BEWARE! Theft at Saratoga Springs Resort

[fla4fun]

Does anybody have a photo of the safe at the BCVs?

I don't have a photo, but I can tell you the safe is large enough to put a laptop in because I've had mine in the safe (studio and 1BR) in it's padded sleeve. There wasn't a lot of extra room after that, but it wasn't any struggle at all to put in and take out. I had the laptop, my wallet, camera, and sometimes my cell phone, all in there at the same time. I would say my laptop is probably a medium size (not a wide screen).

I wish all the resorts had safes large enough for laptops. The safes at the Beach Club and Wilderness Lodge are so small I can barely put a wallet and camera in there. With all the "gadgets" that everyone travels with, there should be a decent place to lock them up.

 

[Gina35]

Very true!!

 

[pcparamedics01]

Very true!!

I also agree!!!

 

[pcparamedics01]

We just returned from SSR on the 11th of Aug. Believe me, it doesn't matter if you leave a privacy sign on your door the whole time you are there. We had housekeeping walk right in when we were in our room. She just knocked once and walked right in. I think DVC needs to address common courtesy rules, such as if a privacy sign is on the door, under NO situation should anyone enter the room. Have housekeeping record the room number and maybe have the resort contact the room to see if they refuse services, or just don't service that room. I never wanted housekeeping trash and towel, since I always washed my towels and took out the garbage daily.

Wow !! Too many incidences! This is a real problem

 

[Gina35]

Wow !! Too many incidences! This is a real problem

We just arrived home from our SSR stay last night. One day, I think it was Wed. or Thurs., housekeeping came in to change our towels & take the trash while we were all in the room. Then on Friday, my daughter told me that they opened the door again but closed it right away when they saw people in the room. I wasn't there at the time but this really does make me think that something is up with the housekeeping staff there. As you've said, too many incidences!

 

[pcparamedics01]

We just arrived home from our SSR stay last night. One day, I think it was Wed. or Thurs., housekeeping came in to change our towels & take the trash while we were all in the room. Then on Friday, my daughter told me that they opened the door again but closed it right away when they saw people in the room. I wasn't there at the time but this really does make me think that something is up with the housekeeping staff there. As you've said, too many incidences!

This is quite scarey! I am going again to SSR in Nov. I will be on my guard that is for sure!!!

 

[AKV707]

I will be sure not to forget my cable lock for my laptop on our next trip home! Any idea on how big the safes are at AKV?

 

[pcparamedics01]

I will be sure not to forget my cable lock for my laptop on our next trip home! Any idea on how big the safes are at AKV?

Do you know I have never locked anything up on vacation. I must be very trusting or just plain stupid. My philosophy is if that a housekeeper or any other employee would never risk there job to steal from a guest. They will adventually get caught and lose there job.

My Mom and I went out for several hours in July. We left everything on this particular day. Our purses, Mine and my husband"s laptop etc.

My mother said is my purse safe? "I said Mom this is Disney.Do you think housekeeping would steal from us? They would be fired. Besides they must be screened very well for this job for this very reason."

Wow how stupid was I !!!!!

 

[pcparamedics01]

And you better believe my stuff will be locked up like "Fort Knox" when we go back in Nov.

 

[jemiaule]

Theft can happen anywhere - even right in front of you.

Two years ago on a flight home from Hawaii my digital camera was stolen. I had been looking through pictures from our trip and set it on my tray table. I dozed off and when I woke up the camera was gone. The flight attendant helped me look everywhere just in case it had fallen to the floor. It hadn't, everything else was on the tray except the camera.

The attendant told me most likely someone pocketed it when they walked by to the bathroom and this was not the first time they had seen something like this happen to a person on an aisle seat.

 

[pcparamedics01]

Theft can happen anywhere - even right in front of you.

Two years ago on a flight home from Hawaii my digital camera was stolen. I had been looking through pictures from our trip and set it on my tray table. I dozed off and when I woke up the camera was gone. The flight attendant helped me look everywhere just in case it had fallen to the floor. It hadn't, everything else was on the tray except the camera.

The attendant told me most likely someone pocketed it when they walked by to the bathroom and this was not the first time they had seen something like this happen to a person on an aisle seat.

That is aweful! So sorry to hear that!!!!!!

 

[goaliewife]

When I am in the room, I always put the security lock on. That way, housekeeping cannot walk in unannounced.

Exactly.......

So sorry that this happened to the OP. I am glad that you posted this warning for everyone. We tend to be too complacent when we are at Disney thinking that this will not happen at the "Happiest Place", but unfortunately we know that we are not immune anywhere. I appreciate the warning as we are planning to bring our laptop to download pics daily from our cameras. Sounds like the cable lock is the way to go.

 

[dkostel]

I was recently at SSR and on the 2nd day my Mom wasn't feeling well so she stayed in the room. I left & by the time I walked down the 1 flight of stairs I noticed I hadn't heard the click of the door shutting. I turned around & walked back up & the guy next door was scurrying back into his room. My door hadn't closed fully, so I told my Mom to throw the deadbolt.

It was very suspicious, as we were right by the stairs, so he could have only come out & gone back in (possibly because he heard me). The cleaning people are always the obvious suspects (in hotels, when things go missing from offices) which makes me think they probably aren't the ones usually stealing.

