The Campground Rules ... made to be broken?

[btharvey]

No, I don't believe that they're made to be broken, and this is somewhat of a rant or whine or similar, but I just wish that my fellow campers didn't consistently flout the campground rules, many of which are the same at the KOAs and Good Sams that we stay at as well.

Must be 16 and carry a valid driver's license to drive a cart ... It'd be nice if everyone remembered that ... and that you're not supposed to suds down your trailer in your camp site ... and you go only one way around the loop ... and you don't use your ATV for 8 or your motor scooter instead of a golf cart ... and you don't use a long clothesline ... and you don't push your rig into the trees behind your site and bend the trees because your rig is so long ... and that pets aren't permitted in the comfort station and especially not to pee in the men's shower ... and more ... and all of these were on our last visit (ended Monday) just in our loop (500). I'm seriously considering becoming a snitch for Disney. I know they don't have the staff to police their own rules, but I get all worked up when I see so many people flouting the rules so often ... sticks in my craw, sometimes, since we do follow the rules and believe in them.

Now I know that many of you will say that the rules are just there for the extremists, or that everybody does it, or that you just need to do what you do or some other come-back. But I see the rules as the same as the one that says don't run at the pool (there's that, too) ... it conserves the experience for others and keeps you from hurting yourself and others.

So should I become a snitch next time? It's hard to look the other way. Then again, I don't want to feel like that member of a Homeowner's Association who checks the color of the paint on your fence for appropriateness, either (don't think I will ... don't care about colors! ;-).

I also don't want to start a range war, here, so I'm truly looking for opinions, not attitude. I'd genuinely like to hear what others think about this, since I saw all of the things above (and more) on our last trip from 8/10 through 8/17/09 in the 500 loop.

What do you think?

[ibrowse17]

I would think the folks at FW would be happy to know what you are seeing. If they are not informed, they can not do anything about it.

[Disneyfun]

I would definetly mention the golf cart, atv, and the dog peeing in the comfort station . Those all involve safety/common sense/oh-my-gosh-you-are-disgusting issues. WDW needs to know about those things. Imagine a child driving a cart around, having a great time, but is too young to know better and then scoots behind a large RV trying to back into a spot! That would be absolutely horrible, let alone spell lawsuit city against WDW (they'ld never win, but how much would ticket prices go up to cover the expense!) and against the RV owner!

As for the dog peeing in the men's shower - REALLY?!? SERIOUS?!? What is wrong with people?!? I would be tempted to take action myself, let alone report them to WDW. I am sure that is a violation of some health code somewhere.

Some people just need a healthy,perverbial whack-in-the-side-of-the-head of reality to realize they are either oblivious, stupid, disgusting, or some combination of the three.

There, I feel better now...

[VWL Mom]

I would think the folks at FW would be happy to know what you are seeing. If they are not informed, they can not do anything about it.

[magicofdisney]

I agree with what you're saying.

What bothers me is that this doesn't just happen overnight. Disney, over time, has allowed the violations to take place without repercussions to the offenders. Unfortunately, some people see this happening and they think they've been given the ok to do the same.

What it boils down to is that Disney just doesn't enforce it's own rules. Refillable mugs are a prime example.

I don't want to sound judgmental here, but most of these are just common sense/sanitary issues.

And I agree with the pp who says report it because, maybe, just maybe, they're not aware it's occurring so frequently.

[TheRustyScupper]

So should I become a snitch next time? It's hard to look the other way. Then again, I don't want to feel like that member of a Homeowner's Association

If you don't formally complain, you have no right to vent.

[FloridaTeacher]

I agree! I've seen all of these - well, except the dog peeing in the shower thing! I'm always amazed at the fact that some (a lot) people think the rules apply to everyone else, but themselves. Happy Camping anyhow.

[Mousemates]

I would think the folks at FW would be happy to know what you are seeing. If they are not informed, they can not do anything about it.

VWL Mom

[btharvey]

Thanks all! You've reminded me that to truly be a good citizen (camper, Disney fan, Goofy-ite, etc.) one must take the responsibility and make the call.

I'm contacting the folks at the campground now, just to let them know what I saw when I was there to open their eyes a bit, and next time, I'll have the front desk on speed dial (and wait the requisite 17 minutes on hold before it gets answered! ;-)

Thanks for the reminder!

