Has anyone ever had an altercation with another guest and/or family while at WDW?

[Tiggerlovinggrandma]

I was watching Court TV today and they have a trial that is currently going on concerning two mothers who had a a very heated arguement at the Mad Tea Cups in Magic Kingdom. According to the testimonies it became rather violent and one of the mom's now claims to be permanently injuried. It all began over someone bumping in front of another while in line, words were exchanged then came the physical kicks, jabs, blows, etc.

Anyway it got me to wondering just how often does something like this occur. I believe it is truly sad when adults can not contain themselves in public and most of all in front of children. Afterall it is Disney World, the happiest place on earth. If one can't be nice here of all places, then they can't be nice anywhere IMO.

Now don't get me wrong, I understand everyone is tired, hot, over excited and a bit stress but come on. To come to blows over someone bumping in line. Okay, so the woman and her kids were out of line, rude and have no manners. They are not the first on this planet to be that way but one does not have to stoop to their level and can choose to take the high road, let it go and move on. Why ruin your family's vacation and perhaps possibly end up in jail or court over someone else's nastiness. Even if you do choose to say something, how you approach the situation is the key.

Anyone ever had a problem and if so how did you resolve it. It might help someone to know.

 

[eeyoregon]

but come on. To come to blows over someone bumping in line.

I have been annoyed plenty of times by those who just don't seem to understand the personal bubble concept.

Last August while at the World I had a woman behind me in line for Peter Pan that was sooooooooooooo close to me that I finally had to say something. It was BOILING HELLISH HORRID HOT and I couldn't stand another minute of her tail gating me.

Me: "Excuse me but the last time someone got this close to me and touched me this much, they at least bought me dinner!!"

Her: Blank, puzzled, slightly embarrassed look on face...took 2 steps backwards.

 

[Tiggerlovinggrandma]

Very funny and handled well IMO. I have had a few of those myself and yes, it is annoying. I don't even think they realize just how close they are.

You said just enough to get your point acroos without taking it to the next level and that is what I was talking about. Most times you can either choose to ignore it or just have to say the right thing. They is no need IMO to allow matters to get out of control. There just isn't.

I hope I can remmeber your remark when that situation happens to me again. So good.

 

[polineedyan]

The only thing I got annoyed with in that regard was when the younger tweens would go sprinting thru the park, sometimes bumping my kids. It happened a few times..

 

[thistle922]

Me: "Excuse me but the last time someone got this close to me and touched me this much, they at least bought me dinner!!"

Her: Blank, puzzled, slightly embarrassed look on face...took 2 steps backwards.

That is ALL KINDS of awesome!

I'm filing that one away in my brain for future use!

 

[tam626]

Eeeyoregon, I love that response to the tail gater!

 

[Manymice]

I've never had anything go on, thankfully, but one of my most vivid memories of our trips to DW is of a woman going crazy! We were waiting outside of CP for lunch and she was riding on a motorized scooter. She was a really large lady and was having trouble getting her scooter up to the area where you leave your name because it was packed with people. When she finally made it I think the CM told her they were full and she went nuts. She swung her scooter around so fast that she cracked her ankle on a post really hard. She was crying, screaming and completely red in the face. I felt so bad for her and I wanted to go help her in some way but I was completely scared that she would run me over. She was screaming at the people who were with her and just flew through the crowd. I still think of that woman and wonder if I could have done anything to help her.

 

[hoosiergirl7]

I've never had a confrontation but I've seen plenty of people get in the face of CM's because they want to follow their own rules and not the rules of the park. Makes me want to slap these people. There are rules for a reason.

While we were at DL about 5 yrs back we dealt with a very loud, rude and obnoxious group of teenagers that had filthy mouths. They cut in line to be with the rest of their friends. I just wanted to slap every single one of them. From what several CM's told me is that during the summer a lot of parents dump their kids at DL for the whole day while they're at work and then return to pick them up after the day is done. Pathetic!!!

 

[Taja]

I have been annoyed plenty of times by those who just don't seem to understand the personal bubble concept.

Last August while at the World I had a woman behind me in line for Peter Pan that was sooooooooooooo close to me that I finally had to say something. It was BOILING HELLISH HORRID HOT and I couldn't stand another minute of her tail gating me.

Me: "Excuse me but the last time someone got this close to me and touched me this much, they at least bought me dinner!!"

Her: Blank, puzzled, slightly embarrassed look on face...took 2 steps backwards.

