VERY disgusting and appalled about what I saw...

[laceemouse]

GROSS!!!!! When in America...try to follow American culture!

I agree. If someone is well off enough and somewhat educated (which one would think they would be if they have the $$$$ it would require to even come to WDW from another country) why would they not do a little research, or at least watch what other people are doing, when they are IN our country?
I can't imagine traveling overseas and not doing at least a LITTLE research into the local customs, why would "I" want to humiliate myself by doing something they might see as "disgusting"??

 

[littlbugmom]

We do toilets a certain way here. It may not be what somone is used to using in their country but they are not in their country. They are here....and here, we don't pee in sinks.


Having said that, if all stalls were full and my young child COULD NOT hold it, I would allow him to pee in the sink (as opposed to the floor). I would clean it and be totally mortified but in some cases, the lesser of two evils is the way to go.


Being afraid of the self-flushing toilet doesn't cut it. My dd was scared to death of them. I usually covered it with my hand and washed up after.

 

[seashoreCM]

>>> hose instead of toilet paper

There have been a variety of inventions, mostly with water jets and some form of automation, to eliminate the use of toilet paper. None have caught on so I suspect there are still some kinks to be worked out such as how to verify that the job was done in a manner "true, correct, and complete" to use tax return wording.

Not sure how effective the aforementioned water hose is or was.

 

[PrincessKell]

Actually kind of funny... We have one bathroom in our house with four girls. If its busy, I always say "then go pee in the sink" NOT that I have actually let my dd do that. But I say it to be funny. I doubt I would have said anything to the person.

I actually do not sit on the toilets in public restrooms, I hover. I use paper towels to open the door when leaving. but that is me. People are going to do things their own way. Even if I think it might be gross or wrong. Im not going to let it ruin my day, or hold my mind hostage by getting upset about it. It happened, you work around it.

 

[Pixieflip]

This whole conversation is disgusting and kind of funny. But, no matter how good I am at hovering, I'm sure that I would have a BIG problem going in a hole in the ground, I don't care what the local customs are. I just wonder if others say the same thing about our bathrooms?

Still gross. And pee might be sterile, but what about the rest of her that touched the counter and/or sink surface? Eww! I just decided to upgrade the size of my hand sanitizer bottle to carry in the parks!

 

[J'aime Paris]

How could she not know it was wrong when she is obviously in America and can see people going into use a toliet and washing their hands in a sink and not peeing in it? Am I making sense? LOL...I'm sure that while on her trip, at the airport, restaurants, etc......she was aware of how people use bathrooms in America. Not wanting to do something and not knowing about it are two different things and I just find it hard to believe someone doesn't know that's not the way things are done here.

I know everyone isn't the same but I would obviously do my research before visiting a foreign country and I would never go to a place where I felt uncomfortable doing something.

Agreed!!!!!

 

[Mrsjvb]

GROSS!!!!! When in America...try to follow American culture!

Laudable sentiment.. but how many of you would use a hole in the ground to pee or poop in if you were in Qatar.. or Tokyo..or wherever? Goes Both ways. I have lived Abroad..and we Americans are the WORST egocentric bloody minded self delusioned and sooo sure that our way is the only way. No wonder we are universally loathed....

Just because it's the American way does not mean it s the best way or that allowances shouldn't be made for other cultures..

what if this was this persons first trip to America? what if they were completely shell shocked by the vast differences in cultures between theirs and ours?

took me six months of living in Japan before I even TRIED to use their public restrooms.. and they don't come with TP.. you have to bring your own into the stall with you.

 

[kevschickee]

It isn't hygenic. Her bare parts were on the sink where people clean thier hands. Like I said pee is not always sterile and if you do not wipe right there is a chance of ecoli and other sicknesses. I would have said something to her and then to a cm and waited for someone to clean that sink. It is not ok and yes it may be thier culture but it isn't ours and we shouldn't have to just deal with it.

 

[Cinderellabride]

What I don't understand is if the issue was not wanting her to sit on the toilet, why didn't she just hold her over the toilet instead of holding her over the sink?

