Guests behaving badly

[jann1033]

Originally posted by LT Hambone
[One of the ones that annoys me the most are the teens who get hold of a wheelchair and go from ride to ride pretending to be handicap so they can get head-of-line privileges. The worst part is that you'll see them in between rides fighting over who's going to get the chair next!

[/B]

while this would be bad (obviously)if they were using it like that which is dumb anyway since there is fast pass, ect ... but... there are a lot of what are termed "invisible " illnesses( meaning you may not see an outward sign at all times or may only notice it at close observation) and so you could very well not know if someone *needs* a wheel chair or not..being in a wheel chair is not fun, it's very difficult so i doubt the majority of people with one do not *need* it

 

[SueM in MN]

quote: Originally posted by LT Hambone
One of the ones that annoys me the most are the teens who get hold of a wheelchair and go from ride to ride pretending to be handicap so they can get head-of-line privileges. The worst part is that you'll see them in between rides fighting over who's going to get the chair next!

Any kids who try this will find out pretty quickly that there is very little advantage to having a wheelchair, other than having a place to sit. Most of the regular lines are wheelchair accessible and they will be waiting in line with everyone else.
And, just because someone looks able bodies does not mean they are. We have heard people comment that our DD is a "faker" because they saw her sitting on a bench with her legs crossed, swinging her top leg with her wheelchair parked next to her. She looks pretty able bodied when she's sitting there, but she can't walk or stand up by herself (she can't even cross her leg by herself). When she was really little, sometimes we would carry her and let her older sister ride in the wheelchair (Older DD was tired and no one was in it - she also served as a good weight to keep the wheelchair from moving too fast when her sister walked behind it). Someone who saw us might have concluded that we had 2 healthy kids abusing a wheelchair when we actually have one healthy kid and one severely disabled child.

 

[disneysteve]

Originally posted by jann1033
i am blind in my left eye and so do not see people well that are off to my left side until they are right on top of me. so I guess I truly AM BLind to my surroundings !

What a coincidence jann, I live with that every day. My dear wife is a childhood cancer survivor and lost her left eye when she was about 20. Maybe that's what makes her pay extra attention to her surrroundings.

She especially hates when waiters serve her from the left side because she can't see them coming and suddenly something just appears in front of her.

Steve

 

[disneysteve]

Originally posted by SueM in MN
Any kids who try this will find out pretty quickly that there is very little advantage to having a wheelchair, other than having a place to sit.[/B]

Its also no joy for the person pushing the wheelchair trying to maneuver through the crowds. WDW isn't too bad because the parks are relatively flat, but a few years ago we went to HersheyPark 2 weeks after my wife had knee surgery. We rented a wheelchair because there was no way she could have managed without it. Well, HersheyPark is VERY hilly. It was tough to push up the hills, and tough to counterbalance and control speed going down the hills. She was constantly in fear of either falling out or crashing into something.

Steve

 

[faithinkarma]

using an ECV most of the time ( I am unable to walk any distance ). I spent a good deal of time observing behavior. In general, most people are unaware of other people. They stop short in front of you whether they are coming or going. I wanted to wear a huge sign stating that I had NO lateral movement. If someone stops abruptly, I cannot sidestep them, but have to jerk to a stop to avoid hitting them. My silent prayer is that I personally was never that insensitive when I was healthier.

One night while boarding the boat one man actually said aloud " what do I have to do to get to ride one of those?" I told him I would trade him for one healthy kidney, and rolled away.

We did the Keys to the Kingdom tour, which also included one person in a wheelchair. At no time did it ever occur to any of the other guests that by standing in front of a " seated " person, they blocked that person's view and their ability to hear the guide.

On the other hand, during the World Showcase tour, every guest was painstakingly careful to be sure they never stood in front of me. Perhaps it only takes one to be gracious for the others to catch on?

But I have to admit the worst behavior I witnessed was not by someone insensitive to the DISabled, or by a child. One evening on the Boardwalk I saw a man get angry with his son ( who appeared to be about 3-4 years old ) and grab his teddy bear and toss it into the water. He then stomped off and left the mother to deal with the howling child.

 

[michygoomy]

Seriously, I've noticed that when certain people go to WDW, they feel that the magic of WDW will protect them should they choose not to use common sense. Like the person who decided to exit Splash Mountain while in the middle of the ride.

Ouch. I resemble that remark.

I admit, some of the extreme incidents mentioned in this thread are egregious, but about the other minor offenses, I say

Let he who had not had a moment of weakness cast the first stone.

Admit, haven't you ever found yourself doing something under stress where you just say DOH!, what was I thinking? While having a bad day, under stress, etc?

Really--OK, so about 6 out of 10 people you run into are polite. 4 exhibit some rude behaviour. I assume you are not following them around the park all day--so, one could assume that 3 of the 4 "rude" people are just having one of those DOH! moments, you know, related to stress or just one of those brain f*arts that we ALL have once in a blue moon. I mean, really, think of how many people you encounter in a day at a place like WDW..........

