This one takes the cake... Who DOES this?

[Skmcpher]

I have been visiting WDW for several years now using my ECV as I have a very bad back problem that prevents we from walking or standing for more than a couple of minutes. I have gotten used to the usual stuff that I encounter when visiting the parks and Disney Springs: people stepping right in front of my scooter while it's moving; people who see me coming from the opposite direction and refuse to move out of my path when it's a lot easier for them to move than me; people who aren't watching where they are walking and who walk directly into my scooter because I don't have room or time to move out of the way; and people who stand directly in front of me, blocking my view of fireworks, parades, etc. It's certainly not fun but those are just things I have to deal with when I go to WDW. However, my family and I just returned from a visit and I am still reeling from what I encountered during our last night at Hollywood Studios. We were going to ride Star Tours so I parked my scooter near a bunch of strollers as instructed by a CM. The ride was great and everything was fine until we walked out of the adjoining store and over to where my scooter was parked. There was a couple standing right next to my scooter with the woman leaning on it, and the woman had put her handbag, a large bottle of water, and a shopping bag on the seat of my scooter. I walked right up to my scooter and the woman didn't even move until I muttered, "You know, you really shouldn't put your things on other people's scooters." Sure, I could have been nicer and politely asked her to remove her things, but why should I have to? Out of all the bad behavior I have witnessed over the years at WDW, I am still shocked by this one. Who DOES this?!? My scooter didn't have a sign on it that said, "Use me for a catchall for your stuff" or "Feel free to use me even if I don't belong to you" so why would someone think it is okay to do what they did? Even my children were appalled that someone would act that way. There was no harm done but it just really irks me that someone did that. Anyone ever have this happen?

 

[SMD]

I saw someone do something similar to a stroller outside Star Tours at DL. There's a stroller parking area between Buzz and Star Tours with a seating bench-like area next to it. I sat down on the rounded end sort of facing the strollers and noticed that there was a toddler sleeping in one of the strollers. So now I'm wondering who would do that, and feeling like I should watch the child. A family comes over and one of their kids starts playing with the stroller. It was obviously (or at least very likely) not their child because they were a different race and in what I thought were coordinated outfits. I'm watching for a parent to tell the kid to stop playing with the stroller, but then 2 kids were pushing it and a wheel was starting to move and the stroller was turning with this other kid still asleep. The mom comes and pushes them away, but then she gets out her snacks and starts sorting everything right on top of the stroller canopy. At this point I'm debating if I should say something, but it's not my kid, so I'm thinking that I'm now observing something that I'll be relaying to security when this all goes bad. Eventually the family moved on and the mom of the kid in the stroller was sitting a little farther away on the bench, and had been watching from afar. She came over to check on her kid and clean off the canopy. I offered to switch seats with her so she could be near the parked stroller but she declined.

The other thing I saw was on May 4th this year, when Tomorrowland was wall to wall people, a woman in a ECV drove up to the Buzz line entrance, and just got off her ECV and left it there while she went in line. People who were headed towards the line just had to stop dead in their tracks because she was blocking it. And that queue is actually ECV accessible, so she could have stayed on it. The CM had to call someone over to cover before he could move it out of the way. She also left a bunch of stuff in the basket and I was kind of tempted to just grab her stuff as some kind of instant karma for being so entitled, but I decided against stealing right in front of a CM who was already flustered by the whole thing. Even if people are touching ECVs in parking areas, that doesn't mean you just leave them wherever you want, know what I mean?

 

[mamabunny]

