Looking for some help from DISer's regarding a guest relations issue.

[dansdad]

Well done

Thanks. Google can be a wonderful thing.

 

[AllyBri]

One of the major problems with these tour groups is their "leaders" they receive a very nice tip if the little darlings have a great time. This is why they let them get away with so much, they are thinking about the tip they receive.

An interesting note we were having dinner at Shula's last week and a group of them had just walked before us (I'm thinking oh no) not a peep out of them the entire time, so they do know how to behave if they have to. Someone told me the next day that Shula's would have no problem telling them to leave and they know that.

 

[DeborahA]

Thanks. Google can be a wonderful thing.

You are awesome. I must not have googled the correct thing because I couldn't get anywhere. Now if I could speak portuguese.:roll eyes:

 

[klmall]

Thank goodness I have only run into problems once with a tour group and it was during a relatively slow time at the AK one June. Everyone was hot and tired and walking to the bus stop for our resort. There were families and others like myself alone making our way to the bus stop when a bus does pull in to pick up for our resort.

Out of nowhere about 10 teenagers came running towards our bus area and then skipped the waiting lines completely and while laughing and giggling, just pushed their way onto the bus. This kept almost everyone still in line from getting on the bus. The bus driver motioned for a couple more people to get on the bus so I stepped on.

As a former high school teacher I had no problem speaking calmly to that group of teenagers standing next to me. I told them how unfair it was that they bypassed the line waiting and took the seats from families and children. One teenager spoke up and said something to the effect of "Well, maybe you're too old for Disney then!" I just stared at them for the rest of the ride. When I was exiting the bus the driver said a quiet "Thank you" to me.

Funny thing was I never saw that group at our resort the next three days so never found out more about them.

 

[GSUJillybean]

I've found that the angry mom death glare is universal, and, fortunately, both my husband and I speak Spanish. We've told many an unruly Brazilian teenager to knock it off.

 

[goofy4tink]

We were there just from Wed to Thursday this past week....saw a lot of tour groups! And they were loud and rude as always!!! We just avoided them...like the plague!
I realize that Disney makes a boatload of money from these groups, and they these groups have paid to be there so should have fun, the same as the rest of us. But, when traveling to another country, it's always nice to adhere to the customs of that country! It's quite obvious that these groups care nothing about being courteous or polite...it's all about their fun, to the detriment of everyone else's fun!! Kind of unfair.

 

[CanadianPaco]

It's quite obvious that these groups care nothing about being courteous or polite...it's all about their fun, to the detriment of everyone else's fun!! Kind of unfair.

I couldn't agree more! It comes at the expense of so many other vacations.

 

[Aliceacc]

It seems to me that if other people are ruining your stay at a particular resort, Disney should take care of your transfer to another resort of comparable price. And if that group is ruining your day in the MK, then Disney should allow you to hop at no extra cost.

Maybe if enough people start making a stink about not being ripped off because of this type of unacceptable rudeness Disney will choose to take a stand.

If 8 or 10 families had demanded to be moved from POR, maybe something would have been said. And if not, at least they wouldn't have ruined your vacation.

 

[DeborahA]

It seems to me that if other people are ruining your stay at a particular resort, Disney should take care of your transfer to another resort of comparable price. And if that group is ruining your day in the MK, then Disney should allow you to hop at no extra cost.

Maybe if enough people start making a stink about not being ripped off because of this type of unacceptable rudeness Disney will choose to take a stand.

If 8 or 10 families had demanded to be moved from POR, maybe something would have been said. And if not, at least they wouldn't have ruined your vacation.

When we did complain they did offer to move us to another building, however, they would not guarantee that the groups were not in the other buildings. We had paid for a king preferred room and our folks were with us in another room close by. They had asked for a room close to an elevator as my FIL insist on walking but he is a little wobbly on the steps. I wish I would have insisted on them moving us all to another resort with no BTGs. I really was trying to be fair, and I allowed the CM to dismiss me with a "I will talk to my supervisor and he will get back to you." I am still waiting for that call--NOT. I will handle the situation differently next time.

 

[Sherrynny]

I just returned from a week at All Star Music, I must have been at opposite parks, because I never saw any groups. I did see a group on the bus from All Star Movies, about 20 girls got on the bus, the were quite well behaved, speaking Spanish amongst themselves, and giggling the way 15 year old teenage girls will do. Yes they spoke Spanish not Portuguese as they were from Argentina. The surprising thing was when we reached the Marketplace, I believe they were going to Typhoon Lagoon, they stood up to let people who were getting on the bus who needed a seat to be seated. There was no prompting from the chaperones, no one made a big deal about it, they just stood up. A few Americans could learn a lesson from them, when women with little babies stand and teenage boys sit, but that's another rant. So there are some good kids out there.

