Disturbing incident in MK

[crisi]

As long as its sort of on topic -

Am I the only person who wishes Disney would get rid of the "Guest of Honor" badges? I use the badge to explain who Mickey's Friends are to my kids. Yes, CM badges are white, and GoH badges are blue (or red?) - but that's more detail than I really want to deal with for a two year old - especially one with Dumbo on the brain. My biggest fear always was that my kids would find some pervert with a GoH badge and trust them because I'd said they were "Mickey's Friend."

 

[Schmeck]

crisi, that's the reason why I didn't get a GoH badge for myself and hubby when I got them for my kids - I don't like the thought of kids thinking I'm a CM. Of course I would help a lost child find a CM, but there is always that nagging fear that I'd get sued for trying to help...

 

[Figaro]

When at WDW (and other places), I am somewhat of a magnet for lost kids(smile). I think it is because I am an older woman who is in a wheelchair, which puts me at kid level and makes me easier to approach. So, over the years I have dealt with lots and lots of little ones whose parents have gotten temporarily lost.

Disney handles this beautifully in my experience. The first thing we do is approach a CM (and we know who is a CM and who isn't which can be confusing for kids since visitors can wear "Guest of Honor" badges that look very much like the CM badges). That CM will then immediately (if they don't have a radio themselves) get a CM that does and that CM stays with the child while relaying information to other people in the park. The kids are reassured, treated very well and usually all smiles by the time we leave, after being reassured that they will find the lost parents very soon.

I've watched CM's give the kids balloons, ask them what their favorite Disney character is and find a plushie for them and treat the kids like gold(smile). Since many kids are going to misplace their parents once in a while, at least at WDW they are going to be cared for very well while the other people work to reunite them with their parents.

 

[pilotmono]

Children do not stay seperated very long at WDW. If it is a lost child they are returned to where they last saw their parent. After an appropriate length of time they are taken to Lost Children at Baby Care. Usually if the parents are not located right away, which is rare, there will be radio chatter with the child's name and description. For lost parents the radio is used immediately. After an appropriate length of time Security will issue an all call "tone out" on all frequencies with a name/description. Those average 1 or 2 a day. Seperated parties are a different story--older kids often do not report they are lost and enjoy the park until closing. It can get interesting at closing if parties are not reunited. It is not uncommon for WDW to pay taxi fair back to the hotel.

 

[3rugrats]

My wife orginally wrote this post. It was not to stir up any ill feelings or create bad Disney sentiment. We travel to Disney one or two times a year for the past 16 years. What was posted is exactly how she saw it. That is not to say it is 100% correct. It is an interpertation of the event as viewed by her. I would like to say I saw most of what transpired and it is correct. The mother was a physical and emotional wreck. We and our three sons want to hear that the family was reunited and they all lived happly ever after in true Disney fashion. So to all those doubters these are the facts as viewed by her. I would still like postive affirmation of the reunion if possible.

 

[Mortlives]

Originally posted by tjmw2727

FWIW - after filling out about as much paperwork to get a bandaid at WDW as I did to get a mortgage I seriously doubt "at least the part" about the sedative!!

TJ

I know what you mean. Last time I needed a bandaid at WDW, I bought one from the film and souvenir kiosk. The CM told me I could just go over to first aid and get one, but, remembering past experience, I just smiled, told him they were busy, and paid my $2 for a pack.


Kungaloosh!
Mort.

 

[btass]

When I was very small my brother went missing at a rest stop in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge for two hours. That was during the 1970's. My parents still don't forgive him for it and it is 2004. He was a 'darter' and more than once in my life he went 'missing' and every time my parents both cried. I have a five year old that is a darter and has been to Disney twice. We are going agian this year and I am buying a leash this time.

 

[DavidUK]

okay, lemme start with I have no children, but i do work at a tourist attraction here in the UK whose operation managers are both from the US and both headed up opereations in WDW.

We take our policy on lost children directly from WDW.

When we find a lost child or lost parent we send a coded message over our radios to security and other team members and we take descriptions there and then of either the parent or the child. The fact we have a lost child is NEVER ever said over radios.

If the child remains lost for over two minutes the doors are sealed and everyone is checked in and out.

I deal with a lost child every day and it's very very easy for young kids to get lost most of the time i can reunite them before i even have to send out a radio message.

So i'm sure Disney have delt with this millions of times before and the procedure will be drilled in to the heads of the Cast Members and i'm positive ever child is found, with the amount of CCTV cameras they have how could they not be.

anyway just my 0.24p worth

 

[Simba's Mom]

Originally posted by Mortlives
I know what you mean. Last time I needed a bandaid at WDW, I bought one from the film and souvenir kiosk. The CM told me I could just go over to first aid and get one, but, remembering past experience, I just smiled, told him they were busy, and paid my $2 for a pack.


Kungaloosh!
Mort.

Wow! Things must have changed, lucky for me. I tripped on the sidewalk, went sprawling (not too terribly embarrassed) and ended up in Epcot first aid covered with scrapes. They washed off everything, put on Neosporin, and several large bandaids. I had to give them a little info (name, hotel, stuff like that), but not bad.

