Fort thefts.... They got ME !!

[Disney John]

Just got back from the Fort and am very angry to report that my Powerwise golf cart battery charger was stolen from my cart on 8/24. When I reported it stolen, I was told by several staff members that they have had an increase of thefts recently. (lights, bikes, my charger, and even an entire private golf cart)

When I asked to speak to the manager , he told me that many new things are being done to try to combat the thefts including the new secured parking area. He also mentioned that many other new ideas have been floated around to combat other problems, one of these items was eliminating private carts totally. He said they are still contemplating this.

 

[Lil' Lisa]

Man, that is such a bummer! What a way to spoil the magic! Did they do anything to compensate you in any way?

 

[DaveInTN]

None of that is good news.

 

[stacktester]

I was told the same thing by Jeff Martin who is a manager at the fort. When he mentioned the private carts not being allowed I said you're going to lose a lot of business and he said it wasn't a worry so who knows.

I don't think they'll do away with them because there's a lot of people who stay extended trips and that's just going to get people fired up with them and they don't want to hear complaints.

I can see a trail fee though for outside carts. I go to several other places that charge by the day or by the length of stay. Bringing your own cart is a privilage whether you want to admit it or not. They don't have to let us do that. Unfortunately, there's a lot of people who have abused that privilage and we risk losing it.

 

[MandMLUVMMandDVC]

Am I in a fog or something? I don't understand how eliminating private carts is going to help curb thefts? That is strange.

 

[LONE-STAR]

Sorry to hear about your charger getting stolen. Let's hope someone took it by mistake although I doubt it. I sure hope they don't band personal carts. If they do I know our once a year 3 week trip would be cut to a week if we came at all. It's a shame rule breakers ruin it for everybody. No personal carts would ruin the fort for us. My dad is disabled and we have built his cart to haul his ECV around. No disney cart does that.

 

[LONE-STAR]

Am I in a fog or something? I don't understand how eliminating private carts is going to help curb thefts? That is strange.

I know it makes no scenes. It like saying if a trailer got broken into no more campers. Who comes up with these ideas.

 

[Disney John]

Man, that is such a bummer! What a way to spoil the magic! Did they do anything to compensate you in any way?

No they didn't offer any compensation. they offered to let me use one of their carts for 24 hours, but I was leaving the next day so I declined. They gave me a telephone number to file a claim.

Am I in a fog or something? I don't understand how eliminating private carts is going to help curb thefts? That is strange.

Well, thefts of, and from private carts are becoming a problem, so if there are no private carts.....there will be no thefts from them, I guess. But thefts are not the only problem, with private carts. some other problems include children driving them around, modified carts carts driving too fast .. etc.

StackTester, Jeff Martin is one of the the Managers that I talked to also. I suggested better enforcement of the current rules instead. I told him that his staff very rarely said anything to people who were violating rules. He said that all staff, not just Security, were supposed to act when they see violations.

I laughed at that and I told him about the "Lake Patrol" staff that walked right by a barking dog on the beach that was peeing in the sand. That night there were 4 dogs on the beach during the fireworks. No one said anything.

In the 20 days that I was there, I saw Security patrol once in our loop. And for the first 11 days of our stay we were at the Fort exclusively, 24 hours a day.

 

[Disney John]

Sorry to hear about your charger getting stolen. Let's hope someone took it by mistake although I doubt it.

No, it was no mistake. It was under the back seat, in a compartment. They knew what they were doing. But thanks for the kind thoughts

 

[Gatordad]

Here's a novel idea... Ban the campers all together. This way, anyone seen at the campground would be subject to arrest or being shot on sight....... No people=no criminals. I should approach Disney with this idea, they'll put me in upper management.

 

[polkadotsuitcase]

Ugh, that truly stinks. Also ticks me off if the domino effect result is that things change for everyone because of a couple losers.

 

[des1954]

A couple (in their 40's) tried to help themselves to our cart back in 2003. We had it parked by Trail's End (before they built the GC parking area by the marina). Thankfully a friend of our was sitting on the porch having a cup of coffee, saw what was going on, and intervened. The people claimed they thought it was the cart they rented. I don't believe FtW ever rented a cart that looked like this one...

 

[des1954]

The Fort parking lot has been closed to open traffic since July 4th. All traffic is going thru the guard or carded gate now. But, the guards let anyone come in - just like any other resort. So much for security.

