Personal Space, NOT!!!

[LadyGrimm]

I do believe the country of origin plays a role to a point. Have you seen pictures in Japan and how they squish the passengers into the trains? Some people grow up with a different sense of personal space than we do. I don't like to be squished and will avoid putting myself into that if I can help it, but parades are a problem, especially when "entitled" folk come along. There isn't too much one can do if you don't want to cause a scene and politeness didn't work.

And yet, in a twist of irony, if you are someone who wants/needs more personal space and less shoving/pushing while at a Disney park - head to the Tokyo parks. They're crowded as you can imagine, but the crowds are incredibly civil and CMs simply do not allow anyone to stand during parades or shows, and there is absolutely no tolerance for kids on their parent's shoulders, so you will NEVER have an obstructed view. I had one incident where someone was rude when I politely asked them to move over, but they weren't Japanese!

 

[clarkgriswold]

Rude people are not exclusive to WDW.

 

[kjw42]

On our last vacation we survived unscathed at the parades and fireworks. However I felt people were especially pushy in the stores. Pushing, reaching in front of my face or over my head or worse over my kids, with no " excuse me" offered. Sheesh, it's not like there's a shortage of souvenirs.

 

[Magnetgirl25]

My husband is an introvert and gets grumpy after while being around all those people especially when they invade his personal space. We had an issue at the Magic Lights parade a couple of years ago when we were standing there for an hour and half before the parade began and with 10 minutes to go some lady and her daughter just pushed there way to the front and pushed themselves in front of my mom and dad. I was really annoyed. My mom and dad ended up in the second row behind us. I don't mind letting a child in front of me but really when you are adult do you really need to be rude and push yourself front and center?! We close to another themem park and we have season passes and I can tell you that it is not only there at WDW unforntuely people are rude everywhere! I can tell you though the story of someone putting their child on your lap! That blows my mind. I would NEVER allow my son to sit on ANYONES lap that i don't know!!! I understand different cultures but when you are here in America I feel like you should respect our culture as well.

 

[MammaMoe48]

1. Everyone has their own definition of what constitutes 'personal' space. And I think you will find that this varies just as much amongst Americans as it does between nationalities.

2. WDW parks are crowded. And crowds are even worse for parades, fireworks and other live performances. You can't cram 10,000 people into a small area and hope to maintain any semblance of 'personal' space.

If this isnt something that you can handle, then perhaps WDW isn't a good place for you. Instead of glaring and dirty looks, or yelling at the person beside or behind you, how about a more civil response? A simple, and polite, request that they please move further back might work equally well, or better. Bad manners should not beget bad manners.

That's ridiculous, name one culture where it's acceptable to sit on total strangers or wedge yourself into a seat that's too small hoping the person you are sitting on will move. Maybe if a person can't control themselves, mind their manners and wait their turn, WDW isn't the place for them. I'm getting pretty fed up with people making excuses for bad behavior on "cultural differences". It's not acceptable in a Turkish flea market, it's not acceptable at a Broadway show, it's not acceptable at a sporting event, it should not be acceptable at the Happiest Place on Earth. And, yes sometimes you have to give attitude if you don't want to be sat upon or pushed off a chair.

 

[noahdove]

I must say that more than once people have waited too long to find a place to sit for the
parade and that makes a little frustrated. A few years ago, there was a family trying to park their stroller
anywhere on the parade route and the CM's continued telling them, they couldn't park there.
It was for the evening parade and the poor child in the stroller kept getting pushed from one person waiting
on the parade route. No one allowed them to make a space for them to sit and park the stroller.
Finally, after many attempts, a CM came over and politely told them to leave the area as the parade
was coming and there was no room for them. The family looked at all of us like we were aliens and then
moved out of the way. We all had been sitting there for an hour and we were all polite even sharing our
glow sticks with the children around us...

 

[JessNewt]

Don't visit Disneyland Paris if you value personal space. The worst!!

