Have You Ever Had To Confront Another Guest's Poor Behavior?

[MrsPete]

After a very busy day at Epcot, we headed to the AOA bus stop after park close. We were a party of 5 including my mom in a scooter. A bus must’ve just left because the AOA stop was totally empty. We got in the line for scooters/wheelchairs.

Reminds me of a story: We were at the Grand Canyon (North Rim) years ago, and we had tickets to ride a little railroad train /attend a steak dinner with cowboy singing, etc. We arrived at the "train station" quite early and one other family was already waiting -- and a woman in a scooter (or was it a wheelchair?) was part of that family. We talked and agreed to share a table at the dinner -- they were very nice people.

Minutes before the train was due, a travel group all wearing lanyards saying ELDERHOSTEL (a group for grandparents and grandchildren to travel together) came and stood in front of us. They were loud and rude, and they were MAKING SURE they got on the train first -- space was available for all of us; we'd bought tickets ahead of time. When they started pushing their way on, I used my teacher voice (which is pretty commanding, and even adults are shocked into OBEYING) and I told them -- and the driver -- that this woman in the wheelchair had been waiting more than half an hour, and they WOULD let her board the train first. The driver was no help -- he just sat there -- but the rude group kinda split in two and let her board. My family purposefully boarded last /rode the second train, but when we arrived, the family we'd met had a front row seat, and they'd saved space for us. The Elderhostel group continued their me-first, grabby-grabby behavior at the buffet.

Back home I wrote a letter to both the Grand Canyon administration and Elder Hostel describing the event and my astonishment that 1) people would act this way and 2) no one on the Grand Canyon staff said a word. Neither group answered me.

And I'll end up with a story about teacher voice, which -- seriously -- is kinda a super power. Once I was walking my little dog, and we'd walked a long way /down a street we don't usually frequent (we live in a huge neighborhood and were more than a mile from home). A big German Shepherd came running out at us, making his intentions clear: he was gonna eat my dog, then he was going to move on to me, and he was going to enjoy it. I couldn't get away from him, so I used my loudest, most commanding teacher voice, and I screamed, "STOP". I'm pretty sure the world stopped its rotation for just a moment and the space-time continuum slowed down, and the dog STOPPED IN HIS TRACKS, obviously confused about how to proceed. His people came out of the house and brought him in. I turned around and made my pup run a couple blocks, and I never took my little boy down that street again. I didn't want to see if I could do it twice.

For a nice story, one time in Epcot two women came up to us and gave my daughter a brand new pair of Minnie ears (the doughnut ones), tags still on. They said every trip they buy a pair and give to a kid to make them smile. It made her day, and it was so nice!

That's a nice thing to do! I don't know that I'd spend the money for a pair of ears, but I'd like to bring small treats for kids in lines -- stickers maybe, given that many parents would be loathe to accept candy from a stranger. Okay, that's a goal now.

What surprised me the most was when we were walking out I noticed they actually had a set of parents with them. Why was *I* the one to tell them to stop?? Maybe the parents thought it was "cute"?

Some parents aren't well acquainted with the word NO. Others think hearing that awful word will damage their poor snowflake's self-esteem.

 

[Travelgrrl]

"I'm pretty sure the world stopped its rotation for just a moment and the space-time continuum slowed down"

This is genius.

 

[penel3]

Soooooo, I happen to have a very loving, kind husband who is........well, "oblivious" to most of the world around him. He is the person who will stand in front of kids at a parade, or fireworks, or walk into a line not even seeing that it wraps 1/4 mile down the park behind him. My son and I are NOT oblivious and we always notice him do this.....and immediately correct him and apologize to those around us. Therefore I am offering my apologies now for our upcoming trip.

 

[YawningDodo]

I have a bit of sympathy with the kid screaming the entire ride. Had this happen to me once - kid was totally fine in line. Ride started and screaming started. Nothing could be done at that point as everyone was trapped until the ride ended. I don't like to see the ones screaming in fear in line being forced on rides, though. That's sad and annoying to other guests.

I honestly have a bit of sympathy regarding kids crying on rides in general. Once upon a time, don't remember what age I was but pretty young, I talked my dad into going on my first real roller coaster with me. I was absolutely terrified to ride it (thus needing Dad, because my brother was not to be relied upon) but determined to get over my fear, knowing that I'd liked all the other scary rides I'd been on after I'd worked myself up to riding them. Dad didn't even like roller coasters, but he agreed because he is a good dad. We get to the front of the line, and I start crying. By the time we're buckled into our seats, I'm outright bawling in abject terror. The lead ride operator misunderstood the situation for obvious reasons, gently told my dad off for making me go on the ride, and unloaded us. I was absolutely crushed because I was crying too hard to explain that the whole thing had been my idea and that I still wanted to go despite every appearance to the contrary, and I lost the chance to face my fear and ride the roller coaster.

