What if you didn't know??

[Diegosmom]

When I first started planning I totally was like oh well I'll get a 10day (even though we will only be there 8 days) and then use extra 2 days to see another park...then I read I couldnt do that. It totally made sense to me...if I wanted to waste a whole ticket day to see a second park seemed legit to me. (we don't want to Hop everyday or to like 3 parks just maybe once or twice might want to do a seperate park in the evening)...but now I know

Pool hopping in the resort makes sense to me to...although I don't think we would even go visit another hotel (maybe if we had many many trips).

Anytime I join a new board (for whatever) I always do a lot of reading before I post questions

 

[Barnhill9586]

....but there are a LOT of inquisitive idiots.

ok...that's a joke people...a JOKE...I am not calling anyone an idiot

See that literally made me spit Coke on the keyboard but I'm sure someone will fail to read the fine print and will be offended. Btw, could you pass me a wet wipe or something?

 

[KellyNY]

There are 2 ways to ask rule breaking question.

Version 1.
"Is X allowed?..."
YOu really do not know the answer, so you ask, how else you will learn.


Reaction.
No, you cannot because it is against rules...

...

Not again...

...

Is she a roll...

...

C'mon, it is just an innocent question...

Thread dies, naturally after only few pages, unless some idiot starts stirring.


Version 2.
"I know X is against rules but how many got cought anyway?"
You are looking for hints on how to break the rules.


Reaction.
...

...

...

...

...

I hate when people try to cheat the system...

I did it many times and never got cought...

You steal from my experience...

I spend way too much money and will continue to do what I want...

...

...

...

Why anyone jumping on me I just asked a question...

Troll...

Moral police...

Do you hate me because I am newbie...

Thread closed after 20 pages of serious fights.

Because 2nd version is so frequent, people jump when trully innocent question is asked.

 

[OhThePain]

Because 2nd version is so frequent, people jump when trully innocent question is asked.

And yet, no matter how frequent it is, we still read the whole thing. The days would be boring without the frequency and all the

 

[t_catt11]

KellyNY sums it up perfectly.

Realize that there are questions that suggest ignorance, and question that suggest shadiness. These are different.

A perfect example is "Can I use two single day tickets to enter two different parks on the same day?" That question shows ignorance of Disney policies. It is asked here multiple times every week, but I can't remember seeing anyone get angry about it.

Questions like "Can I get someone's nontransferrable parking pass to park for free?", "Can I push through a line to join my husband because I didn't want to stand in line with my child?", "Can I use a fastpass a week after the valid date?" and so forth suggest that you realize that there are common sense policies in place, but that you are looking to exploit them.

These threads attract the pot stirrers, the morality police, and the "I paid so much for my vacation, I can do what I want" crowds, who often clash.

And of course, therer are some who cannot accept that someone else on the internet might be WRONG, so that rush to correct them at all costs.

 

[LilyWDW]

Here are the things that personally frustrates me...

1) People not reading stickies. Those posts have been added to the top of the forums for a reason. For example, the everything about tickets sticky. A LOT of questions could have been answered by the poster simply reading those stickies. In my opinion, it is proper internet etiquette to read items such as stickies before you post your question.

2) The same question asked multiple times, in the same day, on the same page of a forum. This is simply not being aware of things or taking a few minutes to even look. It does get a bit frustrating to see three threads within an hour of each other asking the exact same question.

That said, I do try to answer many questions. Often I will post a link to a stickie thread or another really good thread about that topic. However, a few times the OP has come back and blasts ME for being rude for linking something instead of typing it all out again. All the information the OP asked about is in that link PLUS some more in case the OP has additional questions so it makes sense to keep things clean and simple and direct the OP to the best source for information.

And after some time on these boards, you do get a bit of a feel for who really doesn't know and who is just a pot stirrer. When you have the same OP who comes on and asks ALL the big controversial topics (mugs, pool hopping, selling used tickets, staying for parties without tickets, ect ect), then people will get suspicious.

What I always tell people (and what I do myself) when they start reading and posting in a new forum is this... First, spend a little time reading before posting to get a feel for the community and the culture of the boards. This will keep a new poster from asking about touchy subjects or do things that frustrate other members. Second, read the stickies as they are a valuable source of information on frequently asked questions as well as board rules and regulations. Third, at least try the search option before you post something. We all know it is not the best, but just give it a quick try.

