For those going soon...they're baaaack...tour groups

[yulilin3]

Our bus driver the other day gave us some background info on these groups. She said large groups of 15 year old girls come from Brazil to celebrate their 15th birthday because it's a big deal there. Like "sweet sixteen" is here only on a larger scale. They come with two or three adult chaperones for the entire group.

The Quinceañera is a big deal in all latin american countries not just Brazil.

 

[Disney mac]

Ok, I've been here all week with the groups at hand. And for the "quince" it's been almost all girls and they have not been a problem. I think they have all been polite around us and we don't mind the chanting, as it's just been kids having fun. They have all been fine....until tonight.
Upon exiting fantasmic, the groups obviously enjoyed it and were energized. As they marched to the opening, it was like they had no clue the Star Wars fireworks were going on and were very disruptive to the music and people trying to see the fireworks. Then it was as if they suddenly realized what was going on and completely stopped where the poor cast members were scrambling to get them out of the walkways. I looked at one of them and said, it's a shame they are missing a good show. The poor CM just looked at me and said "it's been rough and like herding cats".
I laughed and the cast member just said "thanks for being understanding".

Overall though the groups are just enjoying themselves and getting caught up in their activities like typical 15 year olds and missing out on sometimes considering other people. They're fine IMO.

 

[Bluegrrl]

Some thoughts about the south american groups: When I was working at GMR at Disney MGM (yes, that long ago), we had to deal with the groups. The guys liked it, because, well, the girls were kinda cute. But loading and unloading the ride vehicle in a timely manner was tough. They just all ran straight in the cars - all in different rows, and in different cars (!) making it really hard to organize. Sometimes the CMs would compete to see how many tour groups they could get on the ride safely. One of the CMs was a master at it, she could get a whole group squeezed into a vehicle - I can't remember her record, but it was a lot of Brazilians in one car! If we weren't in control, it was like a massive stamped going on. Crazy!

 

[smidgy]

smidgy, I am afraid I would have a tough time returning after being spoken to that way by a CM--yours was not a "petty" complaint, and the response of the CM was horrific. Just wondering--did you ever go further up the customer service chain with this issue? I'd be curious how they handled it.

LOL, smidgy @ "How bad can it be?" Every single time I embark on a disaster those are the exact words I use just prior to finding out just how bad it can be. American Airlines? How bad can it be? Sea World at Spring Break--how bad can it be? All you can eat Chinese seafood buffet near the underpass of I-35--how bad can it be? Answer: Bad. Crazy bad.

PS: smdigy, I'm going to have to check out your trip reports--I'm a trip report junkie and yours have very clever (without trying too hard) titles!

we love WDW and tryto go 2 times a year. we found if you time it right, you can get 3 trips out of one annual pass. we try to take a spring trip between easter and mother's day (as a server my boss would kill me if I missed either holiday). and a fall trip, squeezed between the ever growing list of grandkids' birthdays (# 8 on the way)

we actually got that one night comped. we weren't asking for it, but weren't going to turn it down!)

as to the trip reports, thanks so much! they are the genius of my hubby: nebo. (and they are very funny)

 

[WEDWDW]

eI'm here at the "epicenter" of SATG World-Disney's All-Star Sports Resort.

CHANT/SINGING is WAY down-they have been told not to do it anymore(They do "sneak" it in at times).

The biggest complaint form Guests here this year seems to be the girls' swim "attire".

I've heard many Guests saying they expect a Family atmosphere at WDW(These complaints happens every year).

 

[smidgy]

personally I don't care about the swimming attire. other countries are much more lax than the USA. when my boys were tweens and we encountered tween girls at the water parks with bottoms only I just explained to my boys that they are from a dif. culture. that is a cultural difference that isn't rude, IMO, just awkward. (my boys "suffered" through....)

 

[bryanb]

The Quinceañera is a big deal in all latin american countries not just Brazil.

It's probably not the same celebration in Brazil, but I did hear a news report that talked about this Brazilian tradition:

When you turn 15, your parents either offer you a party or a trip to Disney World. Lots of kids prefer to take the Disney World trip, which is why these groups have a disproportionate number of teens who happen to be 15.

