Being Kind at Disney

[disneyseniors]

In rare cases, big backpacks are needed for medical reasons. I used to have to carry a very heavy cooler backpack with special food for my daughter. It was terrible all around - her having to eat cold food while others enjoyed pizza and burgers - me having to lug the thing all day with cool packs creating moisture between it and my back. But I was always careful with it and never hit anyone. I only mention it, because there can be some rare cases where it is a necessity.

Thank goodness she can eat all foods now and that phase of our life is over - you take for granted the ability to travel and just buy the food you need, until you can't.

Of course there are exceptions. But even with that, some people don't seem to realize that their megabackpack is getting in others spaces and hitting them. There seems to be no awareness of other's around them. I have been hit so many times I'm starting to push back. And I don't stand too close either. I don't like to be too close to others personal space. I'm glad you are able to travel differently now

 

[WonkaKid]

Something I haven’t seen in awhile but always got on my nerves was when one person would run to be first on Peter Pan at rope drop… and their party of ten would then join them at the front. It was as if they’d all run. Come to think of it, sprinters at rope drop in general.

Also, people who swear loudly at the park. These are often people who seem to have no clue about considering others.

 

[Briarrose1306]

100% yes this. And don't have 1 person go in line and have 20 people join you later. Sure, I can excuse the 1 or 2 people that popped out quickly for bathroom break or snack, but whole family reunions is a little nuts. Wait until your crowd is together and then get in line.

Had this happen with some school type group on Splash with a group of 5 in front of us that turned into a group of 15-20 by the time we got to the end. Said something to the CMs and they were like "there's nothing we can do, we didn't see it" I said why don't you ask all the groups standing here who can confirm it. It was utter crap.

 

[Briarrose1306]

Of course there are exceptions. But even with that, some people don't seem to realize that their megabackpack is getting in others spaces and hitting them. There seems to be no awareness of other's around them. I have been hit so many times I'm starting to push back. And I don't stand too close either. I don't like to be too close to others personal space. I'm glad you are able to travel differently now

This is kind of funny to me cause I started to use my backpack as a "distancing" method. People and their children would be so far up on me that I couldn't move without hitting them. If I can feel your breath, you are too close. So I would start turning side to side to discourage the closeness.

 

[Piglet99645]

It’s so interesting what bothers some people and not others. After years of living with people with various social anxiety issues, I’ve become a pro at anticipating the needs of others (including strangers) and accommodating situations to prevent discomfort from happening.

Not saying I’m perfect by any means, but I spend so much energy keeping people around me happy, I sometimes get really irritated when somebody doesn’t take 5 seconds to look out for me, and maybe hold a door open when I’m carrying 4 drinks.

But I also know this is my problem ...

Just rambling.

 

[kristensideaoffun]

This is kind of funny to me cause I started to use my backpack as a "distancing" method. People and their children would be so far up on me that I couldn't move without hitting them. If I can feel your breath, you are too close. So I would start turning side to side to discourage the closeness.

My husband has severe PTSD. Wearing his backpack makes him feel more secure and creates distance between himself and the people around us. He gets severe anxiety and sometimes has to get out of line when people aren’t respecting his personal space. We tend to leave space in front of us and my daughter and I try to keep space between the people behind us and him. Unfortunately, when people get to close to my daughter and I, it triggers him, as well. I think people unconsciously (or on purpose) move closer to us from behind because they see the space in front of us and expect us to move forward.

 

[trivan]

My husband has severe PTSD. Wearing his backpack makes him feel more secure and creates distance between himself and the people around us. He gets severe anxiety and sometimes has to get out of line when people aren’t respecting his personal space. We tend to leave space in front of us and my daughter and I try to keep space between the people behind us and him. Unfortunately, when people get to close to my daughter and I, it triggers him, as well. I think people unconsciously (or on purpose) move closer to us from behind because they see the space in front of us and expect us to move forward.