Just something to think about as you witness these random acts of rudeness--once and while, just give them the benefit of the doubt, believe it was a once-a-year transgression, and move along. Compassion, patience, all that, 'ya know?

 

[one_cat]

So frustrating - I hope we don't see much of that when we go in December. How about the rude um person who takes flash pictures in the shows. Duh - they don't turn out. I haven't seen much of that lately but years ago at DL I almost threw some rude um person's camera into the drink at IASW after having flashes in the dark shows all day long.

When getting on a bus at wdw DW and I always try to score seats. When the bus is completely full we find a parent with a child or a senior person to give our seats to. It's a good feeling to do a last good deed at the end of a long day.

 

[momof3disneyholics]

Just got back a few hours ago and even though I am very tired I missed these boards so much I had to come take a look.
I saw alot of rudeness that everyone is talking about this week. I am pregnant and have small children but noone ever gave up their seat to me on the monorail or bus, but my husband says I shouldn't expect it because everyone doesn't think like me. I also saw those same people running past me to get in line for (fill in the blank, ride, monorail, show) before me and my kids. I hope they got in to see what they wanted.
But on the same note of faking disabilities, I will tell you something that really scares me. I have a son that is autistic. Standing in a line for a long time can set him off and really upset him. I heard about the blue card you can get at WDW and Universal (although not blue at Univ.). For those that don't know, you can use it to get to the front of the line quicker by always using the fast pass line. It helped us out so much, because the time my son can handle in the park at one time is not long maybe a couple of hours then we have to go back to the hotel so he can take a break. Well, this is the part that scares me. I went to guest services and asked for it and told them why and got it with no questions. Now, I was thinking to myself, that was easy, maybe a little too easy. Anyone could do what I just did whether or not they had a disability. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this?

 

[momof3disneyholics]

Originally posted by one_cat
So frustrating - I hope we don't see much of that when we go in December. How about the rude um person who takes flash pictures in the shows. Duh - they don't turn out. I haven't seen much of that lately but years ago at DL I almost threw some rude um person's camera into the drink at IASW after having flashes in the dark shows all day long.

People were flashing their cameras all over those shows that had no flash photography this week.

 

[jann1033]

Originally posted by momof3disneyholics
, I was thinking to myself, that was easy, maybe a little too easy. Anyone could do what I just did whether or not they had a disability. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this?

the way I see it is if someone is that determined to try to "out manuever" the system, they have no conscience anyway so nothing anyone says is going to make them feel a twinge of guilt. imo they are just stupid idiots.( I do not swear but lot stronger words could be used here) oh course they are also usually the first to scream bloody murder if they think their "rights" are infringed on. I do not know what disney does but it would be nice to see it call for expulsion without refund.

 

[Timon]

There are a lot of things people have mentioned already that has happened on our last trip a few weeks ago. One of the things that I made a point of doing was telling smokers who were smoking on the general concourse to butt out and go to the smoking areas. I am alergic to cigarette smoke and find it extremely unsettling that they do not consider other people or the effects of second hand smoke.

Rude people galore on this last trip, in WDW and on our cruise (you can Timon's trip reports here: www.cassworld.ca)
A lot of UK people this last trip and you wouldn't believe what this 9 year old girl called my sister-in-law after she told the girl to stop yelling in the lineup for food at the Studios.

Seems courtesy and respect is becoming a lost value in today's society. These people just don't understand what the finer things of the 'magic' is all about.

(didn't realise until I posted that I am logged in as my wife, whoops. Message by Darkrobe.)

 

[poohbear1029]

In October the above phrase was DH and my catch phrase! It seemed that the world was full of line cutters, smokers in prohibited areas, people not respecting others etc. So, whenever we would encounter this, after the incident passed we would mutter to eachother "He/She is the only one at Disney!" We especially love when you are walking and someone stops abruptly in the path to have a discussion etc. Disney is a busy place, much like traffic, you need to pull over to a quiet spot to have a conversation, etc. Not in the oncoming path of 200 vacationers!

At Storm Along Bay one day, in the lounge chairs in front of me was a family of 4. He had an unlit cigar in his mouth, which he thankfully never lit and she had a cigarette at all times. I should have said something, but even the waitress who was taking drink orders didnt say anything. There are smoking areas for a reason! Some of us chose not be exposed to your filthy habits and some of us who have asthma cant be exposed to it as it is a matter of health.

As for "unseen" disabilities, we typically have been sensitive that someone may not be walking slower than us because they want to, but more because of other reasons, and have always tried to politely sidestep when necessary. We became even more cautious this trip. My brother suffered severe injuries this summer from a hit and run and had to learn to walk all over again. At points, his balance was very off and although currently not visible to strangers, he still is quite fragile and shouldnt be bumped, etc. So I think subconsciously it made us more aware of our surroundings, etc and make sure we dont sideswipe or startle someone as we scoot pass them in pedestrian traffic.

