Line etiquette

[nicoleakr]

I've always wanted to handle the problem this way...

Butter: Excuse me, I'd like to join my group ahead of you.

Me: NP, I'd be glad to help you out. What's your name?

Butter: Umm, John?

Me, yelling: Hey John's friends!!! He's waiting back here for you to come join him!

LOVE IT!!!!!

 

[~Kik-Kik~]

Line hopping is something that is...I dont know the word for it, lol. I think 1-2 (3 people depending on the ride and party ahead) catching up is fine.

Rides like Dumbo come with a set ammount of 'feathers' that they hand out. If a father waits inline and the mom passes off the kid after the wait is over they are still taking 1 DUmbo so it dosnt effect the line.

In the Haunter Mansion if a party of 4 is in line and 2 people are catching up they are going to take up 2 doom buggies so it dosnt matter.

It's hard for large groups to get in Space Mt and Splash Mt since only 1 big group can go at a time, so I dont care the either.

I find in most cases 1 or 2 people wont make a diffrence. I have encountered the line hoppers that drive people to insanity. A group of 5 ADULTS cut half the line to catch up with ONE person. This was on the Primal Whirl btw. They were really loud and obnoxious people. A cast member came walking through the line and escorted them out. I dont know if this is rare or what, but it does happen in some cases.

 

[Finally08]

I don't mind if a person or two is truly catching up to their party. I have seen one parent have to step out of a line to take a child to the restroom, so when they come back to rejoin the rest of their family I am not going to be a jerk to them - I would never expect the whole family to get out of line and lose their place because of something like this. Anyone with small kids would accomplish little if the entire family had to constantly exit and do bathroom breaks as a group (and before anyone says everyone should go together anyway, have you ever tried controlling a 2 or 3 year olds bladder? I could barely control mine at 8).

The only people who blatantly cut us off in line when we were at WDW was a group of two little boys, who IMO were way too young to be running around alone anyway (they were maybe 9-12). They went all through the bars in the que never even saying excuse me but people moved aside, I assume they like us thought they might have had parents in line - but they didn't. They were just cutting line.

Now we did have one experience at DHS that shows me how nasty some people can be to stake their claim on their line spot. As we were exiting Playhouse Disney, we saw right past the exit where they were doing some character meet and greets. We walked up to the end of the line, literally right behind a family that was approaching at the same time. My 3 year old dd was bouncing with excitement with her Little Einsteins just a few feet away and while standing in our group she sort of wedged past this older woman in front of us, just pointing and talking excitedly about the characters. Pretty much all at the same moment that she stepped in front of the woman, I immediately reached through to start tugging her back to me, and the old lady turns back to me and says something very ugly to me about how dare we think we are going to cut in front of them, yadda yadda yadda. I just looked at her and said "I have no intention of cutting you, as you can see, I am trying to get my daughter back to me." She then muttered some obscenities to the lady she was with (I'm guessing her daughter, she was a grandmother type) and spent our entire whopping 5 minute wait in line with this broad stance like she was her family's personal bodyguard and needed to protect them from us evil line breakers.

Anyway, shocked me just how ridiculously ugly some people can be at the most magical place on Earth. The two little boy line cutters left a far smaller mark in my memories than that old hag did.

 

[KatrinaJ91]

I don't like the line cutting, but understand that sometimes it is legit. What got on my nerves the most this past trip was the people that sat at tables at counter service places when they didn't have their food yet!! We had trouble finding tables to sit at once we had our food because there were people saving tables while the rest of their group stood in line to get food! This really burned me up because we could have been done eating before their people even got back with the food! DROVE ME CRAZY!
We had this happen at least 1/2 dozen times during our trip in June and I wish Disney would have their CM's tell people that they cannot save tables until they have their food. We ate at HS once and could not find a table forcing us to eat while standing near a trash can since it was the only place we could find to set our trays. At that point, I looked around and found 7 tables being held by people with no food. We actually ate and left and only 2 of those tables were eating by that time. This, to me, is much more aggravating than people catching up to their group in line!

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Someone here tell me how to handle this problem: In our situation, I have 2 girls that are legally blind. One of which has no peripheral vision or depth perception. For her, we HAVE to sit in the middle of the theater,for both girls we have to sit in the front, or they cannot see. We did get a guest services pass last 2 visits, but it never fails that we get very ugly looks, rude comments, and people even trying to push us down the aisle because they just "do not know." I suppose they do not understand because we do not have canes and seeing eye dogs! I also do not always have time to explain to everyone in the hustle and bustle of rushing in to get a seat. You all know how it goes trying to get into the theater.
Last visit, on 2 separate occasions, we showed our pass to a CM who totally ignored what was on our card, put us in the handicapp lane and we ended up in the very BACK of the theater. We ended up waiting until the next show and then having to shove our way to the front! There simply has to be a better way for us!
We finally gave up on shows all together because it was so frustrating!

