Havy you ever noticed?

[mesaboy2]

Certainly not "most" countries drive on the left; only a few former British colonies.

And Japan at least. I'm sure there are more.

 

[bocaj1431]

I suspect they don't like getting hit in the head either. And that both would appreciate better public safety just as much as I would.

I thinking about this thread, I quickly searched escalator accidents, and came across some interesting legal commentary. (some was pretty gruesome- I don't suggest it!)

One category of escalator accidents is human error - as a broad category.

And there's hope! Those announcements in the airport (The moving walkway is ending) really do improve safety! Conversely, advertisements on the side of an escalator decrease safety. I think there are ways to improve flow at WDW.
Civil engineers all study flow design. A small narrowing of a highway can lead to major highway backups - like snow banks this time of year. I know Disney works in this issue all the time. It is amazing how much Disney has increased flow in the spot where Dumbo used to be. The way they designed the new archways is brilliant.

So maybe part of the solution is improved design on Disney's part.


Nobody is perfect, but I truly think there's also a solution to be found in education. Again, I go back to the escalator article I read. It cited a program where children were taught how to ride an escalator. Sure enough, the program improved escalator safety.

I'm optimistic that there are ways to improve the experience for everyone.

I don't imagine your son like being hit in the head any

I think you have me confused with another poster. I did not discuss anything having to do with escalators nor did you mention it in your original post.

I only addressed your specific scenarios and tried to offer solutions because that is what you asked for. An escalator involves safety concerns and that is obviously going to need to be handled differently.

As to your comment about my hitting someone in the head and would my son like it if he was hit in the head, I again think you may be confusing me with someone else. I never hit any one in the head. I noted in my post I accidentally bumped someone with my back pack while attempting to deal with my son. Hitting someone in the head and bumping them are two different things. However, I did tell you I apologized to that person. What I explained was that it was an accident due to my attempting to deal with my panicked son , who has autism.

I think you missed my whole point which was that all situations are not due to indifference or purposeful actions and to try not to think of them that way.

I think what you really wanted by this post was for others to chime in with their agreement and aggravation and for you to vent your frustration along with them, which is merited. However, based on your comments to me I don't feel you were really looking for solutions.

I hope your next stay is not as frustrating when you are dealing with the people in the parks.

 

[Josh Hendy]

How does that even work for order taking? Did people just "naturally" be civil and sort of self-order in the crowd?

... :

Regarding the massed-huddle approach to queuing for services in China ... I only witnessed it once or twice but I gather that instead of being "first come first served", it was "biggest pusher biggest shouter first served". It seemed that whoever thought of themselves as the most important, most powerful or whatever would push or shout the loudest.

This had some comical (?) aspects. At a Chinese airport (circa 1998) the scanner for hand luggage was do-it-yourself with no actual barrier around the machine. You approached the x-ray machine, placed your bag on the conveyor belt and walked to the far end, where an attendant would place a little green sticker on everything that had been through the machine. Later on at the departure gate, you couldn't get on the plane without a sticker on each of your carry-ons. There was a sort-of queue formed at the entrance of the x-ray machine, which took maybe 30 seconds before you could put your bag down. Some big-shots in expensive suits walked up and looked disdainfully at the queue, then walked up to the attendant, and reached out and grabbed stickers from their roll, and put the stickers on their briefcases as they continued walking to the gate. The meek and lowly "guard" was much too intimidated to say anything, but just continued putting stickers on the plebes' luggage as they came off the machine.

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

I think at Disney you just have to learn to tolerate others more than you typically would. I know I've accidentally hit people with my backpack before. Did I mean to do it? No, but sometimes I end up in a crowded space and I with people jostling me around someone is bound to get hit.

I have a teacher with very poor depth perception. You can be sitting on your stool and she'll come over to hand you a paper and walk right into the stool, because she misjudged how far away it was from her. However she makes all of her students aware of this issue, so we've grown used to telling her if something is in her way or if she's getting too close to someone. As a person who really likes a nice personal bubble, I've simply learned to adjust to the situation. I take the same approach on vacations.

 

[mshanson3121]

Park guests who appear to be body space awareness challenged?

