I can't believe this happened!!

[Timekeeper]

The girlfriend in the OP was clearly the victim of a battery; a criminal act prohibited by Florida law, and punishable by up to one year in jail. If guests appropriately reported these crimes to law enforcement, maybe Disney would recognize that it's not merely "rude" behavior, but a potentially serious legal - and safety - issue. If someone pushed my significant other and caused injury, they would soon find themselves in handcuffs, regardless of severity, and regardless of whether it was at the World or anywhere else.

 

[sgtmgd]

Submit the story to corporate headquarters.

Submit all girlfriend pics to Pumbas Nakasak.

lol..you should be reported for that Gator Helmet

 

[Rinx]

The girlfriend in the OP was clearly the victim of a battery; a criminal act prohibited by Florida law, and punishable by up to one year in jail. If guests appropriately reported these crimes to law enforcement, maybe Disney would recognize that it's not merely "rude" behavior, but a potentially serious legal - and safety - issue. If someone pushed my significant other and caused injury, they would soon find themselves in handcuffs, regardless of severity, and regardless of whether it was at the World or anywhere else.

I did not know that!!!

 

[Timekeeper]

I did not know that!!!

Yes, the standard for the crime of battery is very low:

Florida Statutes 784.03 Battery—
(1)(a) The offense of battery occurs when a person:
1. Actually and intentionally touches or strikes another person against the will of the other; or
2. Intentionally causes bodily harm to another person.

That's it.

 

[LudwigVonDrake]

What is the time frame for the tour groups? They're usually already in WDW when I go in early July. When does their "season" start and end? Thanks.

 

[SleepingMonk]

Yes, the standard for the crime of battery is very low:

Florida Statutes 784.03 Battery—
(1)(a) The offense of battery occurs when a person:
1. Actually and intentionally touches or strikes another person against the will of the other; or
2. Intentionally causes bodily harm to another person.

That's it.

Intent is the key here.

Nolle pros on this scenario.

 

[Timekeeper]

Intent is the key here.

Nolle pros on this scenario.

Hardly. Read the statute. You are probably confusing this with the civil tort of battery. Brazilian didn't intend to shove/push the girlfriend? Send it to a jury.

 

[scpergj]

Hardly. Read the statute. You are probably confusing this with the civil tort of battery. Brazilian didn't intend to shove/push the girlfriend? Send it to a jury.

Maybe if enough guests would prosecute issues such as this, the word would get out amoungst the various groups (Brazillians can be bad, but so can cheerleaders, football teams.....and groups of American teens) to be nice to others around them.

It's a nice thought, anyway...

 

[Beholder]

What is the time frame for the tour groups? They're usually already in WDW when I go in early July. When does their "season" start and end? Thanks.

We go for soccer tournaments in late July, early August and they're still there. Don't know when their "tour season" is over though.

 

[Timekeeper]

Maybe if enough guests would prosecute issues such as this, the word would get out amoungst the various groups (Brazillians can be bad, but so can cheerleaders, football teams.....and groups of American teens) to be nice to others around them.

Right. While there's no law requiring that people be "nice," the OP stated:

...a small group of them came running from behind us screaming and singing. They pushed passed both of us and in the process stepped on my girlfriend's foot causing her to roll her ankle and fall down. Luckily she wasn't seriously hurt but walking was a great challenge and painful the rest of the trip.

While I suppose that reasonable minds may differ, and acknowledge that stepping on someone's foot may be accidental, I would suggest that pushing is far from any definition of "accident" that I'm familiar with. Classic battery, period. And if there's any question as to whether the pushing was intentional or not, that's a question for the jury. The resulting harm - if there's any at all - need not be intentional. Either way, like you suggested, guests should respond appropriately to this, and there's ample PC for the arrest.

 

[Patricia Melton]

Right. While there's no law requiring that people be "nice," the OP stated:



While I suppose that reasonable minds may differ, and acknowledge that stepping on someone's foot may be accidental, I would suggest that pushing is far from any definition of "accident" that I'm familiar with. Classic battery, period. And if there's any question as to whether the pushing was intentional or not, that's a question for the jury. The resulting harm - if there's any at all - need not be intentional. Either way, like you suggested, guests should respond appropriately to this, and there's ample PC for the arrest.

What happens when someone is injured because someone is being reckless?

I argue that the Brazilians were being reckless. Whether they intended to harm the OP's girlfriend or not, they did.

I would have insisted the police be called.

If I could give anyone reading this any advice, ALWAYS file a police report if you are ever pushed, shoved, or harm in any way. If anyone steals anything from you, ALWAYS file a police report. In many cites, you can do this over the phone via 311. I bet that WDW has security offices where you can fill out police reports.

It is FREE, relatively easy, and takes about 15 minutes to file a report. The police send you a letter the next week informing you that the report is on file. In many cases, you get a case number for the report on the phone (I know this because my property has been subject to a lot of vandalism over the years, with high schoolers breaking windows and harming my livestock, so I know how to fill out these reports well).

Why does this matter? Because police reports are recording and are chronicled. If no one is filling out police reports on the Brazilians, then Disney can claim there is no problem with them. However, if there are consistently police reports being filed on the Brazilians, then corporate is going to take notice.