And if you don't want to use toilet paper then bring a squirt bottle (like the ones they give out in the hospitals after you have a baby, yeah I know they probably don't have those where she comes from if they already uses hoses, but she could figure out to bring a squirt bottle). If I went somewhere that didn't use TP I'd bring my own.

 

[MickeyMouse'sBFF]

If you are getting worried about what was going on in that sink.. SHOOT, we constantly sit/ squat in bathroom stalls that have had A LOT more biological items ALL over them. OK, I too would have been caught a little off guard, but I wouldn't have said anything to her that would have embarrased her or the child. She was a mother.. she had her reason for it... WHATEVER it was. How many of you ever had to do "something" for your child's comfort that was "Ouside" the norm. Im pretty sure every hand should be raised~ Big deal... get the sink washed.. move on~

 

[kevschickee]

If you are getting worried about what was going on in that sink.. SHOOT, we constantly sit/ squat in bathroom stalls that have had A LOT more biological items ALL over them. OK, I too would have been caught a little off guard, but I wouldn't have said anything to her that would have embarrased her or the child. She was a mother.. she had her reason for it... WHATEVER it was. How many of you ever had to do "something" for your child's comfort that was "Ouside" the norm. Im pretty sure every hand should be raised~ Big deal... get the sink washed.. move on~

Those are made for that a sink is not

 

[MickeyMouse'sBFF]

Aparently to her.. it was~

 

[luvmy3]

If you are getting worried about what was going on in that sink.. SHOOT, we constantly sit/ squat in bathroom stalls that have had A LOT more biological items ALL over them. OK, I too would have been caught a little off guard, but I wouldn't have said anything to her that would have embarrased her or the child. She was a mother.. she had her reason for it... WHATEVER it was. How many of you ever had to do "something" for your child's comfort that was "Ouside" the norm. Im pretty sure every hand should be raised~ Big deal... get the sink washed.. move on~

ITA. You are in a public restroom in a public place, there is a chance of ecoli and other sicknesses everywhere, and not even just the bathroom. I know I don't touch the sink when I use it, and in WDW I recall all the faucets being automatic, so unless you are wiping your hands all over the porcelin where that child's bottom was its really no less hygenic than any other surface in a public restroom, especially a visibly dirty toilet. I think you'd have a better chance of getting ecoli from touching the stall handle after someone wiped themselves and then opened the stall door than washing your hands in that sink. Of course I wouldn't take that chance and I'd say something to anyone behind me to warn them and a cm so they could clean it, but not to the mother.

 

[lwestwise]

Last year while waiting for Spectro there was 2 women and a young girl maybe 4 or 5 yrs old. They didn't speak English and the girl was crying/whining and fidgety and the Mother was annoyed with her. The whole time I was thinking here is another parent that drug their kid all over the place and is now annoyed with them because they are tired. This went on for about a half an hour and then the girl starting crying really hard. All of the sudden my DD (23 yrs old) looks at me like this She then says My foot is wet!!! The Mother then looks at DD and says in very broken English. I am sorry, my daughter is afraid of your self flushing toilets and hasn't gone to the bathroom since this morning.

This poor little girl was probably in so much pain and her Mother must have been at her wits end. What you saw in the bathroom may have been the same situation and the sink was the only thing the Mother could think of to help her DD. I don't think it's the best solution but desperate times.....

For those of you who have children afraid of the self flushing toilets carry a pack of post it notes. You can place one over the sensor and the toilet wont flush until you remove it.

And helping me view it in a different way. I know there are other cultures than ours and tried to understand but it still seemed nasty. With your post, I really would understand something like that. I am sure there are plenty of people on this board that still would not change their view.

 

[princessmom29]

Laudable sentiment.. but how many of you would use a hole in the ground to pee or poop in if you were in Qatar.. or Tokyo..or wherever? Goes Both ways. I have lived Abroad..and we Americans are the WORST egocentric bloody minded self delusioned and sooo sure that our way is the only way. No wonder we are universally loathed....

