Brazil Tour Groups!!

[JuneBugFL]

I haven't read through the entire thread yet, but I have some things to add from yesterday at MK and DHS. During the day at MK it was just absolutely packed with the tour groups and we actually saw four people napping (as in full out laying down with backpacks for pillows) on the porch for Carousel of Progress. It was an area that they would have had to duck under the railing to get to as well. Then last night at DHS I hit the bathroom right at the front of the park and there was a young woman washing her feet one at a time in the bathroom sink! Yesterday was just our first day (staying till friday) and I'm sure there will be more similar instances throughout the week.

 

[PeterPan09]

I did see Disney CMs with Green Brazilian Flag polos on and they would not answer my questions of what their jobs were. The tour operators are out to make a profit, thus why they do not care. I just know that I have raised my son to act differently than what we have witnessed over the past two weeks at WDW. Sorry, but you cannot blame cultural differences over just plain rudeness and lack of morals and decent behavior. Guess that is the biggest difference, I taught my son to RESPECT others and the rules.

I have seen other nationalities have large groups as well, but none of them act the way the South American groups do.

My hope is that Disney's next new venture is to build a Resort in Brazil.

The green polo shirt folks are there to assist in translations. That's really all they are doing there and they are NOT responsible for discipline.

Maybe a way to look at these groups is that the money they bring in is paying for a lot of things. If these groups did not visit and did not spend the amount of money they spend, ticket prices would be a whole lot higher and there would be less money available for expansions and refurbs.

As I said before, they are legendary among tourists and CM's alike for their behavior, but they are not going anywhere. Disney will not demand or subsidize more chaperones, and they certainly will not do anything else to discourage their visits. The best you can do is avoid the season altogether, or know that if Latin season is the only time you can come, you're going to have to shift your perspective.

 

[goofyredraider]

Question: Do the groups usually do the Early morning hours? We are going next week and plan our scheduled to hit the parks offering EMH. I am hoping they like sleeping in and by the time they get to the park we will be ready to head to the hotel for swimming.

When we were there last week...YEs.

 

[cw21726]

When we were there last week...YEs.

Ditto on first week on July when I was there. They are literally EVERYWHERE. In every line, every resort, every park.

When I witnessed no less than 200 of them walk in a ahead of me at EPCOT and all head straight for, you guessed it, Soarin' at the same time. I knew it was going to be one those days. I was walking with my 2 year old and he nearly trampled by some of those clowns.

I know this much, a summer trip isn't likely to happen again.

 

[Brian Noble]

We too witnessed and experienced this on Saturday at RnR. In fact, they did shut the single rider line down for others because of the three tour groups that entered all at once.

The single rider queue at RnR often has this problem---even outside of S. American winter. I was there on a solo trip over ESPN The Weekend earlier this year, and waited longer in the single rider queue than the advertised standby wait. Many folks think the single rider line will be shorter, and don't mind not riding with the rest of their group. If enough people get that idea, then the single rider line backs up quickly.

Even though I am sometimes a solo traveler, I don't really consider RnR's singles line as an option anymore after that experience, and reading of many similar ones throughout the year. Quite different from Everest and Test Track, where it can be helpful.

 

[toxa]

I think that is it not Disney's responsibility

If this problem annoys so much the other customers, Disney must take action.

Disney will not ban groups, nonetheless because of $, nor the tour operators will cut margins and hire more expensive chaperones if their businesses are booming.

So I'm proposing a pragmatic approach: their responsibility or not, Disney can fix it with little loss or perhaps even profit, by backing up operators with some manpower and knowhow.

Say you increase the qty chaperones in order to break a group of 50 into two, much more manageable, groups of 25. The "chain lines" would be less likely, so the sudden impact on waiting times, you'll cut the noise by half, etc. Perhaps it would not fix the problems completely, bur certainly would be a huge improvement.

I admit it's hard for me to judge, because I never seen these groups in WDW. But I bumped into them many times in my local airport though, and I see how disruptive they can be, so I can picture it. However, if I'm going to a place where there are visitors from all over the world, I'm prepared to endure some odd behaviors.

 

[Raevyn_Wolfe]

Then last night at DHS I hit the bathroom right at the front of the park and there was a young woman washing her feet one at a time in the bathroom sink!

Ok, totally OT. . . . . but. . .
I would totally think this was gross too, up until last Wednesday.
If you had been at Epcot, in the afternoon, in the bathrooms by Mousegears, you would have seen a 30 year old, plump lady awkwardly trying to wash her feet AND SHOES in the sink. And that would have been me.

I know, totally gross! And I was humiliated as I did it. And yes, I got sneered at and mean looks as I tried to reach my leg up to the sink to get my foot in (NOT EASY AT ALL). It was awkward, and uncomfortable and horrible. And all the looks just added to how self conscience I was already feeling.

But, my 4 year old, while waiting in line for Test Track no less, got sick. He told us he wasn't feeling good, and while we were trying to exit to get him to the bathroom. . . . it was too late. And since I was walking next to him. . . . you get the idea. Fortunately there was another mommy SAINT in the line and she gave me a whole bunch of baby wipes, but that only does soooooo good, you know?

So, I had to do what I had to do. (I washed the sink out with soap and such after I was done ofcourse!)
So, I'm just saying, you never really know WHY someone might be putting themselves through the awkwardness of washing their feet in a public bathroom?

 

[juliebug1997]

The single rider queue at RnR often has this problem---even outside of S. American winter. I was there on a solo trip over ESPN The Weekend earlier this year, and waited longer in the single rider queue than the advertised standby wait. Many folks think the single rider line will be shorter, and don't mind not riding with the rest of their group. If enough people get that idea, then the single rider line backs up quickly.

