Seven Dwarfs Loading - Bizarre Things

[tikkipoo]

We are a family of 3, so we have had lots of stangers ride with us through the years. I always find it fun to meet new people. One time on EE, DH was the one that was alone and he had a young boy of about 8 sitting with him. We get off and go see the ride photos and DH's photo shows him sitting there, and the young boy has his face buried in DH's arm, gripping his arm for dear life. DH was the only one not from his party in the car, and the young boys family was just looking back at him, cracking up! It was one of the greatest ride photos we have. It still makes me laugh.

 

[RangerPooh]

Wow, I'm sorry that the original poster and their sister had to experience such rude guests. I think some of the alterations come down to parenting or the lack there of. When we have an odd number riding I will give thought to who is riding with the stranger or the configuration of the seats in a 3+ person row where we are broken up and a stranger inevitably joins us. I'd never purposely sit with my DH and expect my child to ride with a stranger. Nor would I blame them for talking to my child. It's Disney, I kind of expect that. Although I'd be mindful of any vibe that they might have given off and if things started to get weird following the ride.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

Seems like a great teaching opportunity to show your kids how to politely and appropriately deal with strangers.

 

[Robo]

I agree with you, and for the first time ever disagree with Robo's take on the situation.

I didn't really take a position. I just pointed out the obvious situation that the child would not be riding "without an adult" if he was riding along with another single rider adult.

 

[Hootch]

I could not see us having a five year old seated with someone else. That's less about the dangers of an unknown adult and more about how we interact with our kids.

 

[KyleAfterAWhile]

Yes. Very strange indeed. I don't think I've ever seen such a thing as a 5 year old riding in a row alone with parents sitting separately. And I go to Disney World on average 4 or 5 days per month. This poster claims it happened 3 times in 3 rides (between 2 people) and all 3 led to altercations?

it sound like there is an accusation or assumption somewhere in there. You are welcome to think what you want. I am not out to prove or impress anybody. We are passive people. Not confrontational at all. My sister works in a field that requires her ability to diffuse negative and confrontational situations; that is how she lives her life. I have no reason to pick a fight with a stranger. I am protective of my family and I hope everybody else is as well. Perhaps alcohol or an earlier argument with his spouse played a role with my situation. Either way, it is over with now.

 

[anonymousegirl]

I do SR every chance I get. I almost always go to Disney solo as DH isn't a fan. As a solo, on RnRC, Everest, and 7DMT, I always get paired with someone. TSMM adn Buzz, I never get paired.

For 7DMT, if I notice an odd-numbered family right behind me, I make it a point to talk with them. Once, i was talking with a mom, dad, and 8 year old daughter. I was telling how much fun the ride was, and my favorite parts. She was super excited and asked to ride with me! Mom and dad said ok, and suddenly we were a "family of four". Mom and dad sat behind us, and daughter and I had the front row. We all had a blast.

Another time, on TSMM, I made friends with the family behind me and the young boy said how he could never beat his dad. I whispered to him some of the high scoring easter eggs, and he begged to ride with me. So again, we became a family of four, and yes, he beat his dad big time.

 

[bbangel]

I am usually the odd person out in a group of three and have had some seating that were a bit awkward but never that bad! Funniest one was SDMT when the ride photo made it look like I had a new family since I was seated by a dad and his two sons were in front of us. Had a few friends think I was hiding news from them when they saw the photo

 

[melanielll]

Seriously? Pass on rides if your kids outnumber adults? You might as well not go, then. The suggestions here are consistent - one parent goes solo and everyone else sits together. In the event that the parent gets put together with a stranger kid - do not talk to them, touch them, or assist them (let the staff do it) - unless they talk to you or ask you. I tend to want to help or be friendly, but if I were the parent of the solo kid, I would want the stranger parent to be hands off.

Yes - pass on a ride that your child is crying about instead of handing her off to some other adult. Parenting isn't always fun. Take your kids in turns, but don't expect someone else to watch out for them and comfort them. I care more about my kids than I care about getting to ride a roller coaster.

 

[jsmla]

The OP must have been very, very unlucky! I've ridden 7DMT many, many times solo, often with a child seated next to me and I've never had the first problem. I've been asked to switch places on Test Track (usually for the picture) a few times and that was a non-issue as well.

 

[tikkipoo]

I guess I am the strange one. I don't mind watching out for other peoples little ones for the whole 3 minutes you might be on the ride. I feel like it is my responsibility just as a grown up to keep my eye out for any little ones, on a ride or just walking around. I appreciate the same from other parents. Even if I am at the grocery store and I see something like a little one dart toward the door away from their parents I will stop them and turn them if I need to. Rather have a disgruntled parent than a hurt little one. That's just me though.

 

[hiddenMeekey]

I would refuse to ride next to anyone's kid solo.

This. Let the CM know you're not comfortable riding with a child that you are not with. They'll either let the ride go without you and fill the empty seat with the next "odd" person, or leave it empty. Either way you'll be moved to the next "launch". The last thing they (most of them) want is to put a guest in an uncomfortable situation that can potentially cause issues.

