Problem spots?

MY WDW nemesis trouble spot is just the pool areas. While always gorgeous and fun, the influx of UNSUPERVISED CHILDREN, especially late at night at so called "quiet pools" has always been a thorn in my side. I get that parents sometimes need a break, but there is no reason 10 year olds need to be at a quiet pool at midnight. Or in a hot tub. Ever. This always happens and was especially bad my last trip at POR.

While I personally don't have any problem spots, I do agree about unsupervised children at the pools. On Friday, my friends and I were relaxing by the pool. It was cooler that day so there weren't a lot of people at the pool.

There were two kids (I'm guessing they were no older than 5) playing outside of the pool and were getting a little too close for my comfort. I looked around and saw no parents in the immediate area. The parents were sitting at a table outside of the room behind the lounges set up around the pool. The little boy decided to get brave. First, he stepped on the ledge around the pool and walked over to the stairs and the next thing you know he was in. The life guards jumped up and the parents finally decided to start paying attention.

My nemesis is certainly the"Brazilian" tour groups that run around all the parks with "supervision" in the form of tour guides that do absolutely NOTHING but wave flags to supervise and keep the bunch of inconsiderate marauders in control.
Sorry if I offend someone but that is just the way I feel, and you asked about it .

If you have never run into them, just keep it up and go with your current schedule.

Totally agree with you. We were bombarded with them in January. They pushed, shoved & shouted. DS was terrified of them. And I had thought the Cheer groups that go in December were bad enough. Actually I think the issue in general is with overly large groups of Teens with little or no supervision. I am pretty sure that if I had ever been able to go with a school group we would have been out of control.

I can't stand unsupervised misbehaving anything from children to drunken disorderly adults

Wow, I've also heard about them but have never run into them. Thank goodness!

My nemesis seems to be the turnstiles at HS. We always seem to run into some malfunction or get in the line with the worst group of people who struggle mightily with the insert-your-ticket-and-stick-your-finger-on-the-reader-up-top-then-wait-for-the-ok-go-through-the-turnstile-and-pick-up-your-ticket-as-you-go-through process.

Yes! Way too many instructions for some of these people to digest in one fleeting moment.

I always seem to get stuck behind people who have issues with that. But, then again, I always seem to get in the wrong line at the grocery store too.

Totally agree re haunted mansion! I don't think we have ever been in the same way :-/ also agree with the tour groups, but that being said, I'm pretty sure any group of teens with no supervision would be as bad...

Please oh please tell me next week is not a touring week

Until reading these posts I totally forgot it was Pop Warner week.

Ha ha! Joann we must have been separated at birth or something, I got the same issues. And regarding the "Tour Groups", yes the time of year for them is our winter when it is their summer, they are off from school so they are on vacation "AT WDW" Aaaah! But it is not all of them, I have run across some very polite and considerate ones with excellent chaperones.

Mine are the strollers... I feel like when I push my daughter around were pulling a Footloose moment on who is actually going to veer off the road. That and they will always think they have the right away, and if you dont move... you get hit.

I have to say that for me my only real problem spot at attractions is in MK @ the Haunted Mansion, but it's when you leave the stretching room. Everyone is just piled in and bumping and jostling for position (crushed if its really busy) try in get to the single file walkway. I'm 6ft and big, but I can really see why my 5'4" wife fines it a bit scary.

I'm affraid we have had the same issues with South American groups. Running wild, rude, pushy, no manners, really sorry if I offend anyone but when your having a good time it's the last thing you need for someone to push past and 'queue jump' or be really really loud when your tryig to enjoy a show. As I said sorry to tar everyone with the same brush but I was really hacked off this trip, on more than one occasion.

I am going to agree with the pools and hot tubs. One night my hubby and I were in the hot tub at about ten and we got canonballed by some kid who was running wild. I don't know where his parent was but we made a big fuss and the kid left. We rarely go in the hot tubs now since it usually turns into a party for kids and a haven for parents who don't watch their kids. The hot tubs are suppose to be a place you can relax and are really not meant for children. If we do venture into the hot tubs it will be early early morning right after they are cleaned and before anyone else has used them.

Out of all our trips to The World I can't remember but once that we were annoyed with anything. But then again it was our choice as to what we would allow to annoy us. After all it was a decision we got to make.
Joe

I seem to constantly get stepped on by impatient kiddos in lines. I have even turned around and suggested that they go ahead of me in the line, as they seem really excited about the ride. That seems to get the parent's attention!

These were my problem spots this year. Haunted Mansion was a mess when going into the single file. I had my toddler in my arms and was following along behind my husband. He's 6'5" and I'm 5'1". The lady next to us with her new husband or fiance or whatever didn't realize I was with my husband and I was pushing into me AND my son to not let me and the baby get in front of her and her husband until he was the one who realized I was grabbing onto my husband's backpack and turned around and told her we were together. Nice of him BUT his lovely wife was pushing into a toddler to get on a doom buggy ahead of us...seriously, who does that?

And I started seeing the AWFUL South American groups at MK on Thanksgiving, along with quite a few cheerleaders...thank goodness it was the only day we had to deal with them at the parks.

While I also try to avoid the South American tour groups and the perky cheer-leaders who like to give a group cheer for almost anything, there are two types of folks that scare the stuffing out of me.

1. The parents who drive their kids and spouses like rented mules until they suffer a melt down. Then the parents either get angry because their kids and spouses are having a melt down or they just ignore them. It's a good thing I don't carry a light sabre.

