Brazil Tour Groups

[blackthidot]

I'll agree provided you change it to not just Brazillian teens, but MOST teen groups. Cheerleaders, Dance Groups, Football Teams, all tend to have a similar vibe for me.

BUT, saying "those damn teens" makes me feel old, which is why I try to think of when I was that age too. And then forget it and continue enjoying my mongolian beef at Sunshine Seasons. YUM.

Mmmmmmm Salmon and Mashed Potatoes with Strawberry Shortcake!

 

[BrerFrog]

The problem is not Brazilian guests. I would guess tens (maybe hundreds?) of thousands of them visit each year.

The problem is with large groups of them, mainly teenagers. They bring their own energy. Which is not all bad - mostly, they are happy and singing and having a good time, so good for them.
It's just, when sixty uniformly dressed people are singing and clapping and doing their thing, their vibe takes over a place, they become the show. :shrug:

I agree, but those brazilians are really inconvenient and noisy. :lookaroun

 

[tink729]

EDIT* I just realized OP has a whopping 2 posts so I'm really not feeling stooping to their level would be worth my time.

Excuse me for expressing my strongest opinion from this most recent trip, but just because I am new to the forums and only have a few posts does not mean that I am "stooping" by writing about the tour groups first. That does not mean that I have no knowledge, great memories, or 21 other trips to Disney under my belt.

 

[Susan Savia]

I don't care if your with a tour group or not, if I am standing in line, I am NOT going to allow a stream of people to go past me. Also, why can't the CMs that monitor the Fast Pass machines make them stop after putting thru a dozen or so tickets for Fast Passes and step aside for a few minutes and let others get tickets, then let them continue. Getting 50 or more tickets at a time makes for a long wait.

 

[unkadug]

I don't care if your with a tour group or not, if I am standing in line, I am NOT going to allow a stream of people to go past me. Also, why can't the CMs that monitor the Fast Pass machines make them stop after putting thru a dozen or so tickets for Fast Passes and step aside for a few minutes and let others get tickets, then let them continue. Getting 50 or more tickets at a time makes for a long wait.

A lot of times you will be unable to prevent it. It can happen so far in front of you that all you can do is simply watch helplessly.

 

[WDWmazprty]

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:lookaroun

 

[forevermickey]

There's a great need for a "Bazinga" sign in the forums.

And oh yes, I'm in the parks at least twice a week, especially during the summer. Not out of choice though.

And I'm not a fan of sweeping generalizations, especially when it comes to cultural differences. I'm also not a fan of letting others affect my own well being.

I think you are taking a situation that is based on rudeness and ill manners and making it into a racist issue. Totally out of context.This is how problems start- with people pulling something out of a situation that really isn't there.

 

[wvugeoggrad]

For large groups in general (domestic and international) I think Disney should make up a packet to send to them before their trip about suggested "manners" and things to not do in the parks. Things like not singing/chanting/cheering in large groups, esp in pre-show areas where other guests are trying to enjoy the experience. I'm sure that most would not follow this but might be a good step in the right direction.

I think a lot of the issues are the differences in cultures. I've yet to visit anywhere over seas but I know when I do I am going to attempt to learn some of the language and some of their general customs so that I don't stand out like a tourist. A big thing here in the US is personal space (atleast to me it is), it seems that a lot of other cultures don't care as much about it as we do. My biggest peeve is when I'm standing in line and the people behind me are so close that they are touching me or end up stepping on my flip flops. I've actually had someone step on my flip flops once and break them since I was in stride at the time. :brick:

I'm glad these large groups do come to Disney bc they do bring a lot of money in so that keeps everything running and I'm sure for some of these teenagers it's almost a right of passage in their country so I don't want them to stop coming, just wish large groups would be mindful of the presence they create when in the parks.

 

[Captain Hank]

Honestly, the Brazilian tour groups, while more numerous than in previous years, have been much better behaved on the whole than ones in recent memory.

 

[jaques21]

I was there on Saturday and what I noticed is its not just Brazilian tour groups that are visiting, i saw Colombian and Argentinian tour groups too. Now yes the Brazil and Argentina groups are loud and do seem like a walking show/parade mainly because its all teenagers but shoot you picked that day to go to the park, so make the best of it! The Colombian tour was a group of preteens and were really polite. All i know is that the tour groups have been coming and i don't think they will ever stop coming, i don't mind. Disney makes too much money off of them which equals more attractions for US die-hard fans of WDW!

 

[LudwigVonDrake]

I have had bad experiences with the tour groups but on my last trip (7/7 to 7/16) they were fine except for the singing, clapping, chanting thing that they do that gets on my nerves pretty quick. I was surprised that they were more toned down than usual.

 

[Mr Toad]

I am SOOOOOOO glad I will not see the Tour Groups this year in WDW (cuz I won't be there :lol. My only hope is that they won't be at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

 

[BwayBaby]

I haven't had a problem with tour groups in years, but we've stopped going in June/July, so that's probably why. I just remember being miserable as a kid because of all the tour groups and the cutting (not just Brazilian- from anywhere).

