Had our stroller stolen

[sptddog]

I use a small ski lock with a retractable cable - I've used it all over...at the zoo, at amusement parks, etc. I just loop the cable around it and hoook it up. Kind of a pain, but it's worked so far.

What I don't get is that people intentionally steal them. I get that it's hard not to grab someone elses accidently, particularly with rentals that all look the same, but don't you eventually notice it's not your stuff???? And then take it back to where you accidently took it? Such a shame.

I wonder how many folks have bags and such taken from their strollers when they're parked? I don't plan on leaving anything in mine when we park it that I'll miss if it's stolen - but for the purposes of the trip, I'd still miss my cheap diaper bag or stroller if they stole it on the first day, you know? What an inconvenience to be out of diapers or snacks or whatever.

 

[liznboys]

I'm sorry that happened to you!

We had someone attempt to take our double rental stroller in 2003. We were in the World Showcase and we were standing nearby when they swooped in and were telling their 3 kids to quickly get into it. I walked over and said it was ours (pointed to our name on it). They said their kids were really tired and needed it...they really thought I would just give it to them! LOL People are weird sometimes!

We also witnessed a mother discover that her bag was stolen off of their personal stroller. This was by the Carrousel in MK. We were sitting on a bench nearby and watched as she frantically looked around.

We take our expensive umbrella stroller and no problems so far. I honestly am prepared for it to be stolen though. I don't want to be caught off gaurd...hope for the best, plan for the worst. We never leave anything on it except the most invaluable things.

 

[beattyfamily]

Personal stroller theft at WDW (Disneyland is another story) is rare and has never happened to us in all our 9 trips, thankfully. We brought our then brand new Maclaren Quest last year on two trips with no troubles.

Rental stroller theft is a little more common but still in the grand scheme of things is not that common.

Just try and make your stroller stand out so you can find it easily (CMs move them all the time and that can sure make you panic for a few seconds!) and do not leave anything valuable in them.

 

[kkevcamsmom]

One time at Six Flags I grabbed "my" stroller.... In other words one that looked exactly like mine. Some lady started hollering to get my attention and when I finally turned around and came back I realized that the colors on her's were slightly different than mine. Our's had been parked right beside hers, she brought ours over and I apologized a TON.

Mistakes can happen. Since that happened we get a bright colored ribbon and stash it in one of the inside pockets of the stroller (if your's has a bottom carrier), that way we know it's there and it's not were everyone can see it. Any problems with who owns the stroller is quickly resolved

I know this wont help if someone steals yours but just an idea for helping protect your stroller.

Hope this helps someone else too.

Lori

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

we always bring our own stroller and DH just bought a cheapo lock that we thread through the 2 back tires. This way the CMs can still move the stroller if need be but no one could take it. WE usually punch a hole in our KTTW card and putit on a lanyard and the key to the lock goes on there. We also keep a spare key at the resort in the safe in case for some reason we lose it, but never had a problem

 

[lindakmonty]

thankfully so far we've never had our stroller stolen.I did worry w/maclaren... I'd be ticked for sure...but have you noticed they also frequently MOVE the strollers around? That drives me crazy! We parked our stroller... I think it was Small World and we came out and it had been moved to Philharmagic!!! Why would they do that??? That was driving us crazy. We had to check where we put it, then look for other attractions near that also had stroller parking to see if it was moved... next time... big lime green hanky will be tied on it

 

[welovedis]

Our Maclaren stroller was stolen at the MK near Splash & BTMRR in 2000. It was carefully marked with our name on a plate that DH attached to the top handle and was very distinctive in its coloration, so it would have been really hard to mistake it for someone else's.

Unfortunately theft does occue, you can just do your best to be sure that nothing of value is left it in and not worry too much I guess.

For those that comment that they've visited a number of times and not had any problem, that is terrific & I hope your streak of no losses continues. It happened to us on our first trip though, and we've not had any problems of that sort since, but it did happen. Strollers are an expensive investment and most people cannot afford to look for one off property if theirs is taken during a vacation.

I do know that it is imperative to let a CM know that if your personal stroller is taken, they will give you info on where to go and who to speak with at lost & found to see if it is turned in. We were able to use a rental stroller and when we returned the next fall we brought a (cheaper) Combi umbrella stroller that was black & orange!

 

[Passions71203]

we always bring our own stroller and DH just bought a cheapo lock that we thread through the 2 back tires. This way the CMs can still move the stroller if need be but no one could take it. WE usually punch a hole in our KTTW card and putit on a lanyard and the key to the lock goes on there. We also keep a spare key at the resort in the safe in case for some reason we lose it, but never had a problem

That's a good idea!

 

[nuts4wdw]

We have always taken a personal stroller, but this trip we also rented a double. I've never had problems with our personal stroller, but this this last trip I had two seperate problems with our rental. The first thing happened when we parked the double stroller and we were getting our baby out of our personal stroller when a group of teenagers walked up and started to take our double stroller. We looked at them and said "excuse me". They replied it was theirs, I told them it wasn't and pointed out the name. They all giggled and left with NO stroller. They did not have a baby or any parents with them. They clearly had no need for a stroller. The second incidence this trip was we had two of those WDW spray bottles, and while in Pooh one was stolen. It had bite marks on the foam blades from my son chewing on it, but apparently, it was too hot for someone to care. They took it and my son lost his fan to someone else. So, first time in over 8 trips to Disney World, it was very dissappointing.

