has anything been stolen of yours? Advice

[KIS]

has anything been stolen of yours? Advice
Being a new visitor on this coming April trip of ours, I'm starting to plan out what to bring to the various parks.

My husband and I are pretty trusting people. I'm wondering what sort of things others have left on a stroller handle or seat or basket while doing a ride. I'm wondering what sort of things walk and what doesn't.

We will have our $, keys, passes on our persons, but I'm wondering if a fanny pack or knapsack or bag with ponchos, sunscreen, some snacks, possibly a bathing suit or costume rolled up might be left in the stroller or if that's foolhearty.

Any comments or suggestions?

KIS


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kis

 

[AZKathy]

We always took our backpack on the rides with us rather than leaving it in the stroller. We have left our drinks in the basket of the stroller and some ponchos on the stroller when it was raining, but nothing else. Guess we are not that trusting.

 

[jellydisney]

I'm one of those paranoid people who's afraid to leave anything sitting around unguarded. At the same time, anything invaluable that you leave with a stroller will probably be alright. I guess I'd look at it this way: how upset would you be if it WAS stolen? WDW is a pretty safe place, and yet there are all sorts of people around so you never know.

 

[jlcbshaw]

We have left everything from light jackets to backpacks on our stroller and never had anything stolen. We, like you, do not leave anything of real value, ie keys, cameras and money, in the strollers, but it seems that there isn't much theivery going on inside the parks for the amount of people that visit.

Now be warned that when you exit a ride your stroller may not be in the exact same spot as you left it. The cast members routinely shift and move strollers as needed. Tie someting to the handle of the stroller that will identify it as yours. If you are renting a stroller remember that they all look alike and if it is just an empty stroller there is the chance that it could be taken by mistake.

CBS

 

[HauntedMansionGeek]

I'm a very trusting person but I don't like to "lose" things......so we've always taken our things on the rides with us. One more reason to carry very little with you when you go into the parks, or rent a locker for spans of time when you won't HAVE to have your stuff with you.

By that I mean, if we've taken a bigger camera or things for later in the evening but it's only mid-day..then we rent a locker so we don't have to carry it all with us. We go get the stuff when we need it.

Have a really fun trip!

 

[goofeyshell]

LOL in 2003 someone took our sunscreen right outside of Pirates....it was the nice spray kind that smelled good and we just guessed that they needed it more than we did. Also it was the only thing on the stroller.

 

[Lady Cluck]

Kis, See the thread in this topic about "Which Guide Book is Best?". The Unofficial Guide discusses things like leaving your stroller while on a ride and a gazillion other concerns.

I would not go to the Disney parks without reading it. I've never had anything taken, but I'm also very cautious. Guess it's just the times we live in

 

[tinkie]

I just read a suggestion in the guide about tying a see-through type plastic bag to the handle of your stroller with a diaper that has had root beer poured on it inside....the idea being it looks like a dirty diaper and nobody wants your stroller! Pretty funny!

 

[pklein09]

We went with friends of ours this past November. We took our backpack with us on every ride, leaving only our kids' water bottles in the strollers (we rented them from Disney). The water bottles had really cool Disney character insulating sleeves on them. In MK, one of our Buzz Lightyear water bottles was missing. We're know it just didn't "fall out" because it was all the way down in the mesh pocket of the stroller. DS 6 was very, very upset. I went into a gift shop and bought another insulated bottle and that made him feel better.

Our neighbors, on the other hand, had their digital camera stolen. She was juggling 2 small kids (5 and 18 mos) and didn't feel like bringing her bag on every ride. She realized her camera was gone somewhere in Fantasy Land. She reported it stolen, but it wasn't at Lost and Found.

I think most people in the parks are honest, but there are sooooo many people, there's bound to be a bad apple in the mix.

 

[cindysteve]

We did not leave valuables (keys, money, etc.) in the stroller, but left all kinds of other stuff (jackets, drinks, diaper bag, etc.) Most strollers are taken by mistake. All rentals look exactly the same, with just a namecard. Tie some distinctive item (the diaper trick listed above may be a bit more extreme than needed) to the handle. a big piece of distinctive fabric that stands out works fine. I get a new unofficial guide every time I go. The advice I get there is invaluable.

 

[maps]

fyi
my sister in law had her bag stolen form her stroller.
when they reported it to security, they told her that disney has "gypsies" that canvas the park looking for people to rip off. it's sad to believe that to be true but they eventually did find the bag in the park with the valuable contents missing.

 

[danny1649]

Several post's concerning Pal Mickey's being taken while they were on a ride.I have never had anything taken on our trips but I always kept Pal Mickey close after reading about so many be taken.

 

[momof2inPA]

On our last trip, I left the backpack in the stroller and took valuables in a fannypack. Sometimes I strap the backpack in the stroller so it's not as easy to take.

 

[fabwallsmom]

I grew up in the NYC area, so I leave nothing unguarded! I'm in the "safe" midwest now, and I still have that attitude. Thankfully, nothing has been stolen from me at WDW. I kept my keys and money in my pockets or backpack (on my back) at all times. It can't hurt to be too careful!!! However, the only thing I did have taken from me in WDW is my stoller! I couldn't take that on a ride with me!!! I'd like to think it was taken by someone who just mistook it for her own, but I'm sure someone stole it. We had it marked very well, since all those WDW strollers look the same!

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Originally posted by maps
fyi
my sister in law had her bag stolen form her stroller.
when they reported it to security, they told her that disney has "gypsies" that canvas the park looking for people to rip off. it's sad to believe that to be true but they eventually did find the bag in the park with the valuable contents missing.

You know, I am a "gypsy" (Romany by heritage) and if they said that to me, I think I'd be really , really offended.

They should know better than to use a word like that

 

[Taylor -- MD]

My wife had our video camera stolen during the parade at MGM. She had it in the stroller (which was behind her) and someone with sticky fingers thought they needed it more than we did!

This was on the next-to-last day of our trip last August. I had been playing golf that day while my wife and 5-year old son went on the Family Magic tour. I was to meet up with them at MGM and when I found her, she was quite upset.

We lost all the video that was shot that day on the tour, including some great interaction between my son & Peter Pan when they all went on IASW.

Needless to say, we checked with Lost & Found, but nothing ever turned up. My wife checked daily for two weeks or so, but to no avail.

Chalk it up to a lesson learned...
Like the old saying: "There's a bad apple in every bunch"

 

[meandtheguys]

Mickey! I saw lots of stuff sitting in strollers, but must say anytime I saw The Mouse being left, I called it to the attention of the folks! You can't assume that everyone is as nice as we are!

Michelle

 

[Brianhog]

We have been going for several years and have always felt like WDW is a pretty safe place. But we have always kept our valuables close to us in a secure place as all it takes is one person to ruin your vacation. The only problem we ever had was back when my son was young (about 14 years ago) was people kept taking the actual strollers that did not have anything in them to use to keep from renting one. This went on for a couple of years.

 

[tiberius]

We have never had anything taken from us, but we also do not tempt fate by making it easy.