The Impact of Brazilian Tour Groups

[Stickey]

We just returned from our 1/24-1/31/11 trip.
The Brazilian tour groups definitely added to the crowd levels at the parks. The groups can quickly congest an area of a park, similar to the migration of the Wildebeest.

Strategies to deal with their impact:
1) Avoid the park with PM EMH
2) Stay ahead of the flag-bearers
3) Do not follow the groups into a line queue
4) Play capture the flag and lead the groups to another side of the park.
5) DHS will be crazy on Fantasmic nights, go to DHS on a different day. Both the 1st and 2nd shows were packed.

Overall, crowd levels were not bad, ranging from walk-on to longer than posted wait times.

[disneymom15]

I like your strategie #4. We were there the
25th thru 31st. I agree, the crowd levels were very light.

[Darbylew]

We are going in the middle of March. I hope the
crowds will be light at that time. Can't wait to
get back in the land of Mickey and the Magic.
Anyone have any thoughts on this time of year
middle of March?? :confused:

[DixieBri]

I went the first week of March last year. Crowds weren't bad at all, especially if you get there when the parks open and hit all the majors rides then. Never saw any Brazilian tour groups. The main things were trying to avoid the park that had EMH that day. On the day we were going to see Fantasmic, we went to another park for the morning then went to DHS a couple hours before the show. We also waited until the second showing which helped somewhat with the crowds. Aside from the freezing temperatures at night, it was definitely a great time to go.

[Dsnygirl]

We just got back, and overall, we didn't notice a big change b/c of the groups. We didn't notice ANY on Fri or Sat, they must have been travelling... Sunday, a large group checked into our resort, but they were managed very well and the leaders definitely did a good job spacing out when each group of 75 or so hit the food court area. They were spread out well amongst the parks, although at DHS they were more noticeable as of course, they all want to ride the "big" rides. I think we saw about 4 different groups there, one of them being the group staying at our resort. But overall, they were polite and didn't really affect us that much -- maybe a bit longer wait for a few rides Sun/Mon, but not terrible. Definitely a better experience than what we had 2 years ago -- I won't be as afraid to travel in January next year! :thumbsup:

[BrerSchultzy]

We were there in July last year, at the peak of the Brazilian tour group season. There were groups everywhere, all in bright neon matching shirts.
And for the most part, they couldn't have been more polite. Sure, there were a lot of teenagers, and you get one or two that runs too fast and nearly knocks over your toddler, but that happens in the local mall all the time.
We heard a lot of people complaining about the groups, but if you didn't get behind them in line, you didn't have any problems at all.

[rjmdds]

Another reason why I love these boards...where else can a whole discussion be found on the impact of BRAZILIAN TOUR GROUPS on an amusement park?!! Love it.

[Ian]

I know I was only there for two days last week, but I saw tons of the "dreaded" BTG's in Epcot and I have to say I had no issue with any of them. They were all very well behaved and not in any way intrusive.

They also didn't seem to have any affect on lines or anything. Nothing out of the ordinary at all.

[Magic Smiles]

It has been 3 years since our last visit to WDW. Are these Brazilian Tour Groups something new? When do they go?

[Melanie]

It has been 3 years since our last visit to WDW. Are these Brazilian Tour Groups something new? When do they go?

The two months with the most impact are July and January.

[mickeys_princess_mom]

Just got back on Jan. 11, and didn't really have any problems, even though many were there. Have been in May and encountered some, especially last year. Boisterous, shall we say, but this year was no big deal.

[Mousefever]

I had a little run-in with a couple dozen teenage boys from a BTG last January. By myself, I turned down the Canadian garden path toward Le Cellier. The group of boys saw me coming and started clapping at/toward me. Now, I'm no young hottie, and I thought they were probably making fun of me a little, but they didn't seem mean spirited about it. So, instead of getting all offended, I played it up, thanking them in a grandiose way and accepting the "accolades" as if it were my due. They appreciated my performance and were very friendly. It was a memorable Disney experience to me. :)

Amy

[Trev&Ev Mom]

I totally agree...we have gone in January for many, many years and have always encountered the flag and neon green shirt groups. They are very, very well behaved and have never had a problem. Just go in the opposite direction of them and try not to get behind them on a ride line as they are groups of 50+...that just added 10 minutes to your wait time :D

[finaldynasty]

We have gone to WDW the last week in June the past 3 years (Fathers Day til 7 days after), and the tour groups were there. They were okay as far as behavior. My DS enjoyed having conversations with them. I thought they only came over in the summer. There was also a chinese group a couple years agoi as well.

[Janmac]

We saw many groups on our trip in January 2010. We like to be at a park at rope drop, and logistically, it's more likely for large groups to arrive at the park later. We like to leave about lunch time, so we weren't impacted much.

We did see a lot of soccer type activity, especially in Epcot. Many of the CMs in the World Showcase countries had soccer balls handy. It was entertaining to watch what can be done with a soccer ball. Apparently some of the groups were also from Europe and were soccer oriented, in some way.

We were at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge and didn't see any groups there.

Jan

[johnO]

You know we've gone to WDW several times in February. There is alway a large contingent of Argentine groups there at that time.

[peemagg]

As we were waiting to board our plane home this week, we saw a couple of American dance troupes getting off their planes. They were way more boisterous than the Brazilian tour groups that we encountered the whole week at Disney and at Busch Gardens.

[Disney Doll]

As we were waiting to board our plane home this week, we saw a couple of American dance troupes getting off their planes. They were way more boisterous than the Brazilian tour groups that we encountered the whole week at Disney and at Busch Gardens.

Agreed! The cheerleading/ dance teams are far more..um..spirited than the BTG. However, I've never really been bothered by either. In fact I kind of like large groups. They're only clogging up one or two attractions at a time so it's fairly easy to just chose a different attraction.

