Pet peeves I saw today at Magic Kingdom

[TheOtherVillainess]

3. Parents who drag their crying terrified small children onto rides

The last time DH and I visited WDW, the Alien ride was still the scary alien ride and not the cutesyfloofy Stitch ride. DH and I enter and take our seats. Just as it starts to get dark, we notice about 4-5 seats down from us is a family..Mom/Dad and 2 boys who are probably around 8 and 6ish. It gets scary like nobody's business and the boys are SCREAMING and squirming. Somehow they are limber enough to clamber out of the restraints and start dashing between mom and Dad. Dad starts screaming at Mom to get them out of there and I see a CM head towards them. Just as the CM gets there, Mom manages to wriggle out of HER harness and leads the now-tearful boys out of the ride. DH and I wanted to strangle her later when we saw her with them in the giftshop afterwards.

Way to psychologically scar your kids for life, Mom and Dad.

TOV

 

[WDWCM]

I have a question, I read in a post that a cm thought it was a waste of time for people to have the characters sign autograph books. My question is, if Disney feels it is such a waste, then why do they sell the books? We hadn't even thought about an autograph until we saw the books in the store, then our kids felt they had to have them because Disney sold them. This just confuses me.

That list represents my top 10 pet peeves at WDW. Not all of them are directed towards guests. The autograph books are high on my list as an example of how Disney as a company goes for the profit over and above a magical guest experience.

Just because Disney sells them does not mean that you have to participate. I would love to see more guests, children and adults alike, interacting with the characters and far less signing and posing. What is a more magical moment - an autograph in a book with a posed photo or a picture dancing with Mickey/Minnie or playing ball with Pluto or hoola hooping with Goofy etc...? When you get home, do you remember standing there watching that character sign your book? Would it be more memorable if you had spent 15 -20 minutes playing kickball with the characters from Pinnochio in Town Square?

But as long as people buy those books in reams, Disney will make sure they are there for sale and the characters will be at the head of those lines - signing and posing.

 

[AmazingGrace]

those spray thingys are the worst! I got "spritzed" in the face with one by a CM in Toontown and my glasses were smudged the rest of the day!

Just a hint...plain old hand sanitizer without the moisterizers and all, will get rid of any smudges you have on your glasses!!

 

[babiesX2]

Double-wide strollers are the bane of my existence, especially in stores. They block everything and run everyone over. It seems like the front to back ones would be more maneuverable.

Front to back strollers are more maneuverable. I find the side by side strollers to be horribly obnoxious.

 

[maddhatir]

ewww- in traffic my husband leaves a space in front of him (when he is in front of a entrance/exit etc so people can get in or out) and a few times- someone drove AROUND him and took the space!!! i swear! how gross is that?

As nice as your husband is being, and as rude as the other driver seems, you do need to remember that if you're in a long line of traffic, all those drivers behind you need/want to get somewhere at least as badly as the drivers pulling onto the roadway. One car I don't mind (there's a highway off-ramp near my house; when traffic is backed up on both the ramp and the road, (the reasonable) drivers on the road - who actually have the right of way - will alternate with the off-ramp traffic. This is sensible; the driver on the road who lets ten cars come off the ramp on front of him is being inconsiderate of the drivers behind him.

UMM- not only is my husband SENSIBLE he is also COURTEOUS!

my DH was STOPPED at a red light JUST LIKE THE REST OF THE TRAFFIC WAS-- no one was moving. he left one car length in front of him so not to BLOCK THE DRIVEWAY of the gas station that people were entering and exiting WHILE TRAFFIC WAS STOPPED! the jerk who decided to jump infront of him was now just sitting there STOPPED...at the redlight with everyone else, now not only was the driver STOPPED he was now blocking the driveway !!! SO- this means there is now a long line of cars trying to get out of the gas station and a long line of on coming traffic trying to make the left into the gas station- if the jerk had not jumped in front of DH-- everything would have kept flowing!

when the light turned green DH, as he usually does in a sensible manner proceeded to go with the rest of the traffic- not holding anyone up!

as far as "ramp etiquette" we are very familiar with that! we know that each car should let one person in from the ramp traffic to keep the traffic flowwwwwing!

 

[Disney1fan2002]

1) People who have no patience in a crowd of 20,000, when they know the place is going to be wall to wall people

*this is my DH. UGH. he drive me insane. I want to scream....what do you expect?? He would enjoy life so much better, if he just had a little patience.

 

[taximomfor4]

I started to get stressed out when I read over and over one of the pet peeves which is people who don't move to the end of the row. We have a daughter who is visually impaired. We need to sit in the front (which we did) and in the middle or she does not have any shot at seeing the show. People kept yelling at us to move down. The first 50 or so times this happened we tried to explain but people rolled their eyes and made snorting noises. After the 50th time, we just took the blank stare, I don't understand English response. It was tiring to keep trying to explain to no avail and we don't want to constantly point out to our child that she is different and no ones gets it. The CM's were very good about it but it's not like they could keep it from happening. BTW, my daughter has glasses but otherwise you would not pick up that she is visually impaired by just looking at her.

I'm starting to get stressed just thinking about this for the trip in July. Last time,we went in the off-season. I can just imagine now. And our daughter's nine and at the "I don't want to stand out" stage. Yikes.

Just wanted to give you another view..........

HouTXMommy
Going to WDW - 07/06

Hey! I posted almost the same exact thing a few pages back about my dd!! I feel your pain!

To the CM who responded about people with GAC wanting a different accomodation made, I really understand that. Seen it...and it was not a small change the people were wanting the Cm to do. On the other hand, I wish more CMs would LOOK at our GAC. Too many times, they fail to notice that our is visual impairment. We follow their directions only to have to leave and come back to get the visual impaired seating. MomtoMJM rescued us once, when we were misdirected. Happens A LOT. I have begun showing the GAC but SAYING the visual impaired part, much to my dd's chagrin.

 

[phillybeth]

Just returned this morning from a great week at Disney but there was one thing that bothered me at Mickeys Philharmagic. It seems everytime that Ariel appears on the screen, there is always some off key wannabe singer trying to sing like her! The first time we went to see the show, I let it slide, but the next time, I turned around as soon as she started and said "Your not going to sing are you?" and she stopped. Of course, being a Mom, I think it would be cute if it was a little girl singing, but these are grown women who should really just sit quietly and enjoy the show!

Oh yes! I was at the Beauty and the Beast show in MGM and the teenaged girl sitting next to me thought she was Belle. I'm glad she enjoyed the show but I could not hear a thing over her singing.

 

[Chicago526]

I must be oblivious, I've never seen any truely bad behavior at a Disney park! Well, I do run into people who stop in the middle of a walkway, but that happens everywhere I go, not just Disney, so I don't count that (although it is VERY anoying). Otherwise, either I'm just lucky or not paying attention to other guests behavior.

I am one of the table savers, though. I've got no problem with it (obviously), as long as the right sized table for the group is being held. I hate parties of two that take up a table for 6! If I can't find a small table for DH and I, I just wait until one opens up.

 

[wvrevy]

Pet Peeve #1 - Whiny non smokers. If just a trace amount of smoke from 20 yards away is enough to stop your breathing, maybe you should invest in a mask or something.

Pet Peeve #2 - General rudeness. I swear, the words "excuse me" must be fading from the English language. The words "Thank you" are following close behind.

Pet Peeve #3 - Personal space. Look, I don't care if it's a parade, show, or line, I really don't need you in my back pocket. Particularly when we're in line, there is absolutely NO reason to stand with your toes touching my heels. It won't get you there any sooner, and it is likely to get you a sharp elbow to the ribs (purely accidental, of course ).

Pet Peeve #4 - The little handle. You know, the one on the back of the toilet? Try pulling it...it's really an amazing thing.

Pet Peeve #5 - Parents that won't control their kids. I've got a five year old. I KNOW that they can sometimes get unruly. But when DD does it, she knows she is in for it. Therefore, she doesn't do it anymore. If your kid won't behave - pay close attention to this - IT IS NOT THE KID'S FAULT!

The problem with all of these is simply that they are not mere Disney World phenomena, but take place in all public spaces (malls, parks, grocery stores, etc.). As a society, we have completely turned to the dark side. People just don't take the time to notice what consequences their actions have on the people around them.

 

[Disney1fan2002]

Pet Peeve #4 - The little handle. You know, the one on the back of the toilet? Try pulling it...it's really an amazing thing.

Um....Disney toilets have handles?

Pet Peeve #5 - Parents that won't control their kids. I've got a five year old. I KNOW that they can sometimes get unruly. But when DD does it, she knows she is in for it. Therefore, she doesn't do it anymore. If your kid won't behave - pay close attention to this - IT IS NOT THE KID'S FAULT!

BRAVO~~ CLAP~CLAP~CLAP~ Thank you for saying this.

I hate when people make excuses for their brats. "Oh they are tired, I can't do anything about it."

YES YOU CAN. It is called consequence.

 

[jann1033]

That list represents my top 10 pet peeves at WDW. Not all of them are directed towards guests. The autograph books are high on my list as an example of how Disney as a company goes for the profit over and above a magical guest experience.

i totally agree with this...long ago when there was a "chance" meeting with a character it was so fun. sometimes there was a line but not that often as you got a picture, a hug and left. i really think that once they opened the mk land( can't remember the original name of it) and it seems like that is around when they started to have "official" times, lines and places for the characters, it spoiled it. i rarely if ever just see characters in the park anymore, just these planned madhouses with pushing, shoving and crabbing due to people wanting to make their long wait time "count"

 

[waltfan1957]

actually some did accuse others of that earlier in the thread.( i just went back and looked) beating a dead horse yet further( why can i not resist the urge is beyond me)

And now for my pet peeve!!!!!!!!
the point is,( and maybe to the poster quoted, since it says less than 100 posts on your thing maybe you haven't seen this) some of us ( well at least this one)who have seriousmedical problems[/I] but are not in wheel chairs are tired of being told we shouldn't rent ecvs at Disney, shouldn't use handicapped stalls at Disney etc. because "our" needs do not match someones preconceived idea of serious medical need( just for the record i have 3 count em 3 disabling illnesses, 2 that will probably just out right kill me way sooner than i want to go and 1 that well, just makes my life miserable now so i'm not just talking with out any experience ).

but you know because of this i am very hesitant to put my preconceived idea of what "need" is on someone else since i have no idea what the circumstance they are under is...so sorry, i agree to disagree with you, but i will not say people using a stall they are allowed to use by law because they feel they have a valid need, be it big shoulders, 14 kids or ignorance is because they are just totally uncaring and don't care how their behavior affects others (ignorance: IE the companion bath room comment you made awhile back about the young girls, uh obviously they thought if 2 went together they were "companions" ...maybe it should seem obvious to them but it seems to me they just didn't get what "companion" meant) and while i am on this rant why should someone in a wheelchair by pass the other 10 guests waiting & go to "their" stall ( and to totally spill my guts i know way more than i want to about "oopss" issues) instead of waiting in line like everyone else... and if someone is in the hc stall, it will open up soon just like the others do...

if someone comes in (in a wc) behind me( immediately behind me) i might try to use a normal stall( depending on how much arm/leg strength i have that day) but i have been stuck in them before( i need the arm rails to get up, to be blunt) so it's me being nice to them at a cost to myself, that's my decision to make not someone else's to make for me

that's enough of my pet peeve for the day

Did not realise that you had to have X number of posts to qualify to make comments on this board the young girls I quoted about in a previous post were made aware by a cm but chose to ignore them so that is ignorance imho I also think if you look I have never said that HC should not wait in line like every one else, I also picked up on another topic you posted about how you had to wait 2 hours because of 3 wheelchairs and there friends being loaded on the bus you were in line for that is strange as the buses can only take 2 at a time, but I wasn't there so I can't really understand this, I also have no objectoin to anyone renting a wheelchair or ECV only that they should know how to drive them, also I know a lot of people who have hidden dissabilities my wife is in the same situation as yourself she has several disabling conditions including 3 strokes and is permantly in a wheelchair so even if I have less than 100 posts I have seen it regretably

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Did not realise that you had to have X number of posts to qualify to make comments on this board the young girls I quoted about in a previous post were made aware by a cm but chose to ignore them so that is ignorance imho I also think if you look I have never said that HC should not wait in line like every one else, I also picked up on another topic you posted about how you had to wait 2 hours because of 3 wheelchairs and there friends being loaded on the bus you were in line for that is strange as the buses can only take 2 at a time, but I wasn't there so I can't really understand this, I also have no objectoin to anyone renting a wheelchair or ECV only that they should know how to drive them, also I know a lot of people who have hidden dissabilities my wife is in the same situation as yourself she has several disabling conditions including 3 strokes and is permantly in a wheelchair so even if I have less than 100 posts I have seen it regretably

Um, what??

 

[AnaheimGirl]

If you don't look for a table before you get your food you must be a party of one.

Not necessarily. Some of us are just families or couples who don't see a need for a table when we don't have food yet, and wouldn't dream of using one up, when other people with food might need one.

If not, it would be prudent to send someone to look for a table a bit before time or you will have to wait for a table unless you eat at an off time. it stinks, but it's true.