 

[MammaMoe48]

post deleted

 

[LinderInWonderland]

My husband is an introvert and gets grumpy after while being around all those people especially when they invade his personal space. We had an issue at the Magic Lights parade a couple of years ago when we were standing there for an hour and half before the parade began and with 10 minutes to go some lady and her daughter just pushed there way to the front and pushed themselves in front of my mom and dad. I was really annoyed. My mom and dad ended up in the second row behind us. I don't mind letting a child in front of me but really when you are adult do you really need to be rude and push yourself front and center?! We close to another themem park and we have season passes and I can tell you that it is not only there at WDW unforntuely people are rude everywhere! I can tell you though the story of someone putting their child on your lap! That blows my mind. I would NEVER allow my son to sit on ANYONES lap that i don't know!!! I understand different cultures but when you are here in America I feel like you should respect our culture as well.

Every time this happened to me at WDW, it was an American family, so I am not sure what culture they were respecting?

 

[tsme]

In Mk during our last visit in Dec. '15, my DD (13yrs. old att) & I entered our car (guess that's what they're called) on BTMRR & a strange man tried to enter with us! My DH was in the car in front of us because those things are small & there's not enough room for 3 grown people. I stopped the guy, by telling him No & shooing him out. It was shocking. But there's was no way I was going to be squashed by some strange man. I don't think he understood English or acted as if he didn't but he did understand the shooing hand gesture. Crazy town!

 

[BCNHF]

Caught some out of country kids trying to go into my girlfriends backpacks in the space mountain line. They were climbing all over everything stepping on our feet, so we slowed down and let space grow. They got mad of course, and that's when I caught them trying to go into the backpack. I yelled at them and they backed off, but I kept thinking about how many people lose items that way.

 

[MammaMoe48]

The squishing on the trains in Japan is a necessity - too many people, not enough space. But they are all still mindful of the space they occupy, you won't see people on the subway laden with backpacks and bicycles or taking up two seats. As crowded as it is, they still respect personal space and frown upon being pushy or rudeness. They wait in line, without cutting and they keep their children on a short leash and don't allow them to run wild while waiting in line. And children are taught to sit still and eat properly in a restaurant. I guess because they are so cramped that they have developed a more keen awareness of privacy, personal space and respect of others.

 

[krm222]

As I sat nursing on the curb my 9 month old and waiting for the MSEP people kept stepping past me to get into the street and kicking me (or at times my daughter). My husband suggested that I scoot closer to the trash can (fun) so there wouldn't be enough room for people to even think of squeezing through but it continues right up until the parade started.

Some people are just rude jerks. Nothing you can do except not let them ruin your vacation.

 

[Judyfun]

my favorite was when my DD and I were in line for Soarin and the child behind us keep kicking my DD, we asked politely for this to stop. but as soon a Mom turn her head the child threw a fit kicking and screaming.

 

[quagmire0]

This is what happens when people don't take mid-day breaks.

 

[Bobb_o]

I can't remember exactly what ride it was but it was one of the rides that each row has enough room for 4 adults to sit comfortably. It actually might have been the Safari. Well, anyway all of a sudden my GF and I are squished on the far end and we look back and apparently one person had left their group and just got on the car with us. I guess it's cause they thought they were supposed since the CM told them to line up? I'm just glad we were on the opposite side.

We also had the opposite happen that trip where in GMR we were told to get in a car and we're like "Yeah, that's not going to work" because there was probably enough room for one of us but not both. So we ended up waiting inside the loading area for the next trams.

 

[Bobb_o]

Also, this thread makes me wonder what a Disneyland Sweden would be like...

 

[North of Mouse]

my favorite was when my DD and I were in line for Soarin and the child behind us keep kicking my DD, we asked politely for this to stop. but as soon a Mom turn her head the child threw a fit kicking and screaming.

This is what happens when people don't take mid-day breaks.

No, actually this is what happens when parents don't bother to 'discipline' their children! Being tired is no excuse for bad behavior, even though it has become the #1 excuse for a lot of parents these days.

 

[MammaMoe48]

No, actually this is what happens when parents don't bother to 'discipline' their children! Being tired is no excuse for bad behavior, even though it has become the #1 excuse for a lot of parents these days.

Can I "like" this 100 times? They may not understand proper behavior at one or two or even three years old but they will come to understand if you begin teaching them early.

 

[Disneymooners4eva]

Not WDW but at another park, the guy standing behind DH sneezed all over him without covering or apologizing. I thought DH was going to murder the guy...

Another time on Kilimanjaro safari, a single rider decided to squeeze into our row despite having 5 people sitting there already. When in fact the CM wanted to put him in the row behind us...