Love it!

The most I've ever done is angle my body and put my hand on my hip with my elbow sticking out at the most obnoxious angle possible to keep people from breathing down my neck in a queue. Then I only had to deal with them bumping the pointy elbow instead of having to smell things I shouldn't!

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

I was on the receiving line of things about 5 or 6 years ago. At the time my son was on the mend from some significant medical issues and remained under a doctor's care.

I'll share with you that we're really lucky, today, he's a healthy 10 year old child who has fully recovered from his early medical issues. We had come close to losing him several months before that Disney trip and we were celebrating that things were looking up while still cognizant of the fact that he had a long way to go and we wanted to take him back to Disney "just in case." Anyway, here's what happened.

We entered the bathroom (the one near Peter Pan) and the only stall open was an accessible stall. I took my son in there because he needed lots of extra help with several medical devices that were hidden by his clothing and a bag he carried. Anyway, we weren't in there long...just long enough to address his needs, get everything secure, wash our hands and leave.

This woman on a scooter comes over to the stall as we are leaving with her 2 daughters (both teens or older) and begins yelling at me for taking my "able bodied" son into a handicapped stall that is reserved for the use of people in a wheelchair! She and her daughters who are yelling at us at the top of their lungs then begin to follow us out as I pushed our way through outside and then another of her relations...a man...tells my son and I that he's a police officer and that he should arrest us and throw us both in jail while the rest of the family has kinda circled around us!

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a CM (one that tends to the restrooms) standing right there and never once did she help us, even as I was standing there yelling for someone to please help me that I was scared these people were going to hurt us and yelling for the family to leave us alone and stop threatening us. I finally picked up my son and ran through the circle of the family to get away. We were both terrified and kept on moving to get out of the park, and I was praying they weren't following us as they were clearly not rational people!

When we got out of the park, I sat on a bench and cried while trying to console a terrified child that thought the "police man" would take me away from him. What's really sad is that a man in a "uniform" who was a Disney employee came up to us and my son started screaming at him "don't take my mommy." I explained to the man what had happened and he was kind enough to get someone to escort us back to our hotel room to make sure we didn't have any problems. For that, I am forever grateful!

What I learned from my experience with my son is that not all "disabilities" are visible and I never question someone who appears to be "able bodied" who parks in a handicapped space or uses a handicapped bathroom stall. I'm sure they have their reasons and it's up to them to make sure they are valid because I'm only responsible for my actions and the actions of my child.

What I also learned is that there are people who aren't very nice everywhere you go and when you're in a bad situation, get out of it! If no one will help, do everything you can to get away from it!

Finally, the last thing I learned is that "bad" people come in all shapes, sizes and abilities and they can be anywhere so it's important to remain aware of your surroundings so you can navigate a pathway to safety.

Let me also add this, I was really lucky that I was able to get away and that no one physically harmed us in any significant way. They pushed us, yelled at us and cornered us...but we escaped!

I will tell you that we have been back to Disney several times and have met some truly wonderful people.

To this day, I'm glad my mom taught me to get away by any means possible when you find yourself in a bad situation...and I'm doing my best to teach my son that as well.

For a while the "magic" of the Magic Kingdom was lost for us, but I decided about a year after this incident that the "magic" was still there and that bad people could never take it away from me or my son unless I allowed them to do so. I also realized about this same time that the reason the CM (the restroom attendant person) didn't help was because she didn't know how to and that was OK since I really didn't either.

 

[mamaLori05]

I was on the receiving line of things about 5 or 6 years ago. At the time my son was on the mend from some significant medical issues and remained under a doctor's care.

I'll share with you that we're really lucky, today, he's a healthy 10 year old child who has fully recovered from his early medical issues. We had come close to losing him several months before that Disney trip and we were celebrating that things were looking up while still cognizant of the fact that he had a long way to go and we wanted to take him back to Disney "just in case." Anyway, here's what happened.

We entered the bathroom (the one near Peter Pan) and the only stall open was an accessible stall. I took my son in there because he needed lots of extra help with several medical devices that were hidden by his clothing and a bag he carried. Anyway, we weren't in there long...just long enough to address his needs, get everything secure, wash our hands and leave.

This woman on a scooter comes over to the stall as we are leaving with her 2 daughters (both teens or older) and begins yelling at me for taking my "able bodied" son into a handicapped stall that is reserved for the use of people in a wheelchair! She and her daughters who are yelling at us at the top of their lungs then begin to follow us out as I pushed our way through outside and then another of her relations...a man...tells my son and I that he's a police officer and that he should arrest us and throw us both in jail while the rest of the family has kinda circled around us!