 

[Imagineering or Bust]

I don't know anything particular about that situation, but I can assure you that protocol is very strict and universally standard. At the Magic Kingdom we address the situation from 2 different angles, if I run into a child who is separated from their parent we (the child and I) walk around in the vicinity where they last saw their parents for 10 - 15 minutes. If after that time we cannot locate them we walk down to Baby Care, on Main Street U.S.A., which is where we send all separated families. It's kinda tucked away that way you can easily get to it and it's centrally located that way all can find it. Anyways the child goes there and then all cast members in the park are told that either a child has been found or that one is lost. It's starts from everyone near a radio or telephone and gets passed from one cast member to the next until the people looking for the child are told that they are at Baby Care. Now if the adult came to me I would walk with them were the last saw the child, also we get a description in the meantime so that we can notify security that a child is missing. Which like I said before is then spread to all the cast members in the park. As the parent and I continue to search if 15 mins or so goes by and still no sign then we send the parent to Baby Care to see if they can beat us to the global park word of mouth message. It's a big place and on busy days it takes awhile for things to circulate, but what I think most people forget is all day long at WDW there is always someone watching whether they're cast or not. So someone will know where their family is. Also I tell parents that they need to inform they're children that if they can't find them for the child to go to a cast member in that area, where they last saw their parents. Also not everyone is a cast member, make sure the child talks to someone with a nametag (property wide all nametags should be white with blue lettering and have Tinkerbell and their name on it) if you want to go one step better find a cast member first thing and have the child recognize what a cast member and their nametag looks like. Then if the get separated the child goes immediately to a cast member and the family is normally reunited within 5 minutes or less. Personally I have seen 4 year olds who would just walk right up to me and say "I can't find my mommy" 5 minutes later or so, here comes mom. But then again for every prepared child I've seen at least 1 child who just goes off by themselves unaware and not caring what's going on around them or they'll just sit down and start crying. This is a dead give away to a cast member. Look next time a child cries, how many cast members turn their head to see what's up, it's like secondary reaction we can't help it even at supermarkets and various other places. Hopefully that gives you all some peace of mind!

 

[DumboFan]

Also not everyone is a cast member, make sure the child talks to someone with a nametag (property wide all nametags should be blue with Tinkerbell and their name on it) if you want to go one step better find a cast member first thing and have the child recognize what a cast member and their nametag looks like. Then if the get separated the child goes immediately to a cast member and the family is normally reunited within 5 minutes or less.

I've always told my DD (now 6) to find a CM with a white tag. She knows to tell them her name, the name of any grown-ups she's with (DH, DM, DB, myself, etc) & my cell phone #. Do I have "re-train" her in less than a week?

I know my drilling has worked because she has actually pointed a lost little girl to a CM. (Mom found her just as the CM got to her.)

 

[Imagineering or Bust]

Sorrie I've gone back and done editing to my original posting, you're right it's a white nametage with blue writing. The mostly blue nametags are the ones that guests can buy. Sorrie again, but It's great to here what you've been preping for, and as for your DD that's awesome. When you're at WDW it's designed to be a big, huge, family for all of us so definitely take care of your "family"

 

[mamalle]

sorry security guards cannot dispense sedatives, anxiety medication etc. a doctor has to write the order or prescription.

as far as losing a child- I dont consider myself a lazy or bad parent but I did lose both my kids during our last trip to disney right before the philamagic show and after.

I was with two other moms- three huges strollers and 5 kids- walking out of tinkerbell store walking over to park our strollers. It was crowded and I had thought my son was walking next to my friend well he wasnt there. he got lost in the crowd. it was 60 seconds at the most but it seemed like forever. I ran back into the store running all around looking for him while my girlfriend was outside. I guess I should of been more at his eye level with all the crowds because he was standing all by his lonesome across from the carousel eating his bag of goldfish. My friend brought him over to me and I fell apart holding on to him.

so than we get out of the show only to lose our strollers. I guess they had moved them after talking to a cm. I have my hand glued to gary's while my 4 y/o dd is walking with the group. she for some reason stays back and gets lost for like 20 seconds. I found her with a cm standing right about where my son had been. Up until that point I had let them walk some but no more- they were strapped in at all times. It was the most frightening experience ever. I usually have dh with me and have never gone when it was this crowded. I was wondering what disney's protocal is. we have tags that dh made for the kids to safety pin to the back of their shirts just in case but I hope I never have to go thru such a terrifying experience again. I still have nightmares.
I think before this happened I would say- oh no it cant happen to me- it can. it only take a split second. Im glad to hear the security works so well- if we wouldnt of found my kids as soon as we did- I would of been the hysterical mom in the crowd looking for her kid.

 

[DumboFan]

I was trying to figure out how to bring up the subject without my DD getting suspicious ~ she still doesn't know we're heading to WDW in a few days! Hope I can manage not to tell her, I'm getting a little ! Can't wait to see Pop Century!

 

[Sammie]

As someone said a medical doctor would have to issue a sedative, even paramedics will not do it.

