Do Expensive Strollers ever get Stollen?

[Lotus3323]

My first post!

Is there much chance that an expensive stroller will get stollen at Disney?

My sister bought us an expensive, fancy stroller. Right now I can't remember the name of it and I'm at work so I can't check. It reminds me of an old fashion European pram, except made in aluminum. Personally, I would never have bought such an expensive or large stroller. When we took our 3yo son to Disney last Sept for his third birthday we bought an inexpensive, small, light, compact folding stroller from One Step Ahead. My sister thought that if we took the expensive stoller it could get stollen. We will be going to Disney again and I'd like our son to be in a larger, much more comfortable stroller. One reason that I listened to my sister on our last trip is that the stroller is rather striking. We usually get many comments on it.

Am I being silly to think that our stroller is so great someone would steal it? Who would want to steal a stroller? What do you think?

If it makes any difference, I'll try to find a link to the stroller and post it tomorrow.

Wow, can you spellcheck your post...I'm sure I missed many typos.

Many Thanks,
Rebecca

 

[babiesX2]

I've wondered this myself. I posted about it last year and got many replies saying "no", but one person had a sad story. I can't remember all the details, but I think it was a Peg Perego Duette (approx. $500 stroller). It didn't belong to the poster, but they saw it happen. Some big 300 pound baffoon took this double stroller which was parked outside the Liberty Tree Tavern and used it to stand in so he could have an elevated view of the parade! The stroller collapsed in a heap of tangled metal and the jerk just walked off and left it. I don't guess there was really anything else for him to do. The poster waited for the owners of the stroller to come out and they told them about the big jerk who stood in it.

Our double stroller is a necessity for taking our twins anywhere alone. I worry about it being stolen at the parks so I think we are going to take two of the Carter's strollers that Target sells. The only problem with that is if DH or I go on a ride with DD13 then we will be stuck pretty much because it is hard to push two single strollers.

I've considered a bicycle chain, not so much to lock the wheels, but to make the stroller a pain to use and deter theft. I know CM's move strollers to tidy up so it would have to be applied in a way that the stroller could still roll somewhat, but not easily. Any ideas?

 

[babiesX2]

Am I being silly to think that our stroller is so great someone would steal it? Who would want to steal a stroller? What do you think?
Many Thanks,
Rebecca

I think as many dishonest people go to Disney as honest people. I think about people who have bigger kids and those kids get tired. The parents either don't want to find a stroller rental outlet or just don't want to spend the money on a rental. Usually these people just steal a rental, but someone else's cushy stroller is alot better than those hard plastic rentals.

I forgot -- someone else posted a while back that there "new" stroller was missing, but an identical older one was left in its place. Nice, huh.

Like you, I think my worries are silly, but then I think, "What if?"

 

[Goin2Disney2006]

This is my fear too. I will be buying a light weight umbrella stroller for our trip because I don't want my good one stolen (plus it is so heavy).

 

[RedRuby]

Our double stroller is a necessity for taking our twins anywhere alone. I worry about it being stolen at the parks so I think we are going to take two of the Carter's strollers that Target sells. The only problem with that is if DH or I go on a ride with DD13 then we will be stuck pretty much because it is hard to push two single strollers.

I've considered a bicycle chain, not so much to lock the wheels, but to make the stroller a pain to use and deter theft. I know CM's move strollers to tidy up so it would have to be applied in a way that the stroller could still roll somewhat, but not easily. Any ideas?

If you're looking for an alternative to a double stroller, I'd buy a couple of umbrella style strollers and some stroller connectors: http://www.princelionheart.com/site/t_str_6550.html

We have two Maclaren Triumph strollers*, and often join them together with the connectors for travelling, strolling on clear sidewalks, etc. (In fact, Disneyland was the first place we used the connectors which had been mailed to our Anaheim hotel by friends!). * These were birthday/Christmas gifts; cheaper strollers will work fine, too.

