Am I being rude?

[rejobako]

My response to you, and only you, not your child, would be, "you go get your autograph, which you waited in line for, and your kid can go wait in line behind my kid and the 99 other kids ahead of him or her."

Gee, if I decide to get the autograph for myself, is it OK if my kid stands next to me while I do it and I change my name to my child's name for 10 seconds until I get the signature? Or is there a "zone of distance" my child must keep outside of until I'm finished?

 

[Fantasmic303]

Well, here's what I think works....but Disney has to do it for it to work. I can't remember if it's been in Disney World or in Disneyland (we've been to both coasts in the last few months), but in several character lines, we've had a cast member rope off (or stand or something) the back of the line at some point during the greet. They can tell by the music when the greet is close to being over, and they'll just note, to the person standing last in line, "Yours will be the last family Minnie will be greeting before she goes to freshen up" and to all who try to get in line behind them, "I'm sorry, but Minnie has to go freshen up shortly - she'll be back in about 45 minutes!"

Everyone already IN LINE will meet Minnie. It doesn't matter if that's six kids and two parents or one parent and one kid or five adults. No one is getting shut out this time around, and the handlers are cutting off the line so that no little girl has to be get shut out even though she was "next in line". It's kinda like at the end of the night - as long as you're physically in line before the park closes, you get to ride, no matter if the line is an hour long or no wait at all.

 

[bstnsprts]

Gee, if I decide to get the autograph for myself, is it OK if my kid stands next to me while I do it and I change my name to my child's name for 10 seconds until I get the signature? Or is there a "zone of distance" my child must keep outside of until I'm finished?

No, looks like officially there's no "zone of distance." But it looks like officially your child should wait in line with you. Unless your one of those belligerent ones that the CM's try to avoid confrontation with.

Would you like the official line?
From a WDW CM as well as a character attendent?

We ask that no matter what the line is for that you keep your entire party together. This does help us gauge wait times, but also prevents others from getting upset over what MANY guests perceive as line-cutting. There are some tip guides out there that actually recommend the "dad in one line - mom in the other" approach as a way to save time, but it really is not allowed. Not for one child or for six.

Having said this, it should be noted that this is EXTREMELY hard to enforce as some of those that tend to do this are also those that get the most belligerent and many attendents just don't want the confrontation. Also, although management and Guest Relations say this is the policy, they do not really back us up when it comes down to it. So many times you will see it happening anyway.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I certainly will do this when possible. DD is autistic and cannot tollerate lines or that many people closing in on her. Waiting is a concept she cannot grasp. I will let her walk around till it is almost our turn. I understand mine is a different situation, but even with the typical child I don't see anything rude about it.

Unless I'm reading your post wrong, you have one person wait in one line until it's almost your daughter's turn to be with one character?

It sounds fine on the surface but a line has to be drawn as far as rules go and where do you draw the line for this, is the cut off 2 or are 3 kids ok? Can you tolerate 4 but 5 is way too many?

Okay, probably 90% of the posters here have never heard this 'poem', but I remember it from wayyyy back in the Dark Ages... "Two's company, three's a crowd, four's too many, five's not allowed" (which, by the way, is NOT my response to the original question; see below)

She almost missed Jo Jo because they were in the Donald line and Jo Jo was who she REALLY wanted to see. If she had not made it I would have stepped aside and gotten back in line. She did make it though, but I don't know if I would do it again. Wasn't really worth it to me.

Would you have actually gotten back into line? Or would you have stayed 'to the side' and stepped back into the 'next in line' spot? If the former, well, what's the point of even waiting in two lines if you're just going to have to wait all over again? And if you just step aside temporarily, then your DD makes it to the Jo Jo line and you step back in, and Jo Jo goes on break right after your DD's turn, is that reasonable for the child/party that actually was next? I mean, you've stepped aside, three parties see the character while you're standing there, and I'm next - but your daughter joins you and you step back in front of me?

