No one plans to lose something at Disney World, but Disney has your back when and if it does!
Walt Disney World theme parks are visited by tens of thousands of visitors in a single day. It can be overwhelming when you lose something, especially something important!
Here are our tips for what to do and how to get help if you lose something at Walt Disney World:
Losing Something in Disney World
Losing items at Disney World is never fun, in fact, it’s downright frightening and annoying. Our best tip is to pack minimally. Less is more in most cases!
We know you have been planning this vacation and pouring over every website and every packing list. If you were to bring everything websites told you, you would look like you’re getting ready to hike Mount Everest!
What you NEED is a way to keep hydrated, a way to get into the park (ticket cards, magic band, etc.), your phone, and a way to pay for incidentals. That’s what you need. Everything else is extra.
Our Personal Experience with Disney’s Lost and Found
(Photo by Bayley Clark for MagicalGuides.com)
Listen, we give advice but we mess up, too! Here’s a little story about how my husband lost his driver’s license inside Disney’s Animal Kingdom. You can imagine the fright with our flight later that afternoon!
Luckily, when we arrived at guest services at the front of the park, someone had turned in his license. Cast Members did have him fill out a brief form, but we got it back very quickly because when an ID is lost it’s immediately brought to the front of the park.
Whew, what a relief that was for sure. For Christmas that year he received a minimalist-style wallet that would hold all his cards, with an attached Apple Tag. The Apple Tag ensured he never misplaced his wallet again or at least that he couldn’t track it.
Can You Call Disney Lost and Found?
If you happen to lose something while visiting Walt Disney World, don’t panic! The resort has a very efficient lost and found system in place to help you retrieve your lost item. To inquire about a lost item, you can call the Lost and Found department at (407) 824-4245 or fill out an online inquiry form on their website.
They will ask for a detailed description of your lost item, the date and location it was lost, and your contact information. If your item is found, they will contact you to arrange for its return.
The Lost and Found department at Walt Disney World is known for its exceptional service and high success rate in reuniting guests with their lost items.
How Successful is Disney’s Lost and Found?
Walt Disney World has an outstanding success rate when it comes to reuniting guests with their lost items. Thanks to their efficient lost and found department, many guests are able to recover their lost items during or after their visit.
The success rate of returning lost items at Walt Disney World is around 70 percent, which is higher than the average rate of other theme parks.
What Happens if You Leave Something in a Disney Resort Hotel?
(Photo by Bayley Clark for MagicalGuides.com)
If you happen to leave something behind at a Disney hotel, don’t worry! The hotel has a lost and found department that will assist you in retrieving your lost item.
You can call the hotel’s front desk or lobby concierge directly to report your lost item or visit the front desk in person to fill out a lost item report. The staff will ask for a description of the lost item, the date and location it was lost, and your contact information.
They will then search the hotel for your lost item and do their best to locate and return it to you. If your item is found, they will contact you via an email notification to arrange for its return.
If the item is not found within a certain period of time, it may be transferred to the central lost and found department at Walt Disney World Resort.
Where is the Lost and Found at the Magic Kingdom theme park in Disney World?
The Magic Kingdom’s lost and found is located inside City Hall at the start of Main Street, U.S.A., near the Chamber of Commerce and the Walt Disney World Railroad.
Where is the Lost and Found at Epcot in Walt Disney World?
The EPCOT lost and found is located to the left beyond Spaceship Earth near the park’s main entrance.
Where is Lost and Found at Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World?
The lost and found for Disney’s Hollywood Studios is at the Guest Relations office to the left as you enter the park.
Where is Lost and Found at Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World?
The lost and found in Disney’s Animal Kingdom is located near the entrance of the park at Guest Services.
Where is the Lost and Found at Disney Springs?
If you are looking for a lost item at Disney Springs, head towards the town center. The building you are looking for is Disney Springs Welcome Center. It’s not far from the bus stop for those guests staying on Disney Property.
