Am I being rude?

[pxlbarrel]

Instinctively, I would have said that I would prefer that a family not do that...especially if everybody's baking in the sun.

Logically, I know that in terms of people in line, it's no different than if the child was also in the line with mom or dad since it's only one person who is after the autograph and photo.

HOWEVER, that's not strictly true if you're talking about objective and time waiting in line. I think the objective for some parents and Disney when they have multiple characters show up in one place is that at least a guest (whether adult or child) gets to have their moment with at least one character. Getting that moment with more than one at the same meet and greet is a bonus. The child with the split family has opportunity to see 2 characters while putting the people in his/her second line in jeopardy of seeing even the one character. (Depending on how crowded it is, of course). How many of us, big and small, have waited for a long time, gotten to the front of the line only to be told that the character was going on break or that was it for the day.

I don't think it's rude to do what the OP does. I do think that she's just looking out for her own kids which I don't expect otherwise. However, if people just stop and think how that affects the rest of the line and not just by the people who are immediately behind you, then maybe they'll rethink it. (then again, maybe not. )

Just as an aside...a few years ago we were in Camp Minnie Mickey to get our photos taken with Santa Goofy. My brother and I (both adults) lined up as we were supposed to. We got to the front and the handler said that we were the last people since Santa Goofy had to go for the day. So we started to go up to Goofy for our photo when the mother and 3 kids behind us wailed and yelled at the handler and then tried to rush Goofy and push us out of the way. They made faces at us and told us off when we didn't offer to let her kids have the photo op. In other words, she felt that we were being mean by not offering up our spots to them since we were adults and they were only kids. We ignored them and got our photo with Goofy but couldn't believe their attitude. I love watching the little ones (and these were teens!) enjoy the magic of Disney but I enjoy it too. Ugh, I digressed from the original post. Sorry!

 

[rejobako]

I think it's inappropriate to "hold spots" in line. Whethere or not it is rude will differ on opinion. Imagine if you get in front of someone who DOES believe it's cutting and they may not control their temper well.

Respectfully, I don't allow people who cannot control their tempers to define what is reasonable for me.

 

[BlondeAlligator]

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.

 

[Oreo Cookie]

OP...

I guess I would ask you to look at it this way (and this is only my world view, I am not juding anyone)...If you were me you would have three children. No way I can wait in one line and DH can wait in another line and then we can get three kids in without causing trouble. Is it fair to my children that they have to hold their own places in line but only children are "more speical" and don't have to ever do that...they can just flit back and forth to the front of each line that someone else stood in? My whole point, how do other children feel? I know my boys would hate it if they saw any child seeing twice the characters as them in the same area with the child swap thing. It's not that you probably cannot get away with doing something, but it might cause others to feel uncomfortable or upset. And no, I don't think every child is counting how many characters another child is seeing...but if they were to notice it would feel hurtful (fairness is a big thing for kids, they hate to feel as if something is not fair, at least my kids).I guess I figure other adults can handle little things like that but I don't think it's worth making another child's day any less magical.

Before anyone gets upset, NO the world does not revolve only around my children...but I do expect that when they pay the same price as an "only child" they should get the same service...if they have to wait in line, so should every other child. The exception to this rule is for those who have "real" speical needs and then they should procure a pass. When we travel with a family with an autistic child they always get a pass for him, he then takes his pass to a line (attraction or character) and is usually given a "fast pass" type pass for him to come back when they estimate he would have gotten to the front of the line had he stood in it).

If Disney thinks kids waiting in line is not something they want to happen then they better do a total revamp (not sure how on EARTH they could/would be able to do that) and offer it to every child. Until then my personal feeling is that NO child is more deserving than any other of a place at the front of the line. I KNOW THE OP DID NOT MEAN SHE THOUGHT THE CHILD SHE WAS WITH DID...I am just stating my opinion as to all kids.


OP thanks for asking about how others feel. It shows that you do care!! And even though this is how I feel, I still say follow your heart/the rules in all matters and you won't be led astray...even if they are counter to what I think! Above all, have fun, you'll be at Disney and life is too short to waste one minute of it...especially a Disney minute!

