongings has come natural to me for as long as I can remember; however, if someone came from a small town where everyone trusts one another, I can see how it may be difficult to imagine that someone would even think of stealing. It's sad that we have to be so careful, even in hotels, but I just assume things will get stolen if I don't take the proper precautions.

 

[jory29]

I've never had any problems with theft in hotels either, but I make it a point to bring as few valuables with me as possible. The one time I thought having internet would be valuable while on vacation (at a hotel outside of Anaheim), I made sure that the hotel my boyfriend and I stayed in had an in-room safe and he brought his iPod touch for internet use, which was easily stored in the safe. I don't lock up my suitcases, but I only leave clothes in there and they're not expensive. I will lock up any suitcase that holds souvenirs in it. However, after reading that thing about the toothbrushes, I think I will also start locking them up in my suitcase!

This is just a theory, but I think our different levels of trust may be based on where we were raised and our surrounding environments. My boyfriend and I come from a big city and although we don't live in fear, we are completely aware of our surroundings at all times, and the happiest place on earth is no exception. Dishonest people are everywhere. Protecting my belongings has come natural to me for as long as I can remember; however, if someone came from a small town where everyone trusts one another, I can see how it may be difficult to imagine that someone would even think of stealing. It's sad that we have to be so careful, even in hotels, but I just assume things will get stolen if I don't take the proper precautions.

My inlaws used to live in a town where no one locked their car doors when they got out of them to go into a store, etc. I found that really odd. You are right, it can depend where a person is from.

I have a better story than others. I left the safe wide open one morning before we went to the parks. We had electronics (netbook, psps, cell phones, cameras) in there, cash, and our passports. Once at the park, I wondered if I had locked it but was sure that I must have. The little nagging feeling persisted all day that I might not have locked it, and when we returned late afternoon for a break, yep, there the safe was - wide open as I had left it, with everything in there. Nothing had been touched. Housekeeping had been in, and cleaned the room nicely as always. Beautiful, warm and caring ladies over at Hojo's who work in the housekeeping dept. We see the same ladies there each year, so I know they have staff longevity which is important to us.

 

[Daisybelle]

I heard it said that if you don't tip housekeeping, they'll use your toothbrush to clean the toilet.

That brings up the question of how much do you tip housekeeping per day?