Brazilian tour groups...aaargh!

[anne60]

I changed my flight to come home early. I told the CM at the front desk when I checked out that I was leaving early because the tour groups made touring the park impossible to enjoy. I have been able to tour and enjoy the world during Christmas week, but this past week was just beyond belief. Crowds are one thing - crowds of dangerously rude people are another. My nephew was almost trampled outside the "Honey I shrunk the kids" playground by the crowd that had just exited the stunt show. I had a baby in a carriage and he was walking next to me when they enveloped us. It was the scariest thing that has ever happened to me. I managed to get myself over to a bannister and held on to him and the carriage until they blew by us.

 

[ligirlz]

I was on the ferry coming into MK last Thurs and I could not beleive how many groups I saw. There was atleast 4 groups totaling 100 walking towards the turnstiles to go into MK and I just said "Oh my god". A family next to me said the same thing and couldn't beleive it. . I encountered them everywhere and they were flat our rude compared to the groups I saw a few weeks ago. I could not even shop in the main store without being run over or walked in front of. The girl just stood there in front of me and I just commented and walked away mad.

I was at a Best Buy and the Florida Mall in Orlando today and they were there. I told my DH we can't get away from them. I think this weeks Brazilian groups were the worst but someone needs supervise them and teach them common courtesy period.

If anyone wants to avoid them don't go to the parks January and July. They are off those months from school. Also if you do go those months STAY AWAY FROM THE ALL-STARS RESORTS.

 

[oobidoo]

It's too bad that we can't start some kind of petition (or something similar) to relay our feelings to WDW in mass, rather than an email here and an email there. I find it humerous that there is practically an entire channel devoted to the cheerleaders that come in for competition spelling out the rules and what is expected of them, but there are apparently no rules handed down to these groups.

 

[Cibahwewah]

We saw tons of these Brazilian tour groups. Lots of little flags. Three problems encountered. Evidently, Brazilians (and some others) like to smoke, and can't read "No Smoking" signs. Walking in a crowd with a lit ciggie dangling from the hand is dangerous, and I never saw anyone intervening. Also, walkways would clog up with these slower moving groups, and sometimes people would just randomly stop. I bumped a few ankles with my stroller. Once on purpose. By far, the worst was Fantasmic on Monday night (19th). We had 4:30pm ADRs at Mama Melrose's and then planned to go to the 6:30pm Fantasmic. We were on the walkway and almost to the stadium at 5:45pm when they announced "standing room only." We decided to wait until the 8pm show, since I learned from these boards that the 8pm show was less crowded. A CM told us to be back in line at 7:15. At 7pm, we went back and barely got onto the walkway when the crowd had stopped. For an hour, we were stuck, shoulder to shoulder. People were rude, cranky, pushy. Several Brazilians pushed their way through to other members of their groups with the little flags. Then they chanted for a while. They would push my husband and daughter and climb across my son's stroller, then complain about the "Americanas." DH said he "threw a few elbows." Stroller parking at the top of the hill was a mess. You had to get out of line, park the stroller, pick up the kid, dodge people who were running around, and get back into the throng. DH carried DD from there and I walked (shuffled) with DS in front of me. People were shoving and pushing and climbing across bleachers. DS started to get crushed (he is 44" tall). DH yelled out for people to be careful, there was a little boy getting smushed. I picked up DS and we worked our way to the left of the stadium and sat as high up as possible, just beneath the handicap rows. DH and I were so shaken up that it was hard to enjoy the show. The kiddos loved it though. After the show, we stayed put, didn't even try to leave. After about 25 minutes we figured it was emptied out enough that we wouldn't get trampled. We talked with a CM that came to sweep up trash. She had been trying to usher earlier. We commented that she had a tough job, shouting instructions to people that wouldn't listen. She was from Puerto Rico. She shrugged, and said she was a teacher, she was used to people not listening to her! We complained about the lack of crowd control and how scary it was just getting into the stadium and how we were still sitting because we were afraid to leave and get trampled. She said we were welcome to stay as long as we wanted and that the lack of crowd control was because of staffing cuts. She said they had half as many ushers as they used to, and it was just impossible to keep order. It was very un-Disney, and DH, who is a lawyer, says Disney is opening themselves up to a huge liability by having such a dangerous situation. Other than that very scary situation, we didn't have any problems with the big tour groups.

 

[luvthemouse71]

OP, you said you and your DH are scared to try WDW again..there are times of year that are BTG-free..I understand where you are coming from..we went once in July and the BTGs were there in full force. Now we go during the fall(usually September) and no BTGs...just love bugs on occasion. I'd much rather deal with the love bugs!