Definitely make sure the CM knows exactly what accommodations you need. As you hand them the GAC say, "We have visual issues and need to sit in the middle of the front row." Don't let them send you to the handicapped viewing area in the back. Politely stay on them until they direct you properly. They probably just get used to sending everyone with a GAC to the same area and need to be told that your needs are very specific.

As for the people who are rude when you sit in the middle of the front row, ignore them. They have no idea why you are entitled to be there. If tell you to move down, tell them exactly why you're there. Perhaps they'll learn not to make snap judgement about people.

 

[WhateverLolaWants]

I don't like the line cutting, but understand that sometimes it is legit. What got on my nerves the most this past trip was the people that sat at tables at counter service places when they didn't have their food yet!! We had trouble finding tables to sit at once we had our food because there were people saving tables while the rest of their group stood in line to get food!

This is one of my personal pet peeves too. In January, we actually stayed at our table until we saw a group of teenage girls with their trays of food looking for a table and I got up and asked them if they wanted our table. I have heard of instances during busy times where CMs would not allow anyone in the dining area without a tray.

 

[DisneyJoo2008]

What did crawl all over me (pun intended) was the # of times groups would walk into an auditorium and plop down right in the middle of the row. That happened every single time, and as the CM in Philharmagic pointed out, it's a safety hazard because crowds were large and everybody had to crawl over them to get a seat.

We noticed this a HUGE amount during our early July trip. On practically EVERY show we went to see, people stopped in the middle and would not move. What was frustrating was that the CM's didn't do anything - like we have seen them do on previous trips. There was one occasion where the show was about to start and a huge line of people were still stood up, the people in the rows behind them started to 'make noises' so eventually the people in the middle did move. ggggrrr!!!

What got on my nerves the most this past trip was the people that sat at tables at counter service places when they didn't have their food yet!! We had trouble finding tables to sit at once we had our food because there were people saving tables while the rest of their group stood in line to get food! This really burned me up because we could have been done eating before their people even got back with the food! DROVE ME CRAZY!
We had this happen at least 1/2 dozen times during our trip in June and I wish Disney would have their CM's tell people that they cannot save tables until they have their food. We ate at HS once and could not find a table forcing us to eat while standing near a trash can since it was the only place we could find to set our trays. At that point, I looked around and found 7 tables being held by people with no food. We actually ate and left and only 2 of those tables were eating by that time. This, to me, is much more aggravating than people catching up to their group in line!

This is always VERY annoying! I don't know if its the same over there, but even in little coffee shops and burger bars etc. people do this its REALLY annoying when you have food and nowhere to eat it. I don't know if its a new thing or was a one-off or whether anyone else noticed, but in Pecos Bills, there was a barrier at the entrance to the seating and the CMs were directly you to empty tables in specific sections - I was VERY impressed!

xxx

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

Someone here tell me how to handle this problem: In our situation, I have 2 girls that are legally blind. One of which has no peripheral vision or depth perception. For her, we HAVE to sit in the middle of the theater,for both girls we have to sit in the front, or they cannot see.

You might want to get at least one folding white cane for your girls to whip out at these times so you don't have to explain to every single person why you're in the middle. I'm not sure how old they are, so don't know if they've gone through cane training or not yet.

 

[The Sweetness]

Personally I disagree about the table saving issue. My fam has always done this (me or DH gets online and buys, and me or DH sits at a table w/ the DDs (now 3 and 16). The purpose of this, is to not be standing with the fam's lunch and nowhere to sit. If I cant find a seat, I will seek elsewhere to eat

I hope that WDW doesnt change their policy, forbidding a mom and toddler/ small child to hold a seat while dad gets lunch. If that happens, I'll have to rethink how comfortable I am eating lunch during *normal* times, when places seem the most crowded.

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

So, because I don't want to be the one to ruin a vacation for someone, I need clarification -

If my DH takes the boys into the line and I go get fastpass, are you going to freak out if I say "Excuse me, I'd like to join my family."? Are you really going to "block" me? Because I don't want to deal that. I'll just miss a few rides and let DH handle the boys alone.

 

[BostonRob]

Personally I disagree about the table saving issue. My fam has always done this (me or DH gets online and buys, and me or DH sits at a table w/ the DDs (now 3 and 16). The purpose of this, is to not be standing with the fam's lunch and nowhere to sit. If I cant find a seat, I will seek elsewhere to eat

I hope that WDW doesnt change their policy, forbidding a mom and toddler/ small child to hold a seat while dad gets lunch. If that happens, I'll have to rethink how comfortable I am eating lunch during *normal* times, when places seem the most crowded.

I agree with you 100%. I'm not going to find myself standing there with trays full of food for me and my little kids, trying to hold my little kids' hands, and having nowhere to sit. If they start enforcing a policy that doesn't let a family sit their kids frirst while somebody gets the food, I guess I'll end up eating all my meals at table service restaurants.

 

[BostonRob]

My hometown amusement park (Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana) has a very strict rule for line cutters. If your caught cutting your immediatly kicked out of the park. Personally I dont think the punishment is too harsh. If you do the crime you do the time. (Outside the park that it is).