 

[ebtbmom]

I think that if we could all agree to ignore snarky, rude responses instead of quoting and responding to them this type of behavior would decrease.

Ask whatever question you have! I understand about not knowing stuff, our first trip to WDW we never went to DTD because we thought you had to pay to get in!

And as far as the search feature, I've tried it a few times but I usually don't get very good results with it, if any at all. Most of us love Disney enough to talk about it over and over anyway!

 

[karentots]

You can obiously tell by our posts that we are newbies...

Yes there are stickies, search options... sometimes people just join to ask a question, is that so bad?

If you don't wan't to respond then don't; but why be bullying or mean about it... SO UN-DISNEY-LIKE OF YOU!

I joined here recently hoping this would be a friendly, open, forum where I could ask questions, share my experience, or god forbid, maybe even get some answers... not some high school clique!

I don't take the negative responses to heart (as I hope other newbies don't either).

Post away newbies! Post away!!!!

 

[sharadoc]

When you here for a while, you can more or less say if question is asked to learn info, or to stir a pot and unfortunately some create accounts only for that.

Also some questions are so controversial that all the mess directed at question itself and not op.

It is weird when some members create new threads while several on a same topic can still be found on first 2 pages.

Questions do repeat all the time and I do not find it wrong, not everyone searches before ask and asking may be faster and more productive. Anyway, someone will always answer the question even if it appeared for the 1000th time.

Nobody tries to be mean to newbies just because they are newbies. However my advice to any newbie, read, learn, get a feel of the board before you post because jumping in action right away with your own idea of what should be accepted at online discussion can and will get you in trouble. Be nice and we will be nice to you and trust me, we will share all the info we have to make your trip better.

I totally agree with Kelly's post. I have only said something that I would consider "nasty" once, and that was to a post that was obviously worded to stir up the community here. I also agree with another PP who said that after a few posts, the thread is no longer yours but belongs to the agitators!

I've personally gotten annoyed but don't post when folks come on here and they want to know every inside secret, how to get free everything, get pixie dust, free stuff in the room, why isn't my child treated like the only child in the world, etc. etc. for their very first trip. It just doesn't happen! We're are such a small community here that it seems like it happens all the time - it doesn't.

I think I lurked at least six months before I felt ready to post here. I read all the posts, read the stickies and "tried" the search (in the old days, the search was pretty terrible).

Somestimes you'll see annoyed answers from folks who have gotten annoyed because the same question is asked over and over, and is answered in a sticky.

I truly believe the majority of the folks on this board are reasonable and want to help. We love discussing, or reports from trips (that's another story!!), or specific topics. We lose patience when the poster didn't take the time to learn just a little before posting. Like don't Google Disney tickets, get a Disboard result, sign up and post your question. Read first!!!

Thanks for listening and Welcome to the Disboards!

 

[rdearth]

If you don't know, you don't know. It's no big deal and it's quicker and more fun to just post a question on here if you have one.

People around here really love Disney (obviously) so if they get a whiff of someone trying to cheat on the thing that they love, it's understandable (sort of) that they might get defensive. There have been posts that are basically bragging about cheating the system, so you can see where some of the long time posters might be overly sensitive sometimes.

I would say for the most part though people are especially helpful and kind around here even though often they are answering the same questions.

 

[Traveliz]

What if you don't know...

THen when you arrive at Disney and you use that second ticket in the same day; the CM will let you know there is a problem and guest services will explain your options to you...they won't throw you out.

Then when you get to Disney with that 5th person in a room designed for 4...well they won't know if you don't tell them and if you don't know it's a problem it will probably slip through the cracks...if it does come up they will either let you keep your room that way (and yes I know of a dance team who came and families of five were allowed at All Stars and it was all Disney's doing) or they will tell you what your options are.

Then when you use that plastic cup from the car to refill a drink either a CM will tell you about the refillable mugs or not.

It sort of goes like that - the CMs are used to more people not knowing what is going on (you know left your brain at the state line sort of thing) than people who "know" policy better than them and they will help you figure it out.

Not a big deal (except for the disboards police).

Liz

 

[Rip]

You can obiously tell by our posts that we are newbies...

Yes there are stickies, search options... sometimes people just join to ask a question, is that so bad?

