Line etiquette - holding spots

[Joy1619]

No offense, but his reasoning is not 'moot', as he was just putting an idea out there for debate (which was successful, there certainly is debate). And as to the PP who thinks if you have to pee you should go to the back of the line, well phooey to that. I'm not going to risk a bladder/kidney infection so I can meet your standard of 'fair'. If I'm standing in my proper place in line the whole time, and then I have to go and pee (especially for F! which sounds like you have to be in line forever) then I should be able to do that while my husband and kids are in line. Here's a bit of news for you - if people have to wait in line for F! for 2 hours to get 'good' seats (or any seat at all), then people who have to pee frequently would NEVER get a good seat by your rule. Ever. And that is 'fair' to you? So the size of your bladder should determine your seating for F!?

I am NOT advocating line cutting, nor am I advocating the scout method - my whole family is perfectly willing and happy to all wait in our place in line for whatever, and not scout, certainly not try to cut in front of people, etc. We also want to follow the rules. But what I AM pointing out is that there clearly are SOME people who take their opinion too far and get too inflexible and it just becomes sort of ridiculous.

 

[whitneyNC]

OP - Thank you for taking the time to ask the question rather than assuming anything. Whether it is your first time visiting or your 20th, sometimes you don't know the answer to these things. Disney's official stance,

"Thank you for contacting us regarding the Walt Disney World® Resort.

The general rule for parties in line is that every member of the group
must be present and enter the attraction together. Another person
showing up later, for any reason, is typically not allowed to catch up
with their party. We hope this answers your question."

Right, and WDW won't let you in MNSSHP or MVMCP until 7pm too! Oh, and you better use that fastpass during the time window printed on it!

 

[eeyoresnr]

I will accept the fact that the general consensus here is that it shouldn't be done. But I must say, the logic is flawed. The point that everyone seems to be making is: "how would you feel if 10 additional people all of a sudden jumped in front of you and put you further behind in the line?" Well...you would be in EXACTLY the same place if those 10 people had been in front of you all along. You are not negatively impacted by their presence, irrespective of whether they appear one minute before you join the line or whether they appear one minute before the line starts to move.

Let's look at an example. You choose to see two consecutive performances of F!. At the first performance, you arrive two hours before the show and get in line. A group of 10 people arrived 5 seconds before you and are immediately in front of you, and they are the first ones in line. You are the 11th person in line. For the second performance you arrive two hours before the show and get in line. A group of 10 people arrived 5 seconds before you but they leave only one "scout" to hold their place and he is immediately in front of you. He is the first person in line. Had the entire group stayed, you would be 11th. But because 9 of them left, it appears that you are now second. However, 15 minutes before the line begins to move, the other 9 reappear and you are now 11th in line, same as you would have been had the other people stayed. Your place in line hasn't changed. Only your perception of it.

this is the dumbest thing I have heard in a while....think about it....if you have ten people at different spots in front of you in the lione and they are all waiting (holding a space in line)for the rest of their parties, then by the time they all catch up there are 90 more people in front of you, in which case the line would have been much longer when you arrived at it and you may have decided you didn't want to wait and go do something else.

 

[MomtoAlexnWilliam]

No offense, but his reasoning is not 'moot'.

I am NOT advocating line cutting, nor am I advocating the scout method - my whole family is perfectly willing and happy to all wait in our place in line for whatever, and not scout, certainly not try to cut in front of people, etc. We also want to follow the rules. But what I AM pointing out is that there clearly are SOME people who take their opinion too far and get too inflexible and it just becomes sort of ridiculous.

No offense taken. I stand by my statement that his opinion is moot. Moot is defined as no legal significance/no relevance. Disney is the final decider on this issue. Disney has said no line holding. Thereby, his opinion is moot.

I don't have an issue with a bathroom break for long lines. I agree that people have to be reasonable about exceptions.

 

[WheelCEO]

i dont get all of the fuss.. if someone is holding a spot for 10+ people maybe I would be annoyed. But who cares if it for 2-3 people? The difference of you getting on the ride is maybe 1 minute. for the record I have never held a spot

 

[Nadjalu]

To OP......it is considered rude and inconsiderate of others.

Basically if you want to ride an attraction you stand in the line and wait, period. There is no "holding the spot" in any case.
And no reason an adult should have to take a "potty" break. You are an adult, go before you get in the line.

Not to mention long lines have long queues and for anyone to wiggle in and out and around people is obnoxious.

