What not to do at Disneyland...courtesy of MBC

[Motorboat Cruiser]

This is how you don't want your day at Disneyland to end.

My saga begins at the Anaheim convention center for a musical instrument convention that resulted in very sore feet. Regardless, we decided to persevere and spend the evening at Disneyland. We stopped at the car and I took a bunch of stuff out of my pockets. I also removed the car key from my bulky keychain and put it in my pocket. I do this all the time, it's one less thing to carry and it always stays secure in the bottom of my front pocket. Well, until tonight that is. (I think you can see where this is going)

By the time we got over to the park and walked for a while, our feet were killing us and we decided to leave about 8:30, to get home "nice and early". Arriving back to the car, I realize that surprise of all surprises, my car key was nowhere to be found. So, we head to guest services, where a wonderful young woman tried to help us come up with a solution. The first thing we checked was to see if the key had been turned in. Nope. So then I start to think that maybe its in the car. I ask if someone can open the door so I can check. "No problem", she says. "What section are you in"? Well, I have no clue. So, back on the tram to the parking lot. I find the section and tell the tram operator who phones security. Security arrives in about 2 minutes (literally, I was amazed) and gets the car open. No key inside. Back on the tram to guest services. She suggests I call triple a. I'm not a member but I call and they say that if I become a member for $45, they can get a key made and it will probably cost me $60 out of pocket to have it sent over. Hmm, $105 for a key. I decide not to do that. I'm pretty sure I have a spare at home, it's just that my roommate isn't home to bring it to me.

Then I remember that I have Chevy Roadside assistance. Alas, they will make me a key! I call them up and well, they can't do anything for me without the VIN number of the car. Back to the Timon parking lot. I should mention that since my cell phone died early on in this adventure, I was using Disney phones, so I couldn't just call them from the parking lot. So, I get the VIN, go back to the resort, call Chevy, and they tell me that it appears that my roadside assistance ran out last month. They will be happy to bring me a key for $120 though (in cash only). Nope, that ain't going to work. Back to guest services. She tells me that my car can stay in the lot over night without getting towed. She just needs the license plate #. I'm so brain-fried, I can't think of it. Back to Timon, get the plate number, back to gues services. They fill out the form and I'm done with them. It's cold, I'm running out of change for the pay phone, and I'm pretty close to losing it. I try calling my roomate again and he answers!!! He spends 20 minutes looking for the key and can't find it but offers to come pick us up. At midnight, half freezing (we didn't think to bring jackets) he picked us up. I came home and after another 20 minutes of searching, find the spare.

So tomorrow, it is back to the resort to pick up my truck. The moral of the story folks? Pay attention to your keys at disneyland. I can be a real bad trip if you lose them.

I'm going to bed. :rolleyes:

[Monorail Man]

Bummer! Get a good night's sleep.

However, what alwaya amazes me is the compassion that Disney has. Kudos to Disney! :)

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Ya know, I got so wrapped up in my long-winded vent post that I didn't really put enough emphasis on how kind and helpful everyone that assisted me at the resort was.

The woman at guest services will get some kind words from me tomorrow. She really tried everything could think of to help and was very kind. The security showed up immediately, got my truck open quickly, and couldn't have been nicer about it. The CM's helped out as well and were all courteous. I really appreciate that when I had a problem there, they did all they could to help out and in the nicest way possible. They get an A+ from me.

[DisneyDaniel]

How unfortunate, but fortunate that you had some good CM assistance. Thanks for sharing! I'll definitely remember the moral of this story the next time I'm there. :)

[NirvanaMan]

That's a pisser.

[Kevy Baby]

Thanks for the story. Always good to hear about good outcomes.

I'm not looking forward to having a spare key made for my car: it'll cost $200 http://home.mindspring.com/~kevin_elder/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/ermm.gif

[BarTopDancer]

Kevy, you should be able to get a door-only key made for when you lock your main key in the car. Much cheaper than the whole computer chip key.

MBC that really sucks! Hope everything goes smoothly today.

