Stroller Theft

[DisneyDaddy17]

How do you live out of the stroller? You can't take it in the queues, so you have to bring anything important (anything you don't want taken) with you in the queues, along with the kids. And you have to go from stroller parking to the queue, and they don't have stroller parking at every attraction. When we brought a stroller, my kids were out of it much more than they were in it. We'd park it and do a whole land at MK, or a whole building at EPCOT. Never left anything important in it (just ponchos in a bag hanging on the back) but didn't carry all that much with us, even though DD2 was in diapers still.

We utilized the buddy system, so an adult from our party is with the stroller at all times. We are fortunate to have a large extended family that loves WDW as much as we do!!!!

 

[cubed]

We have taken our Uppababy Vista multiple times to WDW in the last year with no issues. I honestly prefer a big stroller over a tiny umbrella stroller in a large crowd. It makes me nervous when my kid is so low to the ground and can get hit by bags far more easily. However, for our upcoming spring break trip, we will be relying solely on buses and DH will not be coming with me. I will be 21wks pregnant and my mom will be with me and my 6 and 3 yo. I am debating on buying a City Mini, where folding is very easy and manageable for buses. I still wouldn't hesitate to buy something in that price range considering price of a rental for our week stay is already halfway to the cost of owning one.

 

[MommaVail]

We have taken our Uppababy Vista multiple times to WDW in the last year with no issues. I honestly prefer a big stroller over a tiny umbrella stroller in a large crowd. It makes me nervous when my kid is so low to the ground and can get hit by bags far more easily. However, for our upcoming spring break trip, we will be relying solely on buses and DH will not be coming with me. I will be 21wks pregnant and my mom will be with me and my 6 and 3 yo. I am debating on buying a City Mini, where folding is very easy and manageable for buses. I still wouldn't hesitate to buy something in that price range considering price of a rental for our week stay is already halfway to the cost of owning one.

I have an Uppababy Cruz We just bought a City Mini GT on a super sale! Has a weight limit of 65 lbs in case ds7 wants to take a rest while I carry baby in a carrier ;-) Also we rented one before and love the super quick fold and go!

 

[tcufrog]

I've had very good luck with travelling with a City Mini. I can carry a wiggly preschooler under one arm and fold the stroller and carry it down stairs to a subway train with the other while pregnant.

 

[JimmyBean42]

I just don't want to have to travel w/ the double stroller anymore. Awkward to go through turnstiles with, really a nightmare in The Emporium and the most awkward thing to hold / maneuver in a crowded resort bus. But for singles, the City Mini jogger has been great. I like the ability to move and pivot easy which comes in handy when people are running in front of me and I have to swerve to miss their ankles (which they would blame me for of course "darn stroller dad", instead of themselves for jumping in front of me).

1) you can get those GPS tracker things if you really want to recover it.

But this one is key. You can even hide the GPS trackers on your stroller so any would be thieves wouldn't see them and remove them.

We've been going to WDW for the past 5 years with a stroller and never had a problem with theft. Just the occasional panic when the CM moved it too far away and we thought it was stolen.

 

[Miumiu4me]

We had a stroller stolen before. It was a cheap one too. Someone walked off with it and it was never found.

Disney replaced it for free. I wasn’t expecting them to but I appreciated the gesture.

 

[happymommy]

We always brought our good one; twice we brought our Peg Perego Tandem Twin stroller. Both our kids could recline and take long naps in it every afternoon. Then we downsized to one good stroller that reclined (Aprica).

Of course we never left valuables in it. We always kept an eye on where it was parked; never had any issues.

I wouldn't use an umbrella stroller personally, as I'm tall, they have awful wheels for the most part, and most don't fully recline or have sun shades for a nap.

Yes, there have been some thefts, but with the thousands of strollers at the parks daily, the odds are low that yours will be stolen. Also, at most parks, we only left it for a short while. At Epcot, we had it with us almost all the time. Same with DAK, wandering the paths to look at the animals.

 

[danikoski]

Thanks for the tips on the locks and GPS...we plan to go next year with an 18 month old. I couldn't imagine not taking the stroller we use. It is just a Chicco, not super expensive, but also not cheap, but I love the thing. It folds easily and stands on its own. Definitely planning to take it next year.

 

[chartle]

Wanted to add, a previous poster mentioned the CMs moving strollers. Yes, they do this all the time as to organize them. So don't freak out when you come out and your stroller is not where you left it. They probably just shuffled it.

And also heard that there are 100's of strollers in lost and found that get sold or donated by Disney at the end of the year.

So sometimes a stroller is moved, maybe because it was placed in an area it shouldn't have been, and its taken to a parking area. People come out, don't find their stroller where they left it and assume it was stolen.

 

[chartle]

We bought a stroller lock for our first trip to Disney. It ended up being a pain putting it on every time we got on a ride since we just wanted to get going. If you’re that concerned I’d go to Once upon a child or to another consignment store and pick up a nice used one.

