parking lot safety

[caribbeandream]

I would never leave my luggage in a place that is visible. Maybe it's because I come with a big city with lots of crime but I no longer believe that having security guards or being within sight distance of your car is any guarantee that your belongings are safe. I recently watched a video of someone who stole a laptop from a car, in the middle of the day, from a restaurant valet parking. I live in a "safe part of town" and this restaurant was walking distance from my house. It took the (well dressed thief) less than 20 seconds to open the car and take what did not belong to him. I also can't remember if it was this board or somewhere else but someone forgot to lock their car at one of the resorts and all their souvenirs were stolen from the trunk of their car. The risk is not worth it.

 

[Klayfish]

I would never leave my luggage in a place that is visible. Maybe it's because I come with a big city with lots of crime but I no longer believe that having security guards or being within sight distance of your car is any guarantee that your belongings are safe.

I think it's more about personal risk aversion than your background of where you live. I've lived and worked in a big city, in some really bad neighborhoods. However, the risk of leaving my clothes and toiletries in my car at WDW just isn't a risk that scares me. I'm not looking for WDW to guarantee anything is safe. Just personally I don't feel it's that big of a deal either way. I don't want our stuff stolen, but if they do, then so be it. We feel the same way when we go to WDW water parks. We just leave our stuff on our chairs. We've made at least 30-50 visits to the water parks, maybe more. Never once had a problem. And if we did, all the thief would get is a sweat stained, sunscreen stained old t-shirt, a pair of well worn flip flops and maybe some sandwiches. If they want it that bad, hope they enjoy it.

 

[BeachPrincess]

Our vehicle was broken into on the TTC parking lot about 6 years ago, so it happens and you can't be too careful. With that being said, even though I'm still a bit paranoid, on check out day we always drive to the park (rather than taking the bus) and have our luggage in the back (we have an SUV). The interior is black and I always cover our stuff with a black towel (and the windows are tinted). You can't tell from the outside that there is anything inside. I'm sure the first time was a bit of a fluke and we have not had any issues since. Also, we have noticed a lot more security on bikes patrolling the parking lots in recent years, which is comforting. So if I were you, I would try to put as much in the trunk as possible then put smaller items in the floors of the back seat and cover.

To add to this, the most important lesson I learned was not to leave anything valuable in the car. Duh, this should be a no brainer right, but because it's Disney and I thought there was lots of security, I thought it was safe. Not true. Now I leave NOTHING valuable in the car. I don't even take my purse with me anymore, just what is needed, and I have all that in my park purse or backpack with me at all times. So, if all you have is clothing and toiletries, I wouldn't think twice about leaving it in the car.

 

[KrazeeK120]

We usually pack up the car before we leave on the last day in order to maximize our park time (we drive to WDW). We put as much as we can in the trunk, but some stuff just won’t fit. I keep all valuables on me (my wedding set, ID, cash, credit card, etc.). If someone wants my toothbrush and dirty clothes, they can have at it.

 

[fla4fun]

I would agree with the person who said they don't leave things in the car because of the heat. Even if it's not especially hot outside, if it's sunny, the car can get hot. Most of us travel with electronics that don't tolerate extreme heat all that well, and I wouldn't want to have to carry all that in the parks, not to mention toiletries like cosmetics and solid deodorants that can melt and make a big mess. Some people also have medications that are heat sensitive. I actually leave for vacation from work, and return directly to work before going home when the trip is over. I pack all my meltables in one suitcase and actually bring it in the office with me. Everything would fit under cover in the car, but I don't want those items exposed to the heat.

If you leave your items with bell services, and want to save a little time, I would drive to the park, so you don't have to wait for a bus at the end of the day back to your resort. You can just drive by, get the luggage, and be on your way.

 

[LSUmiss]

We have left luggage in the car in the parking lot of the hotel we were checking into & didn’t have any problems.

 

[joelkfla]

If you can do DHS or Epcot that day, both parks have coin-op luggage lockers in their bus loading area. DHS lockers are your standard size lockers; the ones at Epcot are extra large. I think both require 4 quarters per use, with no in-&-out privileges. The lockers are outside the secured bag check perimeter at both parks.