[Kevy Baby]

Kevy, you should be able to get a door-only key made for when you lock your main key in the car. Much cheaper than the whole computer chip key.I have one of those, but a replacement is $60

[Not Afraid]

OK, I just woke up, but reading your story made me VERY tired! All of those trips back and forth and frustrating phone calls would've driven me insane! I'm glad you have had a good outcome and you will be reunited with your truck tomorrow. Mojo for Disneyl

[BarTopDancer]

I have one of those, but a replacement is $60

OY! Have you tried to get one made at a hardware store? It should just be a simple key.

[NirvanaMan]

OY! Have you tried to get one made at a hardware store? It should just be a simple key.

Lexus, as well as a few other OEM's, use inverted keys. The outside of the key is flat and the ridges are placed internally. Your typical hardware store can't machine those any more then they can machine a Medeco type key.

[Kevy Baby]

What he said

[Not Afraid]

Yeah, my Mercedes has an electronic/inverted key. This is not your father's hardware store key. THe downside of luxury vehicles, righ KB?

[libraryvixen]

My cute kraut burner VW has one of those keys. When the key was given to me, it looked like a little lighter. I told the dealer "Oh, thanks, but I don't smoke." :rolleyes: I'm a dork!

[BarTopDancer]

Lexus, as well as a few other OEM's, use inverted keys. The outside of the key is flat and the ridges are placed internally. Your typical hardware store can't machine those any more then they can machine a Medeco type key.

Ahh. Thanks for that.

[Gn2Dlnd]

Yay for the roomate! Can't say enough about good roomates, said way too much about bad ones. Mojo for the roomate!

[Grumpy4]

Another moral is to write down information about your car, VIN, license, location/section, just in case it happens. That way you won't have to walk back and forth. MBC, sorry you had all that trouble. May the next visit be joyful and plentiful!!

[Motorboat Cruiser]

An update...

Went to the park today to pick up my vehicle and decided to stop by Lost and Found to see if the same woman was there that helped us last night. I wanted to thank her again but she wasn't there. What was there, however, was my car key, in an addressed envelope waiting to be mailed to me on Monday.

I expressed my amazement that they found it and she said that they find all kinds of things. She told me that the biggest problem that they have is that people don't usually report it when they lose something. Most people just assume it is a lost cause. As she put it, "We can't help you if you don't tell us you lost something".

So maybe that's another moral to the story.

As an aside... After getting the key, it brightened our day sufficiently enough to hang at the park for a few hours. Really nice night but far more crowded than last night. I really miss the train.

[wendybeth]

That's so cool that they had it there, ready to mail! I can only imagine all the stuff they find every day there.... :snap: for the good people in Lost and Found!

[Grumpy4]

I'm so happy that you found your key and that you indulged in the park some more! :cheers:

[Gn2Dlnd]

Ok, really cool Disneyland Lost & Found story. When I was 5 or 6 (1967 or 8ish) my southern California family took our visiting Kansas relatives to Disneyland. I have vivid memories of seeing the fireworks over the tops of buildings in Tomorrowland, my aunt Lyla screaming bloody murder when the train came at us in Mr. Toad, and the general awe at the fireflies ("so realistic") in Pirates. The pirate with the ("dirty, hairy") dangling leg also made quite an impression. At some point in the day, I became separated from my wallet. My first wallet, and I had 3 DOLLARS AND 47 CENTS in it! At the end of the evening, we reported it to Lost & Found, knowing it was gone forever. Lo, and behold, in the mail, what do we receive, but my wallet, and a genuine official Disneyland check typed out to Master James A. Barkley for the princely sum of 3 dollars and 47 cents! I, of course, wanted to spend that check as fast as I could, but my mom decided it was, like, some kind of collector's item.

It probably would be, if I still had it.

