Offsite: Couple robbed at resort??

[letsgoagainsoon]

OP here, everyone has made some good points. I guess we have to be cautious wherever we are staying.

And, thanks to the Mod who changed the title, I was not on here for a few days. I don't want anyone to worry unecccessarily!

 

[disneyfan67]

I know there has to a be a pretty big criminal element around the greater Orlando area. It would only make sense due to the millions of people that travel there yearly. I think this quote below sums it up pretty well.

"

As Willie Sutton the bank robber said when asked why he robbed banks, 'because that's where the money is'

Having said that I still believe that WDW parks and resorts are some of the safest in the world. I take normal precautions like my wallet in my front pocket, using the in room safe when possible, and not showing large amounts of cash when making any purchases. I live pretty close to Six Flaggs Great America and one of the reasons I quit going was the fact I didn't feel safe or secure. I can't speak for all the off site hotels, but I would think it's easier for thieves to target the ones that aren't as secure as some of the bigger chains like Hilton, etc. It's probably a lot better for a thief to case the Motel 6chains or the Travel lodge on I4 than it is to try something at AKL or the GF.

I also think that the security is probably the best at Disney's deluxe resorts because as with with everything in life, money talks. Disney also can't afford to have a reputation of their resorts being unsafe to stay at. I have never had a problem while on property and I'm willing to bet that the security at Disney is watching more than we realise. You would be surprised at how easy it is to hide security cameras and not know that they were even present. I've cleaned the carpet at a few hotels in my time and when doing the offices of the managers, I was surprised to see a bank of monitors showing all the common areas and hallways. I spent hours cleaning the hallways and never saw one camera. Sorry to ramble on, but just expressing some more thoughts on the issue. Thanks for reading.

 

[kilee]

I think it would nice if the original poster or a mod changed the title of this thread to include the word "offsite" ...

Lots of people will panic unnecessarily. We know it was offsite - let's make sure the thread title indicates that.

I think that whether it's offsite or onsite, it's a good reminder to use common sense while on vacation too. There are many reports of cars being robbed onsite. So, please don't go thinking that because you're on WDW property you are all of a sudden safer.

 

[5mins2disney]

I have a friend who's wife went Xmas shopping in Vegas (they live there), just this past Xmas. She had roughly $2000 in cash on her. Apparently the thieves were in the stores looking for someone exactly like this, they followed her to the parking lot, held her up at gunpoint, took the gifts AND the cash...and scared the hell out of her. His comment was the "grinch stole xmas". We of course couldn't understand why anyone would be walking around with that much cash on them and not using credit cards or something similar.

They caught the thieves and recovered most of the stolen goods, that's the good news.

The moral of the story, there are criminals everywhere! Here in Chicago our office managers sent out a memo from the police stating that "criminals give people Xmas gifts too, they just use your $$ to do it, so be extra careful"! Disney and Orlando certainly has them too, and you never know who that person might be! We put a travel safe in our townhome for just this reason, we're in a secure gated community, but what if a cleaning person, landscaper, maintenance person (who knows honestly!?) decides to come help themselves to your belongings!?

My wife just had an employee at her work who was her new delivery guy, been working there for 4 weeks, show up at work "early" last month then disappeared, they went looking and found the guy (who seemed like a nice enough person with no criminal background) had stolen the company petty cash box and disappeared with it! (all of $90!)

You never know...trust no one is the best thing to do! There have certainly been cases of people being pickpocketed in the WDW parks by the way... the best place for a pickpocket to do their thing is in a crowd of people where they quickly disappear and blend back into the crowds, happens so fast the victim doesn't even usually realize it happened to them!

It's funny when we visited New Orleans everyone warned us to be very careful, how dangerous it can be, etc. Same thing in Europe..."carry a secret money belt" everyone told us. WDW..everyone feels safe and secure...sure it's probably safer than New Orleans but crime still happens there too! Gotta use your common sense, don't carry tons of irreplacable cash..etc.

 

[riu girl]

Last December I stayed off-site, took a complimentary shuttle from the off-site resort to TTC and from there took Disney transportation (monorails, busses, boats) to 5 different WDW hotels to look at the Christmas decorations. I was an off-site guest, did not have Disney tickets with me, and not once was I asked for ID of any kind. I walked around lobbies, guest room halls, restaurants, pools areas etc.