Yes over the years of reading stroller threads this is very common even though "it only takes a second to remove"

 

[DisneyDaddy17]

Literally just got back from WDW!!! Having a more expensive stroller was definitely a great option for my family!!! We bought some of the Mickey Mylar balloon’s on Main St at Magic Kingdom with the clear plastic around Mickey, and they made our stroller very easy to identify amongst all the others. I was thinking it would make our stroller more attractive to thieves looking for a easy target, but I honestly think that it did the opposite and made this roller more safe! We kept our GPS tile in the stroller which also gave us some really nice piece of mind while we were enjoying the park and taking some great memory maker photos!!! Here are some pictures of my DW and GM with my DS1 enjoying the parks in our Peg Perego stroller set up!

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

Literally just got back from WDW!!! Having a more expensive stroller was definitely a great option for my family!!! We bought some of the Mickey Mylar balloon’s on Main St at Magic Kingdom with the clear plastic around Mickey, and they made our stroller very easy to identify amongst all the others. I was thinking it would make our stroller more attractive to thieves looking for a easy target, but I honestly think that it did the opposite and made this roller more safe! We kept our GPS tile in the stroller which also gave us some really nice piece of mind while we were enjoying the park and taking some great memory maker photos!!! Here are some pictures of my DW and GM with my DS1 enjoying the parks in our Peg Perego stroller set up!

Is that the Booklet? That's the one I have also. I was debating on taking it, but then decided to rent because I am worried it might get stolen. How does the GPS tile work?

 

[DisneyDaddy17]

Is that the Booklet? That's the one I have also. I was debating on taking it, but then decided to rent because I am worried it might get stolen. How does the GPS tile work?

Yes, the Peg Perego Booklet stroller. I would consider it an “Expensive” stroller but we have no worries of it getting stolen! The CM’s working this past weekend were very attentive at the stroller parking areas, and eager to ease any concerns of possible theft. We added a storage bag with cup holders (which made our lives 10X easier), and a small rechargeable USB fan for our DS to stay cool. (He is simply not used to being outside in the HOT sun for long periods of time!!!)

Tile is a slim Bluetooth device (about the size of a silver dollar coin) that works off of an App on your Phone/Tablet that lets you not only track it’s specific GPS location but also sounds an alarm for easy locating purposes. There are countless YouTube videos demonstrating its functionalities that I would recommend any one to at the very least see if it would work for their family!!!

I hope that helps you understand a bit more of what I was referring to in my previous post!

 

[Bailey Smith]

Oh gosh now I worry - we rented a double stroller for June. I need to come up with good ways to mark our rental! Does anyone have some tips?

 

[mom2rtk]

Oh gosh now I worry - we rented a double stroller for June. I need to come up with good ways to mark our rental! Does anyone have some tips?

Don't they offer insurance? Just insure it and don't give it another thought.

 

[smiths02]

We aren't tall people, and we didn't go until my first son was nearly 3, so he walked or was carried around a lot, but we just got something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Jeep-Brand-M...1519759858&sr=8-6&keywords=jeep+stroller&th=1

With my twins, we bought a really used maclaren double stroller for $50 bucks from a friend.

We did not experience extreme problems. But, as I said, my kids were older and walked a lot and we didn't stay in the parks pushing them around for 3 hours while they slept. We went back and slept in the room most of the time.

 

[DizneyMommy]

In literally hundreds of trips to DL (and one to WDW) with a stroller in the past 13 years, I’ve had my stroller moved by CM’s maybe twice and never had one stolen. I don’t bring a “cheap” stroller, I bring what my child is comfortable in and what is appropriate for the day’s activities. Sometimes that’s a BOB, sometimes a double (ugh!) and sometimes a nice umbrella with plenty of shade, padding and comfortable handles. What’s the point in having a stroller that is comfortable if you are afraid to you use it, that’s what it’s for! However...

1- I have and will NEVER leave an infant seat attached to a stroller parked at an amusement park - how would you get home if your car seat was stolen? That one makes me nervous!

2 - we make ours very visibly identifiable and personalized. I have red and white polka dot ribbons knotted on my handlebars, and a big luggage tag with our name on it hanging from the frame just below. It stands out quickly in a crowd and someone looking to steal will likely pick something more discreet.

3 - I never ever never leave a single thing in the stroller other than maybe a water bottle. No bags, definitely no Disney shopping bags, no clothing, toys nothing. Often people will grab strollers and move them to another location to steal the CONTENTS, but want nothing to do with the actual stroller and will just leave it somewhere else in the park. This is where a Tile type gps tracker could come in handy, but they eventually end up at lost and found that night.

4- I have this silly habit of locking the brakes and backing my stroller in. More because I don’t want any little grubby germy paws of other kids touching it while Mom parks theirs. Also makes it much less appealing to steal, plenty of others with less effort.

5 - I’ve never locked mine but a friend locks her back wheels. CM’s will lift the back and roll it on the front.

6 - and probably the single most important thing you can do... Park it in the correct spot in the first place, as far back towards a fence or wall or rope as possible, park it neatly and considerate to those around you, and CM’s likely won’t have a reason to move it in the first place!

 

[Happyinwonerland]

Didn't read all the comments, but you could get a gps tracker tag for it, that way if it is stolen, you can find it.

 

[cubed]

Didn't read all the comments, but you could get a gps tracker tag for it, that way if it is stolen, you can find it.

Do you have a recommendation for one?

 

[Happyinwonerland]

Do you have a recommendation for one?

No, but sites like Amazon sell them and they have plenty of reviews.