Anyone ever have their OWN stroller stolen at the parks?????

[eeyoreiscool]

In all our trips, we have never had a stroller stolen at Disney. With the large numbers that we see there each time, percentage wise it will be a small number that actually get their stroller stolen.

 

[crisi]

They will not let you lock strollers. The CMs need to be able to move them, and locked strollers would prevent a safety hazzard if they needed to evacuate the park.

Your best bet is probably to take a stroller that you are comfortable with the SMALL risk that it gets stolen, and mark it in such a way that will make it noticable as yours.

 

[PatricenPete]

We were just in Disney last week and had absolutely ZERO problem with our stroller. In fact twice we just parked it in fantasy land and left it there for 1/2 the day while we went on the rides. When we returned later in the day, everything was exactly as we left it.

My philosophy on this kind of stuff is that if someone goes through all the trouble of stealing my stroller, than they obviously need it a lot more than I do!

Have a great trip and try not to worry about it too much!!!

 

[Alysa]

We took our folding peg perego and had no troubles. We did mark it as ours fairly well with ribbons so perhaps that might help in deterring someone who wanted to pinch an inconspicuous one?

 

[tlbwriter]

If worrying about your stroller is going to diminish your fun, you could try putting a lock across the seat. This won't stop CMs from moving the stroller if they need to, but it will make it undesirable to thieves (accidental or otherwise).

(edited because "thiefs" is not a word, for crying out loud)

 

[mjkaferle5]

If worrying about your stroller is going to diminish your fun, you could try putting a lock across the seat. This won't stop CMs from moving the stroller if they need to, but it will make it undesirable to thiefs (accidental or otherwise).

I was thinking of this idea as well.

I think a good and a very funny idea would be to put "The Club" locked across the seat! I am sure no one would take it and you would probably get a lot of laughs!

 

[munchkinsmom]

If worrying about your stroller is going to diminish your fun, you could try putting a lock across the seat. This won't stop CMs from moving the stroller if they need to, but it will make it undesirable to thieves (accidental or otherwise).

(edited because "thiefs" is not a word, for crying out loud)

I was thinking of this idea as well.

I think a good and a very funny idea would be to put "The Club" locked across the seat! I am sure no one would take it and you would probably get a lot of laughs!

LOL about the Club!!! My DH jokingly suggested a stroller alarm after our stroller was stolen. Can you imagine?

Anyway, what we decided to do with our new Mac TT is purchase a six-foot long thin cable and a small padlock to hook the cable together. We thread the cable through each of the wheel spokes if we can't attach the cable to something stationery. We use a cable we already had when we used to lock our car cover, but I would think you can buy cables this length at any auto parts store.

It works very well and the cable is just the right length for our double. I've also seen ski shops carry these type of locks:

http://www.rei.com/category/4501541.htm

Unfortunately, the cables for these locks go only up to three feet, so they're not long enough for our double, but they may work for single strollers.

While locking the stroller the way I described above wouldn't stop another would-be thief to take the stroller if he/she REALLY wanted it, it would make it VERY difficult for him/her and hopefully not worth the effort. When the cable is threaded through the wheels, the wheels can't move and the stroller can't be closed.

Hopefully we won't have the same thing happen to us on our next trip to Disneyland...in a couple of weeks!

 

[DisneyPhD]

If worrying about your stroller is going to diminish your fun, you could try putting a lock across the seat. This won't stop CMs from moving the stroller if they need to, but it will make it undesirable to thieves (accidental or otherwise).

(edited because "thiefs" is not a word, for crying out loud)

Now for me bothering to lock it every time we get up from it would be too much hassel. As it is we stop, the kid are out and we are running after them to get in line or whereever we are off it.

I tend to think the percentage is very low and don't worry about it. We make sure our name and adress in on it clearly, it is easily identifible (not out of the package new like others) and we don't leave anything we can't life with out on it and we are off.

 

[NotUrsula]

Would there be a problem with putting your address and dates of your trip on the stroller, though? They tell you not to do this for luggage because people will be able to see where you live and when you will be gone.

The answer for this question, for strollers or luggage, is to use your work address; for most people, a workplace is not at risk for this sort of opportunistic thievery. What we did is put the name of the resort on the stroller tag; if it were collected by Lost and Found and they called the hotel, the hotel could identify us by name and dates of stay, and the hotel had all our contact info. We also put our cell phone number on it, of course, redundancy is no bad thing.