On our last trip in February, I was seated on the bus NEXT TO my scooter. A family boarded, and the wife didn't want to climb the stairs at the back (where there were seats available) because she was "too tired". So she and her delightful family decided to stand. By my scooter. Then, she decided she was going to kick off her flipflop, and put her nasty bare foot ON MY SCOOTER. TO PICK AT HER TOES. When I said "Excuse me, but that is my scooter, and I would appreciate it if you would not put your foot on it" (with a smile - tried not to be snarky at all) she proceeded to pick up her sweaty, filthy little kid, and plop him on the seat, and then flipped me off. My daughter was going to stand up to confront them, but I stopped her, looked straight at this delightful creature who was now sneering at me, and in a very loud, clear voice that could be heard over the engine sounds of the bus I said "That scooter IS my legs. You and your family need to leave it ALONE. NOW" The driver put on the brakes, looked in the mirror, and said "Folks, if I have to stop the bus, I will. You need to leave that scooter alone". He then told the standing family they would be getting off at the first stop at POR. He re-routed the bus to let them off first. When they got off the bus, I started to cry with relief, and to my surprise, the entire bus broke out in applause. Most of the folks on that bus were POFQ, and we saw many of them during the remainder of our stay. They were always very nice and polite, and several commented to us that we handled the situation "nicer than they would have".

I don't tell this story ever, really. The reason I don't is because it is NOT the norm at WDW. Most people behave themselves, and recognize that ECVs & wheelchairs are not toys, and that they serve a real purpose. I don't tell this story because I don't want people to think that this happens on a regular basis. It doesn't. Yes, people do misbehave at WDW; sadly, when some people get there, they apparently believe that they can somehow suspend not just reality, but basic good manners as well. But that is a relatively small minority of people. It is not representative of most WDW guests as a whole.

So, forget you ever heard this story. It's a one-off - just like what the OP experienced. If you go to WDW long enough and often enough, things *will* happen. Shoot, if you get out and travel around with your ECV enough, regardless of where you go, things will happen. It's all about remembering that you don't have to let the jerks get you down. They are the minority, and they have to live with themselves, and the results of their actions. Karma has a long memory...

And yes, I *did* disinfect my scooter where she put her filthy bare foot.

 

[mamabunny]

...The other thing I saw was on May 4th this year, when Tomorrowland was wall to wall people, a woman in a ECV drove up to the Buzz line entrance, and just got off her ECV and left it there while she went in line. People who were headed towards the line just had to stop dead in their tracks because she was blocking it. And that queue is actually ECV accessible, so she could have stayed on it....

In February of this year, Buzz was NOT ECV accessible. You had to park your ECV and use a park wheelchair for the queue. I know, because I tried to ride it, and there were no park chairs available, and I was not able to stand for the queue. I did ask, since there were no park chairs available, could I be allowed to use my personal ECV in line, but I was told no. So, we went on. I'll get to ride Buzz one of these days.

And, just so you know... messing with someone else's "stuff" buys you the same bad Karma as the "entitled" person who just parked the ECV and walked away...

 

[SueM in MN]

Buzz has not been listed as ECV accessible in the line for at least a few years. The reason why they are not allowed is that they block the exit.

 

[disneylove69]

I have been visiting WDW for several years now using my ECV as I have a very bad back problem that prevents we from walking or standing for more than a couple of minutes. I have gotten used to the usual stuff that I encounter when visiting the parks and Disney Springs: people stepping right in front of my scooter while it's moving; people who see me coming from the opposite direction and refuse to move out of my path when it's a lot easier for them to move than me; people who aren't watching where they are walking and who walk directly into my scooter because I don't have room or time to move out of the way; and people who stand directly in front of me, blocking my view of fireworks, parades, etc. It's certainly not fun but those are just things I have to deal with when I go to WDW. However, my family and I just returned from a visit and I am still reeling from what I encountered during our last night at Hollywood Studios. We were going to ride Star Tours so I parked my scooter near a bunch of strollers as instructed by a CM. The ride was great and everything was fine until we walked out of the adjoining store and over to where my scooter was parked. There was a couple standing right next to my scooter with the woman leaning on it, and the woman had put her handbag, a large bottle of water, and a shopping bag on the seat of my scooter. I walked right up to my scooter and the woman didn't even move until I muttered, "You know, you really shouldn't put your things on other people's scooters." Sure, I could have been nicer and politely asked her to remove her things, but why should I have to? Out of all the bad behavior I have witnessed over the years at WDW, I am still shocked by this one. Who DOES this?!? My scooter didn't have a sign on it that said, "Use me for a catchall for your stuff" or "Feel free to use me even if I don't belong to you" so why would someone think it is okay to do what they did? Even my children were appalled that someone would act that way. There was no harm done but it just really irks me that someone did that. Anyone ever have this happen?

