As A Child...Were You Ever Lost/Separated From Your Family At Disneyland???

[deejdigsdis]

I am so excited to be returning to Disneyland this year after a 13 year drought! It's all I can think about. Anyway, childhood memories of DL visits have come rushing back. One time, this would have been in the mid-1970s, I somehow got separated from my family after getting off IASW. The separation only lasted 10 - 15 minutes, but still... a little scary for a child. Alice (in Wonderland) waited with me by IASW until my family found their way back to me. Good thing it was her -- a normal-looking person. Some of the characters back then used to scare me, like Capt. Hook! So I got to wondering... anyone else ever been lost? What do you do to help prevent your little ones from getting separated from you? This will be my first time to go as "the mom." Suggestions?

 

[DangerMouse]

On my first visit to DLR when I was around 8 (1977), my mother told me if for some reason we got separated that I should go directly to City Hall (they have a sign right outside that says "Lost Children"). Sure enough, after the Main Street Electrical Parade, we got separated, and I went directly to City Hall to wait for my family. They, meanwhile, did a full tour of the park looking for me. I waited at City Hall for over an hour before they finally came and found me there. So much for having a plan.

Anyway, these days I recommend you tell your kids how to identify a Cast Member and tell them to seek one out if they get lost. Also, it's a good idea to have your cell phone number somewhere on your child (either on a card in their pocket, or I have heard of some parents actually writing it on their child's arm).

 

[Tink91]

On my first visit to DLR when I was around 8 (1977), my mother told me if for some reason we got separated that I should go directly to City Hall (they have a sign right outside that says "Lost Children". Sure enough, after the Main Street Electrical Parade, we got separated, and I went directly to City Hall to wait for my family. They, meanwhile, did a full tour of the park looking for me. I waited at City Hall for over an hour before they finally came and found me there. So much for having a plan.
.

Typical!!!!

 

[Albort]

Anyway, these days I recommend you tell your kids how to identify a Cast Member and tell them to seek one out if they get lost. Also, it's a good idea to have your cell phone number somewhere on your child (either on a card in their pocket, or I have heard of some parents actually writing it on their child's arm).

there was a post about this before... CMs are "technically" not allowed to pull out a cellphone and talk on it... though higher management will.

The standard procedure for a lost child is to go back to where you might have lost your family/child. and hopefully recover there, if not, after 20 mins, walk to city hall or guest relations.

 

[Brady's Mom]

I've been lost at DLR before. When I was there with my sister and 2 brothers with my 2 very active great aunts. It was the early 80's and I was around 12 or 13. We were waiting to watch the Electrical Parade and I had to go to the bathroom really bad. I figured I could find my way back to my group on Mainstreet. I am pretty sure I went to the bathrooms right by City Hall - but I can't be sure. I came out of the restroom to go back to my family and I couldn't find them anywhere in what seemed like a sea of people.

We had already made a plan to meet at City Hall if anyone got lost - so I remember them finding me after the parade was over.

But, I still haven't seen the ENTIRE Electrical Parade, since I ended missing part of it trying to find my family. Maybe one of these days I'll actually catch the whole thing!

 

[JustAKid]

I have never been seperated from my family while in Disneyland but I'll tell you, I have NIGHTMARES about my own kids getting lost . I always have this voice in the back of my head telling me that no matter how many times I go over "the plan", a 3 and 5 year old just aren't going to get it.

 

[bumbershoot]

I don't recall if I ever got lost, but hubby has a story about it.

Robert had the map (at 5!) and they'd just gotten into DL, and they were standing in front of the castle. He was looking at the map and finding the places they should go. He didn't feel it was that long, and he remembers actually talking to his family...but then he looked up and his family was gone.

He remembers thinking that he needed to stay right there so they would find him.

And then Captain Hook walked by and greeted Robert...Robert remembers hugging Hook and he said something about not knowing where his family went and that he had to stay there. So Hook stayed with him!

Last thing Robert remembers is his family finally coming back.


So Hook was actually a good character to find you when you're lost! Robert actually still has a soft spot for the dude.

 

[kylieh]

I was about 11. At night I came off the carosel and my family had disappeared. I was in tears. A CM found me crying and was taking me to the lost children(?) centre when we found my mum, completely obvilious, saying "we've been waiting here for the parade the whole time."

It still haunts me now.

I was so so so scared about being separated from DD last year.

Even though I realise that probably nothing bad would happen, it was more remember how fearful I was at 10, and thinking how even more so she would be at age 6.

 

[PinkBudgie]

We took our twin boys for the first time when they were 6 years old. I was holding one hand and I thought DH was holding the hand of the other. When we got to Splash Mountian DH didn't have DS! Now that was scary! So I stayed there with one boy while DH backed tracked. He found him a minute later standing in the middle of the walkway. We may have told him to stay put if lost and then find a CM if we didn't find him. I can't remember exactly. I do know I stressed after that to always hold hands when walked anywhere.

