Ever lose a kid in WDW?

[Marseeya]

I did.

We ate dinner at Akershus for the princess dinner and our ADR was for 7:55. We figured we'd get out just in time for Illuminations, but we were so worn out at that point that we just wanted to leave and not have to battle the crowds at the bus stop. So, we left dinner just as Illuminations was starting and we walked quickly through World Showcase to just before the Odyssey Pavillion (is that what it's called?). Normally, we had everyone hold hands in crowds and stupid me just assumed the girls were holding hands this time. Just as we got to the pavillion, we turned right to go into it and a big crowd came along and separated us from DD's friend, so she went left with the crowd. About halfway into the pavillion, DD said, "We lost Sunshine!"



DD and I stopped where we were, and DH backtracked to find her. I was on edge the whole time he was gone, so I stood on this bridge so I could watch for them. He called me on my cell in a panic and said he couldn't find her, plus Illuminations was ending and people were starting to stampede. A CM noticed my distress and he came over to question me and then got on his radio right away. About a minute later, DH called me back to say that another CM found her and had her at a vending stand.

Let me tell you what, losing your own child is bad enough, but losing someone else's child has this whole other dimension of fear to it that I can't even begin to describe. But if you're going to lose a kid, WDW is the place to do it. I can't believe how on the ball those CMs were. Kudos to them!

Oh, and there were a big bunch of jerks there that night too. If they're reading this, I have to tell you that I hope they find out someday how bad this feels. When my DH was frantically trying to find Sunshine, he was shouting her name in a panic (I heard him and he sounded terrified), people were making fun of him and shouting back other names that went along with Sunshine (made up name, but you get the picture) like "moon," "stars," etc. My DH is normally the most laid back person you'd ever want to meet, and nothing really fazes him, but this REALLY upset him.

After we found her, we had to just sit there for 1/2 hour or so and collect ourselves because we were so shaken up. And Sunshine? She thought it was funny. Kids!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Didya pop her on the back of the head for that one? j/k

Funny enough, I never lost one of the rascals at the park, but we had a running joke when I was growing up because when my family took our yearly trip to Disneyland my brother always got lost. He knew to go to Lost & Found, so my parents would go there to get him.

I lost my ds when he was about 5 at a place called Housekeeping in Yosemite. It was an awful feeling. Poor little thing was clutching a comb (where the heck did he get that from?) when I found him. He was fine until he saw me, and then he started crying. (My dd, on the other hand, was totally the opposite -- she would run off at the drop of a hat & it never fazed her. She would always look at us like, "What?" Now her, I should have popped on the back of the head. ) She laughs whenever I remind her of those days.

 

[puggymom]

We were there that first summer summer, so I was only 6 yo. Whenever a character would walk by, i just stop in my tracks and stare. We were wlaking in Fantasyland and I stopped and no one noticed. My mother tells me that was the worst feeling and the world was a lot different then. After that they got a stroller and I remember not being happy about it, but I did fit.

 

[kbkids]

Lost DS - then age 3 - at Downtown Disney. Scariest 5 minutes of my life!! If we had been in the park, I think I might have been a bit calmer. But we were outside Once Upon a Toy with a parking lot right behind it. Would have been so easy for someone to snatch him and jump into a car.

He had seen something in a window a couple stores back and was bugging my DH about going back to see it. He told him "in a minute." We stopped to take pictures of him and his sister in front of the Buzz Lightyear at the toy store. Looked down at my camera to make sure that the picture had come out right, looked up, he was gone!! After the fact, DH says he should have realized where he went, but we all panicked! Four adults - two kids - you'd think we could keep up with them. My dad found him back down at that store hanging out with a security guard.

 

[PattnFmly]

Not at Disney, but at Water Country in NH. We were with a group and were splitting up to do a couple different things. I told DS to stand right next to me until the decisions were made, but he didn't listen and went off. I turned and he was gone. Went to Lost and Found, everywhere. Finally found him back where our beach chairs and snacks were. He was totally unfazed, and was sitting there drinking a juice box! He said he'd looked around a bit and didn't see me, so just went back to our chairs! He's 6 years old! I didn't know whether to hug him or pop him! Got more than a few gray hairs out of that one!

 

[nkjzmom]

(My dd, on the other hand, was totally the opposite -- she would run off at the drop of a hat & it never fazed her. She would always look at us like, "What?"

