Has anyone ever had an altercation with another guest and/or family while at WDW?

[tlbwriter]

I have also used handicapped stalls when taking my children in with me. I never for one minute thought that these stalls were "reserved" for handicap only. It is not like a parking spot. Youre not going to get fined if you take a seat. If there is a line, whoever is next takes the next available spot and if that happens to be a handicap stall thats what you get. Of course, I wouldnt use it if there was other stalls available and didnt have a need. Am I wrong on the rules?

No, you're not wrong at all. Legally and morally those stalls are available to anybody. They aren't like parking spaces that are reserved specifically for handcapped people. Obviously if you see someone who needs it, you should leave it for them. But that doesn't mean only handicapped people can use them.

 

[ISP2MCO]

No, you're not wrong at all. Legally and morally those stalls are available to anybody. They aren't like parking spaces that are reserved specifically for handcapped people. Obviously if you see someone who needs it, you should leave it for them. But that doesn't mean only handicapped people can use them.

Thank you! This is what I thought and I guess what happened to the OP really steamed me because of the rude person/family with the wheel chair. Just because they have a wheel chair doesnt mean the stall is exclusively for them. It's just equipped for whomever uses it.

 

[all4fun]

We didn't get into an altercation with anyone but one night there was a drunk guy, a woman, and a 3 yr old (that I felt sorry for) behind us at illuminations. The guy was just being generally obnoxious throughout the show (like yelling "bring out the ball!"). On our way out, the woman ended up walking right beside my ds(3 at the time), who was being pushed by me in his stroller. She was holding a lit cigarette right by his face. First of all, there's the concern she could burn him, then there's the concern the stroller canopy could catch on fire (it's probably fire resistant fabric, but I'd rather not find out the hard way), and then there's also the cigarette smoke inhalation concerns. This was one of those situations where everyone is pretty much shoulder to shoulder and you can't just move away. I politely, but firmly, requested she get her cigarette out of my sons face, to which her boyfriend/husband/whatever he was replied with an insult aimed at me. So my dh insulted him right back (very witty too, although now I can't remember what he said but I remember getting a good laugh out of it). Thankfully, the crowd situation got a little thinner and we were able to move away from them. Some people are really such selfish jerks though.

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

Thank you! This is what I thought and I guess what happened to the OP really steamed me because of the rude person/family with the wheel chair. Just because they have a wheel chair doesnt mean the stall is exclusively for them. It's just equipped for whomever uses it.

Thanks, I had always thought that a handicapped stall was there to meet the needs of someone who has mobility issues or other needs. I never thought it was "reserved" for any person regardless of ability or disability...but after that experience I just never knew and neither did my DH. We did, however, make sure that we carried a letter from my son's physician with us anytime we went anywhere...mostly because of the medical equipment and various medications we had to carry with us...and because outwardly he looked fine (sometimes a bit puffy or a yellow-tinge to his skin...but you had to be pretty observant to see those things). Still not sure I'll ever go into an accessible bathroom though!

Oh...a funny story! We took our 1st Disney cruise last Thanksgiving. We booked a category 12 guarantee (it was a great deal!) and honestly didn't care what room we had on the boat. To my horror, we were assigned an accessible room! I honestly thought..oh god no and talked with my TA about changing rooms since we didn't need that feature. She assured me that Disney would NOT book me into the room if it was needed by anyone else and told me to keep it because it would be enormous! Well, we did and I was initally very scared. I even inquired at check in telling the lady that if they needed an accessible room for anyone we would gladly move. I was assured that they did not and prayed for the best! Well, we got to our room and it was enormous! We could have parked 4 mini-coopers in the room...and 1 in the bathroom! It was the first time I could ever bend over in the shower and shave my legs on a cruise ship!

Thanks all!

 

[LovinPooh]

After reading some of the posts about some of the families out there, I feel a lot better about my own.... we arent that crazy!!!

Glad your son is doing better

Sounds like your room was nicer than my house

 

[TBGOES2DISNEY]

We were in a theater for a show about the tabernacle, and my then 3 yo daughter kept jumping out of her seat and I had to keep sitting her down. Well, after the show I'm kind of giving her "the talk" and this lady says, "I am sorry, it is my fault. I couldn't stop touching her hair." EGADS! DD had that flaxen blonde curly curly baby hair and bright blue eyes and is colored like a peaches-and-cream china doll. This lady, who had a very thick accent was as dark a person as I've ever seen. They did make quite a study in contrasts (I can make a joke now. DD is 9) She went on to say something about just the rarity of DD coloring where she was from and maybe she hadn't been here in the US long or something. I wasn't really listening at that point, but hustling out of there away from her. Come up in front of me and tell me my kid is beautiful, and I might not wig out about you touching her hair (happened alot really) but sneak and touch her from behind? That was creepy!

