Resorts and Your More Expensive Items - Possibility of Theft (NOT a debate thread)

[bytheblood]

Please read the questions. I am not questioning if there is a safe, nor if it has a key or 4-digit code. I need to understand the security aspect the safe and the process for the hotel holding your items. TIA!!

For those of you who have either placed your items in the safe or who have asked the resort to hold your items until you check-out, I need your feedback, please.

1st Question
Is there any way for Mousekeeping to open your room safe? I was told on a phone call today that it is impossible as there is only one key to the safe and if the person staying in the room loses it, it costs $30 to have it opened because there is not another key and it literally has to be destroyed.

This seems odd to me simply because there are millions of people in Disney throught the year and I know some of these people lose things and some are just plain forgetful and might accidentally take a key home with them. I have also seen people post here that they have taken the key home as a souvenir, so theorhetically, Disney would have to have the safe rekeyed, which would take a little longer than check-out to check-in based upon the number of rooms and accidents that might occur. I know these safe doors cost more than $30, so it seems to me there has to be another key.

Question 2
Have you ever asked the check-in desk to hold an item for you? If so, how does the process work? Reservations told me that the guest gets a key and mgmt has a key and unless you both have a key, the item cannot be removed. Do they have you sign anything showing the monetary value and give you a receipt showing you stored an items with them?

Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Troop o' Goofs]

For those of you who have either placed your items in the safe or who have asked the resort to hold your items until you check-out, I need your feedback, please.

1st Question
Is there any way for Mousekeeping to open your room safe? I was told on a phone call today that it is impossible as there is only one key to the safe and if the person staying in the room loses it, it costs $30 to have it opened because there is not another key and it literally has to be destroyed.

This seems odd to me simply because there are millions of people in Disney throught the year and I know some of these people lose things and some are just plain forgetful and might accidentally take a key home with them. I have also seen people post here that they have taken the key home as a souvenir, so theorhetically, Disney would have to have the safe rekeyed, which would take a little longer than check-out to check-in based upon the number of rooms and accidents that might occur. I know these safe doors cost more than $30, so it seems to me there has to be another key.

Question 2
Have you ever asked the check-in desk to hold an item for you? If so, how does the process work? Reservations told me that the guest gets a key and mgmt has a key and unless you both have a key, the item cannot be removed. Do they have you sign anything showing the monetary value and give you a receipt showing you stored an items with them?

Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

I believe the safes have an electronic 4 digit number to enter to unlock it, no keys. You make up the 4 digit number when you get to the room, instructions are on the safe.

At least that is what I think and seeing as I have not been there in 10 years I may be wrong.

 

[ss0414]

The last three times we've stayed on property, the BWV and BCV, since 12/06, each safe had a key. Which I think is a real pain, as I was constantly concerned I would misplace it. I wish they would change out the safe in the room to the key pad kind, as most hotels now have.

 

[honeymo78]

Some resorts have the keypad - I think CR has them since I don't remember carrying around a key and I know we locked up the cell phones. Others have the key, like POP.

 

[Daisy&Donald]

We always use the safe in the Boardwalk to keep extra cash plane info, etc. It does have a key.I have not had a problem.

 

[bytheblood]

Thanks for the feedback! My question was not do they have a safe though, it was more about process and access.

 

[fla4fun]

Disney has their own locksmiths (I've seen them helping people who locked their keys in their car, and the vehicle specifically said locksmith) so they may take car of the lock replacement in house. It doesn't really take that long. We've had to have it done to some safes at work occasionally when the employees lock their keys IN the safe (ours lock when you close them, automatically).

I've never found it difficult to keep track of the key. I have a very small wallet with an attached keychain. I put the safe key on the chain (so I don't forget to lock the safe as I'm going out - I have to lock it to get the wallet) and on my last evening, while I'm packing, when I clean out the safe, I put the key back in the door. The keys I've had have been the "do not duplicate" type, so there may only be one set. I imagine since some of the older safes, like at CR, were replaced with newer keypad safes during their renovation, that eventually all of the key safes will be replaced. I just hope they're all big enough to put a laptop and camera in.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

My parents and I have used the new combination number safes a few times at the Contemporary, to keep such items as Travelers Cheques and our Passports in there and we have never had any problems with it.

I also think the Polynesian installed these new safes after their room renovations, which happened around the same the room renovations were completed at the Contemporary.

 

[CaipiraBob]

Most hotels will store precious items for you in a deposit box at the front desk or similar area upon request. Just like dropping it off at the bank. You fill out some forms, list contents and who's authorized. You may or may not need the authorized individual with you depending on local policies, mostly you need them. If you have jewelry or a special camera or something you might request this service. We've not used it at Disney, but have had no problem storing jewelry and stuff at other resorts.

 

[Poly Pal]

The safes at the Polynesian do indeed have the new 4 digit code that you make up. We typically use the last 4 digits of a phone number we all know. Works great.

I do remember the "old days" when the Polynesian room safes had a key because I was always concerned about losing the key. Not a problem anymore.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

The safes at the Polynesian do indeed have the new 4 digit code that you make up.

Thank you for confirming that.

 

[DBFLUKE]

We stayed @ the Beach Club in 04 the safe had a 4 digit code. Thank Goodness, I don't think I would want to deal w/a key

 

[Lives4Disney]

We have most recently (past few yrs) only had safes with the code. Ya, we used to get neurotic about losing the keys, haha.

DH has stored things with the front desk before. Of course he doesn't remember what that procedure was.

We have been to WDW tons and tons of times and never had anything go missing. I don't leave jewelry or money out in the open but I don't lock everything up, either. DH locks up our vacation cash stash, but that's about it.

Maybe we've just been lucky but I choose not to live my life feeling unsafe and under attack. If somebody needs it (whatever IT may be) THAT bad that they would risk their job by taking it, they need it much more than I do.

Lives4Disney

 

[bigbabyblues]

We leave the laptop in the same (a key, at Pop) as well as any cash, and take the camera and cell phones with us.

I don't know what we'd do if the laptop wouldn't fit in the same, we didn't have it when we stayed at CBR or ASMo. Probably a cable lock.

 

[disneyholic family]

one of the times we stayed at the GF, the safe stopped working - i think it was the battery that died...
a maintenance person had to come to open it....he was able to open it without my code, so it would seem that he could get into it any time if he wanted to - but maybe only when the battery dies.....
either way it didn't seem totally secure to me....although i continued to use it, after all, what alternative is there?

 

[dixipixi]

1. I agree about the 2nd key thing. It seems like there has to be another one somewhere. I don't think mousekeeping would have these with them, though. I would guess they are stored safely somewhere.

2. The only time I had a problem with the front desk holding an item for me was at POFQ. The CM asked me what was wrong with the room safe and I had to explain to her that the safe wouldn't hold the things I presently had in there and this additional item that I wanted them to hold. They have boxes (like safe deposit boxes) in a room behind the desk area. Well, she had me fill out a form and wait around for a manager. When the manager finally came, they couldn't find a key for the boxes . After 30 minutes of back and forth I finally gave up and just took the item back to the room and hid it in the dirty laundry. That worked.

We have never had a problem with keeping things in the front desk boxes at any other resort, they just seemed scattered and unorganized at POFQ. I would have felt less safe leaving my item with them than in the dirty laundry!

I have also felt very secure leaving items in my vehicle (we always drive down). I wouldn't leave a lot of money in there, but I often feel safer with things in there than I do with leaving them in the room.

 

[bytheblood]

one of the times we stayed at the GF, the safe stopped working - i think it was the battery that died...
a maintenance person had to come to open it....he was able to open it without my code, so it would seem that he could get into it any time if he wanted to - but maybe only when the battery dies.....
either way it didn't seem totally secure to me....although i continued to use it, after all, what alternative is there?

Thanks - that is the type of information I was after. I knew there had to be a way for somebody else to get in besides blowing the door open with an uzi.

I have always left money in the safe and never thought about it. I am not really too worried about it, but I am taking a 10.9 portable DVD player with me and I am trying to decide the best way to store it. I think if I leave it with the front desk, that would be best. (and I am not so sure it will fit in the safe) If something happens and it on Disney's watch, they are responsible for it. If it disappears from the safe "magically", I have no proof that I had it in the first place.

 

[bytheblood]

Anybody else have some experience with asking the front desk to keep an item or first-hand knowledge of who truly has access to the safe?

 

[CindyCharming]

The day we checked out of the Contemporary, my husband left his wallet in the safe. And didn't realize it until that evening after we had been at the Magic Kingdom all day .

I'll have to ask him exactly what happened when he gets home, as I was sitting in the car with the kids while he went into the hotel, but I remember it took forever and a day to retrieve it. I do know that after he went to the front desk they took him back to the room to see if the wallet was still there. I was irritated they didn't even know if it was still in the safe or not because you'd think there would be some sort of procedure for that.

I do remember an irate post from someone on these boards- I think it was last year- about how someone from the hotel came into their room while they were out when the guest before them thought he/she left his/her wallet and the someone from the hotel removed the wallet and then put it back and lied or some such story. I'll try to find it.

That said, we'll probably be using the safe again and I'm sure my husband won't forget his wallet this year.

Found the post!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1303593

 

[bubblefactory]

Anybody else have some experience with asking the front desk to keep an item or first-hand knowledge of who truly has access to the safe?

Our safe (new digital type) died at the poly a couple of trips back. A CM came with a hand held keypad thing that plugs in underneath the keypad. This can be used to reset the lock and open it - it leaves a record though of when the lock was reset and which CM keypad was used in the lock memory I was told for security. When that failed he sent for a master key - there is a manual lock hidden behind the small oval nameplate on the front of the safe. They use a small allen key to release one side of the nameplate, it swings around giving access to a key socket to manually open the safe. I believe the master key is kept in a safe place and has to be signed out by a CM. They will only open a faulty safe if you are present in the room at the time AFAIK.