Cell phones in the Parks

[Stitch _Lover_Sith]

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.

Wow I think I am about to make a lot of enemies with this post but I have to speak my mind. For the most part if someone is on a phone they are talking to someone in their family. Not everyone live anywhere near thier family, mine are over two thousand miles away, sometimes the only time you can talk to them is on a crowed bus or in the middle of a line because they have work and lives too. I really think that everyone here is just being way to critical of people when you do not even know the full situation. I think people must think I am stupid when talking to my Menatlly Disabled, leagally deaf father on the phone. And you know what I have to say to them, F### off because you have no idea. The last conversation I had with one of my uncles was in the middle of a line, I got a lot of dirty looks but you want to know what. He passed away two days latter, that was the last time I got to talk with him before we meet again after death. I guess the moral of this post is you have no idea what the circumstances are and you should not be so quick to judge. It is just the same as judging a guest with a GAC who has no physical problems that you can see. Just stew on that for awhile.

[darph nader]

BirdMom,in regards to your post(#67) 'please' DO NOT put them next to the smoking areas. Even us smokers like to enjoy a little peace and quite. Not some loud-ass engines roaring by. My favorite spot is at RoA. But thats just me.

[inkstainedpsyche]

It is just the same as judging a guest with a GAC who has no physical problems that you can see. Just stew on that for awhile.

Um, not exactly the same thing. Case in point, I have severe osteoarthritis in my knees, looking forward to having knee replacement in a few years. Outwardly you can't see anything wrong with me, but standing or walking for extended periods of times puts me into excruciating, debilitating pain. I don't get a GAC when I'm at Disneyland, but I do rent a wheelchair, which my husband pushes me in. I'm courteous, I don't expect special treatment (if all queues were wheelchair-accessible to where I didn't have to go in any exits, I would be happy to be in the line and wait however long it takes to get on the ride, just like everyone else). I don't run over people with my wheelchair and if I am going into a shop, I will park the chair out of the way and walk so that I'm not in anyone's way as to minimize my effect on others.

On the other hand, talking loudly on a cell phone, sharing your conversation with others who have ZERO interest in it (and believe me, I've heard some doozies of conversations that should not be public - I don't want to hear about your sex life or anything else), ignoring people who are PHYSICALLY around you in favor of the person on the phone, I'll say it once again, it's the height of rudeness. Unless you can find a really out-of-the-way spot to conduct your conversation, I find the park is just too noisy to hear and be heard without yelling on your phone, except on those days when very few people are there.

[Stitch _Lover_Sith]

Wow I have to say that there are some really insesitive people on this board. It is rude to fart in line with people around you. It is rude to go to a park so sick that you cannot stop coughing. It is rude to run someone over with your ECV. It is rude for some people on this thread to sing or yell in someones ear when they are on a phone. I will stress again you have no idea the circumstances that went into that call. On that note if you do not want to hear it block it out, I have done that at all the rides I work, it is not that hard. So if you feel that cell phones are rude then just do not bring yours into the park with you leave it at home. :twisted:

[BirdMom]

On that note if you do not want to hear it block it out, I have done that at all the rides I work, it is not that hard.

I take it you are some sort of Zen-master or so exceedingly easy going that nothing annoys you.

The volume that so many in-Park calls are conducted at is nearly impossible to ignore. I believe most etiquette experts have written that live people take precidence over telephone conversations, so it is actually the people on the phones commiting faux-pas after faux-pas. And if you haven't had to suffer the audacity of some clueless fool next to you in the rest room on the phone, count yourself as lucky. In so many cases, it's difficult to ignore the call. Imagine trying to give important information as the guest is passing through, but having to repeat yourself because they were paying more attention to their phone call, multiplied dozens of times an hour. I'd like to think that these days in Attractions, the guests aren't actually on the phone on the actual ride portion, but I suppose I could be mistaken...

Now regarding your family situation, I'm sorry, but I'm old school. I was raised to plan ahead and make those sorts of calls from home. I have friends living in Europe and Australia, so I simply make allowances for the time difference and don't bother other people with family/personal stuff. No one wanted to hear about my uncle's cancer or my cousin's need for a heart-lung transplant. And telling someone in the right to f-off because they don't want to listen to you shouting so that your deaf father can hear your voice is a bigger wrong. If it was so imperitive that you make a call at a particular time when you were out and about, the least you could have done was do it from your car, where you could have closed your windows or found an isolated spot where you wouldn't disturb anyone else. I'm sorry, but you aren't considering the comfort or circumstances of those around you by assuming that your personal circumstances trump those of the people immediately next to you. I understand your need to communicate in a certain way. However, I believe your method leaves something to be desired.