I can totally understand where you are coming from! When we were at the Crystal Palace, waiting in line at the buffet, I had my two oldest dds next to me. Well, the woman behind us started stroking one of my dd's head/hair! My dd, of course, didn't want to be touched by a stranger in any fashion, esp. so personally! It really freaked me out. I very purposely put my daughter in front of me, letting the woman know non-verbally that I did not like her touching my daughter.

A moment later, she tapped me on the shoulder, and in a thick accent, she apologized and said in her culture it is normal to touch children. I think she meant no harm, and I attempted a smile at her, but really said nothing. I still felt too weird about it, and would have been lying if I had said, "Oh, that's okay."

Of course, there have been plenty of strangers who aren't foreign and have the same culture as me who have put their paws on another dd - my infant daughter - at other times. I hate that! Keep your germy paws off my baby.

 

[LovinPooh]

ughhh.... I dont care what someones culture is. When you go to another country you obviously know that things are different. And you would think that touching someone elses child would kinda just be understood as a big 'no-no' in every culture.

 

[averysmom]

The worst experience I had was when I went with my parents/brother/sister when I was 16. (first time)

We were in the parking lot at MK waiting for the tram; so were LOTS of ppl.

The tram pulls up and there is a mad rush. My brother (7) and my sister (6) and I get on in one row. Two adults get on filling up our row. I say to them, that those seats are actually for my parents who got cut off from us, to which the man says "no names on them, they are ours now".

The tram is now completely full and pulling away, my parents didn't get a seat and my Dad is screaming to wait where we get off and to hang on to my brother and sister.

My sister starts to cry because she is 6 and we are leaving without my parents.

The adults - and I do mean adults, they were at least as old as my parents - tell my sister, who again is 6, to turn off the fake crocodile tears

I'm 16 and I say NOTHING!

All ended well - I waited for my parents with my siblings and they were on the next tram.

My Dad, however, ran into them at Tom Sawyers island later that day and let the man know that he would have no problem giving him something to cry REAL tears over.

Unbelievable!

 

[RMulieri]

No, you're not wrong at all. Legally and morally those stalls are available to anybody. They aren't like parking spaces that are reserved specifically for handcapped people. Obviously if you see someone who needs it, you should leave it for them. But that doesn't mean only handicapped people can use them.

Actually, I know in some cases an able bodied person has received a citation for using a handicapped bathroom stall( I kid you not) I think it was a park restroom somewhere in Ca where an able bodied received a citation took it to court and lost.The Judge upheld the ruling of the police officer.That said, there are several hundred threads out on the internet about bathroom etiquette involving the handicapped stall.The consensus is that if you are able bodied and there are other stalls available you should use another stall.However, if there are long lines and every stall is utilized , well than first come ,first pee.

 

[waltskids]

We have one rule (one of many) we taught our kids while standing in ANY line but especially at Disney - you must be ONE ARMS LENGTH away from the person in front of you!!! I generally try and keep my kids in front of me while waiting in a line - I would rather they swing thier arms back and hit me then some poor unsuspecting man or woman or Heaven forbid child - not that my children are rude by any stretch of the imagination but accidents happen and the people around you are not always as friendly as we would like for them to be (see many previous posts - the one with the bathroom family takes the cake - they give new definitions to uneccessary rudeness - to the poster - KARMA is wonderful thing!!! BELIEVE IN IT - it is true!!)

My family personally has never been involved in any personal altercations - come to think of it - I am not sure we have ever witnessed any However, I will stand up for someone who can't and I will defend anyone who is right - I teach my children the same thing!!! Never be the bully but always stick up for the kid who is being bullied!!![/QUOTE]

This is a great rule and we will teach our DS as he gets older- In my classroom I call it 'my personal bubble' which is an arm's length all the way around my body. It's amazing how even middle school students can be 'close talkers' and invade personal space. This concept seems to be lost to many at WDW though.

 

[DiznEeyore]

Like another poster - I'm guilty of using the handicapped stall. I have small childen - and if it is the only stall available, and there isn't a handicapped person there, I will take them in there before they have an accident. It has never crossed my mind that someone would get that angry about that.

That makes me think of the time I was in the restroom outside of POC and a woman on a scooter wanted to use the handicapped stall but saw someone "able-bodied" go in ahead of her (they didn't see her or anything ... it wasn't intentional). She started yelling, ranting and raving about "how typical" it was for people to just ignore the disabled and that they better get out of that stall pronto because they weren't entitled to us it, she was.

Now of course, I felt bad because she was disabled, but she didn't engender a whole lot of sympathy for her situation by making an idiot out of herself.

My own personal bad experience w/another guest was many years ago. We were sitting on the curb on Main Street waiting for the evening parade. My dh had to get up to take our ds to the restroom, so he left his sweatshirt folded up next to me as a place-holder.