You should have drove away thanking the kind lady for the new purse and money

 

[Bete]

I think I would put my seat down if parked. It won't be as appealing that way to be used by others. Besides, if it rains or it's hot you will feel better getting back on the seat. You shouldn't have to do it, but it's my only answer to this situation.

 

[ttintagel]

That's why, when people say they want to leave their ECV's outside of their resort rooms overnight, I always advise against it. You never know what some idiot will get up to when you're not there to watch - the same parents who let their kids treat every railing in the park as their own personal jungle gym aren't likely to pull their same spoiled tot off my ECV before they mess with it.

 

[Toffeewoffy]

The only time I've been 'allowed' to leave my ECV by the entrance to Buzz was at 1.45AM at EMH and there were literally 7 of us (3 parties of two and a single) who just went round and round. If someone leaves their ECV in the way, they can expect to come out and find it moved across to the other side next to the TTT queue.

If I came back to my rental ECV and found someone making use of it and didn't move when asked, I'd just shove the stuff off the seat, plonk myself in it and drive off. If they put stuff in my basket, I'd say "Thanks for that!" and attempt to drive off with it. But then, I'm a bolshy Brit!

I have told children more than once on full Disney buses to move away from my rental ECV. It's in my care and if they damage it I will not be held personally responsible if they damage it! They almost try and climb into the gap between the end of the storage area and the front wheel. The driver has occasionally put the seat down, saying it'll stop someone trying to sit on it - but you shouldn't have to do that.

The incident with the small child - why did the mum not do something when the other family were messing about with the stroller? I'd have been insensed - especiallly with the kids moving it around. Did they not know there was a child on board?! I also can't believe the mum would leave her kid effectively unattended like that.

Then there was the day we went to Universal Studios back in March, and I had to leave my ECV right across from the Simpsons ride, right up against the railing in front of the lake. It was quite a schlepp back to the ride for me, especially annoying that the little so-and-so manning the ride sent us right up to the top level even though he could see I was hobbling on a walking stick. It was difficult getting up to the top and then even harder coming back down the multiple ramps afterwards (having not been able to see a thing of the ride because the kids and their mum ran into the front row and I was wedged against the side wall in the back and therefore blind). When I eventually got back down I found my scooter had been completely surrounded by strollers, and I vented my frustration by roughly moving them out of the way. Are some people stupid?!

 

[ttintagel]

So now I'm wondering who would do that, and feeling like I should watch the child... At this point I'm debating if I should say something, but it's not my kid, so I'm thinking that I'm now observing something that I'll be relaying to security when this all goes bad.

OMG, I know this is probably a derail, but it makes me upset just thinking about all the times I've held my breath, edge of my seat, heart in my throat, watching somebody else's kids nearly kill themselves in the parks, ready to jump up and snatch them out of harm's way while their parents blithely ignore the situation. And you can't say anything to the parents, because they fly into a rage at the merest insinuation that they're not The Most Perfect Parents In The World, and you're sure that in a few seconds you're going to be traumatized for life at the sight of some kid's brains splattering on the concrete or arm being ripped off as it sticks out the side of the steam train, spraying blood all over your new Mickey tee. I've never witnessed a truly bad accident, but I've come close enough to give me gray hairs.

 

[Baklava]

OMG, I know this is probably a derail, but it makes me upset just thinking about all the times I've held my breath, edge of my seat, heart in my throat, watching somebody else's kids nearly kill themselves in the parks, ready to jump up and snatch them out of harm's way while their parents blithely ignore the situation. And you can't say anything to the parents, because they fly into a rage at the merest insinuation that they're not The Most Perfect Parents In The World, and you're sure that in a few seconds you're going to be traumatized for life at the sight of some kid's brains splattering on the concrete or arm being ripped off as it sticks out the side of the steam train, spraying blood all over your new Mickey tee. I've never witnessed a truly bad accident, but I've come close enough to give me gray hairs.

I bet Disney would give you a new tee, though.