Epcot yesterday - Tour Groups as far as the eye can see

RSoxNo1

RSoxNo1

Well-Known Member
The biggest opposition to the tour groups is that more often than note the tour guides don't do a good job of keeping the tours out of the way of others. This is largely because 1 tour guide per a group of 50+ is a horrible ratio.

When the tour groups are hovering around the entrance of attraction it becomes a major problem. I mentioned this earlier in the thread, but with Fastpass I would like to see Disney incorporate a Fastpass option for the tour groups. It would be a ticket given to the tour guide and it would allow them to go up to a cast member and get a Fastpass for the entire group. The cast member can scan their ticket so that the entire group is operating under the same Fastpass restrictions as the rest of the park guests, but it would be a significant time saver for the group, as well as far less disruptive to other guests. On multiple occasions I've been stuck behind a tour guide handing out Fastpasses to the entire group at the Fastpass queue and the groups are never lined up or organized it's always a mass of people around the Fastpass entrance and the tour guide moving around the group handing them out.
 
Crockett

Crockett

Banned
ECU_PIRATE said:
I know complaining about it here won't change anything about the antics of the groups but I had to vent.
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Complaining to a CM won't do too much either. CM's...God bless 'em, they really have to put up with a lot. But sometimes I think a person could commit murder in front of a CM, and their resulting punishment would be for said CM to wave his/her index finger while saying "Naughty, naughty".
It is simply amazing sometimes when you stop & think about what is tolerated at the parks behavior wise. But then again, if CM's enforced pushing, shoving, & line breaking rules, they'd be accused of being too harsh toward guests. So I understand the rock & hard place they are stuck between.

The way I see tour groups: They're going to happen. *Some* may push, shove, or flood the FP stations, ((not all)), but some will. There are many who go by the rules and are at the parks just like most of us...to have fun & not cause trouble. Either way, it's good for WDW's overall economy. And if any of you watched the Wolf Blitzer report on the future of American domestic travel over the next decade...you will see why these tour groups will eventually become a vital part of WDW's economy. So for better or worse...bring 'em on.

(And if you can't beat them...JOIN them! Colored t-shirts run pretty cheap at Wal-Mart).
 
the-reason14

the-reason14

Well-Known Member
For some reason, I've never had 'bad' experiences with the tour groups, until this past trip, and even what I encountered, I still wouldn't call bad after reading some stories here. But it did seem like they were louder this past trip then they've ever been, I encountered some flash picture takers on pirates that was a bit annoying. I felt like I was on the red carpet or something, literally every thing they snapped a picture of. Then before that, they cut me in line. I cut back in front of a few, but the CM grouped them back all together and I become a lucky member of their group on the boat.

But it honestly wasn't too bad.
 
CaptainJackNO

CaptainJackNO

Well-Known Member
We have been in WDW with tour groups. It never does bother us. The only time they ever presented a problem for us was on the bus back to the resort after a long day. The bus was crowded, it was summer, people sweating standing shoulder to shoulder, it was about midnight, and the group launched into a cheer and singing routine. Needless to say, folks were less than happy. Kids were sleeping on parent's shoulders, you get the scene.

Now, in hindsight, it's a good idea for a Saturday Night Live sketch.

I say welcome to these groups. What a great experience for these kids to come and enjoy WDW. Just no singing and cheering on the bus with me...lol
 
DonmoyerFamily

DonmoyerFamily

New Member
We were down last week and the groups were unavoidable. We were apparently at a soccer match in the middle of chanting and doing "the wave" when a showing of Fantasmic broke out.
 
WDWRLD

WDWRLD

Active Member
Yes, I could do without the cheering and singing on the rides too.....just because they dont understand what is being said dosent mean they should ruin it for everyone. I was to there from the 5th till the 11th and saw many of these massive groups. Here are a few of the things that gripes me....

1...we came into the Magic Kingdom about 8pm and the streets were already roped off for the MSEP. We were herded down the sidewalk by the confectionary and not allowed on the street. But the tour groups were out there chanting and dancing everywhere. They basically had the entire street area of Mainstreet to themselves.

2....They left the tables at Port Orleans full of trash every time they ate. I know there are always those that do this but when its a huge group and they all just walk away there is no where clean to sit.

3....We were in line at the Riverside Mill Food Court waiting to pay and a kid in a Yellow tour shirt with a bunch of food in his hands just walks by....the lady at the register called out to him and told him he needed to pay...he stopped, looked at her smiling shook his head no and shrugged his shoulders, then kept walking. What happened nothing, thats plain stealing and they get away with it because they act like they dont speak english.

4....one person gets in line for Ice cream snacks or whatever...you stand there for 15 minutes behind them, then at the last minure 10 more walk right up and jump inline with that one person and each orders and pays seperately.

5...there were Disney Transport busses pulled right up to the Oak Manor building and they were loading. All along we stood with everyone else waiting on a bus with enough room to get on to go to the parks one morning.
 
WDWRLD

WDWRLD

Active Member
RSoxNo1 said:
The biggest opposition to the tour groups is that more often than note the tour guides don't do a good job of keeping the tours out of the way of others. This is largely because 1 tour guide per a group of 50+ is a horrible ratio.

When the tour groups are hovering around the entrance of attraction it becomes a major problem. I mentioned this earlier in the thread, but with Fastpass I would like to see Disney incorporate a Fastpass option for the tour groups. It would be a ticket given to the tour guide and it would allow them to go up to a cast member and get a Fastpass for the entire group. The cast member can scan their ticket so that the entire group is operating under the same Fastpass restrictions as the rest of the park guests, but it would be a significant time saver for the group, as well as far less disruptive to other guests. On multiple occasions I've been stuck behind a tour guide handing out Fastpasses to the entire group at the Fastpass queue and the groups are never lined up or organized it's always a mass of people around the Fastpass entrance and the tour guide moving around the group handing them out.
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Ive seen tour guides with Stacks of FPs rubberbanded together first thing in the morning way earlier than they could have gotten more for to another ride.
 
G

gators11

New Member
American Tour Group

For those of you who haven't seen this through Facebook a bunch of people who don't like the tour groups got together and last night when through the Magic Kingdom dressed in Red, White and Blue waving a big american flag and chanting american songs. :ROFLOL:

home.php


Im working on getting the picture up
 
FigmentJedi

FigmentJedi

Well-Known Member
DonmoyerFamily said:
We were down last week and the groups were unavoidable. We were apparently at a soccer match in the middle of chanting and doing "the wave" when a showing of Fantasmic broke out.
Click to expand...

Doesn't the Wave always happen at Fantasmic, regardless of whether or not the Brazilians are there?
 
N

ncdisneyfan

New Member
tour groups

One reason why we joined DVC....we never have to see them at the hotel. We did have an experience several years ago while staying at All-Star Movies. It was very late at night & my group (about 15 people with several young kids) was traveling back to our hotel on the bus & we had a group on the bus with us. About half way of course all the younger kids on the bus fell asleep & about that time this group decided to start singing. After about 5 minutes my teenage son & myself yelled out to shut up...it was very quiet the rest of the trip back to our hotel.
 
DonmoyerFamily

DonmoyerFamily

New Member
Tahu said:
Doesn't the Wave always happen at Fantasmic, regardless of whether or not the Brazilians are there?
Click to expand...

Ya know, I don't really know.... We've only seen it 3 times over the past 6 years. To be honest, I'm not a fan of the show, at all. It just had a real "soccer match" feel to me last week.
 

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