Admit it, you've been that rude guest!

[ttintagel]

Most of the people who use ECV's at WDW are people who don't use them in everyday life. The average WDW guest walks something like eight miles a day, plus hours spent waiting in line which is NOT like your typical day at home. There are countless people who can manage a day at home just fine with either a cane, crutches, or no mobility aid at all, but can't do the amount of walking and standing of a WDW day. My mother can walk from her car into her house or the drugstore. She can get around in most stores. She can walk from any point in her house to any other point. She can get the mail and she walked the dog when she had one. But no way could she walk eight miles or stand in one place for 30 minutes.

So, it's wise to remember that a lot of the people who need ECV's at WDW don't "look disabled" because they might not be disabled anywhere else. It's like if a perfectly healthy human went to a planet with higher gravity.

The controls on an ECV aren't as easy to run as they look*; and navigating through thick, rude Disney crowds when you can't see above butt level and nobody is looking down at you is maddeningly difficult. Do some people get grumpy after a couple days of that? HECK, YES!

(Over on the DisABILITIES board, the standard advice for anyone who thinks they might need an ECV for a WDW trip is to go to a big-box store and practice a few times before the trip. However, not everybody has the benefit of that advice, and not everyone even realizes they'll need the ECV until they get there. I was in that position once myself.)

 

[PrncessA]

I am sure I have been that guest, but I am usually in too much of a happy daze at Disney to notice it.

On our trip to Disneyland last week I witnessed my Disney newbie mother do a total Disney Faux pas.

When we were at Goofy's Kitchen, we were one of about 6 families in the restaurant. The characters had been to our table several times each, but that wasn't enough for my mom. She decided that she wanted a photo with both Chip and Dale and proceeded to run across the restaurant before I could stop her to pull Chip from a table that he was visiting, before I could stop her. I was mortified, but my mom never realized she did anything wrong.

 

[larryz]

I couldn't believe that was the best answer Disney management could come up with

Well, as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Men are what their mothers made them."

 

[jump00]

This happened to me during our March break trip to Universal. I was so excited to be in line for my first day at WWOHP that when a CM opened up a new line ( early entry) I made my way over there. However it wasn't a new line just a "shift" that looked like it was. My dh luckily stayed where he was but I argued - to the people around me- that it WAS a new line. I felt so bad afterwards and it ruined the first day for me. I'm usually really patient and polite. Not that morning!!!. For the rest of the vacation I made sure not to make this mistake again. I wish I could apologize - very unCanadian of me.

Jump00

 

[BlueStarryHat]

One year, I was talking to someone in line in front of me. A finger taps me on the shoulder. I turned and this guy said, "Could you stop?" I didn't know what he was talking about and couldn't imagine that I was being obnoxious in any way so I just said "sure," and turned back to the person I was talking to. A few minutes later another tap. "I'm sorry lady, but you're really getting on my nerves now," the guy said. I opened my mouth to give him some of the ol' South Philly Millie backtalk that I usually keep bottled up firmly inside of me because I'm a nice person, but who was this guy anyway? Then he told me that every time I moved my head I smacked him in the face with my ponytail. I was flustered and *almost* said, "then don't stand so close to me," but stopped myself just in time. I mean, It *was* my fault. I apologized, and moved my ponytail over my shoulder and held onto it, wondering all the time how many other people I'd swatted with it who never spoke up.

 

[larryz]

One year, I was talking to someone in line in front of me. A finger taps me on the shoulder. I turned and this guy said, "Could you stop?" I didn't know what he was talking about and couldn't imagine that I was being obnoxious in any way so I just said "sure," and turned back to the person I was talking to. A few minutes later another tap. "I'm sorry lady, but you're really getting on my nerves now," the guy said. I opened my mouth to give him some of the ol' South Philly Millie backtalk that I usually keep bottled up firmly inside of me because I'm a nice person, but who was this guy anyway? Then he told me that every time I moved my head I smacked him in the face with my ponytail. I was flustered and *almost* said, "then don't stand so close to me," but stopped myself just in time. I mean, It *was* my fault. I apologized, and moved my ponytail over my shoulder and held onto it, wondering all the time how many other people I'd swatted with it who never spoke up.

I think he owed you a more specific request than "could you stop?" Stop what? Talking? Breathing? Existing?

And I agree -- if he's getting swatted every few seconds, he needs to listen to what Sting would have to say:

 

[22Tink]

One year, I was talking to someone in line in front of me. A finger taps me on the shoulder. I turned and this guy said, "Could you stop?" I didn't know what he was talking about and couldn't imagine that I was being obnoxious in any way so I just said "sure," and turned back to the person I was talking to. A few minutes later another tap. "I'm sorry lady, but you're really getting on my nerves now," the guy said. I opened my mouth to give him some of the ol' South Philly Millie backtalk that I usually keep bottled up firmly inside of me because I'm a nice person, but who was this guy anyway? Then he told me that every time I moved my head I smacked him in the face with my ponytail. I was flustered and *almost* said, "then don't stand so close to me," but stopped myself just in time. I mean, It *was* my fault. I apologized, and moved my ponytail over my shoulder and held onto it, wondering all the time how many other people I'd swatted with it who never spoke up.

You're nicer than me! I definitely would have told him to back off. If he's standing so close to you that your ponytail is hitting him, he's in your personal space and should be taking a step or two back!!

