Because of recent threads on theft what are you doing different during your stay?

[Savin4Disney]

I did buy DS a travel wallet that can be looped through his belt. He wears large shirts that cover his waist so you would not see it outwards. He will have to carry his money at Universal.

I have always told him. Take your time putting your money away. The people behind you can wait an extra 30 seconds. Don't rush away and you will not drop your money.

 

[ellyn2000]

I also don't take many valuables that will be kept in the room while I'm away. I do keep some things locked in safe. Always have a backup plan in case debit card or cash are lost. I treat WDW just as I would any other vacation destination and try my best not to be careless. All the care in the world will not stop a determined thief.

 

[macraven]

having a very blonde moment here............i started to read this thread as the first sentence posted really caught my eye.

i was not aware of the thefts at disney.
yea, said i was blonde.....

was there a large number of thefts recently that made you start this thread?
i haven't read anything recently on this problem.

i was at the mother land for 14 days last month and was probably living in my own little world not noticing disney had these problems.

please tell me, has there been a large number of theft/crime recently there?

 

[aubriee]

having a very blonde moment here............i started to read this thread as the first sentence posted really caught my eye.

i was not aware of the thefts at disney.
yea, said i was blonde.....

was there a large number of thefts recently that made you start this thread?
i haven't read anything recently on this problem.

i was at the mother land for 14 days last month and was probably living in my own little world not noticing disney had these problems.

please tell me, has there been a large number of theft/crime recently there?[/QUOTE

A few months ago there was a post about someone breaking into OKW and stealing the entire safes out of the rooms. There was also a thread where some things came up missing from a room at one of the Values (one of the Dis'ers grandson's stuff, in fact). Recently there's been a couple of theads about thefts at the CR (on the upper floors no less--thieves coming across the balconies and in through balcony doors).

 

[macraven]

thanks aubriee for the 411.
guess i should read more of the dis threads......

i had no idea it was more than one isolated incident at disney.
when i am there, i feel so secure and worry free.

i never let my valuables left out in the open, probably due to habit.

i will have to be extra careful on my next trip.

i always request a ground floor as i have been going solo. i have this fear of using the elevator late at night to go to a room on an upper level and have a problem if someone would get on with me either then or between floors.

just my imagination running wild i guess.....

 

[snowbunny]

Most vacationers are easy target, too much cash, leave cameras and such unattended, not paying attention to surroundings, easily distracted, etc.

Right, and furthermore there's a subconscious feeling people have that the ordinary rules have been somehow suspended, and nothing bad can happen, because "I'm on vacation." Nothing could be further from the truth!

 

[LiteBrite]

We just bought our first laptop computer, and I'm planning on bringing it to WDW on my next trip. For those of you who bring laptops, what do you do to secure them in the hotel room?

 

[safetymom]

Buy a laptop cable lock and secure it to a piece of furniture in the room.

 

[oxfordcircus]

Buy a laptop cable lock and secure it to a piece of furniture in the room.

great idea. I would lose so much if I lost my laptop. I plan to bring it this trip to upload my photos. I'll be getting a lock. Speaking of which, does anyone know if a laptop would fit in the roomsafes at AKL?

 

[disneyfreakjackie]

great idea. I would lose so much if I lost my laptop. I plan to bring it this trip to upload my photos. I'll be getting a lock. Speaking of which, does anyone know if a laptop would fit in the roomsafes at AKL?

No, the laptops do not fit in the safes as they are very small. We bring our laptop to upload our photos. We have left it right on the table, without a lock, our entire trip (nine days) without incident. I guess we are one of the lucky ones!! I will be asking DH to "hide it away" somewhere from now on!!

 

[jodifla]

No, the laptops do not fit in the safes as they are very small. We bring our laptop to upload our photos. We have left it right on the table, without a lock, our entire trip (nine days) without incident. I guess we are one of the lucky ones!! I will be asking DH to "hide it away" somewhere from now on!!

We always leave our laptop out, too. We lock the money and wallets in the safe, and take our IDs and room keys with charging privileges.

I'm surprised at some of the lengths folks go to.

 

[cara loves the poly]

WOW is all i have to say! We will make sure to lock the belcony door! Never thought it was an issue! We will be more careful, thank goodness nothing has ever happened!

 

[Ladyhawke10]

I just added on a few more days at the Beach Club (yes, now we're staying at the AKL, Poly, and the Beach Club...and the trip is nearly 2 weeks long...I've got to stop.... )

--and actually, I did book an upper floor there in response to the recent threads about theft. Normally, I'd request a bottom floor (we love being able to go straight from the room to the pool)==but that shows how open I've been in the past. I have been in first floor rooms that were in view of the pool, and just left the sliding door unlocked because I could see the room from where I was laying out. Uh, now I will be on the fifth floor and will use both latches!

I've never been a victim of theft, and I know in some cases it's unavoidable, but if there's anything I can do to minimize the chances, it's being done.

Other than that, we'll certainly be enjoying ourselves and not worrying while we're there!