BTW, I'm the infamous "no-fold Mac locker". Worrying about theft made it hard for me to relax and enjoy the trip, but locking and unlocking the wheels for every ride was something I knew I would give up on because of the inconvenience. I compromised by locking the fold joint at the back of my Mac with a long-hasp padlock; that way I only had to lock it up once when we arrived at the park (well, except for the MK train), and I had my peace of mind. If the stroller had left the park, it probably would have been abandoned in the parking lot since it could not be folded, and Disney security would have eventually returned it to me.

 

[DisneyPhD]

The answer for this question, for strollers or luggage, is to use your work address; for most people, a workplace is not at risk for this sort of opportunistic thievery. What we did is put the name of the resort on the stroller tag; if it were collected by Lost and Found and they called the hotel, the hotel could identify us by name and dates of stay, and the hotel had all our contact info. We also put our cell phone number on it, of course, redundancy is no bad thing.

BTW, I'm the infamous "no-fold Mac locker". Worrying about theft made it hard for me to relax and enjoy the trip, but locking and unlocking the wheels for every ride was something I knew I would give up on because of the inconvenience. I compromised by locking the fold joint at the back of my Mac with a long-hasp padlock; that way I only had to lock it up once when we arrived at the park (well, except for the MK train), and I had my peace of mind. If the stroller had left the park, it probably would have been abandoned in the parking lot since it could not be folded, and Disney security would have eventually returned it to me.

That makes sense to me. I still don't worry about it, but if I did I think I would do the same thing. But really I think if someone was going to bother stealing a stroller at WDW it is more likley for convience (we didn't bring one and want one now.) then for profit. (the resale market isn't that high on them, even high end ones since so many people do pass them around. There is much easier things to make a profit on (cameras for example.)

While we all know there are less then perfect parents out there and everyone sees at least a few while at WDW, there aperas to be a code among parents on things like that. (not stealing strollers.) After all we are in the same "boat" so to speak. Try explaing to you kid where you got the new stroller from.

It brings that whole "should I bring a stroller to WDW debate to mind." If you think you might need one do, please don't take others

However renting is a good option also!

 

[tlbwriter]

That makes sense to me. I still don't worry about it, but if I did I think I would do the same thing. But really I think if someone was going to bother stealing a stroller at WDW it is more likley for convience (we didn't bring one and want one now.) then for profit. (the resale market isn't that high on them, even high end ones since so many people do pass them around. There is much easier things to make a profit on (cameras for example.)

If my stroller were missing, I wouldn't care whether it was taken by accident or because someone liked it better than their Wal-Mart stroller or because they just wanted to "borrow" it for a while. It would still mean that my stroller was unavailable for my use when I wanted it, and that's the bottom line. It would certainly put a damper on my trip.

 

[DisneyPhD]

If my stroller were missing, I wouldn't care whether it was taken by accident or because someone liked it better than their Wal-Mart stroller or because they just wanted to "borrow" it for a while. It would still mean that my stroller was unavailable for my use when I wanted it, and that's the bottom line. It would certainly put a damper on my trip.

Or even if they just took yours becuase they mistaked it for theirs.

Bottom line is you brought one because you wanted it and not having it would be a big bother. However the small chance it could get stollen isn't enough for me not to bring it, or even spend any times worrying about the possiblity it might happen. Based on my own personal experince (over 7 trips with a stroller, average of 8 days in a park a trip, 56 times in a park and not a problem,) those are pretty good odds.

However IF mine did get stollen it would bother me and put a damper on my trip. Not only because I wouldn't have it at home, but because I wouldn't have it for my trip. If that was the case I guess I could by a new one if I had a car, or rent for the rest of the trip. (or contact babies best friend and rent one from them if I had an infant that wouldn't work in WDW ones.)

If it was stollen, I would contact a CM and see if they could help me out. If they couldn't I might ask another one. (sometimes differnt peopel can help more then others.)

I would think that IF you had a stroller stollen they could "give" you one that had been in lost in found for a long time (not sure how many, 2 months?)


Hum, I just noticed that stroller and stollen are only one letter off.

 

[tlbwriter]

Or even if they just took yours becuase they mistaked it for theirs.

Right. That's what I meant by "taken by accident."

Bottom line is you brought one because you wanted it and not having it would be a big bother. However the small chance it could get stollen isn't enough for me not to bring it, or even spend any times worrying about the possiblity it might happen. Based on my own personal experince (over 7 trips with a stroller, average of 8 days in a park a trip, 56 times in a park and not a problem,) those are pretty good odds.

