Women & Children Seated First?

[porschegrl]

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.

If I understand you correctly, I agree. It's a case by case sort of thing. One person I distinctly remember offering a seat was a strapping young man who was carrying a toddler. He probably turned me down because I am a middle aged woman. "Women and children first" is not necessarily a common sense approach, imo.

 

[ncc1701]

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.

Same with DH and I. We have taken public transit for a good chunk of our adult life for work so standing on a Disney bus is no biggie.

 

[Kalliope]

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. I always offer my seat to kids, expectant mothers and elderly. I even make my 9 year old get up if there's someone smaller who really looks to need a seat. I think it's good manners and polite to offer your seat to someone who looks to maybe need it more than yourself, but that's just me. I feel like people are far too entitled now a days and lack of common courtesy has long gone away. We don't own a car where we live, and I often walk with my girls (miles per day) over taking public transportation, simply because I can't stand the behavior of the others taking it. I distinctly remember being 8.5 months pregnant, finished an 11 hour shift (demanding, not desk work) and I was starting to sit down and a lady swooped in behind me and sat in the same seat, like my butt actually touched her lap that's how seated I was. But we take it for what it is and don't let it ruin our vacation, we are used to the same back here at home, nothing shocks me. I am pleased someone said something, however. Perhaps it will make one or two people think about sharing their seats with those who need it more the next trip. Then his words will be worth it. And I do think it should be policy to offer a seat to pregnant women, elderly or young children. Our buses here in Toronto now have the half front of the bus to be "priority seating" for those exact people. They changed the color of the seats and everything so it's very clear. I would be all for it.

You think you were entitled to a seat because you chose to get on a SRO bus, but call others entitled for not giving up their seat? LOL

 

[busymommy2pink]

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.

So your solution is that I should stand, holding her, in the heat instead? Like a PP said, you can't dictate common courtesy, it's a shame it's long gone away. Your attitude perfectly demonstrates the entitlement I was speaking of. And I don't judge anyone for sitting, I merely said I was a little miffed, because, as I said, I am the type that would offer my seat in a heartbeat to anyone who looked as though they needed it more than me. Not that it matters, but it was at the end of the MNSSHP, the only late night we did on any of our 4 trips. I've already told DH that when we do MVMCP this year, we are taking a taxi home, however I traveled to the park empty handed and bagless, which means no cash for a taxi. It's not a matter of me expecting others to take care of me, SMH, some people are so ignorant. And heartless. I'm sorry, but in an entire bus, you can't argue that EVERYONE has an ailment. Forcing a mom to stand with a sleeping child is a jerk move, I don't care who you are. I will continue to give up my seat and see the positive in anything. I hope when you are in need of a seat you are given one, and not forced to deal with others with your same attitude.

 

[busymommy2pink]

You think you were entitled to a seat because you chose to get on a SRO bus, but call others entitled for not giving up their seat? LOL

Nope, read again. Never said I was entitled, I said I was miffed because in the same situation, I would have offered mine in a heartbeat. I like to think there's good still out there. I will always choose to do good So while you may not want to give the seat to a struggling mother, I gladly will. It's no big deal. Just a difference of opinion.

 

[Kalliope]

Nope, read again. Never said I was entitled, I said I was miffed because in the same situation, I would have offered mine in a heartbeat. I like to think there's good still out there. I will always choose to do good So while you may not want to give the seat to a struggling mother, I gladly will. It's no big deal. Just a difference of opinion.

You said you were miffed no one offered you a seat. Which means you felt entitled to a seat.

 

[sndral]

The rudest thing I ever saw on a Disney bus was a woman, her litter of kids and her packages all firmly planted in seats while people stood. So I am firmly opposed to people using seats to hold their shopping bags while people stand.
I'm one who if I really want a seat then I wait for the next bus, if I don't care whether I stand (eg getting back to my resort or to my ADR is more important than resting my aching feet) I make that decision when it's obvious the seats are all taken and I get on anyway expecting to stand. We also don't tend to try getting around at very high crowd times, except the occasional park closing. The waiting for the next bus would be a lot easier if they gave us more seats to sit on while we waited or things to lean on.

 

[missnic]

There is nothing wrong with offering a seat if you choose to do so. It's the people who expect you to offer that's the problem. DH is young and healthy.. but he has really bad feet. Our last trip ended with huge blisters and he could barely walk. I hope no one thought he was a giant jerk for not giving up his seat. Unless someone looks to be really struggling, or I feel that I'm okay with standing, I will not offer them my seat. I've had just as long a day as you have, and I'm tired too. I will often wait for the next bus/whatever so that I can sit if I feel I need a seat.

That said.. in this situation, I probably would have stood up or offered my seat to a man because that guy was out of line.

 

[Lynne M]

Moving to the Transportation board.

 

[Aerinha]

I am a woman and never expect anyone to give up their seat for me because I have ovaries. First come first serve.

Would I give up my seat to an elderly person? If I could do it without insulting them (my late grandmother would have been ticked anyone implied she couldn't stand, even a member of her family).