Here are some park touring examples:
1. Folks who have trouble determining their personal (body) volume. Recently I was sitting down in the Muppets show, a man in the row behind me whacked me full in the head with his backpack! It surprised me that anyone could be so oblivious!

2. Folks that have trouble navigating pathways. Person A and B are coming from opposite directions. If both follow protocol, and shift a foot to their right, they pass easily. In this situation though, many folks just stare like a proverbial deer in the headlights, or worse, some glare!

3. Folks who seem unaware that they are in public. They completely don't look where they are going, but get mad at THEIR victim when they crash. No apology, even when they walk into a parked stroller.

4. Cell phone cameras! Either held above the head during the fireworks (so as to obstruct everyone else's view), flash photos on dark rides.

I don't start this thread simply to rant, but rather to ask for solutions in situations like these.


Is it ever okay to speak up?

Any solutions?

Some people are just rude, yes. But did it ever cross your mind that these people might actually have a disability? My son has Sensory Processing Disorder. He will grow up and look like a very normal person - and he will very likely do a #1 and 2 especially, because unfortunately, he can't control his volume - he doesn't know how to. He has poor body awareness, so yes, he could hit someone and not realize it, and yes, he could meet someone and freeze and not know what to do, because he has poor motor planning. And while yes, when he is AWARE that he has done something to bother others, he knows to apologize - the whole point of this is, they normally aren't aware that they've done something.

Adults have these disorders too - Aspergers, SPD, ADHD etc... and they can all affect an adult in these ways, and you can't tell just by looking at them.

 

[mshanson3121]

I suspect they don't like getting hit in the head either. And that both would appreciate better public safety just as much as I would.



I don't imagine your son like being hit in the head any

And YOU, just became as rude as that person who hit you in the head and didn't apologize. Because THIS was rude.

Sorry, we didn't all jump right in and agree with you - but as you can see, some people are just more tolerant than others, and prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt. Some people realize that when you're in an extremely crowded places, little things like these happen, they're not always noticed, and not always apologized for. Quite honestly, I'm not sure why you'd expect anything less. Our world's 1 billion+ people weren't all raised with the same manner, cultural expectations and perfect neurological systems.

 

[Rebekkap]

I find most people who are not from the U.S are this way.

Last trip a guy was so close I could feel his breath on my neck.

I turned around and asked him to back up.

Another time a family member of mine had a guy keep bumping his legs with a stroller and about the 5th time he asked the guy to stop he responded with a four letter word and at that point a cm was called and the guy was escorted off.

I find that personally offensive. I'm not from the US and I would NEVER invade someone's personal space. Neither would anyone I know, most of whom are not Americans. You should no make gross generalisations like that - it's completely out of line.

 

[ShayBells]

I think every situation is different. It's possible that the guy who hit you actually didn't notice. It's also possible that he was just rude.

People can be nuts down there. The one time after wishes we all were running down main st to get out and I was swept up by the crowd. Trying to maintain speed with my 5 year old in his stroller going as fast as the crowd carried me and bam! DS jumps out of his stroller and I put on the brakes and the lady behind me crashed into me. I turned around to apologize for my gracefulness until the lady yelled at me. So my response was "Okay next time I'll just run my DS over and leave him lying in the street". She went around me in a huff.

I understand where she was coming from and I was going to apologize cause my momma raised me right but she was probably tired and just wanted to get out of there and I upset her order.
Hell I was tired and wanted to get out of there and that's why my smart *** comment came out as soon as she started flipping.

I really try not to judge people for their rudeness you never know why or what's going on with them at that moment. There is not an excuse for rudeness but I still try to give someone a benefit of doubt.

Hell I know I've been rude without noticing it. It happens to the best of us.

And to answer your question I would try to ignore it unless it keeps happening by the same person then I would politely speak up. IMHO

 

[Rebekkap]

I always wondered about this, in the US we drive on the right side and are trained in kindergarten to walk on the right side of the hall. But what about other country's? Most country's drive on the left, so on what side are they trained to walk? I sometimes wonder if we are both stepping away but still end up in front if each other in a two step dance?

