Line Cutters!!!

[JACKNAG]

I think handling this could be considered a strategy.
We have all experienced line cutting. I would like to hear your best stories and if you addressed it, especially in the buffet lines.

 

[elemusing]

I always just say very politely, "Excuse me - the line starts there. You cannot enter the line here." and me and my family just walk around them while they are usually dumb founded that I said anything at all.

Many people would not say anything, so when someone does, it usually throws off the line cutter. I must also say that I am careful to watch the situation - sometimes it may appear that someone is cutting line when really someone else in their party was there while they were going to the bathroom, etc. I don't say anything to those people. (Hey - when you gotta go, you gotta go.)

I have only been ignored once in line for a ride when this happened and I told the CM immediately.

My advice is: Don't let these people ruin your trip. If you can't do anything politely and if a CM won't, then just let it pass. You will get to the attraction one or two people later - not something to ruin your life or vacation.

Angie

 

[Lucky4me]

I was at the Cyrstal Palace a few weeks ago. I walked past the kids part of the buffet and took a plate to start filling it. A man touched my arm and said I was cutting. I said, huh? That's the line for the kids food that I don't want. He gave me a dirty look and continued to stand there. When he got up to the kids buffet, he just went past it, took a plate and moved on. So that guy thought I was cutting and I didn't.

In line at the HM an elderly couple pushed through the line to get to the front. They did not speak English and just shoved everyone out of their way. I thought maybe they had family up front but that wasn't the case. They wanted to be first in line. I just laughed. I figured they were senile or something.

 

[peachgirl]

I didn't see a lot of line cutting while at the parks on our last trip. However, at DisneyQuest they have it down to an art form. Apparently they've figured out that if just one person stands in line, the others can go do other things, then come back. We're not talking trips to the bathroom and we're not talking small children. This is teenagers and adults. It's not just the kids either, the parents are just as involved. Fortunately it seemed the cm's were pretty aware and we saw them removing people from lines many times for doing it. It's funny to watch a 40 yr old man try to explain that his 16 yr old son had to go potty...it's also pretty pathetic and didn't get him anywhere with the cm.

If the CM's weren't taking care of it, I'd just let it go. It's not worth it to take on a total stranger who is apparently rude and pushy enough to behave this way to start with.

 

[jaygatz]

In addition to the strategies for dealing with line cutting, I would like to hear definitions for what actually constitutes breaking in line. Take this one for example: if I park the stroller while DW and DD get in line, is it cutting to "catch up" to them? This seems to be a behavior done by the majority on our trips, and never really bothered me. However, when you get one lone adult holding a spot for the rest of the family when the "rest of the family" consists of 10-15 people ranging from little kids to grown adults, I would call that cutting in line. Anyone else have thoughts about a definition?

 

[bogdigg]

I like to think of line cutting as more than 4-5 people trying to get in front of my party. I don't think much of a person or two going ahead to catch up with their party.

My families strategy is to create a human wall the width of the queue. This seems to keep most "casual" cutters from cutting in front of us. We find that most groups (more than 4-5 people) don't actually have the gall to cut.

 

[kilee]

I don't know, there is such a gray area here. On our last trip, it seemed everytime we were in line, there were 2 or 3 line holders there. Alway's one or two people, and right when you get to the front, boom 4 or 5 more people join them. Over and over this happened. I can understand the potty emergency. Or mom/dad parking the stroller.
When you have one parent holding the line while the other and their 4 kids come in later, it is frustrating. I don't say anything. I think common sense needs to be used in these situations. If there are more than one adult and one child, don't hold the place. Wait and get in line together.
The best was when we were waiting in line to see the princess's. There were two families together about 3 people ahead of us. The 2 men held their spots (this was the longest line), while the 2 women and 6 kids between them did the other 2 character rooms. Just when it was time to go in, they appear. That was rude.

 

[Dznefreek]

Line cutting does not bother me as much as the people who stop in the middle of a row at a show.

My solution.......I pass by them I make sure I step on every foot as I go by.

When they do cut, (and it bothers me) my standard line is, "Are you always this rude or is today a special occasion?"

 

[GoofyDisney]

One of my pet peeves is poor line management.

If there is a mob, then I always try and start a line. If there is a line I help direct people to it. I usually don't say antything to anyone who is cutting. There were several blatant instances this past week, that I just let go. WHat I don't like is when a CM sees it and lets it slide. I was in line for ice cream, and this lady cut right in front of me. No biggie, but the CM gave me a look like, "Sorry." WHen what she should have done is say, "excuse me, this woman was here first." ANd then the cutter could assemble into the line.

But otherwise, I usually don't say anything to cutters.

THe funniest story ever.....We were in line at Splash Mountain a few years ago. The line was about an hour long. Several families behind us there was a large group, who were obvioulsy together. First, it happened to the people behind us, then us, and then the people in front of us...so after a while, a bunch of us in line were watching what was happening and laughing.

Seems this large group (10+) had a system. They would talk to each other. (they were of a certain ethnic group, which is irrevelant, except to say that they were conversing in a non-english language. ) THey were talking to each other, and one person would start the "bump n' cut". They would talk, and while they were talking, bump the person in front of them, they would acknowledge the bump, ("sorry") and then move beside the person they bumped instead of moving back behind them. THen the people who they were talking to would move up to keep talking, until the whole group had gone beside and passed the original bumpee. Does that make sense?

You don't realize it is happening to you until the whole group passed you and then you realize that they just cut. But it got to be pretty humorous because they kept doing it. It was so organized and smooth. Even the women, children and elderly would take the pole position sometimes. After a while, a bunch of us in line had figured out what they were doing and watched them move 20 or 30 groups ahead of us.