Just my $.02

 

[bluslag]

We've been going to WDW for quite a few years now. When we first started I brought all kinds of things with value. As the years have gone by I don't bring all the extras. I never used the laptop and I don't need different change of jewerly. I sometimes wear a fake pair of diamond earrings and that is the only pair I bring. If I lose one I don't worry. Everything of importance will fit in the safe or my fanny pack. Now if I could just figure out how to pack less clothes.

 

[jultomzach]

One of my concerns is leaving extra room keys out! How easy it would be for anybody with room access to take that key and give it to somebody else, especially at DVC because of the "predictable" housekeeping schedule! I think this is how some of these "scams" happen and Disney has no way of proving who used the key. Lock up your valuables and do not leave those extra room keys "laying around". To the OP, did you leave "extra" room keys in the room when you left it?

 

[amyhughes]

What a thread!

I am glad I came upon this. My DH and I usually take our laptops with us no matter what. When you work for a family business vacations still equal work on down times! Sucks, but someone has to do reports, emails, answer questions etc.

This past time we rented a house off property and I bit my nails down to the quick thinking all of our stuff would be gone. Thankfully not, but I breathed easier when we got home in our ADT environ! We have alot of info on our laptops.

There is a service out there called LOJACK, it is a laptop tracking device. It is not a program that can be erased from a hard drive. I really don't know how it works, but any time your Laptop is fired up after you alert the system, there is a GPS that locates it and shuts it down. Without the password it is useless. So we breathe easier now on vacation!

The only thing that upsets me is if someone takes my camera. Those images mean more to me than most of my info on my Laptop (I back that stuff up!) There is no replacing pictures of your family in the WORLD!

 

[disneynutz]

What a thread!

I am glad I came upon this. My DH and I usually take our laptops with us no matter what. When you work for a family business vacations still equal work on down times! Sucks, but someone has to do reports, emails, answer questions etc.

This past time we rented a house off property and I bit my nails down to the quick thinking all of our stuff would be gone. Thankfully not, but I breathed easier when we got home in our ADT environ! We have alot of info on our laptops.

There is a service out there called LOJACK, it is a laptop tracking device. It is not a program that can be erased from a hard drive. I really don't know how it works, but any time your Laptop is fired up after you alert the system, there is a GPS that locates it and shuts it down. Without the password it is useless. So we breathe easier now on vacation!

The only thing that upsets me is if someone takes my camera. Those images mean more to me than most of my info on my Laptop (I back that stuff up!) There is no replacing pictures of your family in the WORLD!

I don't think that the computer LoJack uses a GPS. The software reports your IP address to the LoJack server and they trace the IP address to determine the location. As long as the hard drive isn't reformatted and the thief accesses the Internet, you might get your computer back.

 

[Sammie]

I was recently at SSR and on the 2nd day my Mom wasn't feeling well so she stayed in the room. I left & by the time I walked down the 1 flight of stairs I noticed I hadn't heard the click of the door shutting. I turned around & walked back up & the guy next door was scurrying back into his room. My door hadn't closed fully, so I told my Mom to throw the deadbolt.

It was very suspicious, as we were right by the stairs, so he could have only come out & gone back in (possibly because he heard me). The cleaning people are always the obvious suspects (in hotels, when things go missing from offices) which makes me think they probably aren't the ones usually stealing.

Just my $.02

My point exactly. I feel sorry for anyone that gets things stolen. We had things stolen at SAB pool. Never would I have blamed it on the lifeguards even though they had closest access; and it wasn't, it was another guest.

So one should never blame housekeeping until there is definite proof. Criminals can get into anything and anywhere. Even Disney.

Good advice, don't bring anything that you would be upset over losing, or that is not insured.

 

[OKWAnneMarie]

When I am in the room, I always put the security lock on. That way, housekeeping cannot walk in unannounced.

Absolutely!!! I don't understand why people don't automatically put the security lock on the minute they are in the room. Better safe than sorry.

 

[Judique]

we just got back from saratoga, and had something strange happen while we were there. wife and i were coming back to the room, and saw a lady from housekeeping just kinda wandering around with a towel over her head. we just thought "well, it is kinda hot today". a little while later, after we got to our room, we had a knock at the door, and it was the same lady from housekeeping bringing us our fresh towels, as it was that day for us. we told her that we were not ready for someone to come in the room, as my wife was just getting out of the shower. she seemed to be very insistant about coming in, but we finally just got our towels and gave the old ones out. it was the same lady we saw earlier.

so my wife leaves, and goes shopping, and i was going to take a shower. from the bathroom, i hear the door close, and i call out to see if my wife had forgotten something, but i hear a womans voice saying it was housekeeping. no knock on the door or anything, just came right on in. i shouted that we had already exchanged the towels, but she had to use our phone to call in the fact that she had done it. dont know if that is common procedure or not, she wasnt in the room long enough to make a phone call, as i heard her exit just seconds afterward. lemme know if this sounds familiar.

On trash and towel day we rarely have the mousekeeper come into the room. We just pass out the old towels and they pass in the new and I tip them, at which point they will ask if I need anything else, such as soap or whatever. I've never had them ask to use the phone to call in on T&T day. Most of the time we are in the room as we tend to wander to the parks later in the day. Also, they knock before entering and I've heard them call out 'housekeeping' before actually going into a room.

I'm curious about this cable lock for the laptop. What are you attaching a cable to? The case? I've never worried about my laptop, but now I've got a new one and it was a bit expensive so perhaps I'd better start taking some precautions.