 

[faithinkarma]

I have given a lot of thought to the behavior now common at Disney. One of the reasons I first fell in love with Disney is that everyone seemed to be happy there. But that was years, even decades ago. You now see so many unsmiling people.

I am sure there are many reasons for the change. But one thing that occurred to me was how different the bus rides are now.

I am not faulting the busdrivers in any way. They are curteous and efficient and do an excellent job.

But I remember the drivers in the 70s and 80s who were literally cast members, performers if you will. ( Does anyone else remember Frank at Fort Wilderness?) Some of my most memorable Disney experiences happened on a bus. They teased passengers, told jokes and could get an entire bus full of people singing along to some Disney song. Then they arrived at their destination and unloaded a bunch of happy smiling guests. It set the tone for the day. And put you in a great mood at the end of the day no matter how much your feet hurt.

 

[disneysteve]

faithinkarma - Yes, I remember those days too. Can't say I remember any one driver specifically, but definitely recall the overall mood and experience. We've stayed offsite for years now so I haven't been on a Disney bus for a very long time. I didn't realize that it had changed. What a shame.

Steve

 

[michygoomy]

They teased passengers, told jokes and could get an entire bus full of people singing along to some Disney song.

We made a lot of our own "bus" fun. My favorite Disney moment was the bus ride home where we made up our own bus names based on attractions. "Mission:Bus", "Bus Tours", "Test Bus", "Pirates of the Bus", etc.

This lead to our new favorite song, "It's a small bus after all" which we sang just about every night following. I will admit, we were surrounded by a lot of stone-faced people while we made our own darn fun.

 

[Kaycee]

Entertaining Bus Drivers

We had a bus driver like you described on our trip in June. He was fantastic - it was like having a stand-up comedian driving the bus. He kept everyone on the bus in stitches the whole trip from MK (or was it MGM?) to CSR. Unfortunately, I didn't think to get his name until it was too late. He was really something and I wish I could publicly recognize him.

 

[madhouserobey]

just got back from wdw wacthing wishes fri night nov14 had double stroller against the curb of main street leaving . amazing how many people can't walk straight or don't pay attention to what is around them . part 2 was disney cm's trying to bring up a special group of people toward castle as wishes ended an everyone trying to go down main street. part 3 rude people on ferry leaving .would not go to second deck to free up space for people with wheelchairs and strollers. just so they can get to their cars a couple of seconds ahead of everyone else.

 

[sters]

I was there last week, too, and there were only three incidents to report during my 8-day stay, so I'd say overall behavior was excellent and very Disney.

The first was at the Animal Kingdom during the Lion King Show. We were among the first to arrive so our jaws dropped at this one..... these people RACED to get in and sit in the first row, the row reserved for handicapped people. I mean, they had their PICK OF SEATS throughout the entire place and they had to pick THOSE?

The second was at the Country Bear Jamboree. No matter how many times the CM's admonished people NOT to use flash photography, there were dozens and dozens of flashes going off.

The final one was from a CM at the MK train station. SHe openned the gate but stuck her leg out to stop people from going in. Not sure why she didn't wait to open the gate until it was all clear, but she didn't. I was holding my very tired, very heavy, and very cranky 5 year old in my arms and my view of her leg was blocked. When I started to go through the gate, very anxious to plop this lug down, I got a big attitude from her about "What??!!! You were just going to go through my leg?" Whatever. I didn't say anything, but it bugged me for most of the day.

 

[sters]

OK, I just remembered a 4th, and this bugged me a lot... that was the many drunk, cursing and rude people at the Food and Wine Festival who were cutting off strollers, wheelchairs and ECV's. My husband thought that maybe because he is tall, people didn't realize he was pushing a stoller and assumed there was space in front of him? We're only guessing, but after having the front wheel of our lightweight stroller stomped on a few times, we made a hasty retreat to Future World, which by the way is an EXCELLENT time to tour... that is, during the late afternoon/evenning. Many attractions were open until 9.

It sounds like we had a terrible time, but really it was just these 4 things over 8 1/2 days. I didn't experience the smoking, line-cutting, or other bad behavior mentioned above. Overall, people were happy and cooperative. One lady let my 3 year old sit on her lap for Spectromagic! She was a nice grandmotherly type of person and my daughter took a shine to her.

By the way, the father tossing the teddy bear in the lake was really un-Disney!

 

[Taurus]

The rudest thing I saw at WDW was a woman who rinsed her baby's poopy bottom in the sink! This was at Epcot, and the restroom was a small one with 2-3 stalls and only one sink! Yuck!

Most people were nice but there were several who would stop and check maps/talk/etc right in the middle of traffic.