[mousepod]

Cruiser,

Your story reminds me of my last trip to DL. We drove down from SF with no problems, but when we parked on the 5th (? - I think Donald) floor of the DLR parking complex, we noticed that the front drivers side tire was a little low. No problem. We were staying close by, so we figured we'd get air after we left the park. We decided to split before closing to beat the crowds, and when we returned to the car we found the tire to be absolutely flat. I didn't want to put on the spare (it's a temporary donut), so I called AAA (my cell was charged) and asked them if they thought it was ok if we drove a couple of blocks to the gas station. They say "no way" and told us they'd send over a truck to fill the tire.

So while we're waiting for the guy to arrive, the fireworks start.

If you have never hung out in the parking structure during the DL fireworks, it is a "hidden treasure" not to be missed. The sheer sonic force of the explosions caused hundreds of car alarms to go off at once. Over and over, for what felt like an eternity, the building shook and cars screamed. Absolutely incredible.

...oh, and the car got fixed and we went to our hotel and slept.

SYRS,
Jesse

[MickeyLumbo]

((((((hugs for MBC)))))

[Not Afraid]

OK. Geek moment supreme confession.

We were hanging out with Stan4rdSteph, her Mom (from NY) and her sister (from NZ). They didn't have park tickets. We ate at Hooks Point then went to the 6th floor of the structure with a Blaster. As "Believe" started we started the blaster we have previously queue up. We only had to make one adjustment to get the timing perfect. We had a spectacular show, with music, from the parking garage.

Security came by on a bike and stopped, looked at us, shook his head, and moved on.

[wendybeth]

Great stories, Gn2 and Mousepod!

Mousepod- we've stayed at the Sheraton Anaheim a few times, and the fireworks going off sound like artillary shells- the walls actually shake. I can only imagine what it sounds like in the parking structure!

[wendybeth]

OK. Geek moment supreme confession.

We were hanging out with Stan4rdSteph, her Mom (from NY) and her sister (from NZ). They didn't have park tickets. We ate at Hooks Point then went to the 6th floor of the structure with a Blaster. As "Believe" started we started the blaster we have previously queue up. We only had to make one adjustment to get the timing perfect. We had a spectacular show, with music, from the parking garage.

Security came by on a bike and stopped, looked at us, shook his head, and moved on.


Ok- NA wins the Supreme Geek award, hands down.....:snap::cheers::birdy:

[Sheila]

I had a similar lost key moment back last June at Epcot. I had rented a car from National in Fort Lauderdale for my company's annual user conference then a girlfriend and I drove up to Orlando. Only one set of keys and any copies were two hundred miles away.

So anyway, at the end of the evening, we trudge out to the parking lot. No car keys. We search everywhere and everyone takes turns searching my purse just to be double safe. A CM comes by and offers to help.

He escorts me back into the park and up to Guest Relations. Guess what was there? The car keys!! Some kind soul had turned them in earlier in the day. Evidently they fell out of my purse and I never noticed.

God bless nice people. It totally made my day. And I made sure later in the trip to turn in a travel wallet someone had dropped on the ground. I so wanted to make sure I paid it forward. :)

Sheila

[Lost Boy]

Bet you won't do that again. Keys can fall out of pockets on rides or when you are pulling money out or something else. But what else can you do? Even though I don't drive and take the bus out to Disneyland, I still have the other keys I need. I carry them in the front pants pocket and they have lots of other things on the ring besides keys, so the are heavy enough to stay at the bottom of the pocket, but not so heavy they are a problem. And I am constantly patting the pocket to make sure they are still there.

I am so glad that you did this at Disneyland though. Their help in matter like this in uparrelled in the world. I have always heard stories of the great way they try everything in thier power to help guests in trouble. So that was the only good thing in this whole mess. I hope you got a good night sleep, went back today and got your truck, and maybe by today someone will have found the keys, and been honest enough to turn them in. Let us know the outcome.

[Gn2Dlnd]

Y'know, I told my little story up there and forgot to tell you why that experience was so important. The Disneyland Lost & Found Dept. is sacrosanct to me. If I find something in the Park (aside from loose cash!,) I turn it in to Lost & Found. It would never occur to me to do otherwise. When I was a sweeper, I'd find glasses, I.D.s, cameras, lens covers (lots and lots of lens covers,) etc., and I felt proud to turn in my bag o'goodies every night, knowing I was helping someone to receive the same kind of experience I got when that wallet arrived in the mail.