 

[epcotty]

Some people are way too overprotective or antisocial. Sorry that that happened but I think that's probably rare. It's the right thing to do to get security involved if it happens to that extent

 

[Robo]

I have ridden dozens of times as a single rider on Exp. Everest.
My wife can only take the "backwards section" very occasionally, but I like to ride EE multiple times.
When you get to the CM who is "assigning rows" just say that you want to ride in the first row and (s)he will
tell you to stand in the special short line for doing so. Doing that virtually guarantees that you will
be paired with a stranger in the first row. I've ridden with countless other riders of all ages, male and
female, alike.
I will wait until we have boarded and turn and cheerily ask, "Is this your first trip on this ride?"
This always gets some kind of response from the other rider.
I explain that my wife is sitting this one out as she "let's me ride it again."
Then, we ride quietly for that first twisting few hundred feet and the next thing I say is,
"Notice how quiet the lift hill is.
They built it so the safety ratchet brake is 'pulled up' by the chain so the normally very loud
'clankity-clankity' of nearly all other coasters is eliminated on EE and the climb to the top
is very smooth and quiet."
If I get a stoney silence response, that's the end of that...
and we ride the duration with me keeping my mouth shut.
OTOH, if the other rider engages in convo... at the very top pause,
I'll point out the hair-ties on the ground,
the other hotels and parks on the horizon, the "bird on a stick"
(so often missed if you don't know when/where to look.)
Then backwards we all go...
When we reach the "projection yeti" pause I'll mention to look for the "real yeti"
in the last cave.

I add one quick note as we end the ride that I have seen the yeti actually MOVE as we were at DAK
when EE first opened.

So very many times I have had the luck of a fellow traveler who is an EE fan, (new or of old)
and we exit and part ways immediately at the gift shop. (I don't linger at the ride photo viewing.

Then, I pop back into the single rider line and many times I'll see the person with whom I've just ridden
discussing with their their party if they want to ride again.
Sometimes they join the SLR somewhere behind me as I'm off for another EE adventure,
this time with another fellow traveler, new or seasoned.


However, 7DMT has little opportunity for any but the most cursory of, "here we go!"
conversation at the beginning of the ride, so it is far less conducive to much
interaction with another single rider.

 

[ILUVDizney]

When I went with my mom and girls (age 11 and 6), my mom didn't want to ride any roller coasters. When we went on Barnstormer, the CM said that I had to ride next to my 6 year old because she wasn't yet 7 (they asked her how old she was). The girls had sat together in the car in front of me and they made her get out and sit next to me because my other daughter wasn't 14. So when we went on 7DMT my 11 year old sat by herself. Thankfully no issues, but she doesn't mind sitting alone and understood why.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I agree with you, and for the first time ever disagree with Robo's take on the situation.

I didn't really take a position. I just pointed out the obvious situation that the child would not be riding "without an adult" if he was riding along with another single rider adult.

He/she is still riding without an adult who is responsible for the child -- I think that really is the main point. Disney can't use the single rider lines to in any meaningful way assign unwilling babysitters to unaccompanied kids...

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

I frequently ride alone on rollercoasters, and I have noticed that Walt Disney World has really began to sit people with others especially on 7DMT. OP...Sorry that happened to you and your sister. I have never experienced anything like that. I have caught onto this the last several trips to WDW, and I just inform the CM that I would like to ride alone, because I have been afraid of a situation like this happening to me. Also, I don't feel comfortable riding in a 2-seat row with a stranger. The CM's have always been 100% compliant when I ask to sit alone. Now, riding in attractions with a 3 or 4-seat row like Dinosaur and Test Track are different, and I feel comfortable riding in those with strangers.

 

[kagmypts]

He/she is still riding without an adult who is responsible for the child -- I think that really is the main point. Disney can't use the single rider lines to in any meaningful way assign unwilling babysitters to unaccompanied kids...

I agree with you. I am unsure how Disney determines that an adult stranger is responsible for an unaccompanied child (not implying that anyone on this thread was saying that). It's a slippery slope IMO.

However, I have seen all sorts of parties put together and have never witnessed any sort of disagreement. I am sorry that the OP had a series of such uncomfortable events.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I agree with you. I am unsure how Disney determines that an adult stranger is responsible for an unaccompanied child (not implying that anyone on this thread was saying that). It's a slippery slope IMO.

However, I have seen all sorts of parties put together and have never witnessed any sort of disagreement. I am sorry that the OP had a series of such uncomfortable events.

Yeah -- I don't think seating a child under the age to ride alone next to any random adult meets the requirement at all -- not in reality nor in Disney's eyes. I assume it's that child getting in line with his/her parents that meets it. If the parents choose to let that child ride next to another adult, the parents are still responsible for that child -- not the adult that just happened to sit with him or her.

 

[Robo]

He/she is still riding without an adult who is responsible for the child -- I think that really is the main point. Disney can't use the single rider lines to in any meaningful way assign unwilling babysitters to unaccompanied kids...

OK, it's like the Twilight Zone in this thread.
My comment is in direct connection with paragraph 2 of the original post.
I'm not taking a "position" on this, I am commenting as to likely why there was a 5 yo single rider whom an adult was paired with.
I didn't pair them up.