I agree 100% and the same thing goes for a single parent situation.

I too think it's good that the OP asked because it shows they care about other people too!!

 

[KimR]

I disagree with those who say that this practice does not affect the wait time of others in line. It certainly does because it is not just a matter of one person (the child) taking the place of another (the parent). It's not as if the parent intended to get the autograph and then at the last minute changed his/her mind and said 'oh, well, I don't want the autograph after all, let Matthew take my place'. The parent wouldn't even have been in the line in the first place if it weren't for the fact that he/she is saving a place for the child who is currently in line for a different character. I think it's only fair that every child wait in line for each autograph/picture.

 

[rejobako]

I don't think it's rude...it's just an advantage of having more adults in your group.

Exactly -- some people seem to be extending the original OP's example: what if you had more than one child cutting in? What if you had a busload? What if your child wasn't done in the other line and you had to hold up the line until your child could cut in? What if there were locusts and hailstones and barbarian hordes invading the park and the family behind you couldn't get Mickey's autograph in time? This wasn' the scenario. The scenario is, is it OK for one person to serve as one child's proxy in line. I would say yes, and I realize there's room to disagree on the issue, but to add other children to the equation to make the scenario a "ruder" one isn't in line with the question that was asked.

 

[a*lil*bit*goofy]

I would have no problem if the person in line in front of me and my family had their child off somewhere else while their spot was held for them. maybe kid went to bathroom maybe kid can't stand in line for whatever reason. maybe kid was having a meltd own and was taken to calm down beforre returning to line. what do i care. I don't. If the parent was in line in front of me, i would still have to wait for my turn after them, regardless of whether it was the parent who wanted the autograph or the child who joins the parent for the autograph. I don't consider this line budding and i would do it. Personally, i like the idea of one line for all 3 characters for example. Then if a child only wants 1 of the characters, they skip the other 2. However, with the limited time that is allowed, the parents of the kids who only wanted to see "x" will complain that if it were 3 separate lines they would have had a better chance. Can never please everyone! LOL!

Anyway I say go for it. And have fun!

 

[rejobako]

It's rude, and I would say something to you...like..."Do you see the 100 kids that have been waiting in line for the last 30 mins to get the autograph?"

And I would respond: "Didn't all of them see me standing here when they got in line?" I could even hold the autograph book for my child when the character was signing it if it made you feel better. That way you and the other hundred people could pretend the autograph was for me.

Or is it taboo for an adult to get Mickey's autograph?

 

[new_mouser]

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.

Denise In MI

This is the deal-breaker IMO. If you have a very young child, or a child who doesn't understand the concept of waiting in line or taking turns, I think it's perfectly acceptable and I don't have a problem with it. Personally, I don't want to be in line behind a 2-year-old throwing a tantrum. However, if you have a child over the age 4 who should (if he doesn't) realize that life involves waiting and taking turns, you should wait it out. It's just one of those character-building exercises that's required to keep kids - and adults - from being self-centered.

 

[shasess]

It's absolutely rude!!

 

[DisneyMim]

Well, here's my opinion. No I don't think that the "one little boy" case is rude, BUT many many people read these boards, many more than post here and I think light bulbs just went off in people's heads. A lot of people travel with other families. My family often travels with my brother's family, 5 kids and 4 adults just to give one example. So in this case four adults could get into 4 lines and have all 5 kids run from character to character. This would absolutely create a problem. I know, I know this is not what the OP said, but trust me, this will give people ideas. And just so you will all know, no we have never done this. My whole family always waited in every line. To be fair, my kids are older and do not get the character autos anymore. Years ago it wasn't as much of a problem as it is today, many more people now. I would think it would be very tiresome to wait a long time in line and then see multiple children rushing out of nowhere. I know we all do the "count" thing, you know count the number of people in front of you, kids with auto books opened, etc. It gives parents general idea of how many people are in front of you. I know I would be really upset if a bunch of kids I wasn't expecting just walked in after we waited a long time. As I have said before, the internet is a wonderful thing, it helps people plan, etc., but it also gives people sometimes "bad" ideas and if enough people start doing this the CMS will have to control it more.

