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[OneLittleSpark]

Originally Posted by WillCAD

Hey guys, just an observation:

Hotel thieves have a system, a ritual they go by when they enter a room.

First, they enter and leave quickly; sticking around even a few minutes exposes them to discovery. So they grab whatever is loose and bolt.

Second, they know the common places where people "hide" valuables - under the bed, under clothes in the drawers, and inside luggage. They automatically and quickly check these places.

Third, they know that you would not lock your suitcase unless you had something inside it worth stealing. So when they see a locked suitcase, they know there is something valuable there, and will often just take the whole suitcase. After all, locks or not, any soft-sided suitcase or bag can be easily cut open with a pocket knife, so all they need to do is get it into a private place.

So, how to you improve the safety of your stuff?

A) Don't take too many valuables on vacation with you. Jewelry? Leave it home. Cash? Leave it in the bank and only take out a few hundred at a time. Electronics? Take only what you really, really need.

B) Don't think that "hiding" stuff under the bed, in drawers, or in your luggage makes you any safer; not only does it not make you safer, it actually makes it much easier for hotel thieves to find and take your stuff.

C) Lock up anything that fits in the room safe - iPods, phones, cash, jewelry, spare credit or debit cards, passports, and ANYTHING that has your ID info on it (identity thieves work in hotels, too).

D) Lock up your laptop with a steel cable. Don't lock it to furniture - furniture breaks, moves, and is not secure. Lock it, at minimum, to the wire shelves in the vanity area (I like to weave the cable in and out among multiple tines of the shelf).

E) Keep your room clean. The cleaner it is, the less time housekeeping will spend in it, and the less chance you'll have of being a target of a hotel thief.

F) Keep your stuff out of sight. Close curtains, put your stuff out of sight behind furniture, etc., and make the room look unoccupied; a thief might pass by a room that looks like someone just checked out, because there isn't anything worth stealing in an unoccupied room.

None of these things will make you COMPLETELY safe, but put them all together, and you decrease your likelihood of being a victim of a hotel thief.

Good tips! I am one of those people that thinks everyone is out to steal from me, I don't bring anything that would be worth stealing, I lock in the safe any $$ I don't need with me as well as meds., and I hate leaving my stuff with bell services. I try to avoid it if I can, just like DME, I always get my bags and bring them. I figure one, that's just one more set of hands handling your stuff and without you present. Second, I feel like it would be easier and direct if something happened. I imagine that in a bad situation, noone would take responsibility. The airline can't take responsibility when DME had your bags before you saw them, so who did the damage/theft....airline or DME you can't say. Same for DME in reverse.

I'd like to trust people, sadly I do not. Even Disney, this is the one part of the trip I remember that all the CM's at Disney, even characters, are real human people. It's all I can do to trust bell services...when I have too!

[TinkBrat]

totally agree!

[PixieDustDiva]

I lock my laptop in my trunk when we are not in the room. I never leave it in there. The only reason I take it is because I am a writer and if my editor sends me something to be worked on I have to get on it. If you don't have a car with you then I wouldn't take my laptop unless you absolutely HAVE to for work related reasons.
As for money, I carry a minimal amount and keep it along with my card in a small pouch tucked safely on my body where NO ONE is going to be searching....except possibly DH

[MichaelF]

If they didn't come in and clean or do anything then I would not leave them a tip.

I don't like people coming in the room with our valuables so we keep the DND sign up. We are DVC members so they only come once for us but I still don't want anyone coming in. We do wash during the week and wash our towels in our normal wash.

[WillCAD]

Originally Posted by OneLittleSpark

Good tips! I am one of those people that thinks everyone is out to steal from me,

Well, I'm not one of those folks, but I'm also not one of those folks who gets all jazzed on fairy dust on vacation and thinks that NOBODY is out to steal from me. Actual thieves are far less common than honest people, but I feel that if I take some reasonable precautions, and avoid the most risky behavior, I can limit my risk substantially.

Originally Posted by PixieDustDiva

I lock my laptop in my trunk when we are not in the room.

Though the trunk of the car may feel safer from thieves, it's actually more dangerous to your laptop and other sensitive electronics, particularly in Florida.

Heat is the mortal enemy of all computers, and a car in Florida can get dangerously hot - hot enough to pop components off the motherboard of a PC. I highly recommend that you stop leaving your laptop in the car, and instead get a good steel locking cable, and also put some good encryption software on the laptop to prevent unauthorized access to your files.

Back to the original topic - I'm surprised at how many people leave the DND sign out through their entire stay. I only put mine out when I'm sleeping in; I just keep my stuff as secure as possible when I leave, and keep the room clean so housekeeping won't have much to do in it on a daily basis.

[Carousel96]

I guess if I left the DND sign on and housekeeping never came in, I wouldn't leave a tip. What would I be tipping for?

