just back - a couple of observations

[maroney495]

This was our first trip during the summer months. Other than being wet it was a good trip. We did however notice a couple of things that were different from the trips we have made in March and December. The female guests almost wear clothes. This was not limited by age or any other factor. I guess I am just a prude, but bikini tops and SHORT shorts with the waist rolled down to the bikini line are not in my opinion park wear. We saw this in girls and women from infants to 60(and over). One girl we saw(probably about 16 to 18) had on a white bikini top and a little white jean skirt that started at the bikini line and ended barely at the bottom of her bottom, the front placket was unbuttoned and folded back reveiling what apprared to be lacey white underwear. I guess in my old age (I don't really consider myself old but) I am just being a "foogy" but I didn't like having it plastered everywhere for my 14 year old son to see and to have to keep reminding him to keep his eyes elsewhere. Oh well our next trip will be in December and there should not be as much skin showing. Oh yeah, those shorts/pants with the messages on the rump? They are not limited to the young, we saw several "mature" women with them on.
Second observation, we encountered more people smoking in the parks (not in designated areas) this trip than we have in our last three trips combined. It seemed that everywhere we went it was bad. AT MGM one day while walking down one section we encountered 6 different people walking by us smoking. At least 2 CMS looked right at them and said nothing. While at the ropes waiting for the parade one night at MK a women 4 people down was smoking and hiding it from a CM across the road by cupping it in her hand and turning her back to take a puff. We heard her tell her DH/SO that she was not suppose to be smoking there.

 

[Pluto]

We got back a couple of weeks ago and I too noticed more people smoking all around us. In fact while walking thru AK I had to grab DD, who is 12 and as tall as me, because she was heading right next to this women who had her arm down holding her cigarette and it would have burned DD's arm or hand! We also had a smoker in line with us, I think it was Peter Pan, one of those very closed in areas. I didn't see them but I could smell it and then they came on and reminded everyone no smoking in line.

 

[addie]

I agree what with you on the modesty issue. Don’t get me wrong, I know it’s hot, but bikinis are not park wear. The people that wear those things in the parks must not have teenage sons!

It is difficult to teach your boys kids to keep their minds clean, when you have girls their age running around in their underwear.

Unfortunately most people would really never give their dress selection a second thought, and would never think that by dressing in provocative ways they were offending others.

One things for sure my daughters will never be allowed to wear clothing that shows their underwear in public!

OK, I know I sound like an old nag, but that's just my 2 cents on the issue

 

[Daxx]

I agree w/what everyone says here. We got back almost 2 weeks ago and the way the teen girls dressed was awful! We were in line at Rock 'n Roller coaster and this girl is hanging out of her tank top. Well, she looks down and I'm thinking she's going to pull it up a bit ... but no ... she pulls it down more to display even more cleavage!!! I was appalled! I don't want to look at it ... and sure don't want my child to look at it either!

As for the smoking ... I was stunned to see so many people light up just where ever! I knew that last time we were at WDW (ok, so it was 3 yrs. ago) the smokers stayed in their designated smoking area. I was almost burned by someone's cigarette and had to steer my child around another person w/a cigarette dangling low.

I don't know why the no smoking policy is not being enforced!??! I don't care that people want to smoke, but if Disney policy is to do it in special areas, then abide by that policy!!!

 

[CarolA]

The teen girls did not bother me. I don't even think I noticed any. I was more disturbed by older women who seemed to have no shame. I walked past one woman who is heavier than I am (and I could stand to lose a few pounds) wearing Daisy Duke shorts and a string tank top tucked into her bra. There were rolls of fat just falling all over the place. The funny thing is this woman was with two girls, both of whom were much better dressed then this thing I presume was thier mother.

Also, ladies if you are larger then a "B" cup WEAR A BRA!