 

[JRawkSteady]

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.

 

[Marie2794]

I disagree with those who say that this practice does not affect the wait time of others in line. It certainly does because it is not just a matter of one person (the child) taking the place of another (the parent). The parent wouldn't even have been in the line in the first place if it weren't for the fact that he/she is saving a place for the child who is currently in line for a different character.

But you don't know that when you're getting in the line behind that person.

When you join a character line, you get in that line knowing that X number of people are in front of you, and you have an idea right then of approximately how long your wait will be. It makes absolutely no difference if ONE of those people is actually saving a spot and will eventually be replaced by ONE other person. Your wait will still be exactly the same as you thought it would be when you joined the line in the first place.

I've never held a place for my daughter in a character line, but I see absolutely nothing wrong with the ONE person replacing ONE person concept, because it wouldn't change my "perceived" wait time at all. The number of people in front of me would still be exactly the same as it was when I joined the line.

 

[Joanna71985]

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.

This is what I am afraid of. I got accepted as a character attendant for the college program and will be arriving in May. I do not want to have any problems. If you see people doing this, what do you do? Because I don't want any confrontations.

 

[ToontownPrincess]

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.

 

[bstnsprts]

I disagree with those who say that this practice does not affect the wait time of others in line. It certainly does because it is not just a matter of one person (the child) taking the place of another (the parent). It's not as if the parent intended to get the autograph and then at the last minute changed his/her mind and said 'oh, well, I don't want the autograph after all, let Matthew take my place'. The parent wouldn't even have been in the line in the first place if it weren't for the fact that he/she is saving a place for the child who is currently in line for a different character. I think it's only fair that every child wait in line for each autograph/picture.

Couldn't agree more. If the parent is holding a spot for the child, then the child is in two lines at once, adding wait time to the extra line.

 

[ToontownPrincess]

Joanna....don't worry about it. Disney will train you on how to take care of certain situations. I worked at Disney in ToonTown and had to deal with the character lines and it's really not as bad as it seems. For the most part you as a CM won't have a problem with people screaming and yelling about line cutting. I think this thread is mostly people expressing how they feel.........I disagree with this "place holding" or "line cutting" but I know if it happend to me I would not say anything and just let it slide as I'm sure alot of people do. I hope you enjoy working at Disney! It really is a magical place to be.

 

[bstnsprts]

And I would respond: "Didn't all of them see me standing here when they got in line?" I could even hold the autograph book for my child when the character was signing it if it made you feel better. That way you and the other hundred people could pretend the autograph was for me.

Or is it taboo for an adult to get Mickey's autograph?

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."

 

[goofydad621]

I think that my problem with this would be,

HAve you ever been in lione for autographs with your child then have the characters handler say it was time for him/her/it to leave and they would be back later? Now if your child is in another line making that one longer and you are in the other, you child pops over and just happens to be the last child to get a autograph before the character has to leave I think that would be very unfare. We have had the line stop a person or 2 before my child and though disappointed she was ok with it but it would really tweak me for that to happen.

Just my 2 cents

 

[rejobako]

Couldn't agree more. If the parent is holding a spot for the child, then the child is in two lines at once, adding wait time to the extra line.

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.

Now I also understand the position that this process gives some families an advantage because they have the "numbers" available to do this. I confess I still don't see a problem. The argument appears to be that a family of three shouldn't be allowed to "use" one adult as a proxy to the disadvantage of a single parent and one child. I must disagree. In that case, two adults paid their admissions as opposed to one, and they should have the right to get into whatever line they please. That adult isn't taking advantage of what the rest of the park has to offer while he's standing there waiting. He's giving up his time so his child can get two autographs faster than one. In other words, a member of that family has sacrificed his/her time. If yiou add up the total time that the two parents have stood in line waiting for two autographs, it equals the amount of time that one parent would have to stand in line to accomplish the same thing.

To me, some of you seem to be putting the focus on the child you feel is "getting away with something", when I see it as a family maximizing its time in the park at no disadvantage to anyone else's expectations.