Cell phones in the Parks

[Syndrome]

To be fair, some of us HAVE to use our cell phones in the parks. :(

My mother and I both work for the same company. One of us is the backup for the other, and there are only the two of us in our department. We've trained other workers to handle most things while we are gone, but there are always unexpected things that you can't plan for.

If we didn't take our cell phones and have them on, we COULDN'T GO AT ALL.

Now, Granted, we turn them on Vibrate so as not to bother anyone and check them after getting out of an attraction so we can sit on a bench and call in to handle the problems without bothering anyone else.

Nothing like having your cellphone bouncing around in your pocket on Tower of Terror till it's practically in your groin and then having it start vibrating for the entire ride... :D:

There is a big difference here...you are using your cell phone like a CG (Courteous Guest) vs. the SGs being described here.

I lost count of the cell phone rings that I heard during our last viewing of the Candlelight Processional. :mad:

[BirdMom]

To be fair, some of us HAVE to use our cell phones in the parks....If we didn't take our cell phones and have them on, we COULDN'T GO AT ALL.

No, I'm sorry, to be fair people got along fine without cell phones for about the first 30 to 35 years of Disneyland's operations. No one is indespensible. You can turn your phones off and check them every four hours at a time when you want to get away from the other guests, but come on. Disney parks are a place to GET AWAY from the outside world, your business included. If you feel that your business is so important that you can't detactch from the cell phone, then maybe you shouldn't go on vacation at all.

The problem with the world today is that everyone is convinced that they *must* multitask and be in constant communication with the office, or others, therefore no one can focus on the little things like having uninterrupted funtime with their families. People who can't disconnect are pathetic. I'm sorry if you don't like it but that's my opinion. I feel no compulsion to leave my phone on 24/7 and chat about business or inane things at the drop of a hat. And I don't feel sorry for anyone who feels that they *must* be in touch with their office/business 24/7. That isn't being a team player, that's being a slave.

[hobie16]

Nothing like having your cellphone bouncing around in your pocket on Tower of Terror till it's practically in your groin and then having it start vibrating for the entire ride... :D:

That explains all the people with goofy grins in the parks. :goofy:

[SirWillow]

My most embarassing moment was a Weds night while interpreting a prayer service and it was my cell phone that went off. EEEK! I don't forget anymore.

Sadly, I can top that one. I'm the youth/ associate pastor at our church. I was actually preaching to the youth one time when mine went off in the middle of me talking.

At least they got a kick out of it, but it sure was embarrassing!

[SirWillow]

No, I'm sorry, to be fair people got along fine without cell phones for about the first 30 to 35 years of Disneyland's operations. No one is indespensible. You can turn your phones off and check them every four hours at a time when you want to get away from the other guests, but come on. Disney parks are a place to GET AWAY from the outside world, your business included. If you feel that your business is so important that you can't detactch from the cell phone, then maybe you shouldn't go on vacation at all.

I think that would be just it- if they didn't have cell phones, then their employer wouldn't let them go on vacation together. Which means no vacation. There are a good number of people that if they don't have some form of communication available with their jobs while they are on "vacation" then they simply are not allowed to go. And in most cases that means cell phones.

But as others have said, there are ways to be courteous about it- as in not using it during a ride or attraction, but waiting until they are back outside again.

Heck, even when I'm in the parks I've always got mine with me, since it's not unusual for my wife and I to split up with her taking one kid and me taking the other. And you better believe I want that phone if something happens (and it has!)

It's all in how you use it that makes the difference as to whether or not it's a SGT (like the one that wanted to talk on the phone when I was trying to take his picture- one that he asked me to take), or not.

[leftcoaster]

I think that would be just it- if they didn't have cell phones, then their employer wouldn't let them go on vacation together. Which means no vacation. There are a good number of people that if they don't have some form of communication available with their jobs while they are on "vacation" then they simply are not allowed to go. And in most cases that means cell phones.

I think you totally missed the point Birdmom was trying to make.

I believe a yearly paid vacation by most corporations in the free world started just after WW II. Standard telephone service was probably around the same time (guessing). Cell phones were invented for everyday use, say early/mid 90s (?). So for roughly 40 years, the only way to get intouch with someone was via a corded phone. And you are telling us that no one who has needed to stay in touch with their employer has ever been allowed a vacation ? I find that hard to believe.