 

[yulilin3]

It's probably not the same celebration in Brazil, but I did hear a news report that talked about this Brazilian tradition:

When you turn 15, your parents either offer you a party or a trip to Disney World. Lots of kids prefer to take the Disney World trip, which is why these groups have a disproportionate number of teens who happen to be 15.

As a Latin American person I can tell you that the party or trip is offered in all latin American countries. It is tradition. Like many have said, families save, almost from birth for this quinceañera.
My daughter turned 15 last year and I also offered her the choice. She chose to go to NYC instead of the party.

 

[Koz]

OP is right. We decided, on a whim, to head to HS today. Call it luck, call it talent, but I was able to snap this photo of those below just as the doors opened at the top of the ride.

 

[Skywise]

As a Latin American person I can tell you that the party or trip is offered in all latin American countries. It is tradition. Like many have said, families save, almost from birth for this quinceañera.
My daughter turned 15 last year and I also offered her the choice. She chose to go to NYC instead of the party.

ptphpthpht... you didn't give her a trip to DisneyWorld?!?!

 

[Mrs~Incredible]

OP is right. We decided, on a whim, to head to HS today. Call it luck, call it talent, but I was able to snap this photo of those below just as the doors opened at the top of the ride.

View attachment 181344

please tell me this isn't real. Please tell me this is just a meme and you're trying to be funny. I can be very gullible.

 

[Skywise]

OP is right. We decided, on a whim, to head to HS today. Call it luck, call it talent, but I was able to snap this photo of those below just as the doors opened at the top of the ride.

View attachment 181344

It's nice to see the Muppet 3D get some attention...

 

[Pixie Dust ✨]

eI'm here at the "epicenter" of SATG World-Disney's All-Star Sports Resort.

CHANT/SINGING is WAY down-they have been told not to do it anymore(They do "sneak" it in at times).

The biggest complaint form Guests here this year seems to be the girls' swim "attire".

I've heard many Guests saying they expect a Family atmosphere at WDW(These complaints happens every year).

Florida law allows women to be topless in public if they so choose. Yes, even at Disney World! I think some guests would drop dead.

 

[bryanb]

Disneyland doesn't get big rowdy groups like this as often, but as a CM the worst I came across was a very large group of English lads who were part of some football fan group. They entered the Pirates of the Caribbean queue, all wearing the same jerseys, chanting and singing loudly. They switched to singing some version of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" non-stop, and you could hear the group looping back and forth across the queue as they made their way around. Eventually, the came up to me where I was loading guests onto boats.

There must have been around hundred of them, because I packed them into more than five boats. The last two I had to put in the next boat with other guests (awkward). As I was directing people into their rows, they never stopped singing.

They sang while they waited.
They sang while getting into the boats.
They sang when we dispatched them into the bayou.

Then as they sailed off into the distance, we finally got some peace. It wasn't until about 14 minutes later that I could faintly hear the song again. And it was only then that I realized that they must have continued this same looping song through the entire ride. I had foolishly assumed that once on the ride, they'd just experience it. The song continued as they unloaded and streamed out of the building into the sun.

I feel bad for the people in the other boats around them.

 

[Otter49]

Florida law allows women to be topless in public if they so choose. Yes, even at Disney World! I think some guests would drop dead.

I assume sarcasm here. But if not this will come as quite a surprise to all the lovely ladies in Orlando strip clubs who are required to wear pasties.

 

[lpereira]

I assume sarcasm here. But if not this will come as quite a surprise to all the lovely ladies in Orlando strip clubs who are required to wear pasties.

Florida laws require a lascivious, lewd, or vulgar intent. Thus a topless woman at a beach or pool or a breastfeeding woman would not be charged under the nudity law but a stripper would. Hence the pasties.

 

[WEDWDW]

Florida law allows women to be topless in public if they so choose.

It is not the "topside" some Guests are complaining about with the SATGs.

 

[WEDWDW]

SATGs getting a little "boisterous" tonight here at Sports-the looks on the faces of Guests who have never experienced them is interesting!

 

[Bluegrrl]

It's the super short bootie side! To be fair, I have seen good ole' American girls with super-short bootie shorts. I'm not prudish at all, but when you can see all + underware (or lack thereof), it's a no-no EVERYWHERE!

 

[Koz]

please tell me this isn't real. Please tell me this is just a meme and you're trying to be funny. I can be very gullible.

From the top of the Tower of Terror.