 

[safetymom]

You can't be too careful no matter what hotel you are staying in. Leaving a laptop out is not a good idea.

 

[TDC Nala]

Same with the laptop if we bring it. I am not sure what the point of locking it in a suitcase is...if someone figures out there's a laptop in there, they'll just steal the whole suitcase

This much is true. However, if you are going to bring a laptop anyway and it won't fit in the safe, it would be better to lock it up in the suitcase than to not lock it up in the suitcase. The other alternative is to carry it with you all day.

 

[WDWBetsy]

I have to smile here at everyone saying they will NOt bring cash but rather use credit.

What happens if someone steals your credit number charges you up and you have nothing to fall back on?

There is no way I would carry hundreds of dollars worth of cash on vacation. If you lose it, it's gone. If it's stolen, it's gone and it's your word against someone else. Who's to say you left $200 in the safe or $500?

If my credit card number is misused, I can dispute the charges. We always carry two credits cards just in case, so we won't be in a position where we have no funds. We also notify our credit card company that we'll be on vacation and how much we expect to spend so they can be suspicious of any outrageous charges. If for some reason we decided to spend more than that, we would call the credit card company and let them know in advance of a purchase.

Sorry that happened to you at POFQ. That is horrible. Sadly, there are crooks everywhere.

 

[monty]

We have not used either a front-desk or room safe in several years. If I were forced to carry a lot of cash or valuables for some reason (can’t imagine that though), I would probably use the front desk safe.

Was interested in why the front desk safe would be safer? If leaving cash do you and a CM count it out and do they accept total responsibility for it if it did go missing? How does the room safe work? Do you make up your own combination, or what? Is it in the wall or can someone pick it up and walk out with it?
We are coming from Australia so will be travelling with Passports. I know they shouldn't be kept together with your travellers cheques, but there is only so many places you can keep your things safe.If I was to put them both in the safe and they got stolen I figure they are going to be just as easy as cash for a thief to negotiate. I was planning to bring a reasonable amount of cash as the exchange rate charges when using a credit card are horrendous.Now I'm not sure what to do.
Any further advice would be appreciated.

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

Since I have been reading about different theft at the World what are you going to do diffrent?

1. I am staying at POP and will not be staying on the first or second floor if I can help it.

2. I have about 200.00 in Disney Dollars. I was going to put them in the safe but now I am thinking it might be better to do:
a. put most of them down and use my room key to charge
b. lock them in my suitcase

3. At night put the camera and other valuables in the safe or locked in my luggage.

4. Get some travel checks instead of having 300.00 in cash. I will now have 100.00 in cash and the rest in traveler checks.

What are you going to do different?

lock the window and door. have the room key code changed. don't bring high dollor items that i can't hide or lock up.

 

[macraven]

i was at disney last month and had a large amount of travelers checks and cash on me.

i didn't want to use the wall safe in the room so i used the safety lock box at the front desk.

anyone can use it.
you request the lock box from the cm at the front desk. they give you one that is sealed up. you place your items in it and sign 2 or 3 forms.

it is locked by you and you are given the only key to it. the box is then placed in the cubicle on the back wall on under the counter behind the front desk area.

when you retrieve your belongings, you have to sign for it and the signatures have to match. also show photo id. sign more forms and you close out the box. the cm can not open the box.
the only key to it is the one you have.
big big penalty if you lose that key though.

i found it very safe and secure and would use it again.

 

[LiteBrite]

Was interested in why the front desk safe would be safer? If leaving cash do you and a CM count it out and do they accept total responsibility for it if it did go missing? How does the room safe work? Do you make up your own combination, or what? Is it in the wall or can someone pick it up and walk out with it?
We are coming from Australia so will be travelling with Passports. I know they shouldn't be kept together with your travellers cheques, but there is only so many places you can keep your things safe.If I was to put them both in the safe and they got stolen I figure they are going to be just as easy as cash for a thief to negotiate. I was planning to bring a reasonable amount of cash as the exchange rate charges when using a credit card are horrendous.Now I'm not sure what to do.
Any further advice would be appreciated.

Monty, my hubby and I had an argument last year when we were in Europe about what to do with our passports - he thought we should have them on us at all times, I thought we should leave them in the apartment we were staying in, because if we got our pockets picked, at least we'd still have our passports. (This was a slightly different situation, since we rented an apartment for a week, and there was no maid service, so no one coming in and out.) In your situation, I think I'd leave them with the front desk safe, since there's a clear record of what goes in there.

About the cash and traveller's checks - you can put them down on your hotel account when you check in, and then have charging privileges put onto your hotel key. You can use it anywhere in WDW just like cash (with a very few exceptions, like some of the popcorn carts, etc.), and not worry about it being stolen. If you lose your room key, just notify your hotel front desk right away, and they'll invalidate the lost card and make you a new one. At the end of your stay, whatever is left over will be refunded to you in cash. It's a very easy and very safe way to deal with cash if you don't want to use credit.