Where to go if you lost something at a Disney Water Park?
If you’re visiting one of Disney’s Water parks the lost and found for both is at the front of the parks. This is for both Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon where the ticket counters/Disney’s guest services windows are.
Where to go if you forgot something at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
If you have forgotten something while visiting the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, check it near the ESPN Clubhouse Shop. There is a dedicated place for lost and found and there’s a good chance what you’re misplaced is here.
What are the Most Commonly Lost Items in Disney World?
(Photo by Bayley Clark for MagicalGuides.com)
Anything can be lost, for sure, but Disney’s Lost and Found has seen some pretty interesting items. Most typical things are items of lesser value like toys, Minnie ears, autograph books, pins, sunglasses… So many pairs of sunglasses!
But there are also valuable items that turn up in the lost and found! Prescription glasses, magic bands, digital cameras, credit cards, cell phones, and even a prosthetic leg has made their way to Disney’s lost and found!
To reduce the number of lost items and to help guests avoid that feeling of panic for items Disney has implemented certain protocols.
For example, on Space Mountain, you can no longer have a handheld digital camera or cell phone. Folks were recording the high-speed space ride, and not having a firm grip on them.
They would drop their phones or cameras from the ride vehicles. This caused Space Mountain to shut down, make sure the tracks were clear before starting back up.
How Many Phones Are Lost at Disney World Each Year?
Walt Disney World’s lost and found sees more than 6,000 cell phones on an annual basis. You would think these high value items would be harder to lose track of.
Disney encourages guests to use their phones for tickets, Genie+, payments, and resort keys. So hang on tight to your phone.
While on vacation at Disney World, I encourage folks to share their location via Find My Friends on iOS devices. A couple of reasons for this are: so folks know where you are, and you aren’t relying on someone hearing your phone if you call it. Besides, I can’t remember the last time I actually turn my ringer off silent mode.
What does Disney Do with Lost Items?
When a lost item is found at Disney World, the theme park has a Lost and Found department that handles cataloging and storing the item until it can be returned to its owner. The Walt Disney Company takes lost items seriously.
As a result, it has a comprehensive system in place to reunite lost items with their rightful owners.
If you lose something at Disney World, you can report it to the Lost and Found department by filling out an online form, visiting Guest Relations in the park where they will issue you a lost item claim number, or calling the Lost and Found hotline. Once an item is found and turned in, the Lost and Found team will try to identify the owner by checking for any identification or personal information that may be on the item.
If the owner cannot be identified, the item will be held for a certain period of time before it is donated to charity or disposed of.
What is Done With All the Unclaimed Items Collected at Walt Disney World’s Lost and Found?
Disney World’s Lost and Found department works to reunite guests with their lost items, but not all items are claimed. Unclaimed items are held for a certain period of time and then donated to local charities.
Before donating, any items with personal information are destroyed for security purposes. Yet, some items are kept for longer periods of time, such as high-value items like cameras or jewelry. These items are held for up to 90 days, and if not claimed, they are auctioned off.
The proceeds from these auctions are donated to various charities. Sometimes items are lost in places where it’s not easy to return and retrieve it like on transportation like the monorail, or places like Disney’s water parks. Be assured, Cast Members have systems in place to help you reunite with your stuff.
What to Do If You Realized That You Lost Something AFTER You Got Home
Disney has actually digitized the Lost and Found process! If you realize an item is missing when you get home go to this site to start the claim process. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!
At the end of the day, Disney wants you to have a great vacation, and they’ve done their best to reunite you with your missing item. Be sure if you are bringing any specialty items like jewelry, stuffed animals, or anything of value to you that you have a picture of it.
Have you ever lost anything at Disney World? I was impressed with how Disney handled my husband’s lost ID when he could have prevented that frustration. So I recommend Apple Tags to everyone I know, especially if you are traveling thru Orlando International Airport.