No police report = plausible deniability of the problem.

Filing police reports = Disney will have to take action to avoid future liability.

Just imagine one day a Brazilian group seriously injures someone. If there was a paper trail of police reports on the Brazilians' activities through the years, then Disney would be facing a jury situation where police report after police report for years telegraphed to them that they needed to address the Brazilians' behavior. If they didn't try to curb it, then they would be in big trouble in front of a jury when the Brazilians finally harm someone big time.

 

[bethymouse]

Kindness goes a long way, especially when "complaining". I find if you just "talk" to the CMs about your "issues", they're very accommodating!

 

[RedBaron]

We go for soccer tournaments in late July, early August and they're still there. Don't know when their "tour season" is over though.

I was there in early August a few years ago and I did not see any tour groups? Maybe it varies year by year?

 

[scottnj1966]

Well the problem is Disney makes a lot of money from them. They cannot single out certain tour groups (no matter how terrible they can be) legally. I have seen them bring the magic of Disney down countless times. They sing about soccer, which may not seem to bad but when you get hundreds of them yelling it you cannot hear anything else but them. Disney can do something about that part of it but I have never seen anything done.

I have also seen many smaller groups from Brazil doing just fine. It may be when you get so many groups together that they get pretty rowdy. Don't they go to there local games and then destroy stuff after it? Maybe thats just the way their culture is.

You can send a complaint to the executive offices. They will always be nice and courtesy with a return phone call, but dont expect anything to change. They just make you feel better but rarely do anything.

WDW.Guest.Communications@disneyworld.com

 

[gccgrad1996]

I am glad to hear things worked out for you and that your girlfriend was not really hurt. We have been to Disney 8 times during the summer months and only found the Brazilian tour groups overwhelming when we went in 2010 in the middle of July. We have been in there in early June, late June, 4th of July week, late July, early August and late Aug and never ever seen the groups like we did that year. We can remember seeing the occasional flag here or there in other trips, but in 2010 they were everywhere. I don't mind them coming and visiting I just wish they would break up and not stay in a mass of 20 or more. We encountered pushing and shoving, my 4 year old niece and sister-in-law who was pregnant at the time, were pushed and my niece fell over by a group trying to meet the rest of the party waiting to get into the Nemo show. My brother-in-law did say something to a CM and the entire group was asked to leave the show, but that is all that was done. We also found them sitting on the ground in the middle of the walkways blocking people walking by, and then when they would get up they would leave garbage on the ground.
We did not see them at our resort, we were at POFQ, but we did switch to All Star Sports for our last two nights and they were everywhere. What got me was that they actually were given a room that looked like an office to handle everything. It was a room in the surf section of , not in the lobby. We walked by the room one morning and the door was wide open. The room had no bed only a desk with a computer and hanging in the window was a sign with the Brazilian travel agency that was running this groups tour. It kind of blew me away.

 

[VDisneyFan18]

There was 18 groups with about 50-80 people each in Magic Kingdom yesterday it only gets wore when they start chanting.....

 

[BrerPete]

Just got back as well. I had never seen as many tour groups in every park. Disney needs a better system to deal with large groups. When a tour guide is getting 150 fast passes and all 150 show up at ride time, you have problems.

 

[powlessfamily4]

None of this is a shock to me. Just watch your local news for a few minutes and you will quickly be brought up to date on the standards of society regardless of which country you live in.

 

[SulleyanBoo]

And your vacation lived happily ever after.
Glad they were able to do that for you guys!

 

[koryadams]

I

I just returned home from a week long trip to WDW with my girlfriend. I was extremely excited going down because she has never been before...well that excitement quickly vanished when we got there and discovered the massive amounts of Brazilian Tour Groups. Not just in the parks but in our resort, Caribbean Beach, as well. Everyone knows how obnoxious, rude, and disrespectful some of them can be. Well on our third night, we were walking from Aruba to Port Royal, on the bridge over to Caribbean Cay, when a small group of them came running from behind us screaming and singing. They pushed passed both of us and in the process stepped on my girlfriend's foot causing her to roll her ankle and fall down. Luckily she wasn't seriously hurt but walking was a great challenge and painful the rest of the trip. We immediately went to the Custom House to explain. We spoke to a very nice manager and she asked if we wanted a room transfer or a resort transfer so we said any resort that didn't have the tour groups. She came back a few minutes later and said that Port Orleans and Coronado had them but Wilderness Lodge did not and that they were willing to take us at the rate we paid for at Caribbean Beach. I was immediately ecstatic to receive such an upgrade for free. It took a moment to explain to my girlfriend the difference between Moderate and Deluxe resorts, etc. So we moved that night and got to enjoy the rest of the week in peace Can't wait to return in one month with my family!

P.S. Does anyone know where I can submit this story to the proper people? I have the names of the manager at Caribbean Beach and Wilderness Lodge who so graciously helped us out and I want to make sure they get the recognition they deserve.

I am glad I haven't had to encounter tour groups yet, but I am glad you were able to get away from them!
I would tell any guest relations about the cast member who helped you. I remember someone saying you can compliment cast members at guest relations (or complain lol)