People of course started walking through the opening to get to Main Street and most just stepped over those of us sitting there. However, one boy around 11 years old walked up to the spot, looked down at my dh's sweatshirt, and started stomping up and down on it. I looked up at his mother and said, "Excuse me, your child is stomping on my husband's sweatshirt." She got right up in my face and in an incredibly hateful voice said, "Oh I'm SO SORRY. How HORRIBLE for you." She looked at her son and started yelling sarcastically, "How COULD you? How could you STOMP on that poor sweatshirt? Oh, how TERRIBLE." She carried on all the way down Main Street at the top of her lungs.

I couldn't believe it. But it definitely explained why the kid was so rotten. He had a great example. If they were that obnoxious to complete strangers, I shudder to think what it would be like to deal with them on a day-to-day basis ... the kid's poor teachers!

 

[smphbear]

OK... here is our story from this June's Pirate and Princess Party. We had been having so much fun that we headed out to find a spot for the parade about 15 minutes before it started. We found a spot across from Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe. There were two families with a spot between them big enough for my boys to see. I did not expect front row as we were late getting a spot. Both families offered to put my boys in front of them, but I thankfully declined since they could see. Right as the parade started to roll past us, a family walked up. The little girl stepped in front of my son who just makes 40". She then elbowed him in the head as she was moving around. I politely told the little girl that he had been standing there. Her family was sitting way back and nowhere near her. She moved to her family. At this point, my two boys sat on the pavement where they could see, and I stood behind them taking pictures. The mother of the child came over and got ugly with me. I politely explained that my boys had been there, and that her little girl stepped in front of him and elbowed him in the head. She told me something about it looks like you are just holding a spot for yourself. I just looked at her and said nothing. Then, grandma comes over and starts to stare us down. She backed off when DH stepped right behind me (6' 2" and built like a linebacker). They left in a huff making ugly comments. It bothered me that they expected to step in front of everyone at the last minute when we had not done that.

 

[arielrocks]

I have also used handicapped stalls when taking my children in with me. I never for one minute thought that these stalls were "reserved" for handicap only. It is not like a parking spot. Youre not going to get fined if you take a seat. If there is a line, whoever is next takes the next available spot and if that happens to be a handicap stall thats what you get. Of course, I wouldnt use it if there was other stalls available and didnt have a need. Am I wrong on the rules?

Thats how I work the lines too.

Maybe we are both wrong - but if there is no one waiting to use it, then whats the harm?

 

[Lindsay22]

This handicapped stall thing makes me REALLY nervous!!! I've only ever used one once, at my sister's wedding. I had to hold her dress up for her and it just makes sense to do that in the bigger stall.... well my wedding reception is in Epcot. Our bathrooms are the ones near American Adventure. What if I have to pee in my dress???
I will go BRIDEZILLA if someone tries to tell me I'm not handicapped. The big poufy dress, hoop and crinoline make it a handicapp!!!

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

A kind person just sent me a PM and she had a wonderful retort for my situation that I wished I had thought of it was "at least your some of your disabilities are visible!" I think that the woman and her family probably wouldn't have understood though.

I read some snippets of this thre with my mom a few minutes ago and she laughed so hard she was crying about the "acorns" comment!

I do believe in Karma and do believe that what goes around comes around. Maybe Walt should have put up a sign that said if you can't be kind, please don't enter this Magical place! Don't get me wrong, I've done some "boneheaded" things in my time...like parking a shopping cart in the middle of the aisle as I review my shopping list...I think we all do. I know when I do, I generally will apologize for my stupidity or insensitivity.

Now, as for the bubble, I'm a BIG one for that. Excuse me, this is my space and that is yours, please stay in it. I was absolutely horrible about that when I was pregant with my son! Why is it that a woman's pregant belly attracts so many people. I had complete strangers come up with their hands outstretched to touch my belly. EXCUSE ME...NO WAY! I actually went a bit ballistic on a really old lady in the grocery store when I was about 8 months along who came up and just started to rub my belly as I was reading my grocery list! (it was along the lines of, do I know you? No, so why would you touch me?) My DH thought I'd lost my marbles!

Thanks everyone for the chuckles and stories. And to the OP, sorry, I think I kinda hijacked your thread! I'm really glad you started it though! It's been very cathartic for me.

 

[dzneelvr]

Just last week, as I was waiting in the restroom in Mexico, the lady standing next to me nudged me and had me look at the middle stall...sure enough, there was smoke starting to rise from it....at first I couldn't believe it, but then the smell kicked in and bingo someone was smoking in the stall!!! together we waited for the person; she came out and acted totally confused when "my partner" pointed to the no smoking sign and shook her finger at her; I stated firmly "you can't smoke in the parks except in designated areas"....she had a totally blank look on her face (yah, right) Even though we were all from different continents, I believe the message got across but WHAT A DUMMY! I wish the Mexican police had been there to levy a fine. She totally deserved it.