There are simply too many people with kids to give up a seat for all of them. Not having a kid doesn't make me less entitled to a seat. Depending on the circumstance I might offer but if someone threw a fit at me, my butt would be glued to that seat even if the president boarded.

A pregnant woman is a hard call because you never know if she is pregnant, was recently pregnant and didn't take off the weight or simply looks pregnant (never assume a woman is pregnant unless you see a baby coming out of her) as a woman who is pregnant enough her condition is a slam dunk probably isn't going to be vacationing at that particular time anyway. I would give up my seat for someone who looks ready to give birth if I was sure I could do it without offering some insult (see previous remark about never assuming pregnancy lol).

For me it depends on the situation and how bad my feet hurt at that time. They are flat and hours on them cause me discomfort if I make a bad shoe choice, which I am getting better at. Honestly I think there should be seats for everyone so no one has to stand with the way the buses careen around.

Curious if the guy making comments to other men gave up his seat or just sat there complianing about others?

 

[Peaseblossom]

So I am firmly opposed to people using seats to hold their shopping bags while people stand.

I sit on packages on bus seats. Usually the bags get moved before my rear makes contact. Behaviour like that is so self-centered, it verges on sociopathic.

 

[Minniesgal]

I find that guy's behaviour totally out of line, ridiculous and frankly a little insulting. What gives people the idea they have the right to tell others how to live just because they are at Disney. People need to learn to live and let live and mind there own business.

And as a woman we either want gender equality or we don't there are no half way houses.

Personally if anyone should have seat to me it is the kids. They are the vulnerable ones whose bodies are not at full strength yet and who are often not tall enough to hold on properly. I'd like to see more focus on protecting kids than on making them stand for able bodied grown ups.

 

[BabyFu18]

The rudest thing I ever saw on a Disney bus was a woman, her litter of kids and her packages all firmly planted in seats while people stood. So I am firmly opposed to people using seats to hold their shopping bags while people stand.

I'm not opposed to asking someone to move their packages or bags if they are taking up multiple seats, they can easily place their packages in the floor or on their laps so others can sit down.

As far as giving up a seat, I will always offer my seat if someone else looks in need of it more than me. However, I have some serious medical issues that you cannot see right off the bat (partially paralyzed in both my legs so I have stability issues) and my mother always tells me I don't have to do that because when I give up my seat she's very worried I'll fall if the bus jerks and hurt myself, but I'm young and I have gotten dirty looks on public transportation for not giving up a seat. So in general I figure if I can make myself stand, even if it's difficult or I might be aching later because of it, I'll do it if possible. Sometimes it's not possible to give up your seat and people shouldn't be judged for that, no matter what age or gender they are.

For the most part, if someone offers you a seat, great, if not wait for the next bus or be prepared to stand. That's what I do and that's what tons of others do as well...

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

It's Disney. Being polite and displaying manners went out of style years ago. It's your vacation and you spent tons of money for that bus seat so fight for it with your life.

There is no need for the sarcasm. How do you know just by looking at someone that they are being impolite as opposed to having a good reason for needing that seat? You can't tell just by looking at someone if he or she has a disability. Not everyone with mobility issues uses a wheelchair.

 

[DG24]

This topic is one I can become unglued about. So many say they have unseen disabilities, and I understand that. But in all the years we have gone to Disney, land and world, it is not the hidden disability that hurts our family it is the disability that is very visible and time after time after time we have a problem. My mother is blind, we do not ever take her guide dog with is, because of the transportation, can you imagine the buses loaded illegally like they are, well over max capacity, and a dog trying not to be stepped on, slide around on the floor, hurt. What good is a guide dog with a broken leg. But even with her guide dog we many many times did not get her a seat on the bus, and the driver never cared to ask people not to stand next to the dog with strollers that get pushed into the dog, and poke the dog. So they we leave the dog at home, mom get a white cane, she tries to get on with the w/c people, Disney tells her no she can not she has to wait. So she waits, does she get a seat, no, only when we stay at SOG do the bus drivers make someone get up for her. I have seen my mother get thrown forward, into others, once three people fell over because my mother fell into them.

I get so made that Disney is allowed to over load there buses the way they do. It is not hidden disabilities that Disney or others do not accommodate, it is visible ones also. My mom takes public transportation daily around our city and the buses are never over crowded that way, very rarely does anyone have to stand. Disney does not need a policy that says women and child need to sit, Florida needs a policy that a bus is full to capacity when every seat is full and 10 people are standing. Ten people can reasonably stand on a bus, but when you shove 50 with 10 strollers, and backpacks and bags and w/c after every seat is full than you have a problem, I am amazed every time I see this at Disney and wonder when they will have a bus crash that will kill enough to stay this should not be and finally put enough buses to stop the overcrowding.

 

[busymommy2pink]

You said you were miffed no one offered you a seat. Which means you felt entitled to a seat.

