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

[Luvchefmic]

AHA! That's pretty sneaky...Completely missed the horizontal scrollbar at the bottom there. <---Also found this one in the mysterious land of right-scrolling!

NOM NOM NOM

tomorrow...well later today I will pm you with a nice & funny site that is free & requires no downloading for even better "smileys" than the Dis boards provide...goodnight for real this time

 

[*HappyDisneyMom*]

Poor OhioDad, seriously. He was just talking like a typical alpha male, defending his cubs-and he gets bashed? He never said anything about hitting anyone-he was just using macho tough guy talk-what's the big deal? And his teacher comments were only made after he tried to politely defend himself to no avail. Do I blame him for this tiring rant? No. I blame the nit-pickers. And I'm sorry but THIS IS AMERICA-so to a certain extent I'd be more inclined to tolerate loud, obnoxious Americans-than Brazilian tourists! They are coming to OUR country, to enjoy OUR amenities...but I can't forget about those rude americans too right? Wrong. Because again this is our country, and our country is why most of us can afford trips to WDW-so in my head the people who work and contribute to my country come first. And sorry but if a young teen touches my child-you better believe I am not going to STOP and get a CM-I am going to loudly instruct that young person to never lay a hand on my child. Can't call me a cavewoman, for I am a nurse with a Bachelor's Degree-yet another profession that doesn't get the credit it deserves-but I'm not going to cry about it.

 

[palmtreelover08]

If they touched my child to pull them out of the seat, I would go to the closest CM and have them take care of it. If nothing is done about it, I would leave & go to guest services explaining what just happened.. along with where I was at, what color clothing the tour group was wearing and the CM's name who was there. I would then ask for a refund as another PP stated.. I am not going to touch the teen back.. that isn't going to solve anything but it will get me in trouble. Why should I ruin my entire trip due to them.. I don't want to get "thrown out" or escorted out by security because I hauled off and hit a kid.. I would rather leave on my own terms.. letting Disney know by asking for my refund.

I was trying my hardest not go get more involved.. but I CANNOT believe that if someone touched your child, you would calmly go look for a CM to handle the situation. That simply floors me, as I am sure my response is going to floor you. I would grab that teen by their shirt and escort them to the ground. I am going to defend my child (6). No teen will ever touch/move my child and get away with it. I am not going to get a CM involved. Getting my money back would mean nothing to me. Having my child know that I would protect them, that means the world. For the record, I do not curse in front of my child or anyone elses. If my daughter was rude and pushed another child out of the way, I would expect them to push back (and actually hope they would). People will not but in front of me, I paid for my trip and waited in line (that is not to say I would not let someone get in front of me to find their family, but I will not let 20 people get in front of me to be with their friends). If someone is chanting in my ear or chanting at the Indy show so loud you are ruining the experience, I will ask you to stop. (yes, it happened to me over July 4th). If you run into/over me, I will probably just shoot you a look, maybe tell you how rude you are and wait for your response. If you touch my child, game on! (and no, I am not talking about the accidental bump that may occur during the TSM stampede or something like that).. I am talking about when someone physically puts their hands on my child on purpose (such as picking them up out of their chair to move them, or pushing them over on the curb while waiting for the parade. If it is a small child, this is one thing. A teen is a totally different story!)

 

[wdwfan]

I'm coming to this party rather late. I read the original post a few days ago and just returned to see it has blown up and gone from venting about the annoying tour groups to disrespecting teachers. Are you kidding me?

The tour groups are annoying and they do get out of hand and it's true that Disney seems to allow them a looooooong leash so the kids are unruly and very difficult to control and the adults in charge are out numbered and give up or just join in the behavior. That's reality. When I used to go in July if we saw a tour group coming our way, we went the opposite way and fast. We looked for them in lines and either avoided the attractions they were on or kept lots of distance from them. Thankfully, we never got close enough to have them bother us personally. Their behavior speaks for itself, so we avoided them as much as we could.

It is so disheartening to hear the lack of respect that some people have for teachers. Many teachers are dedicated, hard working professionals who truly enjoy helping children reach their potential. Teaching is a calling. One doesn't get into it to become wealthy. It's a selfless profession, and most of those who choose this profession are intelligent people who could have gone into any line of work and they chose teaching.

I spend 7 hours a day with my students. That is more time then most parents spend with their own children. Thankfully, in the 20 years I have worked as a teacher, most of my students' parents have supported me and my efforts to make a difference in the lives of their children.

Teachers are ridiculed and disrespected so much these days. But yet, we hold our nations' future in our hands.... I take my job seriously and there are many more like me. In fact, I've got to sign off now so I can get ready to go teach the summer school class that I volunteered to teach, so that children who need extra support with their academics receive it during the summer months.

I like it when my fellow disers stay on topic, make light of real situations, allow people to vent and understand venting for what it is. This is a great site, so lets keep it that way.

 

[palmtreelover08]

FWIW.. I have the utmost respect for teachers. I am a product manager of a company, who manage 14 people (adults). I cannot begin to imagine managing 25 children. You do hold the future in your hands. On top of that, you have my childs safety in your hands while they are at school. What a huge responsibility! Go Teachers..


OP-Tour Groups happen. Do what you can to avoid them (that is our plan of attack). We actually will see which way they are going and head the other way. What can Disney do about it? I was actually thinking they should give them fast passes, and break them down into a several hour window, for about 15 people at a time. (For example, 15 people in the group get a fastpass from 10:10-12:10 at Splash Mountain, 15 people in the group get fastpass from 10:10-12:10 for Big Thunder).. then it switches. I am sure the guides understand English, so they could be instructed on how to use them. This would sort of force them to tour in smaller groups, and may help avoid the "traffic" and fast-pass issues. Disney is amazing at crowd handling. I am sure they could come up w/something if they wanted to.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

I'm coming to this party rather late. I read the original post a few days ago and just returned to see it has blown up and gone from venting about the annoying tour groups to disrespecting teachers. Are you kidding me?

The tour groups are annoying and they do get out of hand and it's true that Disney seems to allow them a looooooong leash so the kids are unruly and very difficult to control and the adults in charge are out numbered and give up or just join in the behavior. That's reality. When I used to go in July if we saw a tour group coming our way, we went the opposite way and fast. We looked for them in lines and either avoided the attractions they were on or kept lots of distance from them. Thankfully, we never got close enough to have them bother us personally. Their behavior speaks for itself, so we avoided them as much as we could.

It is so disheartening to hear the lack of respect that some people have for teachers. Many teachers are dedicated, hard working professionals who truly enjoy helping children reach their potential. Teaching is a calling. One doesn't get into it to become wealthy. It's a selfless profession, and most of those who choose this profession are intelligent people who could have gone into any line of work and they chose teaching.

I spend 7 hours a day with my students. That is more time then most parents spend with their own children. Thankfully, in the 20 years I have worked as a teacher, most of my students' parents have supported me and my efforts to make a difference in the lives of their children.

Teachers are ridiculed and disrespected so much these days. But yet, we hold our nations' future in our hands.... I take my job seriously and there are many more like me. In fact, I've got to sign off now so I can get ready to go teach the summer school class that I volunteered to teach, so that children who need extra support with their academics receive it during the summer months.

I like it when my fellow disers stay on topic, make light of real situations, allow people to vent and understand venting for what it is. This is a great site, so lets keep it that way.

Thank you!

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

FWIW.. I have the utmost respect for teachers. I am a product manager of a company, who manage 14 people (adults). I cannot begin to imagine managing 25 children. You do hold the future in your hands. On top of that, you have my childs safety in your hands while they are at school. What a huge responsibility! Go Teachers..


OP-Tour Groups happen. Do what you can to avoid them (that is our plan of attack). We actually will see which way they are going and head the other way. What can Disney do about it? I was actually thinking they should give them fast passes, and break them down into a several hour window, for about 15 people at a time. (For example, 15 people in the group get a fastpass from 10:10-12:10 at Splash Mountain, 15 people in the group get fastpass from 10:10-12:10 for Big Thunder).. then it switches. I am sure the guides understand English, so they could be instructed on how to use them. This would sort of force them to tour in smaller groups, and may help avoid the "traffic" and fast-pass issues. Disney is amazing at crowd handling. I am sure they could come up w/something if they wanted to.