As for the smoking. I can't blame the CMs. Would you want to spend 8 to 10 hours a day telling these people to put out thier smokes? I am sure they get some abuse when they do ask and they probably just try to avoid it. I actually do it for them. I will look at someone and say " I would appreaciate it if you would put that out!" I have been cussed out royally and I am sure the CMs have too.

 

[minnieluvzmickey]

My husband read your report and has decided that he wants to go in June next year......Thanks ALOT!!! haha

 

[punkin]

We went in May during a real heat wave (95+ and very humid). I don't remember seeing anything too outrageous. I think the OP is a little sensitive because his/her teeneaged son can't keep his eyes off the girls. Hey, it's part of growing up.
As for the smoking, it is rude to smoke in non designated areas, but everytime I smelled smoke (and I'm extremely sensitive to it) we were near a designated area and it just carries.

 

[disneyjunkie]

I guess I'm strange because the clothes don't bother me at all.

I think people should be proud of how they look. It takes a
lot of self esteem for a heavy person to dress the way
they want without worrying about what other may think. As long as they are comfortable and enjoying themselves, I could care less what anyone is wearing.

My son is 11, he'll be 12 in October. He's at the point where he'll stare at a girl no matter what's she's wearing, tight shirt, or paper bag, he doesn't care.

 

[loriandmatt]

I am LMAO about CarolA's post!!! I just spent and entire weekend searching for the perfect bra for our WDW trip. I would never be caught dead in public without one and i worry about how "offensive" i might be to others by wearing a thick stapped tank top and have my bra staps sitck out a bit.

I guess i am the only one worrying about such things.

-lori

 

[caitycaity]

the 3rd week of august i'll be the overweight woman wearing a tank top, so look out.

i'm sorry if my being overweight or having a bra strap showing here and there is offensive to some, but i'm not going to wear a long sleeve shirt just because i'm overweight. it's HOT down there!

 

[philaround]

Me & DW were also down there Memorial Day Weekend thru June 7th. We did see some very revealing clothing and some inappropriate attire but for the most part that was around the pools. If there was much of this around the parks we did not notice as there was so much around to keep our attention.

As a recent ex-smoker [1 week when we got there] I did notice the smoking in non designated areas. I must say that the worst park was MGM [we also saw a large group of smokers walk right past some CM's who just ignored them]. Epcot and AK were the next worst with MK seeming to be the most compliant. Nowhere did we see any CM request that a smoker put their cigarette out.

Maybe Disney needs to ban smoking completely. I know that if I hadn't already quit, that a ban on smoking at WDW would be just the thing to get me to quit.

Maybe they could do this in steps over several months by slowly reducing the number of authorized smoking areas, with making all resorts smoke free the final step.

 

[ToriLammy]

I just returned from a two week trip where we spent time at both Universal/IOA and WDW. I saw more people smoking at Universal/IOA than at WDW. As a smoker I notice when others are smoking in other than "designated" areas and I really didn't see that many at WDW. One thing to keep in mind, the more people around the more likely you are to see someone breaking the rules. If you are used to going during a slower season then yeah, you are likely to see less people breaking the rules. Given the size the crowd and the few people I actually saw smoking in other than designated areas I think most smokers were following the rules.

 

[natcam1996]

I have to admit to getting a chuckle (and needing one) about part of this post since this is my first day back at work after our WDW stay (10 nights ending on 7/3). I will say (yes, I'm a guy) that I did notice lot of "exposure" ("Oh honey, I was just looking at that beautiful landscaping over there" he says to his wife). On the other hand, a lot of it is not what I would want my daughter to wear when she's old enough to make those decisions (she's 7 now). I guess I'm in that mode of "if they don't care how they look why should I." But I see this in a lot of places now besides Disney. If you have a teenage boy with the "galloping hormone" syndrome, I can see where it might be more of an issue.

The smoking in non-designated areas was worse than I remembered it for the last few years and I saw no CMs tell anyone to stop. I going to do a different rant about that when I get around to my trip report.

 

[PhotobearSam]

I don't think that is what the OP meant...