Actually most countries drive on the right side (see http://www.worldstandards.eu/cars/list-of-left-driving-countries/) but being from a left-driving country myself I can tell you we weren't trained to walk on either side, although it's always made sense to me that you walk on the left because that's how the road works, so that's how the footpath (or sidewalk as you call it) works! Maybe we should train people to walk on the left - it might make it easier to walk around here

But when I'm in the US or Europe I always try to remember to walk on the right anyway - although sometimes I do forget and naturally revert to walking on the left. It's difficult to undo the habits of a lifetime.

 

[DVCcurious]

How about the people who are walking at a decent rate of speed and then stop on a dime and whip out their map to figure out what to look at next. They don't move to the side of the path, they just go from 3 miles per hour to completely stopped instantly and it's up to you not to ram them.

I don't really get bothered by this type of thing. There are enough "intentional rule breakers" (people waiting until 1 minute before the parade and then they get off the street and stand directly in front of you) out there that these little incidents don't bother me.

 

[SeilerBird]

I spent ten years living full time traveling the US visiting the National Parks. I could go on and on about rude tourists, foreign and domestic. I eventually learned that different cultures have different customs. What is massively rude to you might be perfectly normal to them. Here are a few examples:

One person gets in a line and when that one person gets near the front ten of his friends join him.

Groups of tourists hiking in the back country and talking very loud to each other. I am trying to photograph wildlife and they are scaring the wildlife away.

Yelling and having loud conversations while in the shower.

Being rude and pretending not to understand English.

You just have to learn to accept that different cultures are different.

 

[Lynn2205]

i remember last year that people who not watching where they are going. we had people bumbing into my husband who was using an ECV. i know there are a lot of people in ECVs who don't watch where they are going but at parede times, he was hit in the head with backpacks and people were climbing over him to get to the other side.

Kids would come running out of a shop and run straight into him and the parents would glare at us as if it was our fault.

 

[POOHsie]

i remember last year that people who not watching where they are going. we had people bumbing into my husband who was using an ECV. i know there are a lot of people in ECVs who don't watch where they are going but at parede times, he was hit in the head with backpacks and people were climbing over him to get to the other side.

Kids would come running out of a shop and run straight into him and the parents would glare at us as if it was our fault.

A man coming out the side entrance of a store on Sunset Blvd in DHS ran right into my ECV coming up the sidewalk outside the doorway (luckily nobody was hurt). The sidewalk was the only ECV path to the adjacent rest room. The doorway had no door. Many/most of Disney's stores are door-less during operating hours. So a person leaving the store could easily be enticed to just breeze outside, and unexpectedly collide with something/somebody. I blame Disney for this. If there were a door to open, you would have a moment to pause and actually look before you exit and get on a sidewalk.

 

[mshanson3121]

I blame Disney for this. If there were a door to open, you would have a moment to pause and actually look before you exit and get on a sidewalk.

Really good point. I agree 100%!

 

[jesse8931]

I spent ten years living full time traveling the US visiting the National Parks. I could go on and on about rude tourists, foreign and domestic. I eventually learned that different cultures have different customs. What is massively rude to you might be perfectly normal to them. Here are a few examples:

One person gets in a line and when that one person gets near the front ten of his friends join him.

Groups of tourists hiking in the back country and talking very loud to each other. I am trying to photograph wildlife and they are scaring the wildlife away.

Yelling and having loud conversations while in the shower.

Being rude and pretending not to understand English.

You just have to learn to accept that different cultures are different.

I would never accept any of those situations.

You only accept that because you dont want to speak up.

I have no issues with letting someone know what they are doing is wrong doesn't matter what country they are from.

 

[StormyCA]

It is what it is. You can't control other people (for the most part), you can only control your own reaction.

I just try not to get aggravated with sidewalk-stoppers, backpack-bumpers, stroller-stallers, and the like. Most of them are unaware of what they are doing. Yes, I'll speak up nicely if it's a situation that's continual, but most of the time it's easier to just shrug and move on (or step back). Loud or nasty reactions says more about the person reacting, & less about the person causing the problem.

If it's being done deliberately (and that does happen & is usually pretty obvious IMO) then by all means speak up (politely). But realize that a person who would do that in the first place probably isn't going to react very well to being called on it.

