BAD BOYS BAD BOYS!! Undercover Security

[Pineapple Whip]

now that's just messed up! whether they meant to do it or not, i will never understand those that would do that to hotel property, especially disney property! makes you wonder if they do that at home!

Yes. Yes they do. And their kids grow up the same most of the time.

 

[Eljay]

...I witnessed undercover at Port Orleans French Quarter. The next building over there was a family with waaaaay too many people for the room they were in. Left outside were several large coolers, a gas camping grill (that they used frequently) and everyone's wet suits and towels drapped over anything that wasn't moving. It looked like the Clampetts (No offense if your name is Clampett, it's only a reference to the show) moved to PO and they yelled at each other A LOT. On my way to get coffee I was walking with a friendly, touristy man (I didn't notice a skin colored cord but now that I think back about it he had to be Security). He stopped to talk to one of the men belonging to the room as I kept going. When I passed back by they and all their stuff were gone. I was shocked, I was gone 10 minutes at the most. So, nosey me, sat on the bench outside of their building to see if they really were gone. Apparently they had trashed the room too. Out of the room comes a man in a resort uniform with a headboard; in walk two men with paint cans. I didn't see the before picture, but in less than an hour they had the room repainted, replaced the headboard and cleaned (Yes, nosey me walked by the room to check their handiwork. They left the door open, I guess to let the paint smell air out).

As a responsible human being, I can't help but wonder, who's credit card was that room under? What is Disney going to charge them for the damage? I also wonder if they had the people arrested?
In my little white bread world, this trashy stuff is fascinating.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

As a responsible human being, I can't help but wonder, who's credit card was that room under? What is Disney going to charge them for the damage? I also wonder if they had the people arrested?
In my little white bread world, this trashy stuff is fascinating.

At Disney your package is fully paid in advance of arrival. If a room-only reservation it is fully paid at check-in.

If you are ejected from WDW you forfeit all payments you have made and any tickets you have are canceled and you will not receive any refund. Also, you are issued a trespass warning and if you are caught returning to WDW you can be arrested.

 

[Minnesota!]

I had an encounter with undercover security a couple of years ago. You might have noticed that I bear a resemblance to a certain popular figure. Well, that tends to attract a lot of attention when I'm in the parks, especially around Christmastime. I am always careful about just how much attention I draw however since I have heard of Disney escorting "unapproved characters" out of their parks! So, although I wear red and a Santa hat, so do a ton of folks... it's Christmas after all. I don't go around Ho, Ho, Ho'ing or singing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" however. If someone asks if I'm Santa I'm more apt to ask back, "why, do I look like Santa", and as much as I hate to let the little ones down, I don't sign autograph books either.

Well, Mom and I were sitting at a table near the African outpost in EPCOT where several people had stopped and asked for pictures with me. As the pictures were being taken I noticed a guy a few tables over taking a bit of interest in the activities. Again I had to refuse to sign a book. Mom asked me to explain again why I was being so shy about being Santa here, since I'm hardly shy elsewhere. And I explained about Disney not wanting the liability of an unauthorized character offending (or abusing!) guests and being mistaken for a representative of the company, the liability issues, and so on. As I was in the middle of explaining I noticed the once some-what interested guy had moved much closer and was within earshot. Well, he knew he was blown so he came a little closer and introduced himself and agreed with much of what I had said, but also said that from what he'd observed Disney would have no problem with the way I was interacting with guests. That was a relief, because I had heard of security disallowing "colorful" folks taking photos with guests that were not in their party... like when people dress up for Star Wars week. Any how, the guy was very congenial and I feel safer knowing others like him are keeping watch.

Do you by chance give out little business cards to kids that think you are Santa? I only ask b/c I think we saw you when were there in 08 and when my kids spotted Santa, he came over and gave them a card with an address on where to send lists, etc.

One of the best memories of that trip!!

 

[cheap traveler]

This thread is so great! I already told my friend that I'm playing "spot the security" when we go in 3 weeks!

 

[RabFlmom]

As a responsible human being, I can't help but wonder, who's credit card was that room under? What is Disney going to charge them for the damage? I also wonder if they had the people arrested?
In my little white bread world, this trashy stuff is fascinating.

I would guess that they paid for all the repairs via the credit card. I can tell you that once when my son's school went on a Saturday field trip to the MK, some of the girls(who happened to be wearing school t-shirts at the time) took a few little things from one of the gift shops. That Monday a call was received at the school and a copy of a tape was sent to the school showing the girls. Disney follows up....

 

[Eljay]

I would guess that they paid for all the repairs via the credit card. I can tell you that once when my son's school went on a Saturday field trip to the MK, some of the girls(who happened to be wearing school t-shirts at the time) took a few little things from one of the gift shops. That Monday a call was received at the school and a copy of a tape was sent to the school showing the girls. Disney follows up....

