Is theft on the increase?

[bluecastle]

I have been reading on FB about people getting their belongings stolen from their strollers as well as their strollers being taken. There is so much negativity on FB about WDW lately that I’ve stopped following many Disney groups. But I still want accurate info for planning.
Strollers: would it be better to rent a WDW stroller to avoid anxiety about it being stolen? What about 3rd party vendors? Do their rental fees include theft insurance and how quickly can you get a replacement? Is a combination lock air tag necessary?
Stroller contents: Is it necessary to take absolutely everything from your stroller into ride queues with you? Obviously, we would never leave anything valuable in a stroller, but what about food items, clothing, and water bottles?
TIA. I am just trying to plan realistically, and would like to know others’ experiences with this issue. Thank you!

 

[aronny]

I often see posts about bags of merch, backpacks, and expensive coolers being stolen. I’m not blaming anyone, and it sucks to not be able to leave your stuff and know it will be safe, but it seems like extremely easy targets. We don’t leave valuables in our stroller but sometimes will leave things that are annoying to carry like water bottles or opened ponchos kind of scrunched up in the bottom. It’s always a hot mess under there so it’s hard for me to imagine someone going through it, but I recognize it’s a risk.

We do leave an air tag on the stroller itself but have never had a problem. I don’t think locks are allowed because cast members sometimes have to move them, but I’m not sure.

 

[StageTek]

Strollers: would it be better to rent a WDW stroller to avoid anxiety about it being stolen? What about 3rd party vendors? Do their rental fees include theft insurance and how quickly can you get a replacement?

It's better to rent a WDW stroller. Yes, 3rd party vendors offer theft insurance but it can take hours to get a replacement.

Is a combination lock air tag necessary?

Air tags can't hurt. You cannot lock the stroller to anything in the parks.

Stroller contents: Is it necessary to take absolutely everything from your stroller into ride queues with you? Obviously, we would never leave anything valuable in a stroller, but what about food items, clothing, and water bottles?

As you have been reading on FB people are getting their belongings stolen from their strollers - that often includes food items, clothing and even water bottles.

 

[sponica]

I've never had anything stolen from a stroller but I also never leave anything of value on the stroller. And the storage basket on mine is such a pain to get to that someone would have to be really motivated to take anything from it. Maybe I'll leave the changing pad and diapers behind....

What's way more common is for a CM to reorganize the stroller lot so your stroller might be moved.

 

[leiaorgana]

When it comes to leaving food in your stroller just be careful of squirrels too. Make sure everything’s sealed up properly so that they can’t smell it. I’ve seen squirrels that have figured out how to open the zippy coolers and ziplock/chips bags and have taken stuff out of them and run off with it so a different kind of thief in this scenario but a thief nonetheless haha

 

[_19disnA]

When we were at Disney a few years ago we had a stroller for a couple of young children in our party. Clearly you shouldn't leave valuables/cell phone/wallet/purse/etc. in plain site in your stroller when going to a ride. We often saw Disney people moving the strollers around to maximize how the space was being used since there is a constant flow of those arriving/leaving. Since these employees are constantly there, it seems unlikely someone would take a chance going through the strollers looking for valuables and would clearly stand out if they did that.

I think something like that might occur but is probably very rare. You also don't know when the owner might return, so it seems like a risky thing for anyone to do. I seriously doubt someone spends all that money to go to a Disney park so they can try to steal from someone's stroller. People on FB often exaggerate for attention or to try to outdo what prior posters have said.

 

[bluecastle]

When we were at Disney a few years ago we had a stroller for a couple of young children in our party. Clearly you shouldn't leave valuables/cell phone/wallet/purse/etc. in plain site in your stroller when going to a ride. We often saw Disney people moving the strollers around to maximize how the space was being used since there is a constant flow of those arriving/leaving. Since these employees are constantly there, it seems unlikely someone would take a chance going through the strollers looking for valuables and would clearly stand out if they did that.

I think something like that might occur but is probably very rare. You also don't know when the owner might return, so it seems like a risky thing for anyone to do. I seriously doubt someone spends all that money to go to a Disney park so they can try to steal from someone's stroller. People on FB often exaggerate for attention or to try to outdo what prior posters have said.

This was my initial reaction to what I read, which is why I came here for confirmation.
I think guest behavior has gotten worse in the last couple of years. (Yelling at CMs and fighting ) I can’t imagine anyone spending so much money on a trip and then feeling the need to steal and possibly ruining someone else’s trip. (Especially a child’s) I think the problem is that there are many people who really don't care about what effect they have on other people. It’s sad and I will just have to advise my family to be careful with their belongings. I wish Disney would bring back the service that delivered your purchases back to your hotel. (To all hotels, not just the GF)!
Thanks all! ( I read the squirrel story out loud to my DH!)

 

[GoingSince1990]

We left our stuff in strollers in Disney parks without worrying about theft from 1997 to about 2012 and not one thing was ever stolen. I always thought it would take huge chutzpah to steal stuff amidst all the crowds with probably hidden cameras around. Our only problem was that Disney made us so complacent that when we adopted the same approach in Rye Playland (NY) our unattended stroller was promptly grabbed by someone, taken to a ladies’ room, rifled through, and my daughter’s sweatshirt stolen. But at least we got the stroller itself back.

 

[rdevans_2000]

I think theft from strollers is very rare, but it certainly happens. Love the airtag idea. Just don't leave anything valuable in there. Carry a small backpack/purse/etc. for valuables. Unlike Universal, Disney allows small items on rides, so not a big deal to keep them on your person.