We were robbed at Epcot!

[chamonix]

it isn't all that uncommon for pickpockets to strike during Illuminations and during the rush to the front gates afterward.

really, I hadn't heard this.

 

[disneyelaine]

Wow, we got lucky in Epcot over this past Spring Break. My 7 yr old left his Game Boy SP in Epcot's double stroller.....in plain sight right where your feet rest. Came out of Mission Space and not a sole touched it! I about died when I saw it laying there. I thought my son had it in his pocket! By all accounts, it should have been stolen.

 

[flyinglizard]

I'm sorry, I can't believe someone would leave anything of value in an unattended stroller and then claim to be a victim of robbery. I think a little precaution and common sense would have prevented the loss.

 

[jimmytammy]

I am sorry to hear you were robbed. Even at WDW we arent free of crooks.

But I am glad that the CMs handled things so well for you. With all the negative talk about WDW and some CMs its good to hear the good also.

 

[bigbabyblues]

I'm not familar with the "hold at the gate" service. Can you have your purchases sent to the International Gateway gate at Epcot to pick them up?

I believe at all the parks you can send your purchases to Guest Relations (?) or somewhere at the front of th e park, then pick them up on your way out. Be sure not to wait until closing though, it would be packed then.

 

[MomofKatie]

Sorry to hear you had something like that happen to you, but glad Disney and CM put it right.

And Blueberry, I hope the would-be pickpocket got your cold!

 

[meandtheguys2]

Originally posted by flyinglizard
I'm sorry, I can't believe someone would leave anything of value in an unattended stroller and then claim to be a victim of robbery. I think a little precaution and common sense would have prevented the loss.

A theft is a theft regardless. If you accidently left your car unlocked, and someone stole your stereo (do people even still do that?) wouldn't you consider yourself robbed?

I can't believe the rudeness and condescending tone of some of the replies.

 

[Blueberry]

People just get feeling so safe with the family atmosphere at WDW that the let their guard down..Thieves love places like WDW, people have a lot of money, credit cards, valuable cameras you name it with them.

MomofKatie,my DH was the one with the bellypack and cold and he ended up with the flu and very sick while we were there. It would be justice if the person got the cold and flu wouldn't it.....

 

[goofyernmost]

Believe me when I tell you that, I am not unsympathetic to your distress and disappointment. At the same time I wonder why anyone would think that WDW would be free of dishonest people.

The "guests" at WDW are exactly the same "people" that live on the rest of the planet. Some are good, some are bad, some are honest, some are not. It is a tough lesson learned. I never travel anyplace, no matter the reputation, without some type of personal security precautions.

For example, My cash and/or travelers checks are never all in the same place. If I am by myself it is all distributed evenly in each of my pockets. A pickpocket may get one of them but unless he/she is an octopus they aren't going to get it all. Inconvenient, yes but no where near as bad as being stranded without any money. Another is that I never buy stuff until I am on my way out or I will take a completely separate day to do just the shopping part. Even if I could ensure that they would be secure, the hastle of dragging the stuff around all day is not acceptable.

Sorry that it happened but it wasn't totally unpredictable. It is easy to get caught up in the merriment of the "worlds" but remember the "worlds" are located in the "real world". Sad, but true.

Have you not learned anything from the Pirates?

 

[sters]

That's wonderful how Disney treated you, making a distressing situation better! So glad the backpack was found.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

I'm glad Disney was able to work its magic! I too have inadvertently left packages in the stroller but have been lucky not to have anything stolen.


Hope you had a wonderful trip!

 

[bytheblood]

Originally posted by phillybeth
I'm glad Disney helped to make things right for you.

But why would anyone think that anything would be safe in a stroller in a public area, even if it is Disney? Guess what, there are thieves in the parks, they don't check your police record at the gate. Probably murderers and child molesters too. Disney is no insulation from the nasty people of the world.

It did not sound to me like they were assuming the stroller would be safe, but were instead following the rules Disney put in place. If they say no strollers, they mean no strollers.

