Fast Pass Line Etiquette?

[Tink#64]

It sounds like so many typical people today, "This is my world & you are just in it"! It burns my butt how forceful & rude some people can be, but there's no way they'd ever see it that way! I'm sorry, to me, if you were in the que, then you were in line, and that my frined was called "cutting" in school! To try & squeeze in between you & say "Let us by please", wow - that's rude, no matter if you say please or excuse me!

[Fastpasssteve]

Different cultures have varying ideas about what a "line" is and what it means. This was brought home to me years ago in Italy when waiting "in line" (there was no line, just a mob) to get something from a meat counter at the butcher. I learned that it is a free-for-all...especially when the 80 year old woman elbowed me in the stomach. In that culture, there was no expectation that we would be helped in the order we entered the establishment.

You may have experienced a similar cultural phenomena. However, it was nice that they even though to ask if they could pass, instead of just hustling past you.

It's perfectly OK that you decided not to let them pass. They asked...you said no. Simple. No one needs to be upset.

[minniefan]

You did absolutely the right thing. You were just walking. The line stops and goes anyway. It's not like they were going to get there any sooner if you were walking faster to begin with.

Now if you had been stopping to enjoy the queue, which we frequently do, it would be a different matter because you would not have actually been proceeding in the line. Then it would be the polite thing to do to not block the way (like those who block the entrance to the line waiting for the rest of their group to arrive)

I can't understand why people are just always in such a hurry. You see it everywhere. Give yourself time to get where you are going, and take time to enjoy yourself. Especially on vacation. Stop and smell the roses people!

And to the person who compared it to getting passed by another car - they are not even related. They are only related to those who think if someone is in front of you on the road then that must mean they are "first" and you need to hurry and pass or you will lose. Again, pointless.

[darthmacho]

I fully endorse your behavior and support your husband putting the rude jerks in their place!

[Skippy]

Do yo get upset when you are passed in your car?

Well that depends.... is traffic backed up to the point of stopping, and someone comes flying up the side (knowing it's stopped) and jumps in? If so, yeah - it bugs me a bit. I waited in line, and so should you.

Now, will I let the person with out of state plates that is obviously not from around here slip in because they don't drive this stretch every day and didn't know the exit was going to be backed up almost a mile? Of course.

[LudwigVonDrake]

You were in line. They were wrong.

If you were actually in the queue, they had no business trying to pass. If you were simply in the building walking toward the queue, I think people can go right by you if you're much slower. They should be nice about it, of course. But if you're just walking through the building to get to the queue, you're not in line yet. You had already entered the queue. They should have been politely behind you and too bad for them.

I agree

[ThanxForNoticin]

Actually, this situation seems pretty straight-forward to me. Once you are in the queue for an attraction, you are in line. What they tried to do was line-jump, so you should not feel the least bit bad about maintaining your spot in the line. We have already done what you did.

[Imagineer1981]

Well part of it could be cultural. If they are really from Japan or another asian country, there is no such thing as waiting or a personal bubble, believe me I have been to China and Japan and its a pushing match. So to them even asking was probably a big step.

Personally I think you did the right thing, however its always better for you to be the polite person and let others pass if you are going very slow, but they should wait until you allow them to pass

[Goofster]

Hmmm...I reread the OP again and I would probably have moved out of the way for them. Its wonderful that you were walking in the FP lane 8 weeks after surgery, but my guess is that maybe you were walking somewhat slower than the speed of "line traffic." Which is not your fault. Given the language barrier of the guests behind you, and the fact that they actually said 'let us pass' rather than just pushing you aside...I would have let them by....mainly to avoid any confrontations and awkwardness...and to avoid worrying about it later (which it sounds like you were doing).

[mjm12000]

I think if you are entering a line and it is a bit of a walk to the actual end of the line up, where one would have to stop, there is no problem if someone passes me or I pass them while walking through the cue to the final stopping place of the line. Some people walk slow and some walk fast, imagine if you are a fast walker and you could normally walk fast enough to do let's say two rides in one hour, but the person in front of you walks slow and as such can only get in one ride per hour, should the faster person have to wait and miss out becuase someone else is walking slow? I agree with what someone else said earlier, do you get upset when you are passed on the road in your car? No even if the person in the car passing you is heading to the next stop light just the same as you? No you wouldn't get upset you would just get there in your own time. There is a difference in line jumping or letting people in to the line when it is not moving and everyone is standing waiting, it is not the same as when you are walking through the 4 miles of cue before you get to the actual line of non moving people.

[DizneyRox]

Soarin is a bit different that many other attractions. The queue is actually pretty wide and often the fastpass "line" is quite far from the point where you enter the queue.