If you don't wan't to respond then don't; but why be bullying or mean about it... SO UN-DISNEY-LIKE OF YOU!

I joined here recently hoping this would be a friendly, open, forum where I could ask questions, share my experience, or god forbid, maybe even get some answers... not some high school clique!

I don't take the negative responses to heart (as I hope other newbies don't either).

Post away newbies! Post away!!!!

I agree, I rarely ever use the search option simply because when I do, I end up having to sift through tons of unrelated junk to try and find the answers I'm looking for. Therefore, I ask, and I completely understand why others do the same. Hell, some newbies don't even realize that there is a search function, but that doesn't stop people from posting smartass replies that actually take longer than answering the question would have taken.

Several people have given some pretty easy "black and white" examples of honest questions vs. attempts to break the rules. First, I personally don't have time to care if someone else wants to break any of Disney's rules. Disney can deal with them, I'm there to enjoy myself. Second, and more to the issue I believe the OP is driving at, there are many examples of things that aren't actually against Disney policy but many people simply don't like. They then choose to berate others for taking advantage of something Disney apparently has no problem with (using a FP an hour after the suggested time has expired, having to leave your group in line after you've been waiting for an hour because your 18 month old that you are trying to potty train has another sudden urge, parking at DTD then taking a bus to a resort on the Boardwalk, then walking to Epcot later, etc). In fact, that very thing is the reason that today was probably the first time in 7-8 months that I even came to this side of the board. It gets old.

ETA - This thread is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. The article referenced advocates no rule breaking, yet many people continue to refer to "cheating", etc.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2664421

 

[sharadoc]

See- that makes sense to me. I guess maybe because I'm NOT looking to break the rules, but some things that ARE are things I never would have realized. Another example, and I'll duck in case you want to throw things, is the "pool hopping" issue. When I was at Disney last time we stayed at the Polynesian. They encouraged us to go look at the other resorts because my kids were all into the different theming. We were at another resort, I can't remember which one but I want to say All Star movies? It has a pool with Fantasia mickey mouse. It was definatly one of the value resorts. My dd's FAVORITE. She wanted to go in that pool so badly. We didnt' have suits with us, so we didn't, but it never would have occured to me that we weren't supposed to. Simply because, we were staying at DisneyWorld Resort, this was part of Disney World Resort.
To me that would be like staying at Holiday Inn that has 2 pools and using one that is sunneir than the other. I'm glad we didn't because once it was explained it makes perfect sense and I can see why.
But I woudln't have been trying to break the rules. I just would have wanted my little girl to get her chance to "swim with mickey"

Usually when someone will post the question they will be referred to the fact that there is a big Rules sign at every pool. That should give you an idea of what you can and can't do. Folks will usually be very helpful about that, also, and tell you to ask a lifeguard. I've expressed that answer, not just a flat NO. We had friends staying at POR one year and we were at Fort Wilderness. We were going to ask if the kids could swim and the adults would watch them. So, there would still be the same number of people in the pool as paying guests at that resort and we figured the lifeguards would let them. It rained that day so we never tried it out! I can't say for sure, but I think the rules are posted in your room, too.

I understand you know what's going on, but I thought I'd mention it in case someone says "yeah" to your post!

 

[11Tinkermom]

HI! I"m a newbie...I only reason I joined was to specifically ask questions and then to lurk and read other newbie's questions..I have not been disappointed!! I read the stickies...sometimes...but sometimes its just easier to ask...but I DO at least scroll down to make sure the same question is not on the same page.

Everyone has been very nice and helpful and I appreciate this board. If someone is "rude" to me...then so be it..afterall...we aren't BFFs...we will never meet and personally don't feel the need to befriend everyone on here, so to the OP, take it with a grain of salt...ask your question...read the answers...and take it all as is...which is mostly opinions! (except for direct yes no rule breaking type things) And we all have different opinions

 

[Missytara]

I have to say I really feel for newbies, when there is a string of responses and they are all different. Happened to me the other day.

My response was the only correct one; the other ten started with the words, "I think...... or I read on another board that......but they didn't quote it correctly.

Poor person had to sift through the entire page to figure out which was the right answer. I sure would be frustrated too sometimes being a newbie.

