Home

[davewasbaloo]

Bottom line is there are a number of pigs out there, and when different cultures and languages mix, it can either be awesome magic or a horrid nightmare.

Now, we will only see characters if we are on our own, at a character meal, or it is a proper queue that is very short (e.g. less than 2 or 3 families).

For parades and fireworks, I do stick the kids on my shoulders because they are not tall enough to see over the masses (but we try to find a spot where we are not in the way (normally the back of the hub or crowd if a show). and if anyone does behave rude, I try to chastise them in their language.

DLP is the most beautiful park, has some of the greatest attractions, gardens and restaurants. But the cast and guests are what mar the experience (and the weather at times) compared to California (people in the Mk in florida can be just as bad if not worse than Paris).

[Kellogs]

I had a lot of problems with pushy parents, and ignorant, rude children on my last visit.

All I wanted to do was meet Goofy. It was my first visit to DLP and it was my one 'wish' you could say. Over my two day visit I saw Goofy loads, but he was being constantly 'mobbed' by children and their parents jumping over one another and pushing to get their photo/autograph.

My visit there was drawing to a close and I was sad that I hadn't been able to get one photo with a character, let alone Goofy! Then as we were leaving studios, I saw a tiny, and I mean tiny in comparison to normal, gathering around none other by Goofy himself! I walked over to see him, expecting the same attitude as before, so I stood patiently at the back. Then out of nowhere Goofy had spotted me and pulled me in for a hug and a photo! I was so happy! But that wasn't the end of it, after I walked away in a happy bliss, I got tapped on the shoulder, Goofy wanted another hug and a kiss on the cheek! Ofcourse I obliged and walked away with a big smile on my face, it made my holiday.

Now its things like that, that make Disney unique, magical. However, it gets dampened for the adult visitors who get shunned aside. Regardless of age this was my first ever visit to a disney park, and I still could still remember all those childhood dreams of coming to this magical place and meeting my favourite characters, this doesn't go away just because you grow up! I was 17 back then and still got shunned!

The main issue I find is that Paris does not demonstrate the same 'queue for a character' policy other disney parks do. This often leads to a frenzy of over-excited kids and pushy parents, characters being mobbed (I've seen characters being pushed into the railings so much there's no doubt in my mind that must hurt!), and people being left out and leaving feeling disheartened. I feel that if you had to queue for more characters, yes this may lead to big queues, but I feel that way everyone gets an oppertunity regardless of age, everyone can get a photograph/autograph, and noone gets pushed around!

Just a little bit of order could make somebodys day, afterall Disney is for children and adults alike to enjoy.

[kurgly_bird]

Something like this happened with me last trip too, there were a lot of characters over by the fantasy festival stage, one of these was abu who i'd never managed to meet. I waited patiently behind all the kids who were just mobbing him and after about 5 minutes i gave up and met some other characters. Then my bf and i walked back past abu to go to the teacups and abu dragged me in and made a big fuss of me. I guess waiting patiently does pay off sometimes.

[kitty]

Oh my god i so know what you guys mean, in fact i have just joined to have a little moan of my own.  I am visiting the park in just over 2 weeks (so excited).  its just me and my fiance, im 23 hes 26, it will be my 5th visit.  I went in june last year with my cousin who is 22 and it was aweful, i mean we had a great time but the pushing was insane.  It was her first time (she was visiting from australia and it was a dream for her to go), she gets motion sickness so cant go on any of the big rides so our main objective was meeting characters and go to the shows.  

