Lost Child at Disney World Picks New Parents While Family Searches Park - Inside the Magic

Comments for Lost Child at Disney World Picks New Parents While Family Searches Park

Magic Kingdom crowds in front of Cinderella Castle on Happily Ever After finale night

Credit: Inside the Magic

23 Comments

  1. Diane

    This happened to my husband as we were climbing up Swiss Family Tree House. He was behind me, my daughter & grandsons. We were halfway up & 1 of the grands said he wasn’t behind us anymore. We walked back down & he told us a little girl was tugging on his pants leg. He looked down & she grabbed his hand. He asked where her parents were, but she didn’t answer. He walked her around the people in the vicinity, but everyone said she wasn’t theirs. He walked her over to a CM umbrella and told them what happened. In a few minutes, the mother came running over to claim her. She didn’t even thank the CM or my husband! Just walked away!

    1. Pks

      No wonder that child wanted different parents. Next time you see a lost, do like that child’s mother and walk away!

      1. Lou

        YOU’RE entirely right about cast members. About 5 years ago I was a seasonal cast member at Hollywood Studios and was assisting another guest when a saw a child princess wandering toward a large flow off guests. I reached her in time and we sat and waited for security. Cast members are trained to handle “lost parents ” situations quickly.

  2. S.Jones

    I was at Disneyland in Calif.with my father who suffered from Dimentia.He unfortunately got away from my neice and l.Good thing a cast member noticed something was not right with him and took him to lost and found.They have him a treat and took good care of him for which I am greatful.

    1. supy

      why would you take an old man with dementia to disneyland? 💀💀💀

      1. Ocean Mama

        They’re just as worthy of a blessed, magnificent, magical time as you…. Awesome CM!! BRAVO! EXTRA BRAVOS TO YOUR FAMILY FOR LOVINGLY GIVE CARE TO SOMEONE WHO NEEDS A LITTLE MORE PATIENCE SUPPORT & HELPING HAND ♡ WHO’S LIVED A LONG LIFE & DESERVES EVERYTHING & MORE~ DESPITE NEEDING A LITTLE EXTRA CARE & TIME♡ RESPECTFUL BRAVO!! ♡

  3. Isaac

    When I was 8 years old, I got lost at Knott’s Berry Farm. I wanted to shake Snoopy’s hand, but he was busy, so my family walked away. I finally saw Snoopy walk out just as we were leaving, so I yelled that I was going to shake his hand and be right back. Unfortunately, a crowd gathered around Snoopy. I looked around for my dad because he is 6’7″, and I would always see him in a crowd, but I could not see him anywhere. I wandered around looking for my family for a bit, but because I was hot and thirsty and distressed, I got a nosebleed. Finally a stranger noticed that I was alone and distressed, so they found a security guard. I asked the security guard what would happen if they couldn’t find my parents, and he told me that I would be brought to the children’s hospital and if they never come to claim me, I would be an orphan, maybe forever. When my dad found me, I was a blubbering pile of blood and tears, and we left the park without doing any other activities. I never even got to shake Snoopy’s hand.

  4. JMH

    I got lost one of my first visits to Epcot. I really wanted a scarf that matched my new plaid Mickey ear hat. The first set of ears I’ve ever had. So once through the gate, I eagerly took off between all of those name plaques, and my husband apparently couldn’t find me. I thought he was behind me, so when I got to Mouse Gear and dove through the crowds buying warm pajamas to wear at the park (it was unusually cold), I went right to the scarves and figured he was right there but he wasn’t. I couldn’t pay for the scarf because my wallet was in my backpack, and so was my phone. Uh oh. He didn’t turn up so I swam against the crowds outside looking for him and when I didn’t see him, I did what I read online that kids should do when they get lost — find a cast member and ask for help. So there I was, 39 years old, seeking help — hi, my husband is lost, I said. And I can’t call him because he has my phone! So I got to use the fun Mickey phone! Since then, we’re more careful to keep my bag with me, in case “he disappears” again. Lol I know it’s me… I’m always running off to see stuff.

  5. Lucinda Schlarb

    When going to Disney I make everyone wear same color tops. Easy for me to keep track of children darting off n for them to spot the adults

  6. Lisa W Lambert

    When I was a little kid, my brother got lost at Disney World. It was about closing time and we dropped to get a few things and the next thing we knew he was gone. They ended clearing the park and did a search party. They sent us back to their campground we were staying at. My brother being a small child got on the boat back to campground and when we got there he was on one of the busses from the campground riding back and forth.

  7. Anna

    I lost my daughter when she was about 6 when she ran away to get in front of the crowds to see the nightly parade. There was no possible way I could see her nor find her so a cast member instructed me that I had to wait until the entire parade was over so we could see a clear view! It was a long a chilling wait but sure enough my adorable little girl was sitting right on a curb and had a front seat!