 

[DeborahA]

Update. I wrote the tour company an email. They didn't respond. Surprise!

 

[I Love Pluto]

Thinking of my past experiences - I cannot fault the staff at Riverside in any way. They have the best guest relations of any resort I can think of.

Last July - we had our room quite close to a Brazilian tour group. We enjoyed their friendship soooo much. They were extremely polite to us. I am in a scooter. The kids realized that I had two shortcomings - carrying things & finding my way to the main walkways. They were totally pleasant in helping with both of these tasks. They made our vacation a bit happier with their attitudes & their helpfulness. We said goodbye to them before we left. They were the most pleasant kids I have met in a long time.

How is Riverside to know the personalities of their guests before they stay there? How are they responsible for the behaviors of others?

Please don't blame Riverside for things beyond their control. Thanks!

 

[conandrob240]

My friend went third week ofJanuary and had a miserable time because of constant run- ins with these tour groups.her children were pushed around, many ride experiences were ruined by loud chanting and singing and she overalls had a less than great trip.

I LOVE the idea presented earlier about requiring these groups to have a WDW adult chaperone per so many teens. It is clear their own chaperones aren't agressive enough at keeping them innline so i wouldn't bother with that angle. The group should have to pay for this WDWliaison as part of their tour package. The liaison would be responsible for making sure the group follows the rules, obeys proper WDW etiquette and decorum and for generally keeping them and others safe and happy. Perfect solution, everyone wins and they just created a bunch of jobs for people. Are you listening Disney?!?!!

 

[HopperFan]

After a nightmare of a week last year I put in a special request for a room opposite the area they are usually put here at POP. I check in and they had put me with them again. I told them it was unacceptable and I wanted to be moved. (I am traveling with a very disabled son who can't handle the noise etc). They said they were full try tomorrow. CM says to me "we have to put families with them" .... why? The last thing I can handle is packing and unpacking us again. Night one it went on until 1am, Night two until 11 but then started back up at midnight for an hour. I'm on the 4th floor but it takes forever because they push all the call buttons. When you meet them in the walkways they won't move. We can't use pool after parks because they have taken it over, screaming, yelling, chanting. All three park days have had them disruptive, chanting, clogging walkways etc. I drive to all but MK because I don't want to wait for multiple buses as they fill the others. At bus tonight after MK I applaud the bus depot CMs they put them in their own queue and called them buses. As we waited they screamed, chanted and sang. The other queue packed with guests the topic of convo up and down the line was how out of control they are, making it unpleasant for everyone. The do not have "chaperones" they have tour guides and these tour guides are the ones who start the chants, cheers etc. They encourage all the bad behavior. At the hotels the guides are completely missing and the kids are on their own. Their rooms are trashed and disgusting. They leave the curtains open and it's gross. Even unwrapped partially eaten food on their beds and floors. First night there was security guy on a bike and tonight there are two fully uniformed officers out there. I am an out of state AP holder here 4-6 weeks a year, I LOVE staying on property but I am done with staying on property this time of year. Disney has let these groups get completely out of control. Note that these kids are not all from Brazil, there are many groups here this week from Argentina.

The only people to complain to are Disney because they are the only ones with anything to lose and the only ones to get them under control. It's simple, you offer one resort at each level, rotating by year. That way you have enough numbers to fill one/two buildings and not mix regular guests in with them. You always call them their own Disney buses so they don't ride with other guests. You hire security guards for the nights to insure they are quiet. You tell them there will be NO chanting, no group singing, no cheering period in the parks or anywhere else. There are plenty of youth groups who come to Disney and there are minimal issues. There is a clear problem with specific groups and it needs to be addressed. They won't stop coming simply because they were told they have to use manners, respect and follow the rules. I luckily visit often, I feel terrible for the first time visitor or someone who has saved a long time to visit. If everyone who has had their vacation adversely affected writes and complains then maybe they will take this seriously.

 

[DeborahA]

Thinking of my past experiences - I cannot fault the staff at Riverside in any way. They have the best guest relations of any resort I can think of.

