Disney bus transportation etiquette rant

[Berret]

As much as I enjoy sitting down, whether it's a bus or a monorail, especially after I long day, I would always give my seat up to someone who I think needs it better than me. Of course I would let my wife and stepson take a seat and I'll stand, but especially ladies and older people(men or women), or those with small children. I'm too much of a gentleman to sit there while others who need to sit down, can't.

 

[mf1972]

I always give up my seat, even if I'm dead tired. I'm good with it. I did notice some of this behavior on our trip last April, & wondered if manners went out the window.

 

[RonAnnArbor]

As to the Original Poster --- it is pretty much a forgotten thing in the US...I travel extensively, and almost always use public transportation when I am there...compared to Europe (particularly London and Paris) American's far and away do NOT give up their seats anymore -- there are usually a number of seats designated for handicapped seating, and one can demand that they give up their seats if they are not handicapped (though that is hard to see for some disabilities), but far and away, any trip to NYC, Chicago, SF, LA and you basically don't see much of anyone giving up a seat for someone else, except for those of us who are generally more well-mannered. Just an observation, not meant to be a point of argument. If we want people to maintain good manners, we need our younger adults to teach those to their kids -- though most of the younger adults don't respect those manners themselves.

 

[mouse_luv]

Even though I was taught the correct way (old skool military raised family with etiquette etc), it depends on how I feel when on the bus there. I have serious invisible illnesses and unless you could see the inside of my body, you can't judge me and my issues that cause me to sit on the buses. Now, rarely sometimes I feel well enough and will stand for pregnant women, etc on buses or monorails, but most of the time I'm having to sit and if people want to sit there and judge me, that's on them. I'm on vacation making the best out of it and getting through my pain, etc.

 

[JohnD]

I hear you. Admittedly, I will sit if I am in the first group that can find an empty seat but will offer it to elderly or a parent carrying a child. A year ago, I was with my parents who were 74. I had no problem asking people to get up from the "please offer to elderly first" seats for my mother. She was aghast but I said she fits the bill precisely because of her age and her feet. We had a wheelchair for her for a reason.

 

[JohnD]

I love Disney as much as anyone, but the bus system is a shyteshow of the first order.

You may not like the busses. But a bus is a bus. You can't blame the bus system for people's lack of manners.

 

[JohnD]

When we stayed on property last year, there was an empty seat between myself and another woman. There were no people standing , so my husband sat down next to me. The woman on the other side of him got super mad and huffed, "Well, if you're going to sit on me..!" and stormed off to stand on the other side of the bus. It made no sense. She was petite, he's average sized. Nobody was encroaching on anyone else's space. It was early evening on the way to the parks and she was just seething with rage that he'd dared to take the empty seat.

It was terribly awkward.

So he's not allowed to take an empty seat? Based on her statement of "sitting on me", I'll guess she is plus sized. Whatever. Not making a judgment. But that doesn't mean she has a claim to the seat next to her.

 

[mousehockey37]

Hey, it could be worse... on my return trip home in 2012, we had a layover in Charlotte. As we're waiting for our plane they make an announcement that the flight is overbooked. Why? Well, about that time you see a golf cart roll up and the lady gets off with her dog. This wasn't a service dog, just her dog. She had bought a seat for the dog, overbooking the flight, thus bumping someone from the plane.... Wanna talk about rude?

 

[JohnD]

It doesn't just happen at Disney we were on the Metro (subway) in DC coming home from a long day and the train was full. My 4 year old started acting up and he needed to be in a seat (contained environment). As soon as one opened I went straight for it only to be cut off by a business man in a suit who put his bag on the second seat next to him. Everyone was shocked as I had been struggling with my son for several minutes and everyone on that end of the car knew it - I had seen all the looks including from him. Thankfully after that happened a couple offered us their seats and as soon as we were in the row we had no more problems with my son.

I lived in DC (well Pentagon City) for 8 years. I know the metro system well and can relate.

 

[jloucks]

You may not like the busses. But a bus is a bus. You can't blame the bus system for people's lack of manners.

Oh no, a bus is not a bus. The cattle-car buses that move people from park to park are of the lowest tier. Disney should migrate to coach buses, but can not resist cheapo buses.

Use lots of these, problems (LOTS of them) solved!!

 

[jloucks]

Hey, it could be worse... on my return trip home in 2012, we had a layover in Charlotte. As we're waiting for our plane they make an announcement that the flight is overbooked. Why? Well, about that time you see a golf cart roll up and the lady gets off with her dog. This wasn't a service dog, just her dog. She had bought a seat for the dog, overbooking the flight, thus bumping someone from the plane.... Wanna talk about rude?

Well, technically, if she paid for the seat it's all fair.

So if I bought the seat next to me because I want to lay down (or say because I am fat) that's rude?

 

[mousehockey37]

Oh no, a bus is not a bus. The cattle-car buses that move people from park to park are of the lowest tier. Disney should migrate to coach buses, but canon resist cheapo buses.

Use lots of these, problems (LOTS of them) solved!!

They won't. The mass transit buses that they use now are super easy to clean with paper towels. Ever been in one of the buses after the afternoon drenching? It looks like they just drove around with the doors open. You get those coach bus seats wet, they're gonna stay wet, not to mention, you'll have to take them out of the loop more often due to potty usage. Coach buses can only hold so many people.