My dad still gives me guff about it two decades later. I did eventually ride that roller coaster, but he declined to ride it with me.

don't be too hard on the parents with crying kids in line. My oldest had anxiety and even though he'd never been forced to ride, and we'd explain we would never ever force him, he would still occasionally cry while in line for a ride his younger sibling wanted to do. He was old enough to sit by himself while the rest of us rode and was always perfectly happy when we were done. We just needed him to stand in line with us.

And that was me at age 12, ready to burst into tears in the queue for Tower of Terror even though we'd solidly established ahead of time that my mom and I would step out of line at the boarding area to let my older brother ride alone.

Speaking of ToT, one of the worst examples of parenting and best instances I've seen of a cast member turning around a bad situation happened there. A woman had brought a young girl with her through the queue, but when it came time to load in the girl was too afraid--balked at the door, crying, obviously terrified. The woman, who had already sat down and buckled herself in, yelled at the kid that if she wouldn't get on the ride she'd just have to wait. The kid did not get on the ride. The CM, probably initially struggling to deal with this situation, did not make the woman get off the ride to stay with the kid.

Doors open at the end of the ride, and the kid is there to greet us in a tiny bellhop costume with a smile from ear to ear. I hope it made her day, and I hope it helped her see that she ought to be treated better than she had been.

 

[MomOTwins]

I was that crying kid in every line, on my one and only trip to Disneyland at age 8. Only the adult I was with at the time (my older sister's friend's awful husband) didn't care that I was terrified, I was tall and he wanted to go on every coaster. I was so traumatized I didn't ride any coaster until I was about 15 and RNRC is still the only upside down one I'll do.

Reminds me of one time my youngest son had a total meltdown in line for FEA. Now you have to understand this is his FAVORITE ride. He rides it over and over and over with me or his dad while we take turns on other things with his older siblings. He watches youtube videos of it at home and asks for bedtime stories about “frozen ride” (the ride scenes, not the movie). And yet out of the blue he starts bawling and asking to leave as soon as we get inside the indoor queue after a loong wait in the heat (this was in extended queue days when the line started in China). I left with him and went to go sit on a bench to ask what was wrong. Finally he calmed down enough to explain the AC in the indoor ride queue area was wayyy too cold! I bundled him up in a sweater, we went back up and asked the nice CM if she remembered us leaving a minute ago and would mind letting us rejoin the line at the entrance and she thankfully did, and he happily rode it 3 more times that day. Of course, everyone probably thought I was an awful mom forcing my son to ride something he was scared or embarrassed about!

Props for touching a Guest.

In their infinite wisdom, Disney sold quick-flashing ears (maybe a hat) for Fantasmic a few years ago.

I had the displeasure of sitting behind a person who would not listen to reason about how annoying these flashing lights were to all the people sitting in the rows immediately behind.

The reaction was simply, "Disney sold me this product, so I'm gonna' wear it!"

Disney replaced the flashing ears with slow-glowing ones for Happily Ever After.

This reminds me of the oh so entertaining debate on these boards a while back about whether bubble wands are satanic torture devices or an innocent facilitator of childhood joy. The correct answer is of course both.

 

[revdon64]

Most of the time, I'm just the guy that grumbles to himself or his wife about rude people. But there was this one time... back when Wreck-it-Ralph and Vanellope had a M&G in HS (before the building was converted to SW Launch Bay) I waited with my two kids in a 45min line. I noticed during our wait that there was a little boy (maybe 6 or 7y/o) in front of us without any other family members with him. Just as he was about to go up to meet, dad shows up with another, older kid and adds him to the group by lifting him over the rail. OK, all one group, no harm really. A few minutes later we're outside in Pixar Place waiting to meet one of the Green Army Men (on the street, no formal queue) and the same guy shows up with both kids and just pushes his kids ahead of everyone else who was waiting to meet and get pics. I told him that other people were waiting before he showed up here. He looks at me and says, "There's no line." I said, "That doesn't give you the right to be rude and just shove ahead of people who were politely waiting." He starts into the "I paid a lot..." Yeah pal, we all did. DW had to pull me away. I don't think it would have come to anything more than words, but my wife is definitely smarter than me.