[drummerboy]

having had a past history as a park ranger in charge of campgrounds, I know that you can't be there all the time to observe camper conduct; you have to rely on the honor system as much as possible. Most often, I wouldn't know about infractions unless somebody told me (e.g. the time somebody let us know that a camper was waving a gun around). If we happened to see it while on patrol or cleaning up, then we'd talk to the campers immideiately.

I think you might need to concentrate on the more egregious violations, such as the dog in the shower house, but yes, I'd say let somebody know what's going on. When I was a ranger, I would not mention who reported the violation and as often as possible would try to act like I discovered it myself.

[SFTrny]

We are big FW fans and haved stayed at the cabins every time. Unlike any other resort, we love that FW has a special community feel about it. It is a lot like any other neighborhood with a mix of people. There's a balance between minor transgressions and issues that need to be addressed. I am sure that all of us FW fans wouldn't want to feel "policed" while we are there. I agree that in some cases like you've observed, the casual atmosphere leads people to be a bit TOO casual. It's a community, and we all have a responsibility to be respectful of others by observing the rules. And when it gets out of hand, we should let Disney know so that they know when to step in and when not to.

[drummerboy]

We did call security one night when we heard some neighboring drunk campers get loud and abusive with each other and then hear a beer bottle break over somebody's head (the wife's, I think). That was just a teensy bit too much.

[btharvey]

Former watcher of the original b&w Mouseketeers.

Doreen was my favorite! Still is, despite the Gallery layout.

[LVT]

Agree wholeheartedly. (I couldn't get ditto)lv

[drummerboy]

Doreen was my favorite! Still is, despite the Gallery layout.

I pined for Annette.

[mickey98]

This is a topic that could contiune to the end of time. We stay at the fort each year, generally the same week. We have observed the same as mentioned in the posts and more. Especially pets in a non-pet loop. We have contacted the front desk and notified them. We even contacted secuirty. We were told by both the front desk and security that they were told that some guests are special and even thought they had a pet in the non-pet loop to look the other way. You can observe security see a rule violation and not say anything. I seems as if they are more concerned about pool hopping than any other rule. As much as The Fort is still the greatest place to stay, I agree with the other posts and posts of previous, they do need to do a better job on enforcing rules since they continue yearly to raise the rates. Time for the guests to start getting something back

[Phantasia]

What it boils down to is that Disney just doesn't enforce it's own rules. Refillable mugs are a prime example.

What do you mean? People filling their own cups? I agree, that always bugs me. Honour system doesn't always work ... actually, seems to work less and less as people pay less and less respect to the rules.

Seems that at FW it's a similar lack of respect for the rules, for the property that they're on (i.e. it's not their yard) and respect for those around them who are also trying to have a nice family vacation.

But I have to put in my $0.02 here ... the last time we stayed at FW (Oct 08) we had courteous neighbours and had no complaints whatsoever.

[Not2Loud]

If we don't let the staff know, they can't fix the problem. Maybe some folks just don't realize where they are at and they aren't in the woods somewhere by themselves.

[btharvey]

Maybe some folks just don't realize where they are at and they aren't in the woods somewhere by themselves.

My guess is that they know where they are ... they just behave that way wherever they are, anyway. I got a nice note back from Guest Relations saying thank you, we'll send it to the departments involved, etc., etc., but unless they decide to pay attention, this will keep happening. I think it's time for the "Pendulum of Understanding" to swing back the other way for a while.

[RocklandRVers]

Unfortunately discourtesy has become a way of life in America. We kill each other to get to Christmas sales at Walmart. We exhibit road rage when someone may have accidently cut us off. Its a sad truth that we have forgotten do unto others as we would want them to do unto us.

I have seen the same things (golf cart abuse, pets where they don't belong, wrong way drivers, people who leave the comfort stations a mess, walk through other people's sites, etc) and wonder if they do the same at home. The answer is probably yes.

When I was a kid and going camping in the mid west with the family it always amazed me how fellow campers were so NICE and down right helpful. Dad and my uncle got the camper stuck in sand and other campers chipped in to lend a hand. Another time our car broke down on the way back to the campsite in blistering 100+ heat and a guy in a pick up truck took the family to our site and came back to help Dad and me work on the car. Even took us to town to get a part so we could get it running. When Dad tried to slip him money for the trouble, the guy absolutely refused to take it. Now that was courtesy.

We need to get back to those days and teach discipline and respect to our kids.