People would just push there kids in front of you, sometimes even if we were the first ones there we would be ignored.  a couple of times we just stood back and waited, like when we saw mary poppins and bert, many of the kids were asking there parents who they were, we knew who they were and were so excited to see them, we stood back and just watched the madness, eventually burt and mary pushed the kids back and had a photo with us and appologise for the childrens rudeness which was a bit bizzare.

when we saw tweedle dee and tweedle dum we once again waited patiently but people just kept coming and then they were going to leave, i then pleaded with the cast member, showing her my cheshire cat tattoo and she got both of them to stand together for a picture (previously they had been taking pictures individually).

by the second day we were pretty much just pushing the kids out of the way, which i know is rude but we would wait our turn but if we were pushed we would push back.  I found with the disney character express it just meant that people would attack the characters on mass, a bit scary.  im a bit worried about it being the minnie party train as i was hoping to get a a pic with minnie (ive made myself a red and white polka dot top to wear, i know im sad) and was hoping to avoid the madness this year and go for more of a ride focused visit.  

what really annoyed me was that on the train home the people in from of us where moaning about adults trying to get pictures when its meant for children and that those adults were a bit pathetic and how dare they get in the way of the children, we then started discussing very loudly how much we had paid to be there and how the kids go free and what a nussance all the kids had been.  that shut them up.
wow this is a long post.  sorry, just had to get it off my chest.

Kitty

[kiki_304]

I have 2 yougn sons 5 & 3 who are very shy and polite and I have to say it just annoys me also when ppl see the little ones there also waiting and think they have the right to put their kids in front of mine just because my sons is waiting patiently.

Ok, so I would also like to thank all you kind ppl who offers a space to my 2 little boys in front of them when they are waiting nicely. lol    There was a lovely young (I think German) couple who was offering my boys a space next to them to watch the parade.  SO a huge thanks to whoever you are.  But then 4 spanish kids (sorry to those of you polite spanish people on here) who were around 10 years and up who pushed my kids and another little spanish girl from their spots. My kids didn't want to watch the parade anymore because of this and they didn't get to enjoy the end. We avoided the shows as it just wasn't a nice experience.

So even as a parent, I know how cross you must get with rude parents and children and I truely hope my boys don't behave in this manner when they grow up.

[dagobert]

During our last visit in September 2008, we only had once a problem with a dad and his kid trying to skip half of the Crush's Coaster queue, and as you know this queue can be very long!
But he was not very successful, because we and other persons didn't let him into the queue and so he ended up somewhere in the back.

Most of the families we had encountered were nice and they told their little ones to behave.

At the Walt Disney Studios in Front Lot there were always characters around, but it wasn't easy to get a photo with them, because people and not only parents were pushing around. I don't blame the people, but I blame DLRP management, that there were no CMs with the characters. That's what I loved at WDW, there was always a CM with the characters and they formed a queue. So there was no pushing.

I want to point out that it is not only a European thing, that people and families behave rude. We had some problems (queue jumping and pushing) with families and other people at WDW too.

In my opinion the worst guests during all our visits were teenager without any adults and not families!!!

[kurgly_bird]

In my opinion the worst guests during all our visits were teenager without any adults and not families!!!

I find this quite rude as a teenager myself, the amount of dirty looks my bf and i got off adults was beyond belief and actually really upsetting

[dagobert]

In my opinion the worst guests during all our visits were teenager without any adults and not families!!!

I find this quite rude as a teenager myself, the amount of dirty looks my bf and i got off adults was beyond belief and actually really upsetting

I'm sorry, I didn't want to offend anybody, but not only families behave rude.
Sure most of the teenagers know how to behave. I was talking about teenagers in groups of four and more who weren't behaving, for example throwing fries around the Hyperion Cafe or queue jumping at SM and RnRC.

At least it is just a small amount of people who are behaving rude.

[ford prefect]

Edit: Post deleted because I forgot that I had already posted on this subject!!!

[kurgly_bird]

It's ok dagobert, i know you didn't mean to offend anyone. It's just like i said that I (I'm 19) who waits patiently often receive dirty looks just for wanting to meet the characters which upsets me. I'm sorry i got upset, i'm in the middle of exams so i guess i'm just stressed.

[Aveen2008]

wow this subjects popped up again quickly. It's sad to see so many people experiencing these things. It has always been something I dislike about the Disneyland experience but I guess unless cast members/the company try to change things - like they did with the Toon Train in the studios where a queue is formed for meeting characters- then it's not going to improve greatly.

