How to handle crazies?

[Poohchum]

We were in Disney last week and had an awesome time. Most of the people that you meet are great, but we ran into a bizarre family. How would you handle this?

We arrived at Blizzard Beach at rope drop. We found a nice cabana in the Ski Patrol area,then we set up camp. The park was not full at all. In fact, there were empty cabanas all around us. The five of us put our towels on five chairs and put our lunch items on a table. Then we went off for some fun!

When we got back an hour later, a lady was sitting at our picnic table and her husband and daughter were moving chairs into our cabana. I politely said "Do you realize that we have already set up our things in this area?" At first she ignored me, then she said, "Are you talking to me?"

She was an odd one. She told me that this was public place and anyone could be there. True, but there were plenty of available spots. I politely suggested that she move to a different space. Then she and her husband started yelling at me that I should move. At this point I told them that I was going to get a manager to help with the situation. Unfortuately, a manager never came. While I was gone my teenage daughter tried to reason with them, but they yelled at her, too.

What would you have done?

 

[TDC Nala]

If there were plenty of space available, I'd have just moved.

 

[marie1203]

You said there was plenty of other space I would of just grab my stuff and move. I mean they were being rude you weren't going to get anywhere trying to talk to them.

 

[minushka72]

I would have just picked up my stuff and moved too.

 

[ToddyLu]

What the h*** are people thinking these days. That family is very bizarre. Did you move your stuff or did the manager handle it?

 

[Brook1099]

would have sat on her husbands lap, like one big happy family that maybe would have ticked her off! just kidding u know!
I have no patience for ignorant people anymore. I would probably have said a few choice words, asking where are u from, are u always this ignorant and left.

 

[mrbghd]

While I understand those that say pick up your stuff and move that is, in my opinion, the wrong answer. These people were bullies and they need to be stood up to. Whether you get firm with them or whether you get a park employee. The reason they and people like them do this is because people have the "I'll just move to avoid the conflict" attitude. As long as people let them get away with it, it will continue. I am not advocating a physical confrontation or to do anything you are uncomfortable with. I have had a similar thing happen to my wife and I and I politely gathered their things up for them and placed them into a pile on the sidewalk, while they watched in shock. Again I do not encourage this, but the rude family left without saying another word to me or anyone.

 

[larryz]

uncultured barbarians. I would have gone for a manager.

 

[metzgardesign]

I would have pulled off their heads and placed them on poles outside the cabana as a warning to other potential ne'er-do-wells.

 

[mrbghd]

I would have pulled off their heads and placed them on poles outside the cabana as a warning to other potential ne'er-do-wells.

*standing and applauding*

 

[jayandstacey]

I would have pulled off their heads and placed them on poles outside the cabana as a warning to other potential ne'er-do-wells.

Zactly.

The interlopers know that:
- Most people will slink away
- A manager won't take the stand that chairs are 'owned' so what's left is an aribitration. Which they'll stand up to, ending in a waste of time and the prior people slinking away anyway.

So as someone else mentioned with the "sit in their lap" comment, if you don't want to slink away, you have to out-crazy them, and find THEIR trigger. Sitting in their lap, or very close to them, or being noisy, or messy, or stinky - these may work. Usually a family like this is led by one bold bully and the rest are pretty normal - evenually the uncomfortable normal ones will side with you against the bad seed leader.

So I would actually NOT focus on or come close to the apparent alpha dog, rather the rest. Be as passive agressive as possible, which is to say that you don't recognize their existence, yet make it very clear that every action (and a continuous, unrelenting wave of actions) is directed at them, with no end in sight.

I'd focus on personal space. If they took the chairs, sit right next to the chairs and in a way that intermingles their people with yours. Continually fold towels and bring more things into the space (towels, food, etc). Start a song like 99 bottles of beer on the wall, or a game like "I'm going on a picnic". And at any point they give up some space, quickly fill in the gap and expand your domain.

And have some fun with it. They took your space for their benefit, take it back in a way that is for yours.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Unless you pay to rent one of the rental areas, there isn't much you can do other than stay with your stuff to keep others out. I know the larger covered areas usually get multiple groups camping out under them. So unless you have enough stuff to spread way out, others are going to come into "your" space.

We'll get to the park when it opens and find a spot to camp out. We try to avoid the large spaces that will hold lots of people, since we are usually a group of three. So we'll hunt down an umbrella, put two loungers under it, maybe one other chair and all our stuff.

If you really want a private space, you need to rent either the premier spaces (like $250 a day with free towels, free water, refillable mugs and someone to get them refilled for you) or the less pricey spaces where you get a space and a couple of chairs for about $50 a day. The more expensive spots are usually right near the main areas.

But moving your stuff? Not very nice.

 

[PlainJane]

I'm going to be in the minority here. I get annoyed with people who leave there stuff in a public place and then go on there merry way. The area then goes unused for who knows how long until they decide to come back. If there aren't already rules against such activity, I really wish some would be implemented.

Would I ever move their stuff? No, I wouldn't.

 

[bluejasmine]

No I say I would have gotten a manager. What the OP did was different than the ppl who put their stuff on tables and chairs at the pool leave for hours and expect to have those chairs waiting on them.

What the OP did was put their stuff in the cabana and then proceed to go swim so coming back they should have been able to enjoy it, first come, first serve! Its just like going to the pool, putting your towel on a chair then taking a swim, you can go back and use the chair!

I agree bullies shouldnt get away with acting like that..

 

[TandLMommy28]

OK, if all the seats in the whole place were taken I could understand where they were coming from saying "Well you left so tough!" because really, the seats weren't being used.

But what kind of person in THEIR RIGHT MIND sees EMPTY seats and CHOOSES to sit at a seat where other people's stuff is already laid out??? That's just weird, rude and obnoxious.

If it were me and they had done that, I would've just pulled up more chairs and sat down with them. Out-weird the weirdos.

 

[Lizzybee]

Weird people are scary and you aren't going to teach them a lesson during a day at the waterpark. Gather your children and back away from them slowly so they know just how bizarre and scary you think they are. "Step away from those weird people kids, they are clearly not normal. No sudden movements or that might provoke them to attack, they are obviously savages."

Seriously though, people who behave like that aren't going to benefit from anything you could tell them. It's best to get away from them rather than to confront them. Are they wrong - ABSOLUTELY! Is proving them wrong and making them admit they are wrong worth ruining your day at the waterpark - ABSOLUTELY NOT! Before I stand up for myself in a situation I always analyze what I plan to gain. In this particular situation, you have nothing to gain. They would not give your spot back and you would not teach them to have better manners. So if there were open tables, I say move to the OTHER side of the park away from the cray cray family

 

[KellyNY]

I would have pulled off their heads and placed them on poles outside the cabana as a warning to other potential ne'er-do-wells.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Sorry, I'm with the "next time, don't leave your stuff in a public place" crowd.

 

[2Tiggies]

I would have moved. They were wrong, without question, but anyone who thinks it is okay to move into an area where other people have clearly already occupied are not likely to respond to any logical reasoning and quite frankly, it just wouldn't be worth my time.

The other approach, as the OP and others have said, would be to call a manager. There are some things that you may be capable of dealing with, but which are best left to someone officially in authority.

You get weirdos everywhere in the real world and unfortunately some of them wind up in Disney we we are there and we have to deal with their behavior.

 

[disEAR]

Never leave your stuff unattended or out of sight in a public place.