Around age 10 we told them to find the Mickey statue in front of the castle if we got seperated. At 14 we gave them cell phones and sent them off by themselves but they had to stay in the same park. If we are able to go next summer they will be almost 17 so they can do their own parkhopping.

Has anyone ever used those children's cell phones at DLR? The kind that have about 3 buttons to contact a parent's phone.

 

[pixiewings71]

Nope, not me, but I didn't go to DL until I was 21.

My girls know to go to City Hall but it still worries me. They don't have their own phones but when we let them ride rides without us we give them one of ours and we stay in the area. Altho, I am hoping to give them their own phones this year for Christmas......

 

[MegRN]

I have never been lost in a Disney park. I would like to be right now though!

When we took our kids to DLR they were about 4 and 2. My worst fear was that we were going to lose them. As a nurse on a labor and delivery unit, I have access to patient and newborn arm bands. So, I took 2 of the arm bands we use for the babies and made ID bracelets for my kids. They had our hotel and room number on them along with my and my husbands cell phone numbers. When we arrived at the park I pointed out to my 4 year old what a CM name tag looked like and told him to show his arm band to the CM. The arm bands were nice because they were water proof and the kids couldn't remove them. I know not everyone has access to the arm bands but if you know a hospital employee it wouldn't hurt to ask if they could get you some.

BTW, we never lost our kids but I think being prepared wards off the bad spirits!

 

[deejdigsdis]

Hospital arm band ID bracelets...what a great idea! Sounds like I need to make sure my kids know where City Hall is.

 

[allimaree]

Last time we were at DLR we were rushing into the Matterhorn during a busy MM. We were a big group so it was a few minutes before I realized my DS4 wasn't holding somebody's hand. He just wasn't there. My DH and I back-tracked and almost circled the Matterhorn--nothing. Finally, I looked in the OTHER line for the Matterhorn, and he was there. Several adults around him were trying to figure out who he was supposed to be with. We went right at the turnstiles and he decided to go left! Scared me to death, though...

 

[Kayla's Mom]

We always do the pet tag thing. We have the girl's names and our cell phone numbers on them and attached them to their shoe lace.

 

[teatime]

As A Child...Were You Ever Lost/Separated From Your Family At Disneyland???

I was never lost...... and I never went to disneyland until I was 45

 

[JenniBarra]

This is where I out myself... I have a sister who is several years younger than I am. Being the eldest sibling, I spent much of my childhood being responsible for her in one way or another. I had been instructed that it was my job to always hold my sister's hand. Well, I don't quite recall how it happened, but one of us got distracted and she stopped, but I kept walking ahead. It was only just minutes, but my parents figured out that my sister was not with us. We just retraced our steps and there she was.

I'm sure other firstborns can relate that it can sometimes be tough growing up because we often have to shoulder not only being responsible for ourselves, but for our younger sibs as well. There's a reason firstborns tend to share traits!

 

[disneynerd420]

i have never been lost in DLR, however... I'm not saying I did not try.

 

[deejdigsdis]

I'm sure other firstborns can relate that it can sometimes be tough growing up because we often have to shoulder not only being responsible for ourselves, but for our younger sibs as well. There's a reason firstborns tend to share traits![/QUOTE]


Yep...so I hear. My sister was the oldest of 6. Being that she was 11 years older than me, it was kind of like having a second mother.

 

[bumbershoot]

I was about 11. At night I came off the carosel and my family had disappeared. I was in tears. A CM found me crying and was taking me to the lost children(?) centre when we found my mum, completely obvilious, saying "we've been waiting here for the parade the whole time."

Well that's just rotten...to be where a parade would be, they had to have moved away from the Carousel. I'm puttin' that one on your parents.

 

[MCSfromWA]

My first trip to DL was as an adult so I was never lost as a child. Both my children (DD14 and DD10) have been lost/seperated from my DH and I many times at both DLR and WDW through the years when they were little. Often it happened because I was taking care of one child and I thought my DH was with the other. The good news was that my children always found us again. My niece is 8 years younger than I am and so her family is younger than my family. After her second child was born we offered to take her then DD3 with us to DL. We picked up DGN and as I buckled her in I noticed that my DN had sharpied her cell number on her daughter's arm. We did not lose DGN!

When my children were still in elementary school my DH and I decided to get them cell phones and strapped them on the girls whenever we were at the park or away somewhere for safety issues. Cell phones can be great but not so practical for the little ones. When our girls were little they always returned to where we parked the stroller or had our stuff -- that was our family meeting place. I think that making a family plan and teaching children how to identify a cm is really important. My children also learned to keep an eye on us because sometimes we sidetracked for just a moment. In fact, one time I was talking on my cell phone telling my mom where to meet us at the park as I was walking from Dumbo to Mr. Toads and my oldest daughter (then about 7 or 8) got my attention because my youngest had stopped walking with us about 15 feet away. So my children also learned to keep an eye on each other which amazes me sometimes because at other moments they tell me that they really don't like their sister.

I am sure that your trip will be fine. And I think there are many great ideas from pp that you might employ if you are really feeling nervous about it. Good luck!