[MrsJRZ]

My family just returned from a 9 day trip (11-27 to 12-5). This being our 17th trip, we consider ourselves seasoned in travelling to WDW, seeing and hearing almost everything, until now. This is one thing that we have never, ever encountered ... Very rude, swearing, nasty people!! And it wasn't just a few people - it was almost everyone we encountered! We had planned this trip because of two things - 1) To see all of the Christmas decorations and shows - 2) To avoid crowds (this is "supposed" to be a very slow time of year). The parks and hotels were packed, the parents and their children were pushing, shoving, swearing - anything you can think of to get what they wanted. We even had a man jump out of his car and stand in front of our car at the Downtown Disney parking lot because he thought we were going to take his parking spot!! All the while he was swearing at us, yelling at us, making crude hand gestures - the only thing he accomplished was making a spectacle of himself and getting our daughter very upset. He even walked in front of our car, still making that crude hand gesture and swearing, when we were trying to get out of the parking lot - my husband almost hit him. The poor cast members where being very abused almost everywhere we went - shops, rides, shows, restaurants and especially parades. I talked to several CM's and they told me it was because of the hurricanes - many people re-scheduled their vacations during December. If anyone was at WDW last week, did you encounter what we did? It got so bad that my daughter didn't want to go to any of the parks on Friday or Saturday. It really spoiled our Holiday Magic!!

[Cavey]

Wow! A kid not wanting to go to the parks. It must have been bad.

Everytime I've gone to WDW, I've met at least one jerk that threatened to ruin my day, if I allowed it to stay with me.

Last time was a woman behind me at me at AK "rope drop" snarling because I couldn't push our double stroller any faster (which was actually due to the slower people in front of me, and I didn't want to push the stroller into them).

I once encountered a jerk smoking a cigerette in the que for Indy Speedway. The CM told him he couldn't smoke there, and he flicked the butt at him. The CM showed amazing restraint.

[FireAngel]

As a CM, I have encountered something that took me a while to get over. A man who wanted Mickey to welcome him to the resort. He didnt want to leave the Front Desk until Mickey came out.

As a guest I have encountered many of mean people, but didnt let it ruin my day. As I think you will maybe never see these people again, why let it bother you?

[Princessfooh]

My favorites are the so-called adults who push, step over, and trample kids to get to the front of the lines to meet characters.

When I took DS for his third birthday I wanted to kill a group who literally knocked my son to the ground to get to Donald.

[FireAngel]

That annoys me more than anything else

[MerlinMatt]

Hey MrsJRZ! Welcome back to DisneyCentral!! I see you don't post much, so it's good to see you.

I'm fortunate in that I'm 5'11" and, if I've been unable to get to the gym, I top out around 200lbs.

I'm not exactly a threatening force, but it's really hard to knock me over, so I'm more than willing to walk slow or quietly step in front of someone who's trying to force their way through.

I don't suffer fools easily but I'm lucky to have a couple of very mature kids. So the 4 of us look down on people that behave that way. We actually feel sorry for them because we know that they're not going to experience the magic that we're experiencing. In general, I never let folks like that get to me.

However, I won't hesitate to call someone on the carpet if they challenge me directly. Nor will I hesitate to correct someone else's kid if they won't do it themselves.

So, in the end, here's my advice:
1.) Do the appropriate research and avoid "busy days." Every park has 'em. On those days, simply go to another park.
2.) Plan on "wearing blinders" Have you ever tried this? Have someone stand behind a lit lightbulb and see if you can see their facial expressions. Then, hold up a circle in front of you to cover the lightbulb. You can see them so much clearer. If you can find a way to ignore the idiots, there will be so much more Disney to enjoy.
3.) Commisserate with the CMs. It is so fun to get together with a CM and look down on the idiots together. It's amazing how many great conversations you can have with some very interesting CMs if you simply empathize with them. Not to mention the extra customer service that you're likely to get from those same CMs.

There are idiots everywhere. The key is learning how to not let them affect you.

[tigger]

I was once on line for a ride when a guy behind me lit up. Seeing that he was trying to sneak it I was "absorbing" a lot of smoke.

Being a recovering passive aggressive I started whistling IASW. I looked over at him after a few stanzas and made eye contact with him. He said "thanks I'm going to have that song in my head the rest of the day" to which I said "kind of like I'll have the stink of your cigarette in my cloths". He took one more drag and put it out.

---

We don't have kids and are constantly pushed away by parents when we are getting pictures taken with characters. Some parents also think that if you don't have kids they can cut in front of you in line...<shrug>

(sad story...we were standing in line for Mickey and Minnie. There was a family behind us with a father freaking out because the son had let a character sign on the wrong page and "now the signature will not be alphabetical". Poor kid. Some people I guess are pretty tightly wound.)