[wendybeth]

An update...

Went to the park today to pick up my vehicle and decided to stop by Lost and Found to see if the same woman was there that helped us last night. I wanted to thank her again but she wasn't there. What was there, however, was my car key, in an addressed envelope waiting to be mailed to me on Monday.

I expressed my amazement that they found it and she said that they find all kinds of things. She told me that the biggest problem that they have is that people don't usually report it when they lose something. Most people just assume it is a lost cause. As she put it, "We can't help you if you don't tell us you lost something".

So maybe that's another moral to the story.

As an aside... After getting the key, it brightened our day sufficiently enough to hang at the park for a few hours. Really nice night but far more crowded than last night. I really miss the train.

Hey, Lost Boy- he had an update I think you may have missed.....

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Thanks Wendy, you beat me to it. :)

[MickeyLumbo]

i was outraged today at work! when lunch time arrived, i went to the fridge in the company breakroom to get my lunch that i had made this morning. i did it to save money.

it was gone! well, all but the celery sticks. they A-Hole apparently didn't want the celery and left them for me. can YOU imagine eating someone else's lunch?

unbelievable.

i was so furious and had no outlet for my anger.:mad:

and now i am so sad to hear about johnny carson passing. you may not believe this, but he was on my mind last night. a very sad loss of a National Treasure. rest in peace, johnny.

[MerryPrankster]

i was so furious and had no outlet for my anger.:mad:



Don't get mad, get even. It's times to lay the bait...ex-lax brownies packed in a tempting little lunch this week. :D

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Wow. I really feel for MBC. Everything turned out ok but fvck, what a pain in the tuchas.

ML - WTF??? What is with a person that would totally steal someone else's lunch?? I'd take Merry Prankster's advice. ;)

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Everything turned out ok but fvck, what a pain in the tuchas.



Those were precisely my thoughts. :)

ML, sorry to hear about your bad experience at work. That really sucks! My evil side also says ex-lax 'em. Then again, new job and all, it might backfire. Tough call, but it would be fun to see. ;)

Hang in there, Lickey.

[surfinmuse]

MickeyLumbo, that is infuriating, about the lunch stealer at work. My devious side says in addition to MBC's laxative, plant some non-water soluble dye or something in the food. because I would want the perpertrator to be caught "red-handed" and "red-mouthed" if you like. Well I guess laxative would be a lingering reminder to not steal people's lunches, but I would want immediate evidence of the crime.

Another more-passive approach that came to mind is to include a big note in your lunch bag, something like, I don't know.... "leave my food alone, you fvcker, I have mouth herpes."

I hope it doesn't ever happen again :(

[mousepod]

The lunch-stealer story reminds me of an old joke:

This guy goes to a diner every day for lunch. He's a regular, so when he finishes his meal and gets up to use the restroom, the counterperson knows to put a bowl of vanilla ice cream at his place. The ice cream is his little treat to himself before he goes back to work.

One day, after months of this routine, the guy returns to his seat from the restroom only to find his beloved bowl of ice cream is half-eaten. He looks around, but can't identify the culprit. He figures it might have been an honest mistake, so he lets it slide, pays the bill and goes back to work.

The next day, the same thing happens. Half-eaten vanilla ice cream, and nobody in the diner will fess up. To make matters worse, the counterperson says she didn't see anyone eat the ice cream.

On the third day, he hatches a plan. When he finishes his meal, he asks the counterperson to give him his ice cream before he gets up. She obliges, and he sticks a prepared post-it on the side of the bowl, with a note reading "I spit in the ice cream." Sure enough, when he returns from the rest room, the bowl of ice cream is intact. Just as he digs in for his first mouthful, he notices his post-it. Just below his note, he notices a hastily scrawled response: "So did I."