I feel due to this that if someone can get to TTC, they can access any disney resort via Disney transportation.

 

[talicskai]

Just because you are on-site doesn't mean you are completely safe from theft. The guy who books the top priced room at the Grand Floridian could be a criminal. They could be owners of DVC or other very secure properties. You just have to be careful, vigilant and don't let it ruin your holiday. All large cities and hotels are targets. You could drive yourself nuts with all the "what ifs"
Teresa

 

[DMRick]

Do not get a false sense of security just because you are staying onsite.

That's right. Our robbery happened in one of our rooms at Pop Century. Disney was very good about it, (after some "discussion")..but you always have to be vigilant.

 

[G8RFAN]

Last December I stayed off-site, took a complimentary shuttle from the off-site resort to TTC and from there took Disney transportation (monorails, busses, boats) to 5 different WDW hotels to look at the Christmas decorations. I was an off-site guest, did not have Disney tickets with me, and not once was I asked for ID of any kind. I walked around lobbies, guest room halls, restaurants, pools areas etc.

I feel due to this that if someone can get to TTC, they can access any disney resort via Disney transportation.

The general idea is that you can not bring much in terms of tools nor can you exit with much in terms of size of items if you are limited to WDW transportation while visiting resorts. Since they can control ingress egress, it leaves greater risk for a tempted thief. Plus, what would you check for, that the guest have a park ticket or a room key to use WDW transportation? I think sound judgement and awareness from CM's and guests will and probably has kept crime to below "off-property" statistics.

 

[CarolA]

The general idea is that you can not bring much in terms of tools nor can you exit with much in terms of size of items if you are limited to WDW transportation while visiting resorts. Since they can control ingress egress, it leaves greater risk for a tempted thief. Plus, what would you check for, that the guest have a park ticket or a room key to use WDW transportation? I think sound judgement and awareness from CM's and guests will and probably has kept crime to below "off-property" statistics.

A lock pick is the size of a nail file. What type of "tools" would the criminal need? Cameras/laptops/Cash are easy to haul. People hauling VERY large backbacks even the rolling type are NOT uncommon on Disney public transport. People hauling HUGE suitcases are not uncommon in Disney.

Personally one of the things that keep crime to "off property" is the fact that it's lumped in with the county where it's reported. There are no seperate crime reports for "WDW" only Osceola and/or Orange county!

 

[overburnzz]

off or on site still freaks me out

 

[G8RFAN]

A lock pick is the size of a nail file. What type of "tools" would the criminal need? Cameras/laptops/Cash are easy to haul. People hauling VERY large backbacks even the rolling type are NOT uncommon on Disney public transport. People hauling HUGE suitcases are not uncommon in Disney.

Personally one of the things that keep crime to "off property" is the fact that it's lumped in with the county where it's reported. There are no seperate crime reports for "WDW" only Osceola and/or Orange county!

I'm not sure why the rebuttal, but if you wanted to get technical, traditional lock picks would be of little use with the exception of the room safes. I agree, if an individual wanted to B&E into one or two rooms and grab whatever they can in a backpack then vigilence is going to be the only defense. Since B&E is a crime of opportunity, in most cases, the criminal would rather target a hotel that does not monitor vehicle traffic making them a more attractive target. Some may have a parking attendant, but they generally collect money on the way out. That said, the only hotels I have ever seen to monitor guest movement to and from the lodging area are certain Vegas hotels where you need to show a room key in order to go beyond a certain point.

Violent and non-violent crimes on Disney property may not be segregated from the standpoint of Orange County or Kissimmee crime statistics, but obviously you would have to agree that strong armed robbery or murder that happens with some frequency in the greater Orlando area would be splashed all over the news if it were on Disney property. Since most police reports are public information, I'm sure a worthy newsreporter seeking their 5 minutes of fame would invest in the research of the crime on Disney property or crimes targeting Disney tourists if there were a story there.

 

[englishteacha]

I got pickpocketed while in my own college computer lab. I never felt so violated. Ever since I've been extra careful about carrying cash and valuables. Everyone needs to be cautious all the time.

 

[TDC Nala]

As the infamous bank robber Willie Horton is alleged to have said when asked why he robbed banks - "because that's where the money is".

That bank robber was Willie Sutton.

Willie Horton was a convicted rapist who figured somewhat in the presidential campaign of 1988.