[FireAngel]

Talk about your messed up parent

[MerlinMatt]

Oh, and let's try not to take things out of context either.

Some people seem to be acting mean, when in fact they may be confused. I'm as tightly wound as the next guy, so I could definately imagine where someone might confuse me for a jerk. (Or they might have me pegged! Who knows? )

I guess the word for the wise is "patience." If you can develop a sense of patience, I guarantee you'll have a much better time.

Tigger, I love how you handled that guy who lit up in line. Priceless!!

[eeeee]

We will be going the 19th - 24th. I expect crowds but planned my days at the parks for their least crowded days. Also, I will not hesitate to tell someone to put out their cancer sticks (if they are not in the appropriate smoking location). I have been known to do that. I used to be a deputy sheriff so I can have an authorative voice if need be. Smoke really bothers me, expecially since at one stupid time in my life I used to light up. Mental thing I guess.

But the bottom line, just laugh at those rude people, or smile and tell them to have a "magical day." It gets them every time!

[Cavey]

As a teenager at a Six Flags, a woman lit up a cigerette in line right in front of the No Smoking signs. My brother and 3 or 4 ours started coughing and hacking as obnoxiously as they could.

The woman finally yelled at them, "You're being very rude."

At which point I said VERY loudly, not as rude as someone smoking in line when the sign says no smoking.

She turned her back to us and continued smoking.

The coughing continued until we got on the roller coaster.

[Cavey]

I also HATE IT when people will stop suddenly in the middle of traffic to talk, check their map, or scratch their butts (whatever). DW & I always make a point of stepping off to the side of path before slowing down or stopping.

[disneycouple30]

The more that we travel to WDW the more we see this type of person. When we first started going every year back in 1992 there were hardly anyone that was mean, but in the past 5 years we have seen it more often than not at WDW. We first saw it back in 1989 at Disneyland and now it has made it way to WDW. Th4e best thing is to forget about it or make fun of them with the rest of the crowd. You be surprise how fast they disappeared. There was one family that kept pushing their way and hopping lines. By the time the crowd was finished with them they were so embassed that every time they saw us the left the line. By the way the crowd applaused when they left.

[MrsJRZ]

Thanks for all your encouragement, guys!! I guess it just came as such a surprise to us that people would waste so much time and energy at such a wonderful place as WDW!! It truly didn't spoil our experience, it just really shoved the fact directly in our faces what idiots people can really be. Matt, we did conspire with quite a few CM's who could no doubt write quite an interesting book about their experiences. Also, I got everything changed for our dining reservations, including Hoop Dee Doo, Candlelight Processional Dinner Package and they even refunded our extra ticket to the MVMCP!! The only things they couldn't help us with were the category of room we booked due to nothing else being available and of course, the annual pass ticket. I'm not exactly a small person (6'1" and not exactly skinny) and people (it seemed the smaller the meaner) just pushed through me. Speaking of cigarettes, a few years back, we were in Blizzard Beach. Back then, I don't believe smoking was really enforced or if it was, I don't remember the policy. Anyway, the people next to us were smoking up a storm. A party of 6 adults and a bunch of kids. Since it was busy, we didn't have the luxury of looking for another spot. Our daughter was running barefoot (it is a water park, right?) when she stepped on a lit cigarette butt and burned the souls of her foot bad enough that it spoiled the rest of the trip for her. These people were taking great care to flick the lit butts away from their group. We went to the CM's at guest services who were extremely reluctant to do or say anything. Even after explaining the situation and having her treated at the First Aid Station, they still didn't want to do anything. I wrote Disney an email after that and was told that the parks were going to be "totally non-smoking." People who smoke ignore it and the CM's are still reluctant to enforce it. We also had a huge issue with the many people who accompany 1 person in a wheelchair. This family of 10 (including 3 little ones in strollers) totally monopolized the wheelchair viewing area at MGM for the parade. The CM asked the women to repeatedly move the strollers so others who were in chairs could see. She refused saying that her monther in the chair "needed the strollers next to her." The last straw came when a group of special needs kids came (ages ranging from 3 to 14) and this woman made them sit behind her and her 2 women friends (who were all standing). The 3 people who were chaperoning these kids in wheelchairs complained to the CM's who again asked them to move and again she said there was plenty of room for them all - she wouldn't budge!! These kids stayed behind 3 adults for the entire parade - it's just a miracle my husband held his temper!! I was so totally disgusted with the lack of compassion for others less fortunate. We're planning another trip in February, so I'm hoping for a much happier group of people!!

[Cavey]

Just remember, we reap what we sow. These people are like this in everyday life (maybe even worse, without the pixie dust effect). I'm sure they're the kind of people who aren't well liked, don't have many friends, and wonder why the world is against them.

BTW, are you sure it wasn't DarthTortise in the DTD parking lot? He goes there a lot.