  8. A Matthews

    Some of the behavior exhibited by the child could be a warning sign as well. As a health care provider certain behaviors will kick up red flags. Gravitating to strangers,
    crying when told the real parents are coming … DING DING DING DING

    Children are usually relieved when they are reunited with their parents. There can be the occasional incongruent emotional reaction in certain situations. Most common is when a boss is disciplining a group of people, and someone let’s our a small giggle … That’s a nervous titter. With children though they could be fearful of what is about to happen for getting lost. You have to watch the reaction of the child when the parents do arrive . Do they cower, do the parents yank the arm, are they hand shy?
    It’s not always sunshine and rainbows where they live

  9. My grand daughter 3 yo was prone to taking off on us I couldn’t find any child’s leash before our trip to Disneyland so I got a cord tied it to my pant loop and just let her hold other end we stopped to look at merchandise at one of the Kiosk all of a sudden I get a tap and our 3yo is standing there holding both ends and in an angry voice says What are you trying to loose me?

  10. Amber

    We lost my son at Disneyland when he was almost two. We had finished with Splash Mountain with our oldest and were discussing what to do next. Winnie the Pooh was mentioned as a choice. We looked down and our son was gone. I went to the CM outside Splash and told him we had lost our son. He looked at me confused. Then another CM came over and told the first that an older woman had found a young boy alone in the Winnie the Pooh queue (which is across from Splash at DL) and asked if anyone had reported a missing child. The first CM said no, while I was standing there. I called out I just reported a lost little boy. We were reunited with our little guy who had run off to Winnie the Pooh when it was mentioned that may be our next ride. We were very grateful for the sweet “grandma” who reported the lone boy.

  11. Tony

    What kind of parent looses their kid at Disneyland/Disney World? We were just at Disney World for 5 days, visited 3 different parks and we knew where our son was every second!
    There

    1. Crystal

      I was thinking the same. But kids can wonder off in a second . Parents should be looking for their kids every second also

  12. Bill Hannigan

    Hopefully they investigated the real parents to find out why the kid didn’t want to go back to them!

  13. Bilbo Bigguns

    When we go to Disney my wife and I wear these 3 foot tall neon blinking top hats so our kids won’t lose sight of us!

  14. Gina

    Pro tip that always worked for me when my kids were small. Right before we left our hotel room every morning I took a picture of each of them in what they were wearing for the day. Just in case we we seperated for any reason the cast members would be able to see EXACTLY how they looked and what they were wearing that day.

  15. Christine

    My daughter got lost twice within 20 minutes at DL. We were at the Laughing Place right under Splash Mountain playing waiting for the rest of our party to get done riding. I had turned my back for a split second to put some snacks away in the stroller. My daughter didn’t see me and took off to go look for me. When I realized she was gone, I went one way and my first thought was “find the nearest cast member”, so I switched directions and found her pretty quickly holding the hand of the cast member right outside the Laughing Place by the fast pass entrance. We went back to the Laughing Place to play again. I was watching the play area the whole time and realized I couldn’t see my daughter again, so I instantly went back to the cast member I found her at before, but she wasn’t there. They had switched cast members by this point. I had informed him my daughter was missing. He had to call his manager who had to come down take a statement and then call security. While we waited for security, she then said she was going to check merchandising. see if she had gone there. Sure enough, she was there. She had run off in the opposite direction she did last time, someone saw her, and thankfully brought her to the gift shop. I felt oddly calm the entire time because I knew DL cast members are trained for this sort of thing and panicking wouldn’t help me find her any faster. I do get really nervous now taking my kids in large crowds because of what happened and because other places might not be as trained to deal with missing kids. I was very impressed with the professionalism and care DL took to help me find my daughter quickly and how they set her at ease during the whole ordeal. They gave her to two dolls at the gift shop too.

  16. JoAnn

    This happened to me very long time ago (1999) at Thanksgiving time. We were in at Disney Springs. I was shopping while husband was with the three kids. The two girls were behind him. They were busy talking and lost their dad. One of the girls told the worker while us parents was worried and I was thinking did someone take them. I am glad that they were found. It was before we had to go to the airport which I was not going to leave till the girls were found. They have told me to this day that they were thinking that we would leave them but I told them differently. Again, the worker and by my girls asking for help we were back together.

  17. Milli

    I lost my whole family (I’m an adult, family was 4adults not counting me, 2children). Went to buy food, family wen on their way, asked security if there’s anyway to help me, at that time (’96), said no since was an adult. Waited by castle for few hours. Fily didnt come back for me. Decided to leave DisneyWorld, went back to hotel. About midnight family showed up at hotel, stated they thought I would find them walking around park (that’s hysterical with size of park). Maybe Disney can find some way to help not just children, maybe loud speaker, etc.

  18. Milli Redhead

    I lost my whole family (I’m an adult, family was 4adults not counting me, 2children). Went to buy food, family wen on their way, asked security if there’s anyway to help me, at that time (’96), said no since was an adult. Waited by castle for few hours. Fily didnt come back for me. Decided to leave DisneyWorld, went back to hotel. About midnight family showed up at hotel, stated they thought I would find them walking around park (that’s hysterical with size of park). Maybe Disney can find some way to help not just children, maybe loud speaker, etc.

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