It does stink. But the truth is, that if less people saved tables for long periods of time while one member of the family waited in line, there would be tables open for the people who have paid and have food in their hands, looking for a table, and the whole "saving a table" issue would be moot.

I even had a CM complain about this to me, once. It was just me and my 4yo (I wasn't about to let her sit and save a table while I waited in line). After I paid, there were no open tables. He tried to help me find one and complained about all the people sitting there saving tables. He said that the CS restaurants are designed to handle the flow of customers... enough tables to adequately seat the same number of people as the cash registers and cooks are able to serve at a given time. He said people saving tables screws up the whole system. I asked why they didn't put up some signs, then, requesting people not sit down until they had food, and he just said "I have an idea, but I can't say it out loud", with a roll of his eyes.

There is NO need for a family of 7 to get in the line to order and wait until their food comes out to find a table. Lines would be even longer than they are now.

Of course, there is no need for all 7 to get in line. No one has suggested that there is. What has been suggested is that those other 6 don't take up a table that someone with food might need. The pet peeve is people who sit there for long periods of time, when others with food are unable to find a spot because of all the people without food, sitting there waiting.

Oh, and the lines might physically be longer with the whole family in them, but would not take any longer, because the same amount of food would still get ordered, rung up and paid for.

 

[Reflection]

One thing I do when someone is talking on their cell phone and forcing me to listen is I do. I mean really listen stare at the person like I'm in on the conversation, nod if appropriate ,tilt my head you get the idea. Usually the person gets fidgetty will turn their body around, talk softer, and if you keep it up I've had people get off the phone.Which is great. I also make a point of talking a lot to my kids,myself, the clerk etc just to annoy the cell phone user.

 

[maxiesmom]

I even had a CM complain about this to me, once. It was just me and my 4yo (I wasn't about to let her sit and save a table while I waited in line). After I paid, there were no open tables. He tried to help me find one and complained about all the people sitting there saving tables. He said that the CS restaurants are designed to handle the flow of customers... enough tables to adequately seat the same number of people as the cash registers and cooks are able to serve at a given time. He said people saving tables screws up the whole system. I asked why they didn't put up some signs, then, requesting people not sit down until they had food, and he just said "I have an idea, but I can't say it out loud", with a roll of his eyes.

Of course, there is no need for all 7 to get in line. No one has suggested that there is. What has been suggested is that those other 6 don't take up a table that someone with food might need. The pet peeve is people who sit there for long periods of time, when others with food are unable to find a spot because of all the people without food, sitting there waiting.

Oh, and the lines might physically be longer with the whole family in them, but would not take any longer, because the same amount of food would still get ordered, rung up and paid for.

So where did this CM suggest all of the people wait before they receive their food? I would much rather people be at a table instead of triping on them. Or having to reach around them as they lean against the condiment stand.

 

[briannesmom]

Silly pet peeve but it drives me crazy

When you undies creep up where they don't belong (I know it happens to everyone) please step to the side and turn your butt away from the crowd before digging in to get them out.
When we were waiting for the parade the man in front of us had to literally stand up, lift a leg and dig in there to get them out. Not something I wanted two feet in front of my face.

Amy

 

[golfgal]

When we were going to Philharmagic we had a couple of older teens that stopped in the middle of the row, just like you aren't supposed to and since they had been loud an obnoxious while waiting I "accidentally" stepped on her foot while telling my DD that how amazing it was that people that are their age can't follow directions. I sort of apologized to her saying 'oh, I'm so sorry, we were trying to move to the end of the row like the CM's directed". I got a good chuckle out of it anyway.

 

[AnaheimGirl]

So where did this CM suggest all of the people wait before they receive their food? I would much rather people be at a table instead of triping on them. Or having to reach around them as they lean against the condiment stand.

He didn't. But I imagine it'd be like any other counter-service restaurant outside WDW. Usually the whole family waits in line and there is usually plenty of room by the cashiers to do so. If it's busy, there will still be the same number of people hanging around the restaurant. I'd rather have people with no food in their hands waiting around by the condiments, than people with food in their hands, milling about looking for a table.

I'm beginning to wonder if this is a regional thing. I've only lived in California and Colorado and have never in any restaurants in either of those areas seen a lot of people sit down at a counter-service restaurant before getting their food. On the rare occasions you see someone do it (usually at McDonalds, when a family wants a premium table by the playplace ), you can see them gets tons of dirty looks from other people, and restaurant workers even asking them to get up if they don't have their food yet (when it's busy). But some posts here come across as if "everybody" does it. Are there some parts of the country where it is the norm, and considered OK by most people?