stolen stroller VENT !!!! my personal one

[NotUrsula]

Not to mention that throwing away a "dirty diaper" that is on your stroller is hardly likely to draw attention as suspicious behaviour. I mean, who in his right mind would NOT want to throw the thing away as soon as possible, right?

The trick is to use markings that cannot be removed without some sort of tool, like a knife or scissors, or a screwdriver & pliers would be even better. Someone in a WDW park using tools on a stroller would probably attract attention. The idea is deterrence, not prevention--you are trying to make it too much trouble to take yours instead of another one that is less-well-identified.

BTW, the only strollers that would normally be targets for deliberate theft are those that are new models retailing for more than $200. Cheaper than that, and you are dealing in either mistaken identity or the "borrow instead of rent" contingent.

 

[FloridaCat]

How sad.
I can remember the time when you could leave your car running while you made a quick trip into a store. Leave the windows open at night.
Leave home and come back to like you left it.
Since living in Forida:
My car has been ransack three times
The House broken into twice.

Even sadder is the one's who do it don't even know the damage they are bringing upon themselves.

 

[dsnycrzy]

You guys are good!!!

1st I have used my perego carriage 3 years with no problem but the one year I decided to rent, twice I caught someone about to walk off with my rental, with that "Oh is this one yours" stupid look on his face. Needing to be slapped with a handful of pixie dust to get his thinking right. People are crazy.
2nd to say I never thought of the lock thing, but now I guess it's an issue.
3rd locking 2 strollers together is also a good idea, but I'll have 3
4th I really didn't think that diaper thingy would work either after hearing so many people discuss that option, & I 2nd fresh tessa, I couldn't look at that all vacation long.

 

[mrssalvaggio]

We had a rental taken several years ago on New Year's Eve at EPCOT near America. What a pain going all the way back to the front to get another . So the next year I went to the dollar store and bought several hot pink and lime green jump ropes. We tied them to the handle and intertwined them into like twenty knots. I think the rentals are a bigger problem than the personal ones, because some would actually not consider that stealing . We figured anyone needing one would steer clear of ours because it wouldn't be worth the hassle to get off. It also made it easy to find when moved by CMs. Someone should invent some sort of tracking device .

 

[Val]

Two years ago we had our double rental stroller stolen from us in Germany at Epcot....amazingly my husband found the stroller parked in Italy (it still had our LAST NAME and the cute design the CM had drawn using our name in the nameplate area)....my brave DH stole it back....should have seen the look on the people's face when they went to retrieve it. My husband asked if they were LAST NAME too, and maybe we were related and struck up a conversation. They turned beet red and quickly walked off the other direction. Unbelievably, the "kid" who looked to be riding in it had to be about 10 and terribly whiny!

 

[disneygeek]

I have read all of this in amazement. I left all valuables including a camera in my stroller while on rides. I guess I won't anymore.

As I read, it seems that rental strollers were taken more than privately owned ones. Anyone with the same conclusion?

 

[tmfranlk]

For those who mentioned having a rental stroller taken....Before you trek back to the front of the park, ask a CM if there is a location closer by to get a replacement. I thought that there were mid-park locations to pick up replacement strollers. Can anyone confirm this?

LeeAnn:
I would go ahead and take your carrier. Probably, anyone with an infant is already going to have a car seat/carrier in their car. I took mine to Disneyland several times and was never worried about it. However, if your DD is sitting by then, I would definitely think about using the umbrella stroller. My DD is 4 months and definitely prefers touring DL sitting up in her stoller than looking up and back from the carrier. If your stoller has harness straps or DD can sit up on her own, then I would recommend the umbrella. (Sorry, I got a little rambly, didn't I).

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

All this definitely gives me some food for thought. On our last trip- the first day I had little pangs of worry everytime we left the stroller (taking valuables with us but still a lot in the stroller basket- diaper bag with stuff in it, small soft cooler with stuff in it, etc.) but I eventually stopped worrying about it and didn't worry about it a BIT the rest of the entire trip (even at US/IOA also) except for the first time the CM's moved the strollers. That freaked me out at first... I thought it was stolen. I mean there were other strollers there already- in the same place, but OURS (along with others ofcourse) had been moved.
They really should warn us they are going to do that. LOL

Anywho- now I'm going to be all worried again. I know I shouldn't let it ruin a trip but let's be honest here.... if you are relying on WDW transportation and don't have a vehicle -it's not that easy to get another stroller. Not to mention the cost of either doing that (taxi/whatever) plus paying for the stroller OR paying for a rental daily then dealing with the rental stroller probably being swiped/borrowed even more often! If you have to have that stroller to have a good day with your child(s) it IS a big deal... and can definitely put a damper on the day. Like I want to pay that much to go to WDW and end up spending the day going back and forth to the front for another stroller when it's taken? (or everyday- if I had to rent one everyday because mine was stolen)
That's why I bring my own in the first place!

Those people just better stop it RIGHT NOW!!! Just isn't right.
I also do not understand that mentality. I don't understand the thief mentality ANYWAY but to steal a stroller at WDW??? They know darn well the child that was in that stroller needs it- or they wouldn't have brought it in the first place! Stealing from a child... that's just pathetic! ughhhhhh

I'm so glad I only have hmm.... maybe 3 more years or so till hopefully I won't need a stroller at all. But then yeah, like someone else mentioned- then I'll have to carry all our stuff. What a trade off. LOL

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Oh and btw- if you see a stroller with bright green rope tied all around it, a lock keeping it from folding (can't do the lock to keep it from unfolding thing- then my stuff wouldn't fit in it!), bright stickers covering the entire thing with a REAL dirty diaper in it (hahaha just kidding ofcourse)-and anything else I can think of (etch our name in the metal??? LOL) it's mine. HANDS OFF!
Wave at me when you see me put my child in it.

LOL

 

[DWhittles]

I've got no idea if this will help or not but it might be smart to write down the serial number of your stroller on a peice of paper or something that you can carry with you. If you see your stroller or find it in the hands of someone else, you can at least then prove the stroller is yours!
I'm going to make a couple of tags for my stroller and print them on neon blue paper and laminate them and tie them to the stroller with nice ribbon (tightly enough that the ribbon can't just be cast aside!)
I'm also considering a bike lock...

 

[bigsis1970]

I don't believe you can use a bike lock as the CM's sometime have to move them around from time to time ?

 

[beattyfamily]

Originally posted by bigsis1970
I don't believe you can use a bike lock as the CM's sometime have to move them around from time to time ?

You are correct in that you cannot use a bike lock to lock the stroller to anything BUT you can use the bike lock to lock the wheels of the stroller thus making it useless to a thief.

I thought of doing this and even bought a bike lock but then realized BEFORE I even packed it that I would not end up using it after about 1 or 2 times of locking and unlocking it...I knew I'd get sick of doing that.

 

[crazywig]

now i'm completely paranoid

i took my maclaren daytripper last year and never gave it a second thought. this year i am bringing my kiwi e3 and i'm afraid.

any ideas on locking a jogger type stroller? anyone familiar with the kiwi?

 

[JoniGirl]

We accidentally stole someone's stroller at Six Flags once.

We came off a ride, put DD in what we thought was our strolller - and strolled away. A few moments later, I needed something from the diaper bag, and realized it wasn't my diaper bag! The actual stroller owners come walking up, and I have their diaper bag in my hands!!

I think they believed it was accidental. Or at least I hope they did! LOL!

 

[Serenity]

JoniGirl:
"We came off a ride, put DD in what we thought was our strolller - and strolled away. A few moments later, I needed something from the diaper bag, and realized it wasn't my diaper bag! The actual stroller owners come walking up, and I have their diaper bag in my hands!!"

This is so easy to do. Most of the strollers look alike. This must have been very embarrasing. I hope the actual owners were understanding and that you all had a good laugh.

 

[tjmw2727]

Most of the stroller thefts are accidental and they are either abandoned out of embarrasment or returned to the original place of the mix up. By the time its returned you probably won't be looking back at the original place. The other issue is when the CM's move the strollers around its often difficult to find them, esp in fantasyland and by the safari in AK.

We have come very close to taking the wrong stroller when we had a very popular graco a few years ago. The bright crazy bandana saved us many times as I am sure it saved others from taking ours.

Two things you can do, lock the stroller in such a way that it can't be folded - this way its useless to a theif and will likely be abandoned before the tram or bus if it is taken. The advantage to that is you don't have to lock and unlock it all day. You can use a bike lock but make sure at least 2 wheels move so the CM's can move it, but this gets tiresome!

Place an id tag and a crazy bandanna in a visible place and put an id tag in a place where it is not visable. This way if you do find it you can identify it.

That said we have traveled to wdw many times with cheap umbrella to expensive plikos and never had a problem. Thank goodness we are stroller free now!

TJ

 

[CamColt]

DH stole a stroller out of America on Christmas Eve. We had just gotten out of the CP and then finished up the kids masks at each country as we made our way out of Epcot. By the time we hit Canada DH said "I dont think this is our stroller". It was the sippy cup in the bottom that gave it away. DH then made a mad dash back to America to drop off the stroller where he had gotten it from and to find ours. We hope the owners never realized it was gone.

 

[skiwee1]

Originally posted by crazywig
now i'm completely paranoid

i took my maclaren daytripper last year and never gave it a second thought. this year i am bringing my kiwi e3 and i'm afraid.

any ideas on locking a jogger type stroller? anyone familiar with the kiwi?

I bring my Maclaren Day Tripper twice a year to WDW and have never had it stolen. Staying 30 days a year with no problems don't worry me too much.