The Dreaded Tour Groups

[The Empress Lilly]

Sorry for interrupting the meeting of the ignorant tight *ss club in this thread.

...don't forget 'racist' now!


I am never annoyed by some kids having fun - regardless of how loud they scream or run. Not in the parks, not at the pool, not while waiting for the bus.
I do get terribly annoyed by a multimillion dollar company selling private dancing and chanting routines in a place used by thousands of other people. I suggest they find a quiet field in a park, or hire a gym studio.


~ I'm going to sell aerobics lessons....in the MK! I bet I'm going to make millions too! ~

 

[Susan Savia]

As long as WDW allows these large groups to act like this, it will continue. I do not allow line cutters. If I see them trying to get ahead of us in line 'to catch up to their friends' I tell them no, they can come back to you or you wait.

 

[Beholder]

Chanting doesn't bother me out in the open (I'm a soccer fan, so chanting is no big deal), but on a ride or during a show or especially on a bus, not good. And I don't care about tour groups in general, but when a group of teenagers from anywhere on the planet are managed/chaperoned by ONE adult, that's when the trouble starts. Kids are going to be kids, there're going to push boundaries anyway, but when the supervision is minimal at best, they sometimes go to far. Let them enjoy the parks, let them enjoy OUR hospitality, but a little restraint or a little more awareness would go a long way towards making a potentially bad situation end up ok for everyone.

 

[G00fyDad]

A lot of people misbehave in Disney parks. But I can avoid the single obnoxious hick. However, eighty Brazilian teenagers send by a multi-million dollar tour operator company disrupt half a park.

One of my favourite pasttimes is to sit and walk around the hub, with some coffee or icecream. I can't do that when the place is turned into a private concert hall / gym studio / aerobics lesson / teenage screamfest.

Skip to 3:08 (I'm too dumb to figure out how to embed a video to start midway

) :

That group is just plain annoying. BUT, it is in the hub. Now when they start walking down the narrower pathways, side by side doing that crap, or doing it in line waiting for a ride, then it is too much.

I know the dilemma.

Attitude 1: let it go, enjoy your vacation - you've only got so few days to begin with, try to avoid the groups.
This is the most practical advice, but it leaves the uncomfortable feeling you let yourself be pushed around. They go to Thunder Mountain? Then you go to Adventureland. It means they decided where you go.

Attitude 2: stand your ground, don't take nonsense from people, wear the 'don't mess with Texas' shirt.
In this scenario, you did not let yourself be deterred from riding Thunder Mountain, but it is ruined by the deafening screaming thoughout the ride.
This attitude also means means your vacation will be ruined by stress. It means that you let others get under your skin, that they ruin all of your vacation instead of small bits.
It also, worryingly, means you run the danger of becoming the 'park police' - which invariably ends badly and is best to avoid.

I have never been able to solve the dilemma. And there are more dilemmas like it on 'real life', which I have never quite figured out either. At my local zoo, which I visit very often, a lot of people feed the animals, despite signs everywhere. If I say something, I get yelled at, must run for my life, or sometimes accuse people incorrectly. If I don't say something, just walk away, I feel angry about that.
Neither option is satisfactory. Maybe the cruel truth is that people who are sensitive to their surroundings, who care about other people and their surroundings, will never be able to solve it.

True. This is my problem. I want so badly to say something to them but I know what will happen. I say something to the idiots, then the "king idiot" will say something back to me, then we get into an argument, and it will turn into something that will never end good.

I see people waiting for a parade to start doing the wave. This is exactly what Disney encourages people waiting for Fantasmic to begin to do.

I also see plenty of folks walking around the hub in the background. They seem to be managing just fine.

Are they a little loud? Sure. But they're outdoors, in a theme park. On vacation. It's not a church, nor is it a funeral procession. Heaven forbid people have a little fun on their vacation. Perhaps instead everyone should walk silently down Main Street in a single file line. Anyone who breaks rank will be clubbed and led away by Goofy. I volunteer as tribute.

Sorry for interrupting the meeting of the ignorant tight *ss club in this thread.

#1 - Thank you so much for calling us ignorant.