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a CM (one that tends to the restrooms) standing right there and never once did she help us, even as I was standing there yelling for someone to please help me that I was scared these people were going to hurt us and yelling for the family to leave us alone and stop threatening us. I finally picked up my son and ran through the circle of the family to get away. We were both terrified and kept on moving to get out of the park, and I was praying they weren't following us as they were clearly not rational people!

When we got out of the park, I sat on a bench and cried while trying to console a terrified child that thought the "police man" would take me away from him. What's really sad is that a man in a "uniform" who was a Disney employee came up to us and my son started screaming at him "don't take my mommy." I explained to the man what had happened and he was kind enough to get someone to escort us back to our hotel room to make sure we didn't have any problems. For that, I am forever grateful!

What I learned from my experience with my son is that not all "disabilities" are visible and I never question someone who appears to be "able bodied" who parks in a handicapped space or uses a handicapped bathroom stall. I'm sure they have their reasons and it's up to them to make sure they are valid because I'm only responsible for my actions and the actions of my child.

What I also learned is that there are people who aren't very nice everywhere you go and when you're in a bad situation, get out of it! If no one will help, do everything you can to get away from it!

Finally, the last thing I learned is that "bad" people come in all shapes, sizes and abilities and they can be anywhere so it's important to remain aware of your surroundings so you can navigate a pathway to safety.

Let me also add this, I was really lucky that I was able to get away and that no one physically harmed us in any significant way. They pushed us, yelled at us and cornered us...but we escaped!

I will tell you that we have been back to Disney several times and have met some truly wonderful people.

To this day, I'm glad my mom taught me to get away by any means possible when you find yourself in a bad situation...and I'm doing my best to teach my son that as well.

For a while the "magic" of the Magic Kingdom was lost for us, but I decided about a year after this incident that the "magic" was still there and that bad people could never take it away from me or my son unless I allowed them to do so. I also realized about this same time that the reason the CM (the restroom attendant person) didn't help was because she didn't know how to and that was OK since I really didn't either.

Wow!!! That's horrible!!! I'm soo sorry that happened to you!! I'll admit I am guilty of using the handicaped bathroom when I am by myself with the two kids and my dd needs to go. I roll the stroller with ds into the stall so I can help my dd, and my ds is still in my sight. I'd hate to think someone would get crazy mad over that!! Personally I feel that if you need more than one person in the stall than you should be allowed to use the larger stall.

Man, I don't even know what I would do if someone did that to me. You did the right thing though by just getting out of there!! Not worth getting into a fight over!!

 

[DISNEYJAZZ]

when we were at ak in april the grandkids adn i found a table and sat down to wait whiel mama,dada and pawpaw got food for all 6 of us and flametree bbq...whiel we are sitting there by the lake enjoyig the view of everest and the baby gator who's alongside the terraced off eatinga rea., a man coem over and ask if we are using all 6 chairs..i say yes,he storms off and yells at me " you souldn't do that,you should get your food and then a table" i was shocked at how rude he was and shot back wit " well when you own disney world you can make the rules' { i swear the lady next to us applauded thi s..hehe..j/k] then i see his wife holding a tray full of their food! i wish i'd of siad " well at lest my man is man enough to get our food for us" but i ws being nice sicne the grandchildren had seen/heard all this,they told there parents a.s.a.p. that some man was rude to us.... i am sure that thi swas the same sorta man who would of blown a gasket if the kids and i were standing in line near hima nd them with ants in their pants...hehe,,,oh well can't please them all...this ws the only rudeness we saw,well except for soem spring break kids playing with a wheelchair someone had left at the epcotbus stop. and to make it worse one guy actually got on the bud with help form the driver,in the chair..and he wa a healthy teenager adn thought it was funny...his friend on the other hand was wanting to crawl under the seats...

 

[kiteri]

Last year at Hollywood Studios we were in line for a character with our kids, and there was a family that had four adults and six children. They would have an adult stand in each line, and just as you thought you were next... all six kids would come and file into line in front of you.

It was September... so it was HOT. They only let the costumed characters out for so long at a time. They made the announcement that the characters would be going in in 5 minutes. Just then... the flock of kids jumped right in line in front of us.

