Just how rude can WDW guests be?

[Peter Pirate]

Last weekend at Animal Kingdome Sat & Sun I experienced something new and disturbing that speaks to the lack of civility, respect and courtesy that most Americans have towards each other and shows how far 'entitlement' has spread.

Saturday at Tusker House my daughter and I stood in line for 20 miutes for lunch, then we proceeded to spend the next 15 minutes looking for a place to sit and eat. I kid you not that at least half of the tables were being "reserved" by family members waiting for the rest of the family to wait in line get their meals and return to their table! This is ludicrous. It only takes us 15 minutes to eat, less time than it was taking to be served! Keep the tables empty until you actually have food people, especially when there are scads of folks , trays in hand, milling around looking to dive or sprint to the first table that becomes available.

The same thing happened at Flame Tree the next day.

Come on folks, I can understand one parent with a couple of wee ones finding a spot but the majority were simply table hogs. Oink, oink, oink!!!

 

[ilovepcot]

I see it happening all the time. Very frustrating and disheartening! Wish Disney would step in and manage this situation. It's not like guests can take it upon themselves to shoo others not eating from tables.

 

[bicker]

I'd bet that most guests wouldn't think twice about doing this -- that the vast majority would expect that having some of your party secure a table to eat at while the rest purchase the food, is normal and customary. There are many things like this (don't hog tables at restaurants or lounges at the pool, don't save spots in queue, etc.) that I find myself casually and carefully trying to impart to folks we travel with (family, friends, etc.), but sometimes I wonder if I'm strange or they're strange.

 

[ericafny]

A few comments:

On our July 05 trip we ate at the McDonalds CS in Dinoland (forgot what its called) and it was HOT OUT so my DBF stood on line and I walked around inside trying to find a table. I finally snagged one (a 4 seater) and since there were only 2 of us I told another family of 4 they could share the table with us if they brought over more chairs. It worked out great and I ended up getting a toy with my meal (I always order a kids meal even though I am in my late 20's) and I gave the toy to the little boy that was sitting with us.

Having said that, I do not think there is anything wrong with saving a table while another family member gets the food. WDW is crowded and hot and can be very overwhelming. When you are hungry and have food in your hands the last thing you want to do is walk around for 20 mins looking for a table. It's not the CM's fault that Disney doesn't provide enough indoor seating. I live in NYC/Long Island and I encounter this every time I want to go out for lunch on a workday. I just go and find a table while DBF gets the food. I don't think there is anything wrong with that at all and I hardly think its rude.

Just my 2 cents...

 

[disneyjunkie]

Having said that, I do not think there is anything wrong with saving a table while another family member gets the food. WDW is crowded and hot and can be very overwhelming. When you are hungry and have food in your hands the last thing you want to do is walk around for 20 mins looking for a table. It's not the CM's fault that Disney doesn't provide enough indoor seating. I live in NYC/Long Island and I encounter this every time I want to go out for lunch on a workday. I just go and find a table while DBF gets the food. I don't think there is anything wrong with that at all and I hardly think its rude.

Just my 2 cents...

ITA

I don't think it's rude at all.

My son grabs a table while I order our food.

Since our family is small (just the two of us) we don't mind sharing a table with others.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

When I went solo, I shared a table twice, once at Tusker House with a family, and again at Ghiradelli's with two nicer older women.

 

[cornflkgrl]

A few comments:
I live in NYC/Long Island and I encounter this every time I want to go out for lunch on a workday. I just go and find a table while DBF gets the food. I don't think there is anything wrong with that at all and I hardly think its rude.
Just my 2 cents...

I agree. I see nothing wrong with this behavior. It is typical here and in most places where there are alot of people. In fact, when I lived in DC I got used to "fighting" my way through subways, buses, streets, etc. to get what I needed or to get where I needed to go. It is survival. I don't think the U.S. has standards for behavior anymore anyway. People pretty much do what is best for them. Whether it is wrong or right, that is how it tends to be.

 

[johnvree]

I consider myself to be pretty courteous. But I do not have a problem with people holding tables while someone else waits on line and I'd be lying if I said I never did this. It just seems to make sense to try to get a table as soon as possible. Otherwise, where does the rest of your family wait? Is everyone supposed to stand on line? Or just lurk around the restaurant? I see your point, and maybe it is not usually an issue for us since we usually eat during non-peak hours and we do not eat at a lot of counter service restaurants. But when we do it doesn't make sense to start looking for a table after we get our food. I like my food hot and hovering over others while our food is getting cold doesn't seem like a good idea.

 

[foxfire]

I also don't see a problem with holding a table while someone else in the party is in line for food. It doesn't bother me to see someone else doing it and I don't feel guilty if someone in our party does it either.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

I have to say I do this too. We have 3 kids and we need a whole table (at least if you are talking the smaller ones, say the size at Casey's at MK) to accomodate us and food. We don't want to sit on the curb or stand there waiting and waiting and waiting while our food gets cold. We are very aware of the demand for tables--last time at Casey's the parade was starting and we had a darn good seat, but since we were finished with our food we got up anyhow so someone else could eat. I don't think if I find a table and hold it for the rest of the family that makes me a table hog.
Robin M.