 

[NotUrsula]

Each park entrance (incl. Int'l Gateway, last I checked) has a designated pkg. pickup counter. It might be at guest services, or it might be at one of the shops near the entrance, the CM at the shop you are in will tell you. The shops will send your purchase to this counter if you request; there is no charge to do it, and you don't have to be staying onsite. You have to show proof of purchase to retrieve the pkgs.

They won't send food items to the gate, and there is a time limit; if it is nearly closing time they won't do it b/c they may not get it to the pickup location before closing.

 

[myboysmom]

When we were there this past spring we were in Epcot to watch Illuminations. As we were leaving the park on one of the walkways there was a bag with some pretty lace from Norway and a few other things. It had been set down, I am sure to take photos, and left behind

I took it to the lost and found at the front gate. Hopefully, someone went there to look for it. The reciepts were in the bag, so I could have just walked out with it. I was not raised to take something that wasn't mine and wanted to set an example for my boys as well.

Things get set down and forgotten and should be given back to the rightful owner. Perhaps it is my midwestern up bringing.

I know when I went to L.A. in 1994 for the Rose Bowl people were laughing at us from Wisconsin who kept turning in lost items all over town. We left something on our tour bus, and didn't get it back ( and I know the bus drivers clean their buses).

Any how, if something is left behind in the World, check the lost and found. Perhaps some nice person from Wisconsin turned it in for you to pick up.

 

[beattyfamily]

Originally posted by myboysmom
Re: Honest people are there too...

ITA!

We found our camcorder at Lost & Found!

Last trip someone left a backpack next to me at MK near the Speedway ride. I was there for a long while waiting for my family to get off the ride and no one ever came back for it. So when we were ready to leave, I grabed it and gave it to the Speedway CM and pointed to where I found it.

 

[Missy1961]

"Perhaps it is my midwestern up bringing."

I know you didn't mean this as a knock on any other part of the US, but let me tell you, New Yorkers turn things in to.

I left my walkman behind on a LIRR train about 10 years ago. I was pissed at myself, figured that was the last I saw of it. (that was back in the day when you had to spend $50 for a fancy one, LOL) Well, the nice guy sitting near me saw it, picked it up and gave it to me the next day! He told me if he didn't see me that night, he was going to turn it in to lost & found.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

More important than where a person is from is the values that they were raised with and hopefully retained. I was most certainly raised with a high set of values. This from parents without a college education and not a lot of money. What I got from them was more valuable than they probably realized.

I did live in Madison for 2 years and don't remember people having higher values than where I was raised in Oregon.
It is a nice place to live, even though the winters are brutal!!! And the ice cream from UW student union is (or at least was) the best!

I'll have to say that my DH and I stress honesty with our children, too. My daughter has wanted to copy CDs, download songs from the internet, etc, and we've never allowed something that we thing borders on dishonest. Not to mention how I've never lied to the schools saying they were sick when they weren't or that the dog ate their homework when they forgot to do it.

T&B, now stepping off my soapbox...

 

[safetymom]

If someone returns your item be sure to take the time to thank them.

My daughter found an autograph book at a property sale in WDW. It had someones name and address. Daughter went and got more autographs and sent it to the person.

She never received a thank you.

 

[missypie]

One time at Six Flags there was a family who was totally convinced that we had stolen their double stoller. They kept following us around and looking ours over and even sent a security guard to talk to us. The funny thing was, our stroller was past its useful life...DH had just replaced a part on it...a few months later we would pitch it because it was in such bad shape that we coudn't even donate it anywhere. I guess someone really had taken that family's stroller, because if someone was just looking to score a stoller, they wouldn't have picked our ratty old thing.

 

[cooldisneymom]

musical2 - OMG!!! DD13 and I were in Epcot the same day you were!!! We ate lunch at the Amercian Pavillion. I'm so sorry this happened to you. Sending pixie dust your way!!!