Just Back - ***TOUR GROUP RANT!!**

[akozlosk]

Oh No! I'm arriving on Wednesday and I hope that most of the groups will be gone! We have the problem with tour groups on the West Coast too! We are not traveling with any impressionable young children, so I might just have to come off as the "Ugly American Old Lady Witch"! LOL

 

[Dizzyworld]

Trust me, you are NOT alone in being super annoyed.

As a CM, we basically are powerless to do anything. No matter how hard we try, they refuse to listen to us. They act like they don't understand English (which, ok, some may not understand much, but they can at least understand hand gestures!), don't listen, are extremely rude and talkative, and completely disregard everything that is considered proper public behavior.

I was working on Commissary Lane in DHS, and was the only CM back there at that time, and two tour groups basically just plopped down in the middle of the road to take a break. They left probably only maybe a two foot pathway for everyone to go through. I tried all I could, but nothing. It was INSANE.

All I can say is THANK GOD for the Super Greeters we have... the special CMs who can speak Portugese and are specifically assigned to be translators. They at least can do SOMETHING.

SO glad July is almost over and the tour groups are starting to die down...

Just curious, but since you are a CM maybe you can help me understand.......Why can't security be called to help stop the line cutting, pushing, yelling on rides wrecking it for everyone else or they would be escorted out of the park?

Thanks.

 

[si-am]

Not really sure what the purpose of these threads are? If you don't like the tour groups, don't go in July. The fact is, they have just as much a right to be there as any of us.

Now, if you witnessed rude behaviour, or safety issues, then you speak to a CM. Just as if you witness an American breaking a rule or someone from another country - if anyone breaks a rule that is a safety concern, then speak to a CM.

Some people book their trips in July without knowing anything about the tour groups.

And, as a CM just said earlier in the thread, they are sort of powerless over the groups.

 

[blestmom]

People have beat you to that idea. They are already on there...
here is just one of many....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhAtKHn88Xw&NR=1

That was me.

The video was taken during a trip in January. The worst incident I saw with the tour groups occurred in Epcot. It was in the evening, and they were going from country to country in the World Showcase, chanting very loudly.

But that wasn't the worst part.

This was...

They were all linked together in like a big line. They were physically blocking the path from others, and would even bump into other guests going the other way. Some were elderly, and some were parents with young kids. The parents were quickly trying to get their little ones out of the way before they got physically separated by the tour group. The teens were laughing, and apparently thought this was very funny.

It was really a sad sight to see.

 

[Jennasis]

Does anyone know WHAT they are chanting or what the cultural significance of the chanting is? We went in July YEARS agon (I think it was 2000) and they were terrible then.

While I do blame them for the continued rudeness, I blame Disney for doing nothing about it.

Another reason to avoid July...heat...crowds...tour groups!

 

[DISNEY1975]

Does anyone know WHAT they are chanting or what the cultural significance of the chanting is? We went in July YEARS agon (I think it was 2000) and they were terrible then.

While I do blame them for the continued rudeness, I blame Disney for doing nothing about it.

Another reason to avoid July...heat...crowds...tour groups!

I speak Portuguese and have been watching the youtube videos. They seem to just be singing what we could consider camp songs...like "I said a boom chick a boom" and that sort. Childhood songs that everyone knows.

 

[Jennasis]

I speak Portuguese and have been watching the youtube videos. They seem to just be singing what we could consider camp songs...like "I said a boom chick a boom" and that sort. Childhood songs that everyone knows.

IS this type of behavior normal IN Brazil? Or do they just save it for WDW?

 

[wtccheermom]

Trust me, you are NOT alone in being super annoyed.

As a CM, we basically are powerless to do anything. No matter how hard we try, they refuse to listen to us. They act like they don't understand English (which, ok, some may not understand much, but they can at least understand hand gestures!), don't listen, are extremely rude and talkative, and completely disregard everything that is considered proper public behavior.

I was working on Commissary Lane in DHS, and was the only CM back there at that time, and two tour groups basically just plopped down in the middle of the road to take a break. They left probably only maybe a two foot pathway for everyone to go through. I tried all I could, but nothing. It was INSANE.

All I can say is THANK GOD for the Super Greeters we have... the special CMs who can speak Portugese and are specifically assigned to be translators. They at least can do SOMETHING.

SO glad July is almost over and the tour groups are starting to die down...

I swear if I would have seen that it would have taken everything out of me not to take push my stroller right through that crowd who were blocking the street. I would not do that because I would not want to set a bad example for my 2 children but boy it would have been tempting.

 

[wtccheermom]

These threads always crack me up! We've probably logged more WDW July park hours than all combined posters on this thread, as we've been going every July for 2 weeks straight for 10 years! At some point, we've been in Disney during every day in July!

We found the tour groups to be less this year, than in year's past. We did leave the parks on July 12th, but up to then, there weren't as many as in past years. They never bother us, nor do we get bothered by chanting or the like. We've walked in the middle of the tour groups with our stroller, and have not been bothered, we've had some of the teens return an autograph book that fell out of my daughter's hands just this past trip, etc. Honestly, people are so hot and bothered on here about the tour groups, that they go looking for problems. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy, IMHO. Will there be some rude behaviour? Sure, just like there is in all parts of the parks. The only thing that is common with the groups is the Fastpass ticket situation, and seeing mostly exhausted groups of teens sitting on the curb over 1 hour before fireworks in order to secure seats. Besides that, no problems for us in the thousands upon thousands of WDW park hours we've logged.

As I've commented on many times, we have witnessed more rude behaviour by Americans - both adults and teens alike. We were cut in line, banged into, and stepped on by rude American parents who were impatient this past trip. Not Brazilian teens...

Not really sure what the purpose of these threads are? If you don't like the tour groups, don't go in July. The fact is, they have just as much a right to be there as any of us.

Now, if you witnessed rude behaviour, or safety issues, then you speak to a CM. Just as if you witness an American breaking a rule or someone from another country - if anyone breaks a rule that is a safety concern, then speak to a CM.

Cutting in line, making noise and standing around are not exclusive to Brazilain teens, as we see lots of this by other groups of people as well.

Tiger

If you have no use for threads on this specific topic why even bother chiming in? The title clearly stated its nature.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

One example - in EPCOT, my DD and I got up early, were at RD and walking behind the cast member, as instructed. As we got toward The Land - from the left came 3 group leaders (must have come from breakfast??) they went in front of the CMs, ignored the CM's when asked to stay behind, physically PUSHED people out of their way to get to the machines and then proceeded to take 3 machines to do their tickets. This was not an isolated incident. It happened, over and over again. Now, as I said they have the right to get FP's - but not to break rules, and the CM's seemed powerless to stop them.

I can't believe the Cast Members didn't do anything about them, despite all their warnings and these group leaders not listening to them.

 

[rngrblu9]

oh no! we're going in january...

 

[TandLMommy28]

I have never been in July so I have no idea what it's like but the last time I went to the Indy 500 there was a large group of Brazilians in a group at the race and they really ruined my day. They stepped ON ME to get to a different seat--not their assigned seats. They stepped on--not over--lots of people, shoved, screamed obnoxiously, and stole people's seats--seats that other people paid for. If someone up closer got up for a drink,they'd slide up another row and because it was bleacher seats, they'd shove people down and cram a few more people into the empty spot closer--again, not the seat they paid for. They never stayed in the same spot long, continually shoving people out of the way and pushing closer to the better seats (we were sitting on Turn 4 and I think they were headed towards the start line or something). Thankfully they shoved past our hearing range in about an hour or so but it was HORRIBLE in the mean time (this was the year the race pretty much got rained out--2004--and the cars only ran a few laps so there was no engine noise to drown them out!).

I always thought it was an isolated incident with one bad bunch of tourists but the more I read on these boards the more I think that is the norm behavior when Brazilians are on vacation in America? That's just... weird. Do they dislike Americans? Feel they are better than Americans? I don't get it.

 

[AndyFL]

I hadn't been to WDW during July and we went this year 5th-9th and we found the tour groups a little overwhelming. While pushing the stroller up the walkway that leads up from RRC two tour groups decided that RRC was the next hip place to be....I literally felt like I was drowning in teenagers and had to make a quick detour to the drink stand that was to the right. I now know what those animals feel like on the Serengeti when a herd of wildebeest comes their way. Needless to say....July is now OUT of our future plans.

Personally I found most of the groups to be fairly polite...especially considering they were all teenagers...but there were some that were definitely in need of a "controlling authority". My Wife complained that while in line for TOT that one teenage girl practically did a striptease. She said the other mothers weren't pleased in the least.

 

[DISNEY1975]

IS this type of behavior normal IN Brazil? Or do they just save it for WDW?

A little of both.