1 - How about this: <snip> Do you deem it acceptable for the family to visit with Pooh together? Or is that the same thing as cutting?

Interesting question - IMO, it depends if it's for one group picture (fine) or three separate autographs (not fine).

It's one thing to wait in line for your child who cannot wait in line for one reason or another, but it's another thing to hold their space in one line while they are in another. (Please refer to my earlier post about double-booking reservations for a room). However, I would never physically say anything, because I truly don't know the situation of the child.

No, that's true, you don't. But chances are you'd be able to tell the difference between a child who came running over after seeing Donald and got ahead of you in line, and one whose parent was holding the child's spot in a single character line.


Now, my thoughts: I wouldn't have called it rude, necessarily, but since that's the term the OP used... yes, I believe it is rude. Well, more specifically, I feel doing this is inconsiderate (to both the other Guests waiting in one character's line, and frankly to the child for whom it's being done) and indulgent. In addition, and with the exception of that stupid radio commercial for some online program or other that enables "Eric" to be at both a meeting in New York and his office in Chicago at the same time, enabling a single child to technically be 'waiting' in two separate lines and at the same times defiying the laws of physics.

 

[robinb]

This all boils down to common courtesy. Not everyone is going to agree whether or not this is rude but I think the people who do it should consider how other people feel. Obviously alot of people on here seem to think this is a rude thing to do and even if you believe it's not a big deal and people should RELAX, the point is people are bothered by it. Maybe for the sake of actually being a courteous person, just respect how others feel and just don't do it. It's not going to ruin your vacation if you have to wait a little longer to meet with the Characters.

I hate to beat a dead horse, but I do not agree that this is a matter of "common courtesy". What I think you are saying is: since some people might have a problem with saving a space and some people think that it is line cutting then all people who do it are discourteous and disrespectful.

I cannot live my life (at home or at WDW) walking on egg shells hoping that I don't do something that will honk someone else off. I try to be courteous and respectful, but everyone has a different idea of what is courteous and what is rude. One person on this thread thinks that saving a place for the parade is rude. Should we all stop saving a spot when our spouse takes the kids for dinner? Some people think bringing in your own food is rude. Should everyone leave their gummy bears back in the room?

My point is that everyone has their own moral compass. I follow mine and you follow yours. We might agree on some things (like smoking outside of posted areas) and we may not agree on others (like spot-saving v/s line jumping). But that does not mean that your moral compass is the "correct" one and that your beliefs constitute "common courtesy".

 

[Tinker74]

My response to you, and only you, not your child, would be, "you go get your autograph, which you waited in line for, and your kid can go wait in line behind my kid and the 99 other kids ahead of him or her."

Iam sorry but if I heard a adult say this to a mother especially with the child in ear shot I would think it was incredibly rude. not to mention very upsetting for the child and all the other children in the line to witness.

Would you really say this?? Where would you want the other child to stand whilst the parent got the auto graph?

 

[pxlbarrel]

When you decide whether to get into a line, you look at the people in it. What is going on in some other line is irrelevant to how long you have to wait in the line you get into. If all the people in front of you were holding a place for one other person, your wait time would be exactly the same as if they were standing in line for themselves.

Believe me, I understand the opposing view, which is that if a child were required to stand in for himself in both lines, one line would necessarily be shorter to begin with. But in my view, it's about expectations. If you get in a line with 10 people, you have the right to expect that 10 people will get an autograph before you. So long as that is what happens, I think it's fair.

Look at this scenario. Child is in line #1 with 10 people in it. Mom is in line #2 with 11 people in it. The 11th person, being only one person, is only in one line. Child finishes with line #1 and hops over to Mom's line and gets is second character meet. #11 person doesn't get anything because they stopped the line at the 10th person. So... Child gets to meet two characters and the 11th person (child or adult, doesn't matter) got to meet none.

It's not a matter of being rude...it's a matter of thinking what's fair or unfair. If I was #11 or a parent of #11, I would feel pretty upset if I knew that this is what happened. Reality is, #11 wouldn't know what had happened...but the outcome is still the same.

