Yes, your stroller might be stolen...

[DVCisME]

I have macclarens and I iron-oned letters to spell our last name.

 

[all4fun]

How can you lock just the front wheels? Do they sell special locks for this?

Any suggestions of how I can mark our personal stroller as being ours?? We too bought one just for disney trips.

This is the kind of lock I've seen recommended for this purpose:
retractable bicycle cable lock

hth

 

[vtwep]

thanks for the tip. Just ordered a 24 inch and a 36 inch retractable lock...will try them out here before the trip to get used to them and see which one works best. It sure seems like a hassle, but better than having a personal stroller disappear...

 

[LilGMom]

I'm very sorry to read that your stroller was stolen but the way WDW stepped in to help was great.

We used to never worry about our stroller being stolen until we had a WDW stroller stolen close to the end of the night at the MK. It wasn't fun carrying two tired kids to the front of the park when they could have easily riden in the stroller. We have always taken all of our stuff with us on rides but it was the thought that someone knowingly took a stroller (we had the handle marked with glow-in-the-dark necklaces) that was being used by a child.

We bought a Sit-and-Stand stroller when the WDW stroller rental price went up so high and also bought a bike lock that we fed through the rear wheels when we went inside an attraction or restaurant. Yes, it was a bit of a pain but we got very good at getting it locked in a very short amount of time and DH would get the youngest in the seat and buckled up while I was unlocking the wheels. And the peace of mind in knowing that the stroller would be there when we got back was nice. We went with locking the rear wheels because if it was just the front wheels someone could still take the stroller and just keep it balanced on the back wheels with little problem. Keeping the stroller balanced on the front wheels would be too much work. We also had a few things hanging on the handle and resort info on the stroller in a few non-noticeable places.

 

[NeverBeen2DW]

I bought the ugliest gray Mac stroller thinking nobody else would have it at DW. I have to admit I walked off with someone elses stroller. It was late too at MK. I went all the way from Its a Small World to the tinkerbell store. Shopped for about 20 mins then when I was checking out reached into the basket to look for something and realized it was not mine. I was horrified. The park was closing for the MVMCP would not let me go back. I had to explain what happened then he followed me all the way back like I was lying. I had my then 4 yr old with me. I felt horrible and we could not find the people anywhere. I found my stroller and left. The CM told me to just leave it where I took if from. I sure hope the people came back for it. This was 2 yrs ago and I am sure the lady is still complaining about it. So my point is she probably thinks someone stole it to this day and it probably went to lost and found at the Transportation Center never to be claimed. She did not put a name tag or anything on it. My had a name tag on it so it is obvious why she did not take mine.

 

[Disneynut5]

Debating what to do about a stroller after reading this thread. We are going in Sept and my daughter will be 4 1/2. I have a $20 umbrella stroller that is BRIGHT orange and I could mark it with more bright colors. We probably would not leave much in the stroller since it only has a small mess bag.

Are there any attractions in the parks that you leave at one place and return to another making it difficult to return to your stroller? Are there times/places when it would be best to leave the stroller behind since she is 4 and can walk?

 

[squirrel]

In most of Fantasyland I would just park it in a stroller parking and only move it if we were heading to the other side of Fantasyland or onto another area of MK.

You probably could do the same in Toontown.

I don't think you would have any problems with an umbrella stroller being stolen-make sure you don't leave anything of value in it. Just make sure it is marked quite well so others don't mistake it for their own.

I had a $200 stroller that was new and purchased just for WDW and it was fine. It did get moved a few times by the CM's and I had to search a little for it.

 

[eeyoregon]

I've heard some people say that they lock the front wheels. That way the CM's can tip it and move it only using the back wheels, but it would be inconvenient to try to steal it and push a child around that way. I'm not sure if this is "allowed", but I think some have done it.

I saw a family doing this with their VERY expesive european stroller last year. They had one of those bike lock chains and threaded it thru the 2 front wheels. The CM could still tip it back on it's back wheels to move it but it would be REALLY obvious if someone was using it that shouldn't because the front wheels were chained together. The thief would have to wheel it out on the back wheels and cut the chain with bolt cutters which probably would detour them. Sad that it has to come to this but Disney is not immune to theft.

 

[ilandrazdsw]

I saw a family doing this with their VERY expesive european stroller last year. They had one of those bike lock chains and threaded it thru the 2 front wheels. The CM could still tip it back on it's back wheels to move it but it would be REALLY obvious if someone was using it that shouldn't because the front wheels were chained together. The thief would have to wheel it out on the back wheels and cut the chain with bolt cutters which probably would detour them. Sad that it has to come to this but Disney is not immune to theft.

