How are British visitors viewed?

[orchidvilla]

Hi.... i have been going to Orlando since early 90's and was quite shocked that the "locals" (ment with utmost respect to the Americans) were kind courtious and helpfull as when they come over to England quite a few i come across are brash and arrogant.
This totaly changed my opinion of the Americans to the point i bought a villa and now all my vacation is spent in Florida.
The only down side is Imigration attitude to me, if i say i am staying in my villa then its a very offish attitude, if i say its a vacation stay then its still offish but not so bad.
Only ever once io have not tipped and that was when i was at Bahama Breeze as the Chef was not very kind to a server and took it out on her by giving my starter to another server, i saw this and stormed down to the counter and told the chef to stay where he was and told the server to get the manager (unfortunatly he was in earshot). I demanded the chef explain himself to me and the manager what was going on and he reluctantly told us, he was dismissed on the spot and i had the meal complimentry and when the server came over i did give her a good tip

Malcolm

 

[POLY1985]

My DH and I met a wonderful couple at the cabana bar at Typhoon Lagoon in 2003. We had a great afternoon chatting with them about our respective countries. They had 3 girls, we had 2 boys who were all playing in the wave pool. It was SO interesting. They were surprised with how many TV's we had and we were suprised with how much vacation time they get (DH only ever gets 2 weeks). We always remember the experience as something we enjoyed and hope to meet more Brit's on our next trip. They have always been very friendly to us.

 

[bytheblood]

I love the British personally. I would not know you are British unless I talk to you and you told me so.


I will say honestly, a lot people I have known hold the stereo-type that the Bristish hate Americans, which make the British rude 'to them'. Again, this is not my opinion, but one I have heard more times than not about people in the UK in general.

Of course, people think all of us that live in Texas have big hats, drive trucks, own horses and listen to country music. I have an Infiniti, would never wear a cowboy hat, hate country music and can't have a horse in the city even if I wanted one.

People hold the stereo-type New Yorkers are all rude. Not true! I find people in Dallas to be much worse than people in NY.

People hold the stereo-type that Bostonites are all snobs...again, not true.

So, maybe the server was one who held a negative opinion or stereo-type of British people or perhaps the other couple did some conning to get a table. Either way, I would not worry about it. As noted before, people are people, some are nice and some are not.

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

My wife and I met two British couples one afternoon at the Rose and Crown and the 6 of us ended up hanging out that night, scoring tickets for Better Than Ezra at House of Blues and hitting Pleasure Island afterwards. We had a great time that night! I can't recall one Brit who I've met that hasn't had the ablitity to have a good time while at Disney. Besides, it isn't exactly a secret that most Americans are a sucker for a British accent.

 

[princess22]

How can you tell if someone is British from their appearance? Unless someone specifically told me that they were from Britain or another country I would never fully be able to know where they are from. When in WDW I assume that some people are from Britain because of the way they pronounce certain words or pattern speech. I never really thought much about it. Anyone that I have assumed was from Britain seemed okay to me. I have never seen anything that would be considered embarassing. But I guess that is relative.

1. Not just Man United, but some where other Football tops also!

2. They are either really red or really white.

3. They normally have new tennis shoes on also!

If you are English, please don't take offense to this. I am half English myself, my mother is English and I was actually born near Oxford and lived in England til I was 8. I live near Orlando now, and when we go to Disney we play Spot the Brit. A point for each one. (we also play spot the crocs)!!


In response to the main topic of the thread however, I worked at Disney for 4 years while going to college. English people were a hot topic in the breakroom, but because of how nice they are! I dont' think I ever heard another CM complain about a rude English person. All the other CM's used to love how nice they were and said "Cheers" to everything!

 

[Booknut]

I do think that quite a few of us now who go to Disney or anywhere in the U.S. are familiar with your tipping policy.

To be fair though, its not that the British are poor tippers. Its just that in Europe, generally, people who wait at tables are paid a living wage. So on top of that we might tip 10% for good service, maybe a bit more, I suppose it depends on what that person is like!

I do find it strange that you would pay someone such a bad wage and then expect them to make up the difference in tips but it is the way it is!

We love visiting the U.S. and plan on going back many more times (especially after baby is born!). And we really love how friendly everyone is. It's been nice reading all the stuff you guys have written!

Cheers!

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

I do think that quite a few of us now who go to Disney or anywhere in the U.S. are familiar with your tipping policy.

To be fair though, its not that the British are poor tippers. Its just that in Europe, generally, people who wait at tables are paid a living wage. So on top of that we might tip 10% for good service, maybe a bit more, I suppose it depends on what that person is like!

I do find it strange that you would pay someone such a bad wage and then expect them to make up the difference in tips but it is the way it is!

We love visiting the U.S. and plan on going back many more times (especially after baby is born!). And we really love how friendly everyone is. It's been nice reading all the stuff you guys have written!

Cheers!

Funny...I spend a lot of time in Amsterdam visiting a number of friends that I made during college. Anyway, whenever we go out to eat, I always ask what I should tip and my Dutch friends typically say "I don't know...a couple bucks maybe...really whatever you like...". As an American, it blows my mind that there isn't a set tipping standard, especially seeing that as a foreign guest, I'm all about making sure that I'm not viewed as some kind of clueless yokel who stiffs some poor waiter or waitress. I end up tipping what I do in the States, between 20-25%. Not that I mind at all, I just figure that servers in European countries simply expect more in the way of gratuities from Americans. Tipping's big part of our culture.

 

[Otter49]

Didn't read the whole thread but this is an easy one for us. We encounter Brits often at the parks and in Celebration.

We like the Brits a lot and very rarely encounter someone we don't care for or who is exhibiting boorish behavior. Sadly for me, Americans, while not rude as a whole, can be much ruder than Europeans.

