Disney bus transportation etiquette rant

[mousehockey37]

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.

Overall, just be happy there's a transit system that can get you to where you need to go. Whether you sit, stand, hop on one foot or ride on the bumper, it doesn't matter. As long as you're behind the yellow line, they're gonna cram you in... For anyone that wants to complain look at those Japanese trains where they literally push you into the trains (talk about invading the personal bubble).

In the end, it's a bus. You aren't going on a cross country journey on the thing, you're going to a resort. For many people, they've been on their feet all day and a few more minutes isn't going to kill them, if it's about to, speak up and make it known so that concessions can be made.

As has been addressed, there's a set of people in society that get offended at any turn. This makes things tough in situations like Disney buses. One could offer their seat only to get lectured about this or that, then the next day they don't offer their seat and get lectured again... So in that aspect I can see why a bus could be quiet. Then there's the times where you strike up a conversation with the people you're crammed in with and if needed and everyone's getting along (it happens), everybody helps each other out... no guessing, no offending, it just happens.

 

[JohnHangen]

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.

I think that, at times due to the frustration level with the bus service (lack of capacity in the system, lack of proper headway, etc), people's manners are certainly adversely impacted by the bus system...

 

[SW_matt]

I really don't get what people hate about the WDW transport, to me its one of THE main benefits to staying on site, every morning we make rope drop or a breakfast ADR and going out the buses tend to be very quiet, coming back to the resort and then going back to parks in the afternoon they are equally quiet then. Coming back of an evening after closing they are always busy which is to be expected and everyone is bound to be a bit sensitive having been on their feet all day in the orlando heat. I do get annoyed with people but suck it up as its 20 minutes of discomfort at most, having had a (very short admittedly) nights sleep I'm in good spirits again.

 

[Doug Means]

I'd like to bring another person into this. I greatly appreciate how some of the bus drivers can be fun and polite and try to expand on the Disney magic, but I wish they put a tiny bit more thought into it. We waited for a bus for twenty minutes, we must have just missed one, at animal kingdom during the worst heat of the day. We were all hungry and hot and tired. We were out of water by that point as well.

Finally the bus pulls up and you hear the same relieved sigh from the entire line only for the bus driver to have to make his rounds checking the inside of the bus (that's fine, I get why, but then he decides its appropriate to stand in the doorway of the bus for a good five minutes stating he wasn't going to let us on the bus until we all smiled. I am sure we all looked pretty miserable, but come on man...you have been in your air conditioned bus all day. We just came from animal kingdom and have been standing here forever. Let me on the dang bus and out of the heat and I will gladly smile all you want.

I think I've had that driver before

 

[Princess Sara]

I'm with you. I never sit unless we're the only ones on the bus or monorail car

A few years ago we were on a full bus and a small child was sat in a double seat and had a small soft toy in the seat next to her. I didn't know whether to slap the mother or father or both. She sat there all the way when they were 20 or so people standing.

 

[draybook]

The only bus we don't mind is the MK bus from POFQ.

 

[Fat Paul]

Just started to entertain the idea of a return trip to the World. We have been doing other types of vacations for the last eight years. In the past I would always give my seat up for woman, children, elderly or disabled. After a while I would start to see the husbands/fathers of the same people that I gave a seat to on previous days sit steadfastly as my wife or daughter stood. I got over my gentleman tendencies. I am now disabled but plan to stand when I must and sit when I can.

 

[BuzzKillington]

Is this a forgotten thing to do in the states?

No more so than in your country (see link below). Moreover, given the fact that the UK is being invaded by a "mob" who not only lack chivalry but also basic human rights for women, I would start your campaign to "better man" at home. Best of luck with this issue and I mean that in all sincerity.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...ats-help-buggies-fear-offending--WANT-to.html

 

[SSH]

A few years ago we were on a full bus and a small child was sat in a double seat and had a small soft toy in the seat next to her. I didn't know whether to slap the mother or father or both. She sat there all the way when they were 20 or so people standing.