Someone else's good luck wouldn't stop me from worrying about my own stroller. I'll admit it, I'm a worrier. Now, I could spend the day worrying uselessly about my stroller, or I could spend 10 seconds doing something to make it impossible to take it accidentally, and difficult to take it deliberately, and then put it out of my mind and enjoy the day. It's kind of like locking my windows at home. I can lie awake worrying about the windows, or I could get up, spend two minutes locking the windows, and go to sleep. Those of you who aren't experts at the art of useless worrying wouldn't understand.

I would think that IF you had a stroller stollen they could "give" you one that had been in lost in found for a long time (not sure how many, 2 months?)

Good question. Any CMs here who can answer it?

Hum, I just noticed that stroller and stollen are only one letter off.

Two, actually. And stollen is a type of bread. I wonder how much stolen stollen you could fit in a stolen stroller?

 

[DisneyPhD]

Right. That's what I meant by "taken by accident."


Someone else's good luck wouldn't stop me from worrying about my own stroller. I'll admit it, I'm a worrier. Now, I could spend the day worrying uselessly about my stroller, or I could spend 10 seconds doing something to make it impossible to take it accidentally, and difficult to take it deliberately, and then put it out of my mind and enjoy the day. It's kind of like locking my windows at home. I can lie awake worrying about the windows, or I could get up, spend two minutes locking the windows, and go to sleep. Those of you who aren't experts at the art of useless worrying wouldn't understand.


Good question. Any CMs here who can answer it?



Two, actually. And stollen is a type of bread. I wonder how much stolen stollen you could fit in a stolen stroller?

True, there is things you can do something about (EI locking your stroller, windows ect..) and things you can't do anything about. I tend to try to let it go and deal with it when it happens. For me locks aren't worth the trouble, for you it is worth the peace of mind. As you said it is all abut the "art of useless worrying. To me a lock signifies to someone who might want to steal it, this is a stroller worth taking. (but then again I am not taking a bug a boo stroller to WDW, or even owning one.

As far as not spelling stolen right, that would be me. I know stollen was a kind of bread too. I am gifted in the art of bad spelling. , we all have our gitfts!

 

[BevS97]

we've done 4 14 night trips with a stroller, (plus 2 shorter trips to Disneyland Paris), I have never once given my stroller a 2nd thought and some of those trips have been with expensive strollers. If our stroller was stolen, then yes, I would be annoyed, it would put a dampner on that day, but look at it this way - what a great excuse to go buy a new stroller! 'But honey, we can't possibly make it through the week without one, and this trendy 3 wheeler is really cheap' No seriously, I would just go to Walmart and get a new one and claim on my holiday insurance when I got home.

I have flown with strollers countless times, once my stroller was damaged by an airline, and they replaced it. We need to use strollers to get through our day to day life, for me, it's not worth stressing about something that 'might' happen.

 

[hsmamato2]

yes- 2-3 years ago ay MGM- someone stole our combi stroller, it had a backpack in the seat-I always keep a bag full of snacks, extra jacket or whatever,and leave it there- never anything valuable- an employee found it hours later in another part of the park, someone had rifled through the bag looking for good stuff, but took nothing b/c it was just baby junk! so it can happen, but probably not too often....

 

[DWjunkie]

we went in July with 2 strollers. Full size Graco and an umbrella. We had no problems!!

have a great trip.

 

[Diz-Mommy]

Thanks for the post! I never thought to make our stroller look unique. Time to mark one more thing on the "to-do" list! I don't think I want to go to the trouble of locking our stroller every time we need to ditch it, but I will get some ribbons and an extra luggage tag for it.

 

[ktbugsmom]

I have been to WDW 6 times with our MacClaren stroller. No problems... except for a couple times, my daughter jumped in the wrong MacClaren and I almost took the wrong stroller!

After that, we covered our Mac with Disney stickers and other stickers. (yes - on the expensive stroller - but oh well...). Now I can distinguish my black Mac from the other black Macs! Plus, I don't think anyone is as likely to take it, since it does look "distinct".

My daughter will be almost 6, and I will be taking our Mac one more time in January... the stroller just alleviates dealing with a tired whiney child. She is so much more content to be rolled around when she gets tired. My husband wants to try it without this year, but I say "No way!"