My band director loved taking us to WDW for our spring trip, but he practically beat good manners into us. We'd meet kids from other schools who were absolutely HORRID.

 

[Lam]

Hey guys! My first post here, but i actually started this account just to discuss the subject of South American tour groups in WDW - Since i've had some rather alternative interaction with them compared to most regular guests, i thought i'd share some knowledge/expiriences/insight My Dad said it was a pretty big topic on these forums, and he encouraged me to go on here and take part of it, since it's been a huge part of our own trip so far.

I'm here on vacation with my whole family from Denmark (And before anyone asks, yes i am able to speak with the pavilion hosts in Norway in my native language :b).. Out of our whole family, we are 4 teenage boys (cousins!), who tends to hang out together, and walk around the parks together.. Two of us are 16 (including me), and the other 2 are 17.. We all have a pretty typical scandinavian look, and i'm the only one of the 4 without blond hair, so we draw a lot of attention from these tours when we walk around, especially since South American girls are so extremely extrovert.

From our experiences the only really annoying part of these tour groups, are the technical aspects (Fastpast lines, extensive fastpass drawing, longer queues, and so on). I'd rather avoid making this some kind of ego-trip, but we had a lot of interactions with these tours, and spoke with tons of them, including some of their guides, and really they are just like your average teenagers. Also, it's not fair to give Brazil all the credit - We met many from Mexico and Argentina too, and even 1-2 groups from Columbia.

Dont forget that it's not only Disneyland, but the whole of Orlando.. Malls, Outlets, Dinner-shows, Downtown Disney, everything. I remember our first night here when we hadnt even been to Disneyland yet, and we went to Medieval times dinner show, and there was a group of 150 mexicans, who got picked up by 15 limos after the show.

As i said, we spoke a lot with many of them, which was pretty cool and so on, but i'd rather not write a 10 page essay about all the subjects we discussed, so if you have questions just ask.. Or questions you want us to ask them the next time we meet.. I'd be happy to be your insider-source =D

 

[Goofygirl07]

I was just at Disney last week and I was beyond annoyed by these tour groups! It seemed like they all stayed at our hotel too, All star sports. When I was in the gift shop 2 boys was trying to bargain with the CM at the counter about buying an item, pretty funny. She told me that they usually stay about a month! But yes there was ALOT of singing, yelling, clapping and taking a ton of fastpasses. They would crowd the walkways and not move a muscle for you to get through.

but at least I was at Disney!

 

[unkadug]

I think you are taking a situation that is based on rudeness and ill manners and making it into a racist issue. Totally out of context.This is how problems start- with people pulling something out of a situation that really isn't there.

Yeah, I didn't understand the playing of the race card either.

 

[jonnyc]

After my most recent trip I think the problem is that they keep them all together. In DHS for example, why don't they let them go off by themselves and then say "meet by the hat at 5"? And if they don't turn up punish them in some capacity.

When I have been on school Ski trips (even at the age 13), as long as we can Ski well we could go off in small groups round the mountain and just had meet back up at a certain time. There were no problems. Restricting their independence surely creates some of these problems.

 

[Thrill Seeker]

CMs don't like the Brazilian Tour Groups any more than guests do. They don't listen because many don't speak English (a language requirement should be put into effect for large groups like those), we can't understand them because if they do speak English, it isn't very good and they usually all come right around the same time, all together, thus jacking up the wait time for any attraction and they usually take all the fast passes as well...

I cannot wait until they all are done coming...

 

[BrerFrog]

I just wanted to add that I think Disney is aware of the Tour Groups issue, because every year during Summer they hire some College Students around here (about 20 I think) who have already been ICPs in the past in order to work in constant contact with those groups. They don't work Park Operations or any regular role, their job is to be with those groups. Unfortunately, I don't think that is working. :lol:

Maybe they need an army of CMs.

 

[TRONorail10]

CMs don't like the Brazilian Tour Groups any more than guests do. They don't listen because many don't speak English (a language requirement should be put into effect for large groups like those), we can't understand them because if they do speak English, it isn't very good and they usually all come right around the same time, all together, thus jacking up the wait time for any attraction and they usually take all the fast passes as well...

I cannot wait until they all are done coming...

Thank you for finally putting that out there! While typical Disney guests are usually the ones who complain and argue the most, the Brazilian groups are simply a nightmare for CMs! I have been involved in numerous incidents with tour groups trashing quick service locations and have even caught them trying to steal food and merchandise at other locations. Cast members are even given a special pamphelet outlining how to deal with them.

Of course everyone who pays for a ticket, does have a right to have fun, as long as they are respectful to others and Disney property in general. CMs aren't going to be able to stop the groups from singing or getting 100 fastpasses in a row (everyone with a ticket is entitled to fastpass), but if you notice the groups breaking rules or being disrespectful in any other way, let the closest CM know about. The CM's can contact their managers who will in turn have guest relations send over a "super greeter" who is fluent in Portuguese, so that they can keep the tour group in line and re-enforce the rules. And as always, if the situation gets too out of hand, we can always have security escort them off Disney property. :wave: