$$$$ missing from PO

[undertheradar]

Not to slam DVC members, AP holders get the blame at DL. As a stockholder in the company, I thought that I invested in it.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Originally posted by Tigger Woods
Give the OP a little credit. The cash was zipped up in a fanny pack, not out in the open. Perhaps Disney could rent padlocks to guests whose rooms aren't equipped with a safe.

I corrected my post due to your comment. I appreciate it, I missed that last night while replying.
However, the OP still left a fanny pack in the room. On vacation, it isn't hard to figure out what may or may not be in it, so therefore, it shouldn't have been left out.

 

[Ziggie]

If the Disney resort doesn't provide a safe for you to put your valuables in, then go to Walmart and purchase one for your trip if that's an option for you. They are very cheap and not very heavy at all.

Then, a serious thief would just walk off with the entire safe.. a nice and tidy package

 

[dreamflight99]

In the end, the best thing to do is~To leave things you would not wish to lose (personal valuables) at home. As for the other items, (cameras, $$$, etc.), just be sure to either lock these away, or carry them with you. I wear a very valuable Tiffany's engagement ring, and always "turn" the stones UNDER my finger when in questionable locations (Cities, trains, etc.). Of course, the item is insured, and could be replaced. But, why tempt fate and risk injury and/or stress and trouble? I also never leave a purse, or any packages, etc., unattended in a visible location in my vehicle. I lock them in the trunk or place them out of sight under a seat, blanket, or other hidden location. If problems can be avoided, it's much easier than the alternative. I would prefer to focus on my vacation enjoyment when in the MAGIC, and not have to constantly worry/stress over valuables. Either leave them home, or take the proper precautions to protect them from loss/theft.

ENJOY your time with your families and loved ones!

TTFN...DF99

 

[melgrek]

Just an update to this situation. I'm very disgusted with WDW. My privacy was invaded, because an employee from their resort entered my room, went through my personal belongings, and took $90 from me. After several phone calls which I was told someone would get back to me (which they never did) I finally received a call back today. I was told that WDW is not responsible for their emplyees when something is taken from your room. So I guess I paid money to stay at Port Orleans assuming I was safe but found out the hard way I was not. Who knows what else they did in my room. The Orange County Police Department is handling the situation now.

 

[SB in KY]

If it makes you feel better to think the PD is doing something...OK, but what exactly do you think they did/will do??? They did just what Disney did...filled out a report and filed it, end of story. When only cash is stolen there is really nothing else that can be done. Sorry...live and learn (bet you won't be leaving $$ in a hotel room again), Disney employees are just like everyone else in the world.....most are kind and honest and do the right thing.... a few aren't. Next time don't make it so easy for the few that aren't.

 

[MELSMICE]

I am also confused by what you expect Disney to do. What do you think the PD will do that Disney didn't?

Unless you know exactly what employee it was & can prove that they took $90 in cash I don't see what can be done. That's the one thing about cash - how can you prove you had it & that someone stole it.

I do have to say that I have learned a valuable lesson from your post though. I am a very trusting person & although I put cash, tickets, etc., in the safe we do leave other things laying around (laptop computer, cameras, video cameras, CD players). I will be very aware of what is out on future trips. I'll make sure things are locked in empty suitcases or something to try & avoid theft.

Again, I'm sorry for the theft you experienced, but I would chalk it up to a valuable lesson. At this point, is the $90 worth the aggravation you are experiencing and the time you are putting into this.

 

[MELSMICE]

Originally posted by melgrek
I'm very disgusted with WDW. My privacy was invaded, because an employee from their resort entered my room

Unless you ask not to have housekeeping, yes, your privacy is invaded daily. That's a pro or a con of staying in a hotel, depending on how you look at it.