These days I find a fake coughing stint does wonders....
I don't get people and why they feel they need to be right against the person in front of them, it's not going to make the line go any faster

 

[Scouter]

I was upstairs at Golden Horseshoe and watched a woman change her babies diaper on a downstairs table. So GROSS!!!! I watched in horror! There were tons of people eating around her too. Yuck!!

I honestly can't believe any employee/cast member wouldn't tell them to do that elsewhere.

 

[redleader74]

I hate it when people recite the recordings in attractions like The Haunted Mansion (e.g.) while the actual recording is playing. We get it, you’re here all the time, you’ve memorized it. We haven’t and we want to experience the ride. Shut up.

Ha ha ha....it is usually the person that thinks they're the cool one in the group (ie class clown type) and needs to reinforce that identy or perhaps to show off to their friends and the other guests how cool they are that they're a seasoned veteran of the ride?

At Tokyo Disneyland all the guests sit down for parades and other shows. It’s so much better, and something I wish would catch on in the US.

Tokyo Disneyland is so different. Park capacity is huge on a daily basis and yet the crowd management and in general, how the crowd behaves, makes it that much more enjoyable to watch shows/ meet characters etc.... A lot would need to change to have that in the US. I mean, you won't see people in the US pick up trash all around them after a sporting event is over. Culture is way different.

ditto and ditto....I believe it's the cultural homogeneity, everyone is raised/taught pretty much the same way(?) Here's its an enormously mixed bag. We got a thousand differesnt ways of doing the same things and in the same place and at the same time as everyone else. That being said, I'm thinking you're likely to find some of the most giving/forgiving/understanding/generous behavior at our Disneyland than most other crowded places in the state... I mean, look at the responses to this thread, we're trying to be polite even as we're letting off steam about these behaviors!

A nice man nearby saw us and brought over a chair for me. His party left shortly after and brought one more for my husband. It was such a small gesture but I appreciated it so very much! Kindness, even in a simple form, goes a long way

We've done this ourselves and perhaps others may find this a helpful tip. Not at Disney but at food courts when we've seen other tables short a chair and one in their party is left standing, we'll let our 2 year old sit in her stroller pulled up to the table so she can use that as her chair and giver her chair over to that other table. It's not even about the physical discomfort or inconvenience of standing, it's the awkwardness of being the only one standing at your table.

The stupidest part about people doing this is that every single ride is available online, for free, in much higher quality than you are going to get from your phone. So, you could actually experience the ride without the burden of filming and the annoyance to others and relive the experience on YouTube. Outside of filming your family while not on an attraction, I don't understand the filming thing at Disney anymore. It isn't the 80's.

For some it's a source of income. A lot of these Youtubers monetize their videos and collect ad revenue generated from the views. The better the videos and the more eyecatching the click screen, the more income they make. More debatable though, though still closely tied view hits and income, is the bragging rights....as if they're particular video is SO much better than the next one and so on. Blame it on Youtube I guess. I will admit though, that realizing that on our next trip (two weeks from now) that with a 2 year old in tow we won't be riding RotR, guess what I did? Yep, I watched a bunch of Youtube videos of the RotR ride through.

Another pet peeve is people who use foul language in front of children. It's bad enough to hear it being an adult, but there are Children at WDW and they don't need to be exposed to vulgar language. This one really burns me!

Swearing is just so....so...so low class.

 

[Lilsia]

Of course there are exceptions. But even with that, some people don't seem to realize that their megabackpack is getting in others spaces and hitting them. There seems to be no awareness of other's around them. I have been hit so many times I'm starting to push back. And I don't stand too close either. I don't like to be too close to others personal space. I'm glad you are able to travel differently now

I am one of those people that leaves a bunch of space between me and the person next to me. This backpack thing usually happens when the group behind me moves up too close. It seems that no matter how much you move away from them, they seem to always want to be on your behind. I have also had plenty of people just back up into me for no reason. It's like some forget that there are other people in the park with them. I don't go back or to the side without looking behind me first, just like you do(or are supposed to do) while driving. I have noticed that I am in the minority on that.