I guess I just figure that I'm going to be on this Earth for a long, long time. That few seconds or few minutes I spend being bumped or blocked at an amusement park is just a blip on my life radar. As Elsa says 'Let it Go'.

 

[disnut8]

To add to the personal space thing - when it's just my husband and I at Disney World and we have a tray of food and are looking for a place to sit down, we will ask others if we can join them at their table. We've only been turned down once by a lone female at a table for six. She said she had others joining her. But another family close by spoke up and said they were leaving and we could have their table. While we were sitting there with our food, the "others" joined the lone woman at the table for six. The "others" was another lone woman. We didn't say anything and figured the women wanted to be on their own.

And since we are usually a party of two, if we are at a table with extra seats and see others walking around with full trays, we offer our extra space to them.

So - is that something others would do?

 

[nkereina]

OP, I hear you! This stuff happens at not just WDW but everywhere - the mall and the grocery store are my biggest gripes for this. I swear something zaps people's brains when given a cart in the grocery store

To me, it's not worth saying anything as typically an "excuse me" will suffice and the situation will resolve itself. I do agree with some PPs that folks from other countries while in the World tend to be guilty of not adhering to personal space guidelines. Evidently it's not in their culture. I've experienced someoen from another country standing to close for comfort in line and I'll merely take a step forward, look back, and say excuse me. Most of the time they get the jist. As far as folks walking towards you and going to the left (or not staying to the right), that could just be different customs in their country as well - folks in the UK drive on the left afterall

At the end of the day, these incidents are two seconds out of a 24 hour day so I choose not to make a mountain out of a molehill about it. I chalk it up to people of different customs, along with people who never learned to be aware of their surroundings.

 

[GillianP1301]

I find that personally offensive. I'm not from the US and I would NEVER invade someone's personal space. Neither would anyone I know, most of whom are not Americans. You should no make gross generalisations like that - it's completely out of line.

I agree, to think this is a "non American" issue, is pretty out of touch. There are plenty of inappropriate and rude Americans, just like any other nationality.

There are certainly cultural differences on personal space and I do try to keep that in mind, because I'm not a fan of close contact either, but to me that is different than just outright rude behaviour, i.e. the backpack to the head. And really, even that would not bother me that much if the person showed some remorse for a temporary oversight and apologized to me for it. I know if I accdently bump into somebody, I'm apologizing to them.

 

[aaarcher86]

Depending upon what it is, I speak up.

There was a Spanish woman shoving up against my husbands back during the parade and sticking her arm with her camera in between our heads. She was pushing so hard my husband was actually getting bounced forward. I just turned around, pushed her hand back, and yelled "no." She moved on.

Someone had their teenager hopscotch her way between people in the front row waiting for the Hs parade and jump into the tiniest open space between a stroller and the rope/tape line about 5 minutes before it started. After her daughter was there she looked at me and asked if it was okay (not sure why she asked me. She was standing in front of someone else's kid a few people over). I just said, "you'll have to ask them, but we've all been waiting here for our spots for half an hour. She's blocking his (kid in stroller) view." The lady next to me mimicked my sentiments, and the mom did as well. The lady pulled her kid out and moved on telling us how rude we were... Okay lady.

Last trip we had been waiting for the MNSSHP fireworks for about 30 minutes. Our kids were sitting in chairs in the Tomorrowland terrace party area, off to the side where there weren't tables. We were a bit back from the edge since the CMs tell you not to put chairs there. Two different times grown men took the small gap between the wall and my kids. I politely asked them to move, and they did. Then a third man with his daughter came in. I politely asked him to move and he completely snapped on me. I ended up saying something along the lines of "yeah, I'm a real dick for asking you not to stand directly in front of my children ." He moved over. Then his wife came and took his old spot! My husband just kind of snapped picked up the chairs with my kids in them and planted them directly at the wall line right against the wife saying something I couldn't make out. The wife started getting snippy and I wedged myself in between her and the chairs, "mind if I squeeze in?" They moved to somewhere else on the terrace.

I'm crazy polite, and hyper aware of other people because of it, but I will absolutely go Cincinasty on rude people. Definitely not afraid to speak up, and in my experience it really only takes one person for everyone who agrees to follow. We've really not had many experiences with rude people in general. Most seem very polite and aware of others.