New to WDW, lots of rude guests? and tips to deal with them?

[Merx]

Hi,

I'll be going to Disney World with my family in October. Just wanted to get a gauge as to how common I would be encountering rude guests at Disney World.

The background is that 10 years ago at Hong Kong Disneyland, it was a bad experience for me because of rude guests

1) Lots of pushing in lines
2) A guests elbowing my mum when entering to see a show to "fight for a good seat"
3) People standing next to you at a counter service table waiting for your table and staring at you to make you "leave" faster

I'm a bit older and wiser now (I think) and I know I can't control other people's behaviour, and being in a crowded place, I understand I can't avoid these situations.

But what I want to control is my own reaction to these situations, I don't want to get upset when I see these behaviour, because if I get upset, my family might get upset and it might affect our vacation.

So I'm hoping to get some tips from everyone here as to how to handle these situations so i don't get upset and enjoy the vacation.

Thanks.

 

[kenly777]

I think that you will be pleasantly surprised. Although there are plenty of rude guests at Disneyworld, and I'm sure that many people will post examples, they are the exception, not the rule. There are many more polite folks than rude ones.
I'm sure that you and your family will have a wonderful time!

 

[Eastern]

The worst behavior you will see is when the parks are the most crowded. For example, lining up for parades, waiting for fireworks, and leaving after these big shows. People can be really rude and pushy. You can avoid a lot of the stress by not being too concerned where you will view something, and taking your time leaving after a show. We do stuff like watch fireworks near Winnie the Pooh (good view and not too many people), watch the parade from locations other than Main St, and shop or hang out after fireworks.

Otherwise, I don't think people are any ruder than normal.

If you do line up early for a parade, be prepared for people to stand in front of you or push into your space at the last minute. Just be ready to say, I'm sorry, but we have been waiting here and want to see the show. Don't be caught off guard and stunned into silence. Speak up for yourself.

 

[Moms]

Our experiences have always been largely positive. There are, of course, individuals who don't know how to behave in public but they are easy to ignore. Most people are happy to be there and their behavior reflects this.

Just a thought but I'm not sure that Hong Kong Disney may be more crowded than most as, frankly, the cities in China are very crowded in general. We spent some time in Shanghai and Beijing a couple of years ago and O.M.G. was it crowded!!! We experienced a fair amount of what we considered "rude" behavior (pushing, elbows, etc.) and were surprised because the Chinese are generally very polite people ... I think that that sort of behavior is more in the way of "survival tactics" than anything else.

No worries and have fun ... October shouldn't be too crowded and the F&W at Epcot is always a good time!

 

[Mr & Mrs DD]

We were there about 6 months ago. There was no shortage of rude people. Tips on how to deal with it? As for us, we just bite our tongues as much as we possibly can to keep from making things any worse. There are times when people may really cross the line and you have to say something. We say it as politely as possible and try to move on.
Everyone has their limits as to how much they can take or deal with. We choose to stay as cool headed as possible.
We had people staring and waiting on our seats as well. It was annoying, but we purposely took even longer to eat our lunch.
It's up to each individual how you want to handle things. We're all different. I say do what you have to do to make yourself feel better as long as it doesn't get you in to trouble. We choose to keep quite as much as possible. There is no shortage of rude guests.

 

[aretha30]

As others have said you will encounter more people happy to be there than then the opposite. When we run into people who are not making the best choices we avoid them or ignore them. Sometimes this is easier said then done (in a line or waiting for a parade or show). We've found that it's better not to let the little things ruin the magic for our family. If someone else wants to be miserable at Disney that is their problem! Disney is our happy place, and no one will ruin it for us!

 

[maxiesmom]

We were there about 6 months ago. There was no shortage of rude people. Tips on how to deal with it? As for us, we just bite our tongues as much as we possibly can to keep from making things any worse. There are times when people may really cross the line and you have to say something. We say it as politely and try to move on.
Everyone has their limits as to how much they can take or deal with. We choose to stay as cool headed as possible.
We had people staring and waiting on our seats as well. It was annoying, but we purposely took even longer to eat our lunch.
It's up to each individual how you want to handle things. We're all different. I say do what you have to do to make yourself better as long as it doesn't get you in to trouble. There is no shortage of rude guests.

I don't think meeting rude behavior with more rude behavior is a good solution. And while it might temporarily make me feel good to be rude back, in the long run I would feel like the jerk I was. The best thing is to ignore rude behavior if at all possible, and go on with your day as you normally would.

 

[Mr & Mrs DD]

I don't think meeting rude behavior with more rude behavior is a good solution. And while it might temporarily make me feel good to be rude back, in the long run I would feel like the jerk I was. The best thing is to ignore rude behavior if at all possible, and go on with your day as you normally would.

I did not suggest that you meet rude behavior with rude behavior. My post suggest you hold your tongue as much as possible. It is not rude behavior if someone really crosses the line and you have to say something. Sometimes you can't let people get away with just anything without saying something and to be as diplomatic and cool headed about it as possible about it while doing so. We always try to take the high road, but at the same time, you can't be a doormat and let people have their way with you.

 

[Jennasis]

The behavior you experienced in HK is cultural. As crowded as China is, that's just how they roll and is not considered rude there.

That said, the best way to deal with rude people is to ignore them. End of story. Have a great trip.