 

[beattyfamily]

For those that comment that they've visited a number of times and not had any problem, that is terrific & I hope your streak of no losses continues. It happened to us on our first trip though, and we've not had any problems of that sort since, but it did happen. Strollers are an expensive investment and most people cannot afford to look for one off property if theirs is taken during a vacation.

I hope my streak continues too.

Of course theft happens everywhere, even at Disney, but I don't want people to worry too much either because based on how many people go to WDW daily, the % of strollers that are stollen is very low. Unfortunately, you are one of the few that it did happen to.

I just want people to make their decision based on many opinions & experiences. Thanks for sharing your story.

Again, make your stroller easily recognizable (cause they do get moved alot and sometimes are mistaken by other as their own) and don't leave any valuables in your stroller and then have a great trip!

 

[tiggtail]

I feel so badly for you...it doesn't matter if there were very little in the stroller or nothing at all..it just galls me when someone takes something that doesn't belong to them...kinda like getting a shopping cart at Walmart when you first walk in, leaving it near the ladies room entrance and coming out and finding someone else took it...grrrr. Except the stroller is worse, of course. I am glad for this thread, however, because we are taking our little DG princess and will need a stroller. I think we will get one of those bright neon green stretchy bracelets (the plastic curly wire kind) and wrap it around the pushbar of the stroller, then use a little padlock to secure it. I will then keep the key with me till the end of the day and release it when we take it back. At least it would be somewhat noticeable to us if someone took it and we saw it somewhere else in the park, plus it will identify our stroller from the many dozens of others.

 

[MelessaG]

Our stroller wasn't taken, but someone did steal DD's beloved Cinderella hat out of it. It had survived two trips and two of my three daughters, so I was sad about that more than its value. My son was mad too and mentioned it to a CM who told us to go to Guest Relations. I was shocked when they walked my four year-old into a shop and had her pick out a brand new hat. I felt a little bad since ours that was stolen was about three years old, but she was so happy that I tried not to cringe too much.

Our stroller was never taken even though its one of those cute Princess strollers from Sears. Wanna know why? Well, we did write our name on it in permanent marker, but I think it's really because our cat peed on it a year ago and even though I cleaned it and it smells fine (thank you Urine Gone!) nothing has removed that icky stain. I don't use it here in town, but it didn't bother me at all to take it to WDW. Anyone that would steal that must really, really need it. I'm sorry that happened to you, though. There seem to be more sticky fingers than usual this summer at WDW.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

ooo Urine stain! haha i may have to try that

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Our son is Autistic and we have always taken our own over-sized stroller, however, we now have a mini-wheelchair which we will take in August for the 1st time.

It has always worried me that you just leave your stroller behind, they should be watched by park staff - it's just not right that they can be taken away.

 

[KTSMOM]

I've got a question..if someone takes your rental stroller will Disney provide you with a replacement or do you have to pay for a new one? I'm thinking about renting a stroller for my DD when we go in Aug and I don't want to have to worry about someone taking it.

 

[beattyfamily]

I've got a question..if someone takes your rental stroller will Disney provide you with a replacement or do you have to pay for a new one? I'm thinking about renting a stroller for my DD when we go in Aug and I don't want to have to worry about someone taking it.

They will give you a new one.

 

[JillyBean]

Wow...that was more responses than I expected. I guess it's a hot topic after all! To answer a couple of questions...The CM who helped us was great. She called security, they took a report of the lost items, brought us a new rental stroller and gave us information on how to check lost and found over the next few days. I called a couple of times but nothing ever turned up.

Anyway...my whole purpose in starting this post was just to remind everybody not to leave anything they care about in the stroller. I didn't think I would care about DD's spare clothes and sandals but when they were gone I was MAD. I know you think it won't happen to you. It took six Disney trips, but it finally happened to us!

 

[ribbot]

Our stroller wasn't taken, but someone did steal DD's beloved Cinderella hat out of it. It had survived two trips and two of my three daughters, so I was sad about that more than its value. My son was mad too and mentioned it to a CM who told us to go to Guest Relations. I was shocked when they walked my four year-old into a shop and had her pick out a brand new hat. I felt a little bad since ours that was stolen was about three years old, but she was so happy that I tried not to cringe too much.

Our stroller was never taken even though its one of those cute Princess strollers from Sears. Wanna know why? Well, we did write our name on it in permanent marker, but I think it's really because our cat peed on it a year ago and even though I cleaned it and it smells fine (thank you Urine Gone!) nothing has removed that icky stain. I don't use it here in town, but it didn't bother me at all to take it to WDW. Anyone that would steal that must really, really need it. I'm sorry that happened to you, though. There seem to be more sticky fingers than usual this summer at WDW.

BING! I just had an idea---I should go to that store in the mall (Yikes, the name has slipped me so early in the morning) that sells all the gag gifts---and get one of those fake piles of poop! What a GREAT idea!!

 

[ribbot]

Ahhh it just hit me--Spencers.

Anyway, our stroller incident happened on the first trip! So like the original poster said---just don't leave items that you can't live without in your stroller cause it will surely dampen your day if someone takes it.

 

[kaysmommie]

I will definatley be doing the poop stain diaper trick! We usually leave stuff in the stroller too! People are just plain rotten to steal your stroller.