Women & Children Seated First?

[Dean Marino]

I'll be preggo during our October trip, and if it looks like I won't be able to sit, we'll just take the next bus. That way I don't have to depend on anyone giving up their seat. But I do think giving up your seat for the elderly or pregnant is a nice thing to do.

But that guy was out of line.... Totally.

Mam? I'm just an older guy, with his own notions of etiquette... you would have MY seat in a heartbeat . And it's not all "I'm just an old fart..." . We have BEEN on busses that just HAD to slam on the brakes to avoid collisions. If one is not hanging on (or CAN NOT hang on - as in very short, protecting a child) - this can be very UGLY. I once saw a small four year old slide across the floor, rear to front like a bowling ball . He DID bang his head - but was OK. It's probably just me.... I just couldn't tolerate myself if I didn't do what I COULD to protect those that might be hurt in the event of a problem . Me? I build custom swords... . Not particularly worried about ME .

 

[smitch425]

Women and children first? Um no. First come, first served? Yep!

 

[LilyWDW]

When I had a 5 year old passed out in my arms, in the dark and was made to stand the entire trip back to AKL, I was a bit miffed. I almost dropped her or fell over several times.

Was it the very last bus of the night or something? Why not wait until the next bus so you were guaranteed a seat if you thought it was such a huge deal?

See, that's what I don't get. There are options. You're not forced to get on a SRO bus and can wait for another one. It's a simple solution to an "issue" that isn't even that big of a deal. Take care of yourself and don't expect others to do so. Personal responsibility and all of that jazz.

BTW, you would never know if I need a seat or not. Or anyone else. So don't judge just because someone doesn't get up for you.

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

No. Some people have hidden disabilities. Maybe they had knee surgery recently. Maybe they have MS. Maybe they got really bad blisters from walking around the parks. I wouldn't judge anyone on a bus for not getting up unless they were personally in my party and I knew there was nothing wrong with them, and I think it's kind of rash for others to do so. (And this is coming from someone whose husband always offers up his seat to women/children/elderly unless my son insists on being held by him.)

 

[saskdw]

There has been many threads on this topic here over the years. There are many different opinons on this topic.

Truthfully, I'm not 100% sure how I feel about this topic. It depends what kind of mood I'm in.

Entitled thinking or not, some people need to keep in mind this isn't public transportation. It is a privately owned vacation destination. And yes everyone has paid to be there. I have given up my seat at times and chosen not to at times. Everyone does have the choice of waiting for the next bus if they need a seat.

If someone has been standing waiting 30 mins for a bus should they have to give up their seat to a person that gets to the stop at the last second and chooses to squeeze onto a full bus? Really hard to find logic in that.

 

[bumbershoot]

What is your opinion-should it be Disney policy for women and children to sit first?

Gracious NO.

I always give up seats to kids, pregnant women or the elderly. This is because it is a safety issue. If the driver had to break quickly these people would be highly likely to fall and injure themselves

What exaclty is it about your random pregnant woman, child, or older person that makes them so fragile?

When I was pregnant I HATED sitting down. To sit meant pain on standing. If I had decided to go to Disney then, if I had felt strong enough to go, I wouldn't have wanted that pity from anyone.

My MIL is frail and elderly. I know many other people who are elderly and anything BUT frail. My MIL is frail and therefore *doesn't go to Disney or other places where she'll be standing up a lot*. THAT is the choice she has made based on her physical condition. If she did make that decision, she would be using a scooter, and since she refuses to do that, she isn't going those places.

And kids are like bouncy balls.

It's just so insulting to see fragility in that group of people.

As a woman I find that mindset outdated and insulting.

Absolutely.

My lack of planning is not other people's problems.

SO TRUE!

I don't assume someone who doesn't is a jerk. Doing so would make me the jerk.

YES.

When I had a 5 year old passed out in my arms, in the dark and was made to stand the entire trip back to AKL, I was a bit miffed. I almost dropped her or fell over several times.