It became sport and pure enjoyment for those of us in line! We had bets going as to whom we thought would be given the job of the first bump. The old lady was really the best at it. She wouldn't even say she was sorry.

Anyone ever encounter this group? They were pros and except for the fact that they were unbeliveably rude, their technique had to be admired. They had obvioulsy practiced this at home!

You think there is anyway to move my post to the top of this thread?

 

[jultomzach]

I was at Fantasmic in late Jan, our party got there 1 hour early to get good seats (it was the offseason) A man in our row tried to hold 12 ( I kid you not) seats for his family/friends. (that arrived less than 10 minutes before the show started) He got quite "snarly" towards my aunts when they sat down. I am wondering if this is the same group from the above post. I would have called a CM but although my 3 aunts are in their 60s and 70s, they could well manage this man. Actually, I enjoyed watching this unfold as this man was quite shocked by their fiestiness and certainly knew he had no CM to back him up.

 

[markºoº]

I don't mind if a person or two moves ahead to catch up.

The worst I've seen had to waiting for Festival of the Lion King. About 5-10 minutes before they started letting people in, a women in 10 feet in front of us raised a flag and at least 20 people pushed their way through the crowd to the women holding the flag. The people were all younger (teens) and must have been with a tour group. I made a comment to one individual and he just said excuse me as he pushed past me. The were not speaking English - my guess is that is was a Brazilian tour group.

 

[Capt Jazbo]

If the line cutters move right in front of me I just start coughing obnoxiously, without covering my mouth, and saying "I don't care what the doctor said, I'm not going to let a little strep throat stop me from going to Disney" I'll also use burping and assorted other bodily noises to make them sorry they moved ahead of us.

If I encounter this problem in Epcot, I direct them to France in WS as I assume they must be French.

If all else fails I turn the wife loose on them and then sit back and wait for WDW security to come and break it up.

 

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by JACKNAG
I think handling this could be considered a strategy.
We have all experienced line cutting. I would like to hear your best stories and if you addressed it, especially in the buffet lines.

We have been very lucky that we have not experianced any line cutting issues at WDW. We use FastPass now if the standby lines are longer then 5 or 10mins. We also now travel in the off season so the overall crowds are just not that bad compared to what we used to deal with when we used to go over the summer months of June, July and August. If it came up while we were at WDW I would probaly do what I do if I encounter rude people in everyday life. I would say something like "Excuse, me did you not notice the line that you just walked by?". Usually the person will blush and mumble sorry and go to the end of the line.

 

[Pig Pen]

I have witnessed the bump and cut technique too! They seem to shimmy around the corner and manage to get ahead of you on the straight-a-ways.

I have also seem something similar to the flag-raising at Lion King. We were in line and it was about 90 degrees and everyone was packed together like sardines. All of a sudden about 5 men fought their way through the line. They each had ice creams in both hands and were trying to catch up to their group which was at the front of the line.

The funniest part was that the ice cream was melting all down their arms and, being guys, of course forgot napkins.

Watching them trying to eat ice cream, getting yelled at by their wives, and trying to get clean was punishment enough.

 

[Belle0101]

I'm going to rat out my sister here. She came back from Disney and bragged to me about how they handled lines for the characters. I couldn't believe she was this way -- we were certainly raised better.

Anyhow, she and her boyfriend took their 4 kids (2 his and 2 hers) to Disney recently. She waited in line with the kids for a character while her boyfriend waited in a neighboring line without the kids. When the kids were done in the first line they "caught up to" the boyfriend/dad and she got in another line. Then when the kids were done in that line they "caught up to" her. They just went back and forth like this.

Then she said to me " I can't believe how many people gave us dirty looks". Her boyfriend said "Oh, they were just jealous because they didn't think of it first".

I said to her well, maybe people consider that cutting? Then she gave me her lecture on how that is not line cutting.

Yeah, whatever. I'd be mad too if I were in line and all of the sudden 4 kids age 6 yrs to 12 yrs magically appeared in front of me. And not a group photo either -- each kid got a seperate autograph and a seperate picture with the character.

I don't know about the rest of the world -- I call that cutting.

 

[BuzzRocks]

Someone mentioned the HM earlier and it reminded me of a time an obvious first timer accused me of "line cutting". It was in the area after the turnstyles, where the CM's always tell you to fill in all available space. Well, at that time there stops to be a line and it becomes really a group of people waiting for the doors to open to go inside. So my family moved up to a large open space. The guy was really offended and acted like a jerk.

So be careful before you accuse someone of line cutting.

 

[GoofyDisney]

OOOHHH I HATE it when people won't fill in all the available space!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HM is just one of those where you don't automatically know going in if you will be first or last on the ride...but you should still fill in all the available space and drag your wretched bodies to the dead center of the room!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Several attractions are like this, where just b/c you are standing somewhere outside doesn't mean it affects your seats inside.....

 

[corvair]

I found last summer alot of people who cramped on the bus or boat without waiting in line.....that is just rude.....I think people need to wait their turn...

 

[Horizons16]

wem just tell then the line starts over there... most of the time it works... unless they dont speak english then you have to get creatvie

 

[hockey mom]

We had a couple of women once cut into the line right in the middle of my family.My DH, DD, and DS were ahead of me and DD. There was no way for the rest to move back and join us so I very politely waved up to my family and said to the women ' we don't like to ride together anyway". They were very embarassed and moved aside to let us catch up.

Once when it was my kids turn for a picture with Donald a woman shoved her DD right at him, but Donald put up his hand, gently pushed the little girl back and waved my kids up. It was great and the look on that mothers face was priceless.