Disney has many CM's that do not appear to be security that really are.

As to closing off the exits, there is only one so need to close it.

And Yes Disney does have the ability to use the public address system in the park that announces the parades. I have only heard it used once in the many years of us going.

 

[ztbz]

Couple of thoughts on this:

A few years ago while I was working at Epcot, I heard a call on the Disney 2-way private radio network, that security was looking for a lost child at the Magic Kingdom, well long story short, I was the Cast Member who found the child at Epcot, when I informed security, they were surprise that this child made it all the way from the Magic Kingdom via the monorail system to Epcot, so any thing is possible at Disney.

One thing to know while Disney will not make a public address on its Park P.A. System, but they do make calls on the 2-way radio Net and on the entire Radio Network informing Cast Members to be on the lookout for any Lost Child being reported at the time. There are quite a few radio frequencies at Walt Disney World probably close to 100 or more channels.

Now should you lose a child, one place to look for children at the Magic Kingdom is the arcade at Space Mountain, also at Epcot look in inoventions where the Computers and Video Games are located. The video games usually demo the latest Playstation 2 games so it draws kids. Also you should check at the resorts, as sometimes children will return to the hotel room.

Z

 

[sters]

Originally posted by PatriciaH
Last August DH and I were going in to ride the Great Movie Ride at the Studios and heard a child screaming so we turned around. The voice was coming from the stroller parking out front. We stopped to see if the parents came to calm the child down but no one was in sight. We wited and watched and no one came near the child. Someone had LEFT their child (looked about 2) in their stroller and went God knows where! We told a CM I hope those parents got an earful but I doubt it.

This practice is common in Scandanavian countries, where parents shop and eat in restaurants leaving their babies in strollers to enjoy the air. It's possible this was just a cultural difference that as Americans, we will never "get" (and I don't want to!)

We lost our son at an eatery at AK only because he darted after his dad who was buying the food and I thought dad KNEW! Miscommunication happens.

As for all the negative remarks about "lazy" parents. . . are the snide remarks really necessary? I have 3 kids and two hands. One kid is a dawdler and one is a darter (and one is juuust right). On our last trip to Disney, I overcame my objection to leashes and bought one for my 3yr old darter. This was great while it lasted... I could actually pay for my snacks without the fear of her taking off (yup, take your hand off your daughter to grab your money and she's GONE!). Within a day, she broke the leash! In spite of her temperment, we didn't lose her. For those holier-than-thou parents or childless people, have some compassion and be grateful you're not wearing a frazzled mother's shoes!

 

[matty624]

Originally posted by sters
This practice is common in Scandanavian countries, where parents shop and eat in restaurants leaving their babies in strollers to enjoy the air. It's possible this was just a cultural difference that as Americans, we will never "get" (and I don't want to!)

I think you're being very charitable. Think about what the temperature would have been in August, I think I'd be screaming if I was strapped into a stroller and left in 95+ degrees!
Ian

 

[deelam]

I lost my 20 month old son at the Magic kingdom. I stopped the stroller for a minute, and when I went to push again it was empty. I looked all over, I was so upset. I asked a CM to make an annoucement over the loud speakers, but he stated that he couldn't do that. I had many people whom I have never met before insisting that an announcement be made. The Disney reps refused. At that point I decided to send my Mom and my cousin over to block the exits. Disney brought me to the baby care center before I started a riot. The woman at the baby care center kept saying "this is Disney WE WILL find your baby" and about 20 minutes later, they did. When I returned to he front of the castle where I originaly lost my son, people all over started clapping.
At first I was very alarmed by what seemed to be Disney doing very little. Disney probaly wants to keep bad news like missing kids out of the spotlight. That is why nothing was announced over the loud speakers. Disney's CM's were using walkie talkies, so maybe in my case the had Cm's looking everywhere without drawing attention.

Dee

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Several years ago I "misplaced" my son who was then 7yo. We had gone on the backlot tour and came out in the giftshop. We were looking in the giftshop and my husband went to the restroom. I then couldn't find my son and kept looking in the giftshop for him, but assuming that he'd gone with my husband. When my DH returned without our son I then went to the cashier. She was very unconcerned and told me that he would turn up. He wasn't a baby so I can understand her not reacting as if her were, but her lack of concern did not make me happy. Turned out he had wandered out the door into the outside giftshop and then realized that we weren't there. I don't remember if he went to a CM or if one noticed him standing there looking lost, but he was then brought into the giftshop that we were in. I was surprised that the first CM hadn't done anything. I'm sure that she eventually would have, but was in no hurry.

The strange/funny/sad thing about my son is that even after that scare (and he was scared), he continued to wander away from us during the rest of the trip. He still wanders, but he's now 13yo so I don't worry. Thankfully his two siblings at the time (then 4 and 10yo) stayed close to us.

I now have a 4yo and when he was a toddler he delighted in try to run from me. I didn't bring him to many stores since it was too difficult, but even outside at my house he would take off from me. I'm surprised that I didn't lose him! He's much improved in that department now. I used to carry a leash around for him as a backup plan. Better than having him get away from me in public.

T&B