 

[dcgrumpy]

I also don't see a problem with holding a table while someone else in the party is in line for food. It doesn't bother me to see someone else doing it and I don't feel guilty if someone in our party does it either.

ITA


I see people do it everywhere not just Disney. When we go to the food court at the mall we do the same thing

It would be silly for all 5 of us and our double stroller to get in line together.

 

[disneyfan333]

i may only be 13 but you know every time i go to wdw my family from all around the country comes i live in new york while the rest lives in illinois and wisconsin and nebraska and places like that so when we go we have like 14 people and note that this is the only time we get to see each other . so when we go to lunch we always have someone go get sum tables i dont think thats wrong at all because when your in disney theres sum people who will do anything for a table or a chair or just a friggen spot for a parade but listen people this is DISNEY a world tourist spot no matter what people are going to be doing this. theres nothing any one can do about it . also its first come first serve . so if anyone tries to tell me i have to have food to sit down at a plastic table theyve got another thing comin!!!!!

 

[Bob NC]

It may be rude, but, if everyone does it you really have no choice but to do it yourself. When in Rome.......

 

[Brooknwdw]

The way we do it is ONE of us (either me or my husband) will stand in line & order the food, while the other takes the kids to find a table. They are usually so tired I'd never make all four of us stand in a long crowded line for 20 minutes or more.

I think most people do this if they have young kids.

 

[tabrizia]

Honestly I never saw this as rude either. We've done it all my life, when I was younger my mom would take 3 of the 4 of us to sit down while one of us waited with my dad to order and bring back the food. We did it at places like McDonalds and Wendys as well as WDW and other places with counter service.

Now that it is just me and hubby we still do this, I don't see a problem with one person getting the food while the other one gets a table and waits. Heck we do it at the mall food court as well. It just seems logical to me that the person who is more tired after all the walking goes and sits down while the other one gets the food .

 

[RescueRanger]

I have to agree with the majority here. I don't see it as rude. If every family stood around till they got there food, you wouldn't be able to even walk around. Either get a table before you order like everyone else, or just deal with it. Just my .02 .

 

[Allison]

It's not rude at all. I'm not going to have my family of 5 all standing in line. It's not necessary. This happens everywhere, not just Disney and there is nothing wrong with it.

 

[cinmell]

I consider myself to be pretty courteous. But I do not have a problem with people holding tables while someone else waits on line and I'd be lying if I said I never did this. It just seems to make sense to try to get a table as soon as possible. Otherwise, where does the rest of your family wait? Is everyone supposed to stand on line? Or just lurk around the restaurant? I see your point, and maybe it is not usually an issue for us since we usually eat during non-peak hours and we do not eat at a lot of counter service restaurants. But when we do it doesn't make sense to start looking for a table after we get our food. I like my food hot and hovering over others while our food is getting cold doesn't seem like a good idea.

I agree with you.

 

[movtarget]

Ah, I can agree that it is frustrating that everyone doesn't think with the same logic... tables are for eating, lines are for waiting... tables are for waiting and eating... tables are for me, forget you...

There are quite a few venues (malls, Disney, etc.) where seating capacity is not adequate to meet the need (waiting and eating). In these venues you will eventually have someone ready to eat while someone occupies a seat while not eating. Neither is 'wrong' I say.

I don't say 'shame on thoughtless fellow vacationers', I say 'shame on Disney (or the mall architect/management, or whomever)' for poor capacity and use planning.

The demand is greater than the supply. A wise Disney would figure out a way to increase profit, since demand greater than capacity is a great profit opportunity. Hey, a new market... Disney table scalpers!

On the other hand, more flexible use of seating is an option not often chosen. Have many of you been to the Festhaus in Busch Gardens Williamsburg? Massively long tables and benches make for decently efficient use of space, and you can meet some new friends. Good luck getting a stroller in between the benches, though. They also serve beer there, so all is great in the Festhaus.

Want more intimate seating, so you can maintain personal space between your family and others? This is where the supply/demand/cost factor comes in. The higher priced places can use the extra $ to put in more square feet and tables, meeting demand. The lower priced places can seat more like a 'cattle call'.

It's all in the implementation.

Moving Target in NC

 

[Peter Pirate]

Well, for once bicker and I seem to be on the same side of this. Wow!

When the lines are short there is no need to worry about this sort of thing, a five minute wait and a five minute 'table save'...No big deal, but these lines were long and as I said at least HALF of the tables WERE NOT BEING USED as intended as people were waiting in a 20 minute food line! ... This is OK with you people? My daughter and I walk past table after table of people refusing to make eye contact, no one offering a temporary seat (as some of you said you would do...Appreciated). Perhaps you do not see this as rude but intentionally causing others discomfort (by omission) so you could be sure to have a table at some point in the future is rude to me.

While we were eating we saw an elderly (very slow moving) couple looking for a table with no luck, just as we had experienced. We had three chairs at our table and there were only two of us so we invited them to join us (which they graciously accepted). We gave them two chairs and my daughter finished her meal sitting on my knee. It wasn't difficult to be nice to these folks at all.

Call it what you want but I call this behavior rude...Commonplace and perhaps acceptable, but rude nonetheless.