Everyone waits in the line together or no go. JMO

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I think the answer to this depends on the subculture.

For example, most reasonable U2 fans would not have a problem with spots being held in a General Admission line before a concert, as long as you at least one member of your party was in line, and you don't do it for hours at a time. These are lines that are 13 hours long. You have people who get to a stadium at 5AM to wait in a General Admission line to be at the front of the stage of a concert. The doors don't open until 6PM and the opening act doesn't go on until 7PM. There is usually a self policing system in this type of culture where someone will have a magic marker and write a number on your hand indicating your spot in line. You wait in line with your lawn chair and cooler, maybe sleep, maybe read or listen to music. You get up and go to the bathroom, or put your chairs and cooler back in your car (before the gates open), etc.

The Disney subculture is difference in this aspect, because the act of standing in line is not, in itself, a communal experience. Probably due to the fact that lines are a lot shorter.

 

[mariepapa]

And thank you, Tinkerbellie16, for your post. As a first timer to WDW, it is good to know what Disney's official policy is, so that we are aware of it. We are frequent visitors to Las Vegas, and for long buffet lines, it appears to be acceptable for one person to stand in line while the others in the group explore the casinos. In fact, my good friend who lives there even encouraged it, since she said we are tourists there, and she is not, so she wanted us to look around or play while she waited. This example seems to be similar to that of waiting in line for Fantasmic! or a ride, so I am glad it was addressed in this thread. I would never want to assume anything, especially if it is considered rude and unacceptable.

Wow, I have never been to Las Vegas. How long do you have to wait in line for food there? Fantasmic long? That just sounds so odd.

 

[Cin]

I would not be happy if I was in line with say ten people ahead of me, and let's say for example they all were holding a place for a party of 5 others. Now I have a line of 60 people and I am not happy....they should wait their turn like everyone else. It's one thing if you have to get out of line to use the restroom and then return, but nope, that's just not right. That is what fastpasses are for, holding your place in line while you do something else.

 

[Marblies]

For fantasmic I dont think it's a problem once you are in the seating. They actually announced that they wanted everyone to scoot as far as they could, they understood some were saving seats and that was ok, but to not leave spots that werent going to be used. And of course, you dont want them to wait til the last minute, they should still be there 'early' unless you want a problem on your hands with people wanting to sit there.

WHAAAAT? Well, that would mean that rather than have my family join me in line, they simply walk in once the gates are open and join me where I am saving actual seats for them? That makes a moot point out of the whole spot saving issue since "They actually announced that ...they understood some were saving seats and that was ok". Are you sure you heard that? Has anyone else? I have never been to F! so cannot say. Sounds dangerous.

 

[FigNewton]

And no reason an adult should have to take a "potty" break. You are an adult, go before you get in the line.

Barring MEDICAL problems, that's true. My mother, since she had her hystorectomy has had bladder control issues. It can come on quite unexpectedly. My wife has had bladder issues which were recently diagnosed as interstitial cystitis (so thankfully medication should slowly start to take
care of it) and likewise goes through periods where she has spasms and has to
go to the bathroom far more frequently than anyone would like.

So yes, there ARE reasons why adult may need to get out of long lines to use the restroom.

 

[waynesgirl]

See? You are proving my point. First of all, it is rude only because we have declared it to be such. We could just as easily declare it to be efficient and proper. Second, cutting a line, by definition, is when one jumps in line to secure a place that was not theirs to start with. But if the person who is getting in front of you actually got to the line before you did, and is simply re-establishing their prior positon, then it is not cutting. See the second example I cited above. Those people could have been in front of you all along, so you lose nothing.

Look. I am not saying that I do this at F! (I've seen the show once and that was enough for me.) I am simply pointing out the very real psychological and sociological behavioral points that we, as a group, have the power to change things for the better and make everyone's day a little bit better by shifting away from the self-appointed conclusion that something is "rude" when in fact, it is actually more efficient. We don't have to be tethered to the Puritanical notion that we must suffer in order to be rewarded.

Though I respect what you are trying to say, there is a small flaw your logic- let's look at it from another perspective.

You are in the middle of the line for F!- you have been standing there for 1.5 hours to get a good seat and the place you are in line, with your party of 6, will make sure that you will get the seats that you want.

Then, a party of 10 gets in front of you so now, the possibility of you getting the seating you wanted just dropped by 10 more people. That is the difference.