#2 - We know it is not a church or funeral. (Thanks for pointing that out since we are ignorant hicks after all) And being loud is not the problem. Each park is very loud with the bustle of visitors, screaming babies, music, etc... BUT, now add in the insanely loud, in your face, ear piercing, screaming chants of 30 to 60 tour/dance/cheer/sports groups. Oh....my....GOD! No, we don't want to walk down Mainstreet USA silently in single file smarta**. And if you are going to sit there and try telling us that it doesn't irritate you when these groups cut line, scream in your face, walk 10 to 15 wide down a path built for 10 to 15 wide forcing YOU to move, or any of the other annoying things these groups do, then you are a liar. Sorry, but there it is. You're lying if you say this stuff wouldn't bother you. You're like that woman I work with, "Oh, nothing bothers me. Why would you let something like this annoy you?" (with a sugary sweet grin) and when something like this happens to her she is ticked off and spitting fire.

 

[olinecoach61]

A lot of people misbehave in Disney parks. But I can avoid the single obnoxious hick. However, eighty Brazilian teenagers send by a multi-million dollar tour operator company disrupt half a park.

One of my favourite pasttimes is to sit and walk around the hub, with some coffee or icecream. I can't do that when the place is turned into a private concert hall / gym studio / aerobics lesson / teenage screamfest.

Skip to 3:08 (I'm too dumb to figure out how to embed a video to start midway

) :

Ok, I watched it and I saw teenagers being teenagers. Might it be annoying? Yes. Will I get all worked up over it? Nope. Looked to me like they were just having fun.

 

[xdan0920]

In 2009 I visited the parks in the middle of July. You know what our one overwhelming memory is?

The tour groups. We tried to avoid them, tried to move to different attractions when we saw them herding towards a fastpass queue. But what if they are already inside the FP queue? Now what? Now you wait 30 minutes for Space Mountain even with the FP. Tried to eat at other resturants when we saw them engulf a quick service. Walked out of Fantasmic to get away from the constant screaming, chanting, singing, flag waving. Covered our ears and tried to grin and bear it in the stretching room as they shouted and danced over the spiel. But guess what? We could not avoid them, we could not remove them from our trip, and the constant effort it took to not let them completely ruin our trip has left us with such a negative view of summer time WDW that we will never go back.

The old line that they only effect you if you let them effect you is such BS. Even the effort required to avoid them is effecting your vacation. The best solution is to just not go to WDW in the summer months.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

It would 150 times if there was a Six Flags in Florida...They wouldn't even care what happens to those groups. *shudders*

 

[jlevis]

I guess we're lucky, we've never run into this. Did have a minor run in with a group from Quebec trying to push past us in the queue at Kilimanjaro (sp?) Safari. They got a little pushy when I wouldn't let them pass. I'm 6'4" and 280 lbs. I won.

 

[gccgrad1996]

Why Disney has chosen to ignore this growing problem at the risk of alienating those who don't travel in herds is worth asking. If it's just plain old revenue, then that's disturbing. Asking ANY group to conform to certain standards of behavior is certainly within Disney's right, and I believe they have an obligation to the other guest to provide a safe environment free from loud, obnoxious, and sometimes intentionally rude behavior.

What has surprised me is that this hasn't actually blown up in Disney's face. A fight with irritated guest, police involvement in a shoving/pushing episode, then it'll be priority one.

Unfortunately, somebody will have to get
seriously hurt or create bad PR for them to enforce the parks so called guidelines of behavior.

Follow the $$$ trail.

They give the travel company that brings them here a room set up like an office at All Star Resort. They have a banner in their window and conduct their plans from there. I couldn't believe it when I saw it in 2010. It is definately the $$$$ Disney sees. I have been going every summer since 2005 and never saw them as bad that July. This year trying Aug, which we have been before and saw them, but not like 2010.
Everyone has the right to go to Disney, but why must they stay as a mass of 20 to 40. Why must they must they be so rude and cut in lines and push and shove. A group of them pushed my 4 year old niece over and almost knocked my pregnant sister-in-law over trying to catch up with their group at the Nemo show. They also like sitting in the middle of walkways blocking people trying to get buy. Any tour group that acts like that should be asked to leave.

 

[Stellajack]

I think there is no doubt that groups, any kind of group, can be a problem at WDW. Whenever you get large numbers from one entity together in one place, it can spell trouble for those not in the group. I've seen issues with South American tour groups, American band groups, American cheerleaders, the Candelight school choirs, and Wide World of Sports school teams.

