Any NEGATIVE experiences at WDW?

[lillielil]

I'm just curious... have any of you had bad experiences at WDW as a same-sex couple, from either CMs or guests? Any bizarre experiences? What happened?

 

[Tony-NJ]

None - and we go just about annually - sometimes more than once a year.

We did experience a waitress once a while ago that was not having a good day I don't think.... Other than that - we've always had exceptional experiences.

 

[wallyb]

No bad times for me.
A few times it felt like (after they caught on we were a gay couple) we even got special treatment.
Go figure!

 

[RickinNYC]

Nope, none. Although we've had one amusing experience (to us), none can be construed as bad. The amusing moment was a cast member making a joke, rather loudly I might add, that "somebody made a mistake and gave you guys a king bed! YOU GUYS definitely don't want that now DO you? HAhahahaha!!!" To which both Joe and I looked at each other, snickered a bit and I leaned in and told her in fact, that we'd prefer a king because we were celebrating our anniversary.

Boy, she got all flustered and embarrassed. I guess it could have been a difficult situation for some, but we just thought it was an honest misunderstanding and didn't care.

And like Wally mentioned, when cast members realize we're a couple, it feels like, on occasion, we have gotten more attention or nicer treatment.

 

[dkostel]

I had a rather funny experience. My ex dgf & I took my niece to for a few days when she was 7. She had met a little girl while swimming in our pool at the CR. So I struck up a conversation with the mom and my gf came up & took my spot while I went to get some lunch. She started talking to the woman who said something like " I was just talking to you friend - I forgot her name" when my niece pipes in with "they're not friends, they're girllllll friends!" The lady turned bright red & apologized saying she doesn't like to assume anything about people, blah, blah, blah. My gf explained that my niece was the world's most outspoken 7 year old gay rights advocate and the woman had nothing to apologize for. She ended up inviting us all to watch the fireworks from her tower room balcony.
People just seem nicer at Disney. I don't know if it attracts nicer people or if they just become nicer once they're there. For me it is just part of the magic.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

About six years ago Judy and I went to WDW to see what Gay Day was really like. Over at Liberty Square we met this real nice pair of guys who were wearing red sequined hightop sneakers and sailor hats. We were having a discussion with them (they had done these by hand, with over 300 sequins on each) about how much work was involved. There was a woman sitting near us who voiced a comment about "they shouldn't let that kind of people in" and we suggested to her that maybe they should not let in bigoted people.

 

[lillielil]

I forgot to include my own!

The bad: While standing in line for one of the rides, my girlfriend and I were just holding hands. I looked over and saw a woman telling her two young kids to stand behind her. Then she and her husband made a wall so that the kids couldn't see us, and whispered nasty things to each other. It mostly enraged me because of what she was teaching her children. How DARE she use us as a way to teach her kids to hate?!?

The weird: When we were there last January, my girlfriend and I bought bride and groom ears (the icon is us trying on just bride ears in the store) and walked around wearing them for most of our trip. One [FLAMING!!!!] camera guy made kind of a weird face at us, then said "Ok, I'm just a little confused. What's with the ears?" We answered "We're on our honeymoon" (easier than saying "well, we screwed up and planned a hideously expensive vacation right after we got engaged and should have been saving for the wedding.") His response: "Ooooohhhhhh." We kept on walking, then decided to go back and have him take some pictures of us being cute. Before he was finished he 'fessed up that he had a boyfriend. It was kind of cute.

 

[cityofweasels]

And like Wally mentioned, when cast members realize we're a couple, it feels like, on occasion, we have gotten more attention or nicer treatment.

Interesting. I've noticed the same thing. My friend Jeff and I, both straight, have thought we noticed extra special attention the couple of times a CM assumed we were a couple. It's kind of amusing, other than the fact it points out people do get treated differently based on perception (which in this case, fortunately resulted in better treatment and not worse.)

We were there on GD once, and the treatment was even better. I asked a CM if they were told to go the extra mile that day, and they said no, since Disney doesn't officially recognize it, they couldn't very well issue special instructions for it. Not sure I buy that 100%, but that was the story.

 

[Boston5602]

there's been a couple of times we're we should have been treated badly , because of the way we were behaving but we got " ignored " politely a couple of times from security. Thanks Disney

 

[CanadianGuy]

At my first GayDay in 1995 I had two semi-not-nice experiences..

# 1 - I had been told about the red t-shirt thing. I just happened to have one with me. It was a Nike shirt that was something about taking in lots of water and running "like HELL". The print was small and not overbearing. At the gate of the park on GayDay, I was asked to turn the shirt inside out because of the word "Hell" on it. The CM who seemed a little prissy was very firm about not letting me in unless I turned my shirt inside out. I pointed out to her I had worn the shirt previously to the park that very week (it was laundered!) but she didn't care. Once I was in the park, and I saw some of the very rude t-shirts on some motorcycle guys and their girlfriends, I promptly turned my shirt back around.