Mass transit bus + lots of people = less trips which (in theory) would save money.
Coach buses have a fixed amount of passengers = more trips thus not saving money. Coaches would also make the ECV/Wheelchair/Stroller crowd unhappy and upset guests that would have to wait....

 

[JohnD]

As to the Original Poster --- it is pretty much a forgotten thing in the US...I travel extensively, and almost always use public transportation when I am there...compared to Europe (particularly London and Paris) American's far and away do NOT give up their seats anymore -- there are usually a number of seats designated for handicapped seating, and one can demand that they give up their seats if they are not handicapped (though that is hard to see for some disabilities), but far and away, any trip to NYC, Chicago, SF, LA and you basically don't see much of anyone giving up a seat for someone else, except for those of us who are generally more well-mannered. Just an observation, not meant to be a point of argument. If we want people to maintain good manners, we need our younger adults to teach those to their kids -- though most of the younger adults don't respect those manners themselves.

In the U.S., unless you live in a big city, you don't know anything about public transpiration. This is not to excuse those from the big city who should know better. But overall, public transportation in the U.S. is used a lot less compared to the UK or mainland Europe.

 

[mousehockey37]

Well, technically, if she paid for the seat it's all fair.

So if I bought the seat next to me because I want to lay down (or say because I am fat) that's rude?

The flight was sold out and she still was able to get the extra seat and bump someone from the plane... it never should have happened... likewise, I think SHE should've had to wait since she caused the inconvenience (but we can start a new thread about that... let's just stick to the buses). I was just pointing out that it's utter nonsense about the bus etiquette... as I've said on other threads and I'll say it here...

A portion of the visitors to WDW only speak perfect English until there's a problem... then they don't know what you're saying!

 

[JohnD]

Oh no, a bus is not a bus. The cattle-car buses that move people from park to park are of the lowest tier. Disney should migrate to coach buses, but can not resist cheapo buses.

Use lots of these, problems (LOTS of them) solved!!

Nice thought. But they use "city busses" like in major cities. In the end, it's public transportation (with no fare) provided by the Reedy Creek Improvement District. So I wouldn't be so ready to turn up my nose at that. Etiquette is still a people problem.

 

[RonAnnArbor]

They have actually used rent-a-coach busses on property the last few months at peak times --- they are SO SLOW -- everyone has to pile in, find a seat, and then exit through the front door -- besides having seats with material covers that can easily be ruined, they are SO SLOW that people threw fits on the couple occasions we had to use them -- some people that had experienced them waited for the NEXT bus, knowing they would still get back to their resorts and out of the busses faster before the coaches unloaded...

 

[Chernaboggles]

So he's not allowed to take an empty seat? Based on her statement of "sitting on me", I'll guess she is plus sized. Whatever. Not making a judgment. But that doesn't mean she has a claim to the seat next to her.

Nope. She was quite thin, and he's an average guy. She was just extremely cranky for no apparent reason.

 

[Disney Stine]

Unfortunately, this is true. I always give up my seat because I'm in my twenties and can handle a bus ride standing up. Although, not everyone is so quick to take a seat after being offered (potentially having the same thought as us -that they are healthy enough to stand). I remember specifically a mother with her young child turned me down when I offered (eventually giving it up to another child).
On the reverse side to that - you can never be 100% positive to how someone is feeling. My last trip I had physically gotten sick in the park and was forced to stand on the bus ride from MK to All Stars (LONG trip) with several parents sitting near me. My boyfriend had to help me stand for the whole ride because I was so weak. But if you didn't know that I had gotten sick, how would you know just by looking at me?

 

[Chernaboggles]

Hey, it could be worse... on my return trip home in 2012, we had a layover in Charlotte. As we're waiting for our plane they make an announcement that the flight is overbooked. Why? Well, about that time you see a golf cart roll up and the lady gets off with her dog. This wasn't a service dog, just her dog. She had bought a seat for the dog, overbooking the flight, thus bumping someone from the plane.... Wanna talk about rude?

In this instance the only rude "person" is the airline. They know exactly how many seats they've sold and routinely sell more seats than exist on the plane. A traveler who realizes she needs extra space and pays for an additional ticket is not rude, no matter if she's traveling with a child, a dog or a cello. She asked to purchase space and the airline sold it to her. If they didn't have space, they shouldn't have sold it. The transaction has nothing to do with anyone who bought a ticket, no matter who or what they bought it for.

You're making it sound like she showed up with her dog and some sobbing passenger got told "Sorry, no flight for you today, we need room for this dog!". That's now how it works. When a plane is overbooked, airlines offer flight credits and such to anyone willing to take a later flight. If you're flying alone or have a flexible schedule, it's a great way to get free travel. Probably someone got credits or free tickets for being "bumped". At worst, someone waiting to go standby didn't get on, but when you fly standby, you take your chances and people with tickets always get priority, as they should.

 

[Chernaboggles]

My last trip I had physically gotten sick in the park and was forced to stand on the bus ride from MK to All Stars (LONG trip) with several parents sitting near me. My boyfriend had to help me stand for the whole ride because I was so weak. But if you didn't know that I had gotten sick, how would you know just by looking at me?

Ugh, that's the WORST. No fun to be sick on vacation! Honestly, I think the best etiquette for buses (and mass transit of any kind) is this:

When a bus or train is crowded, anyone feeling well enough to stand should stand. Anyone who doesn't feel well enough to stand should sit. Nobody needs to ask questions. Just try not to pass judgment on anyone and leave gender, age and physical appearance out of it entirely.