 

[Rip]

Usually when someone will post the question they will be referred to the fact that there is a big Rules sign at every pool. That should give you an idea of what you can and can't do. Folks will usually be very helpful about that, also, and tell you to ask a lifeguard. I've expressed that answer, not just a flat NO. We had friends staying at POR one year and we were at Fort Wilderness. We were going to ask if the kids could swim and the adults would watch them. So, there would still be the same number of people in the pool as paying guests at that resort and we figured the lifeguards would let them. It rained that day so we never tried it out! I can't say for sure, but I think the rules are posted in your room, too.

I understand you know what's going on, but I thought I'd mention it in case someone says "yeah" to your post!

You know, I've been to Disney probably a hundred times, and I've never once stopped to read the rules you're referring to. I think with the issue of pool hopping, most people in general assume it's perfectly acceptable to do, especially since other resorts not only allow it, they encourage it. Most of the questions I've seen related to it on here have been in reference to someone local coming to visit a friend or relative that is staying onsite, and the future guest asks if it's ok for them to come to the pool with them. Even though during "down" times the lifeguards will allow it if you ask them, people on here still get bent, as if it concerns them in any way, shape or form.

 

[bytheblood]

I think that if we could all agree to ignore snarky, rude responses instead of quoting and responding to them this type of behavior would decrease.

Ask whatever question you have! I understand about not knowing stuff, our first trip to WDW we never went to DTD because we thought you had to pay to get in!

And as far as the search feature, I've tried it a few times but I usually don't get very good results with it, if any at all. Most of us love Disney enough to talk about it over and over anyway!

This is the best response in the whole thread. Bravo.

 

[jaiwin]

to the OP... way to go!!

I have been flamed myself for asking simply questions because i didnt know...

 

[bumbershoot]

Well, I think that a lot of times the newbies to a site feel that they are being flamed when they are not. [IMO you haven't been flamed until you've been told to give your cat away b/c you're obviously trying to kill it and you're a worthless human being...just b/c you post a thread (on a totally different site a million years ago) titled "help me help my cat" and describe what has been happening, express sorrow that you don't know what to do and haven't been perfect, and you WANT to help the cat...no one ever did help me help my cat, but they sure did keep me from wanting to start a thread EVER again!]

Anything less than that isn't flaming to me...

I feel like no other place would anyone ever question the occupancy of a hotel room, except at Disney and I am very quick to answer them correctly.

Just as a FWIW...I graduated from HS in '87 and we had a big "senior women" trip. Stayed in a small hotel in a beach town, and fit approx 20 women all in one suite. Totally went against the rules, and it wasn't Disney. Not one of us, including our adult chaperones (who provided the booze by the way), thought anything of it.

So it's not just Disney... (and I'm not posting this to brag or be proud of myself (gawd I was a VERY young 17 at the time, but just to reassure you it's not just at Disney where people don't care about occupancy)

A LOT of questions could have been answered by the poster simply reading those stickies. In my opinion, it is proper internet etiquette to read items such as stickies before you post your question.

I totally agree.

...the CM will let you know there is a problem and guest services will explain your options to you...they won't throw you out.

...well they won't know if you don't tell them

...they will either let you keep your room that way (and yes I know of a dance team who came and families of five were allowed at All Stars and it was all Disney's doing) or they will tell you what your options are.

...CM will tell you about the refillable mugs or not.

Not a big deal (except for the disboards police).

Liz

Well, I personally would rather know the rules ahead of time so I don't have to deal with a CM telling me I'm doing it wrong.

And the one issue that can come up with occupancy is in the case of a nasty fire, when the firefighters are going by the legal occupancy, and once they get those 4 adults from the room aren't going to necessarily look further...tough luck for the other adults hiding out unknown to the hotel... (worst case scenario works for me in such cases)

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

Well, I think that a lot of times the newbies to a site feel that they are being flamed when they are not.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Sometimes things don't come off the way you perceive them on the internet and sometimes a No, that is against the rules response to your question can be taken as they hate me and said I'm trying to rip of Disney. And sometimes people have the type of personality if everyone doesn't agree with everything you say they take that as criticism.

I've been here a while and like someone else said alot of time you can tell when someone is asking an innocent question or strying to stir the pot. It just comes with time.

There is also a great ignore feature if you find that certain people are rude to you over and over or you feel they are answering your questions inappropriately but I wouldn't let a few people with different opinions and personalities posting here from stopping me get some great Disney information from experts.