SYRS,
J

[Gn2Dlnd]

My evil side also says ex-lax 'em. Then again, new job and all, it might backfire.

Ex-lax, backfire. Heeheehee Toot toot toot!

[Motorboat Cruiser]

My devious side says in addition to MBC's laxative...(

Whoa now! How did this become "MBC's laxative"??? T'was not my devious idea. :eek: (see merry prankster's post above mine ;))

[surfinmuse]

Oh sorry, MBC, haaaaaa! Merry Prankster's laxative.

[Tramspotter]

Yeah Erica had her AP turned in to lost and found we figured it was a lost cause. but they had it in two shakes of a lambs tail... A little easier than a key though as it has her name and picture on it...

Glad it worked out in the end MBC......

Felt your pain whilst reading it...

I now keep a copy of my key in my wallet.

Hope that some good mojo going your way cosmically balances your chi brother :)

And ML hmmm perhaps you should try the lunch-box that "Jerry Fletcher" Mel Gibsons character in Conspiracy theory might have. Double pad locked and airtight seal oh and a combo lock on the break-room fridge (well ok not that last part) but a high security container why not it will certainly get the point across heh.

I need some more practice in welding, if you want to get the materials perhaps i'll make you such a beast.

[Morrigoon]

Someone stole my lunch at DL once. It was back when Mazie's Picnic Basket was still open at the DLH, I'd gotten this killer sandwich there (yes, I paid Disney prices, minus CM discount), and put it in the fridge in our break room. Someone ate half of it! I was so grossed out I couldn't bring myself to eat the other half because I couldn't help thinking that they'd probably touched it.

Ex-Lax the brownies.

The dye idea was cool too, but you'd have to get a dry, powdered dye, that way they couldn't see it till they tried to "wash" their hands, hahaha...

[Disneyphile]

Wow. I'm tired after just reading that. :p

Ken and I braved the NAMM crowd to get some dinner near the resort on Friday, and it was absolutely nuts! I couldn't imagine doing DL with that crowd around. :eek:

[Sheila]

i was outraged today at work! when lunch time arrived, i went to the fridge in the company breakroom to get my lunch that i had made this morning. i did it to save money.

it was gone! well, all but the celery sticks. they A-Hole apparently didn't want the celery and left them for me. can YOU imagine eating someone else's lunch?

Can you believe that stuff? At the last law firm I worked at, this happened all the time. The secretaries would bring in their lunches and by lunchtime, someone else had stolen it. Horrible.

Then, it was found out that one of the many culprits was caught red-handed -- it was one of the SENIOR PARTNERS!! I guess he felt he was entitled to it since he owned a piece of the place. And this was someone who made a huge salary, yet stole secretaries' lunches.

The lunch-stealing didn't end there, but the amount did lessen a bit. hehehe

Thankfully, it doesn't happen hardly at all where I work now. Of course, I bring my lunch in an insulated lunch bag that I keep at my desk for safekeeping.... ;)

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Ken and I braved the NAMM crowd to get some dinner near the resort on Friday, and it was absolutely nuts! I couldn't imagine doing DL with that crowd around. :eek:

Actually, it wasn't bad at all inside the park on Friday, although I'm sure DTD was pretty bad. Saturday at the park was MUCH busier.

[Disneyphile]

[derail]
So, how was NAMM anyway? I've been wanting to check it out for years, but I'm almost afraid of seeing the latest technology that would make my keyboards look like toy Casios. ;)

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Wow. I really feel for MBC. Everything turned out ok but fvck, what a pain in the tuchas.

ML - WTF??? What is with a person that would totally steal someone else's lunch?? I'd take Merry Prankster's advice. ;)

Is that how you spell tuchas? I tried and tried to find a correct spelling last week, to no avail. Bless you.

MBC, you are a one-man advertisement for me to make several copies of my car key. For some reason this morning (probably because I'd had my ass chauffered around all weekend) I suddenly had the fear of god strike my heart that I'd lost my only car key, which broke off my chain and has been lying loose just waiting for me to accidentally drop it. I think I'll go make a copy tonight.

