Disney World Vacations And Cell Phone Use!!!

[Darsa]

All I could think of was "Wow, twice to DIsney in four months, I can't imagine finding something to complain about!"

 

[LBIJim]

Most people today are so busy chronicling their life on FB, Twitter etc. that they forget to actually live their life. We are so busy being electronically connected that we forget to speak with the live people standing next to us...

And vacation is to get away from work, not bring it with you.

And vacation is also to get away from the people you deal with on a daily basis...not bring them with you.

Agree with your opinions. Sadly, for some people. chronicling their life IS their life. Whatever.....but it doesn't bother me except texting in dark attractions.

Jim

 

[goofy!]

And vacation is to get away from work, not bring it with you.

Some people don't have that luxury, my husband being one of them.

I will add another use for cell phones in the parks. Someone may have once seen me intently using my cell while moving in the line for the Mummy at Universal and assumed I had a texting addiction.

It was at the 24 hour mark (before advance boarding) before leaving and I was checking us in at Southwest so we would have decent boarding passes.

I was able to fully enjoy the parks the whole day without having to worry about being at some computer at the 24 hour mark. Just used Southwest's mobile check-in.

 

[NatashaDisneyCM]

I kind of agree with the OP that having another reason to stop dead in one's tracks in the middle of the walkway is not a good thing. I am the type to just walk around them too, but if it's rampant you do start to get annoyed after a while.

And I have a daughter who is certainly guilty of this. She's going with me in January and I've asked her if she plans to do a lot of texting while we are there. I especially hate sitting at a nice meal with someone while they text, even more if I am paying!

Sometimes being in the moment is more important than providing a play by play to everyone you know.

That said, I take my laptop and cel phone too. I get calls about sales occasionally. And I do find texting other members of your party better than calling most of the time (since you don't really hear your phone ring at WDW). I do, however, step to the side if I'm texting since I can't walk and text at the same time!

 

[NatashaDisneyCM]

Most people today are so busy chronicling their life on FB, Twitter etc. that they forget to actually live their life. We are so busy being electronically connected that we forget to speak with the live people standing next to us...

And vacation is to get away from work, not bring it with you.

And vacation is also to get away from the people you deal with on a daily basis...not bring them with you.

 

[pigletgirl]

I don't know, I've seen others at all ages texting in the parks. I find it no worse than people stopping suddenly with their gigantic strollers. I almost find that worse.

 

[NatashaDisneyCM]

You are taking other people's habits way too personally.

 

[Jennasis]

I don't give a flying fig what other people think of me using my cell phone. I am a business owner and when I go on vacation, it isn't really a vacation. I still have questions to answer and crisis to mitigate. You have a problem with that? Too freakin' bad.

 

[ugadog99]

Sorry it bothers you, but we are a texting, Blackberry messaging, checking our Facebook/Twitter kind of Family. Vacation or not...we like to text and tweet!

Us, too, Michelle. It just doesn't bother me at all. There are many more things to stress about than people using their cells while on vacation.

 

[mhsjax]

I don't give a flying fig what other people think of me using my cell phone. I am a business owner and when I go on vacation, it isn't really a vacation. I still have questions to answer and crisis to mitigate. You have a problem with that? Too freakin' bad.

I don't think that too many people have a problem with using a phone for business. My DH also went through a time when he had to be able to talk with employees about various problems, but he would excuse himself and go find a place out of the way to do so. Most people just want to not have to walk around people when they stop to text or when their phone lights up during a dark ride or when we have to listen to a conversation during a ride or a meal. I am on vacation and I don't want to have to hear about anyones business. And last time I checked teenagers don't have businesses, they are just way to addicted to their phones.

We went to dinner the other night and my daughter and her friends pulled out their cell phones. I noticed before any of the other parent did, I glared at her and asked her if she has lost her mind. Business is different, teenagers texting is just a habit and the unreasonable need to be in touch all of the time. But like most teenagers they think the world revolves around the, but it doesn't.

 

[mhsjax]

Us, too, Michelle. It just doesn't bother me at all. There are many more things to stress about than people using their cells while on vacation.