 

[tiggergirl31]

I have to agree with SB and Melsmice it seems to me that common sense would tell you to lock up your cash/valuables!! Was there not a safe provided in the room for you? If not then that cash should have been in your pocket. Unless you can prove without a doubt that an employee took it, you are out of luck. I am sure that when I have stayed in Disney I have read a disclaimer somewhere that says valuables are your responsibility. It seems to me that you need to take some responsibility for the mistake you made and learn from it!!!! Maybe next time you will take the extra second to lock your cash up. It is awful to think that there are dishonest people out there but they exist EVEN AT DISNEY!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Peter Pirate]

An interesting point here is that everybody is assuming this money was stolen. I'm not trying to cast dispersions on the OP but we all make mistakes, we all do things we swear we didn't do. I just recently "lost" my cc and after looking "everywhere" I concluded it was gone and ordered a replacement. A couple of days later guess what came out in the laundry? Despite being able to remember where the card was used last, despite remembering what clothes I had been wearing and despite the fact that I checked them 3 times...There it was.

Could this money have been "lifted" elsewhere? Could it have accidently fallen from the bag? Or as I (again) actually did once could it have accidently been disbursed to other cash supplies?

On one trip I was so sure I'd lost money that I mentally recalculated the whole trip...The bulk of the missing money was a miscalculation on my tip at 'Ohana...the very good waiter walked away with a 42% tip!

So I'm just saying that nobody really knows that it was stolen although the OP certainly is the only one that knows all of the details and again I am not questioning your integrity melgrek, only asking if another avenue is possible...After all a theiving mousekeeper has to know she'll/he'll not be on the job for very long...

 

[tiggergirl31]

Peter--great point--it is possible that the money was "lost" by the person.....I know that I have done that a few times myself! I have also given money to my DH to hold onto and then forgotten and he ended up spending it!!!

 

[MELSMICE]

Peter - I had mentioned this same thing a few posts back & someone said I must have been "inhaling too much pixie dust"!!!!!

They said they're sure the OP knows where the money was & what they did with it. My point was the same as yours. Sometimes we think we have money (or a CC ) & find later that we misplaced it somewhere else or spent it without remembering!

 

[Bojangles]

Housekeepers often leave the doors propped open. Someone could have come in and taken it while she was, for example, in the bathroom cleaning or something. I don't think there is any way you will be able to prove who took the money.

 

[Peter Pirate]

Sorry MELSMICE, you did bring it up...It just wan't the main thrust of your argument (and it was back a ways - I forgot!).

As for too much pixie dust...Well, can you really ever have too much? But in this case it's always funny to note that the worst case scenerio is always the 'fact du jour'...It's the sensational world we live in.

Again, only the OP knows all of the facts and if they're convinced nothing else could have possibly in a million years, under any circumstance have happened then who are we to argue? But still, I knew that cc was gone...

 

[C.Ann]

Sorry, but if I left $90 in a fanny pack in my hotel room, I would be surprised if it wasn't stolen !!!!

To me it's just common sense that when you're traveling you either hide - or lock away - all valuables..

Perhaps the manager could have been a bit more sympathetic (just as a courtesy) but I don't see where he - or Disney in general - is responsible for this incident..

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Originally posted by C.Ann
Sorry, but if I left $90 in a fanny pack in my hotel room, I would be surprised if it wasn't stolen !!!!

To me it's just common sense that when you're traveling you either hide - or lock away - all valuables..

Perhaps the manager could have been a bit more sympathetic (just as a courtesy) but I don't see where he - or Disney in general - is responsible for this incident..

Very well said

 

[TDC Nala]

Some people steal. It happens. I've had money stolen from hotel rooms before. For the biggest theft, it was necessary for the thief to extract the cash from inside a zipped bag left underneath clothing in a drawer. This obviously wasn't a crime of opportunity; whoever did it was actively looking for cash or valuables. (This was not a Disney resort, by the way).

Every Disney resort I've been in (with the exception of the studios at Old Key West, and they've started to put them in those rooms) have a room safe. It's provided to hold valuables that shouldn't be left out where they might be accessible. At the very least, the housekeepers have daily access to your room so there is at least one person coming in who could possibly steal whatever's left out in the open (and by this I also mean zipped up into a purse or suitcase... anything that isn't locked). There are other hotel employees who have access to rooms.

If you have cash or anything valuable that you care about, don't leave it in a hotel room. Take it with you or lock it in a room safe. Hotels are legally correct in stating they are not responsible for items left in a room, because hotel rooms are by definition accessible to people other than those paying to stay in it. Nobody's guaranteed the honesty of those people who might access the room. If they did, they'd have to do extensive background checks of all hotel employees.