The group mentality often means that there is no consideration for anyone else. If you and your family end up stuck in the middle of one of these groups, it can be very intimidating.

If you are concerned, my advice would be to avoid areas where you see them, do not enter attractions as they are just going in, and do not stake out firework or parade spots in the areas of any large groups.

If you do have any issues, let a cast member know, preferably a manager. They do have processes for dealing with it.

EXACTLY! We went this past April and encountered dance groups, cheering teams, and bands (one of which performed in MK) from America. Most of the congestion, confusion and lack of manners occurred in Magic Kingdom. All of these groups were from America.

 

[jlsHouston]

Everything all of us have contributed here on this thread has had merit, and avoidance is certainly the alternative to confrontation. I can't say for sure, but I suspect all of us who visit and love the magic of Disney, have the ability to overlook the crowds, the lines, the noise, and the occasional exuberant teenager, or overwhelmed and tired child. I think we are all basically determined that our experiences on our trips to the world will be happy and pleasant and memorable moments. Which is why at some point enough visitors to the park must alert Disney management to the fact the aggressiveness of the large groups when it is displayed has to be checked. This is in no way a slam on foreigners, the Brazilian tour groups have been singled out in this thread because they are what is prevalent at the park right now. It appears their behavior is aggressive when they congregate in hordes of 20 and 40. They need to be asked to travel the park in smaller numbers and it is Disney's duty to make that happen.

 

[Weather_Lady]

It's a shame WDW doesn't address this more effectively. Just because this behavior doesn't bother everybody doesn't mean it's appropriate or should be tolerated. (Ask me sometime about the 90 minutes I spent trapped in the Big Thunder Mountain queue between two halves of a pushy, loud, crude, chanting, singing, chest-thumping, obscenity-screaming, cologne-and-booze-soaked tour group from New Jersey, which seemed hell-bent on convincing everyone else in line that all people from New Jersey are rude, classless Neanderthals who should never be allowed out in public... fortunately I have friends who hail from that state, so I happened to know better, but I suspect that the tour group's antics may have single-handedly brought down the New Jersey tourism profits that year. I still awake from nightmares with their neverending chorus of, "Where 'ah we fruuuuum? F*&%ng New JUH-zeeeee!" ringing in my head).

Something as simple as an adult/child "large party ratio rule" (e.g., For parties including 10 or more minors, there must be at least one adult present for every 5 minors, or else WDW will not admit you and/or reserves the right to kick you out," etc.) might help to ameliorate the mob mentality, although likely at a cost WDW is unwilling to take on.

 

[gccgrad1996]

It's a shame WDW doesn't address this more effectively. Just because this behavior doesn't bother everybody doesn't mean it's appropriate or should be tolerated. (Ask me sometime about the 90 minutes I spent trapped in the Big Thunder Mountain queue between two halves of a pushy, loud, crude, chanting, singing, chest-thumping, obscenity-screaming, cologne-and-booze-soaked tour group from New Jersey, which seemed hell-bent on convincing everyone else in line that all people from New Jersey are rude, classless Neanderthals who should never be allowed out in public... fortunately I have friends who hail from that state, so I happened to know better, but I suspect that the tour group's antics may have single-handedly brought down the New Jersey tourism profits that year. I still awake from nightmares with their neverending chorus of, "Where 'ah we fruuuuum? F*&%ng New JUH-zeeeee!" ringing in my head).

Something as simple as an adult/child "large party ratio rule" (e.g., For parties including 10 or more minors, there must be at least one adult present for every 5 minors, or else WDW will not admit you and/or reserves the right to kick you out," etc.) might help to ameliorate the mob mentality, although likely at a cost WDW is unwilling to take on.

I am originally from NJ and you are right we are not all like that, but I know exactly what you are talking about. I have seen groups like that myself and it amazes me that people think that that is proper behavior.
I like your idea about the size of group parties. That is all I am asking for. Please ask the large tour groups, Brazilian or others, to break up into smaller groups. I don't think much can be done for their rude behavior that needs to be taught at home, but at least smaller groups might decrease their annoyance to those around them.

 

[Gojira ゴジラ]

Ok so everyone on here knows where i'm going with this but one question i have is:
What time of the year is when the tour groups start to fade out?