I do think it is sad that you can't put down a phone and you have to check twitter and things like that. People need to learn to relax and just escape for a while. But hey, more power to you, but just get out of the main walk way and don't make us hear your conversations. Some of us don't care about twitter or face book. And cell phones and twitter and face book, do stress me out. the mention of them alone gives me a raging headache.

 

[Lintasare]

She had a point.

 

[NatashaDisneyCM]

I don't think that too many people have a problem with using a phone for business. My DH also went through a time when he had to be able to talk with employees about various problems, but he would excuse himself and go find a place out of the way to do so. Most people just want to not have to walk around people when they stop to text or when their phone lights up during a dark ride or when we have to listen to a conversation during a ride or a meal. I am on vacation and I don't want to have to hear about anyones business. And last time I checked teenagers don't have businesses, they are just way to addicted to their phones.

We went to dinner the other night and my daughter and her friends pulled out their cell phones. I noticed before any of the other parent did, I glared at her and asked her if she has lost her mind. Business is different, teenagers texting is just a habit and the unreasonable need to be in touch all of the time. But like most teenagers they think the world revolves around the, but it doesn't.

 

[JLTraveling]

I don't think that too many people have a problem with using a phone for business. My DH also went through a time when he had to be able to talk with employees about various problems, but he would excuse himself and go find a place out of the way to do so. Most people just want to not have to walk around people when they stop to text or when their phone lights up during a dark ride or when we have to listen to a conversation during a ride or a meal. I am on vacation and I don't want to have to hear about anyones business. And last time I checked teenagers don't have businesses, they are just way to addicted to their phones.

We went to dinner the other night and my daughter and her friends pulled out their cell phones. I noticed before any of the other parent did, I glared at her and asked her if she has lost her mind. Business is different, teenagers texting is just a habit and the unreasonable need to be in touch all of the time. But like most teenagers they think the world revolves around the, but it doesn't.

I agree with every word of this. I'm a full-time freelance travel writer, and I have the luxury of choosing my own destinations, so everywhere I go it's technically business. But I force myself out of the "business" mindset and focus on being in the moment. I watch and listen intently to everything going on around me, but I refuse to take notes or anything during the day (thankfully I have a razor sharp memory, and research takes care of fact checking). I'm also fortunate that my clients don't tend to go into crisis mode if they can't reach me right away. I do check my email and voice mail a couple of times during the day, but it's on MY schedule and I'm careful to slip away to an uncrowded corner. But I realize that I'm very lucky, and not all businesses can operate that way. I don't mind at all if business owners NEED to take a call right away, but I appreciate them stepping outside or waiting until the ride is over. Ditto for contacting your family/friends. Do you really NEED to text from inside POTC, or can you text the kids as soon as you get off the ride?

Teens? Not so much. Technology addiction is rampant in today's society (and I'm only in my early 30s). I love Facebook as much as the next person, but like all things in life, there has to be moderation. That said, they're not my kids. So as long as they don't stop dead in front of me or light up a dark ride, it's not my concern.

 

[MichelleVW]

I do think it is sad that you can't put down a phone and you have to check twitter and things like that. People need to learn to relax and just escape for a while. But hey, more power to you, but just get out of the main walk way and don't make us hear your conversations. Some of us don't care about twitter or face book. And cell phones and twitter and face book, do stress me out. the mention of them alone gives me a raging headache.

I think it's sad that someone is so worried about my cell phone habits to find it "sad". And you will never hear my conversations because I freaking hate talking on the phone...that's why I LOVE facebook/twitter/Blackberry messanger/text etc...I can keep in touch with all my friends and not say a word....PRICELESS!!

 

[kaytieeldr]

If your phone is on vibrate and you aren't speaking into it, why do you think its rude that someone is texting?

You didn't ask me, but - I think it shows a lack of respect to your fellow passengers, and to the attraction designers. If you're texting, you're not fully appreciating the attraction.