ITA! I have no idea why this went off topic.

Also don't stay value in July if you want to avoid them

 

[sleeping beauty 1]

Does Disney approve of hold a line for someone (in this case I mean 50)?

No, that is definitely not something they would want groups to do.

If this happends will Disney do anything about it because I have a temper and am liable to tell everyone of these 50 teenagers to get their butts at the back of the line if Disney CM does not do anything. Im not scared of making a bunch of teenagers angry at me. I have a classroom full of angry teenagers most of the time. Heck I will learn the phrase in Portuguese if I have to to make sure they understand.

I will tell them No and then you can block the path so no more can pass. Although -- some will try to run through an empty FP line and jump over. None of us made room for them and the line did not move when they did this. A group of us told them all to go back and they did -- just get other families to start telling them No and that if they want to be together they go to the end of the line as a group.

If I complain to a CM will they do anything about this?

No -- all of us reported the group to the CMs and they just shrugged their shoulders and said we had to report their color flag to Guest Relations of the park.

Im also not afraid of letting customer relations know that kids laying around in the floor of stores is a violation of fire standards.

That is what to do -- just remember the flag color and report to Guest Relations -- tell others that have seen them to report as well. THe more reports -- the more they have to listen.

Im not letting a bunch of rude teenagers "get their way." They havent met a match like me yet. I will take let them know they need to stop the behavior or Im reporting it to Disney officials with the safty violation that can possibly get them removed from the parks. (How do you say that in Portuguese?) With teenagers if you let them know that they could possible get kicked out they will start acting right trust me. They dont want their parade to end.

That is what I have done in the past too. Most will stop as soon as you say they will be reported to Disney. They know they aren't to be doing it. Oh -- and most understand English quite well -- it is whether they choose to or not.

Hopefuly I wont have anything like that happen!

Hopefully not. I don't have too much of a choice and have to go in July some years and I don't go in thinking they will ruin my time. However, you do need to watch out for them in the lines and such if you have young children -- some of them seem to have a total disregard for young ones.

 

[DizzDoll]

How did this thread get to be 26 pages long????

 

[sleeping beauty 1]

I was trying my hardest not go get more involved.. but I CANNOT believe that if someone touched your child, you would calmly go look for a CM to handle the situation. That simply floors me, as I am sure my response is going to floor you. I would grab that teen by their shirt and escort them to the ground. I am going to defend my child (6). No teen will ever touch/move my child and get away with it. I am not going to get a CM involved. Getting my money back would mean nothing to me. Having my child know that I would protect them, that means the world. For the record, I do not curse in front of my child or anyone elses. If my daughter was rude and pushed another child out of the way, I would expect them to push back (and actually hope they would). People will not but in front of me, I paid for my trip and waited in line (that is not to say I would not let someone get in front of me to find their family, but I will not let 20 people get in front of me to be with their friends). If someone is chanting in my ear or chanting at the Indy show so loud you are ruining the experience, I will ask you to stop. (yes, it happened to me over July 4th). If you run into/over me, I will probably just shoot you a look, maybe tell you how rude you are and wait for your response. If you touch my child, game on! (and no, I am not talking about the accidental bump that may occur during the TSM stampede or something like that).. I am talking about when someone physically puts their hands on my child on purpose (such as picking them up out of their chair to move them, or pushing them over on the curb while waiting for the parade. If it is a small child, this is one thing. A teen is a totally different story!)

I have to agree here -- I was surprised that someone would take that much time to report something when really nothing will happen to take those measures. To me that would ruin the magic more. The CM won't do anything -- maybe tell you to report. Then you take your time out of your day, walk to Guest Relations, report and leave with an unhappy child that didn't get to ride anything they wanted.

So in effect -- by not even taking verbal action immediately the Brazilian teen isn't reprimanded and thinks it IS fine to do these things because there was not an immediate response AND they got you out of line and got what they wanted. Sometime inaction will reinforce the poor behavior.

My response would depend on the initial forcefulness of the teen. When a couple have tried to tell my older daughter (they just talked to her) she HAD to move so they could sit with each other -- I intervened. Now, I am over 6'0" tall so a bit more intimidating and teens do tend to listen. She tried to plead with me and I said No, I do not feel sorry for you. You chose the single rider line -- now deal with it, do not punish my daughter for your choice. I then said if you want to ride with your friend -- get a FP or go through the regular line. I finished with the statement she -- her group -- can be reported to Disney for trying to break the rules. She really just didn't like the last sentence and was angry.

I didn't have to block or use any physical force, but I had to step in to stop the situation before getting right on the ride. They got an immediate reaction that it was inappropriate. Had I chosen to go to GR -- that person would have never heard the direct comment that it was not allowed.

 

[leebee]

Just to jump on the bandwagon... I am sitting here in my classroom, waiting for summer school to start- on my birthday. I don't want to be here but I agreed to do it because if we don't, so many kids fall so far behind!

OK... I hate the tour groups too, and unfortunately the majority of those with the worst behaviour are Brazillian. We could be a little more correct and say South American tour groups, to include the other countries that send their rich, spoiled, rude, over-indulged teens to WDW to wreak havoc on our vacations. I would like to be altruistic and say I simply would go to a different attraction, different spot, etc., but in all honesty, why should I have to deviate from my carefully planned, long-time anticipated, hard-worked for vacation because a group of kids cannot behave? I am sorry, but although I agree that US teens in large groups can be annoying, it doesn't go to the extent of rudeness and bad behaviour exhibited by these South American tour groups!

I think a lot of the responsibility falls on the chaperones. When I took my DD16's dance company to France for 10 days, yes, the kids were excited! Yes, the kids were probably loud and obnoxious at times. HOWEVER, we chaperones reined them in when stuff happened, and had the "big talk" about respecting other nation's cultures and behavior standards. Our kids (dancers all) thought it was a hoot to stand near the French statues and post like them, or with them. Clearly inappropriate, and the behavior stopped immediately! Our kids learned to keep the noise level down, too. Disney needs to take a hard line with the chaperones and tour organizers and make it clear that certain behaviors will NOT be tolerated!

Friends had an exchange student from Brazil, and she confirmed that she'd been to WDW for her quincinera (sp, I'm sure) and that yes, they behaved badly and knew it, but that's all part of the fun of the trip! These kids look forward to their WDW trip as a chance to cut up and act badly. Now, why do we have to tolerate this? Yes, US kids and their parents can behave badly, but usually you don't see 50 at a time cutting a line. Not even the cheerleaders and the Pop Warner group. NOT EVEN DURING JERSEY WEEK!!! (PLEASE... that's a joke, don't take it the wrong way!!)

I don't agree with becoming physically involved, but we need to do something, as the CM's cannot control it either. I, for one, agree with a little civil disobedience. Block the line as they try to push through you, make loud comments at FP (like "The lines start back THERE!", etc.), that maybe other guests will join in and gently "urge" these kids to behave. I am guessing if we whipped out our phones and started taking some pictures, this might slow the kids down. Reporting this to guest relations, with the color of the group, will help also. If everyone who runs into these kinds or behaviors reports it ALL THE TIME, maybe then Disney will start listening to us. What the heck, it can't hurt!

 

[sleeping beauty 1]

ITA! I have no idea why this went off topic.

Also don't stay value in July if you want to avoid them

That is true -- they stay in those value resorts with four per room. I heard some saying that they were up chanting until 2-3 AM. UGH!

I can't believe that Disney makes that much money off them. If they had that much money they would be staying in Mods or Deluxe. Last year I saw very few actually buying things at all. However, I was concerned they may have bought something little and then shoplifted other items into the bags -- actually costing Disney more.

A family in a moderate would bring in more money than one room of tour groups -- due to the higher cost of the room. So 40 rooms of families in moderates brings in more money than 40 rooms of tour groups. I have seen families buy more things for their children than what the entire tour group of 120-150 has purchased. I usually only see 1-2 bags for the entire group.

 

[TLinden16]

I think this thread has run it's course, so I'm going to close it now.