Last July - we had our room quite close to a Brazilian tour group. We enjoyed their friendship soooo much. They were extremely polite to us. I am in a scooter. The kids realized that I had two shortcomings - carrying things & finding my way to the main walkways. They were totally pleasant in helping with both of these tasks. They made our vacation a bit happier with their attitudes & their helpfulness. We said goodbye to them before we left. They were the most pleasant kids I have met in a long time.

How is Riverside to know the personalities of their guests before they stay there? How are they responsible for the behaviors of others?

Please don't blame Riverside for things beyond their control. Thanks!

First of all I am happy that you had a great time on your vacation, we love POR too, thats the reason we stay for an extended time, buy the dining plan etc.
If you had experienced the rudeness and dangerous behavior that we did, as well as being awakened by loud chanting and laughing three times in one night, you may feel differently.
I DO blame POR for not communicating with us after being told that a member of management would contact us. That is wrong and bad business. They made us feel like our problems were not important to them.
I blame Disney for allowing this to happen over and over. I asked if they monitored the disney boards and I was told they do. If this many people have experiences like ours, imagine the number of people who have experienced this and have not put it on the different boards. They just simply don't go back to Disney. Does Disney care about those people ----I don't think so.

 

[Nanajo1]

I believe money has a lot to do with how the resort reacts. We were at BWV. Four late teens, early twenties girls moved into the studio portion of our 1br. They were loud, calling out from the balcony. When they started dropping "F" bombs DH went to the front desk to complain. He was not the first to complain. Management told them to clean up their act or they would be asked to leave.
They did settle down. But it was only one room at a deluxe resort. Too much money involved with tour groups at values to threaten evicting them for bad behavior.

 

[Candlelady]

We also stopped our January/February trips due to the tour group issues.

The only way Disney ever takes notice is when they receive BAD publicity. Remember how quickly they reacted to the hiring of disabled for front of the line access once it hit the news?
Everyone can complain, but until it's all over Facebook, Youtube, or the news, I doubt Disney will do anything to change the behavior of the tour groups.

 

[cheesemouse]

I LOVE the idea presented earlier about requiring these groups to have a WDW adult chaperone per so many teens. It is clear their own chaperones aren't agressive enough at keeping them innline so i wouldn't bother with that angle. The group should have to pay for this WDWliaison as part of their tour package. The liaison would be responsible for making sure the group follows the rules, obeys proper WDW etiquette and decorum and for generally keeping them and others safe and happy. Perfect solution, everyone wins and they just created a bunch of jobs for people. Are you listening Disney?!?!!

THIS! A WDW chaperone for every 10-12 kids, with them from 7a until they are for sure in bed and quiet.

If we ever have to go to WDW in the summer, it will NEVER be in July just because of the tour groups. And while we can't go in January, I advise others to skip that month too.

 

[smidgy]

Thinking of my past experiences - I cannot fault the staff at Riverside in any way. They have the best guest relations of any resort I can think of.

Last July - we had our room quite close to a Brazilian tour group. We enjoyed their friendship soooo much. They were extremely polite to us. I am in a scooter. The kids realized that I had two shortcomings - carrying things & finding my way to the main walkways. They were totally pleasant in helping with both of these tasks. They made our vacation a bit happier with their attitudes & their helpfulness. We said goodbye to them before we left. They were the most pleasant kids I have met in a long time.

How is Riverside to know the personalities of their guests before they stay there? How are they responsible for the behaviors of others?

Please don't blame Riverside for things beyond their control. Thanks!

That's nice. I'm happy for you. when we were at allstar sports, trying to carry luggage from our car to our room, not only were the huge groups of teens blocking the walkway, they ceratinly didn't help. they actually refused to step aside, as they saw me struggling made me walk onto the grass and go around them as they blocked the walkway.. AND gave ME a dirty look.

see, there are numerous reports of totally rude behaior. then you always get a poster or 2, assuring everyone that "gee, there really are nice tour groups, too"...

not the point. IT is okay to "generalize" is, EVERY year, 2X a year (Jan and July) there are numerous families afeected by their rude and bad behavior.

as far as the Resorts are concerned, since that dept. KNOWS that there are problems every year, they should take whatever steps necessary to ensure that ALL guests adhere to the rules. or are removed from the property. period.

 

[smidgy]

maybe when these tour guides (loosely called "chaperones") stop getting great "tips" from these parents becuase their little darlings were kicked out of the resort and had to go to motel 6 in the middle of the night.. maybe then they will start enforcing proper behavior.