Or if you wanted to walk to the Poly and see a shuttle launch but couldn't remember what time it was scheduled, would you go around asking CM's and other guests until you found someone who knew, or would you just sit down on a bench, or better yet while standing in line, and google it on your phone?
If you were in the MK and wanted to eat at Teppan Edo if they had availability, would you take a monorail to epcot just to ask if they had a table, or would you use the dining app on your phone to call over and ask? Or if someone in your group was a picky eater would you hand the phone over so they could browse menus and decide where they wanted to eat lunch, or walk to each place until they found something that appealed to them?
If one of your family members was having an awesome character interaction, you wouldn't whip out your phone to record it, because some how using your phone on vacation takes away from the experience???

Oh, boy. I never thought about it, but do you think maybe we rely TOO much on technology? No, you don't need to 'go around asking CMs or other Guests' to find out about a shuttle launch; presuming one didn't already know the schedule for this rare/occasional but publicized event, there is Guest Services in the park or any resort.

Ditto for the restaurant, both the reservation and the menu. Go all the way to Epcot for information? Really? What ever did people do before cell phones and the Internet? Oh, right. They went to Guest Services, or they went to ANY Walt Disney World restaurant, and asked for the information.

Since using my camera to record experiences for posterity doesn't take away from the experience, I can't see how someone using their cell phone camera would, either

But all this aside, the OP wasn't addressing ANY of this. She/he was addressing a specific demographic which seems addicted to a specific behavior, to the point of a lack of consideration of the people affected.

 

[Tink888]

this is what I mean! on the monorails, the buses...walking in the parks. They are completely tuned out!!! They are on vacation ..to do someone other then play with their cell phones and computers!
I never noticed it this bad till these last two trips. Including the people I was with.

I understand why you find it annoying when they stop in front of you. It's annoying anytime someone stops in front of you for any reason.....texting, phones, checking maps, adjusting strollers, taking pictures, etc. It's more the lack of basic courtesy in not moving to the side and out of the way than the reason for the stop in my opinion.

I can understand too why you'd feel ignored by the people in your party but, really, that's a talk you need to have with the people your with.

Quality time doesn't always mean looking at and talking to the people your with every second of every day and I wouldn't judge what I see a person doing for a minute or two as the way they spend all of their time.

As long as people are being courteous to those around them, phones, texts, etc don't bother me. I'd rather have strangers immersed in those things or the people they're with than watching what my family and I are doing and making judgments that probably aren't accurate. That's not living in the moment and enjoying a vacation either. That's just being judgmental and easily aggravated all the time over things one can't control.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

While I personally find it sad that people can't turn off the phone and focus on their family while away on vacation, it doesn't bother me as long as they don't text/talk on the rides/attractions.

 

[Disneyadore]

I don't give a flying fig what other people think of me using my cell phone. I am a business owner and when I go on vacation, it isn't really a vacation. I still have questions to answer and crisis to mitigate. You have a problem with that? Too freakin' bad.

The same here. We have a business to take care of, I call my child, my mother, my sister,my brother and even my dog. I have an extra 800 dollar bill to pay when I come home because I'm calling to Europe and I really don't care what others think about that. If something minor thing like that would be bothering me I just would stay at home close doors and windows and live in my own little world.

O and we bring five cell phones and two lap top so I'll guess I will be going to communication hell in the after life.

 

[Disneyadore]

While I personally find it sad that people can't turn off the phone and focus on their family while away on vacation, it doesn't bother me as long as they don't text/talk on the rides/attractions.

I focus on my family through my cell phone. My family is the most important thing I have and while in WDW A cell phone is the only commutation device I have to stay in contact.
But not every one is capable to turn of there phones. As I stated we come from a different time zone and we just have a very small time window to call. And if this happens during a ride well sorry but I'm going to take the call. I have to deal with screaming or spoiled children during that same ride.
And sorry but for me my child,family and business is way more important than strangers who think they have a reason to judge me.
And maybe those same strangers jump ahead of me in the waiting lines.

Wow I just remember a member here just stating she wanted to eat at the Christal Palace so badly without a reservation she just lied and shouted so long at the CM until they let her in.

So Imagen one of those liars is judging others because they use there cell phone ( not referring to the OP of course)