I tend to think that it may be patially just because it's a large group but I have friends that come from or are familiar with Brazil. There are either very poor people there or rich people...not much of a middle class to speak of. Therefore, if their parents have enough money to send them to WDW, these kids think they s**t ice cream, as my late grandmother would have said.

 

[madmike20]

i know of some Brazillians who can afford going but there actually not rude at all, maybe you just encountered a couple of bad groups but they can tend to be a little annoying at times.

 

[Cruella 66]

Well, I've been on these boards for I guess a year and a half now and this thread does keep popping up; same stuff over and over.

I had not really noticed the Brazilians in my past visits. I sit here and think back the past 6 years...April 2003 stayed off-site, no problems; Nov. 2005 SOG, no problems; June 2006 ASM, no problems; August 2007 Poly, no problems; July 2008 CR...different story!

Last July, being a follower of these boards, I was aware and cautious. I saw the groups all over and we would go the other way; with a vengeance! I would say to my husband "There they are, stay away from them." They were loud at Fantasmic, but not obnoxious. There were teenage girls' who would get up and dance and they started the wave and took up the ENTIRE center of the theater, but really, it wasn't bad. We stayed away from them when exiting the theater.

However, one morning we arrived at EPCOT early, and we were on the fringes of a girl group. We had three of our children and just could not out walk them. Plus some were slower than others. So, getting in line for Spaceship Earth, we ended up in the middle of the line. The adults in the front saw this, stopped all their girls', told them to move to the side, and told us we could pass. I was glad because I was NOT going to let them pass us.

This all being said, I really avoided them at all cost. I also made a mental note to NEVER come in July again. It was too stressful trying to enjoy my day and stay away from them. And I agree, encountered them at FP kiosks and it was ridiculous!

We were at the CR and, of course, didn't see them there. It was pretty quite there! I'll see how this June is...

 

[mickaholic4077]

I'm not going to get into the Brazilian thing (we saw one large group once at Fantasmic and they were having fun but not bothering anybody, if anyone's keeping score ) but I think letter writing is a waste of time.
If a large unruly mob is ruining your park experience, how about going to Guest Relations and asking for your money back? Or, if you don't have park hoppers, why not ask for admission to a different park? Explain exactly why you either don't feel safe or don't feel respected by the CM's who are doing nothing about the problem. Every family that did this would make a far bigger impression on TPTB than a hundred letters sent after they've already gotten your money.

Great idea!!!!!

 

[ciera321]

Biggest issue is their group guide going to the Fastpass machines with a stack of park tickets about 2-3inches thick and jamming up the the lines.

This was our big issue in July. I had no idea this was another school break for that part of the world. We were told by a CM that they make so much money from the tour groups that they don' want to affend them... Never again in July (and now January) for us!!!

 

[iheartdisney]

We have lots of practice.

I don't care who it is. I won't let anyone hurt my character(s).

I wish you had been workingwiht Chip and Dale last week when I was trying to explain to my kids why we weren't next, when these girls started appearing out of thin air!

Brazil is the LARGEST Catholic nation in the world, so lets not go there. According to some sites, Brazil has almost 90% of it's people belonging to some form of Christianity.
Being blessed with the opportunity to have a large Brazilian population in my area and having my church at home host a Brazilian community of worshipers from all over MA, I can tell you that their intent is not to be rude. These are people who like to sing, chant, dance and celebrate. Everything they do, is filled with singing and liveliness. We had a church bbq last year and they brought some serious fun to an otherwise dull event. So I just don't want people getting the impression that these are teenagers who are faithless heathens. They just show it in a different way.

that said, I have encountered them at disney as well (find another thread of mine where I talked about my young teenager brother being flashed by girls with wet t-shirts) and we have been nearly plowed over by them. We just go the other way now.

You took my post COMPLETELY the wrong way! I did not bring up the church group to point try and make the Brazilians look like godless heathens. My cousin served a mission in Rio, so I know the religious demographic of Brazil.
I mentioned the other group so if anyone reading the DISboards happens to be with this group, they know they teens were courteous and friendly!

 

[dyna]

We was there the 11th - 18th of the month the bizillions was very bad then too.

 

[thesupersmartguy]

Will they be this bad Feb 1st-7th? Or do you think they will have come and gone mostly by then??