2. The oblivious folks driving those motorized chairs who have never driven an motorized chair ever, forget about driving one in a tight area with a large crowd, and they have a kid or two on their laps, and they back up without looking.

Only time I was ever injured at WDW was in Harambe on the second day the Animal Kingdom was open. This woman wearing a Goofy hat came to an abrupt stop (probably because the kid on her lap was melting down), put that sucker in reverse, and ran over my left foot. I mean all the way over. No apology, no nothing. It's also a good thing that I don't carry a blaster.

Yeah, a light sabre would definitely be put good use. Especially on people who talk loudly through shows. May the Force be with you...... well available from the MS Emporium.

I try to have patience for the children and when I can't, to steer clear of them, but occasionally they are unbearable and unavoidable. And it's usually the parents fault. When my kids were small I was hyper-aware of them and tried to keep them from annoying others, but some parents really don't care if their kids are kicking you, or bumping you or screaming in your ear or whatever. But that's a minor occasional annoyance at WDW.

I have heard many complaints about the tour groups, so there must be something to them. I have only encountered them on one trip, in July, and I just found them to be a bunch of nice kids trying to have some fun. But then again as a D.O.M., I have a soft spot in my heart for teen Brazilian girls

I guess I've been lucky and haven't encountered a bad "tour group" yet.

One of my biggest problem spots is at MK on Main Street at Casey's Corner. There never seems to be anywhere to sit to eat (at anytime of day) your hotdog and fries. I, like everyone else, just find a open space on the walkway - but then you and everyone else has to walk over the people sitting in the little courtyard area between Casey's Corner and Crystal Palace. That area always seems to be congested.

I am not sure if there is a better answer for crowd control/getting into Haunted Mansion or some of the other attractions where you have to wait in a room/area, then have to push your way into the main room - Muppets 3D and It's Tough to be a Bug are also ones that I dread fighting the crowd. Last time we went to WDW - we went as a group of 10 - and trying to stay together in some of the attractions was tough.

I dont know what everyone's feeling on this is - when adults put their kids on their shoulders to watch Illuminations or Fireworks. If you are in the back row - go for it. But if you are standing along the railing around the lake at EPCOT with a front row view - why do you have to put your child on your shoulders so that everyone else behind you cant see a thing?

It seems like common courtesy is something that not everyone has - seems like the common theme in this thread that irks all of us.

I know what you mean about the kids on the shoulders. I'm pretty tall so I usually can see, but my wife is a bit vertically challenged and a kid on someone's shoulders just about seals the deal that she won't be able to see. Maybe I should put her on my shoulders? Ha ha

As long as we're on the subject of common courtesy, how about the people who show up 3 minutes before the parade and bully and push and worm their way to the front, annoying everyone around them who have been waiting for half an hour or more. Them and their kids. I have seen every parade a hundred times, (and I also can box-out and elbow like an old school NBA center) but I know some of these people who staked out their spots may never have been to WDW before and may not be back for years. Sucks for them to have the experience ruined by rude pushy people.

Yes! This happened to me and my friend when we were waiting for the afternoon MK parade. I barely grace 5 feet, and she is even shorter. We were sitting on the curb after finishing our lunch and just chatting as other people filled in around us. A minute or so before the parade came into view, a tall man realized that there was no more room in the front, so he and his two kids pushed their way passed everyone on the curb a foot or so INTO the roadway to watch the show. They just stood there. A few of us started politely suggesting that they shouldn't stand there (for courtesy and safety reasons) but he ignored us. It wasn't long before a CM showed up and shooed them back into the crowd.

Kudos to the CM!

I can't say there is any specific spot, but I so agree with the people issue. When everyone is tired and nerves are frayed, the rude and the pushy - no matter where - are the biggest issue. I think it is mostly a lack of awareness, with a bit of selfishness rolled into big lack of consideration. Have had a couple experiences that stick out . . .

I once stared down a gentleman who was contemplating jumping the line for Maelstrom. He had a couple tired kids, a stroller, and a frayed wife; he went past, sizing up his chances, then came back by, u-turned and began to inch his way in front of me. I turned toward him and cut him off, using my most intimidating "mean teacher/ruthless coach" look. He made a small movement forward and I kept staring him down. When he glanced at me (he tried not to look, but I am not, shall we say, petite. Hard to ignore the big blond woman standing in front of you!), all I did was shake my head. He backed off, and headed toward the end of the line. His wife yelled at him for 'losing their place in line.' Sheesh

The other time was on Main Street. I was trying to be a good Mouseketeer, so I stopped carefully to take a picture, checking he space around me, making sure i didnt run into anyone or get run over by anyone AND I waited until I wasn't interfering with anyone else's picture. I raised my camera, got a couple shots of the castle and got elbowed hard by a lady who came up from somewhere behind me. I stepped sideways, said excuse me, and got the riot act from her about stopping suddenly, running into her, etc. I actually laughed in her face.

It definitely is the people who are the problem spots!

When we were there last week it was during the taping of the Christmas Day Parade so the parks were full of the snotty dance groups and their more snotty moms. Also the other bad thing that i noticed was the amount of people who just walk in front of you while you are pushing a stroller then glare at you like "are you going to hit me" No i'm not going to hit you but I really should seeing as how you are the one who walked in front of me.

The snotty dance moms drove me NUTS this trip. They basically acted entitled to everything. Space, first place in line, all the bacon at the breakfast buffet, and famously, our KING SIZED BED IN A PERFERRED ROOM. However, that one ended for the better for us as we ended up in THE POLYNESIAN for no extra charges!!!!!

So for that I am semi-grateful for snotty dance moms!