That's kind of what I was thinking. If they have a credit card on file for 'incidentals', those incidentals might just be a room re-painting, a headboard, etc., as mentioned earlier in the post about the trashed room.

As for the copy of the tape showing the kids shoplifting, that confirms that there are cameras. In an earlier posting, someone was told by store CM's that there were no cameras. Do those CM's really think we believe that?

 

[DSquare]

I'm the one that wrote me wife and SIL were told there was no cameras in the Toy Store at DTD. This was probably 5 years ago. We were just there two days ago and they do have obvious security cameras in the Toy Store.

 

[CAD3655]

I searched back to get my experience from my Trip Report back in 2008 when I went with some other DISers. Too lazy to retype the story.

This was at the Starring Rolls Cafe in MGM when we stopped to get some breakfast on our way to Toy Story. Leaving out the introductory details that won't make sense unless you read the report.




I was out first and got to try to find us a table. It was COLD—in fact I heard on the news that Florida had a record cold that night. This is what happens to me, I go to Florida and they have a record cold spell. So I was looking for a table in the sun so we could have a bit of warmth. I found one but there was a backpack on one of the chairs. I asked the large group at the table next to me if it belonged to them. They said no, and it had been there a while with no one there. So I sat. Disney rules, you leave your stuff there for too long and no one is sitting then the table is up for grabs! A woman that looked like a supervisor/manager type (she wasn't wearing a funny costume!) walked by and I pointed out the chair with the backpack and told her it was there when we sat down and had lost it's owner. I was concerned that it would be stolen. Naturally I assumed that she would pick it up and take it in the back to be sent off to lost and found. I was dead wrong!

She took the entire chair and scooted it off about 30 yards away. Then she stood there in a guarding position and got on her walkie talkie. Security began showing up.

First one.

Then another.

And another.

Then 2 carrying ropes.

And we a few more around the perimeter of the area.

The ones with ropes roped off an area around the chair.

In the meantime a CM that was cleaning in the area came over to watch and to talk with us. He was also not in a funny costume and he told us he was a Trainer and was just helping out for a bit. He stayed with us chatting and watching what was going on. Also the large group at the table next to us took off. They were also interested in the action but said they had to move on. After they left a man came over and plopped himself at their now empty table. He seemed to be talking to himself but I figured he was on a bluetooth talking to his family telling them he got a table. He was also watching the security action. He leaned over to us and said “ Hey, did that thing start over here or where it is now?”. I figured he was just curious like we all were so of course I started telling him the story. He started talking into his coat again, but this time I heard “10-4” and “affirmative” and decided that he wasn't talking to his family!

We were all still talking and the Training CM said that they were going to bring out the dog. DOG??? We were really floored! I had even considered opening the backpack when we sat down to see if there was any ID in it. And here they were calling in a dog! Phors' son is with K9 in the military and had just lost his dog so this was certainly very interesting news to us. Phors said something about getting pictures of the dog to show her son. This is when the strange tourist next to us looked over and quietly said “We would prefer you didn't mam” We all looked at him and the CM said “OH! I didn't ever recognize you sitting there!” And he proceeded to introduce us to the Head of Studios Security ::cop: (undercover )! He was extremely nice but said that they try to bring the dog out, have him do his job and get him back without drawing a crowd. If people start taking photos then it draws a crowd and they may have to confiscate cameras and review the pics and get witness statements. We completely understood and had a nice chat while waiting for the dog. There was no way were leaving our seats until this was over!

When he got word on the radio the dog was on it's way out he walked by and told us that we could get pics but just stay in our seats and be discreet. We were able to get several good pictures. Because the Head of Security works undercover I have removed him from these pics to protect his identity.

Of course the dog came out, sniffed the bag, laid down and looked up as if to say “You woke me up for that???”

Quicker than it had happened, the dog and his handler disappeared backstage, the ropes were rolled up and one of the security guys picked up the bag and opened it and they all walked off. We never did find out if there was even anything in it!

We did learn that Disney has several full time K9 units and they do this for any abandoned bag. I would have thought that would have meant many times a day, it would seem that people would be constantly leaving things. But in reality security said it really doesn't happen all that often.

So the excitement was over. We had promised a good run it with security and it doesn't get much better than this! About 10 Security officers, the HEAD of security and a K9 Unit! As we walked off a few things did cross our minds:

Phors was thinking maybe that was just one of their Streetmosphere shows and wondered if we were supposed to applaud at the end!

And I was thinking that if they REALLY thought it could have been a bomb, shouldn't they have moved it a little further away, okay A LOT further away from us???

And when I told DH about it later he said he was so glad to see that we were smart enough to move ourselves out of danger when a bomb was suspected.