I'm a size 28 and I saw women there in Feb that were bigger than me and had their boobs hanging out and bikini tops with daisy dukes on.

I'm all for not being hot but then their is just overkill. I also saw women who wore tank tops and shorts that looked perfectly fine. There is a fine line between ok and unacceptable and some people actually do cross it.

On average, as long as it does not look trashy...I'm okay with small clothes on large people but when they look worse than the hookers on the street...Then I have a problem.

Just my 2 cents

 

[NotUrsula]

Recently, a co-worker of DH's announced that she was having issues with her 18 yo son not wanting to tour parks w/ Mom & Dad. DH suggested that she just send him to a water park. She said that he wasn't big on swimming, to which DH replied, "if you are an 18 y.o. male, waterparks are not about swimming." She was actually shocked at the idea that a teenager might girl-watch at a water park!

If women and girls go to a public place scantily dressed, young men (and older men, too) are going to look. I really don't see at all why they shouldn't look, as long as they are not making vulgar remarks &/or visibly drooling, so to speak.

DH tells me it takes practice to learn to girl-watch discreetly!
Seriously, I think it's something of a good opportunity for kids of both sexes to learn to appreciate the art of recognizing the line between tasteful and trashy.

 

[georgina]

I've been shopping with my 13 year old DD this summer, and the style of clothing in the stores is low waists and very short shorts. We struggle with what is appropriate for her to wear. She's not allowed to wear very short shorts to school, but as long as everything is covered, I allow them in the summer. I enjoy seeing what other people are wearing in the parks, and very little bothers me much. Smoking, however, does bother me!

 

[DrTomorrow]

I knew there was a reason we should have gone in July instead of August!

Seriously, as a former teen-aged boy who just had my own son graduate from college, I assure you that, not only is (young) men looking at the opposite sex normal and natural, it will occur regardless of what the opposite sex is dressed in.

And personally, I'd be much more concerned if my son were smoking than if he was checking out the young ladies. Not having a daughter, I can only guess, but I'd probably be more worried if they were puffing on cancer sticks than showing a little extra cheek.

 

[philaround]

How times change.
There is a story in my family from when my mother and her brothers and sisters were in their teens and twenties. It seems that their mom, my grandmother, started letting them have their cousins and friends come over the house on Friday and Saturday nights to party. Back then a party was sitting around the parlor talking, smoking, and listening to the radio. After several weeks of all the "kids" disapearing every Friday and Saturday evening the mother of one of the girls that was going to the parties followed her to see what was up. She waited outside my grandmother's house for a while and saw all the other boys and girls showing up, getting more upset as time went by. She then came in the front hall and came up the stairs to the parlor [in the days when front doors were never locked] and found about 20 boys and girls laughing and dancing and [gasp] smoking. She ordered her daughter to leave with her immediatly and told her daughter that she could never again associate with all these harlots and gigilos. Well my grandmother came into the parlor to see what all the yelling was about and let this woman have it with both barrels. The woman never spoke to my grandmother again and even tried to get her charged with running a cat house in the neighborhood. Everyone knew my grandmother very well and sided with her in the dispute. They all loved that their children had someplace safe and secure to go to right in their own neighborhood.
The only thing that was able to stop the gatherings was WWII.

 

[Strings]

The clothing thing doesn't bother me. The smoking in non-designated areas does bother me. My DD and DH have asthma, and there is not room in my schedule for a trip to the er because some inconsiderate person can't wait 10 minutes to light up.

 

[Miscrapper]

It is not just teen boys who maybe should not see this but young girls as well. I have 2 dd's ages 9 and 12 and they never dress like that. I refuse to buy them shorts with writing across behind. They do wear tank tops and somewhat shorts but they always look nice - just dressed for hot weather.

I too am heavier than I should be and I wear shorts and tank tops when it is hot but I by no means let fat rolls or breasts or anything hang out.

We saw nothing like this on our Sept 2000 visit - even though it was hot! I hope we are lucky again this fall.