 

[AshleeH]

I agree, if someone gets hit by my ponytail, they need to back off. I would have asked him to stop standing so close to me and breathing down my neck and finished with, "It's really getting on my nerves now."

 

[Jennytoon]

You're nicer than me! I definitely would have told him to back off. If he's standing so close to you that your ponytail is hitting him, he's in your personal space and should be taking a step or two back!!

I agree that that was my first instinct on reading that post. BUT ... I have really long, really thick hair. Once, in a movie theater, I turned my head quickly and my braid knocked someone's popcorn out of their hand who was sitting in the seat behind me and holding it closer to them than the front edge of the seat. While that was a freak accident, it does illustrate that depending on the length of hair, it really is possible for someone to get thwacked who is not actually standing in what would routinely be considered your personal space.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

And I agree -- if he's getting swatted every few seconds, he needs to listen to what Sting would have to say:

Uh Sting was talking about an affair between a young teacher and an even younger student.

 

[MN96]

I've been following this thread for awhile and finally remembered something I did that was rude. While riding living with the land last August i had my phone out doing fp+ changes during some of the dark part

 

[22Tink]

I agree that that was my first instinct on reading that post. BUT ... I have really long, really thick hair. Once, in a movie theater, I turned my head quickly and my braid knocked someone's popcorn out of their hand who was sitting in the seat behind me and holding it closer to them than the front edge of the seat. While that was a freak accident, it does illustrate that depending on the length of hair, it really is possible for someone to get thwacked who is not actually standing in what would routinely be considered your personal space.

That is some long hair!! Good for you! I can't get mine to grow much past my shoulders anymore. I used to be able to sit on it though when I was younger.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I have to say the guy who I was smacking with my ponytail *was* standing pretty close to me but not in what I would consider my personal space. I just wanted to yell at him because I was hot and tired and my back and my feet hurt. But my hair was really long and thick and I can see that I would have hit him with my hair. It'll never happen again, though. My hair is short now.

 

[larryz]

Uh Sting was talking about an affair between a young teacher and an even younger student.

Uh, but the main message was, "Please. Don't. Stand. So. Close. Toomey."

(I don't know what he's got against Bill Toomey, but there it is.)

 

[disneylovinfamilyof6]

There was a guy that was yelling and cursing and making a huge scene sitting about 6 feet to my left one evening. Kids (including my own) were sitting everywhere. He was obviously drunk and proceeded to get even louder and more obscene. I finally yelled "Have another beer why don't you". Surely not the best way to handle the situation. However he did pipe down to muttering afterwards...and eventually he just sat there in a drunken daze.

 

[BillyBuff]

This just donned upon me from previous experiences. Sometimes you have to be rude because being the nice guy you'll end up being in last place.

For example Mrs. BillyBuff and I always move in and to the back of the buses whenever guests are coming in. It's common courtesy. Well, we regretted it a few times because we'll get stuck in the back and when it's our stop, we can hardly get out! We'll ask people to please excuse us as we need to exit the bus but no one budges...

So, we started to not move to the back of the bus anymore whenever groups of people start coming onto the bus.

 

[GaryDis]

This just donned upon me from previous experiences. Sometimes you have to be rude because being the nice guy you'll end up being in last place.

For example Mrs. BillyBuff and I always move in and to the back of the buses whenever guests are coming in. It's common courtesy. Well, we regretted it a few times because we'll get stuck in the back and when it's our stop, we can hardly get out! We'll ask people to please excuse us as we need to exit the bus but no one budges...

So, we started to not move to the back of the bus anymore whenever groups of people start coming onto the bus.

I appreciate your feelings and respect your decision to change what you do.

At the same time, I'll point out that I've never, ever been stuck on a bus so that I couldn't get out at a stop, though sometimes it takes yelling to the driver to wait. On the other hand, I've been unable to get on crowded buses that clearly had space in the rear. So I continue to move to the rear of the bus unless I know I'm getting off way ahead of other people.

 

[pampam]

Now, billy buff, that's a shame you feel that way. DD and I are always in the middle, by the doors since Dd is in a wheelchair. So many times I've noticed the back of the bus empty and no one wants to walk past the middle doors, or can't get past the middle doors because of the people and humungus strollers. I suppose everyone has a reason why they do such things, but I always feel sorry for the people trying to get on and can't because the first half is so crowded.

 

[BillyBuff]

Now, billy buff, that's a shame you feel that way. DD and I are always in the middle, by the doors since Dd is in a wheelchair. So many times I've noticed the back of the bus empty and no one wants to walk past the middle doors, or can't get past the middle doors because of the people and humungus strollers. I suppose everyone has a reason why they do such things, but I always feel sorry for the people trying to get on and can't because the first half is so crowded.

It's kinda funny though because even though we didn't budge to move further back to the back to let people on, we eventually did move to the back because we're too nice. Plus the longer it takes to board everyone means the longer it'll take for the bus to reach its destination.

 

[Plaid Princess]

I've refused to let children in front of me during a parade before, I'll admit it. You snooze, you lose. I put in the time to stake out my spot, I'm not letting your precious snowflake in front of me just because you arrived at the last minute.

This! 100%... and that does NOT make you "that guest". If I've been waiting 3 hours for a parade so that I could get a perfect seat on a bench in the front for Paint the Night, I'm sorry, but walking up 5 minutes before the parade starts and wanting to sit on my feet makes you "that guest".