As for people in the line letting it slide because they don't want any confrontations....just because nobody's calling you out on it, doesn't mean they're not upset or annoyed. It's quite possible they're both and are too polite to say so. Nobody wants confrontations so why invite them? It's obvious that there are two trains of thought with people who go to WDW so don't be surprised if people do get upset at these tactics.

 

[Joanna71985]

Well, here's what I think works....but Disney has to do it for it to work. I can't remember if it's been in Disney World or in Disneyland (we've been to both coasts in the last few months), but in several character lines, we've had a cast member rope off (or stand or something) the back of the line at some point during the greet. They can tell by the music when the greet is close to being over, and they'll just note, to the person standing last in line, "Yours will be the last family Minnie will be greeting before she goes to freshen up" and to all who try to get in line behind them, "I'm sorry, but Minnie has to go freshen up shortly - she'll be back in about 45 minutes!"

Everyone already IN LINE will meet Minnie. It doesn't matter if that's six kids and two parents or one parent and one kid or five adults. No one is getting shut out this time around, and the handlers are cutting off the line so that no little girl has to be get shut out even though she was "next in line". It's kinda like at the end of the night - as long as you're physically in line before the park closes, you get to ride, no matter if the line is an hour long or no wait at all.

I believe they try to do that. I have friends who are character attendants who close off ther back of the line and tell people when the character comes back. I think it works well. That way people are aware when the character comes back from break and that the line is closed.

 

[rejobako]

No, looks like officially there's no "zone of distance." But it looks like officially your child should wait in line with you with. Unless your one of those belligerent ones that the CM's try to avoid confrontation with.

Hmmm . . . quote: management and Guest Relations say this is the policy, they do not really back us up when it comes down to it.

So some unidentified CM is quoted by a member of this forum as suggesting that this is "against the rules", which is later described as an unwritten "policy" that Disney will not support if enforcement is attempted by its employees.

Pretty "official" rule you have there.

I'm not participating in this thread to be confrontational -- I simply enjoy the debate. And I think it's fascinating that what some perceive as "unfair" is viewed by others as merely harmless practicality. I'm quite aware that others do not share my opinion on this issue, and I do respect those who would disagree with me. On the other hand, as another poster just recently suggested, I don't necessarily defer to the most sensitive persons in a particular group when drawing the line between rudeness and practicality. Most everyone in this thread has tried to be reasonable when discussing their viewpoint, and only one thing has been conclusively determined -- there's a lot of room for disagreement.

It appears I'm more prone to rudeness than I thought. On the other hand, I might suggest some of you may be a bit hypersensitive in taking offense to a situation that doesn't warrant it. Maybe there's somewhere I can look to find a place in between.

Or if you want to go, I'll hold your spot in line.

 

[MyTwoGirls9803]

My response to you, and only you, not your child, would be, "you go get your autograph, which you waited in line for, and your kid can go wait in line behind my kid and the 99 other kids ahead of him or her."

Yikes!

 

[jaycns]

A word to those who might think that place holding is rude...my DD is Autistic although you couldn't really tell just by looking at her. When we go to Disney, sometimes she gets overwhelmed by the crowds and the lines. In order for her to get to meet her favorite characters I will sometimes have her Dad hold a place in line for us while I wait with her in a quiet spot nearby. When he gets close to the front of the line I will bring her over so she's there for her turn. By doing this I am avoiding stressing her out & she is actually smiling and happy when she meets Mickey instead of crying and screaming. So, if you see place holding happening, just remember that things are not always what they seem.

A true reason is ALWAYS acceptable. Disney has provisions for just such exceptions. We often travel with a family who have a son with Asberger's Syndrome (I know I didn't spell that correctly) which is a type of autism and they get a pass from guest services which allows him to do things like that (they check in and come back...nobody even has to wait in line). They approach the CM and they get a return time. They do this for rides, shows, and characters. I don't begrudge anyone the use of an exception if they NEED it for any reason, even if I cannot see the reason for the exception or understand it. I would pray that in the same situation my own children or myself would get the same help.