Rude people come in all forms - famlilies, single people, children, teens, older people etc and believe me I had a woman of about 50 once pushing everyone out of the road to get near characters and i thought she was very rude and I gave her husband who was encouraging it a very evil stare! :twisted:  lol

I don't stand back anymore for character meet and greets unless someone has been standing infront of me and been there first then I try to encourage them to go. I know for a fact if I stand back that pushy parents will shove their kids infront of me or even other people in general will, then the character will be pulled off by a cast member and that's it. I would not purposefully knock anyone out of the way but I don't stand back for children anymore because to be honest you get no thanks for it and I pay to be there as much as the next person!

The last time I was there I actually felt abit down on one of the days and I was standing waiting to meet stitch, i didn't want to be forcefull as I wasn't in the mood and so many children where shoved infront of me. At one stage Stitch was going to have a picture with me when a mother shoved another child infront of him. He did the autograoh for the wee boy and then pushed them all aside and pulled me into the picture which I thought was lovely and it lifted my spirits definately!

Being an adult and wanting to meet characters isn't nice really because you do get awful looks from some people, mainly parents who just see you as being rude for even wanting a photo or anything and I hate that. also some of the characters don't even pay attention to adults or teens0 i stood once beside chip and dale and there was hardly anyone around them and I gently tapped them and asked for a photo but they ignored me and kept encouraging children to come over to them, in the end I didn't geta photo.

However on the opposite side of things many characters are pleased when they see adults wanting photos and make you feel really special for wanting the photo with them.  I have had some fablous moments with different characters which have been so amazing and I think these times make all the bad or annoying times very well worth it!!    

[dagobert]

It's ok dagobert, i know you didn't mean to offend anyone. It's just like i said that I (I'm 19) who waits patiently often receive dirty looks just for wanting to meet the characters which upsets me. I'm sorry i got upset, i'm in the middle of exams so i guess i'm just stressed.

I would consider you as an adult, because you are over 18. For me teenagers are 13 to 17 years old.

Good luck for your exams!!!

[mommy2ash]

i have actually seen both sides of this. i have a two year old and we have been twice and the amount of adults who have cut in front of her is unreal. im talking about standing in front of her for the parade yes in front of a two year old. and i am barely five foot so even me lifting her wouldnt help. running under the ropes for a queued meet in greet as i am running through the maze lol like i was told to, and then inviting 8 more adults in front of me. and people smoking right next to my buggy all those things drive me mental.

although i dont think that disney is just for kids. i enjoy it every bit as much as ash and i believe if someone pays to get in then they have the same right to enjoy it as kids do.

so i think in general the problem in dlp is just rudeness of guests overall be they kids, parents or adults on their own i have seen it from different groups.

i feel bad for those of you who wait for a long time for the parade to only have your space taken over. i would never do that if i hadnt got there in time then my tough luck

[Nala_84]

That's an interesting question as my boyfriend and I don't have children right now.

As I really love children and I'm still a child at heart, I would say it's okay if children go to a character although it would be my turn. I had those situations quite often throughout the last years at DLP. Of course it's not fair, but I must say that I am pretty patient in this case when one child by another walks to a character although I'm waiting longer (that's why I really prefer the organized meet'n'greets with a waiting queue!!!). I think we as adults can organize our day at Disney as we like it, while children have to do what their parents planned for them. So if they desparately wish to meet their favourite Disney character which would be the highlight of the day for them, I think it's okay if they go first, as long as I still have the possiblity too meet the character some minutes later !

I somehow think that children aren't children very long and so they should enjoy their childhood as long and good as possible. It's not the children's fault when they want to go to the character in front of them while there's much chaos around themselves, and some parents can behave. I just don't like it when parents get rude and really push their children strongly or so.

[Waddi]

Just got back from DLRP and I am an unpushy parent who doesnt try to barge and shove my kids to the front, I have a 2 year old who is unable to walk so is confined to her buggy, We would be waiting our turn in the crowd, finding it hard to get the buggy through to the character, untill some rude pushy parent pushes their child infront of the buggy and towards the character and gives a rude smile to us, so I just smile back, got the attention of the Characters minder and show them my childs Disability pass, then its a different ball game, everyone was moved out of the way and my daugther is allowed through to the front, or the character came out of the crowd to see her.