Oh, and believe me, no one is that important that the entire world would come to a complete stop if they did not have a cell phone strapped to their belt in a queue line in WDW or DL. If you believe that, I have some cheap land for sale in Florida and a bridge in New York you might be interested in.

[BirdMom]

Oh, and believe me, no one is that important that the entire world would come to a complete stop if they did not have a cell phone strapped to their belt in a queue line in WDW or DL. If you believe that, I have some cheap land for sale in Florida and a bridge in New York you might be interested in.

Thanks!

I remember starting to see cell phones in the park around 1989/90. Back when they were prohibitively expensive, and generally, the only guys on them were CEO/COO types. I didn't get my first cell phone until 1995, and it was for business because I was a freelance make-up artist, so I also had a beeper for my agent to get in touch with me quickly and would only use the phone when absolutely necessary - again, it was expensive.

I absolutely hate this change in society that somehow, people are expected to be in communication and reachable at all times. It's as if the Protestant Work Ethic has gone haywire. People need to have the backbone to say "Enough!" When you leave the office, leave the office. Period. Shut the damn phone off!

[hobie16]

I remember when the only people who had cell phones were yuppie scum. :D:

[SirWillow]

I absolutely hate this change in society that somehow, people are expected to be in communication and reachable at all times. It's as if the Protestant Work Ethic has gone haywire. People need to have the backbone to say "Enough!" When you leave the office, leave the office. Period. Shut the damn phone off!

Honestly, I really do agree with you. In an ideal world, it would still be that way. Unfortunately, in to many cases, society has changed and for some it just doesn't allow that anymore.

Admittedly, it's a small number, and no where near the number you see on the phones at the parks. But there are some. I have a couple of family members in similar positions, so I can understand.

But it's far preferable to not have them. And there's certainly no excuse to be rude about how they use them, as so many are. I have no problem with people using cell phones as long at their calls don't intrude on me or other people.

[polarboi]

Okay, so I'm a longtime lurker... never posted before because, as a guest, I feel like I'm intruding on sacred space here. But for what it's worth, I'm not an AP, I'm not a SG, and I'm not an obsessed fanboy. I'm a WDW lover who also works in public service dealing with my own brand of SGs, and several of my good friends are CMs so we talk a lot about backstage and the reality of what really makes Disney what it is. :)

The cell phone thing really got to me. Last time I was at RnRC, there was a middle-aged male SG on his cell phone talking loudly throughout the preshow. Grrrr! The preshows are an important part of the magic for first-time guests, and this guy was yakking on so loudly that no one else could hear a word of the show.

He had a young girl with him who seemed thoroughly embarrassed. I just glared at him through the entire thing, but he turned his back to me and kept talking. To make it worse, the conversation seemed totally unimportant from what I could hear. I mean, come on. Even if you can't leave your work at home, the rest of us would like to have our vacations, thank you.

SGs who talk through announcements, spiels, CM instructions, and preshows are at the top of my hit list, whether it's on a cell phone or with other people in their party. CMs should be supplied with rolls of duct tape. :twisted:

I did want to respond to BirdMom's comment:

The problem with the world today is that everyone is convinced that they *must* multitask and be in constant communication with the office, or others, therefore no one can focus on the little things like having uninterrupted funtime with their families. People who can't disconnect are pathetic.

I totally agree that our culture has convinced us all that we have to be in constant communication with work, and some of us have been fooled into thinking we have to be available 24/7. It's a lie, and we shouldn't let our jobs do that to us.

However, I do think we have to be respectful of the fact that there are certain circumstances where someone may need to be available in case of an emergency, even on vacation. It's not always work: there could be a situation involving a long-term family illness, for example, where one would need to be available in case the doctors called, and a situation like that might not be able to wait until the evening. I can even think of situations where someone may need to be "on call" for work for emergencies, though I agree that the vast majority of us should be able to go on vacation and be totally inaccessible for a week or two, and if we can't, we may have our priorities screwed up.

-p.b.