Also, British children are generally much better behaved and much more polite than American kids.

And yes, it's possible, often, to identify a Brit by appearance. The sunburn for starters, and the propensity of middle aged and older British women to wear tube tops. Sorry, go ahead and flame me but it's often true.

My wife, who has a lot of CM years behind her is almost never wrong.

 

[Bill From PA]

I didn't read many of the posts, I'm responding to the original. I trace my ancestry back to the coal mines of Wales, with a little English and Scottish tossed in, and my favorite ride in WS is the Rose & Crown. I've thoroughly enjoyed every encounter I've had with a guest from the British Isles, and I agree with a previous poster that, with the exception of certain South American Youth tour groups, the worst behavior to be seen in WDW originates with Americans.

Bill From PA

 

[huge mickey fan]

I have to say that I don't consider one nationality anymore rude or snobbish than any other. I think it is awful that the CM wouldn't seat you. Maybe the other couple missed their priority seating time or some other explanation. I don't know about other people but I treat people no different because of where they come from. I say cool that you spend your hard earned money in our country. Hopefully I will return the favor someday!! As far as the tipping goes I would truly hope that servers at WDW do not request no more Brits in their section. Talk about Rude!! If I ever heard someone actually say that I would be embarassed for them and talk to the management. Not to mention less of a tip!!! I know plenty of Americans who aren't great tippers for whatever reason, I don't think it is fair to say that one group is any worse than others.

 

[diddldonna]

I can always spot the Brits from a mile away because the men are always wearing their football jerseys, and sometimes their shoes too

Oh so true my hubby has brought a new one just for our trip in November and taking his other 3 football shirts. WHY! because we found out by accident on our last trip that it was a great talking point. As it was a local team we support on one of the t-shirts, we had lots of people come up and say hello from our area, including a couple who lived only 5 minutes away. Also my hubby got talking to americans who had been to the uk and heard of the team, which isn't as well known as many.

While on our visits we found everyone friendly what ever their nationality. I love the americans, i find them very chatty.

Donna

 

[ead79]

Don't worry, I think we've all seen people from our own country embarrass us while traveling. Sometimes you just have to shake your head and hope that people don't think all Americans (in my case) act that poorly.

As far as British travelers go, I have only encountered polite people while at WDW. I'm sure you here this a lot, but I love listening to the British accent. Now if you want me to admit something funny, DH and I can often spot Europeans by their shoes. There's just something different about the shoes Europeans wear compared to ours here.

 

[dkostel]

My impression of Brits is that they are more polite than Americans. I would bet, in this situation, that either the other couple made a fuss about not being seated, or they just looked like they would.

 

[bopper]

I didn't read many of the posts, I'm responding to the original. I trace my ancestry back to the coal mines of Wales, with a little English and Scottish tossed in, and my favorite ride in WS is the Rose & Crown.
Bill From PA

Methinks you are having a few too many if the Rose and Crown is a ride!

 

[robynv]

Ahh .... I am SUCH a sucker for the British accent!! I could listen to it all day even if you were only talking about boring things.! I am in love with your country! ( DH says I am a reincarnated Brit) I spent 5 days in London last year and cried on the plane back home...

So I love the British. You are welcome here!!

 

[hogwartsdropout]

Aww, you're all so lovely about us Brits!

 

[tkd lisa]

I've met a number of British families over our past two years of many Disney visits. I have to say that overall, I have a very high opinion of them. Just like anyone, there are bad apples. But in general, the people are friendly and pleasant.

As an example, last April I noticed a man smoking on a bridge at Blizzard Beach. I tapped him on the shoulder and said "Excuse me. This park is non-smoking except in designated areas." He answered (and then I realized he was British) by saying "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know. I just assumed you could always smoke outdoors. Do you know where the designated area is?" I have to say that I've been told off by many Americans when I've asked them not to smoke in front of me at Disney.

 

[undertheseas]

Love the British! My kids especially enjoy hearing the accent, then my DD tries to imitate it. We have met several nice English families, they have always been very polite and well behaved. And hey, you gave us the fish and chips so what's not to love? I agree that generally the idea of British reserve might have been what the difference between giving the table to you or the American family.

 

[marivaid]

As an American, it blows my mind that there isn't a set tipping standard, especially seeing that as a foreign guest, I'm all about making sure that I'm not viewed as some kind of clueless yokel who stiffs some poor waiter or waitress. I end up tipping what I do in the States, between 20-25%.

In the US, the servers are paid minimum wage and by tipping you're actually paying their salary. It doesn't work that way in Europe, where servers are paid a lot more by the employer. Tipping is becoming more popular in Europe especially in upscale places but it's definitely not a custom.

A server here is paid at least 5 times what he'd get in the States. There's no need for you to tip him 25% on top of it. Don't worry, your server is not getting stiffed. He gets a nice paycheck every month with full social security benefits, gets paid double for overtime etc...

My ex boyfriend who works in a Bistrot Romain (chain restaurant) never makes less than 2500 euros a month WITHOUT tips. Just to give you an idea, that is more than what a school teacher earns.


When we're in the US we tip 15-20% depending on service.We may have been clueless the first time we went, but we learned fast (I still remember the cab driver in who yelled at us "ME TIP!" after he got us LOST in the middle of Newark at 1am).

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

I have to say that I don't consider one nationality anymore rude or snobbish than any other.

Exactly! My own thought on this is that people are people and their level of politeness is a personal trait. Most people I've met have been very nice but there have been exceptions, regardless of what nationality they are.

Since this thread is specific to our friends in the UK, I can honestly say that the most arrogant and boorish person I've ever met was from the UK (I worked for him for a little over 2 years) but I don't assume everyone from the UK is like that...I've met many who were very nice people. Again, it's an individual thing, nothing to do with nationality.

Lee