[doxieloverFLA]

Thanks for all the good advice and tips. Guess we will keep laptop locked up in suitcase. Wish we didn't have to bring it at all but DH may have to log into work while we are away. Yucko and also will need it to download pictures and videos. Probably will keep the DND sign on when we sleep in which will probably be every morning and will try to remember to take it down when we leave. I am super jazzed about this trip!!

[aliceinwdw]

LOL

If a thief decided to steal my suitcase with my valuables in it with the thinking that he/she would be less inconspicuous by trying to just walk/run away with it makes me want to pay to see it. . .in other words, to get to the good stuff -- you'd need a crowbar! -- and to "take" it without being seen would require HP's Invisibility Cloak as it's the size of a small child!

Picturing this totally makes me giggle!

But I do agree that nothing is fool-proof; however, I believe that doing somethng (be it using locked luggage for valuables, utilizing the safe, etc.) rather than relying on nothing is definitely a good idea!

So, thank you, Will, for the tips -- as even in Disney, you can't be too careful!

[WillCAD]

Originally Posted by aliceinwdw

LOL

If a thief decided to steal my suitcase with my valuables in it with the thinking that he/she would be less inconspicuous by trying to just walk/run away with it makes me want to pay to see it. . .in other words, to get to the good stuff -- you'd need a crowbar! -- and to "take" it without being seen would require HP's Invisibility Cloak as it's the size of a small child!

Picturing this totally makes me giggle!

But I do agree that nothing is fool-proof; however, I believe that doing somethng (be it using locked luggage for valuables, utilizing the safe, etc.) rather than relying on nothing is definitely a good idea!

So, thank you, Will, for the tips -- as even in Disney, you can't be too careful!

Yeah, but the point is this - a thief simply takes the whole suitcase and walks calmly away, because a person walking through a hotel with a suitcase is the least conspicuous thing you'll see. He doesn't need to take it without being seen; he can take it and walk right past the front desk with it and nobody will bat an eye, because people walking around with suitcases in hotels is an expected, common sight.

As to getting into the suitcase, that's not a big deal. Once he gets it away from your room and takes it home, he could use a crowbar, or explosives if need be, and can take his good old time getting into it. Oh, and if your suitcase zips closed - no crowbar required, just a razor knife or a screwdriver.

[mickeyforlife]

Originally Posted by aliceinwdw

I know that when DH and I travel, we always lock our suitcases with a TSA-approved lock -- for the very reason you worry about strangers being in your room -- however, with the "lockable" suitcases, that's where I store all of our valuables (laptop included!) when we leave the room!

By doing this I have "peave of mind" no matter where my luggage is -- when it's out of my possession -- and this includes when it's with Bell Services, etc.

So, if security of personal belongings is a concern, maybe utulizing something like luggage locks would help you feel better when you leave your room.

speaking of the locks where is a good place to bye them? last time I guess mine weren't TSA approved because they cut them off at airport. notice it when I got home. thanks

[Caldercup]

I'd have to agree with Will -- if I saw a person walking through a resort with a suitcase, I'd think nothing of it. I'd just assume they were coming or going.

If you lock it in a suitcase, put the suitcase up on the shelf in the changing area -- as far from the door as possible. If I have anything I want to keep less accessible, I'd put it as far into the room as I could so it made it harder for a thief to do a "grab-n-go."

Lately, I've seen the Mousekeepers jam the door open, but block it with their carts while they work. That's gotta be cutting down on people being able to dash into the room while they are working in the bathroom.

[Starbright]

What should we do with our passports? Do you keep them on you at all times or do you put them in the "in room" safe?
Also, do you distroy or make sure that the hotel distroys your card key lock since that also has all your valuable info???
As for the computer, since we have a home buisness, I was thinking of taking mine or just upgrading to a Black Berry type of a thing and have my e-mails forwarded to my phone and keep it on me the whole time. What do you think?

[Carousel96]

Originally Posted by Caldercup

Lately, I've seen the Mousekeepers jam the door open, but block it with their carts while they work. That's gotta be cutting down on people being able to dash into the room while they are working in the bathroom.

Don't the housekeepers have to keep the door open while they work? I don't think I've ever been in a hotel where they don't. I suppose overall it's safer -- they can't really dig through your drawers if they could be spotted by any random person walking down the hall.

Originally Posted by Starbright

Also, do you distroy or make sure that the hotel distroys your card key lock since that also has all your valuable info???

At Disney, I take our keys home and scrapbook them.
Other hotels, I generally take them home, then cut them up with the kitchen trash. If anyone wants to dig through my chicken bones and coffee grounds for something that might or might not be there, they're welcome to it!