DHS lockers are on the side of the building at the corner of the bus lot nearest the park entrance.

Epcot lockers are under the canopy of the building between the 2 bus lots, behind the abandoned bus info booth.

 

[KrazeeK120]

I would agree with the person who said they don't leave things in the car because of the heat. Even if it's not especially hot outside, if it's sunny, the car can get hot. Most of us travel with electronics that don't tolerate extreme heat all that well, and I wouldn't want to have to carry all that in the parks, not to mention toiletries like cosmetics and solid deodorants that can melt and make a big mess. Some people also have medications that are heat sensitive. I actually leave for vacation from work, and return directly to work before going home when the trip is over. I pack all my meltables in one suitcase and actually bring it in the office with me. Everything would fit under cover in the car, but I don't want those items exposed to the heat.

If you leave your items with bell services, and want to save a little time, I would drive to the park, so you don't have to wait for a bus at the end of the day back to your resort. You can just drive by, get the luggage, and be on your way.

I’ve never had any of my cosmetics or solid deodorant melt. I actually keep a stick of deodorant in my car at all times in daily in case I forget to put it on or feel like I need to reapply for whatever reason (yep, I’m a paranoid weirdo).

 

[married2mm]

We have left luggage in the car previously.
And also tickets & passports etc....

It was on our departure day (we were offsite)
I really don't know what I was thinking- I would never do that now.

 

[LilyWDW]

I would never leave anything visible like bags, luggage, GPS, or anything really. Never. That's just not a smart plan and you are just making your vehicle a more attractive target. It's like people who leave laptops or purses visible in their car and then are shocked they get stolen. Well duh. The thief knows they will at least get something if they break into your car.

 

[cel_disney]

We've done this before on checkout days, etc. and had no issues. Of course, on any given day, that might not work out. But as long as you're not losing anything valuable if it does happen, all you're risking is time, hassle, and a couple hundred bucks for damage. To me, there have been times it was worth it to save that transfer time.

We have left our luggage and more expensively our stroller in the van multiple times with no issue on checkin or checkout day (heck - most days and nights with the stroller?) and so far have not had any issues.

There is no 'trunk' in a van/SUV so of course everything is exposed if people are really looking for it, but for us the time savings and the emotional impact of having to pick up the luggage (one more stop between a long park day and a new hotel) is worth the very small risk that this would be!

Now - all that being said - you DO have to plan for this as the car will be VERY hot. Make sure to turn any electronics completely off before burying them in luggage and consider a way to keep toiletries and makeup from melting!!

 

[buzzrelly]

We just did this last month, at both Universal and WDW. We left a suitcase, along with some water bottles and non-perishable food in the back seat and had no issues. Granted, I wouldn't leave anything of value in there, but if a thief wanted to steal our clothes, it wouldn't be the end of the world.

 

[TravelingTotMom]

I throw a bunch of beach towels into our SUV whenever we go to Disney.

We completely cover our luggage in the back with them on the last day. There's no valuables in them, and I figure it's less tempting if you can't see what's in the car.

 

[fla4fun]

I’ve never had any of my cosmetics or solid deodorant melt. I actually keep a stick of deodorant in my car at all times in daily in case I forget to put it on or feel like I need to reapply for whatever reason (yep, I’m a paranoid weirdo).

Then you are luckier than me. I had a brand new solid deodorant melt in my suitcase and get all over everything in it. It was a mess and I had to get rid of the suitcase because I couldn’t get it clean.

 

[annabelle004]

Yep, just leave it with Bell
Services on checkout day! The. When you’re done for the day, Head back to that resort, get it out from BS, load up and be on your way. Easy.

^^^^^
Do that.

 

[AaronInWI]

I throw a bunch of beach towels into our SUV whenever we go to Disney.

We completely cover our luggage in the back with them on the last day. There's no valuables in them, and I figure it's less tempting if you can't see what's in the car.

Yep, exactly. We too have an SUV with no actual trunk, just an open area with tinted windows. When we travel, we put a black bed sheet over everything. It is still obvious that there's stuff back there if you look close enough, but I have been told by a policeman friend of mine that if a thief can't see what you have, they probably won't take the time to break in and find out. They'll probably move on until they actually see something they want.