That sounds nice, but you'll never see WDW implement a policy like that. The responsibility of watching for line cutters, then using your judgement to decided if they're meeting somebody or not, then deciding to boot them from the park - that's just too much responsibility and judgement for those front-line CM's. No offense to any CM's, but for the most part, these people are young, inexperienced people in low-paying jobs. You don't want to force these young people into making decisions that will ruin somebody's vacation.

 

[dreamer17555]

So, because I don't want to be the one to ruin a vacation for someone, I need clarification -

If my DH takes the boys into the line and I go get fastpass, are you going to freak out if I say "Excuse me, I'd like to join my family."? Are you really going to "block" me? Because I don't want to deal that. I'll just miss a few rides and let DH handle the boys alone.

Why not just have your family wait for you at the entrance of the ride? I think that is the polite way to handle things. It seems that a lot of people send a FP runner and then want them to be able to catch back up in line. The FP is already going to save you time, have your family wait an extra 5-10 minutes and ride together.

I don't undertsand why 10 minutes more of waiting would be a deal breaker. Its Disney, riding with your family is a blast. Just wait the extra few minutes.

-Becca-

 

[webstah]

I agree with you 100%. I'm not going to find myself standing there with trays full of food for me and my little kids, trying to hold my little kids' hands, and having nowhere to sit. If they start enforcing a policy that doesn't let a family sit their kids frirst while somebody gets the food, I guess I'll end up eating all my meals at table service restaurants.

My wife and I, along with my BIL and SIL, were dining at Crystal Palace.
We had already been seated, our drinks served, items on the table etc...
We went to get our food, and when we came back, our silverware and chairs were gone.
The people at the table next to us decided to help themselves instead of waiting for the CM to finish the setup.

 

[perkinsrose]

That sounds nice, but you'll never see WDW implement a policy like that. The responsibility of watching for line cutters, then using your judgement to decided if they're meeting somebody or not, then deciding to boot them from the park - that's just too much responsibility and judgement for those front-line CM's. No offense to any CM's, but for the most part, these people are young, inexperienced people in low-paying jobs. You don't want to force these young people into making decisions that will ruin somebody's vacation.

LINEJUMPING is CAUSE FOR REMOVAL FROM PARK:
That's the policy at Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH too. They also have mostly young people, many from exchange student/work visa -type programs--and i'm sure at minimum wage. Perhaps they call security in when a situation is brought to their attention? I've never seen a "removal" in action.

 

[perkinsrose]

So, because I don't want to be the one to ruin a vacation for someone, I need clarification -

If my DH takes the boys into the line and I go get fastpass, are you going to freak out if I say "Excuse me, I'd like to join my family."? Are you really going to "block" me? Because I don't want to deal that. I'll just miss a few rides and let DH handle the boys alone.

When we send a fastpass runner, we usually agree to meet the person at the ride entrance. Either we ride once and wait for theFP runner to ride again or we just wait and get in line together.

 

[Praying Colonel]

So, because I don't want to be the one to ruin a vacation for someone, I need clarification -

If my DH takes the boys into the line and I go get fastpass, are you going to freak out if I say "Excuse me, I'd like to join my family."? Are you really going to "block" me? Because I don't want to deal that. I'll just miss a few rides and let DH handle the boys alone.

I'm not going to freak out if you want to get up to your family. But when we're in that situation (I'm the designated FP runner), my family waits for me at the entrance and I join them there, instead of them going ahead and me trying to get up to them. For us, it just feels icky for me to ask to get ahead of other folks in that situation, but YMMV.

 

[dreamer17555]

That's the policy at Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH too. They also have mostly young people, many from exchange student/work visa -type programs--and i'm sure at minimum wage. Perhaps they call security in when a situation is brought to their attention? I've never seen a "removal" in action.

I miss Cedar Point. Kicks self for moving to NC. Cedar Point does take them down to the security office and then decides what to do. I worked there one summer. The difference is that the amount of money people spend on a Disney vacation makes sure that Disney will never do a removal for line cutting. Can you imagine the yelling that would occur if the first day of a ten day trip a family's teenage son was kicked out? I wouldn't wish that on any CM ever.

Frankly I think people should stop letting people by. People need to learn that waiting for their party at the entrance or even skipping that ride is not going to kill them. But when I was at WDW in April we saw no line cutting anywhere. I guess we were lucky.

-Becca-

 

[mkycrzy1971]

My wife and I, along with my BIL and SIL, were dining at Crystal Palace.
We had already been seated, our drinks served, items on the table etc...
We went to get our food, and when we came back, our silverware and chairs were gone.
The people at the table next to us decided to help themselves instead of waiting for the CM to finish the setup.

WOW! So how was the situation handled??? Did the family apologize for being so rude as to take your chairs and silverware? I cannot image doing something like that

 

[POOH&PIGLET]

From another website on Monday, July 23, 2007.
Woman arrested for "line rage" attack