Are people at DLR really that rude?

[taaren]

The more crowded it is when you go the better chance you have of seeing both the best and worst of humanity.

We like to go in off season so we create our own "Disney bubble" where we don't have a lot of interaction with other guests, just our gang since we don't get to see each other a lot the rest of the year. When we have gone during the crowded times we ignore people who stand in front of the DS5 for World of Color and we just move, don't mind the kids that race past us when we go to rope drop for TSMM, and in general just let most people's (minor) bad behavior slide. It must work since I don't remember many negative things about any of our trips (short of the cataclysmic personal stuff like the cat dying). But those trips when its been super crowded has also been when we've had people give us their fastpasses and we've passed ours on, strangers have offered us half of their fireworks spot since part of their party went home, and in general a good chunk of the population was just thrilled to be on vacation and socially pleasant.

As for pot, the only time I've smelled it (and not infrequently) is in the smoking areas because several of our friends smoke (cigarettes) so we stop there for breaks. And its usually pretty sweet smelling, not the rancid smelling stuff that the vagrants in front of the public place that I work smoke, so we don't comment and let them enjoy their vacation. (There's usually a difference between different kinds of cigarette smoke, as well as most other kinds, the cheapest stuff always seems to be the most offensive, which is why I always have a hard time walking around the Strip at Las Vegas since it seems like everyone there smokes $1 packs. I've gathered that Disney smokers of all varieties don't tend to buy the cheap stuff; often I smell a mixture of cigarettes, cigars, cloves, and a more illicit substance. I'm a non-smoker, btw.) If you're not a smoker you're much less likely to encounter it, but I wouldn't recommend having your kids hang out near the smoking area regardless of the substance because of the second hand smoke.

 

[SeattleRedBear]

In our experience of going to both parks, I have to agree with some of the observations:

* More people are 'on vacation' at WDW (vs. locals) so the overall stress level is a little lower
* In general, crowd control is better at WDW. DL gets nearly as many guests as MK but has a smaller footprint, narrower walkways, etc. Plus FM! has a dedicated theater at DHS rather than spilling into the walkways in front of RoA. And don't get me started on the WoC viewing areas.
* There are rude people everywhere and I don't think DLR has any kind of monopoly on rude behavior.

But given the relatively amount of space and layout of the parks, a capacity crowd is more difficult to experience at DLR (where there's really no place to get away from the crowds) than at WDW.

 

[niklynn1]

In our last few trips, we've encountered less pleasant things...pot smoking in the walkways, people seriously making out in line, aggressive guests, rude CM's, etc.

Seriously, HOW do people get by with smoking an illegal drug in plain view in a public venue like this?!?!?!? I find this hard to accept. I've seen a handful of people mention this on the disboards and I'm really stunned by it.

 

[Argento]

Seriously, HOW do people get by with smoking an illegal drug in plain view in a public venue like this?!?!?!? I find this hard to accept. I've seen a handful of people mention this on the disboards and I'm really stunned by it.

In CA it is legal with a prescription and even without it is a very, very minor offense.

 

[milan15]

Your experience at DLR is what you make out of it. If you come in wanting to do everything in a matter of hours, packing your schedule, and dealing with heat... you aren't going to have a good time.

When the wife and I go we are very sensitive to this. We both get hangry quite easily and we both get annoyed but play the "nothing's wrong! Stop asking!" game.

Just relax, remember you are at Disneyland, and take your time.

If you are happy - people around you get the same vibe. Be pleasant, smile, have a good time. If you are angry - it too rubs off.

 

[mooshka1]

Yes, I agree that there are rude nasty hearted people everywhere. And when those people go to Disneyland, they will be rude and nasty, just the way they'll act anywhere else, be it Disney World, the grocery store, etc. It's just who they are, how they react to things. Some incidents could be stress related, most really have no excuse. Some people have the bad fortune to run into these people. Others have had zero negative incidents. As for myself, I was called a racial slur, a teenager who was smoking outside DL thought it was cool to shout cat calls at me while my 6y/o daughter was beside me, and some drunk guy at around 11 a.m. caused a scene by the Pinnochio line and fought with security and finally fell over backwards into some bushes. At first I was like , but now it's more like, CAN'T WAIT TO GO AGAIN!! Those negative people should NOT stop others from having a great time again! The good definitely outweighs the bad. The CMs went above and beyond the call of duty. The park itself was great. Guests in general were fun, kind, and civil, all in the spirit of having a wonderful time. It really is a great place to visit. Do not be put off by anything.

 

[Escape2Disney]

If you are happy - people around you get the same vibe. Be pleasant, smile, have a good time. If you are angry - it too rubs off.