 

[PattyN]

When we were at DL in June some parents forced their very upset, scared and loudly crying child onto Soarin. I felt so bad for the kid. Luckily he did quiet down once the ride started. Hopefully he actually enjoyed it but I don't know.

We were on with a very scared child (maybe 4?) whose parents just laughed at him the whole time we waited in the loading area. He screamed hysterically next to me for the whole ride- made for SUCH an enjoyable experience. I really wanted to lay into them, but figured it wouldn't make any difference.

 

[FastPasser.]

"Have You Ever Had To Confront Another Guest's Poor Behavior?" Yes I did, countless times but considering that it was over a two decade period, it wasn't that bad. By far, the vast majority of Guests were not an issue. I enjoyed my time dealing with Guests, even the not so nice ones, and I looked forward to going in every day. I wouldn't have lasted as long as I did if the examples posted here were the norm.

 

[Ensusieasm]

Until a few years ago there were a couple of small round tables with chairs on top of the train station at the beginning of Main Street in the MK. We would go early evening, get a table, eventually some food from Casey’s Corner, and people watch until the parade and fireworks. One time a last minute Dad picked his diapered 2 year old up over our heads and stood him on our table holding our food and drinks... his tiny sneakers in our French fries. We didn’t say anything, but my husband turned around and looked real hard at the guy, who decided it was best to remove his child and retreat.

 

[revdon64]

One really hot late August (is there any other kind in FL?)..... we went into the movie in France pavilion. Now my DD and really love that movie, dated and all. One of the things we like is the lovely, soothing music in parts of it. Well, one row behind us was a group of about 4 young women. It was during F&W and they clearly didn't care one bit about the movie, just came in to sit down, drinks in hand, to enjoy the a/c. By the way they were carrying on it was clear the drinks were "adult" beverages. They proceeded to act like they were in a night club all during the movie. Laughing, talking loudly (like people do when they've had more than they can handle) and passing each other's drinks around to have a taste. Now, I'm a mom to 4 young adults. My "Mom-look" has had much practice. I turned around, locked eyes with one of the group and gave her "the look". Repeated this several times. I considered this a silent version of asking nicely, several times. Nothing about their behavior changed. Finally I had had enough! This wasn't an accident or something that I was misinterpreting. I turned fully in my seat this time and said, "For God's sake, would you all shut up!" They were quiet after that.

That's interesting, because DW and I once tried to go into the France movie with drinks in hand and were told we had to finish our beverages before they'd let us in. They were frozen drinks and we weren't going to rush through them, so we missed the show. This is not to suggest that your story isn't true, rather that different CMs seem to have different policies.

 

[Makmak]

Last summer at EPCOT in line for soarin (it was right at reopening week so there wasn’t really a line but a long walk to the boarding area) there was a very intoxicated group of 20-something year olds (maybe 10 total) and one called another her sister then another in their group said they aren’t really sisters to which one of the girls yelled at the top of her lungs “yes we are because we came out of the same (very vulgar word for female anatomy)!” The rest of us gasped, my child with me was 7……the girl seemed very pleased with herself when the other members of her group who were just as inebriated were trying to quiet her down. She kept yelling it and yelling it going into detail about how they were conceived and the outcome. A CM looked like he didn’t want to get involved. They were beyond reason due to their consumption level so they just operated the ride normally. She yelled it THROUGHOUT THE RIDE!!! her friends were shushing her. And that my friends is the only time I complained to a CM, and demanded to see something done.

EDIT: I wanted to add that we were trapped near the door with the plexiglass stuff like a corral so we would have had to pass them to leave and that seemed like a really bad idea

 

[Jennasis]

Regarding crying children. I will always let people go ahead of me in line so I don't have to ride with screaming terrified kids. Same for drunks...or any other obnoxious individuals.

On RotR there was a young girl screaming in the corridor between the trooper hangar and the interrogation hallway. She was at the top of her lungs screaming that she wanted to "Go back to Earth right now!!!!" She was scared, and upset and seemed to believe they had legitimately left the planet. The family was doing nothing to stop her complete meltdown. So we paused and let many MANY families ahead of us.

We also once witnessed a mom SLAP her teen daughter across the face in line for Soarin' for goofing around with her teen brother. I mean open palm full on slap.