Have have a new stroller for our WDW Christmas trip. There are double wheels on the front. We are using a long lock that loops through the wheels...it can make 3/4 of a rotation but not roll. The long lock will also allow for the stroller to be locked when folded too. In addition we are adding "personal touches." I would like to think that it would be very obvious/suspicious if someone strolled off with our stroller while it is still locked.

 

[delmar411]

Debating what to do about a stroller after reading this thread. We are going in Sept and my daughter will be 4 1/2. I have a $20 umbrella stroller that is BRIGHT orange and I could mark it with more bright colors. We probably would not leave much in the stroller since it only has a small mess bag.

Are there any attractions in the parks that you leave at one place and return to another making it difficult to return to your stroller? Are there times/places when it would be best to leave the stroller behind since she is 4 and can walk?

stroller parking is normally clustered in general areas by a bunch of attractions so you mostly have to park in the correct place and then remember which parking area you left the stroller in. The only one that I always get turned around at is Epcot by the Living Seas pavilion. The stroller parking is at the exit and they move the strollers around a lot.

For a 4yr old I'd park at the main stroller parking sections and then do the entire section. Then return to the stroller and go from there. I prefer to leave the stroller at the parking areas in fantasyland as those have attendants pretty much all the time.

 

[MinnieVanMom]

We have a very bright lime green MaClaren stroller. It just screams out when in a sea of dark blue strollers. It is so obnoxious that no one would want it other than us. I love being able to see it no matter where the CM's move it.

If someone would ever take it our stroller, it is so easy to see they would be caught immediately. I have never seen a lime green Mac at Disney yet!

If you are in the market, get a stroller that is bright and colourful. One that would be obvious.

 

[mickeyfan0805]

We have a very bright lime green MaClaren stroller. It just screams out when in a sea of dark blue strollers. It is so obnoxious that no one would want it other than us. I love being able to see it no matter where the CM's move it.

If someone would ever take it our stroller, it is so easy to see they would be caught immediately. I have never seen a lime green Mac at Disney yet!

If you are in the market, get a stroller that is bright and colourful. One that would be obvious.

Don't want to rain on your sense of security, but our stroller was a very unusual color that stands out. The fact that it could be easily spotted doesn't help if someone takes it when you aren't there to see it. I think personalizing a stroller would help deter someone, and that is something we will do in the future, but be careful of thinking that a unique stroller is less likely to be stolen. We are fairly sure that the uniqueness of ours is probably a big part of why it was stolen.

 

[SueM in MN]

We were thinking of taking a bike lock for ours & someone said you can't use one in case they need to move it, but it sounds like it might be a good idea.

As other posters wrote, it is OK as long as you don't lock it to anything. CMs have posted that if a stroller is locked to a railing, etc., the lock will be cut and the stroller will be moved.

I've heard some people say that they lock the front wheels. That way the CM's can tip it and move it only using the back wheels, but it would be inconvenient to try to steal it and push a child around that way. I'm not sure if this is "allowed", but I think some have done it.

As long as CMs can still move it, it's OK.

Ouch!! That is why we wheel Rachel into all the restaurants in her wheelchair/stroller then park it at the table with us when we put her in her high chair. When the CM offers to wheel it outside for us we decline. It would cost $3,500.00 to replace it!! I just tell the CM that we may need it at any moment. I have seen the same wheelchair/stroller for sale on ebay, and would not want to wonder if my daughter's was being sold after it was stolen at WDW.

In your case, your stroller is a wheelchair and you would be allowed to bring it in where ever wheelchairs are allowed.
If it is being mistaken for a 'regular' stoller, you might want to go to Guest Relations to get it identified as a 'stroller as wheelchair'. There is more information in post #6 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread (link in my signature).

I think when people talk about locking the wheels, they are discussing bike locks or the like. Since this first happened to us, we are going to take a different approach. Locking the wheels would simply be a nightmare as often as you are in and out of the stroller. We have discovered a way to lock our new stroller open - keeping it from being able to be folded. Between marking it up and keeping anyone from being able to fold it onto a bus or in a car, we figure it will significantly increase our security. We may even put a sign on it that says it will not fold.

CMs have posted that locking a stoller so it will not fold will help. One CM wrote that a lot of strollers get abandoned because the stroller can't be brought onto the buses or parking lot trams unless they are folded.
Someone posted once that after their stroller was stolen, they were taken to Lost and Found to look for it after a few days. There were lots of strollers that had been lost or abandoned; they did not find theirs, but were allowed to pick from the ones that had been there a long time and had no ID.

So another suggestion is to mark the stroller with ID and your cell phone number in an easy to see place and also in another place that is still easy to see, but a bit more hidden. Some people have printed address labels and then covered them with clear packing tape to make them harder to get off.
CMs have written that if they are able to identify where a stroller belongs, they will at least try to get it there, but most 'lost' strollers have no ID on them.