 

[anniemae]

You may have been experience a bit of cultural difference in HK. I think it is the norm to kind of push and shove, it's not considered rude. I remember when we were in China, boarding a plane, they made an announcement for boarding and everyone got up and started shoving, pushing, elbowing etc. to get on as fast as humanly possible. they also don't have the same distance of "Personal space" that we have.

As for rudeness as DW, yes you will encounter it. The parks are more crowded than ever and people are more entitled than ever.

 

[Spork24]

The good news is that October should be at least slightly less crowded than peak season, which IMO really helps. Also, I would guess you might have a different experience if you went back to Hong Kong Disneyland today vs. 10 years ago. The park was still new and I would guess it was more crowded.

Also, I'm not sure where you live, but hong not Kong is very different culturally from the US. Light pushing in crowds is totally the norm their (think subways) and it just isn't in the US.

Disney world is a magical place, and you may run into 1 or 2 rude guests, but it shouldn't affect your ability to have a really good time if you have a positive attitude.

 

[maxiesmom]

I did not suggest that you meet rude behavior with rude behavior. My post suggest you hold your tongue as much as possible. It is not rude behavior if someone really crosses the line and you have to say something. Sometimes you can't let people get away with just anything without saying something and to be as diplomatic and cool headed about it as possible about it while doing so. We always try to take the high road, but at the same time, you can't be a doormat and let people have their way with you.

Taking even longer to eat your lunch because you know someone wants your table is the rude behavior I was referring to. Just like when people see that someone wants their parking spot they will take longer to leave. Feels good to many at the time, but only makes you rude as well.

Don't let people rush you, but don't slow down trying to prove some point either. Odds are the ones waiting on you won't get the point anyway.

 

[Kiersten]

When I worked in Yellowstone, I observed that in China (we had a lot of tour groups from China), it's not rude to push and shove. It is so crowded and that's the only way to get around! It seems rude to us Americans but that's the norm over there. I just shoved back if they shoved me. lol It shouldn't be as bad like that in Disney and just say something and stand up for yourself if someone is rude.

 

[OKW Lover]

With the thousands and thousands of guests in the parks at any given time its impossible to avoid some of the thoughtless ones. The best advice is to not be one of them yourself.

 

[IrishNYC]

I think if you go with a frame of mind that people are going to be rude, you'll find rude people. You worry about you. Don't worry about what others do.

 

[SeilerBird]

If I were eating my lunch and some rude people started staring at me so I would hurry up then I would pull out my smartphone, launch Periscope and tell the people they are now being broadcast live to the Internet. If they were close enough I would interview them. Ask them their names, hometown and ages. Then I would ask them if everyone from their town was as rude as they are.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

Hi,

I'll be going to Disney World with my family in October. Just wanted to get a gauge as to how common I would be encountering rude guests at Disney World.

The background is that 10 years ago at Hong Kong Disneyland, it was a bad experience for me because of rude guests

1) Lots of pushing in lines
2) A guests elbowing my mum when entering to see a show to "fight for a good seat"
3) People standing next to you at a counter service table waiting for your table and staring at you to make you "leave" faster

I'm a bit older and wiser now (I think) and I know I can't control other people's behaviour, and being in a crowded place, I understand I can't avoid these situations.

But what I want to control is my own reaction to these situations, I don't want to get upset when I see these behaviour, because if I get upset, my family might get upset and it might affect our vacation.

So I'm hoping to get some tips from everyone here as to how to handle these situations so i don't get upset and enjoy the vacation.

Thanks.

Rude people exist wherever you go. I don't necessarily find an over abundance in Walt Disney World. Most of the time they don't affect you or your visit, they just make their own experience miserable; I refuse to let them diminish mine in any way. The best way we handle anyone we find a bit out of line or over the top is to share stories over dinner about "guests behaving badly". We vote on who has the worst guest for the day and laugh about it. Surprisingly, on our last visit, we had very few stories to share.

 

[Bete]

Parades and fireworks are the worse. You may want to consider skipping those activities. It just depends how bad you want to see them. If you don't skip them then seeing them from a less desirable area will help; because, the pushy people won't be there.

If you do table service dining then you won't have competition for a table and someone staring you down for a spot like quick service dining. If you are staying on site then having meals at the resort may be a better situation. Eat at off times, not the peak times to avoid crowds.

As an onsite resort guest you get EMHs (extra magic hours) which gives you an earlier start in a designated park or a later closing time. Those times have less people in the park; so, you cover more ground without the crowds.

Use fastpass plus and make your reservations at the earliest for them.

Finally, the Food and Wine Festival, can be unruly. Some people get carried away with the alcohol drinking. If you want to participate then go early there rather than the evening.

 

[BeerMe]

Sometimes you need to look in the mirror. It all depends on your standards.

 

[Mr & Mrs DD]

Taking even longer to eat your lunch because you know someone wants your table is the rude behavior I was referring to. Just like when people see that someone wants their parking spot they will take longer to leave. Feels good to many at the time, but only makes you rude as well.

Don't let people rush you, but don't slow down trying to prove some point either. Odds are the ones waiting on you won't get the point anyway.

I disagree, I do hurry to get out of parking spots for people. I find that to be different. My meal is my personal enjoyment time. They are interfering with my personal enjoyment of something, unlike a parking space. When someone is standing over me while I am trying to relax and enjoy my meal and my company, it makes my dining experience very uncomfortable & unenjoyable. They not only stood over us, they asked if we would be leaving soon. If you find that to be rude of me, that's okay with me. I'm sure some others may agree with you and some may not. We just don't see eye to eye on it and that's okay.