 

[AquaDame]

It really used to grate on my husband how many times we get whacked in line by people who feel they have to be on our heels. One trip we made it into a game and count how many times we each get hit (if only to take proper turns at being the guard for the other), and we've found that gamifiying helps deal with it.

I really really really wish people would let you have a bit of personal space. I once had a family of ten go around me in the line for Killimanjaro safaris when I was solo and left a grand total of 2' between me and the party in front of me. I truly wouldn't have been comfortable pushing up against them any further and the queue is wide where we were so I had to just let them take it. No way to block a wide queue with one body.

 

[MrsD.Duck]

Many years ago while in line for the skyway in fantasyland I actually had an older woman from India keep poking me in the back on purpose, like lady I can"t move if the line isn"t moving. After about 8 times of her poking me, and I mean one finger just jabbing me in the back, I turned to my husband and said loudly if she pokes me one my time I am going lay her on her butt. I turned and looked at her and she had stepped way back from me. Seriously you don't keep jabbing someone in the back like that.

 

[dorchrislen]

I can relate to those that are annoyed by the person that stands in line and then is joined by 10 to 15 family members. One time my son and I got to the parks nice and early and found a gate with only one person in front of us. I should have known better. Next time I will ask the person if they have others coming. Yep, about 15 family members came strolling in just before the gates opened, with Starbucks and strollers. My OCD takes over and I let it annoy me way too much but I guess the lesson learned is if you have a lot of people coming to join you, best to warn the next group or 3 that come up behind you.

 

[Cholula]

Many years ago while in line for the skyway in fantasyland I actually had an older woman from India keep poking me in the back on purpose, like lady I can"t move if the line isn"t moving. After about 8 times of her poking me, and I mean one finger just jabbing me in the back, I turned to my husband and said loudly if she pokes me one my time I am going lay her on her butt. I turned and looked at her and she had stepped way back from me. Seriously you don't keep jabbing someone in the back like that.

That was actually quite kind of you to let her get 8 pokes in and still keep her finger.

 

[MrsD.Duck]

That was actually quite kind of you to let her get 8 pokes in and still keep her finger.

That was before I got old and cranky...lol. it was actually on my honeymoon

 

[Lilsia]

It really used to grate on my husband how many times we get whacked in line by people who feel they have to be on our heels. One trip we made it into a game and count how many times we each get hit (if only to take proper turns at being the guard for the other), and we've found that gamifiying helps deal with it.

I really really really wish people would let you have a bit of personal space. I once had a family of ten go around me in the line for Killimanjaro safaris when I was solo and left a grand total of 2' between me and the party in front of me. I truly wouldn't have been comfortable pushing up against them any further and the queue is wide where we were so I had to just let them take it. No way to block a wide queue with one body.

You know what, I did notice that more people try to pass me in line when I am solo as opposed to when I go with my family. I usually let that kind of stuff go and not think about it, but as I read your post, it reminded me of it. It's strange how people do that.

 

[redleader74]

Many years ago while in line for the skyway in fantasyland I actually had an older woman from India keep poking me in the back on purpose, like lady I can"t move if the line isn"t moving. After about 8 times of her poking me, and I mean one finger just jabbing me in the back, I turned to my husband and said loudly if she pokes me one my time I am going lay her on her butt. I turned and looked at her and she had stepped way back from me. Seriously you don't keep jabbing someone in the back like that.

Holy Toledo! You referenced the Skyway so I can imagine this was quite some time ago....I simply can't imagine that happening today without bloodshed and police involved.

Sorta unrelated, but once I was inline at a store at the mall and this lady was riding my back like she wanted a piggy back ride from me. So I decided to just turn 180 degrees around and stare at her. That got her to back off. I mean, if you stand as close to me with me turned around as you were when my back was to you, we're basically a centimeter short of making out!

 

[goodshepherd]

if u cant handle crowds prolly best not to go lol

 

[goodshepherd]

in retrospect, wow weve had very nice trips to disneyland in the last ~5 years and havent really encountered any rude people.....

hey if u go with a smiley attitude and have a good time then thats all you need

 

[goodshepherd]

....and good food too lol