[Ghoulish Delight]

ALWAYS have more than one copy of your car key! I was glad I did, and more glad that I basically forced CP to carry it on her, when the valet at the Standard lost my keys.

[innerSpaceman]

Yep, extra car keys is a lesson I've learned many a time. I got pretty good at opening a car door with a wire hanger, in the days before auto-locks. Now that I've got keyless entry, I can just keep a spare key hidden in the car that I will always have access to. Mischief managed.

I never had an ordeal quite like MBC's, but I did once have a harrowing lock-your-keys-in-the-car incident that changed my habits forever. After a 12-hour day working at the Renaissance Faire in Agoura, I had to trudge about a quarter mile to my car only to realize, as I approached it, that I had locked the keys inside. This was years before keyless entry, so there was no way to get into my car without a trusty wire hanger, which was now a quarter mile away.

But, um, why is my car shaking? uh-oh. It's because the key's in the car, in the ignition, and the car is ON.

:(

[wendybeth]

Yep, extra car keys is a lesson I've learned many a time. I got pretty good at opening a car door with a wire hanger, in the days before auto-locks. Now that I've got keyless entry, I can just keep a spare key hidden in the car that I will always have access to. Mischief managed.

I never had an ordeal quite like MBC's, but I did once have a harrowing lock-your-keys-in-the-car incident that changed my habits forever. After a 12-hour day working at the Renaissance Faire in Agoura, I had to trudge about a quarter mile to my car only to realize, as I approached it, that I had locked the keys inside. This was years before keyless entry, so there was no way to get into my car without a trusty wire hanger, which was now a quarter mile away.

But, um, why is my car shaking? uh-oh. It's because the key's in the car, in the ignition, and the car is ON.

:(

Could have been worse, iSm....: Blondestar (http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomframe.jsp?query=blondestar&page=1&offset=0&result_url=redir%3Fsrc%3Dwebsearch%26requestId%3D7 e0e77212a421639%26clickedItemRank%3D4%26userQuery% 3Dblondestar%26clickedItemURN%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252 Fwww.hoosierdaddy.com%252Fbattle.htm%26invocationT ype%3D-%26fromPage%3DnsBrowserRoll%26amp%3BampTest%3D1&remove_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hoosierdaddy.com%2Fbat tle.htm)

[Ghoulish Delight]

I was once caravaning with a friend to dinner after a high school football game. When we got to the restaurant and parked, I got out and started to walk over to meet him. He was coming towards me, highly amused because I had aparantly left my lights on. I took a look at his car and tell the genius that he left his lights on too. He turns back and looks, then pauses for a couple seconds, and says, "Oh s***!" He was in such a hurry to get out of the car to make fun of me for leaving my lights on that he left his lights on, the keys in, the ignition on, and the car in gear (he had set the emergency brake). But at LEAST he had the presence of mind to lock the doors.

[MickeyD]

My brother once locked our keys in the rental car, with the lights on and car running, at Lambeau Field.....

[lizziebith]

My Mr. Bee's Toyota wagon has "autolock" issues. If the doors are locked, the only way to enter said wagon is by using the key on the back hatch, which involves subsequent crawling over the frightening strata of stuff which accumulates in said back-hatch area in order to access the inner door locks.

Okay. So one day we go the Getty and get parked, as is our wont, way out across Sepulveda (I think). Fun at the Getty ensues, and the day winds down delightfully as we watch the sunset play across the architecture with my old art teacher and drink coffee. Cows come home, and then it's time to leave.

We get back to the Toyota, and...it's locked! With the keys inside. What? We never lock it because of the reasons detailed above!

Bee uses the spare in his wallet to open the hatch and I do the "crawl" across the strata and unlock the driver's-side door for Bee, who has, meanwhile, discovered the note on the windshield from a nice, anonymous stranger....who not only locked Bee's car for him, but turned it off.

Similar to iSM's story, eh?