We like the flexibility of being able to split up, allowing one adult 'time off' while the other pushes the connected strollers, or each adult taking one stroller/child at a time.

 

[RoyalCanadian]

I had to do a double-take at the OP's subject as the spelling mistake completely changes the meaning of the question. Stollen is a lovely German sweetbread -- I had visions of icing coated fruitbreads piling up in the more expensive strollers at WDW, given as a sign of respect for the owner of said stollen stroller.

We rent WDW strollers -- so easy, and no worries about getting stolen, but only if they would gather me stollen.

 

[sassymom]

We are planning on bringing our cheapo unbrella stroller for DS2 for the airport, DTD, water parks, and resort. As for parks we plan on just renting a double for both DS and DD5. If it gets stolen we can just get a new one to replace it. We are staying on site, so the thought of us trying to lug a large stroller on and off the Disney transportation is just too much. DD is 5 but I think she'll be wanting to ride just as much as our DS. Good luck whatever you decide to do. Here's a little pixie dust to protect your stroller Does sound to me that it is not a common stroller, that in itself may be a deterrent to any stroller bandits. Have a great trip!

 

[dsneygirl]

I commented to DH on this when I spotted a woman with a Bugaboo Frog at DL last week. For the price that thing cost no way I would bring it to Disney.

I'm sure it happens every now and then but considering how many have their strollers there it's probably a tiny minority.

 

[DisneyPhD]

I don't really worry about it and don't think it is much of an issue. I have seen a few bugabo's (what are they $800??) and a few montian buggys there.

We have taken a peg pergo aria twin a number of times and a combi with no problems at all.

I have seen a couple actually convince the bus driver there per pergo (I think one like babiesX2 mentioned) that it would not fold down and actually had the driver tip the bus and strap the thing down like a whelle chair. I couldn't belive it. The the father looked at my stoller and said "Oh we looked at that one, but wasn't sure it would fit through the door frames.

My point with that story is $$$$$ I wouldn't worry about. Big and bulkey and hard to fold down, leave it at home. Too big to move around crowds, leave it at home. Small good strollers such at Combis, Maclaren and the like that aren't cheap, but are very good and great travel strollers should be fine.

Strollers that are often "nabbed" are the rented ones. This can be a pain in the but. Personal strollers it is very rare (but can happen). Often CM do move them so look around before asumming it is gone. Make sure you personalize it, many people have the same stoller. Don't leave anything valuable on it (like your camcorder, camera or cell phone.)

 

[Marmus]

Oh, I had to post on this one. We have a Mountain Buggy Urban Double, and I will never admit how much we paid for it. The site also sells chain locks, just like for a bike. I'm sure it is living in Chicago and NY, but DH and I took the lock to WDW and used it EVERYTIME! It seemed silly to take it if we could not afford to loose it, but we love that stroller. One of the cast members that was moving strollers saw us lock ours and said he wished more people would. I must say, never once did I feel it was going to be taken. I would have felt okay about not locking it, DH is another story.

 

[cinmell]

I brought my perego the last 2 times we went to WDW and didn't have any problems. However, it did take a bit of a beating on the airlines. We had a lock to put on the wheels so that it couldn't be wheeled away.

My friend on the other hand, brought a perego with her and it was stolen from while they were in the Castle having lunch.

If I were you, I would leave the expensive fancy stroller at home and buy a smaller cheaper one or even rent one. If it gets stolen, you might never hear then end of it from your sister!

 

[babiesX2]

One of the cast members that was moving strollers saw us lock ours and said he wished more people would.

Could you describe for me how you locked it with the chain?

I have thought about this: running the chain through the "spokes" of the back wheels so that CM's could tilt it up onto the front wheels if they needed to move it, but it would be most difficult for a thief to push kids around in it. Also, they would be pretty conspicuous (sp?) pushing around a stroller with a chain through the back wheels!

http://www.elitecarseats.com/Graco-DuoGlider-Stroller.pro Our stroller is like this, but our's is gray and yellow. Looking at the picture gave me the idea that it would be better to thread the chain through the front swivel wheels which would render it even more useless to a thief. Cm's could tilt it backwards to tidy up.

