Disney Housekeeping Steals From Room, Guest Panics

When Guests visit Disney World, they expect to have a magical time, but that is not the case for everyone. 

At Walt Disney World Resort, Guests have access to nearly everything they need at their fingertips (literally, My Disney Experience can help you accomplish nearly anything you need). There are four incredible theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT, as well as two water parks: Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and the currently closed Disney’s Blizzard Beach, as well as Disney Springs. That is all just scratching the surface because Guests can also enjoy the 25+ resorts on property, golf, mini golf, visit ESPN Wide World of Sports, and so much more. The large theme park mogul is plotted on a size of land that is equivalent to San Francisco — which means the theme park is truly its own functioning city.

Over the past few years, it seems that theft, and at times, violence, has been more of an issue at the Disney Parks. We recently reported on multiple Guests discussing the thefts they experienced at both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, which ran from baby blankets to purses to glow cubes (which are not costly at all). In another story, one Disneyland Guest also spoke about how she saw someone steal the lightsabers that she had purchased from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Another report shows how children had their recently purchased Disney Plushes stolen from them.

Now, it is being reported that Disney Cast Members are stealing from Guests. With so much to see and do, Guests are often not able to stay in their hotel room all day long unless they want to miss one of the adventures that await them on Walt Disney World property. One Guest is accusing the housekeeper of their Disney Resort to have stolen her daughter’s backpack and the money inside.

The Guest shared,

“I’m going to preface this by saying I had a family member who was VERY briefly a Mousekeeper (thank goodness), and she openly bragged about taking things home that guests left in the Cabins at FW. I’m talking jewelry and expensive perfume.

We stayed at AKL last month and on check-out day my daughter left her Loungefly backpack in the room. I know, I should’ve double-checked, but here we are. I immediately filed a Lost & Found ticket while we were still at MCO and it was closed. I filed another one after 2 weeks – it was just closed. The backpack had money and a bracelet in it and I feel like it was just never turned in. Years ago she lost a stuffed animal on the monorail and we got it back in 2 days.

So. How can I get this remedied or brought to someone’s attention? I am not a complainer by any means, but I’m sad for my teen because it was their money and the bracelet was a souvenir for a friend. This was our first time splurging on a Deluxe room and while the resort is breathtaking, this leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

tl;dr: how do I contact someone directly about valuables that were left in our room at checkout and were not turned in to Lost and Found by Mousekeeping.

Although this Guest does not have proof that the bag was stolen, they seem to believe it after having a strong suspicion that the backpack never left the room, and due to their family member’s past experience stealing from Guests while being a housekeeper at Disney.

When something is lost at Walt Disney World, you put in a ticket which will have Disney investigate and look for your missing item. Oftentimes, they are able to locate the item, but sometimes, depending on where it was left, it may not be possible. Cast Members are trained to bring all items that were left to the lost and found, and to never take home anything, as that is grounds for termination. In the case of this “theft” there is always the chance that the bag was left somewhere else and the child forgot.

One reader replied, “Sorry that your stuff is gone but it’s a little misleading to call this housekeeping theft when the item could’ve been taken by anyone, housekeeping, maintenance, even the next guest staying in the room.”

They continued, “Unfortunately, there’s not much more you can do beyond the lost and found process. You don’t have any evidence or proof of “housekeeping theft”. While not specifically helpful in this instance, we travel with two little ones and make sure we do sweeps to make sure we don’t forget anything of theirs that may cause them to cry or freak out if they don’t have. Sounds stupid, but having something as simple as a note in your phone of these kinds of items and a reminder right before checkout to review that list goes a long way.”

That being said, we have seen an influx in theft at Walt Disney World overall.

Recently, it was reported that one man went on a rampant stealing spree, breaking into Disney World multiple times to steal various cell phones. He was later caught and arrested. One Disney Guest was able to get her phone back. The arrested man was “part of a group of people who had caught Disney’s attention from past trouble.” It seems the man was able to get into the Disney World Parks without having purchased tickets and then proceeded to pickpocket Guests. The robber broke multiple rules set out by Disney, including breaking into the theme Park and stealing thousands of dollars from Guests.

In the past, we have seen not only Guests dealing with theft but, of course, Disney as well. A 30-year-old man was once caught using a stolen Walt Disney World iPad, which had access to a private company application. He was giving unauthorized tours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to skip to the front of the lines.

Of course, following the rules at any Disney Park is incredibly important. Failure to do so can leave Guests kicked out of the Park for the day, banned for life, and depending on the severity of the consequences, authorities can get involved. We have seen Guests banned for sharing backstage footage, promoting dangerous activities, using excessive vulgar language, inappropriate clothing, and more. Action has also been taken on Guests who have jumped out of their ride vehicle, such as the Guest who tried to steal a cucumber while riding on Living with the Land. Often, Disney does not take severe action immediately; that happens when the Guest fails to comply with what they are told.

Have you ever lost anything at Walt Disney World? Was it returned to you? 

If you are looking to visit Walt Disney World Resort for a magical vacation, the Walt Disney World Website can be a great tool to begin planning your trip! You can begin exploring their theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT. You can also take a look at their water parks where you can splash around in the chill of Disney’s Blizzard Beach (alongside new Frozen characters, Anna, Elsa, Sven, and Kristoff), or hit the waves at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. When you get hungry or want to go shopping, Disney Springs is the place to be, especially with World of Disney there ready to help you pick up some souvenirs! You can also begin looking for your Disney World Resort! If you are looking to stay at a Deluxe monorail Resort like Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa or a Value Resort where you can hop on the Skyliner like Disney’s Pop Century Resort, it is always fun to begin looking for a room that would best suit you and your party. Plus, it has all the information you need to know on Disney Genie+ so that you will be ready to go on your My Disney Experience app once you download it! Click here to check it out today.