I was so upset. We had waited in line, all that time, and we wouldn't get to see the character. I said to the other person I was with, "They should do something about these people in line holding spots for others".

The lady BEHIND us went off on me. She said to me, "Just because some of us are smarter than you, to go and hold spaces in line at several characters doesn't give you the right to complain."

I looked at her, and said something to the tune of, "Well, I wasn't complaining to you, so mind your own business".

My kids were there and sensed the tension, and asked me why that lady had to be so mean. I told them that some people didn't know how to act out in public, and that we should pitty her for not realizing the bad Karma that she was bringing on herself.

This is just my personal belief. It is how I deal with all the mean people of the world. I absorb their negativity because I have enough joyful and positive things in my life to not let them bring me down, but I do take some comfort in knowing that what comes around goes around.

The lady almost lost it over that comment. "Karma... what is that supposed to mean." and mumbling and grumbling.

It was rather gratifying when my 4 year old looked at me and said, "Mommy, she needs a nap doesn't she?"

I saw her later, screaming at her poor little daughter about something. That is one woman that needed to learn how to deal with stress!!!!!!!

 

[momsavealot]

I too have had the experience of waiting on line for a character with my family only to wait 15 minutes while the clan in front of us waits until they're actually with the character to find all the kids in their clan. IT was with Mr. and Mrs. Incredible in Tomorrowland. Even Mr. Incredible couldn't take it and started walking to the line of people waiting to shake hands. It was obvious that these rude people couldn't care less who was on line and how long they were taking. I have always taught my kids to stick up for oneself but I have to say that now I sing a different tune. I'm sorry, but there are so many NUTS out there that I'm afraid to confront people. I can no longer predict how people will react and I don't want my kids to be in harm's way or hear profanity. Before, I used to handle things myself. Now, if I have a problem, I speak to a CM. My advice is don't confront the crazies - try to let the CM's and staff do their job and report the issue.

 

[RetroMom]

Okay, I'm not totally innocent in the story I'm about to share, but wow...

We were on our last night at WDW and we were at Magic Kingdom. My oldest son had been in a wheelchair or crutches the entire trip because he badly sprained his ankle the day before we left. We had dealt with his pain, a lot more rain than was normal, just a totally different trip than what I had planned and it was the last night, so I was a little tired, but having fun. For Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, we had been directed before to go to the exit for wheelchair access/transfer. So we go there and we wait. No cast member comes out. I peek around the rock wall and can see three people standing there who are not cast members, so we waited a few more minutes. Then I took my son's Guest Service Card regarding his disability and walked around those people to the painted line on the sidewalk. My sons stayed back. I was holding the card up in front of me so that when the cast member on the platform saw it, he would know that we were there waiting, since we weren't visible around the wall. The person closest to me of the three standing there spoke up and said, "We're already in line" in a really snotty tone. I said I understand, I'm just letting the cast member know that we are here with someone in a wheelchair. She looked at me, rolled her eyes, and said "whatever". I should have let it go, I know. But it just irked me at that moment, so I said Okay, if it's "whatever", so be it. I had never intended to go ahead of them, and if had been given a choice prior to that little word I would have pointed out to the cast member that they should go first if they were supposed to. But when she said that it just changed for me. The cast member was walking towards us at that moment and saw me. My son in the wheelchair had rolled forward a little bit, so the cast member could see him, so he motioned him and my 6 year old son forward. While we were waiting for the train I told my son what had happened. We then watched them as they showed the cast member a little white card about the size of a business card. Don't know what it was, but here's where I was bad...

As the train left the station, we were in the front two rows. My son and I looked at each other and as we passed her scowling face, we both yelled "Whatever"! Unfortunately for everyone on the train behind us, she yelled F*** You! I felt bad for any parents with children behind us on the train. My son and I talked about it later. At what point did her friends point out to her or did she realize that she screamed those words as Disney World?