Nope, it doesn't mean that at all. But I can't force reading comprehension. I would, and will always, offer a seat to anyone who needs it more, especially a mother holding a child. But again, that's just me. But this was only one time, there's been many uneventful and lovely trips. And at the end of the day, it's a free bus service and I don't have to drive. You have to learn to put up with others and accommodate everyone when using a public service. That means there's going to be good and bad, it's all in your attitude. If I felt entitled, I would have demanded someone give me a seat, or kept asking for one until someone did offer theirs. I didn't, I stood (barely) in silence and prayed I wouldn't drop her and my arms wouldn't give out. I was confused, yes, because I wouldn't have just sat there roles reversed. But like many have said, I don't know the personal issues of everyone on the bus.

The rudest thing I ever saw on a Disney bus was a woman, her litter of kids and her packages all firmly planted in seats while people stood. So I am firmly opposed to people using seats to hold their shopping bags while people stand.
I'm one who if I really want a seat then I wait for the next bus, if I don't care whether I stand (eg getting back to my resort or to my ADR is more important than resting my aching feet) I make that decision when it's obvious the seats are all taken and I get on anyway expecting to stand. We also don't tend to try getting around at very high crowd times, except the occasional park closing. The waiting for the next bus would be a lot easier if they gave us more seats to sit on while we waited or things to lean on.

Yeah, bags have no place on the seats. Most strollers also slide nicely under the benches. When we used them, we always tried to stick them under there.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

It sounds to me like that man was a bit irritable from a long, hot day in the parks : )

That said, I do silently judge people of both sexes who remain seated when there are parents standing and holding young children on a moving bus. It's a pet peeve of mine, and a significant safety issue IMO. I will always, no matter how tired I am, offer my own seat to a mother or father with a baby or a sleeping young child in their arms--unless I'm holding one of my own children.

I think we all make judgments to ourselves based on appearances, without knowing all the facts behind the situation, it's human nature. However, I don't feel that those judgments should always be shared publicly, so I think that man was in the wrong. Probably his frustration and temper got the best of him, I think it has happened to all of us. Disney World may be the happiest place on Earth, but it is also the child and adult tantrum capital of the world.

 

[3DisneyFanz]

There is no need for the sarcasm. How do you know just by looking at someone that they are being impolite as opposed to having a good reason for needing that seat? You can't tell just by looking at someone if he or she has a disability. Not everyone with mobility issues uses a wheelchair.

If I've seen you running past people and pushing through the crowd to get to the bus stop you have no mobility issues. It's the same people that get pissed when someone in a wheelchair get loaded before them because they were first.

This isn't exclusive the busses it's just a general inability to focus on anything but ones self displayed in multiple areas of the park. I've seen adults knock down kids coming out of the libraries in ToT and HM because they're in their way to the ride. You're all going to same place so if you need to stand or wait so someone else can sit down or go first then do it. I'm glad there are so many capable people on here that don't want a seat but regardless of my age if my Momma saw me not offer my seat to someone who appears to be in need she'd be all over me.

 

[bdcp]

I'm amazed that women are insulted by men giving up their seats, sigh.

DH and both our DS' would do so. DH does it a lot and I totally respect him for it. Chivalry is not a bad thing and I'm tired of the "offended" woman who makes men feel like being chivalrous is wrong. It's sad how many women treat men like crap for being polite. Both my DS have said women have actually said to them "I can get my own door". Wow. DDIL loves the fact that DS is like that. It does not demean women to have men open doors, give up seats etc. It's a sign of respect and caring.

It does not mean you aren't equal if a man opens a door or gives up a seat. It tells me a lot about a woman that is offended by that behavior and that's mainly that they have never had a man in their lives do that for them.

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

This topic is one I can become unglued about. So many say they have unseen disabilities, and I understand that. But in all the years we have gone to Disney, land and world, it is not the hidden disability that hurts our family it is the disability that is very visible and time after time after time we have a problem. My mother is blind, we do not ever take her guide dog with is, because of the transportation, can you imagine the buses loaded illegally like they are, well over max capacity, and a dog trying not to be stepped on, slide around on the floor, hurt. What good is a guide dog with a broken leg. But even with her guide dog we many many times did not get her a seat on the bus, and the driver never cared to ask people not to stand next to the dog with strollers that get pushed into the dog, and poke the dog. So they we leave the dog at home, mom get a white cane, she tries to get on with the w/c people, Disney tells her no she can not she has to wait. So she waits, does she get a seat, no, only when we stay at SOG do the bus drivers make someone get up for her. I have seen my mother get thrown forward, into others, once three people fell over because my mother fell into them.

I get so made that Disney is allowed to over load there buses the way they do. It is not hidden disabilities that Disney or others do not accommodate, it is visible ones also. My mom takes public transportation daily around our city and the buses are never over crowded that way, very rarely does anyone have to stand. Disney does not need a policy that says women and child need to sit, Florida needs a policy that a bus is full to capacity when every seat is full and 10 people are standing. Ten people can reasonably stand on a bus, but when you shove 50 with 10 strollers, and backpacks and bags and w/c after every seat is full than you have a problem, I am amazed every time I see this at Disney and wonder when they will have a bus crash that will kill enough to stay this should not be and finally put enough buses to stop the overcrowding.

I can't believe they would not allow her to preboard with the wheelchairs. That is ridiculous.

ETA: I'm not saying I don't believe you. I am in shock that the bus drivers wouldn't be more compassionate!