[johnO]

I once got into a confrontation with a dance troupe / cheer director.

We were at Pop Centurty in 2007. It was after midnight and suddenly I was awakened by cheering. I got up, looked outside, and saw that a cheer / dance team was arriving. This went on for some time and finally I blew my stack. I told the director she needed to silence these girls and have some respect as it was after midnight and we were not in a gymnasium. She responded by calling me "Rude", as if I were the one waking the entire 90's building at Pop Century up. Needless to say, I told her about herself and she didn't like it too much.

[Daisy'sMom]

Rudeness knows no nationality nor age group. They are everywhere. My advice, just ignore them.:mickey:

[ransam]

actually i like them...for the most part they hve been polite. I like their excitement, and i think they add to my fun.

[johnO]

I failed to mention, it was an American cheer team that was being loud....

[Ian]

Agreed! The cheerleading/ dance teams are far more..um..spirited than the BTG.It's a good comparison actually and should help illustrate that it's probably more "group-think" going on than it is any kind of cultural differences.

Some of the worst behavior I've ever seen in a Disney theme park was perpetrated by Christian teens on Night of Joy. FAR worse than I've ever seen out of BTG's ... does that mean Christian teens are inherently bad people or offensive in some way? No ... it just means that, like everyone else, when you get in a big group you tend to behave differently than you would when you were by yourself.

[Polynesian Dweller]

Dual post

[Polynesian Dweller]

It's a good comparison actually and should help illustrate that it's probably more "group-think" going on than it is any kind of cultural differences.

Some of the worst behavior I've ever seen in a Disney theme park was perpetrated by Christian teens on Night of Joy. FAR worse than I've ever seen out of BTG's ... does that mean Christian teens are inherently bad people or offensive in some way? No ... it just means that, like everyone else, when you get in a big group you tend to behave differently than you would when you were by yourself.
Ian, an absolutely great and well expressed post. It is good to see a thread on this topic with such thoughtful posts.

We live (and hotelier as well) in a tourist area and have observed the group effect in a varioety of nationalities (including Canadian and American), cultures and groups. And that's what it is, s large group on vacation. Thanks for expressing it so well.

[Gator]

I saw them quite a bit last week, and I can't say they really bothered me all that much. Sure, the sight of 50 girls chanting songs and cheers can be a bit frightening at first. But I would avoid the lines they went to, and would try to beat them into an attraction.

I did see them once hit a fastpass line, which probably clogged it for hours.

Fantasmic was full of them, and there must have been a famous Brazilian there because all the girls were screaming for half an hour. Wonder who it was.

[Ed]

Remember that winter :freeze: in the Northern Hemisphere (U.S.) is summer :sun: in the Southern Hemisphere (Brazil).

From Wikipedia~~~
In Brazil the school year usually begins during the first week of February. There is a 3-week long winter break in July. The Brazilian school year ends in December, summer in Brazil.

Which explains why the South American groups are so prevalent in January and July.

I've never had any problems with these groups; it's actually kinda fun seeing their exuberance. And let's not forget that these large groups bring quite a lot of bu$ine$$ to the area. :spend:

[Mousemates]

Which explains why the South American groups are so prevalent in January and July.

I've never had any problems with these groups; it's actually kinda fun seeing their exuberance. And let's not forget that these large groups bring quite a lot of bu$ine$$ to the area. :spend:

hey some great information...and the BTGs don't bother me any more than any of the other large groups at WDW...we just try to make sure we never follow them into a ride queue.

[Hebbynan]

We stayed at All Star Movies in January 2010. Honestly, the Brazilian Groups weren't that bad. Yes, it did make the food court a mad house in the morning, but we learned to patiently get our food - and eat in our rooms!! They were only bad one night - it was their last night some of them said. But it was BAD - they were so loud. They sure kept security busy hoping from one row of rooms to the next. But like I said, it was only one night. Other than that, for the most part, they were very polite and if you could engage them in conversation on the buses....you could really learn a lot from them about their country!!

[SpecJoe Magic]

I find it interesting that I used to see those tour groups a lot when I was a kid in the 80s and early 90s, but then I hardly ever saw them from about the mid 90s through the early 2000s. It's only been in the last few years that I've started seeing them again on a regular basis. I wonder what happened. Did travel from Brazil to WDW decline rapidly during a certain time period and then pick back up?

[peemagg]

We were talking to a CM about these groups and he told us that the groups used to tear up the rooms and things. Disney told the government and the tour groups if they couldn't keep their groups under control, they weren't going to be allowed to come. He also said that they were banned for sometime from coming. Maybe that is when you didn't see them. He said it only in the last 5-10 years that they have been allowed back.

[johnO]

The economy of Argentina collapsed in the mid to late 90s when their currency was inflated and the banks simply didnt open one day.

Perhaps that had something to do with them disappearing as well.

[Granny Jill A]

It's a good comparison actually and should help illustrate that it's probably more "group-think" going on than it is any kind of cultural differences.

Some of the worst behavior I've ever seen in a Disney theme park was perpetrated by Christian teens on Night of Joy. FAR worse than I've ever seen out of BTG's ... does that mean Christian teens are inherently bad people or offensive in some way? No ... it just means that, like everyone else, when you get in a big group you tend to behave differently than you would when you were by yourself.

Ian has hit the nail on the head. I can remember doing some blush-inducing stuff when I was a teen with a group of friends.

The good news is that tour operators are taking time to educate their groups about American customs like forming a line and waiting your turn. :D

[ShanPooh]

Ah, I remember Brazilian tour groups...
"Beep, beep, beep!" - instead of "excuse me" probably because they figure folks in the states wouldn't figure out "Com licença" or "Perdão". :yes: