Stroller Theft?

[Iggipolka]

I just rented a stroller from "A Baby's Best Friend" for our upcoming trip (still can't believe I booked a trip to WDW that's only 3 weeks away AND with a 2 month old!) and got the following email from them:

" Because of recent thefts of our strollers at the Orlando area theme parks, due in large part to Disney's huge increase in stroller rental rates, we are now offering heavy duty combination cable bicycle locks for rent. These locks should be looped through the back wheel and around the frame of the stroller, making it useless to a thief. The rental rate is $10.00 plus tax per lock for the duration of your stay. "

Has anyone heard of stroller theft happening at Disney? This is the 1st I've heard of it, but also the first time I'm going to be using a stroller there. Should I get the lock? Seems like a major PIA to lock up the stroller when going into every attraction, but I don't want it to get stolen either.

 

[Minnie Lor]

I haven't heard of thefts but probably Disney keeps that quiet. I'm not surprised. It's very sad that people can afford a trip to WDW but then resort to stealing.

 

[wdwfreeksince88]

I could see it happening. We have never had a stroller stolen but we had a wheelchair stolen one time. Our neighbor went with us and we were pushing her in a wheelchair, when we came back out of an attraction that she transferred into it was gone. Disney just gave us a rental for the rest of the day.

 

[Allison]

I don't think it's common but I've seen posts from people that it has happened to.

 

[simonkodousek]

I would get the lock. I've both heard of and seen stroller theft occur, so it definitely happens. For $10, I would er on the side of caution.

 

[DVCsince02]

I have heard of it (it's rare), but have never experienced it. Especially when there is more than one of the same stroller. I recommend getting a balloon or large luggage tag to distinguish your stroller from another one that looks similar.

Also, cast members constantly rearrange strollers to make room for new ones and close the gap when others are removed. So if it's not in the exact place you put it, don't be alarmed. Just search around.

 

[Iggipolka]

Wow..stroller theft, who would have thunk! I wonder how many are actually stolen and how many are just moved by CMs.

 

[two-foxes]

If you visit the family board at all, there are occasional posts of folks getting their strollers stolen. We have a Mac Quest which we have used on our previous trips and I just added a few personal touches to it to easily distinguish it should someone "mistakenly" take it. I am seriously considering bringing a lock for our Phil and Teds for our trip next year, though. I would hate for that investment to go walking out of the park without us.

There have been a few times where it took me longer to find our stroller, but because like suggested above, if you add something to it to make it stand out just a bit, you shouldn't have a problem finding it.

Have fun with Lillian

 

[kbelle8995]

Maybe they should get lojack installed on the stollers and wheelchairs. I never liked when this happened to guest, it just seems so rude.

 

[GenieCat]

... if you add something to it to make it stand out just a bit, you shouldn't have a problem finding it.

The Unofficial Guide suggests marking the stroller with something distinctive. One of their readers attached a baggie containing a clean diaper dribbled with a little soda for effect. It worked for them.

 

[Iggipolka]

The Unofficial Guide suggests marking the stroller with something distinctive. One of their readers attached a baggie containing a clean diaper dribbled with a little soda for effect. It worked for them.

BWHAHAHA! LOVE This idea! I may have to borrow it.

 

[3_disprincesses]

Just to let you know you won't have to lock/unlock the stroller at every attraction. You will be able to leave the stroller in one area while you visit several attractions. I would probably go ahead and invest in a lock since you are renting the stroller.

 

[RBrooksC]

On another forum, there was a discussion like this. The original poster was asking about stroller because they were bringing an $800 stroller.

I almost fell out of my chair. For $800 the stroller better be climate control and leather seats.

To be honest, I would never bring a stroller to Disney that was that expensive. We brought a $100 stroller that last time we went and I was nervous about that. However, it was nice because my stroller had a built-in carrying strap. Made it very easy to fold and carry on the boats.

 

[LilGMom]

It might be a little bit of a pain in the rump but peace of mind is worth it. While stroller theft isn't a super huge deal, it can and does happen and I'd rather take the extra minute to lock up the stroller than come out and find it missing.

On our last trip we had purchased a Sit-N-Stand and had a long bike combination bike lock that we used. While one of us was locking the wheels the other parent was unbuckling the youngest and making sure we had any valuables (i.e. camera, purchases, etc.) with us that we wanted to make sure we kept. Same thing with leaving an attraction, one parent would unlock the stroller while the other put the valuables in the basket and buckled the youngest up. We had it down to a fine science and it really didn't take that long nor was it a real pain in the rump to do.

 

[Iggipolka]

Ok. Guess I"ll get the lock. Better to be safe than have to pay for a stroller that I don't even get to keep.
I'm traveling solo, so it's going to be a bit more complicated to lock/unlock the stroller and get the baby settled, but it will be manageable.

 

[mobes_jk]

I bought a bike lock to use on our rented golf cart for our upcoming trip. It was about $10 to just buy a new one. I'm not sure yet if we'll take the time to use it on our stroller. Perhaps DD would like to take over the job of locking it up, though?! I'd definitely planned on personalizing the stoller - I hope that would deter anyone interested in swiping it!

 

[LilGMom]

Ok. Guess I"ll get the lock. Better to be safe than have to pay for a stroller that I don't even get to keep.
I'm traveling solo, so it's going to be a bit more complicated to lock/unlock the stroller and get the baby settled, but it will be manageable.

Instead of a stroller have you thought about a baby carrier like a sling, Baby Bjorn or backpack carrier? We used the Baby Bjorn when your kids were small enough for it and just put things like wipes, diapers, etc. in a backpack. When they got too big for the Bjorn we went to a backpack carrier that had a kickstand and had its own little pouches for necessities. The backpack carrier would be more difficult if you are traveling solo but still doable.