For another example: you stand in line for TSM with your own children in the heat or rain, you have to entertain them, and you have to make sure they are polite to others. Then, as you get nearer to the ride (and your children are anticipating this because they have stood in line for 45 minutes), a group of people jump in front of you, putting your own children who have behaved and waited patiently farther back. Then they wonder why they had to stand in line when other people cut in front at the last second. It isn't more efficient that way- it is a convenient excuse for not wanting to do like all other people. Based on your logic, every person in line is a place holder and when it's my turn to ride, then I should be able to put my whole family on board. UMMMMMMMMMMM, it does take more time and places- if every person was a place holder for a group of ten, if I am the 10th place holder in line- I have to wait for 100 people, when I could have already gotten on the ride.

Just sayin.

 

[secretpantssam]

Man, I got out of line to buy my family popcorn while we were waiting for Fantasmic on my last trip and my mother went to the bathroom when I got back. I guess we should have been ejected from the park.

 

[maxiesmom]

Basically if you want to ride an attraction you stand in the line and wait, period. There is no "holding the spot" in any case.
And no reason an adult should have to take a "potty" break. You are an adult, go before you get in the line.

There are actually many medical reasons a person could "go" before getting in line and then have to "go" again a short while later. I'm sure many of us could have our doctors attest to that fact.

I have no problem letting someone leave and get back in, that is way different then holding a place for a person who isn't there to start with.

 

[WheelCEO]

Man, I got out of line to buy my family popcorn while we were waiting for Fantasmic on my last trip and my mother went to the bathroom when I got back. I guess we should have been ejected from the park.

good thing the dis only accounts for .000000001% of people in the parks

 

[maxiesmom]

Man, I got out of line to buy my family popcorn while we were waiting for Fantasmic on my last trip and my mother went to the bathroom when I got back. I guess we should have been ejected from the park.

I'm worse than you. I sent my 14yr old niece to get pop one time when we were in line for the Magic Carpets. I contributed to the delinquency of a minor!

 

[rlovew]

I would have to say it depends greatly on the kind of line you are in- in line for a ride with a moving line- no your party cannot join you and many times I have heard the cm's say make sure your entire party is ready to enter the line because no one can join you in the queue (at TSMM all through the day and at many other places at park opening).

On the other hand when I got in line to go to the Chocolate Seminar (free) at the F&W this year I got in a line and looked at the parties in front of me and thought I would have a chance to get in. They began handing out tickets around 30 minutes before the demonstartion. Each person in line could get a ticket for themselves and 1 other person they could hold a place for- I was 2 people short of getting a ticket (I did end up getting in as 1 of the last people). This was common knowlegde as what was accpetable when going to the free demos and everyone was told when they got in line that they could hold a place for 1 other person and everyone had to be back before seating (which could start at 15 minutes before the demo). It was the cm's working that told us how it worked so it was evidently the policy for these lines(it was not new this year as I have had the same thing happen in the last 3 years when going).

Also at the candlelight processional standby line- Normally when with a large poarty a couple of people get in line 2-3 hours before the show starts- we take turns going to attractions, getting food, sitting on benches, whatever until about an hour before- not only are we doing it but the other groups around us are doing so as well. Most of the time we discuss how many are in our parties so we can spread out enough to have room when everyone arrives. When the cm's start counting people in the line they ask each group the total number of people in their party (to add it on) and remind them that everyone needs to be in line when they open the gate or they will not be allowed in.

 

[momtotaryn]

Wow, I have never been to Las Vegas. How long do you have to wait in line for food there? Fantasmic long? That just sounds so odd.

Since I've never been to Disney World yet, I have no idea what kind of lines we are talking about for Fantasmic!. However, for some of the more popular Las Vegas buffets, the lines can get to 1-1.5+ hours long. This happens on special occasions (Thanksgiving) or special nights (all you can eat crab legs). Not to mention, most buffets are pretty inexpensive. Also, the buffet food quality is very good to exceptional. I don't think it can compare to the usual buffet restaurants in Disney World, from what I've been reading on this board.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

I find it interesting that some people find saving a 'space' in line rude but saving a space on the sidewalk at a parade is not. Just an observation.

 

[momtotaryn]

I find it interesting that some people find saving a 'space' in line rude but saving a space on the sidewalk at a parade is not. Just an observation.

So saving a space for a parade is unacceptable too? Wow, I sure have lots to learn before I go on our trip!