I bought the ugliest gray Mac stroller thinking nobody else would have it at DW. I have to admit I walked off with someone elses stroller. It was late too at MK. I went all the way from Its a Small World to the tinkerbell store. Shopped for about 20 mins then when I was checking out reached into the basket to look for something and realized it was not mine. I was horrified.

Almost every time a 'stolen stroller' thread comes up, someone posts that they did the same thing you did.
One thing people have done to help that situation is putting something on the push handles that will be noticeable when the stroller is pushed. People have used things like bandanas or ribbons tied to the handles. Mylar-like curling ribbon works well. You can kind of make a pompom out of it and no one is going to be able to get it off without a scissor since it doesn't tear.
Even with that, it still would be good to have a few other unique decorations so that you don't end up taking a stroller thinking it's yours when it really belongs to another DIS poster who thought lime green curling ribbon would be a great way to mark their stroller.

 

[~Kristina~]

I'm sorry that happened to you, but I'm so glad to hear that Disney helped you out!

 

[VeroBeachGirl]

I have the opposite of a stolen stroller story! Hubby, DD, and I were at toontown and parked our stroller to get in line to see Mickey. We were in Mickey's house when I asked DH if he had the camcorder. He said no. I ran back to the stroller and found the camcorder, in plain view, still sitting in the seat of the stroller. I was relieved and thankful that we were surrounded by such an honest crowd.

 

[SarahD]

Our rental stroller was taken on our last night at WDW. My daughter and I came out of Minnie's Country house and it was gone. The train had stopped running, so there weren't any to be found at the train station. The two CMs I asked didn't have any suggestions for me and we only had 15 minutes left to get to her favorite rides one last time. I picked her up and we ran for Fantasyland. Nice lessons some people teach their kids...

 

[wilderness01]

Our stroller was taken on day one of our trip. The CM wasn't nice about it at all at City Hall. Actually I think she said "we can not be responsible for your stroller when there are 10,000 people that walk in and our of here a day." She gave me a ticket to go get a free stroller for the rest of the night, but for all the other days, we were on our own.

She said actually it was quite common to get your stroller stolen at WDW, specifically, the MK, and there was nothing they could do about it.

 

[FLmomof2]

I bought the ugliest gray Mac stroller thinking nobody else would have it at DW. I have to admit I walked off with someone elses stroller. It was late too at MK. I went all the way from Its a Small World to the tinkerbell store. Shopped for about 20 mins then when I was checking out reached into the basket to look for something and realized it was not mine. I was horrified. The park was closing for the MVMCP would not let me go back. I had to explain what happened then he followed me all the way back like I was lying. I had my then 4 yr old with me. I felt horrible and we could not find the people anywhere. I found my stroller and left. The CM told me to just leave it where I took if from. I sure hope the people came back for it. This was 2 yrs ago and I am sure the lady is still complaining about it. So my point is she probably thinks someone stole it to this day and it probably went to lost and found at the Transportation Center never to be claimed. She did not put a name tag or anything on it. My had a name tag on it so it is obvious why she did not take mine.

My husband did the same thing about 2 years ago. It was an honest mistake and the carriages were identical. It didn't help that he put the carriage next to its a small world and they get shuffled around by the CM's. (not that that is an excuse not to triple check its the right one). Well after about 15 min I noticed our suntan lotion was not under the carriage and bolted back when I realized it was not ours. The owners were NOT happy and started swearing and yelling. I was horrified as I tried to do the right thing and admit what had happened. I still think of that day often and it still upsets me how angry they had gotten.

Don't get me wrong, I would have been upset too but would never have started shouting and swearing.

 

[maxiesmom]

Our stroller was taken on day one of our trip. The CM wasn't nice about it at all at City Hall. Actually I think she said "we can not be responsible for your stroller when there are 10,000 people that walk in and our of here a day." She gave me a ticket to go get a free stroller for the rest of the night, but for all the other days, we were on our own.

She said actually it was quite common to get your stroller stolen at WDW, specifically, the MK, and there was nothing they could do about it.

Well, I don't think Disney is responsbile for your stroller. There are probably thousands of strollers at any given time in the parks, how could they keep track of what one belonged to who?

I'm sorry you got a CM who was not so sympathetic. But I think what happened to you is more the rule, and what happened to the OP the exception. It would have to be, or else you would have people claiming lost strollers and costumes all the time.

Everyone needs to understand the there are thieves at Disney World. They are not kept out by pixie dust! Please do not leave anything you value unattended! Lock you stroller wheels, and do not leave anything in it that you cannot afford to replace! There are some bad people out there, who will take whatever they can.

 

[tkme4ard]

I'm so sorry