Another time in FEA we watched a dad and his new wife/gf berate a 6 year old boy for for ruining their trip. He was just silently weeping. No sound. Staring at his shoes while they told him how awful he was, and how they wished he had been left home with his mother and on and on. It broke my heart.

Saw a drunk guy tackle a duck at the beach at CR and hold it down while it screamed, so his 2 year old could pet it.

Had a lady run me over with her SUV sized stroller in Mousegears so bad my foot bled. She rammed into me once, then twice, then again to run over my foot all while I screamed bloody murder. Then I dropped to the floor clutching my foot, she goggled at me for a second before her husband grabbed her by the arm and they took off running out of the store. I assume the shoplifted something.

People suck.

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

"I'm pretty sure the world stopped its rotation for just a moment and the space-time continuum slowed down"

This is genius.

Just wondered if you were ever injured by someone else that felt entitled to do so by their bad behavior. Yes, a Disney vacation is expensive……does not give anyone the right to ruin another's vacation by inflicting harm…imho. For some , the World did stop.

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

I did during our last trip. We were in line for Smugglers Run. The family in front of us stopped to do some business when their stroller and we waited for them to finish. The people behind us just walked right by us and the group that had stopped and I said something. They made a comment along the lines of "well if going in front of us would make you happy" and "you'll only get on one car sooner". Like we had done something wrong and they were doing us this big favor but "letting" us go in front of them. I take cutting seriously

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

don't be too hard on the parents with crying kids in line. My oldest had anxiety and even though he'd never been forced to ride, and we'd explain we would never ever force him, he would still occasionally cry while in line for a ride his younger sibling wanted to do. He was old enough to sit by himself while the rest of us rode and was always perfectly happy when we were done. We just needed him to stand in line with us.

I totally understand that and it wasn't at all what I meant with my story. This wasn't in line. It was actually as they were trying to put the child onto the ride vehicle. They had to force him on it. They could have just left with him but they decided to force him on it instead.

 

[Makmak]

I totally understand that and it wasn't at all what I meant with my story. This wasn't in line. It was actually as they were trying to put the child onto the ride vehicle. They had to force him on it. They could have just left with him but they decided to force him on it instead.

I thought Disney won’t allow that? Even at our hokey little Busch Gardens (Virginia) we have seen the employees tell parents “we will not start the ride with a terrified child” and “we can’t allow you to force the child to ride” etc.

 

[Precmom1967]

While waiting for the July 4th fireworks many years ago, we had parked ourselves along Main Street 1 1/2 hours before the show. Kept getting hounded by CMs about not sitting in front of the garbage can, which was to our immediate right. Closer to the show, it was the only clear spot and numerous parties insisted on sitting in front of the garbage can only to be told they couldn’t. As the show started, a party of 3 spied THE SPOT and squeezed in subsequently sitting right on top of my 14 year old daughter’s legs!!! She let out a scream because her knees bent backwards. They looked around and pretended like they were there forever but never got up to relieve my daughter’s pain!! The CM came over after hearing the commotion of us yelling for them to get up and the crowd around us told the CM that we were there waiting patiently and they just squeezed in and sat on DD. DH grabbed her yelling, CM told them to move along and others tried to take OUR SEATS!! Wasn’t a pleasant experience at all. She was fine after crying a bit and some Advil.

 

[e_yerger]

My biggest pet peeve in life is when people use their flash at night to take photos of something far away. One time in 2018 I was in the hub watching HEA, and the woman right behind me to my right was recording the entire performance on her iPad.... with the flash on. And she was holding the iPad up right at head level, so the flash was shining right in my eye the entire show.

First, I politely asked her to turn her flash off. She completely ignored me and stared right through me. Then I repeating myself louder, thinking she couldn't hear me. Still, she looked right through me. Then I screamed at her to turn her flash off... she continued to ignore me. I then moved and stood right in front of her, facing her, with my face in her iPad and the flash right in my eye. She continued to just look at me, confused as to what I was doing. The people around me were laughing and finally the man that was with her grabbed her shoulder and she finally lowered the iPad and turned it off.

 

[elcapitanJack]

I had a colorful moment in MK at splash mountain Once - I was run into by one of those kamikazi mothers with her stroller. she Ran into me going into line and got me again as she attempted to outrace everyone leaving ride. Apparently some People feel they are entitled to create their own space by using stroller as a battering ram in the parks. her husband was embarrassed and said his wife does this all the time.

 

[stlrod]

I pointed out to a group of cheerleaders the number of families who they cut in line in front of. They didn't care. I was just another old man to them.