Lost and found advice for everyone

[Disneylovingdad]

Not really sure if this fits here but feel free to move. Just wanted to offer some advice on lost and found. Returned from a great vacation a few days ago. We did 4 nights on the Dream for our first cruise ever. Fantastic time! We purchased the photo cd from them and our friend we travelled with picked it up for us the morning of debarkation when she got hers. We then travelled to BLT for a 7 night stay. Our friends stayed only two nights there with us and headed home. Our friend dropped the cd from the cruise off the morning they left to our room. We never saw it on the counter and she never mentioned it was there.

Upon returning, we asked for it and realized what happened but still nobody remembered seeing it. I called lost and found at the hotel, and the general parks lost and found (just in case). No luck. Unknown to me, our friend called the resort minutes after I did because she was upset and felt bad. Lo and behold, the same CM mentioned she had just spoken to me and hadn't found it but found it right after I hung up.

So, my advice is this, call more than once, you never know. Also, it begs two questions.

1) where did it go? Only thing we can figure is that the morning our friends left, a maintenance man knocked on our door and said he would be checking for damage that needed fixing after we left for the day. We left shortly after that and I am now assuming that since we never saw the cd after that, that he moved it into a kitchen drawer (which we never use) to check the counter which did have a chip, and that housekeeping found it after we checked out 4 days later. We usually check every drawer before leaving even though we don't use them but were somewhat rushed that morning. The room drawers were empty.

2) Why, if they found it in a room, and knew who stayed there, did they not contact us that they had found it? It was presumably in lost and found for 5 days before we called after searching for it. NOT BLAMING THEM IN ANY WAY, just curious as to why they hadn't called? Figuring they take some time to make calls, if they even do?

No biggie, alls well that ends well but just wanted to let those reading know to try lost and found a couple times. For what it's worth the CM's we spoke with were very nice and seemed genuinely concerned and both calls I made, I was on hold for a few minutes so I have no doubts that they actually checked.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Thanks, and glad to hear you got your CD.

 

[SimonSez]

Three years ago, I lost my cell phone in Tomorrowland near SM. It was the first day of a week long stay at WDW. I remember asking cast members if anyone turned in a red cell phone, no one had. Next we went to guest relations and inquired there, again no phone matching my description had been recovered. Every day thereafter, we called lost and found to no avail. As we were on the return trip back home, my boyfriend called and said the phone had just arrived at the house. All's well that ends well, but I have always wondered the path that phone took to get back home before me Obviously someone found it but it never showed up at lost and found the whole time we were at Disney.

 

[Disneylovingdad]

Three years ago, I lost my cell phone in Tomorrowland near SM. It was the first day of a week long stay at WDW. I remember asking cast members if anyone turned in a red cell phone, no one had. Next we went to guest relations and inquired there, again no phone matching my description had been recovered. Every day thereafter, we called lost and found to no avail. As we were on the return trip back home, my boyfriend called and said the phone had just arrived at the house. All's well that ends well, but I have always wondered the path that phone took to get back home before me Obviously someone found it but it never showed up at lost and found the whole time we were at Disney.

I wonder how they knew the address. Assuming they could request it from the phone company by the phone number but I doubt a phone company would give that info out without a subpoena for legal reasons.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

2) Why, if they found it in a room, and knew who stayed there, did they not contact us that they had found it? It was presumably in lost and found for 5 days before we called after searching for it. NOT BLAMING THEM IN ANY WAY, just curious as to why they hadn't called? Figuring they take some time to make calls, if they even do?

Likely depends on the mousekeeper who found it, the resort, and the item. In October, my husband left his car keys in a drawer at VWL. They called and left us a message to call them back ASAP by the time we got home that afternoon.

