Things "taken " from room??

[dixiegirl]

Well last nite while on another (yes I know gasp) site when I came across a thread on how someone's 2 laptops and cell phone and camera we're stolen out of their room at Saratoga Springs over the weekend..Now this puts Such a pit in my stomach, well one we're going there in couple weeks and two does this happen more often than we think?? I know the person and numerous others had said that there were phone calls to the room while they were there but when they picked up nobody answered on the other end....LOVELY!!! And from what they said Disney really did'nt do a whole lot..So does this happen that often? Anyone ever have anything "taken"from their room?? And also what do you do with say your portable dvd players or laptops and such?? I know there is a safe but they are really not that big... I know we never (cross fingers and knock on wood) had a problem , always left change out and dvd players, but what do you do with them?I really can't see bringing them into the park with you...Any insight would be great!! And yes I know crime happens EVERYWHERE , I know disney is not an exception, would be nice though!!

 

[DisneyMusician2]

I hate to sound unsympathetic, but those things may not be the best move to take on any vacation, much less a Disney trip.

With any hotel, there is a chance things may go missing. I believe there is a house safe at most hotels if you really need it. Otherwise, stuff should be kept in a suitcase out of sight. Most thieves, if they are Disney-employed or not, will not choose to go through a suitcase but go for whatever is being left out.

If they choose to go through your stuff, there really isn't much you can do but keep valuables with you and not bring really caluable or uninsured stuff with you on your trip.

Also, there is not much Disney CAN do. Most hotels do not take responsibility for personal items left in rooms, and I can't imagine the Disney resorts are any different. I am sure they take theft seriously, but other than using thousnads of security cameras everywhere on property, it is hard to prove anything.

 

[Nansafan]

We've never had anything taken from our room in over 20 trips (some consisting of large groups with 2 rooms). We've left change out and chargers i.e. cell phone, camera battery type etc. When leaving a camera in the room for the day, we usually put it in a suitcase in the closet or in one of the drawers. We'll put money or traveler's checks in the room safe and maybe a cell phone or two. That's really too bad for those people. With the telephone calls and all, sounds like someone had been staking them out and had an idea of what they had with them.

 

[RiversideBunny]

No problem.
Just use basic precautions as you would when traveling anywhere.

Don't leave valuable things out in plain sight.
(Another guest could be walking by the room while the maid has the door open, for instance.)
Put money in the small safe in the room and hide the key.

Have fun.

 

[danpam1024]

No problem.
Just use basic precautions as you would when traveling anywhere.

Don't leave valuable things out in plain sight.
(Another guest could be walking by the room while the maid has the door open, for instance.)
Put money in the small safe in the room and hide the key.

Have fun.

This method is used very often. Thiefs walk up and down the halls find an open door then simply walk into the room. If confronted by the maid, they claim to be the room's occupants.

Because it is likely to raise suspicions, they won't rummage around the room. A good thief, working with a "look-out" can pull this off without touching anything except for the item they wish to steal. It is very (too) effective, and unless the real occupant catches them, they are usually in and out in less than 15 seconds.

Just keep valuables out of plain site. Typically, they will pass your room and go to another.

 

[ConstanceIrene]

Since we can't lock our luggage for the flight down to WDW, all valuables are carried in the cabin bags that never leave us. Locks, however, are still attached to one of the zipper pulls on our bags.

During our stay, we put anything we wouldn't want to see "walk" inside our luggage before we leave the room for the day. That's when we use the locks to secure the bags. Should we move from one resort to another, locks are used on everything, even the cabin bags.

Better safe than sorry.

 

[crazydaveh]

I have gone as far as locking my laptop in my luggage as mentioned above but at the same time, using a bicycle lock to attach my luggage to something in the room that's not going anywhere without a fight. I have attached it to the toilet, pipes under the sink, and other large things that look like they're too annoying to mess with. DISCLAMER: I have never had to do this at WDW, only other hotels in select areas across this great land we live.

I usually leave that type of stuff at home when at WDW, but have taken my laptop and PS2 to WDW on occasion. Nothing happened.

Bottom line, theft can take place anywhere and anytime, it stinks, but it happens.

 

[Sadiebird]

We had some strange things lifted from our room during a stay at the Wilderness Lodge about a year ago. One day during our trip I realized I was missing a bottle of lotion. And then when we returned from our trip I realized I was missing a t-shirt. I'm usually pretty organized, so I don't think I misplaced them or forgot to pack them up, so I just assumed they were lifted from our room. I thought it was an odd choice of things to steal though. I never mentioned it to the management at the Lodge though, because I really had no proof that they were stolen and also because they were such inexpensive items.

Other than that, I've never had anything stolen and we've visited WDW about 11 times in the last 10 years. I always put valuables in the safe or carry them with me.

Edit: Funny, I just noticed that the t-shirt that went missing is the one that I'm wearing in my avatar.

 

[raven]

This method is used very often. Thiefs walk up and down the halls find an open door then simply walk into the room. If confronted by the maid, they claim to be the room's occupants.

Because it is likely to raise suspicions, they won't rummage around the room. A good thief, working with a "look-out" can pull this off without touching anything except for the item they wish to steal. It is very (too) effective, and unless the real occupant catches them, they are usually in and out in less than 15 seconds.

Just keep valuables out of plain site. Typically, they will pass your room and go to another.

You seem to know an awful lot about this. :lookaroun :lol:

 

[rcapolete]

this is why i always leave the do not disturb sign on my door. If i need to have extra towels i call the front desk or go there myself. If i have dirty towels i try to catch one of the maids in the morning or just leave it outside the door. This way nobody has any reason to be in my room period

 

[aladdinjrstar]

I hate to sound unsympathetic, but those things may not be the best move to take on any vacation, much less a Disney trip.