[Stitch _Lover_Sith]

Day by day I see people on rides like Dumbo on their phone or standing outside of the ride waiting for the rest of their family. And you know what I see people doing also going up to the person who is taking the time to be out of the way and saying get the F### off your stupid cell phone. So it really does not matter where and when people take their calls, people will have a problem with it no matter what. With the way things have changed with technonogy and global commincation you really cannot use the old methonds of getting in touch with people. Some have said that they are "Old Timers" well guess what the world has changed and it does not conform to what you used to be able to do. So i guess your only option if you do not want to see it or hear it is to not go into the parks. But I do not see that ever happening. When things change you can complain about it or start to live with it and deal. This happens evryday. Birdmom you are wrong that things never bug me. It bugs me when people go out of their way to be rude to someone about something because of a perceived wrong, and I see it happen everyday. Like people who do not want their precious bundle of joy to be exposed to alternate lifestyles and get very vocal about it. Or people who go out of their way to make sure that if someone is on a cell phone or even park phone that they make the conversation impossible. Cell phones are not the issue, it is how people deal with the converstions that happen. And how is talking to family on a cell phone in line any different than talking to your family in lline when they are with you. I agree that some conversations are better left to the privacy of your own home like sex talk or talking in depth about medical proceedures, but hey how are you, I am loving it down here is not taking anything away from your Disney line experiance unless you get worked up about it.

[BirdMom]

And how is talking to family on a cell phone in line any different than talking to your family in lline when they are with you. I agree that some conversations are better left to the privacy of your own home like sex talk or talking in depth about medical proceedures, but hey how are you, I am loving it down here is not taking anything away from your Disney line experiance unless you get worked up about it.

An in-person conversation in the queue is as inappropriate as a cell-phone conversation in the queue if the conversation is too loud. I have problems with both. There were a lot of adults giving loud teens dirty looks at the Family X-mas party last Monday night because they were shouting their conversations when normal speaking voices would have been more appropriate. However, as we were all brought up properly we did not say anything to the brats in question. Since they weren't our kids it wasn't our place to correct them.

"Hey, how are you, I am loving it down here" is taking away from someone else's experience if it is at an inappropriate sound level for the proximity of the people in question.

So technology has changed. Big deal. That doesn't mean that standards of conduct should change. Good manners have to do with ensuring that others are feeling comfortable around you. Some of us in this thread having the desire for people to behave appropriately and consider other's comfort doesn't make one a dinosaur. I for one am grateful for the invention of iPods, so that we aren't forced to listen to music we don't like on other people's boom boxes. In-person considerations should always take precedence over mechanical communications, phones included. It is simply good manners.

It is just thoughtless to believe that your action doesn't immediately affect someone around you. You might not want to acknowledge it, but I challenge you to really look carefully around at the expressions and body language of people in your vicinity when you try to go about your business as usual on the phone and see the subtle (and not so subtle) clues of people's reactions. If you're honest with yourself you might understand what I'm writing of and see that your conversation does have an adverse effect on strangers. If you don't want to acknowledge it, then I hope maybe when you're a bit more mature it suddenly clicks with you.

[freepixie]

I'm so happy we live in America and have such freedoms...

Stitch_Lover_Sith, you can justify and assert your need to use cell phones in the parks, and I respect that. What I don't respect are people who cannot leave their jobs behind and inevitably their children suffer for it (please refer to my previous post).

And just as much as you have the freedom and liberty to use your cell phone in the park, I have just as much freedom and liberty to sing in the park. Heck, its vacation, I have the right to sing and get into the vacation spirit. And if you happen to be on a cell phone nearby, maybe you could move your call to a place more private to talk about your personal business.

:D:

[Panther007]

heres my opinion

i think talking anywhere in this conversation is perfect.

Mom: Where are you?
Me: Im with dad and (my sister) in the single rider line for Test Track
Mom: Ok i will meet you at the area near the photo place
Me: Ok
:Hangs up:

that is fine anywhere

but this should be in an area where there is a low noise level or at home

guy 1: so what did you do last night?
guy at Disney World: i got some cute girl drunk then had sex with her
guy 1: Cool, i want all the details
Guy at WDW: OK ............

that conversation is better in your car with the windows up and no1 around (especially the girl)

it is not good to talk in line cause some people like me will listen in

its best for conversation 2 to not be in a crowed area and if you are going to talk about anything but where you are then you should be in a low noise area

[Stitch _Lover_Sith]

Maturity is not the topic of this thread, using cell phones in the park is the topic. Even if there in no one in line that is on a cell phone people still do not listen. I cannot count how many times that people will ignore you just on general prinicple no matter how loud you say all small children on the inside. So for cell phones in the park, whatever floats your boat. If you do not want cell phones in the park then leave them at home and leave the people who do want to bring thiers to the park alone. I actually do not see how this is a stupid guest trick. Now if you want sotries about how cell phones have ruined some peoples experiances then share those but keep in mind what this site is for.

Now my stupid guest trick with a cell phone was actaully told to me by a freind. They were laoding one of the character greeting rooms and asked the last party if they had thier whole party with them and they told the CM yes. Well about ten minutes latter a guy approached the CM on a cell phone saying his family is meeting the character and he ahs their camera. So the CM thinking that he was talking about the room they just loaded put him into that one. Well the guy came back out of that room and said loudly on his phone that he did not see them so they must be with another Character and the CM had to tell people that someone forgot their Pixie Dust at home. Not only did that group ruin the magic for themselves they ruined it for two whole rooms of people. Now this moment could not be brought to us without cell phones being used. But the family was just trying to reconnect after being seperated. Yes it was thoughtless to say that he was with the wrong Character, but he was more then likely not happy with the way his day had been going. So I do not blame this on the cell phone I blame this on the guest themselves. :p: