Should men give up their seat to women or children on transportation in Disney?

[Southern Bell]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I have seen this posted a couple of times in other forums and was just wondering what you think! I really don't expect a man to give me their seat on the bus. I feel like they have been in the parks just like me, they are tired and some with children, backpacks & strollers! The one time I would have appreciated anyone (man or woman) was when I was with my daughter(pregnant) on the bus in route to meet her husband & her father one morning at the contemporary for CM after their fishing trip. Luck would have it we had to stand up in front with her two yr old and her stroller folded. Honestly! I thought one of us was going to fall before we got there! But we made it! LOL! If just one person (man or woman)would have given up their seat to my daughter (since she was pregnant & with another child)and had let her sit down and held her son on her lap, it would have been so appreciated!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I have seen this posted a couple of times in other forums and was just wondering what you think! I really don't expect a man to give me their seat on the bus. I feel like they have been in the parks just like me, they are tired and some with children, backpacks & strollers! The one time I would have appreciated anyone (man or woman) was when I was with my daughter(pregnant) on the bus in route to meet her husband & her father one morning at the contemporary for CM after their fishing trip. Luck would have it we had to stand up in front with her two yr old and her stroller folded. Honestly! I thought one of us was going to fall before we got there! But we made it! LOL! If just one person (man or woman)would have given up their seat to my daughter (since she was pregnant & with another child)and had let her sit down and held her son on her lap, it would have been so appreciated!

Anyone who wants a seat on the bus needs to get to the front of the line to ensure they get a seat. If they get on a bus that is already full, they need to wait for the next bus. People have all sorts of problems that require they sit. Or they may have waited for a bus already so they could get a seat.

Some guests will offer their seats to others, but it is not to be expected. And if you are offered a seat, make sure you thank the person offering the seat.

 

[Aliceacc]

When we go, I'm very proud to say my son does it every chance he gets. (Yes, he's 14 and can drive his sisters insane intentionally. But this is something he's great about.) His sisters will as well, though they're not as quick to notice the need.

That said, I'm healthy enough to walk all over Disney World; I certainly wouldn't expect anyone to give up their seat for me. I would appreciate the gesture, but decline. I would be more than happy to give up my seat for someone who needed it more than me: a pregnant woman, a parent of either gender holding a child, an elderly person, or a teenager on crutches.

It's more about common sense than the old rules: the person who most needs the seat should have it. I'm incredibly fortunate in that I can stand for the 10 minutes it takes me to get from place to place. If standing on that ride would cause somene else hardship, I'm more than happy to let him or her have my seat.

 

[dawnhaze]

I'm not a man, but I ride public transit all the time and I was always taught to give up my seat on buses and trains to the disabled (of either gender) and to pregnant women. At WDW I will often give my seat to parents of young kids who are wrangling strollers as well (unless my own physical ailments are acting up).

Expecting it is an exercise in futility, though.

 

[Fyrefly]

I think that's chivalry and it depends on the man. I would smile and thank him if he offered me a seat but we're all tired so I wouldn't begrudge someone keeping theirs.

I do think its important to give up seats for people with small children, pregnant women, and the elderly no matter where I am. They need it more than I do.

 

[Southern Bell]

Very good answers & advice! I to am in good health and can walk all over disney but holding a two year old and being short was a chore that morning on the bus! LOL! We didn't think to wait for another one like Deb & Bill suggested! That is what we should have done! We got to Chef Mickeys with time to spare that morning!

 

[Rylee]

I always give up my seat to anyone who looks like they need it, and I actually do have a hidden disability, but I can handle it. My mother always said... "Take a look around, you don't have to look very far to find someone that has it worse than you."

DH doesn't even bother to sit, regardless of how early we board, he just moves to the back of the bus to stand. All of our children are encourage to give up their seat to the very old or very young. It's the way we were raise, and CHOOSE to raise our children.

That said, we don't EXPECT anyone to give up their seat for us, although it would have been nice one time when I was trying to get a sick kid back to the resort by myself, and holding him was making my own problem worse. Ended up sitting him on the bus floor, supporting him between my legs, to keep him from falling over.

 

[4HppyCamprs]

When we go, I'm very proud to say my son does it every chance he gets. (Yes, he's 14 and can drive his sisters insane intentionally. But this is something he's great about.) His sisters will as well, though they're not as quick to notice the need.

That said, I'm healthy enough to walk all over Disney World; I certainly wouldn't expect anyone to give up their seat for me. I would appreciate the gesture, but decline. I would be more than happy to give up my seat for someone who needed it more than me: a pregnant woman, a parent of either gender holding a child, an elderly person, or a teenager on crutches.

It's more about common sense than the old rules: the person who most needs the seat should have it. I'm incredibly fortunate in that I can stand for the 10 minutes it takes me to get from place to place. If standing on that ride would cause someone else hardship, I'm more than happy to let him or her have my seat.

This is exactly how I feel

 

[holbie18]

When we go, I'm very proud to say my son does it every chance he gets. (Yes, he's 14 and can drive his sisters insane intentionally. But this is something he's great about.) His sisters will as well, though they're not as quick to notice the need.

That said, I'm healthy enough to walk all over Disney World; I certainly wouldn't expect anyone to give up their seat for me. I would appreciate the gesture, but decline. I would be more than happy to give up my seat for someone who needed it more than me: a pregnant woman, a parent of either gender holding a child, an elderly person, or a teenager on crutches.

It's more about common sense than the old rules: the person who most needs the seat should have it. I'm incredibly fortunate in that I can stand for the 10 minutes it takes me to get from place to place. If standing on that ride would cause somene else hardship, I'm more than happy to let him or her have my seat.

This. Exactly this. My son is only 6 and my daughter only 4 but you better believe this is the way I am raising them. I once went to Easter Mass when I was 8 months pregnant and I had to stand. Not ONE person offered me their seat. I could not believe it. I did my best to get there early enough to get a seat and they were all occupied.

Disabled people are waiting in lines too. Why should they have to wait an additional 20 minutes to guarantee a seat - they are probably already exhausted or already dealing with an overly cranky child. Give up your seat!

 

[angelmom27]

I don't expect it. I am one to give up a seat to someone else. My DH too. I would have my boys do the same if they didn't have their disability. DH and I will have the kids sit in the seats while we stand in front of them. Easier to keep seven kids together and not have anyone run off. My one DS would love to stand but he would get too excited and get hurt. It is nice when someone does offer their seat to someone else.

 

[ktlm]

I don't think it is about being a "man". I don't expect people to give up their seats, but I think that as a matter of courtesy and politeness, it certainly is nice for any healthy person, man or woman, to give up their seat to someone, elderly, pregnant, with obvious health issues, or who is trying to stand up and wrangle and infant or toddler (asleep or awake).

DH never sits down on the Disney buses unless they are not full. He will never take a seat if there are older people, women, or small children who are not seated. That is just his nature.

On a full bus, especially at the end of the day, I very often give up my seat to someone eldery, a small child who looks wiped out, or a parent wrangling a baby or toddler.

We have taken DD (6) every year since she was 2, and especially in DD's younger years, there have always been gentlemen on the buses who have offered DD or I or both their seats. I usually decline to take someone else's seat, except for the situations when DD was sound asleep and I knew it would be extremely hard for me to hold on and not fall while also carrying her. Those times, I was just grateful. In that situation I can also recall a very nice lady absolutely insisting that I take her seat. This past holiday season, I declined to take a man's seat that I wound up standing in front of, and he stood up and told me that he just couldn't sit while I stood and absolutely insisted that I take his seat or we would both stand. I think it is really nice to know that there are still gentlemen and very kind people out there.

 

[bumbershoot]

All we can do is control ourselves. If we are feeling the need to sit, we need to make sure we are going into a situation where we can sit. If we feel that we can offer a seat to someone, then we can do that.

It's more about common sense than the old rules: the person who most needs the seat should have it.

Yes.


But an important difference is that we can *offer* the seat. When I was pregnant, my joints were shot from about 4 months on. Sitting *hurt*; the actual act of bending to sit hurt. Then getting up hurt more and was difficult. I had a long pregnancy, and that was a LONG time to be in pain while getting down and back up. If I was standing, I was FAR happier. And for some reason that really really REALLY bothered some people. And those people just refused to believe me, and bothered me to an extreme to get me to take them up on them giving up their seat (this is not at Disney, but elsewhere). To the point where they were being flat out rude.

So make the *offer*. And omg whatever you do, if you offer and are turned down, SIT BACK DOWN. There's nothing chivalrous to continue standing, as though the person has been lying and will actually sit down if you just stand long enough. And try to believe people if they tell you they would rather stand. There's no need to put yourself in a situation where someone wants to tell you their medical history to get you to believe them.

 

[squirrel]

If I want a seat and the bus is filling then I let others on the bus and wait for the next one. I know I have done that at least once, if not more.

I don't expect anyone to give up their seat for my niece or I. Only once did I miss judge where we would end up on the bus and there wasn't a bar or anything for my niece to hold onto.

 

[FosterLovesMickey]

I don't feel that anyone should be EXPECTED to give up their seat. That said, I would (even as a woman), personally give up my seat to an older person if in that situation (as would both of my daughters - that is how they were raised).

And, I am extremely proud to say that my DH has always been one to give up his seat for an older person or a woman of any age. I find that it is rare that men do this these days, and I consider this another example of how his mother 'raised him right' ... lol.

 

[Aliceacc]

This. Exactly this. My son is only 6 and my daughter only 4 but you better believe this is the way I am raising them. I once went to Easter Mass when I was 8 months pregnant and I had to stand. Not ONE person offered me their seat. I could not believe it. I did my best to get there early enough to get a seat and they were all occupied.

SAME with me-- except that it was Christmas Eve! I was 8 months pregnant with my older daughter, and my husband, 1 1/2 year old son and I all stood. (We got to mass only 20 minutes early, a mistake we have not repeated since.)

 

[vacationer1954]

I don't think they should allow anyone to stand on a bus. It's too dangerous.

 

[jennylyn_b]

I will admit to getting frustrated when young healthy people don't offer their seat to elderly, pregnant or those with little ones. My husband always does and it means he usually stands while holding the stroller. As far as waiting for another bus, I agree if its possible to wait then go for it but its not always possible (cranky kid and if you don't hurry they are going to ruin the bus ride for everyone , feeling sick, time constraints etc). I just miss when people looked out for one another and would offer their seats because its the right thing to do!

 

[lan3]

My dh never sits on a bus. He always stands because he would let any elderly person, woman or child sit down so he doesn't bother sitting. I will get up for pregnant women, a woman with a small child or elderly people. I also make my kids sit on laps so they take up less seats. It is just courtesy. I would be mortified if a woman with kids was standing and my perfectly able bodied husband was sitting. I do not judge other individuals because I do not know if they are able to stand but if a woman with an infant, an elderly person or a pregnant woman is standing, somebody on the bus should be able to get up. Now everybody is able to get up but somebody should.

 

[dawnhaze]

I don't think they should allow anyone to stand on a bus. It's too dangerous.

lol, have you ever lived in a city where the majority commute via public transit?

 

[mm1971]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I have seen this posted a couple of times in other forums and was just wondering what you think! I really don't expect a man to give me their seat on the bus. I feel like they have been in the parks just like me, they are tired and some with children, backpacks & strollers! The one time I would have appreciated anyone (man or woman) was when I was with my daughter(pregnant) on the bus in route to meet her husband & her father one morning at the contemporary for CM after their fishing trip. Luck would have it we had to stand up in front with her two yr old and her stroller folded. Honestly! I thought one of us was going to fall before we got there! But we made it! LOL! If just one person (man or woman)would have given up their seat to my daughter (since she was pregnant & with another child)and had let her sit down and held her son on her lap, it would have been so appreciated!

Yes, I will give up my seat to women and children, expected or not. I also teach my DS to hold doors and help carry things if it looks like someone needs help. It is a respect issue with women. Maybe it's just that I appreciate old time values and believe that teaching courtesy to my kids is best done by setting a good example.

I certainly would have given up my seat for your pregnant daughter in a second. I know some people feel that they waited in line for the seat and it belongs to them. My opinion is that it's just seat.