I would encourage you to use this sort of pass for your daughter. I don't know the official "how to attain one" but I could check with my friend on what she had to do to get one for her son. It makes his time at Disney a LOT more enjoyable (he does NOT do well when crammed in with other people and doesn't understand that a line has a purpose). By using the "official way" to get around doing something that just cannot work for him for a real reason, the family has a much more enjoyable time since they do not have to worry about what others might think or have to leave a parent in line to hold a place. I would encourage you to check it out. Disney is a GREAT company for working with all sorts of guest situations. They truly do seem to want to do anything possible (not all things are possible but it seems to me they try to do what they can) to make sure that if someone has a real health/medical reason for being unable to enjoy their parks in the "standard" way that not only will they make exceptions but do so willingly. At least from what I have seen in vacationing with an autistic child.

 

[hezreck]

As parents of an only child, I talked to my DH about this and we both agree that it is RUDE and we have never even thought about splitting up so our DD wouldn't have to wait in both lines. We have raised our DD to know that she has to wait in line like everyone else. She likes getting autographs and knows that if she is going to complain about waiting she won't see the characters. If she thinks she will be too tired to wait or it's too hot in the sun, she will decide she doesn't want to wait and we skip it.
She has seen families saving spaces at Disney and asked why those kids don't have to wait in line and I tell her, "Because you were raised to be considerate of others. Those kids parents' weren't taught that and they are not teaching their children that either. So consider yourself lucky that your parents care enough about you to teach you right from wrong."

Now she knows when she sees a rude child or pushy parents. She says to me, "Their parents didn't teach them right, did they Mom?"

Bottom line is, if your kids can't stand in line like everyone else (other than special needs kids) maybe you should wait to take them to Disney until they can. If that sounds harsh, so be it.

 

[kaysmommie]

Personally I don't think it is rude unless you are saving a spot for a bunch of kids. I don't care about a parent waiting on line for 1 autograph. Me & DH have done this once or twice before. If I'm waiting on line then DD would take my spot so she could get and Autograph. It saves time IMO. My DD waits on the line for the rides and attractions unless of course she needs to potty then DH holds our spot. People are making a big deal out of nothing. Now mind you if some large group of people try to cut that is a different story.

 

[bstnsprts]

My point is that everyone has their own moral compass. I follow mine and you follow yours. We might agree on some things (like smoking outside of posted areas) and we may not agree on others (like spot-saving v/s line jumping). But that does not mean that your moral compass is the "correct" one and that your beliefs constitute "common courtesy".

This is 100% true, but also the cause of the problem. The person that smokes walking through the park doesn't think their being rude, the people that pool hoop don't think their being rude. And so on and so on. This is where rules and policies come into play. Disney tells you where you can smoke, they tell you that you can't pool hoop, and it appears from the word of a CM that you can't hold a place in line. Now that being said, unfortunately Disney is not very good at enforcing rules and policies. So we can all have different opinions on what is rude and what is common courtesy, but we should all play by the same rules. Wouldn't every ones vacation be more relaxing and enjoyable if this were the case.

 

[amesmom]

I'm not participating in this thread to be confrontational -- I simply enjoy the debate. And I think it's fascinating that what some perceive as "unfair" is viewed by others as merely harmless practicality. I'm quite aware that others do not share my opinion on this issue, and I do respect those who would disagree with me. On the other hand, as another poster just recently suggested, I don't necessarily defer to the most sensitive persons in a particular group when drawing the line between rudeness and practicality. Most everyone in this thread has tried to be reasonable when discussing their viewpoint, and only one thing has been conclusively determined -- there's a lot of room for disagreement.

Well said.