With any hotel, there is a chance things may go missing. I believe there is a house safe at most hotels if you really need it. Otherwise, stuff should be kept in a suitcase out of sight. Most thieves, if they are Disney-employed or not, will not choose to go through a suitcase but go for whatever is being left out.

If they choose to go through your stuff, there really isn't much you can do but keep valuables with you and not bring really caluable or uninsured stuff with you on your trip.

Also, there is not much Disney CAN do. Most hotels do not take responsibility for personal items left in rooms, and I can't imagine the Disney resorts are any different. I am sure they take theft seriously, but other than using thousnads of security cameras everywhere on property, it is hard to prove anything.

Hold Up! You need cell phones for a disney trip if your flyuing or driving or anything really. Its not useless to bring them because lets say u need to fund ur wife in the park its not a good idea to have a CM go look for her

 

[optjay]

Hmmm.....
Disney switched to an outside company for room cleaning, no?
Non Disney employees now with access to rooms?

 

[TestTrack]

Hmmm.....
Disney switched to an outside company for room cleaning, no?
Non Disney employees now with access to rooms?

Nope, Mousekeeping is still run by the mouse

 

[3fordisney]

We haven't had anything taken from our room. We have left change out and have not had it taken. With any cameras that we may leave behind, we place into the suitcase and hide it. As with any money or cell phones we don't want to take into the parks with us, we lock it in the safe and take the key with us. We haven't had anyone mess with the safe or rummage through our items. I will set up the suitcase in a way that I will know if someone looked in it. We never leave a suitcase wide open or anything of value in plain sight.

Isn't there TSA approved locks you can use on your luggage?? We don't fly often so I'm not quite sure. If not, I would use luggage locks while at the resort and take it off for the flight home.

 

[PeoplemoverTTA]

Mousekeepers are sometimes working on 2-3 rooms at a time, and have the doors propped open for each while they're working, making it fairly easy to walk in quickly. Like others mentioned, it's key not to have anything out in plain sight. I usually lock up my suitcase and put it in a far corner of the room, to ensure it would take maximum work and time for sometime to take anything.

Just a bit OT, I do have a mousekeeping story that I'd like to share....in 2004, I was staying at CBR and came back in the afternoon for a bit of a siesta and dip in the pool. Lo and behold, apparently my room was the break room for housekeeping, because I walked in my room (which was clean, but the door was propped open still for some reason (because I want little lizards and bugs to get in my room unnecessarily) and there were four housekeepers in my room playing cards with the TV on (I think they pulled in chairs from another room or something - it was crazy!).

I don't know....just found that a bit odd, and inappropriate.:fork:

 

[Zummi Gummi]

I always bring my laptop on trips (primarily so I can upload my photos at the end of the day), and never leave it in plain sight. Nevertheless, I always get a little nervous leaving it in the room like that. I wish it fit inside of the in-room safes, (at other hotels I've stayed at, it has) but it does not. I've also used one of those combination locks with the chain thing and tied it to the bed, while leaving the laptop on the nightstand, locked it its case. The only way someone is getting it out is if they take the bedframe with it!!

Just a bit OT, I do have a mousekeeping story that I'd like to share....in 2004, I was staying at CBR and came back in the afternoon for a bit of a siesta and dip in the pool. Lo and behold, apparently my room was the break room for housekeeping, because I walked in my room (which was clean, but the door was propped open still for some reason (because I want little lizards and bugs to get in my room unnecessarily) and there were four housekeepers in my room playing cards with the TV on (I think they pulled in chairs from another room or something - it was crazy!).

I don't know....just found that a bit odd, and inappropriate.:fork:

Because this didn't happen to me, I find it very funny. However, if I was in your shoes, I'm not sure what I would have done.

 

[MrsPortiaB]

Great ideas!

Isn't there TSA approved locks you can use on your luggage?? We don't fly often so I'm not quite sure. If not, I would use luggage locks while at the resort and take it off for the flight home.

this is why i always leave the do not disturb sign on my door. If i need to have extra towels i call the front desk or go there myself. If i have dirty towels i try to catch one of the maids in the morning or just leave it outside the door. This way nobody has any reason to be in my room period

First, yes there are TSA approved locks that you can use on your luggage, we did that with our luggage from last year. They're a big help! I got mine from my local Target store.

Second, we did the exact same thing but only if our stuff was out all over the place. It's really a great idea if you have things out all over the place. That way, no one is in your room. But, if all of our stuff was packed away with the TSA locks on the luggage, we let Mousekeeping in.

We never had a thing of ours touched using these methods.

 

[maelstrom]

Common sense dictates that you not leave valuables out in plain sight in your room. My laptop stays locked up in my suitcase, along with my jewelry, camera, iPod, and any other valuable I'm not taking to the parks with me. Maybe I'm just a little paranoid, but better to be safe than sorry.

 

[po1998]

I haven't done it at WDW, but at other hotels, I have taken valuables(that won't fit in the safe i.e laptop) to the front desk and have them hold them while I am out of the room.

 

[Epcot82Guy]

I haven't personally had a problem, but there is an option.

Usually when I come down, I get there before my room is ready. I have always left my laptop and carryon at the front desk. They put it in a locked room for you. For the tip of holding a bag, I think you can leave your laptop/large valuables with them each morning. That would certainly be worht the $1 for some peace of mind if you are concerned. Otherwise, locking it up in a larger bag would be a good idea.