Even though I am sometimes a solo traveler, I don't really consider RnR's singles line as an option anymore after that experience, and reading of many similar ones throughout the year. Quite different from Everest and Test Track, where it can be helpful.

This is what happened to my brother the Monday before Christmas last year. He was stuck there (after the video--so getting ready to board) for almost an hour. He missed Fantasmic! because of it.

 

[PeterPan09]

If this problem annoys so much the other customers, Disney must take action.

Disney will not ban groups, nonetheless because of $, nor the tour operators will cut margins and hire more expensive chaperones if their businesses are booming.

So I'm proposing a pragmatic approach: their responsibility or not, Disney can fix it with little loss or perhaps even profit, by backing up operators with some manpower and knowhow.

Say you increase the qty chaperones in order to break a group of 50 into two, much more manageable, groups of 25. The "chain lines" would be less likely, so the sudden impact on waiting times, you'll cut the noise by half, etc. Perhaps it would not fix the problems completely, bur certainly would be a huge improvement.

I admit it's hard for me to judge, because I never seen these groups in WDW. But I bumped into them many times in my local airport though, and I see how disruptive they can be, so I can picture it. However, if I'm going to a place where there are visitors from all over the world, I'm prepared to endure some odd behaviors.

I'm sorry to rain on your parade, but Disney is not going to do anything to stop these groups or make any demands on them. Leisure guests don't stop coming because of them-they just change the time of year they visit, so there is zero impact as far as $$.

 

[Brian Noble]

Leisure guests don't stop coming because of them-they just change the time of year they visit, so there is zero impact as far as $$.

And, there's not much evidence that they even do that. July is one of the busiest months of the year.

 

[juliebug1997]

And, there's not much evidence that they even do that. July is one of the busiest months of the year.

Yep because I'm a teacher and my husband just started a new job and we're trying to save those days so that we can take longer vacations to some place else in a few years.

 

[RoyalCinderella]

We're going July 27 through August 8. Can anyone tell me about the groups' presence the first week in August compared to July?

 

[asta]

Question: Do the groups usually do the Early morning hours? We are going next week and plan our scheduled to hit the parks offering EMH. I am hoping they like sleeping in and by the time they get to the park we will be ready to head to the hotel for swimming.

Yes. We arrived early for a pre opening breakfast at the castle and there were several tour groups that were already in line for the gates to open. I don't know how long they had been there but many of them had laid down on the concrete and were sleeping. They had kind of formed a human chain where they were using each other as pillows.

 

[nancyc]

This is info from wikipedia regarding their winter/summer break periods:

"In Brazil, due to the Law of Directives and Bases of Brazilian Education, the academic year must have 200 days, both at schools and at universities. The school year usually begins during the first week of February. There is a 3-week long winter break in July. The Brazilian school year ends in December, summer in Brazil."

Hope this helps!

 

[sherabby]

This is info from wikipedia regarding their winter/summer break periods:

"In Brazil, due to the Law of Directives and Bases of Brazilian Education, the academic year must have 200 days, both at schools and at universities. The school year usually begins during the first week of February. There is a 3-week long winter break in July. The Brazilian school year ends in December, summer in Brazil."

Hope this helps!

Sounds like we should be ok for August! I've been in Typhoon Lagoon when they did a huge circle playing games in the wave pool shallow water....games that didn't look family friendly either. No one could get past them. No more July for us

 

[tarheel618]

Yes. We arrived early for a pre opening breakfast at the castle and there were several tour groups that were already in line for the gates to open. I don't know how long they had been there but many of them had laid down on the concrete and were sleeping. They had kind of formed a human chain where they were using each other as pillows.

bummer, well we will deal with it I guess. Now I am wondering if we should hang by the pool during the day and go to the parks later in the afternoon and into the evening.

We've always done EMH, I was hoping for sleepy teenagers

 

[JESW]

No time of day is "safe". We were at Disney 7/8 - 12th and the kids were everywhere. We had no issues with them exact how many there were. Nights at the Magic Kingdom were next to impossible - the groups were lined up & down Main Street waiting for the parade & fireworks and then other groups were throughout the park. No escape. No more July trips for us - we just went for dh's bd this year.

Jill

 

[bytheblood]

OMG! There was probably half of the Brazil country at Disney this week. Saw different groups of up to 40 at a time. They took up half the parks population.

40 is not bad. In January, our family encountered groups of them up to 150.

 

[MissKristinaLianne]

Wow! They stay a the Poly? Even with a discounted group rate that's still not cheap (I'm a groups coordinator).

Does anybody know the other hotels they tend to stay at? I will be at POR from the 29th to Aug 4. Hotels are becoming available with my special rate... I was actually contemplating the POLY. If they are at POR I will move 100%. I don't like the values at all.... I don't know which tour groups were there during my one and only stay (July 1997). We checked out after 2 days and upgraded to CBR.

 

[juliebug1997]

Wow! They stay a the Poly? Even with a discounted group rate that's still not cheap (I'm a groups coordinator).

Does anybody know the other hotels they tend to stay at? I will be at POR from the 29th to Aug 4. Hotels are becoming available with my special rate... I was actually contemplating the POLY. If they are at POR I will move 100%. I don't like the values at all.... I don't know which tour groups were there during my one and only stay (July 1997). We checked out after 2 days and upgraded to CBR.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but they were at POR a few weeks ago and using the Disney Transportation. I didn't know about the last part until we were trying to leave DHS. I get it that they're staying on site too but they took up two full buses before we got to go back to POR that night.