You could have gotten on the next bus and had your pick of seats. You made the choice to get on the bus. I imagine you also made a choice to not ask anyone if you could have a seat?

I'm a 63 year old Male.... I ALWAYS offer my seat to women with children (#1), then any female left standing . Sue me .

I won't sue you, but I will feel judged and insulted by archaic notions that because I have XY chromosomes I'm weak and frail and fragile and can't stand up.



I have offered my seat to *obviously* struggling people. DS and DH have, too. But I don't just think "women, pregnant women, children, and anyone older than me are frail". It's not a blanket thought.

 

[Madame]

Was it the very last bus of the night or something? Why not wait until the next bus so you were guaranteed a seat if you thought it was such a huge deal?

See, that's what I don't get. There are options. You're not forced to get on a SRO bus and can wait for another.

Sometimes waiting for the next bus will not work. We were at MK and waited almost 30 mins for a POR bus in March. When it pulled up the driver loaded an ECV first. We were 4th in line from the front & guaranteed a seat on the bus... Or so I thought...

People from the middle & back of the line flooded through the rear doors of the bus as the driver stood there and watched. No seats for my exhausted 7 & 5 year olds after waiting all that time. I was angry, very angry to say the least. A very nice gentleman gave up his seat for my 2 5 year olds & my daughter sat on the floor. He shouldn't have had to because he was ahead of us in the line. So no, had I already passed up a full bus we still would have ended up seatless.

 

[srferson]

DH and I never give up our seats.

But that's because we don't take them in the first place.

We are both healthy. We do not have children. And we're night owls. There is no reason for us to take a seat until everyone else is on. (We do make sure we are standing out of the way.)

As for women and children before men... I'm not really a fan of that being a deciding factor. I may have bigger boobs than (most) men, but I've had a lot of years of practice with them. They don't throw off my balance.

 

[CoolPool]

This dinosaur is teaching her children to give up their seats to others. We are who we are. You do you. But we will offend you because it's our way.

 

[brooke789]

Our last trip it seems like we were always standing on the buses. It was always just me trying to keep two two year olds upright. There were quite a few times I wished someone would have offered us a seat. One seat would have gotten all 3 of us sitting and in a safer position. Kids that young really had a hard time standing as the bus moved, turned, braked, etc.

Next trip I'll only have one 2 year old and two 5/6 year olds so I think they'll be able to manage better. But I definitely would not turn down one single seat that's get us all sitting!

 

[srferson]

Gracious NO.
What exaclty is it about your random pregnant woman, child, or older person that makes them so fragile?

When I was pregnant I HATED sitting down. To sit meant pain on standing. If I had decided to go to Disney then, if I had felt strong enough to go, I wouldn't have wanted that pity from anyone.

It's just so insulting to see fragility in that group of people.

If I offered you a seat because you were visibly pregnant, I'd be very sad if you found it insulting. Saying 'no thank you' is perfectly fine and I'd respect that. But between the two of us who seems more likely to be thrown off balance? Even more important, if someone were to take a tumble, I think it would be safer for everyone involved if it was me, not someone carrying a child (whether it be inside their body or out).

I think it's reasonable to not take the seat if you don't want it. But I think it's less reasonable to be offended by the offer.

 

[bookgirl2632]

What is your opinion-should it be Disney policy for women and children to sit first?

No. I am an able bodied woman and in good health. I often give my seat up to a mom and her child. And if I see a man sitting, I try not to assume that he is as fortunate as I am. Not all maladies are apparent.

 

[ChasingLeslie]

As a rule, no...but I believe in curtesy and I'd give up my seat if someone seemed to need it more.

But I can't believe people think parents carrying sleeping kids should just "wait for the next bus" because they "have options." That's just crazy talk!

 

[Simba's Girl]

OP-no there should not be a policy

Is it kind and gracious for others (no matter their gender) to give up their seat to someone who needs or appears to need it more-absolutely! My girls will be taught this kindness.