OP, expect to see them throughout the season, but you will encounter them less during high season.

 

[acishere]

We learned how to say "Back of the line" and "Quiet" in Portuguese after dealing with them in the Soarin line on the first day. They tried to cut and when people said no, they just shrugged and kept pushing. Luckily the people in front of us spoke Portuguese and sided with us and the group behind us when we decided that we were not letting 15 people go ahead of us. We won when they were scolded in their own language. After that experience we learned how to say 'back of the line' and the person who told them off also suggested to learn 'quiet' after his experience on Mission Space. Came in handy the next day when they wouldn't shut up in the stretching room on HM.

In the end it was 5 minutes of stress. That isn't enough to ruin a whole trip. I probably would have been more frustrated if I simply did nothing or walked out of line after already waiting for 30 minutes.

 

[Beholder]

The sad fact is, WE shouldn't have to confront these or any other group when they get out of hand. The CM's should recognize the issue and deal with accordingly. Maybe they've be instructed to not cause a scene if it isn't too bad or do nothing unless asked by a guest, but that's absurd. I don't think the guest should be put into that situation that could potentially turn hostile. Being crammed in a ride queue with 50 angry teenagers makes for some very uncomfortable moments, especially if small children are involved.

The CM's need to be made aware of the problems, trained/instructed to see it and deal with it, and encouraged by management to stop problems before they start.

And reducing the size of these groups to something much more manageable and accountable is a great idea.

 

[Gojira ゴジラ]

It would be lovely to enjoy a normal Disney buzz plus the ambient noise and music without 2 minutes of non-stop chanting-yelling-screaming loop interruptions. Especially when I queue for PoC.

 

[jello]

Find the red flags and bright t-shirts and go the other way...

Tried that, but the shirts and flags were in every direction.Could not avoid them, as much as we tried.

 

[bubbles1812]

I see people waiting for a parade to start doing the wave. This is exactly what Disney encourages people waiting for Fantasmic to begin to do.

I also see plenty of folks walking around the hub in the background. They seem to be managing just fine.

Are they a little loud? Sure. But they're outdoors, in a theme park. On vacation. It's not a church, nor is it a funeral procession. Heaven forbid people have a little fun on their vacation. Perhaps instead everyone should walk silently down Main Street in a single file line. Anyone who breaks rank will be clubbed and led away by Goofy. I volunteer as tribute.

Sorry for interrupting the meeting of the ignorant tight *ss club in this thread.

Were you part of many tour groups that you take such offense to peoples' complaints on the thread? I can handle what they were doing in video...though I would probably move away from them to another part of that area. It's obnoxious. And it's unnecessary. If they want to do cheers, do it some place else other than a crowded public place where children are and many people would like to enjoy the "ambiance" of Disney rather than 80 screaming teenagers. But again, I could handle it.

It's when they start doing it in line or worse, on the actual ride. That's when I start to have a big problem. There are appropriate times to be yelling. And there are not. And I have seen many a tour group yell and scream. For instance, there is no reason whatsoever for any screaming and chanting on Peter Pan...and yet, I've had it happen. It's even happened on Small World, which is about the tamest ride in existence. Also, during just about every show I've watched where they have been (during Fantasmic, Nemo, Lion King, you name it, it's happened).

The cheerleading groups, band groups, choir groups ect are all guilty of doing that but in my observations, the Brazilian Tour groups have most often been the guilty party. They play the "we don't understand English or American customs" card and also continue doing it when asked to stop. It's fine if that is the custom of their country but showing blatant disregard for American customs isn't ok.

 

[unkadug]

I see people waiting for a parade to start doing the wave. This is exactly what Disney encourages people waiting for Fantasmic to begin to do.

I also see plenty of folks walking around the hub in the background. They seem to be managing just fine.

Are they a little loud? Sure. But they're outdoors, in a theme park. On vacation. It's not a church, nor is it a funeral procession. Heaven forbid people have a little fun on their vacation. Perhaps instead everyone should walk silently down Main Street in a single file line. Anyone who breaks rank will be clubbed and led away by Goofy. I volunteer as tribute.

Sorry for interrupting the meeting of the ignorant tight *ss club in this thread.

Hey Nick, I wasn't aware that you were a teenage Brazilian. You sure act like this is a personal attack.