 

[dzneelvr]

It's been a good 6-8 years ago, but DS, DD, and I (DH can't ride because of motion sickness) encountered the "line jumper" strategy employed by the Brazilian groups at the Star Tours ride. One motioned for another, who we let in, then 4 more, then....you get the picture Luckily there were other adults around me and when I challenged them to get out of the line, they backed me up. DD and DS were horrified at the rude behavior and their "act" of not understanding English when we nicely asked them to get out of the line. Rude is Rude in any nationality.

 

[SelfEmployedDebtFree]

The simple fact is, you go to Cancun during spring break to see drunkeness and debauchery. Period.

Since WHEN does ANY family go to Cancun to see drunkenness (not even spelled right I may add) or debauchery???
I sure as heck never did! We went to see ruins, Isla de La Muertas, and Sea Turtles if you MUST know!!! What a TWISTED stereotype!!! Cancun was a FAMILY destination LONG before it was a party haven. Maybe YOU went there to get drunk, but we sure as heck didn't! We don't even drink! Sheesh. Talk about WRONG ANSWER!
Perhaps you should do a search of Cancun and use words other than "Snoop" or "Girls Gone Wild". There's a LOT to do there as a family! There's miles and miles of deserted beaches, malls that are unlike anything most Americans have ever seen, Live shows with Mayan dancing, flag pole swinging, ruins of every form and fashion, (Ruinas Del Rey has hundreds of Iguanas), there's ALL KINDS of amazing foods (ESPECIALLY if you speak Spanish as we did at the time) particularly off the beaten path, there's sailing, scuba, snorkeling, and the list goes on for days! Theres MANY different ruins to visit, and most of them have major historic significance. Clearly you have never been there as a family or you would know this.
To say Cancun is just about getting drunk is as uneducated as saying Disney is just about Cinderella's Castle and Main Street USA.

 

[shendley]

Obviously, everyone's experience can be different here, but there were tons of Brazilians at both WDW and Universal last July and I really saw no problem behavior at all from them - definitely no line breaking. I did see a tour guide clogging up a FP machine with a huge stack of tickets every now and then, but mostly this was not a problem if you knew to look for them and get in line for another machine. I did see two tour guides at AK one day in line for different FP machine lines. But a CM ordered (not asked) them to get in the same line. Very much appreciated that from the CM. But, until Disney makes some kind of rule about the number of tickets you can bring to a machine, you can hardly blame them for taking advantage of the system. So, overall, no problems with the teenagers from Brazil.

 

[SelfEmployedDebtFree]

My question is why they run around with their flags in the first place. Are they there for some type of sporting event?

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

We were there over Christmas and couldn't escape one group! I was sitting down on the curb for a place for Block Party at DHS and was PUSHED out of the way by this woman (who I later noticed in the tour group). A very kind family made room for us begind them so my kids could still see. The nice woman must have seen this (being that it was directly across the street) because she made a comment about the woman's nationality and being with a tour group. I don't like to stereotype, but the teens that were in the parks and staying at ASSp to preform in the Capital Bowl were 100 times more behaved than those in the tour groups. I also, don't know that is has to do with nationality...more the tour group mentality.

Were they all dressed in yellow carrying flags? If so I saw them on my last day. Good God there were a million of them. I will say this much. We usually go in September or August and I NEVER see them then!

This entire thread makes me think of the crazy chick on Rock of Love Bus....she's from Brazil and she's always causing trouble.

 

[Joanna71985]

My question is why they run around with their flags in the first place. Are they there for some type of sporting event?

The flags are to keep the tour groups together while walking around, I believe.

 

[2poohbears]

Ugh! I hate that this is going on again. We were at ASMovies the last week of JAN last year, and while we didn't have problems at the hotel, when at the parks & bus stops, we certainly ran into many of the issues you all have mentioned. My friend's family went the week after us, and they had problems at the hotel, bus stops, AND parks. Part of the problem is that disney does not nip this behavior in the bud, but also I've heard over and over again that a group of 60 or so teens had 2 chaperones to watch over them. That is ridiculous.

I had hoped they wouldn't be back this year in large numbers. We're going FEB 21-MAR 1. I'm hoping hoping hoping they will all have finished their vacations by then and will be in school in Brazil!?! Now I am wishing I had not booked at All Stars again because I'm afraid we'll have problems. Maybe I should call the hotel to see if they have large blocks reserved for tour groups that week...

 

[lucy_love]

I was there today (Saturday) and yes, the Brazilian groups were there (wearing all yellow) BUT they seemed to be very well behaved, not like reports I have read on here

I had no problems at all, there was just A LOT of groups but i did not experience the line jumping or fast pass bunching