Brazil is severly underdeveloped and most there have to fight for anything they have. There are lots of large families and kids grow up fighting for attention. The ones on these tours are wealthier/spoiled than most in Brazil. As we Americans have stereotyped the French as being rude, Brazilians steroetyped Americans as being overweight and lazy! After all, their citizens are here doing the jobs Americans dont want to do!! With that mentality, they come here thinking they are doing us a favor, and the girls/woman have the impression they are much better looking than Americans and want to (for lack of a better term) "show off".

In addition, electronics, cars, things that may seem like every day normal items here, come at a premium in Brazil. What is amazingly inexpensive is food, so most create comfort and happiness by having a party with lots of food and free music!! Neighbors, aunts, uncles, cousins etc..always a group around. Just at my husbands parents house lives my BIL, his wife and 2 yo, my SIL, her 2 girls and another SIL with her hubby at 14 yo. They are, by nature, a loud, rowdy group. They have to talk over everyone else just to be heard. In my 10+ times going to Brazil and staying in a residential neighborhood for 2-3 weeks at a time, I can count the number of times there wasnt a party going on at one house or another on one hand. If your birthday is on a Tuesday, there is no waiting until Saturday for your party!! 7days a week is party time. When we go to visit, relatives come from all over to see my husband (and get their presents!!)the party lasts 3 days!

 

[TandLMommy28]

A little of both.

Brazil is severly underdeveloped and most there have to fight for anything they have. There are lots of large families and kids grow up fighting for attention. The ones on these tours are wealthier/spoiled than most in Brazil. As we Americans have stereotyped the French as being rude, Brazilians steroetyped Americans as being overweight and lazy! After all, their citizens are here doing the jobs Americans dont want to do!! With that mentality, they come here thinking they are doing us a favor, and the girls/woman have the impression they are much better looking than Americans and want to (for lack of a better term) "show off".

In addition, electronics, cars, things that may seem like every day normal items here, come at a premium in Brazil. What is amazingly inexpensive is food, so most create comfort and happiness by having a party with lots of food and free music!! Neighbors, aunts, uncles, cousins etc..always a group around. Just at my husbands parents house lives my BIL, his wife and 2 yo, my SIL, her 2 girls and another SIL with her hubby at 14 yo. They are, by nature, a loud, rowdy group. They have to talk over everyone else just to be heard. In my 10+ times going to Brazil and staying in a residential neighborhood for 2-3 weeks at a time, I can count the number of times there wasnt a party going on at one house or another on one hand. If your birthday is on a Tuesday, there is no waiting until Saturday for your party!! 7days a week is party time. When we go to visit, relatives come from all over to see my husband (and get their presents!!)the party lasts 3 days!

Thanks for this. Always helps to see it from the other side a bit.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

I was a CM on the College Program and my roommate was from Brazil (I am still friends with her, she moved to the US) and she says these groups make her embarrassed to be Brazilian!! They *are* the most spoiled and overentitled teenagers Brazil has to offer. I have to say, if we took the top 1% of overspoiled American teens and sent them to a foreign country to play, I don't know if they would behave much better.

The groups are annoying, they know they're annoying and it is part of the fun for them. If I see a big flag, I go in the opposite direction. My FP can wait, I'll find another attraction or sit on a bench somewhere. I avoid them as much as I can help it.

Why does Disney allow it? These groups must pay enough that the higher- ups don't mind them torturing the CM's and guests, because they keep booking and security is rarely called unless there is outright abuse.

My advice is 1) AVOID and 2) if someone in a group hits or pushes you, COMPLAIN or call security. Maybe part of the reason Disney tolerates the misbehavior of these groups is that they don't hear enough guest complaints.

 

[wendy1974]

Does anyone know WHAT they are chanting or what the cultural significance of the chanting is? We went in July YEARS agon (I think it was 2000) and they were terrible then.

I believe it's the theme song from Good Times

 

[blestmom]

oh no! we're going in january...

Our experiences in January have for the most part been great. The episode I talked about was just one time. Most of the time the tour groups were just fine. I wouldn't worry about it. You'll have a great time.

 

[DISNEY1975]

Thanks for this. Always helps to see it from the other side a bit.

I have managed to "Americanize" my hubby a little over the past 20 years..

But when he gets together with his coutrymates..its all out the window...(taken 07/2010 at a NE Revs soccer game against his Brazilian hometown team..Cruzeiros)

 

[AndyFL]

I believe it's the theme song from Good Times

'bout blew beer out my nose on that one