# 2 - Same day.. I went to purchase Mouse ears for my friend Louise, who for as long as I have known her, has been called Weezah. The CM said that they could only do mouse ear names as proper names, therefore they could only do Louise. I think they thought the ears were for a drag queen or something. Whatever, I waited a day and went back to Magic Kingdom the next day and that CM issued the ears for Weezah without question.

Go figure.

J

 

[mkmarty]

Haven't had any bad ones - infact I'd say it's one of the gayest places we've both been

 

[Disney Debbie]

I'm glad to hear it's been good for the most part for ya'll. My mom took me to WDW the day after my last radiation treatment last year. She looks very young and is often mistaken for my sister. (she's only 20 years older then me) My hair was just starting to grow back from chemo - had maybe 3/4 of an inch. We walked around holding hands all day - like I almost always do with my mama! It wasn't until the end of the day that I noticed some people looking at us funny! We had a good laugh thinking people might of thought we were gay all day!

 

[Tink-N-Pan]

I'm happy to report no bad experiences for us either. I would have to agree that people just seem a little happier at Disney.

Keeping with the better treatment theme: It may be my imagination, but the belly-dancer at Epcot's Marrakesh seemed to favor our table a little more. She had this forty year old gal blushing like the ten year old boys.

 

[OrlandoMike]

I'm happy to report no bad experiences for us either. I would have to agree that people just seem a little happier at Disney.

Keeping with the better treatment theme: It may be my imagination, but the belly-dancer at Epcot's Marrakesh seemed to favor our table a little more. She had this forty year old gal blushing like the ten year old boys.

The best Cast Members are trained to recognize what each guest wants....

Glad to hear the Belly Dancer at Morocco is "Making Magic" on a daily basis!

I remember one time I was working at a water park, and I noticed two gay guys, one was taking a great pic of the other. I said "would you like me to take a pic of the both of you in that space?" and they about went over themselves to thank me! Most CM's would do this for a straight family, and I'm hoping that most would do the same for a gay family!

 

[Tink-N-Pan]

The best Cast Members are trained to recognize what each guest wants....

Glad to hear the Belly Dancer at Morocco is "Making Magic" on a daily basis!

Indeed! It was by far our favorite meal of the trip.

 

[majortom]

Had one very bad experience at Wilderness Lodge on New Year's Day 1996. Short form of the story: A Front Desk Manager came over and told my b/f and I not to hold hands as we waited with a group of our (straight) friends for Whispering Canyons to start seating, as he was getting complaints from (and I quote) "small children" and "his front desk staff" (who must have had amazing eyesight to see us across the lobby through two giant pillars).

There were quite a few straight couples doing just what we were doing to whom he did not say anything. We went the next day and complained to the GM at the hotel and he said: "I completely support his actions. You were making other guests uncomfortable and that is unacceptable."

We were furious. After writing a letter to Lee Cockerell, we received a letter of apology. It was years before I would go back to that hotel.

/carmi

 

[Peepster]

Okay, I've held back with this story but it makes me crazy so I figure if I share it perhaps I'll feel better. In other words, this post is entirely selfish. We were on vacation with another couple (straight) and were enjoying the lobby of the Grand Floridian while waiting for our reservation time at Vic & Al's. Sitting on the sofa across from us were two young men....one with his arm draped loosely around the shoulders of his companion. In my mind they were the picture of contentment. Standing behind them and out of their sight (thank goodness) was an older man who was absolutely glaring at the two of them. Please do not tell me that I was being oversensitive to his look...I have seldom seen such hatred diffusing from someone's face. While it was not me who incurred such wrath, it's still a very unhappy memory I have of an otherwise wonderful night.

 

[mickeyfan1]

Okay, I've held back with this story but it makes me crazy so I figure if I share it perhaps I'll feel better. In other words, this post is entirely selfish. We were on vacation with another couple (straight) and were enjoying the lobby of the Grand Floridian while waiting for our reservation time at Vic & Al's. Sitting on the sofa across from us were two young men....one with his arm draped loosely around the shoulders of his companion. In my mind they were the picture of contentment. Standing behind them and out of their sight (thank goodness) was an older man who was absolutely glaring at the two of them. Please do not tell me that I was being oversensitive to his look...I have seldom seen such hatred diffusing from someone's face. While it was not me who incurred such wrath, it's still a very unhappy memory I have of an otherwise wonderful night.

Lovely...... it could have been brothers, cousins, close friends, who knows? Unless I see some spit being swapped, how do I know and why would I presume that 2 people of the same sex are anthing other than just Disney fans together. Someone should have slapped that man into next week.


Of course the older man could have been the jilted lover, maybe that's why he looked so angry?