This is how we feel as well. I tend to get sarcastic and snarky when I'm tired or not feeling well. My kids have inherited that trait from me as well. We've learned to keep eachother in check. If we hear someone in our group getting snarky, it's time for a break! By following this rule, we've had very pleasant trips.

There are, of course, memorable rude people that have crossed our paths. We try not to let it ruin our trips. Only once did I get so flustered I had to leave. Given how many cumulative days we've had in the parks, it's really a blip in time.

 

[disneychrista]

Funny I have this same post but switched before too. How rude people are at WDW vs how friendly everyone at DL is.

It really just boils down to this - you are going to hear more about the bad than the good. People like to complain.

 

[Twinkle Lights]

I'd love to hear more of people's stories about what they've seen/encountered at DL!! Some of these stories are !!

I think you're most likely to have an awesome time, but things like temperature and crowd capacity make a big difference to everybody on the general vibe or temperament of the guests.

One tip I have is to keep everybody well fed and well rested. It really helps ease your own personal frustration level even if you can't do anything about the heat or crowds. If you and your family have pleasantly full tums, and you can offer snacks/drinks to your kids while in lines, that blood sugar doesn't drop and will keep you all from getting snarky and short with each other. Schedule some sleep in days, or at least early nights so you aren't going to the park tired and cranky every day.

The only really rude experience we really had was with 2 teenage girls behind us in IASW...ok the park wasn't crowded at all, they could literally have had their own boat, but no, they decide to plop down in the last row and proceed to make nasty remarks about the entire ride from start to finish. Its a 15 minute ride. And I had my 4 year old with me who loved that ride. I wanted to say something so bad, but then figured with their attitude, I would get to hear snotty remarks about ME for the remainder of it, if I did. When we got off, my son said, "If those girls didn't like it, why did they go on it?" Right??!!

The weirdest experience we had was we had just gotten off the train at New Orleans Square and this group of older teens came charging past us, stripping off their outerwear to reveal these bizarre neon, costume-like outfits and were pulling on wigs and hats and glasses out of their backpacks...and all at this lightning pace...I think they must have had a bet of how far they could run through the park like that before getting stopped by security? It wasn't rude, just weird and funny.

 

[nannyz]

My precious daddy (God rest his soul), always told me to "ignore the ignorant."
If someone is rude and you do not respond back in like manner, they don't know what to do.

 

[tinkermomma]

My precious daddy (God rest his soul), always told me to "ignore the ignorant."
If someone is rude and you do not respond back in like manner, they don't know what to do.

Yes! I love this.

I just lost my dear dad two weeks ago so your post made me cry. Daddies are the smartest.

Mine used to say "he who knows and knows that he knows is a wise man, follow him. He who know not and knows that he knows not is a child, teach him. But he who know not and knows not that he knows not is a fool, shun him"

People that are rude are fools and don't know they don't know, they should be (shunned) avoided and not bothered with at all if possible.

 

[Pinocchio #1 Fan]

In my opinion, like someone already said, is that negative experiences get talked about more than good ones. That's because they are unexpected. I compare it to when you hear a guy got in a bad car accident, didn't have his seat belt on, and wasn't hurt. You hear about it because it was out of the norm. Everyday people are in accidents wearing their seat belts, are unharmed, and you don't hear it because that's how things are suppose to work.

I go to Disneyland an average of 5 times per month, and I rarely encounter rude behavior. Sure, on the weekends you see a lot of teens and people in their 20's, and they do things like drop **** and burp loudly in lines, but you just have to ask them nicely to watch the language. If that doesn't work, you say something to a CM. You just don't dwell on it and let it ruin your day. You're at Disneyland, so a bad day there is still better than a great day at work, if not only because you can't get a Dole Whip at work, or see the backside of water at work, or visit the Grand Canyon at work.

 

[Feistygirl916]

We're headed out in just more than a week for our first trip to California and DLR. I've done a fair amount of traveling and always had good experiences, but I've been especially impressed with our Disney experiences. On both of our 2 trips to WDW and our Disney cruise, the CMs and just the people in general were so NICE and friendly.

People offered to table share with us in crowded restaurants, people struck up conversations with us in long lines, people shared fast passes they didn't need, etc.

In planning our Cali/DLR trip, I've spent a significant amount of time on the Disneyland section of the disboards, and it seems I've come across NUMEROUS posts where people talk about how rude and terrible people at DLR are--including the CMs! There is talk of line-jumpers, drinking and pot smoking IN the parks, fist-fights or near fights, etc. It's all making me a bit nervous.

So what do you think? Is the experience at DLR just different? Do I need to change my expectations compared to WDW?