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I am usually so busy with my own family that I don't really notice much else. However one day at the AK (which I like to refer to as the fiery pits of Hell with animals since it is so darn hot there!) we were walking nicely through the park. All of a sudden there is some traffic. It seems that Devine has appeared. Great. We look quickly and try to move on. Now I am pushing 2 small children in a double side by side stroller. I am very polite, I don't run people down etc. Well we are stopped waiting for the traffic to let up so we can move foward (everyone else is gawking at Devine- we wanted to leave and were stuck in the middle of the crowd.) Then it happened....this complete idiot in too short running shorts steps over the front of my stroller to get closer to Devine. Yep, his acorns were in my kid's face because he could not contain himself for a minute. I did not go crazy but I did say extremely loudly "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!!" Of course he was all annoyed and like "You are not moving" So of course I ask him where would he like me to go? Should I just run the crowd down so he can get closer to Devine? I said a few more things and he looked like he wasn't sure what I might do to him so he backed down. No I didn't use profanity but keep your acorns away from my kids. Do not step over my stroller. It is rude and nobody should have someone else's crotch in their view. The guy was a complete moron. Oh- and Devine might want to do her freaky show in a larger walkway. I swear she only shows up in the smallest walkways.

 

[LovinPooh]

Wow... I cant believe a couple of these stories... just blows my mind how crazy some people are. Just scary!!
Dont feel bad about the 'whatever'... I probably would have done the same thing. We all do stuff like that sometimes. My husband tells me on occassion to 'let it go'. I try not to sweat the small stuff, but I do.
Which leads me to this. Not as horrible as the other stories. This just really upset me. Our first trip to WDW was last year. As we walked by the POTC we noticed that Peter Pan was there. I noticed that the character line was finished so we didnt walk over there. I told my daughter who just loves Peter Pan that she could say hi to Peter. The CM and Peter Pan were walking towards us, and my little one yells out 'hi Peter Pan'. And the CM, says 'you'll have to wait until the next character line'. I looked at her and said, 'she just said hi'. And the CM looked at me with this mean look and said 'she'll have to wait until next character line'. Ughhh... that irritated me.. what is wrong with a little girl yelling hello to a character at the happiest place on earth??? Peter atleast heard her and waved to her. My child was happy but I was really ticked at that CM. I guess she was just having a bad day at that park.

 

[~*~Michelle~*~]

Just had to post these designs that Kari in the design forum created. Just made me think of this thread. Would be great to put on your t-shirt the next time you go:

 

[LuvMickey36]

I am embarrased to say this, but I am guilty of a stroller incident.

This was my ds first trip to the world, he was 18months old & in a stroller. We were trying to get down main street after the parade to get to fantasyland. The cm's were directing ppl going "backward" to go thru the stores. As I am pushing ds in the stroller out the side door(front stroller wheels are outside/back wheels are still inside)to the jewelry shop a man pushes his way thru the crowd & steps one leg over my son. The next part happened very quickly. He has several bags that r shoved into my sons
face & body. Once one leg is over he loses his balance trying to get 2nd leg over & kicks ds in the face. My instant reaction is to push the stroller hard to get man out of the way so I can tend to ds who is now screaming holding his face. Man lands with a very loud thud on his hands & knees. The kind of thud that ppl turn around to see whats going on. He gets up & grabs the front of the stroller, w/ds still in it. Screaming at me & asking if I have ins. He is literally pulling the stroller away from me. I,of course scream right back, something like "Get your hands off my baby!!!" So now even more ppl have stopped to look. My dh was finally able to get thru the crowd & comes over to us. I am a short woman, 4ft 11in. so the man has no prob yelling @ me. DH is 6ft 8in/320lb. DH came over asking what was the prob. the man is still yelling about ins. All my dh said to him was, "Yes, we have ins. do you??" and pointed @ ds. Mans wife grabs his arm & off they go.

I kinda felt bad for his kids, I know the next day he had to have been a total grump. Those knees of his probably really hurt.

 

[schlepsnort]

Never had an altercation but I have given the look of death to those who violate my personal space bubble. And if someone doesn't catch that look I start discussing with my dh in a loud voice about a sudden rash that I've developed on my back and I really hope it's not contagious but boy does it itch...I don't care if it creeps them out, at least then they back off of me. Also have used the sweeping pointy elbow trick (hand on hip, elbow jutting out).
I've used the handicapped stall but I also have hip replacements so I prefer the higher toilet in that stall than the lower ones in the other stalls. But people see me a 30 something and don't know of my disability. I've gotten yelled at, my response is just flipping them the bird. I'm tired of explaining my disability to those who would rather just flipout on me than see that hey I may look 30 but if you watch for a minute you'll see that I walk with a noticeable limp and one leg is actually smaller than the other. My DH is trying to think of what to say if someone goes off on us for parking in the handicapped lot (I have a placard to park there but inevitably I always get yelled at by someone who thinks I have no right to it).
It bothers him when this happens, I've just gotten used to it and ignore it.