I see this all the time...shopping bags, toys, personal stuff on empty seats while their owners avoid eye contact with anyone looking for a seat. Normally my husband and I always offer our seats to others since we can stand. But when I see that, I purposely go over and do the "excuse me....is this seat taken?" bit, just to annoy them. Then I look for someone to offer the seat to. Petty, but what the heck...

 

[Tom P.]

Well, I'm gonna throw in my two cents on a particular aspect of this topic. I'm not trying to start a war, just stating my opinion.

I am an able-bodied man in my late 30's. Healthy and physically capable. According to the way I was raised and the manners I believe to be proper, I should be the last person to take a seat on the bus. The elderly, the disabled, young children and, yes, women should have preference to get those seats before me. The fact that a woman could actually be offended that I, or any other man, would offer her our seat saddens me.

Being accepting, tolerant, and non-judgmental is a two-way street. You don't want me to assume that someone is weaker simply because she is a woman. Fine. Don't assume when I offer my seat to a woman that I am doing so out of some form of sexism.

All that said, I am who I am, and I will continue to offer my seat to a woman who is standing. If she doesn't want it, fine. If she chooses to be offended by the gesture, fine. At least I did what I believe is right. And I will teach my young sons to do the same.

 

[wm49rs]

No more so than in your country (see link below). Moreover, given the fact that the UK is being invaded by a "mob" who not only lack chivalry but also basic human rights for women, I would start your campaign to "better man" at home. Best of luck with this issue and I mean that in all sincerity.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...ats-help-buggies-fear-offending--WANT-to.html

Search a while for an article almost two years old, did we? Stop trolling....

 

[Sans Souci]

Lol at Londoners being more polite. I moved here from Chicago in December and I live near the Jubilee Line. Manners are virtually nonexistent on public transportation here. Try again.

 

[Boardwalker]

We have been on vacation for just over a week from the uk and we have been having a wonderful time. We have been making the most of all of the time we have here, and have enjoyed the hospitality of Disney and its visitors. The only fly in the ointment has been our amazement at the lack of manners displayed on the late night busses back from the parks and DTD. So far every packed bus has seen grown men and teenage boys steadfastly sitting down while elderly folks, very small children and pregnant women have had to stand. I have stood to give up my seat on every journey and so has my wife and 10 year old daughter, we see it as the right thing to do. Is this a forgotten thing to do I the states? I hope not?
On the bus back tonight from HS in the seats in front of me sat 2 single guys, a rather large man with his 2 teenage sons ( who's wife stood ) and 2 young girls. Standing in front of them in the isle was a lady holding a sleeping 4 year old, an elderly couple and a family with 2 small children. You guessed it the sitting people made a great effort not to make eye contact all of the way back to our hotel.
At first I thought it was just on one bus, but so far it's been on all of them. It's a sad state of affairs when this becomes the norm and acceptable.
Sorry for the rant, but I had to get it off my chest!

I never sit. But if youre pregnant at Disney during the summer,then I would feel extra sorry for you.

 

[DisneyJunkie]

Personally, unless I'm simply dead on my feet exhausted and just can't stand to be on them anymore.....I'd be fine giving up my seat. But if my feet are killing me to where I just have to be seated, I won't.

 

[Dwarful]

As others have posted you might find people from multiple countries on one bus so it isn't necessarily a 'national norm' situation. Also, for those US citizens it might be their only time to use mass transit...even if they come from semi-large cities that have that type of transportation. It would be a cold day in heck town before I used or let my family use the Metro or buses in STL esp. after all of the Ferguson issues. Also, it would take forever to get those buses moving if everyone on the bus had to offer their seat and rearrange the load position. My husband and our children will always offer to stand but only once in a blue moon will someone take them up on the offer. Usually at the end of the night WDW has so many buses running that even though it feels like it has been a long wait, the next one arrives within 10 - 20 minutes...sometimes when it is really crowded we have seen them double park the buses and get two loads of people on their way in short time. To be quite honest, I think at park closing most people are focused on their own families and are unaware or exhausted and not paying attention to see if someone else needs them to give up a seat.