 

[jlbmomof5]

Several years ago our oldest son had his backpack taken while we were getting food at the food court in All Star Sports. It had his ID, a lot of $ and gift cards as he had just graduated high school, another son's glasses, misc clothing items and two ipods (his and my husbands). I checked with CM on duty & L&F immediately and continued to call even after we returned to CA. Needless to say it is time consuming to fly without an ID when you 18. Funny thing was several weeks later we receieved ONLY the glasses not in their case and EMPTY wallet in the mail. As the ID was gone I have always wondered how/who sent us this package. This trip we will keep backpack on at all times.

A better L&F story was that my husband's $300 sunglasses fell off in the Indiana Jones ride. He immediately informed a CM and we were told the check the tracks at night after ride is shut down. Lucky him, the next morning they had his glasses at L&F.

 

[Disneylovingdad]

Several years ago our oldest son had his backpack taken while we were getting food at the food court in All Star Sports. It had his ID, a lot of $ and gift cards as he had just graduated high school, another son's glasses, misc clothing items and two ipods (his and my husbands). I checked with CM on duty & L&F immediately and continued to call even after we returned to CA. Needless to say it is time consuming to fly without an ID when you 18. Funny thing was several weeks later we receieved ONLY the glasses not in their case and EMPTY wallet in the mail. As the ID was gone I have always wondered how/who sent us this package. This trip we will keep backpack on at all times.

That's very strange. It really is mysterious

 

[SillySallySews]

Last year my husband left a hat and belt at AoA. We left Disney and headed south to spend some time with my parents. About halfway there the husband remembered he left his hat behind and I called Disney right away. They said they had no record of it yet but to call back in a few hours. I called the next day and still nothing. I called the day we left my parents to drive home (we were passing right by Disney again so I was hoping we could just stop and pick it up) and still nothing. That was a week after we checked out of AoA.

Two weeks after we got home I got a postcard in the mail saying we left something behind and needed to call lol...I was happy they found his stuff but don't understand what took so long.

 

[Mariep26]

Maybe I am not understanding the story correctly but if they put it in a drawer and mousekeeping found it a few days after perhaps they weren't sure how long it had been there and didn't know who it belonged to? IDK...also just trying to understand how it works

 

[goofy4tink]

My friend and I were at AKL for just one night. For some reason, my friend put her bag of chargers in the bureau drawer. She completely forgot them in the morning. We sent our bags over to BWV and headed to a park. Well, we checked in at BW later that day. When our bags finally arrived, around 5ish, my friend looked for her chargers....nowhere to be seen, of course. I called BW Bell Services, who said they would call over to AKL. They called me back to tell me that Lost and Found had closed bit gave us the number to call. I called in the morning and left a message. When they didn't return my call, we went back there....to AKL. We walked up to the front desk, and explained our situation. TheCM told us to fill out a lost and found card and they would send the chargers to her home if the bag was found. No, I explained, we knew the room number and exactly where the bag was, and when it was left behind. No, the CM said....it would be mailed home if found. I tried explaining that my friend was no longer able to take photos or make calls since she had no chargers....could the CM please call housekeeping g or lost and found. That CM heaved a huge sigh and told the other CM that obviously she wasn't going g to be able to go on break then since she had to 'look' for something! Seriously, she said that, with us standing right there.
About 20 mins went by, as I got more and more peeved. But a CM came out from the back, with our Baggie in hand. She was all smiles, saying 'Is this what you're looking for?' She was so happy that she had been able to help out. And that bag had the room number on it and the date and time it had been found! How hard would it have been to look for it to begin with?
Some CMs are so terrific, while others are the complete opposite.

 

[Disneylovingdad]

Maybe I am not understanding the story correctly but if they put it in a drawer and mousekeeping found it a few days after perhaps they weren't sure how long it had been there and didn't know who it belonged to? IDK...also just trying to understand how it works

That could very well be the case. I hadn't thought of that. I would imagine that since it had to have been in a kitchen drawer (I checked room drawers before leaving) they would know right away since they would probably have to check the utensils/kitchenware after each checkout to ensure it is clean. Not sure as I'm not even sure that's where they found it and I'm just speculating on that.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Hi OP! Glad you loved Dream as much as we did!

 

[Disneylovingdad]

Thanks!!

 

[becd]

We have had several experiences with the Lost and Found. The first was actually at DLR when one of my DS-6 twins got lost in the Star Wars store. Absolutely frightening because your mind immediately goes to "that place," but once a CM got involved it took about 5 minutes for them to let me know he was at the Lost and Found (until then I had no idea they actually had this service for lost kids).

Last Mardi Gras someone "picked up" my husband's iPhone in Fantasy Land when he had put it down on a bench while going through a bag on the stroller. When he turned around it was gone. He of course panicked and started running around looking for it, after about ten minutes a person who had been standing near said they had seen someone pick it up and then drop it about a 100 yards later with a CM quickly picking it up. Of course, begs the question of why he did not say something when it happened, but I will go with he thought the phone napper was with us??? Anyway, we quickly questioned a CM in Fantasyland about what to do and were told to head to GR before leaving to give it time to make it there. We did, but it was not there. When we got back to the hotel we called Lost and Found but it was not there either. At that point we had pretty much given up hope, but called Lost and Found again the next morning. After describing ti and giving them his passcode, they confirmed they had it. Very relieved!

That same trip I was so concerned with packing for everyone else that I completely overlooked one of my drawers. It took a few days for me to realize what was missing, but when I called the Swolphin they confirmed that they had everything and shipped it to me. Of course, would have been nicer if they had called me upon discovery but beggars cannot be choosers

Last incident was not officially a Lost and Found experience, but gtwo Mardi Gras trips ago DHs wallet fell out of his back pocket on Dinosaur in AK. He did not realize this until he was on the spinning roller coaster whose name is escaping me. The look on his face in the pictures I took is utterly priceless. When I returned to the ride, I spoke to the women at the photo desk. They were able to tell what car we had been in from the ride photo, and within about ten minutes had returned the wallet to us. Very efficient!

 

[Lanie]

Thanks for the advice!

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

(Btw, Iphones have a GREAT ap called FIND MY iPHONE.... we tracked a friend's down last week when it was ripped off from a gas station bathroom, and we went back and it wasn't there. The app showed on a map that it was down the road, at a gun store of all things, and in we went. Even tho her phone was on silent, and I kept calling and calling so that they would have the opportunity to ANSWER and say "here it is!" but noooo, but even if its silent, you can make it beep SOOOO loud. When we got to the store, we started asking people if they have seen an iphone, and lots of us were telling us about the older lady all the way in the back of the store who couldn't unlock her iphone and turn off the noise, she kept saying she had a problem with her iphone... needless to say, it wasn't hard to find the iPhone Napper AT ALL with that tone going off! My friend walked up to her and said "THAT"s my phone" and the lady wouldn't give it up, she had to take it from her! Than they claimed that they were going to go back to their car and call the number that kept calling to tell us they had it. I tested it, you do not have to have a code to answer the call, so for 20 min, she could have answered me and ignored it. SOOO BOGUS! Don't TAKE it from the store, turn it into a manager, and leave it at the premises so the people can find it. If you take it off the premises, you are stealing it, AND WE WILL MAKE IT BEEP FOR 30 MIN WHILE WE ARE ON OUR WAY TO COME FIND YOU! )

 

[A Mickeyfan]

I know when you loose something in the parks and look for it at the lost and found site in the front of the MK, they take your name and address in event someone turns it in they will mail it home to you. There is no need to constantly call them

 

[daisyx3]

We had a similar experience on the Magic years ago. My oldest daughter left a hoodie in the movie theatre when in there with the older kids club. I figured out when we got home that it was not in her things. I called and sure enough, it was in lost and found.
The thing was, our last name was on it. How many families with our last name do you think were on the sailing? It must have been more than one or I would assume they would have checked with us before we left the ship.
Daisyx3