Just because it's the American way does not mean it s the best way or that allowances shouldn't be made for other cultures..

what if this was this persons first trip to America? what if they were completely shell shocked by the vast differences in cultures between theirs and ours?

took me six months of living in Japan before I even TRIED to use their public restrooms.. and they don't come with TP.. you have to bring your own into the stall with you.

I did! In Paris there were a lot of what we called "turkish toilets" that were basically holes in the ground with a place for your feet. I always carried napkins or tissue as you never knew if you would find any in the RR or not. Didn't really phase me other than to say "humm, that's different". They whole idea is to do your biusiness in the most efficient manner and get out. I am a biochemist and understand microrganisms so i don't carry the same fears as some i guess, but I really don't worry about the "eww thats gross/ not clean" bit so much. As long as you was your hands when you are done it really doesn't matter what you come into contact with in the bathroom!

 

[Princess Janay]

ewwww. When in rome . . . .

 

[PrincessKell]

Still gross. And pee might be sterile, but what about the rest of her that touched the counter and/or sink surface? Eww! I just decided to upgrade the size of my hand sanitizer bottle to carry in the parks!

Yep, we get a bunch of the ones you can carry on your keychains from the dollar store. I always get a few for each day we are in the park per person and ALWAYS have them in the car and such. Even though washing hands is great, not always good enough. And not just for bathroom issues. Think of all the rails and chairs you are touching that other people touch that DON'T wash their hands.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

This whole conversation is disgusting and kind of funny. But, no matter how good I am at hovering, I'm sure that I would have a BIG problem going in a hole in the ground, I don't care what the local customs are. I just wonder if others say the same thing about our bathrooms?

Still gross. And pee might be sterile, but what about the rest of her that touched the counter and/or sink surface? Eww! I just decided to upgrade the size of my hand sanitizer bottle to carry in the parks!

LOL, I hate hoverers! They are the ones who leave drips. Ick!

And most kitchen sinks test higher in ecoli than toilet seats. I don't know why. I guess because butts are in contact with the poo.

Don't forget hot water and soap. Far better than sterilizer.

 

[PrincessKell]

LOL, I hate hoverers! They are the ones who leave drips. Ick!

And most kitchen sinks test higher in ecoli than toilet seats. I don't know why. I guess because butts are in contact with the poo.

Don't forget hot water and soap. Far better than sterilizer.

haha which is why I always wipe the seat with TP or tissue from my bag. Yep and washing is good. never leave the bathroom with out washing.

 

[bdiddy]

Laudable sentiment.. but how many of you would use a hole in the ground to pee or poop in if you were in Qatar.. or Tokyo..or wherever? Goes Both ways. I have lived Abroad..and we Americans are the WORST egocentric bloody minded self delusioned and sooo sure that our way is the only way. No wonder we are universally loathed....

Just because it's the American way does not mean it s the best way or that allowances shouldn't be made for other cultures..

what if this was this persons first trip to America? what if they were completely shell shocked by the vast differences in cultures between theirs and ours?

took me six months of living in Japan before I even TRIED to use their public restrooms.. and they don't come with TP.. you have to bring your own into the stall with you.

I don't see anyone on here saying our way is the best way. It's just the way it is done in our culture and what we are used to. If I went to another country and the only place to go to the bathroom was a hole in the ground and I had to bring my own toliet paper, sure it would be different and weird but you better believe I would do it. I wouldn't go buy a pot and try to turn it into a "toliet" and just sit on it just because I am used to sitting on something in America. I wouldn't go into their public restroom and do something that was completely inappropriate just because I didn't like their way.

It's about RESPECT for another culture - not who does it best. And if someone is going to fly overseas and go to WDW....which means they obviously have some money then you'd think they would take the time to find out how things like restrooms work and give it a try not just think "well, i don't like it and it bothers me so i'm just going to pee in the sink."

It's lack of effort and respect for another culture - plain and simple.