 

[FutureCEO]

We have been on vacation for just over a week from the uk and we have been having a wonderful time. We have been making the most of all of the time we have here, and have enjoyed the hospitality of Disney and its visitors. The only fly in the ointment has been our amazement at the lack of manners displayed on the late night busses back from the parks and DTD. So far every packed bus has seen grown men and teenage boys steadfastly sitting down while elderly folks, very small children and pregnant women have had to stand. I have stood to give up my seat on every journey and so has my wife and 10 year old daughter, we see it as the right thing to do. Is this a forgotten thing to do I the states? I hope not?
On the bus back tonight from HS in the seats in front of me sat 2 single guys, a rather large man with his 2 teenage sons ( who's wife stood ) and 2 young girls. Standing in front of them in the isle was a lady holding a sleeping 4 year old, an elderly couple and a family with 2 small children. You guessed it the sitting people made a great effort not to make eye contact all of the way back to our hotel.
At first I thought it was just on one bus, but so far it's been on all of them. It's a sad state of affairs when this becomes the norm and acceptable.
Sorry for the rant, but I had to get it off my chest!

This is America. Land of....I'm not sure what we are anymore but your rant sums it up perfectly. Can you Europeans teach Americans the correct way to drive a rotary?

I personally avoid public transportation (sleazy people) unless I'm in a big city. Which then I really don't mind. Go figure.

I won't give up my seat unless the elderly or the young kid looks friendly.

 

[riverscu0m0]

As others have posted you might find people from multiple countries on one bus so it isn't necessarily a 'national norm' situation. Also, for those US citizens it might be their only time to use mass transit...even if they come from semi-large cities that have that type of transportation. It would be a cold day in heck town before I used or let my family use the Metro or buses in STL esp. after all of the Ferguson issues.

I was thinking that too, while giving up your seat is obviously the polite thing to do, you really cannot put the blame on the USA. I've traveled throughout Europe a few times and very rarely do I see people getting up and offering their seats to those who could probably use it. I did once in Paris on the Metro during rush hour and the woman who I offered it to seemed so shocked that I let her, a pregnant woman with a small child, sit. I'm from Boston and use the T system as my main source of transportation and very often see people giving up their seats or men offering me their seats. I think it just depends where you are in the country and who you're surrounded by.

 

[John]

No I havnt read thru every post....and I am sure its been said....or maybe not. I was taught to give up my seat, open doors, pull out chairs for a lady. Give up my seat to the elderly, or to a mother or father carrying a sleeping young child. I expect my son to do the same thing. If your offended then just smile and decline. But I will still get up and stand myself. It harkens to a more civil society. There is no doubt that manners and chivalry have gone by the way side in this country. Maybe if we would all treat each other a little better that it would be a better place to live in. BTW chivalry has nothing to do with being sexist. Its more a respect thing. I know the PC line is to just respect everyone. But the trouble with that is it ends up that no one respects anybody. In honor of my parents I will continue to give up my seat....if it offends you.....get over it.

 

[olinecoach61]

I agree with the op, in fact I try to avoid Disney busses as much as possible. And I can't stand riding them after park close when they jammed and people are miserable

 

[Goofnut1980]

Yeah this is one of my pet peeves too...my husband and I have taught our children to give up their seats...what REALLYYYY BOTHERS ME...is when people let babies and small kids take up seats...if a bus is crowded everyone 10 and under needs to lap it! A few weeks ago there was a mom, dad and 2 kids under 3 taking up 5 seats with their giant stroller and their toddlers getting 2 seats to themselves...ughhh! Let me add that yes...my husband and I did make our 9 yr old lap it when needed.

You hit the nail on the head!