[WillCAD]

Originally Posted by mickeyforlife

speaking of the locks where is a good place to bye them? last time I guess mine weren't TSA approved because they cut them off at airport. notice it when I got home. thanks

Any store that sells luggage will have them. They're getting so common now, it's easier to find TSA locks than is is to find non-TSA locks. I got mine at WalMart, so they were pretty inexpensive. I also have a luggage strap with a locking buckle, which I got at a travel store, and the buckle lock is also TSA approved.

Here is a TSA page with info on the TSA Approved locks:
TSA: Air Travel

For those who don't know, a TSA approved lock is a lock that can be opened by one of a series of master keys that are in the posession of TSA at airports nationwide. Because of the master keys, TSA agents can unlock your luggage to search it, instead of cutting the locks off.

Originally Posted by Caldercup

Lately, I've seen the Mousekeepers jam the door open, but block it with their carts while they work. That's gotta be cutting down on people being able to dash into the room while they are working in the bathroom.

I don't think the grab-n-go style theft was ever more than a minor problem Eileen. I think the bigger problem was when the housekeeping folks propped open the doors of two or more rooms at once; if the maid is changing linens in Room 5 but has the door of Room 4 propped open becuase the bathtub cleaner is soaking or something, it's easy for people to walk into Room 4 and walk out with all kinds of stuff.

Originally Posted by Starbright

What should we do with our passports? Do you keep them on you at all times or do you put them in the "in room" safe?
Also, do you distroy or make sure that the hotel distroys your card key lock since that also has all your valuable info???
As for the computer, since we have a home buisness, I was thinking of taking mine or just upgrading to a Black Berry type of a thing and have my e-mails forwarded to my phone and keep it on me the whole time. What do you think?

Passports can be kept in your in-room safe. It's as safe as it gets on vacation. Keeping them on you may keep them safe from room thieves, but it also risks loss or damage while you enjoy the parks.

Most hotels, fortunately, do NOT encode any of your personal info on your room key. WDW resorts, rest assured, do not encode any of your personal info on the key; it's nothing but a card with a serial number on it, and all of your info - name, address, credit card info, and all of the info about your dining plan credits and ticket entitlements - is stored ONLY in the WDW computer network, which is pretty secure. Still, I like bringing my KTTW cards home as souvenirs.

I never work on vacation, but I bring a laptop along on every trip so I can download and backup my photos. I consider it a MUST to backup my photos before I come home; I keep one copy on my laptop's hard drive, and burn another copy on a DVD. The DVD goes into a different bag from the laptop, so if the laptop bag is lost or destroyed, I still have the disk as a backup.

I started keeping my cell phone on my at all times several years ago when I began vacationing with friends at MouseFest. I got an iPhone last year and can now get my personal email as well, but I don't have it configured to get my work email. If you have a job that requires connectivity while you're on vacation, a smart phone is very helpful. Having a phone on you at all times in the parks is also useful if you're with your family and want to split up at any time. If you're running a home business, I'd say it's worth the upgrade to get a smart phone at home; whether you want to pay the extra to get one that works on American networks while you're in Florida is up to you (I assume since you mentioned passports that you're in the UK or Canada, which means your home cell probably won't work in the US).

[aliceinwdw]

Originally Posted by WillCAD

Yeah, but the point is this - a thief simply takes the whole suitcase and walks calmly away, because a person walking through a hotel with a suitcase is the least conspicuous thing you'll see. He doesn't need to take it without being seen; he can take it and walk right past the front desk with it and nobody will bat an eye, because people walking around with suitcases in hotels is an expected, common sight.

True, and I understand the concept of this person being seen with the suitcase outside of the room wouldn't be cause for alarm to anyone else, but I'm just picturing someone trying to act all calm and collected with my gigantic piece of luggage when you know they're all nervous (or at least should be!) since it's not easy to do with something that probably requires The Hulk to carry in the first place! Trust me!

So aside from visualizing a big green dude attempting to steal my bag, I'm still going to air on the side of precaution when choosing to lock my larger valuables in my bag instead of just leaving out in plain site -- which many people do while at Disney -- since my point is that trying to be proactive is better than not doing anything at all.

However, smaller items like wallets, extra cash (is there such a thing in Disney?!), credit cards, Passports, etc. really should be kept in the safe, if at all possible.

Originally Posted by Caldercup

Lately, I've seen the Mousekeepers jam the door open, but block it with their carts while they work. That's gotta be cutting down on people being able to dash into the room while they are working in the bathroom.

I've seen this too and I have to say that I -- 1000%! -- prefer this method over some other housekeeping's habit of leaving the cart in the hallway while they flip out the security latch so that while they head in and out of the room 32 times, they proceed to then let the door bang and reverberate shut the entire time!

But I digress (). . .I too agree that the cart across the doorway seemingly aids in keeping guest belongings out-of-reach, as well as providing some additional safety for housekeeping who are in the rooms alone while cleaning. And it definitely provides more "soundproofing" for guests in the vicinity, who are on vacation!