We bought our DuoGlider 75% off, and we love it. My dream stroller is a Peg Perego duette because our twins play constantly! I would love for them to be able to face each other, but $500 is a car payment for us.

 

[princessjv]

We have brought our Maclaren Twin and our Zooper to WDW without any problems. We make sure to clearly mark our stroller with a special ribbon on the handle and try to park it in the middle of the pack.

This is not to say, that we won't have any problems with 'losing' one in the future, but so far so good. I can't imagine not having my stroller to walk from the Hotel to bus/monorail to parks (and back).

I think that you are much more likely to 'lose' your stroller at home than at WDW (lets hope that it stays that way).

 

[HiddenMickey3018]

I wish I could take credit for this idea. But I got this idea from one of my planning guides. A family vacationing at the world had a stroller. They took a diaper, poured root beer in it, and placed it in a plastic bag, and put it on the handle of the stroller. They had their own stroller, and wanted to make sure that it stayed while they were on rides. And obviously, no one touched it! It's a little strange I know, but you do what you have to do!

 

[beattyfamily]

I wish I could take credit for this idea. But I got this idea from one of my planning guides. A family vacationing at the world had a stroller. They took a diaper, poured root beer in it, and placed it in a plastic bag, and put it on the handle of the stroller. They had their own stroller, and wanted to make sure that it stayed while they were on rides. And obviously, no one touched it! It's a little strange I know, but you do what you have to do!

Unfortuately, that's an old trick that's been around for years so I think any potential thief might already know that one!

All my years here on the DIS and all my trips going to Disney, the stroller theft stories are very few and far between and most of the time it's mistaken identity. My advice, make sure your stroller stands out with ribbons or a balloon or a bandana.

I have heard that stroller theft happens more at DTD than at the parks because there is no park admission. Many locals.

With the thousands and thousands of folks visiting the parks each day, the stroller theft is very rare.

But please don't leave vaulables in the stroller basket...like cameras, Pal Mickeys and new souvenirs. Then you are just asking to be robbed. I've definitely heard more stories of Pal Mickeys or new souvenirs being stolen then I have strollers being stolen.

I say go and try not to worry about it. I've brought my Maclaren on two trips so far (and others strollers on 7 other trips) with no problems at all, only the initial fear when my stroller's been moved by a CM.

 

[Selket]

I have taken a Peg Perego Milano stroller a few times and didn't have a problem. We got a Maclaren last year for our trip and those things are all over the place - even in the same color. I would definitely tie something colorful on the handle to distinguish yours. I read on here once that someone had a similar stroller taken most likely by accident because one like it was left and finally the family and the CM decided that someone had accidently taken a look-alike stroller.

We have left a smaller cooler in the basket (with some water in it, cheap snacks at the most) and not had a problem but I wouldn't leave anything of value. The Maclaren is a great stroller - I can't remember the model but it is lightweight, reclines, holds a heavy pre-schooler, and was like $80 or something. Get something like that if you child is old enough (not an infant perhaps!) and you don't need to worry so much

 

[babiesX2]

My suggestion is the "Stroller Monkey" made by "RonCo". You leave a matching diaper bag on the bottom of the stroller and anyone who attempts to steal it or vandalize it, a monkey jumps out of the bag and gives the culprit a good beating and quietly returns to the bag when finished. I think it costs only 3 easy payments of $29.95. I am sure it would have worked for the 300 pound bafoon that attempted to use the stroller as a step stool. Just kidding, I like the idea of the bike lock tho, best suggestion thus far.

MrGrumpy222 was so happy with himself over his "invention" that I just had to resurrect this post for him. It is a great idea!