For me it would depend on where in the queue you were. If you had just entered and it was a ways to the actual line, and I were in back; I would look for a nice way to pass without knocking anyone over, etc. I don't think that's unreasonable to expect. If you were actually near the line or in it, then that's your place in line and it's up to you to wave poeple through, etc. Sounds like you were pretty close, 15 feet wasn't going to make that much difference for them.

Most attractions though don't have the luxury of wide open spaces like Soarin, and in that case, when you enter, that's your place in line.

In any case, there's a respectful way to do things and not. I wouldn't be put off too much by people asking, and (depending on the situation) wouldn't be snippy in a reply. Again, all depends on the situation.

[pink]

Also, I have to disagree with the letter that compared the line to a grocery store line. Sorry, this is a completely different animal.

How is that a different "animal"? Someone who thinks they have the right to go ahead of you because they believe that they're going to be faster or that they don't have to wait. It is the same concept, just a different setting.

Just because she was injured and her walk to the line (or in the supermarket scenario her transaction) was going to take longer does not give those other guests the right to cut in front of her or even ask, it is just rude all around.

[g8rgirl29]

I think once you are in the line, that is your spot. I like to enjoy some of the queues, there is so much to see. Now there is usually a line waiting in front of me when I choose to stop and enjoy them so I don't feel I should have to let someone in front of me when I stop to take a photo. If there was no line in front of me and they were waiting on me to move to load onto a ride I would gladly wave people on past me. Chances are you didn't hold those people up at all really, I am sure you got to a point where you both had to stand and wait anyways.

[Toodle]

I have a permanent disabiity that sometimes causes me to walk very slowly - we almost always move to the side when we hear people coming up behind us. It is easier. I hate to feel rushed by the people behind me especially if they are children. They are so excited to ride the rides. That being said, we have luckily, never encountered anyone who "asked" to be let by.

[Scorpiosammy]

This is a little off topic, but hopefully this will help a little with the frustration.
This is a cultural thing, different cultures have different ideas of what is acceptable personal space. Hope this helps!
I love my personal space as well and few things bother me more, but now I know it is not intentional.

I am not sure what you are getting at, but this is not off topic. The OP was commenting about how the other guests were basically trying to get by them or in other words running over top of them. This happens to me at least once every trip. I also realize that Disney is basically a melting pot with guests consisting of many ethnic backgrounds, beliefs, religions, etc and there is bound to be conflict. Thankfully it usually doesn't escalate past a minor annoyance As a side note, I am glad that I studied sociology while I was college before I graduated to give me a broader view of the world. I think it helps in dealing with situations like this.

I understand fully well that we are all only human and bad things are bound to happen at least once during a vacation given the multitude of visitors in one location. I have been 26 times and counting -- the "frustration" you claim I feel has not kept me away. I say, bring on September!

I apologize for this response, but I felt the need to defend myself. I have never had someone "come down on me" on a message board before (and never thought it would be a Disney board) o_O

I hope everyone has a Disney Day!

[Kenny1113]

I apologize if my post came off as coming down on anyone. That was not my intent.
I was simply replying to the comment about people being in ones personal bubble, and clarifing that this is not always someone displaying poor manners, but sometimes a culture difference.

I felt that this could be percieved as off topic because I was not responding to the OP post directly.

[brownie]

It might have been nice to let them by, but I don't see it as something you were required to do. I wouldn't worry about it. They did get on the attraction, didn't they?

[WVParkfan]

Since you were slowly walking up the queue, and not yet to the back of the line, then I think you should have allowed them to pass you.

But, I don't think you should beat yourself up over it. I'm sure that the family who passed you doesn't even remember it.

[5MemphisTiggers]

Some of this has been said (maybe not directly), but I do think it depends upon the attraction. I don't think you were wrong in the way you responded, but the queues are different.

For instance, someone asking to pass me while standing in line as Space Mountain or ToT is, to me, a little different than someone pushing by me as we exit the stretching room at HM or as we are filing in to the lobby at Philharmagic. These are open areas with no defined "line", and one almost expects others to push by you. Even the queue at Soarin' is quite open at the beginning and it can be a little hard to define when someone is "cutting" in front of you. I'm not saying I like it, but I accept it as part of the ride. I also right those folks off in my mind as those that "just don't get this place."

In the end, I think it was nice that they at least asked if they could pass (rather than just barging through). If someone asks, you have every right to say no, and there is nothing wrong with that. The one asking should respect your answer.

Sometime (at least for me), the most difficult part of it is letting it go and not letting it spoil my magic. I guess I would have to go by my mother-in-law's words "In light of eternity, what does this matter?"