 

[SandrainNC]

We had a minor incident this past trip. We were in Festival of the Lion King and I saw this woman in front of my husband turn around and hold up three fingers at him and said something about 3 times. I was like, what? Apparently my oldest (who was sitting on Dh's lap) had kicked her three times during the show. I moved him as soon as this happened. We had no idea it was happening though and I guess by the 3rd time she was mad and had an attitude. I turned to her after the show and said to her that she could have nicely said something after the 1st time and we would have moved him immediately (as we did when she finally said something) and that if we didn't know it was happening, there was nothing we could do about it. She held those three fingers up at me this time and said "three times" again, so this time I said "well if you don't say anything to us as his parents and we don't know its happening, then we can't do anything about it. Next time, say something nicely the first time instead of waiting until the 3rd time and acting like a b-word". And I did say "b-word" and not THE WORD. She said "what did you say". I just looked at her. Her husband and grandkids were dragging her off and she kept trying to get back over to me. I guess she was going to fight me in the bleachers. I understand she didn't want to be kicked, but how were we supposed to know it was happening??? If that had happened to me, I wouldn't have any problems turning around and nicely letting somebody know I was being kicked. Instead, she waits until it keeps happening and is ugly about it. And my oldest has special needs, so he definitely wasn't doing it on purpose. I know some parents just let their kids do anything, but we are not one of them. We had no idea. So please just tell us (but nicely).

Sandra

 

[_queenie_]

This is very different, but I'll tell another story of a rude handicapped person.

A while back we went on a Royal Caribbean Cruise. Since we were leaving the country, everyone had to line up for what we call "the ID check". Apparently they had all the seniors line up first, which there were TONS of, and then everyone else had to line up later. The line for the seniors was huge, it extended all the way through the lobby, blocking the elevator. We had been eating breakfast and were trying to get back to the room, so we had to navigate through the line to get to the elevator. My DD, then 9, fell a little behind (which worried me in itself) and I guess stopped for a minute to let someone go. This one lady behind her, who was in a scooter, who was apparently holding someone's cane, started poking my DD with it to get her attention. She said "There's no cutting young lady!" and rammed her scooter right into her ankle! I couldn't believe it, when she caught up to us she had this big chunk of skin cut out of her leg and was beginning to bleed. If the lady wasn't handicappedd (which she may have even not been) my Dh would have gone after her.

I just don't understnad so many people.

 

[_queenie_]

We were in a theater for a show about the tabernacle, and my then 3 yo daughter kept jumping out of her seat and I had to keep sitting her down. Well, after the show I'm kind of giving her "the talk" and this lady says, "I am sorry, it is my fault. I couldn't stop touching her hair." EGADS! DD had that flaxen blonde curly curly baby hair and bright blue eyes and is colored like a peaches-and-cream china doll. This lady, who had a very thick accent was as dark a person as I've ever seen. They did make quite a study in contrasts (I can make a joke now. DD is 9) She went on to say something about just the rarity of DD coloring where she was from and maybe she hadn't been here in the US long or something. I wasn't really listening at that point, but hustling out of there away from her. Come up in front of me and tell me my kid is beautiful, and I might not wig out about you touching her hair (happened alot really) but sneak and touch her from behind? That was creepy!

That happens to both my DDs all the time, I totally know how you can feel so violated. It's great that they think they're pretty, but it still is weird. One has long, thick golden curls and the other has long, thick, wavy, white, white blonde hair. I (we really) can't stand it when people nothing and just start touching their hair. At least it has never happened in a movie theater like that, that is a bit creepy!

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

This is very different, but I'll tell another story of a rude handicapped person.

A while back we went on a Royal Caribbean Cruise. Since we were leaving the country, everyone had to line up for what we call "the ID check". Apparently they had all the seniors line up first, which there were TONS of, and then everyone else had to line up later. The line for the seniors was huge, it extended all the way through the lobby, blocking the elevator. We had been eating breakfast and were trying to get back to the room, so we had to navigate through the line to get to the elevator. My DD, then 9, fell a little behind (which worried me in itself) and I guess stopped for a minute to let someone go. This one lady behind her, who was in a scooter, who was apparently holding someone's cane, started poking my DD with it to get her attention. She said "There's no cutting young lady!" and rammed her scooter right into her ankle! I couldn't believe it, when she caught up to us she had this big chunk of skin cut out of her leg and was beginning to bleed. If the lady wasn't handicappedd (which she may have even not been) my Dh would have gone after her.

I just don't understnad so many people.

Wow! I'm sitting here with my mouth open! I'm so sorry for your daughter. People can be so horrible!