Line cutters

[mitchfishguard]

I put my hands on both railings, arrange my body so that I'm taking up the entire space, & I don't budge.

at last ! A poster that doesnt let people take advantage. Tell them to go back !!!!!!!!!

 

[Lucius Best]

On our recent first FP+ trip, I felt like there were fewer line cutters than on previous trips. Before FP+, it was a daily occurrence for us in line for a headliner like TSMM at rope drop: we would see multiple families where one parent would get in line with the kids while the other parent runs for a paper FP, then shoves their way through the line to catch up with their family. It's kind of sad watching families get super stressed out to save a few minutes in line when they could have easily just stayed together like most others did. The place where we still encountered lots of poor line behavior was the exit from pre-shows, particularly ToT.

My reaction to line cutters depends largely on their politeness. I can see them coming miles away, and being a large tall man I will just happen to be cluelessly standing in their way. If it's a single person and they are nice and say something like "Excuse me, I'm so sorry, I got separated from my family, would you mind..." then no problem. But if they touch me or try to shove past me without saying anything, I will pretend to be confused as to who they are and what they want, for my own amusement. The more angry they get, the more stupider I act. I might top it off by announcing "Heads up, VIP coming through!" after they have pushed past me, that really gets their blood boiling. The way I figure it, why should everyone waiting in line be grumbling silently, why not have some fun making the cutter's blood pressure go through the roof.

 

[scrapquitler]

Looking for suggestions on how to handle this, or strategies that have worked for you in regards to people cutting in line. I am often overwhelmed when I see a large group try to cut in front of us while their one or two people have stood in line. Not quite sure what to say or how to handle it.

I can honestly say that I've never seen anyone cutting in line in front of us at Disney. If I did, I'd probably just let it go...I'm on vacation and trying to relax.

 

[Kobey]

Some people that are in a place where no one knows them and will never see them again feel they have nothing to lose by letting their manners go the way of the Dodo. No matter what you do, most of them will just laugh at you as they get on the ride while you're still waiting. I can't find anything in the park rules about cutting in line or saving places for others, so it looks like it's up to us to police ourselves in that regard, and that can lead to verbal or physical confrontations that I'd prefer to avoid.

It's just a line for a ride, not for Red Cross relief supplies. Sure it's annoying, but I've dealt with worse in my life. Serenity Now!

 

[eXo]

I don't get upset, I just think it is slightly obnoxious to walk up to someone at the zoo who stopped in the middle when you can just as easily walk around them. Both the person stopped and the person who felt it was their duty to correct are equal in my book. It is no skin off my nose though if someone wants to take time to stop and do so. There are just some things that don't warrant a reaction and that falls into that category for me.

You are assuming we could get around them. I was specifically talking about a narrow path that the family blocked. I'm not going to go out of my way to "correct someone" as you put it if I can go around them. That is silly.

An example that relates to Disney would be the family that walks up to the entrance of a ride, stops directly in front of it (blocking others from getting on) and begins to have a discussion about whether they want to ride it now or go get an ice cream or does little jimmy need to use the bathroom, etc etc etc. Have your conversation 3 feet to the left folks and everyone can go about their day. This has happened to me several times. It happens to me at the mall, it happens to me at the zoo, it happens to me everywhere I go. I always make sure to move out of the way before stopping if I have to stop in an area that has lots of foot traffic. It s common courtesy.

So to clarify, I was referring to people who stop in doors, entrances, narrow walk ways, or other places that make it very difficult to navigate around them. I would agree, that going out of ones way to tell people to move who aren't actually in the way would be obnoxious... but I also don't understand why you would assume that was what I was talking about.

 

[dpswift]

It is funny the time that sticks out in my mind I actually was on the side of the cutter a little boy about 6 who a grown woman accused of cutting in front of her for a character meet and greet. I know she was the one in the right but really?

I can be a hot head at times but as long as it is not going to cost me more than a couple minutes I let it go. It is not wort getting upset over.

 

[Mike]

I think the answer lies in the fact that what you now call the "outlier" really isn't. Look at the number of posts here that have said "I have never really seen that" in response to a discussion of huge groups or entire families brazenly cutting ahead of the line.I've been going steadily since 1972 and have not experienced that. The single person or pair of people excusing themselves and asking if they can slide by to join their family is not the outlier. That scenario is by far the majority situation. That is why people are getting "caught up on these examples." People love to drone on and on about the group of 10 teenagers with matching T-shirts who snap their gum and giggle while cutting the line. But in reality, that rarely happens, and that is really the outlier.