I'm going to get a little off-topic here, but can I just say that I have seen this kind of discussion on other threads and it has gotten heated and nasty. I'm amazed that this lively debate has gone on for 8 pages while remaining a civilized discussion of differing opinions. I guess we've heard almost every argument pro and con. Maybe we should quit while we're ahead?

 

[rejobako]

Look at this scenario. Child is in line #1 with 10 people in it. Mom is in line #2 with 11 people in it. The 11th person, being only one person, is only in one line. Child finishes with line #1 and hops over to Mom's line and gets is second character meet. #11 person doesn't get anything because they stopped the line at the 10th person. So... Child gets to meet two characters and the 11th person (child or adult, doesn't matter) got to meet none.

Interesting scenario. Will Disney generally cut off a line once someone is in it? My understanding is that typically a line will be cut off at the end, and that everyone already waiting will get their turn with the character. I could be wrong here . . .

Second, I would reiterate what I said in a previous post. You are looking at it from the perspective of what this particular child "got" as if being able to meet two characters in a shorter time is somehow inherently unfair. The fact is (in my opinion of course), the family "paid" for that place in the second line because Mom stood in it for her child.

 

[grimley1968]

People are making a big deal out of nothing.

Well, the OP wanted people's opinions on this, right? The OP is the one who made the big deal out of it in the first place.

Personally, I don't think it's all that big a deal, compared to some other stuff I've seen WDW guests do. But the OP wanted opinions on strictly this, so I offered it. That's not making a big deal out of it; just responding.

OP: do what you feel is right. Getting approval/validation from a group of people on the DIS should not change whether this is right or wrong, or even merely rude. I appreciate that you have enough of a conscience to post this question in the first place, as most truly rude people would never consider that their actions really are rude in the first place. But since you asked the question, I won't say it's completely ok to do what you've suggested, although in the big scheme of things it's really not a big deal at all (and you were very polite all along in this thread).

 

[Joanna71985]

Interesting scenario. Will Disney generally cut off a line once someone is in it? My understanding is that typically a line will be cut off at the end, and that everyone already waiting will get their turn with the character. I could be wrong here . . .

Second, I would reiterate what I said in a previous post. You are looking at it from the perspective of what this particular child "got" as if being able to meet two characters in a shorter time is somehow inherently unfair. The fact is (in my opinion of course), the family "paid" for that place in the second line because Mom stood in it for her child.

The line gets cut off after a certain amount of time. The characters are only supposed to be out for a set amount of time, especially in the summer and when its hot. So when the attendant cuts the line off, please try not to argue. The characters generally come right back out after a few minutes (except the characters like Peter Pan and Wendy). Usually you can count on a character being in line for about 20-30 minutes, then the line is usually cut.

 

[rejobako]

Well said.

I'm going to get a little off-topic here, but can I just say that I have seen this kind of discussion on other threads and it has gotten heated and nasty. I'm amazed that this lively debate has gone on for 8 pages while remaining a civilized discussion of differing opinions. I guess we've heard almost every argument pro and con. Maybe we should quit while we're ahead?

Probably good advice, and on that note I'll bow out of this debate with one closing comment: Although I see no problem with it, in deference to my respect for the opinions of those disagree with me, I hereby swear upon my Annual Pass that I will never hold a place in line for my DD at WDW in the manner posed in this thread.

At Universal, though, anything goes.

 

[Disney Debbie]

Don't think it's rude at all. Sounds efficient to me. What difference does it make as long as one person stands in line whether it's the one person who stood or their kid who goes to the character?

So those of you who think it's rude - You'll really hate me for this one - when DH & I go to the grocery store or someplace like that (that doesn't have a 10 items or less line) and have just one or two things - we'll get in two lines. Whoever gets there first - the other will join them and pay. I wouldn't do that with a cart full of groceries -but I don't hesitate to do it with a few items. Of course - it used to be people would let you go ahead with just a few items - I always let someone cut in front of me if they have one or two things and I have a cart full of stuff. But most of the time people with a cart full of stuff will practically race me to a register to beat me with my gallon of milk now adays!