BTW - They've been saying they are going to ban private GC's for about 10 years now. It would be a nightmare to try and stop it. Too many people with ressies for the next year or so. Will they send all of them a letter saying...no more golf carts? Possibly, but I doubt it. Then, what will they do with the people who drove a long way with a cart in tow? Can't very well tell them to turn around and go home. They just need to step up to the plate and enforce their own rules.

 

[stacktester]

Debbie, that's exactly what I told Jeff. WDW might be the most magical place on earth but it's also a business. I told Jeff that when someone checks in with a personal cart they need to register it and put a decal on the windshield with an identifying number. If they break the rules they are subject to the cart being parked for the duration of their stay.

We go to a place near Gainesville called Ginnie Springs that let's you bring carts but if they spot a kid driving they will warn you and then the next time it goes to the "Ginnie Jail". You have 2 choices at this point. Either pack up and leave or pick it up when you leave. I've seen both and I've also seen people quit acting the fool.

When we were there 4th of July we had 5 people on the cart (3 kids on back) and this bozo security stopped us in the overflow and said we couldn't have more than 4 people. The next day I see a kid about 10 drive right past the pool with a couple other small kids and nobody said a word.

IMO, Disney does need to crack down on their own carts and personal carts violating rules. They hand you a paper when you check in that details what they expect so enforce it for Pete's sake.

As far as theft goes you're gonna get that no matter what campground or anyplace you go. It sucks and I hate seeing someone get something you worked hard for. Trust me, karma will hit them.

Another thing you have to think about is the cart parades. They might as well just quit that because about 3/4 of those carts are personal.

 

[thegoofyfamily]

We had our golf cart stolen out of our garage years ago right after a Fort trip. I felt violated. But, the funny thing is....if it had been stolen from the Fort, it would have felt doubly tragic somehow. I left my wallet in the cart overnight on a recent visit and naively didn't have a worry that it would be there when I checked the next morning. Not so sure I'll feel the same way when I go back.

I always appreciated the freedom they've given us on the rules when we've piled the entire family on our golf cart to catch the boat at the marina. Security has just smiled and waved. I see now that "flexibility" may come to an end. I still don't see the clear connection to thefts and private GCs, but maybe it's me being naive again. Seems to me that you could have more security present and that might assist in the increasing theft problem...

 

[retired and happy]

If, as I read the OP, there are items other than GC items being stolen, it seems like there is a growing problem that banning private GC's would not solve. A lot of us leave stuff around our campsites or on our GC's at various parking places, formerly feeling quite safe. Now, maybe not so much. With a private GC ban we likely would not return, or would greatly restrict our visits because we use our GC to transport several special needs kids. Or maybe this is part of a nefarious scheme to squeeze out campers, trash as we are, to make more room for a DVC resort or some such.

 

[grumpythis]

I heard that the G/C that got stolen was in an accident a few days before it
was "stolen"

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Disney John- I'm sorry that you had to experience this. I hate to hear stories like this, too. Unfortunately, criminals are opportunistic, and a place like the Fort presents many opportunities.

We have been fortunate, and have never had anything stolen at the Fort.

I realized on our last trip that we have really gotten pretty careless about locking stuff up.

I agree that a little effort from Fort management will go a long way to reducing thefts. There is no need to ban personal golf carts.

TCD

 

[striker3636]

In previous visits, we too would never have thought twice about locking up bikes or putting some "stuff" away when we leave the site at FW. However, many other campgrounds we go to we would never just leave it all out. Funny how we just assumed that everything was safer at WDW. Such a bummer that the "bad apples" had to end your trip on a sour note.

 

[des1954]

I don't see any connection between private carts and theft. Can someone explain to me what one has to do with the other?

Now...it would be a simple matter at check-in for the CM to verbally review cart rules. All they would have to do is ask if you have a private cart. They need to ask because the person actually checking in may not have the cart with them at the time they are checking in. If the person says "yes", then a verbal review of the rules is in order & have them sign stating they agree to the rules. They could easily issue a parking pass in a plastic bag (like they do trailer storage) to be taped or zip tied to the GC. Very easy for security to see. If your cart has a windshield, it would be easy to tape it to the lower passenger side corner. If you don't have a pass on your GC & cannot produce one in a few minutes, then I like Donnie's idea of Golf Cart jail!! It would stop a lot of "Tom Foolery"!