Yes, the experience is going to be different. It's a different culture at DL versus WDW, with a good majority of the crowds at DL being So Cal residents, not "vacationers". In my opinion, I think DLR has the best CM's. Granted, I live here in So Cal, and have only been to WDW three times, but the guests and CM's over on the other coast are not nearly as nice as over here at DL.

I also have never experienced any of the things you referenced above. Maybe at a Six Flags park, though...

Come and enjoy your time here! The weather is amazing, and the parks are much more managable than WDW.

 

[papamouse1]

In my opinion, like someone already said, is that negative experiences get talked about more than good ones. That's because they are unexpected...

Well said! For the past 13+ years, we have had many trips to DL, WDW and DCL... I can honestly say for each venue, there were some not so great experiences where we were disappointed by CM's or other vacationers. And there are times it would be easy to look back and reflect on those incidents and they could take the joy out of that memory. We make a conscious effort, whenever we are tempted to look back on the negative event, to bury it in all the amazing things that happened on that very same trip. The good has always so far outweighed the bad... that's why we come back year after year after year. Could you experience a bad situation that will impact your trip? Yes. Could it "ruin" your vacation? Yes. Can you bury any negative with a landslide of positive at Disneyland? ABSOLUTELY!!

....
I also have never experienced any of the things you referenced above. Maybe at a Six Flags park, though...

Oh Man you beat me to it
To those describing the crazy things they saw, I was just going to say "sounds like you are describing Magic Mountain or Knott's Berry Farm" hehe....

 

[Mugglemama]

Seriously, HOW do people get by with smoking an illegal drug in plain view in a public venue like this?!?!?!? I find this hard to accept. I've seen a handful of people mention this on the disboards and I'm really stunned by it.

It wasn't really a big deal...even though I'd prefer not to encounter it at DLR. When we noticed it (that was Summer 2010), it was right in front of Soarin' at DCA. And it seems like we noticed it again on another day, but I can't remember where.

We were just in the parks for 8 days over the past 2 weeks, and noticed the smell of pot as we walked through DL...I think it was that back passageway between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland? Perhaps that's a designated smoking area and it was someone who has a permit for it?

 

[amyamya]

My worst experience at DLR ( actually anywhere) was in 1993 and I was 17. We were waiting on MS to watch a parade and a woman was crowding in on our spot. She also happened to be smoking a cigarette. As she crowded nearer and nearer to me she actually put out her cigarette on my bare arm. Not on purpose, she just was oblivious to where the lit end was. I'm still ticked off to this day that my parents didn't say anything to her. They are very non-confrontational and reserved. I know if this happened to my kids, that lady would have had a tongue lashing for days.

I agree that people want so much out of the experience, they set their expectation really high, and will do anything to achieve the "magic" and get their money's worth.

In 2008 we were walking down main street and I smelled very strong pot smoke. As we passed a group of teens I noticed they were passing a joint like it was nothing. Strollin' down MS getting high. Probably headed straight for Winnie the Pooh. I was not shocked, but saddened. There was ton of pot smoking in DTD, too.

 

[Ingrid0382]

Our last trip to the parks was on April 20th, 4/20 (get it?) and the only time I came across someone smoking pot was when we were behind a buggy in the Haunted Mansion. They lit up as we were going into the attic. A few seconds after the smoke started creeping back to us, the ride stopped for about two minutes. I'm pretty sure the smokers thought they were toast, but the ride started back up and they exited without incident at the end. I thought for sure a CM would have seen them on a camera or something. Probably one of my strangest Disney experiences.

 

[KCmike]

We're coming up on our 6th time since 2007 and have NEVER had any issues. For us it was the same as Disneyworld and we've had great times at both.

PS. Disneyland is our favorite park!

 

[mariezp]

I personally do admit that I get frustrated when people stop in the middle of the walk way (especially largee families), but I just sigh and play people tetris and move around them.

I love it! I hope you don't mind if I borrow your idea! Crazy, I know, but now I am going to be looking forward to "tetrising" around those goofballs blocking the middle of the path.

We have been to Disneyland many more times than WDW but in our case the number of encounters with rude folks has been at WDW. Once with a bus driver and next with a family during a parade. Both were actually during the same trip. Still, even that was not a big enough deal to ruin our trip.

People tend to get wrapped up in their own little worlds and don't bother to stop to think that all the other thousands of people in the park are actually there to enjoy their own trip too. At any rate there are a lot more happy people wandering around the park than rude ones so don't worry you can go and still have an amazing time!

 

[Keurigirl]

There are no more rude people at Disneyland than there are anywhere else in the world.