As someone who's friends have all moved away to different time zones in the past few years, I am on my cell phone constantly to people. I don't have long distance on my regular phone, because it's so expensive; on my cell phone, it's free. I can call from anywhere in the US to anywhere in the US, and I get no long distance charges, and no roaming charges. However, I live in the boonies so when I'm at my house, my cell phone doesn't work. The only place it works is a few miles away, while I'm driving. We all use bluetooths, which are hands free calling; you still have both hands on your wheel, and aren't concerned about the phone at all. That means you can keep your attention on the road, and just talk normally.
I can call and talk to my best friend Michael, who lives 1,000 miles away. He sleeps at odd hours, so if you see someone on the phone at 4:30 Am driving to work, that's who I'm talking to. I can call and talk to Jason, my buddy who moved to Florida. At 4:30 AM, it's 7:30 AM and he's heading to work himself. After work it's generally too late to talk to him.
At 5 PM, I can call and talk to my brother, who's wife is in such a bad condition medically that it's hard to reach him at home. If I can catch him during his commute, I can actually catch up and see how things are going with him, and not having to hear "Uh I need to get back to you later sorry". I can call my Grandmother, who doesn't seem to realize she's a grandma and needs to stay home and bake cookies. That woman is IMPOSSIBLE to reach!
I can call and talk to my parents during my drive home, and talk about the trips I'm planning for them, or the problems they're having at the house they have here (3 hours from their main house). I can tell them how things are going, or talk to them about the problems with my other grandma. She's slowly losing her mind (I Think due to dementia) but no one else sees it because they don't visit her. I can keep my dad updated, and he can fight with his sisters to do something about it.
While at Disney World, I will be using my cell phones. I do not plan to stick with the family the whole time, and if we need to figure out where each person is at, it will be a lot easier to use a cell phone and say "Hey where are you? I'm heading home" instead of running all over a massively huge park. This way, I can enjoy Disney World my way, and the parents can be party poopers and enjoy it from the park bench.
Now, I won't be using it to scream at the top of my lungs, but I will be using it in a quiet voice, and talking to my friends or my family. I have yet to have someone complain to me that I'm being rude, and no one has ever given me dirty looks. The only comments I've gotten is "cool headpiece! How do I get one of those?" If I'm in a line at a store and reach the register, I either hang up or tell the person hold on, and give my attention to the person helping me. But if there is no one that needs my attention, why not be catching up with old friends or family?
What if you're down in Disney World and something bad happens to someone? Would you really want to find out 2 weeks later, after they've already had the funeral? By having a cell phone, someone can contact me to tell me if there's an emergency, and I can take care of it instantly instead of finding out later. The guilt would eat me alive if I missed something like that. And yes, I have had that happen.
Or I've been called because a cow fell into our pool. And I've been called because our house flooded. Both of those are things I am happy I had a cell phone for, because then I could get on the phone and take care of it immediately.
Now as far as the lazy river goes, I've never been on it but I can see why someone WOULD call then. If they aren't using a loud obnoxious voice, why should it bother someone else? I'm not a person who can relax doing absolutely nothing; it drives me nuts. My idea of relaxation isn't peace and quiet and floating down a river...but being able to lay back and talk to someone I haven't chatted with in a long time. To be able to hear their voice, and find out the news, how they're doing, how their kids are doing, etc....that sounds like a lot of fun to me, and a lot better than lying down doing nothing.
So, to each their own, of course! I realize the majority of you don't like cell phones. But just remember, there are some of us who have no other way of keeping in touch, and why not let us have those moments?
P.S. I will definitely be snapping pictures and sending them to my friends, saying "HA HA IM HERE AND YOU AREN'T!!" HE HE