Tiramasu: $4.00
Fruit Tart: $4.00
Eclair: $4.00
Coffee: $3.00
Meeting the Head of Security and the K9 and NOT being arrested. . . Priceless![/QUOTE]

OMG...We were there that day too!!!!

 

[Corwin]

I'm impressed. To show you the difference between WDW and Universal, I tripped and had a bad fall at Universal one evening. I tripped over a curb and into some landscaping. (The result of having an arthritic knee and being very clumsy.) The fall was so bad that in addition to a very bloody knee, I ripped my meniscus in three places and part of it ended up rolling under my knee cap. No one from Universal offered any assistance. My family helped me limp to the front of the park where we went to guest assistance. The only thing they offered was a small bandaid. I had to leave the park with blood oozing down my leg and limp back to HRH.

Well, WDW isn't perfect, either. On our August 2009 visit, my son and I were in the wave pool at Blizzard Beach. I accidentally scraped the top of my foot hard on the abrasive bottom. As soon as I did it, I knew it was bad. There was a stream of blood drifting from my foot in the water. It looked like I'd scraped the skin off of all of my toes. I was trailing blood as I left the pool.

I wrapped a towel around my foot and went directly to first aid, and the nurse on duty couldn't care less! She gave me just one measly bandaid, and I had to beg her for a few more to cover the whole abrasion, just to stop all of the bleeding. She was the most unfriendly employee we ever ran into at WDW. I decided she was probably a contractor and not actually a cast member.

She didn't look at my foot or anything. I had to also ask her for an antiseptic wipe, and she begrudgingly gave me just one of those, too.

The injury ended up taking about 6 weeks to heal, and I ended up with a noticeable scar. I thought about writing Disney about the incident, but I never did.

 

[pickles]

cool story about the bomb sniffing k9

we saw one at a halloween party, I dont know what the dog was looking for, but they had him over by the benches working. if memory serves correctly it was near tomorrow land, that aunt janes ice creams or whatever that place is called. it was in that area anyway

 

[glassslippergirl]

Is there a Disney jail? or do they just look them up in POTC until the OPD come

Every year, I chaperone an eighth grade class trip to the Magic Kingdom, and we always threaten the students with "Disney jail" if they misbehave while on their own in the park. If there is not actually a "Disney jail," please, please do not let it get around to them.

As far as undercover security goes, years ago, my grandma tripped on a curb. Within seconds, four Disney employees were around her asking if she was okay. She was and did not even need to go to first aid, but we noticed that one of the cast members was following us for a while after we walked away-- I presume to make sure she was as fine as she said.

I would have liked to see more undercover security this Fourth of July weekend. In Frontierland, we happened upon two men in a fist fight. At first, I thought it was a bit of street theatre, but we found out that one man backhanded the other man's wife, and punches flew. It took five minutes for security to show up. One man's adult son had to pull him away while another guest stepped in to calm to man whose wife was assaulted. By the time security arrived, a crowd had gathered, the two men were ready to tear each other's throats out, and the woman who was hit was crying along with her two daughters. Both families were taken away separately, but I'd like to know how they handled this one.

 

[Pineapple Whip]

Every year, I chaperone an eighth grade class trip to the Magic Kingdom, and we always threaten the students with "Disney jail" if they misbehave while on their own in the park. If there is not actually a "Disney jail," please, please do not let it get around to them.

As far as undercover security goes, years ago, my grandma tripped on a curb. Within seconds, four Disney employees were around her asking if she was okay. She was and did not even need to go to first aid, but we noticed that one of the cast members was following us for a while after we walked away-- I presume to make sure she was as fine as she said.

I would have liked to see more undercover security this Fourth of July weekend. In Frontierland, we happened upon two men in a fist fight. At first, I thought it was a bit of street theatre, but we found out that one man backhanded the other man's wife, and punches flew. It took five minutes for security to show up. One man's adult son had to pull him away while another guest stepped in to calm to man whose wife was assaulted. By the time security arrived, a crowd had gathered, the two men were ready to tear each other's throats out, and the woman who was hit was crying along with her two daughters. Both families were taken away separately, but I'd like to know how they handled this one.

Fourth of July was insane. I think they were at their limits on park resources and it's no surprise if Security was spread thin. I remember commenting that most of the CM's did not seem to be regular CM's, and this was one of the times I wouldn't have minded uniformed security personnel manning barricades throughout the park.

It was also clear that they need to do something about the bottleneck on Main Street. At one point people were sent to a viewing area backstage near the dumpsters. While the rest of the park was overcrowded but bearable, MS was ridiculous.

Logic dictates that they need to improve the exit from the park. Heaven forbid that there's a stampede in there. I hope to god that their evacuation plan is better than their exit plan. I don't think anyone cares about the "Disney Image" when leaving the park. If it's such a big deal, they can push the "real backstage" back a little bit and dress up an exit area through it.

