Please, have a LITTLE consideration

[chrisn]

I know there are so many who enjoy the hammocks but really to me they are overated and not worth the effort is takes to obtain one or refrain from getting into an altercation with another guest over hogging and not using. Personally, I don't particually care for where most of them are located. I like to be right down by the beach because I have a 6 year old child that I don't let run amok. One eyeball never leaves his person. I much prefer the umbrella loungers and that is right back to where we are headed again when we return "home". As for the pool chairs. It's a serious problem. The prime spots are always taken and mostly never used and the Mickey pool is always a mob scene during the best part of the day. But with small child it's unavoidable so I grin and bear it. The sacrifices this mom takes for the sparkly eyed smile of her son. *sigh* And yes I have definitely seen and been party to rude inconsiderate people beginning at Radisson at the Port before I even boarded the ship with a big, pushy, overbearing family matriarch with family in tow shove herself and company in our reserved transportation. Then that same lady charged up to Palo like a bull in a china chop to make sure to get the prime reservation times but you know what? There is something in the air there that just makes it all ok. At least for me and I'm usually the type that won't take any BS from anybody. That feeling is exactly why we are going back. I'm of the belief that they difinitely put pixie dust in the air and food. It's just magical.

 

[dvarallo]

I had an experience on my last Disney Cruise where a woman was saving 10 seats, yes one woman, in the Walt Disney Theater. My party of 5 disturbed about 6 people to get to the center of a row where we saw 10 seats. As soon as we get there, the woman at the end tells us that all 10 seats were saved. I wasn't about to turn around and disturb the 6 people again, so I told her about the "no seat saving" policy. I can understand saving seats for 1, 2 or even 3 people, but 10 people. She wasn't even watching for them and didn't tell us they were saved until we were ready to sit down. I would think that out of a party of 11 people, 4 or 5 people could hold the rest of the seats. And if that's the case, there should be a "lookout" to let people know that the seats are taken before they disturb other people.

 

[eye R.N.]

One of my fav pics is of me on a hammock with the ship in the background. The reality, It was a horrible nasty day on CC with storms rolling in regularly. The CM was nice enough to allow us on the beach long enough to snap that picture.

As for me, I don't care what my butt is on. I'm much more concerned that the families around me are not in the process of a major family meltdown, this has happened twice. Hard to relax when the only thing that can be heard are parents alternately screaming at each other or their kids.

This time I will happily troop to the far end of the beach hoping only those that are determined to have a good time will venture that far.

As for rude folks, they are everywhere. Taking the stairs helps eliminate the elevator hogs and the underage button pushers. Besides it burn calories and I love the art in the stairwells.

Deck 10 always has empty loungers and it is peacefull (unless the horn is blowing)

Thankfully we are beyond the age of having to watch kids in pools, and our experience in the Goofy Pool was so sardine like, the kids haven't repeated it. Besides we have pools at home.

On the whole I've met many more polite, happy, fun folks than rude, nasty, obnoxious folks.

 

[inkkognito]

If you really, really want a hammock and see the people around, why not just ask politely if they will share? We don't always rush to get one, but when we do, we certainly are not in it 100 perent of the time. It sits unused while we swim, have lunch, etc. One time a woman in the chairs next to us asked if she could use it. She said that one of her goals was to relax in a hammock on Castaway Cay while gazing out into the ocean. I was more than happy to oblige, and there was plenty of time for all of us to enjoy the hammock.
Of course, on the flipside, I once observed a man ask some people if he could use their hammock. They werein the area next to me. They said yes, assuming (as I would have) that he meant borrow it. He hauled all his stuff from his chair and draped it all over the hammock, totally embarrassing his wife. He parked his butt in there and never moved through all the time I spent reading, swimming, and lunching, and he was still there when I left Serenity Bay to go kayaking. I felt sorry for the original people who'd tried to be nice by sharing, as I don't think they ever got to use it.
And even if you don't see someone in or near a hammock, don't think that they are not close by. When I'm swimming and doing my water jogging, you can bet I have my eye on my stuff (hammock included when I have one). I'm still planning on ordering a portable hammock from eBay...with as much as we cruise, I think it would come in very handy.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[vhoffman]

About people commenting on how well-behaved your children are--three years ago, when my children were three, we spent Christmas Eve in Las Vegas at the Bellagio. The Bellagio, like most of the hotels there, isn't very kid-friendly. Basically they try to discourage children. They hava a no strollers policy and no children under 5 allowed unless they're guests of the hotel. Well, we were guests of the hotel. We went to the restaurant to eat for Christmas Eve. My kids were all dressed up and good as gold. They even surprised me! I had several people tell me how well-behaved my children were. One lady said "Your children are as beautiful as they are well-behaved." That really made my night! Until some obviously drunk older man spied our kids and just assumed they didn't belong there. He complained loudly to the manager that he enforce the hotel's no children policy. Well, we were in compliance with hotel policy--we were paying guests. Turned out the drunk wasn't a hotel guest. Several others in the restaurant demanded he be asked to leave, since he wasn't a guest of the hotel, was obviously drunk, and obnixous. One man said he'd rather be in a restaurant with two beautiful, well-behaved children than some drunk. Gave me satisfaction!

 

[inkkognito]

vhoffman, I agree 100 percent!
People think hubby and I are nuts for sailing on Disney, since we don't have children. There will always be some wild ones, but for the most part we have had the pleasure of seeing many well-behaved and well-mannered kids. And when they are rowdy and running around, I think to myself, "That's normal kid behavior...youngsters of a certain age are dynamos, and when you add the excitement of a vacation, that multiplies tenfold." I did my graduate internship in child/family counseling, and it made me sad to see parents expecting kids to be mini-adults because they didn't have the time to parent them.
Of course, there is a difference between energy and rudeness/misbehavior. I just think people are too fussy sometimes and have unrealistic expectations.
This thread reminded me of one time in the Walt Disney Theater when we were waiting for Disney Dreams to start. There was a dad and several sons in front of us, and the boys were bouncing around, poking each other, etc...in other words, being typical boys. The dad turned around to apologize to us, even though they weren't inconveniencing us. And when that show started, those kids were totally entranced and I don't think they moved a muscle the entire time!
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[cathie]

Parents also need to remind their children to be considerate of people using the jacuzzis. We waited & waited to use one while these 6 & 7 yr. olds kept running & jumping in & out of them. I finally went up to one of them & said it was our turn now & no problem..they up & left. We all need to share & take turns!!! Cathie & The Gang

 

[floridaminnie]

The kids I can handle. Being a teacher I sometimes have to bite my tongue unless they are clearly breaking the rules (jumping into the pool) or disturbing my sleep ( running up and down the hallways at night). I have that teacher voice and look and they have always stopped. Adults are a whole 'nother thing. On our last cruise in Diversion my mother ended up wearing my drink and hers. The seas weren't rough and the guy just kept walking. Alex, the bartender, took care of us though. Never even a sorry or anything and it was quite clear what had happened!

 

[flexsmom]

I appreciate the acknowledgement that kids will, sometimes, be kids. My DD is generally very well behaved - likes to order for herself in a restaurant using "please" and "thank you" - gets very perturbed when a waiter won't address her directly, etc. But, be warned, she is Sybil herself. My sweet, well-mannered DD can suddenly turn her head around on her neck and "forget" about some common courtesies! I'd blame hormones but she's only 4, so I can only imagine what it will be like in a decade! But hey, that's what we're there for, right? Constant reminders and guidance about what is expected - and hopefully all of the other adults on board help reinforce that by their picture-perfect behavior, too! (And if you believe that, I have some nice swamp land for sale......)

 

[Jeanny]

the only inconsiderate people we ran into was on our Grand Cayman excursion. There was a family of 7 or 8 sitting in the back of the bus going on the island tour... Yes, it was nice to see that GC has a Wendy's and a Kentucky Fried Chicken.. but to completely talk OVER the guide trying to point out things about the island. They kept talking and talking and talking... a few people turned around and "looked" at them, I turned around and gave them the look also... and they kept talking and laughing, actually cackling like chickens... even the poor guide was looking at them in the mirror. Finally, I turned around and loudly said "Would you PLEASE be quiet, we can't hear a word the driver is saying!" they were instantly quiet, then after about 30 seconds one of the hens, I mean, ladies said "we're sorry ma'am". After that, they spoke in a lower..... everyone else on the bus was speaking with each other, but in a low tone of voice.

When we got off the bus at the next stop, another lady from the front of the bus asked me "Was that you that told them to be quiet? and I said, "Yes, we couldn't take it anymore, we couldn't hear anything Moe (the guide) was saying", she said "Good for you!!" then she told me she had been in the Walt Disney Theatre at a show the evening before and a lady came in and stood at the back and kept talking in a very loud voice, she said she finally turned around and said to the lady "Did you come to the show to socialize, or are you going to sit and watch it??"
I"ll have to remember that statement next time I run into someone like that!!!

And to prove that I was not a total witch, I even chatted with one of the guys from that loud family at the turtle farm. And that was after his wife and sister in law were holding up the whole line at the tiny store in Hell, writing out their postcards... and if you've been in the store, you know exactly how small it is....no one could get by them. My daughter, who normally is VERY quiet said,"Are you just in the way writing out your post cards or are you in line???"

Thankfully, we only saw them once on the ship after that! I hope they weren't Dis-ers...... I doubt they were. They were just as ignorant to everyone on the excursion. The teenagers rushed to get off the bus and didn't want to wait as one lady who had to use a wheelchair had to get off the bus slowly. Takes all kinds!! But they didn't ruin my vacation...I was on my first ever Disney Cruise!!!

 

[pippy]

Our family went on out first Disney Cruise in Dec. and my first bad experience was around Mickeys pool. I knew to get out there early so my DD could play in the water and there were hardly any kid around, how ever every lounge chair was "saved" with a towel or beach bag. I was so irritated!! I ended up finding a chair in the Shade. And the slide is great however if you have a 4 year old or young, you certaintly can't feel very comfortable sitting on the "other side of the plexi glass" just so you can get some sun. Next time I will just move the towel and plop by patutie down. I will not allow my next Disney Cruise to be ruined by saved lawn chairs.

 

[makaylee]

I agree Pippy. Like I said its one thing to save a chair to run to the rest room or to scoops but to do it for hours is another thing. I have never put things on the floor though I always found chairs that had quite a few in the group (and had been sitting empty for quite a while) and then moved the stuff from one (or two of the chairs, if hubby was with me) on to one of their other chairs. I also never saved a chair for my dd6, when she wasnt in the pool she shared with me or dh.

 

[Ellay]

A hotel I once stayed at in Cala Blanca, Majorca had a policy of 'no saving sunloungers' and a member of staff patrolled the pool area two or three times a day taking personal belongings off unoccupied sunloungers and placing them in a large wicker basket - to the cheers of all around. They also encouraged guests to do the same. This stopped people from taking 3 hour lunches, or going back to bed after having 'saved' sunloungers.

Maybe Disney could adopt this approach?

 

[Billinaz]

That would be a GREAT idea. Along with a sign that said any chair that was unoccupied for more than 30 minutes would have anything removed from it.

There is no reason that if someone is gone for a 50 minute lunch they should expect a chair to be aiting there for them when there are 2500 people on the ship and about 30-40 chairs.

 

[inkkognito]

I did see signs on the pool chairs once, but I think it was on the Magic. I'm not sure if they're still there, or if they have them on the Wonder, because hubby and I never lay out in pool chairs. When we're in the area, we park ourselves in the hot tub. I'm much too fair-skinned for sunning! But I think the signs are a great idea because it gives you something to back yourself up with if you move "abandoned" possessions and the person eventually shows up. I wouldn't even say anything to them...I would just point to the sign.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[Tiiiigergirl]

I must say that I'm a bit confused about people being upset by others moving their chairs and lounges to the water or grouping them on the sand. They are moveable for a reason. Every time we've been to Castaway we get there early enough for a "front row" lounger and umbrella. However, if other people drag theirs down in front to be closer to the water I don't see the problem. Please no sarcastic comments, I'm truly puzzled by why people would think the behavior of the other guests is wrong in that case. It's not exactly a public beach but it is something that everyone on board paid to enjoy. It may be that there is beach ettiquette and I'm not up on it. I live in the middle of a desert so what I would know about beach ettiquette could be written on a grain of sand!

 

[inkkognito]

I'm usually very opinionated, but I'm not sure about that one either, unless you are watching a small child in the water and someone wedges themself in. But other than that, I've seen many people bringing chairs down to the water and I've never thought anything of it. People seem to move around quite a bit during the day, especally with those tiny little chairs that seem to be made for relaxing near, or even in, the water.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[Tluvs2talk]

Everytime we have been to Castaway Cay people have had the chairs in the water. I don't understand the problem either. It looked like a great idea to cool off and relax at the same time.


Teri

 

[DVCLady]

Delete

 

[ARLO1]

the first time we cruised(6 adults no children) we were seated next to 2 women and 2 children. the kids were well behaved. one night the 2 women went to palo without the kids and the kids brought a friend with them. when we saw this we were like ok how bad are the kids going to be. much to our delight the kids were sooooo well behaved that the next night when the women were at dinner we couldnt stop complimenting the kids. the women were so happy so hear this.

our motto is if something is bad say something but if something is good say something also.

arlene