Gracious NO.



What exaclty is it about your random pregnant woman, child, or older person that makes them so fragile?

When pregnant a woman's center of gravity changes making their balance "quirky" and more likely to fall.

When I was pregnant I HATED sitting down. To sit meant pain on standing. If I had decided to go to Disney then, if I had felt strong enough to go, I wouldn't have wanted that pity from anyone.

That sounds awful! I feel sad that you find this pity.

And kids are like bouncy balls.

Really?

It's just so insulting to see fragility in that group of people.

Again, I'm not sure that people are assuming fragility.

I won't sue you, but I will feel judged and insulted by archaic notions that because I have XY chromosomes I'm weak and frail and fragile and can't stand up.

First of all you have XX chromosomes if you are a female. Second I used to feel similarly when I was younger, I'm only 41 but I feel much more like it is a kind, loving, gracious thing for another member of society to do for another that they think need the seat more than they do. I used to feel judged by that, not anymore. I'm not sure what changed, perhaps its the fact that I was diagnosed with RA when my 8 year old was an infant or that I'm older and not as angry as I used to be.

 

[daisyduck123]

But I can't believe people think parents carrying sleeping kids should just "wait for the next bus" because they "have options." That's just crazy talk!

Not how I see it at all. Those parents do have options.....no one made them keep their kids out that late, til the point that they were sleeping. If we were relying on bus transportation, we never once had to take sleeping children back to the resort room. We always made sure we were back before they fell asleep.

My family is another family that has waited/waits, if we are very tired, for a bus with available seating, rather than get on and have to stand. Other families are welcome to do the same, rather than complain that able-bodied people did not give up their seats.

 

[MainMom]

Policy, no. Polite, perhaps. We returned from WDW on Wednesday. Most days when we were on crowded buses the adults in our group were standing having given any available seats to ours kids & others who seemed to need them. One exception was a crowded bus where I offered my seat to 3 children who declined (as did their dad for them) and a Mom holding a baby who also declined. I could see the mom was struggling a bit standing (and eventually gave the baby to her husband to hold for the rest of the ride while she held the stroller) so I was surprised she declined. This was all on the same bus ride. I guess all you can do is offer.

 

[MainMom]

I'm a 63 year old Male.... I ALWAYS offer my seat to women with children (#1), then any female left standing . Sue me .

My mom is 60 and was offered a seat by a gentleman on the monorail. She is in perfectly good health and capable of standing, but accepted because he was being polite.

 

[porschegrl]

For those who believe people should give their seats up to young children, what is the age cutoff? The first time we visited WDW, the youngest in our party was 4yo. He stood on many a bus. I don't believe anyone ever offered him a seat, and I never would have expected them to. It makes me wonder if, in the years since, I may have been face to face with a standing 4yo with a parent silently cursing me for not offering a seat. It never would have occurred to me. I have offered my seat to others, and I don't remember anyone ever taking me up on it.

 

[ArwenMarie]

People should just use common sense. If you see a parent holding a sleeping kid, I dunno, seems like someone who could use a seat. I don't think men have to give up their seats and I would never think anything of a man who didn't offer, how do I know what his deal is. But I do like that my husband would never sit on a crowded bus when women were standing. That's probably two contradictory statements, ah well.

 

[MainMom]

For those who believe people should give their seats up to young children, what is the age cutoff? The first time we visited WDW, the youngest in our party was 4yo. He stood on many a bus. I don't believe anyone ever offered him a seat, and I never would have expected them to. It makes me wonder if, in the years since, I may have been face to face with a standing 4yo with a parent silently cursing me for not offering a seat. It never would have occurred to me. I have offered my seat to others, and I don't remember anyone ever taking me up on it.

I mostly offer my seat to young children under 10 or children who seem to be really tired. I know, as a Mom, I would be appreciative in these circumstances, but don't expect it. My kids are 10+ now so they will decline seats because they are old enough to stand.