Our youngest son is just like that. He "lost" us on our last trip in October. We were vacationing with my family so there were 15 of us altogether. Some of us had taken the Family Magic Tour while the rest were in Fantasyland. When we met back up everyone was talking excitedly about what we'd done. I thought DH had him, he thought I did. We walked all the way from Fantasyland to the Main St. train station before we realized we didn't have him. I immediately went to Guest Services and they began alerting CMs over the radio while DH retraced our steps. Within 5 minutes they had him at First Aid. I took off running and called DH and he came running and we met there. He was fine having some water and snacks and was covered in Mickey stickers. It turns out he had stopped to watch Cinderellabration (which had just started and which he had adamantly informed us the day before he hated because it had girls in it) and thought everyone else would stop with him. When he noticed we weren't there he approached a Fastpass Photographer and told her he couldn't find his mom and dad. He was only 4 at the time!

 

[Hedy]

My dad got lost, does that count? We got split up in AK, and he wasn't where we said we'd meet. We panicked, called the hotel...turns out he'd gone to see Tarzan Rocks.

I suggested we get him a leash.

 

[AuntieM03]

No, but there were a few times during our trip in December I wouldn't have minded losing my 13 year old nephew for a while

 

[ppiew]

Yup - twice! One with ours one with a friends!
Ours - DD was about 9 yrs old and we were on Tom Sawyer Island. She was throwing a snit about something and disappeared! Frantically we ran up and down the island to no avail. Found a CM and asked - he said 'did you look in Injun Joe's Cave?' We ran down there and behind a rock she sat! I was relieved but could have killed her! Came out and thanked CM profusely and he said, at least 6 kids per day do the same thing. They wanted to stay in the cave longer than the parents and 'found' a way to go back!
A friends - we were in WDW with 12 kids and lost one. Went to L & F and they found her within 5 min. We marched down to the hat shop and bought BIG wide brimmed bright yellow hats for all the girls and baseball caps (also bright yellow) and had their names embroidered. Told ALL the kids that should we ever get separated to head directly for Cinderella's Castle - you can see it anywhere in the park- and wait right in front for us. We would find them!
Those episodes were enuf for me - scared the C*** out of me!

 

[MommyPoppins]

We have lost 2 of our kids on 2 different trips. Both were found before panic started.

1st time it was at the Honey I shrunk the Kids playground. I was holding the baby and standing at the entrance/exit to make sure none of our kids left. DH was following around the 2 year old and my other 2 sons(3 and 4, alomst 4 and 5 at the time) were running around together. DH called me over to the nearest slide, for only a moment, so I could catch the 2 year old at the end. When I returned to my post I saw DS4 without DS3. I asked him where he went, he said, . I sent him to look for him and he came back a minute later said he couldn't find him. I was just on my way out of there to look at the stroller when I saw a CM with DS3 in tow. He had run out of there in the minute I wasn't looking. Thankfully at the strollers a CM saw him and was just bringing him back to me. It all happened in less than 5 minutes.

2nd time was last March. We were at the Boneyard in AK, yeah I know you'd think we learned our lesson. This time DH was holding the baby and I was running around with the boys, making us all stay together. Well they wanted to go down the huge slide, DS5 went, DS4 went, DS3 went, not 10 seconds after DS3 went, I went. When I got to the bottom he was already gone. We started running around like chickens with our heads cut off calling his name and looking for him. I saw him, looking around in quite a panic, less than a minute later.

We always put tags on our boys with our names and cell numbers...and if I'm going to lose one of my kids I'd rather it be at WDW than anywhere else...but boy is it the scariest feeling in the WORLD.

 

[AmyJ of Ca]

Lost my then 2 YO (now he's 9) at DL in Fantasyland. I thought he was staying with my sister while I went to get the stroller and he followed me. Talk about panic. All I could think of was who would stop someone from taking a crying kid from Disneyland. I went up to the ice cream vendor and they called it in. I was franticaly running around when I came back to her she said that they found him and were taking him to lost and found. I ran the whole way and bu the time I got there Pooh was in there sitting with him and the CM that found him had him sitting on her lap. I thought it was great that they didn't just hand him off which would have scared him more and kept the CM with him that had found him. He is the oldest of my 4 kids and have NEVER lost another one...yet. Amy

 

[Marseeya]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one to admit this!

That night after we lost DD's friend, we called her mother to tell her about it. We definitely thought we should tell her what we did because we felt so guilty. She took it SO well and was so gracious about it!