Do Strollers Get Stolen in WDW?

[Momto8]

My DD has a double Combi stroller that she plans on taking to WDW in September for her 3 and 1 year old. It is a smaller, lightweight stroller that is similar to an umbrella stroller but a little nicer. They thought it would be easier to take the double rather than two strollers because of folding them up and carrying them on the buses.

The only thing is that she's worried about it getting stolen when she has to park it at each attraction. Has anyone had their strollers stolen? Is this something she should be concerned about?

Thanks for any advice!

 

[sunlover13]

We brought a Maclaren Triumph with us this past May and still brought it home with us so I think she will be OK. Have her tie something around the handles so it is easily recognizable. We just tied a scarf and made sure our name was on the bottom of the stroller. No issues here though

 

[JenEeyore]

Of course you can never say it will NEVER happen, but it is very unlikely at WDW to have your stroller stolen. If you have a popular style/color it is possibly likely someone may mistakenly temporarily take it or move it, but theft at WDW is slim. Do be aware though that CMs tend to "repark" strollers at attractions, so often we come out and our stroller isn't exactly where we parked it, but it is always close by somewhere.

Put something bright and identifyable on the handle to keep it recognizable and everything should be fine for your DD.

J

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I like the anti-stroller theft hint that several people have mentioned on here previously. Pour some brown-colored soda onto a clean diaper. Put it in a clear plastic bag and tie it to the handle of your stroller. Most likely, no one will want to touch it!

 

[tink_about_it]

Never my stroller...but when we rented, I had a double stroller parked by the teacups with a souvenier in it that we had just purchased. When we got off the ride, the stroller and souvenier...GONE!

 

[pumpkin5156]

I know DL is smaller, but I've been there like a million times, and never had anything stollen, including a stroller. If anything happened, it would most likely be some punk kids who have AP's just trying to be "cool." Most adults are pretty happy and delightful whilst inside the Happiest Place On Earth. Unless they have grouchy kids, then not so happy, but, you konw what I mean....

 

[KimAshton]

Definitely right your name on it if you can.

 

[katiebsmom]

We've taken strollers to DW twice and never had a problem. I even got tired of carrying the "bag" full of cameras and other pricey items so I left it in the stroller and all of it was right where I had put it when I came out of Little Mermaid at MGM.

I agree with one of the previous posts about CM's moving them. We ALWAYS had to look around a little bit for the stroller (except at Little Mermaid at MGM LOL!!!!! )

 

[all4fun]

The dirty diaper trick is the oldest trick in the book ... literally, it's been in WDW guidebooks for years. I remember reading about it over 10yrs ago when we made our first trip to WDW, so I wouldn't count on it fooling too many people.

We have spent lots of time at WDW and we've had our stroller moved (reparked by CM's) but never stolen. Nothing has ever been stolen from our stroller either. But as pp's have said, one can't say it's never happened. I think it's just more unlikely in the parks. Downtown Disney is another matter altogether since the parking lot is just steps away. We tie a bright colored bandana around the handle of ours and it makes it very easy to spot. We also have a lime green luggage tag w/our name on it as well but you could also put a label w/your name on it in a hard to see place so if it did get taken, and you happen to see one like it you could easily check to see if it was yours or not.

Some people will take a bike lock and lock the back wheels together so it won't easily roll. You shouldn't lock it to anything in case it needs to be moved (not all areas are "stroller parking" areas but sometimes it's not clearly defined). I'm sure the cm's move strollers not only to make room for more but also to keep pathways clear.

Some one in a fairly recent thread mentioned the retractible bike locks like this are fairly inexpensive, light, and easy to use.

hth

 

[disneyjunebug]

I know lots of people have LEFT strollers at WDW! When I was a castmember, I would go to Company D and they always had an area that carried things left by guests and they would sell them to castmembers after 30-60 days of being held. There were always strollers, sunglasses, cameras, etc. I've seen really expensive items that someone "misplaced" there for sale!

 

[fakereadhed]

Ours was fine. We brought our Mac Quest Mod. They were a dime a dozen. Not to worry!

 

[bookworm2]

We took our Maclaren Volo and didn't have any problems at all. I saw tons of EXPENSIVE strollers around and I would be really surprised if any of the owners had any trouble. Just make sure you put something on yours that makes it unique - my DH about rolled off with one that matched ours before I caught the mistake! DD got a balloon the last day we were there and we tied it to the stroller - we only wished we had discovered that earlier in the week!

 

[m-0f-thomas]

I had just bought a Sit n Stand stroller and was concern about it being taken. We just bought a bike lock and we would put it on the wheel and the frame, so it would be hard to move, but if a CM needed to move it you could lift it up the back and move it. This was 3 years ago, we just got back two weeks ago and we still have the lock on the stroller but we never locked it on this trip. It was moved once on this trip but I knew to look where the mass of strollers were and it was there. The bike locks are less then $10 at walmart and for the peace of mind it gave me it was worth it.

 

[beattyfamily]

It a very rare occurance and usually when it does happen, it's mistaken identity so be sure to make your stroller stand out.

Do not leave valuables in the basket.

The place that the risk is highest but still not too common is at DTD since it is free to enter.

You should be fine.

 

[Momto8]

Thanks so much for all the replies. Sorry I haven't been on the boards to respond since I posted this. I was so dumb - I went out on Lake Lanier water skiing yesterday, and I pulled and tore the muscle in the back of my right leg so I am laid up now. The good side is that I have more time to be on the DIS boards. Of course, I'm kind of drugged up right now, but as long as I keep taking the pain killers and Ibuprofen and keep a pillow under my leg, it helps a lot. Thank goodness we're not to going to WDW until September, so that should give me enough time for it to heal. Dr. says it should take about 4 weeks.

After reading all these replies, I feel a lot better that the chances of her stroller not getting stolen are good. I really like the idea of putting something like a bright colored scarf on the stroller to help identify it. Also I will make sure she puts her name on it as well in case someone should mistake it for theirs. I told DD about the locks and she is considering purchasing one. I've heard about the dirty diaper trick before.

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I'm so excited and can't wait to be going. We are down to 87 days. When we started counting, we were at 280 days, so it will be here before we know it! Now I just have to work on getting my leg better. No more water skiing for me!