They didn't care about the Disney Image when they had guests sitting backstage for the fireworks viewing. They cared about taking tickets and cramming the park to capacity.

 

[pampam]

Fourth of July was insane. I think they were at their limits on park resources and it's no surprise if Security was spread thin. I remember commenting that most of the CM's did not seem to be regular CM's, and this was one of the times I wouldn't have minded uniformed security personnel manning barricades throughout the park.

It was also clear that they need to do something about the bottleneck on Main Street. At one point people were sent to a viewing area backstage near the dumpsters. While the rest of the park was overcrowded but bearable, MS was ridiculous.

Logic dictates that they need to improve the exit from the park. Heaven forbid that there's a stampede in there. I hope to god that their evacuation plan is better than their exit plan. I don't think anyone cares about the "Disney Image" when leaving the park. If it's such a big deal, they can push the "real backstage" back a little bit and dress up an exit area through it.

They didn't care about the Disney Image when they had guests sitting backstage for the fireworks viewing. They cared about taking tickets and cramming the park to capacity.

I remember once when it was very busy, they took us from the gate at the foot of Main Street between Tony's and Le Chappeau. We walked behind the scenes and exited back into MK near the washrooms at the Plaza restaurant. When we were leaving, we went the same way, from the door near the washrooms , walking behind main street, and entering MK at the gate where Tony's is. There were CM's to make sure we walked straight to where we were going, and not snoop around. It was kinda neat. As I recall, it was just a parking lot.

 

[symphie]

All of these stories remind me of our band trip in high school to WDW. We had Disney representatives come on our buses before we were let in the park and they told us "Don't do anything you wouldn't want Disney to see because I guarantee you, we WILL see it, and you WILL get caught. We have way more eyes on you than you even realize."
As high school students, it scared the mess out of us. Needless to say, we didn't have anyone needing discipline on that trip. Only one small incident with some stupid guy getting sick from drinking the water from It's a Small World...

 

[ValinWV]

I remember once when it was very busy, they took us from the gate at the foot of Main Street between Tony's and Le Chappeau. We walked behind the scenes and exited back into MK near the washrooms at the Plaza restaurant. When we were leaving, we went the same way, from the door near the washrooms , walking behind main street, and entering MK at the gate where Tony's is. There were CM's to make sure we walked straight to where we were going, and not snoop around. It was kinda neat. As I recall, it was just a parking lot.

We have walked through there a couple of times. In past trips it was to exit the park during a parade or fireworks. This trip we were entering the park during a parade and they directed us through that area. I agree, it looked like the CM parking lot. There were CMs who made sure everyone walked straight through. No stopping.

 

[Pineapple Whip]

I remember once when it was very busy, they took us from the gate at the foot of Main Street between Tony's and Le Chappeau. We walked behind the scenes and exited back into MK near the washrooms at the Plaza restaurant. When we were leaving, we went the same way, from the door near the washrooms , walking behind main street, and entering MK at the gate where Tony's is. There were CM's to make sure we walked straight to where we were going, and not snoop around. It was kinda neat. As I recall, it was just a parking lot.

That was the fireworks "viewing area". I think they should route it around so it doesn't pop out by Tony's, but rather on the other side of the ticket gates, and do the same between Casey's and the barber shop, over to the other side of the gates.

3 exits could also be "resort exit" "ferry exit" and "monorail exit".

 

[Eljay]

I remember once when it was very busy, they took us from the gate at the foot of Main Street between Tony's and Le Chappeau. We walked behind the scenes and exited back into MK near the washrooms at the Plaza restaurant. When we were leaving, we went the same way, from the door near the washrooms , walking behind main street, and entering MK at the gate where Tony's is. There were CM's to make sure we walked straight to where we were going, and not snoop around. It was kinda neat. As I recall, it was just a parking lot.

I've seen that area twice, once during KTTK tour and during the Backstage Magic tour. Not very pretty. Seems like they could theme it up a bit, so that it looks appropriate for times they have to bring guests back there.

So what do you think? Do the Security people just sit back there watching surveillance monitors or do the on-stage CM's alert them or probably both?

 

[Coach81]

wow...awesome stories...

 

[Jensspark]

All of these stories remind me of our band trip in high school to WDW. We had Disney representatives come on our buses before we were let in the park and they told us "Don't do anything you wouldn't want Disney to see because I guarantee you, we WILL see it, and you WILL get caught. We have way more eyes on you than you even realize."
As high school students, it scared the mess out of us. Needless to say, we didn't have anyone needing discipline on that trip.:

This is almost the same thing my friend told her son this summer at MK. Her 16 y/o son is dating my 16 y/o daughter and we were turning them loose in the park for 1 day. She put the fear of the Disney Gods in him to keep him from trying to make out with her on the dark rides. It apparently worked too! Now if we could just live at WDW until they become adults!