What you say is probably true for the most part with the definitive exception being July/August when the tour groups from Brazil storm the parks. I go every year during this time and it happens quite frequently. One person is up ahead in line and a whole group feels that they are entitled to join them. The other issue with them, which thankfully now is a thing of the past, was waiting in line for a legacy fastpass and their tour guide is up ahead of you in line and then pulls out the plastic baggie with a stack of a hundred park tickets and proceeds to take 20 minutes to get fastpasses for the entire tour group. I've seen near riots over this. One time at EE a guy walked up and moved the tour guide aside, got his fastpasses, and then stood there blocking the tour guide while the people in line came up and got their fastpasses.

I have no issue with the family members joining/re-joining their parties. I try to ignore the tour groups because it is just not worth getting aggravated and ruining my day. I did complain to Guest Services once and told them that Disney needs to do a better job of controlling these groups. I realize they represent $$$$ to WDW but they cannot just have the run of the place.

 

[CTDisneyfan816]

I can't recall seeing someone cut, but then again I am one that if I did I likely wouldn't say anything. Billy Joel has a saying in a song "never argue with a crazy mind" and you never know.

 

[danny1649]

I was in draft recruitment line line for Viet Nam.I wouldn't have cared if everybody in Bloomington,IN. cut in front of me. Not one person did and i even offered to let some late arrivals to get in front of me,no takers.Guess I'm giving my age away here,doesn't matter I'm old.
'

 

[Baklava]

Question: if people stop to play games in the line and really settle in, are you allowed to go around them or is that also considered cutting?

I'd ask if they were moving on or if we should go around them.

 

[SillySallySews]

I just got back from our annual summer trip and the line jumpers were outrageous. This was our 9th time going to Disney and never before have I really noticed anything like it. There were people jumping in line on every single ride (we rode everything in MK in one day, except Stitch) from RD to close. 8am getting on PP and there were hoards of people cutting in front of us and there wasn't even a 5 minute wait! It was the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen. If it was one person we let them through, but if it was a group hubby let them know where the end of the line was. No one argued with him. These were mostly just your average adults, not kids or tour groups. We went to Universal for one day on this trip too, and they were just as bad (actually worse) over there. We still had a great trip, but I've never seen anything like the line jumping we saw this year.

 

[steves100]

In my experience the cast members at the cash usually just keep their heads down and try to stay out of it. I'm not sure how much authority these particular cast members have over guests - they always seem a bit more unsure of themselves, compared to the ones you see directing people at parades or running the rides.

Disney is the ONLY place in the world that uses ONE and only ONE check out person with 2 lines. It infuriates me. Back and forth!! HATE IT!!!

 

[steves100]

The only thing that bothers me is when kids barge through you, I am not small 6'0", 220ish. Just tap the person ahead of you and say excuse me.

 

[ttintagel]

It also seems that many folks associate confrontation with anger and even going so far as to suggest it can ruin one's vacation if you allow it.

Yeah, it seems really weird to me, to assume that just because I don't want to be taken advantage of, that means I'm upset and my vacation is ruined! It's the exact opposite!

 

[ocean134]

I think the reason it can be upsetting is because you are already waiting in line and then more people cut in front of you and now you know you will wait longer. It can be frustrating but I agree with the others, not much can be done.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Lots can be done actually, you can hold your ground and not let them by, while calling for a CM. Its a education to your children to stand up for their rights and to the others that some people will not let them by. I have also been known to quite loudly point out to my children that look at those people and how rude they are.

AKK

 

[piccolopat]

I personally would never consider this line cutting. To me line cutting is a huge group coming in without someone already in line.

I also don't consider someone cutting the line if they were already there and left to attend to a child's bathroom needs. I do consider it cutting if any who was never on the line to begin with suddenly show up to join someone who was. I just don't think it's right, for example, if someone gets in line alone and then the rest of his party joins 30 minutes later because they were off doing other things.

 

[piccolopat]

Question: if people stop to play games in the line and really settle in, are you allowed to go around them or is that also considered cutting?

If it's a quick stop, I would stay put. If the empty space in front of them was getting bigger and bigger, I would ask them if I could pass by while they continued to play. I think most people would stop playing and get the line moving again rather than "lose" their place.

 

[nilla]

We had the "greatest" line cutter of all time jump in front of us while meeting Ariel a few years back. His strategy was to start talking to someone in line, then casually move ahead of them. It wasn't until he actually got to meet Ariel before us that we realized what he did. I was more surprised than appalled initially, until he decided to take absolutely forever with the characters. So much that Ariel actually walked over to meet us when he was getting a solo shot with Prince Eric.

The fact that he said, "I don't worry about lines" when we told him how we ran to get in line to meet Rapunzel, in retrospect, was another good indicator of what he was up to.

 

[rainboots]

Last year just as we got in line for ToT, we watched the CM hand paper FP+ to a group (10-15) of 15 yr olds after they had flirted with him for quite a while, making plans to see him off duty, etc. Now THAT was annoying. We all made loud jokes to one another, wishing we were hot young girls, but no one got worked up about it. It ended up one of the more fun lines we waited in, because it started us talking & joking w/strangers.