I looked today at Wal-Mart and there are bike chains with a combination lock attached ranging in price from $1.97 to $9.98. A small investment to protect our stroller. It is not so much the monetary value of the stroller, but the value that it has for our needs. If our stroller was stolen, we'd have to tote the twins around and go through the hassle of filling out paperwork then take time out from our vacation to go stroller shopping. I picked up one of the $1.97 chains and "practiced" with it today. I didn't time it with a stopwatch, but it takes about 30 seconds to thread it through the spokes of one rear wheel and secure to the frame. It takes about 30 seconds to work through the combination and remove the chain and throw it in the basket underneath. Oh, yeah, and I did this with two 12 month old toddlers "helping" me! BTW, even if we decide to take 2 umbrellas and use connectors, we will still use the bike chain.

Good night, everyone. I will leave you with this story.

HI back in 2000 when I only had 2 dd, now we have 4dd and 1 d son. I was in line for Snow White ride when I turned to my husband and said "Is that our stroller that that women is putting her 2 kids in?" We both got out of line and went over to her and she said "Oh sorry I thought it was mine. My 2 daughters were 6 and 7 at the time. and my stroller was older, i bought it when they were babies it was a double front to back. her kids were 2/3 my stoller was not on the market any more. so I don't know how she thought it was hers. it was also raining and I had the seat cushions underneath to saty dry. I almost always lock it but figured hey we are right here we can see it. After that I always lock it. When she walked away we nevere saw her get "her' stroller. Jill

 

[TravelinGal]

Just got a bike cable to use on our stroller. It's not worth the risk - I wouldn't want to have to haul a fussy 18 month old to the front of the park to rent one of those hard ones - and with DH's "glass half empty" attitude it would kill the trip if our stroller was stolen.

Now he's worried someone will steal our new rain cover.

 

[munchkinsmom]

We had our Maclaren Twin Traveller stolen from Disneyland, along w/ the contents in the baskets, last Labor Day weekend (2005). We were staying up at the DLR for several days and it was stolen on day one of our trip. Every day we were up there, we would stop by Guest Services/Lost and Found to see if it had been returned. Unfortunately, we never saw our beloved stroller again.

While strollers getting stolen don't happen often, they DO happen. We had been taking strollers to the park for years and never gave it a second thought to leave it unlocked until it happened to us. It's not a pleasant experience at all. While it takes a minute or two, we now secure our replacement Mac TT stroller w/ a cable lock. We've certainly learned our lesson, and we don't want to be in a position to have to buy another one, LOL!

 

[NotUrsula]

I've had a Mac and a Peg since back when they were still very rare in the US outside of NYC or Chicago. I always worried about leaving them in parks, so I decided to use locks, and found out very quickly that in the usual theme park hurry to get from ride A to ride B, locking it between rides took way too much time, and I would end up blowing it off. So I looked for some sort of compromise approach, and I found one that made me feel comfortable.

I lock the fold joints of the stroller so that it cannot be folded. I use a long-hasp padlock, but you could also use a wound chain lock. I find that the "lock it so that it can't be folded, but can roll" option is the only one that I will consistently use, because you only have to do it once per park (unless you take the MK train with an umbrella fold.)

The way I figure, locking the fold joint makes it very improbable that your stroller will get any further than the parking lot, even if someone does take it deliberately. If they cannot fold it, they can't easily get it into a vehicle, therefore it becomes a much less attractive target for theft than the unlocked stroller that is a bit further down the line. If someone did take it just for convenience, they would undoubtedly abandon it somewhere in the park or in the parking lot, and the efficient folks at Disney would get it back to me if that happened. Just in case, I used clear lacquer to stick about 5 small address labels on various parts of the bottom of the frame, so that I could easily identify them if they turned up in lost and found. (The labels have the cell# on them, too.)

I also tied a big froth of metallic curling ribbon onto the handles; it helps to stop mistaken identity because it falls over your hand, so it is noticeable when you try to push it, but it is very difficult to remove unless you have a scissors or sharp knife. It also glints in the sun, which makes the stroller easier to spot in a crowd.