If you're in the room, always throw the bolt and use the bar lock if you want to be more certain no one can get in from outside. If you're not, use the room safe for anything you care about losing. If you have an item that is too big, see if the resort has a main safe at the front desk (I've used one at the Beach Club).

Someone (was it the OP)? wrote about paying money and being entitled to assume safety. Where other people have any access at all to your room and belongings, you can never totally guarantee safety. Take the available precautions.

Oh, and if it does happen to you, by all means report the theft. It's a crime.

 

[jgates]

Just wanted to send my sympathy. We have all done things in our lifetime that can be perceived as foolish in the long run - been there - done that myself although not in hotel rooms - just a lot of other times!!!!

It is frustrating to feel things are protected due to that nice solid door and then to find out they are not. We returned to the Renaissance World Golf Village room to find our door open with the safety bar flipped. Anyone could have walked in. We had taken in limited luggage but DS had about $1600 worth of golf clubs sitting there. All was intact. My frustration was that I just wanted an apology from the management on duty. We waited 2 hours because the person who had taken our info and supposedly passed it on just blew us off and went home a little bit later. Finally a manager on duty came up after 2 more phone calls and did apologize. I ended up more mad at the person that blew us off than I did at the housekeeper that left the door open to begin with!!!

My mother always 'boobytraps' a bag - uses a thread or a cord or something (don't remember what) and marks the bag. I thought she was a nut case for doing it, but we went back to the hotel one nite (DaysInn, Chattanooga TN) and guess what - the zipper was in a different spot on the bag and the 'boobytrap' was broken. Nothing was missing, it was just the idea that someone had intentionally opened up this overnight bag and dug through it that was very disturbing. We did mention it to the manager because we felt they should know - not that we expected anything done - they just said 'No one who is employed her would do that'. Thank you, no, I am NOT lying!!!

 

[vhoffman]

Along with money and jewelry (why bring expensive jewery anyways?) I always use the safe to lock up any medicines I have, especially narcotic pain killers I take for a painful arthritic condition. You can't carry all your pills with you in the park but believe me, if you leave them laying around the room chances are they won't be there when you return. Those things do have a street value! Also, its sometimes easier to replace money and credit cards than medicine (especially narcotic pain pills) while out of town. If you don't have an in-room safe, lock them up at the desk (if available) or at least disguise them in a vitamin pill bottle or something.

 

[Esmerelda]

We were flying 4 years ago from Orlando back to Ohio. The plane was PACKED! We were in first class and at the VERY last second a lady with a full length fur coat gets on the plane (yes, this was Orlando..yes it was WARM...LOL) Anyhow, she was first off mad because she wasn't in first class. They stopped her at the door and told her she would have to put her 2nd bag (not sure how she got 2 on in the first place) under the plane because they had no more overhead space. She quickly became irate and insisted HER bag was NOT going under the plane because she had valuables in it (it was a good size bag keep in mind...not a normal carry on). After several minutes of squabbling the passenger blurts out that she has jewelry in the bag worth over $4,000???? Why would you bring that kind of jewelry with you is a mystery to me. They finally told her she would be asked to leave the plane if she did NOT cooperate because she was holding progress up. She finally shut up and sat down in her seat in coach without her bag.

My thoughts: First off, one should NEVER carry that kind of jewelry around when they are traveling. Secondly, by her BLURTING out she had it....she had a much BETTER chance of it being stolen....(Homer Simpson..DoooooHHHHHH..)

final note: My 9 year old at the time this was going on in a very well heard voice says "Mom, is this the first class entertainment or what...???" because she was standing right in front of us....I almost fell off my chair laughing....as did everyone else in 1st class....LOL (leave it to kids...)

ALWAYS BE CAUTIOUS WITH ANYTHING OF VALUE WHEN YOU TRAVEL..! Theft is usually caused by opportunity. I have been on cruise ships and folks have had things (small items) stolen.
Don't leave anything to chance....because you never know who is watching....and for the record to the original poster...the police aren't going to waste their time on $90....just look at it as a learning experience. As they say in the marines: step back, adapt and OVERCOME.

just my 2cents worth,
Esmerelda...