Why are cast members putting so many people in a ride vehicle?

[Hoosier Mom]

The new boats got added at the end of August this year. You do get wetter than with the old boats, but it depends on how full the boat is, whether the weight is evenly distributed, time of day, and chance.

The Pirates boats are designed to hold 4 adults per row, except row 6 which can only have 3. CMs are encouraged to fill the boats as closely to 23 people as possible in order to keep the wait times down. Even if you splilt 2 and 2, many CMs will try to find a party of 2 to fill in with another party of 2. If you don't want them to do so, please speak with the grouper and be polite about it. It's easier to accommodate a request if someone is nice about it. Just don't complain if the line is long because the boats are leaving with empty seats in it.

Thanks for the info. Our our past January trips, there hasn't been a line. I hope that is still the case this coming trip. Hopefully they won't crowd too many in. I prefer to stay dry.

 

[lillykat]

Back on May we tried to do 3 and 3 for the people mover. They insisted all 6 go in one car...they told us to put the kids in our laps (almost 4 and almost 6)). Very uncomfortable.

 

[famy27]

I'm throwing my support to the "good grouper." We have season passes to a local theme park, and they are absolutely terrible at grouping, sometimes even with a single rider line. On a few of the e-ticket rides, there are four seats in a row. It makes me absolutely crazy each time I see a train leave the station with one or two people in a row. The wait times would decrease quite a bit if they counted off and grouped people properly. This particular theme park also lets kids and teens each take their own ride vehicle on low capacity rides like the scrambler.

I've never had a problem being smashed into ride vehicles at WDW. Riding with strangers never bothers me, either. Of course, I take public transportation every day, so I frequently end up with my face in some stranger's armpit. A little squishing on PotC would be nothing compared to that.

I guess it comes down to which bothers you more: longer lines or squishing. It's certainly an individual preference, but for me, I'll take the squishing any day.

 

[siskaren]

I guess it comes down to which bothers you more: longer lines or squishing. It's certainly an individual preference, but for me, I'll take the squishing any day.

Actually, with single riders, I would tend to think that it would be faster to just let them have a seat or a ride vehicle to themselves (and I'm talking about a small ride vehicle like on PP or HM, not something like an entire log on Splash), rather then to try to find another single rider to fill in the empty seat. (The exception of course would be on the few rides that have single rider lines.)

That being said, I have nothing against being put in a row or ride vehicle with a stranger (in fact, I would expect it on a ride like PotC or IaSW), but being squished does not make for a pleasant ride experience.

 

[akayek31]

I am glad I read this before my trip. I will not be squished in rides and riding 6 to a car when barely anyone is ever on the people mover. I did not pay to stay onsite and to get an annual pass to be treated like a can of sardines.

 

[pampam]

In hopes of helping out the lines our family of 4 has decided to only take one row at Test Track.

It's sooooo thoughful of you. Perhaps a small child could lay across your feet.

 

[karly05]

The seats on Splash Mountain are also meant to hold two people, but as a solo traveler, I've never been forced to ride sitting next to a stranger. (I can't say about BTMR because it's been too long since I've ridden it.)

I rode BTMRR in February of this year as a solo and had a seat to myself. On two solo trips, I've not had to share a 2-person seat or a "buggy" (like HM, Nemo, Pan) with anyone. I've shared Hunny Pots at Pooh, but had a row to myself (another party in the seat in front/behind). Boat rides like PotC, IASW, Maelstrom, I've sometimes had a row to myself and sometimes shared with a small party (1 or 2 people), but never crammed in. This has been in lower crowd times.

I think the "wait for the next vehicle" thing can be confusing to start with, and if you have parties for whom English is not a first language, it's probably worse.

 

[stormer]

I think the "wait for the next vehicle" thing can be confusing to start with, and if you have parties for whom English is not a first language, it's probably worse.

We encountered this problem the last week in August. My two sons and I went to ride Big Thunder. We asked for two rows, as none of us are small people and the crowds were low. The CM put us two and one no problem. When it came time to load two adults started to climb in the row with my son. I explained to them that we asked to ride two and one so we wouldn't be squished and they were supposed to wait for the next train. They looked like they didn't completely understand what I was explaining.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

The rides we have been squished on are Peter Pan (the CM INSISTED that all 3 of us go in a single vehicle, even though our son was a teenager) and the Safari. In the past they have announced that you do NOT get in the jeep with someone else's party, but this one day they insisted that the 3 of us get in a row with a woman and her child, making it 5 in the row. I couldn't move. I was NOT pleased.

We go in the summer when crowds are moderate, and these were both isolated episodes. I hope they are not implementing a new policy that crams people into ride vehicles no matter what the crowd levels look like.

 

[wdwloverz]

We encountered this problem the last week in August. My two sons and I went to ride Big Thunder. We asked for two rows, as none of us are small people and the crowds were low. The CM put us two and one no problem. When it came time to load two adults started to climb in the row with my son. I explained to them that we asked to ride two and one so we wouldn't be squished and they were supposed to wait for the next train. They looked like they didn't completely understand what I was explaining.

3 adults could never fit in 1 row on Btmr.
I saw that the OP said this happened to them also, but then they later clarified that they rode 2 & 1....
I do think sometimes (especially on Potc) people squeeze on when they should have waited.

 

[MichelleVW]

Back on May we tried to do 3 and 3 for the people mover. They insisted all 6 go in one car...they told us to put the kids in our laps (almost 4 and almost 6)). Very uncomfortable.

Lol..yeah no way would I have done that. They could have insisted all they want when I sent half my party in one car and waited for the other. That's what we did last week. We had 6 ADULTS and the girl pointed to one car.... My mom was ready to flip on the poor girl and I just told the girls to go on that one and we would wait for the next one.

When I go with my two girls we do squish in Haunted Mansion but never anything else. We squished in Nemo once...that was tight!!

 

[delmar411]

We encountered this problem the last week in August. My two sons and I went to ride Big Thunder. We asked for two rows, as none of us are small people and the crowds were low. The CM put us two and one no problem. When it came time to load two adults started to climb in the row with my son. I explained to them that we asked to ride two and one so we wouldn't be squished and they were supposed to wait for the next train. They looked like they didn't completely understand what I was explaining.

This has happen to us before but I had the CM checking the lap bars force the person to get out and wait for the next train. It was the person's fault not the CM, she didn't seem to speak/understand English very well.

 

[lillykat]

Lol..yeah no way would I have done that. They could have insisted all they want when I sent half my party in one car and waited for the other. That's what we did last week. We had 6 ADULTS and the girl pointed to one car.... My mom was ready to flip on the poor girl and I just told the girls to go on that one and we would wait for the next one. When I go with my two girls we do squish in Haunted Mansion but never anything else. We squished in Nemo once...that was tight!!

They were putting people in the car behind us ....we were told ride together or get off.

 

[Disneybuckeye]

This happened to DH and I at POTC in October. It was a little before 7 on a party night and was our last ride before party activities. The CM sent us to the first row of the boat where there were already two pretty large people sitting. We thought we were to wait for the next boat. The CM yelled at us to get in. I said there is not enough room and he said yes there is. Now keep in mind I weigh about 115 and DH about 180, but there was about 18 inches of seat there and that would not cut it.

The mom with two young children in row two moved over for DH to sit and I sat in row one with the thoroughly embarrassed larger people who apologized for us not being able to sit together. Keep in mind the back two rows of our boat only had two adults in each of them as well as the whole boat in front of us (noticed that when the boards were backed up and we ran into them).

Very bizarre and the only damper on an otherwise great trip.

 

[MichelleVW]

They were putting people in the car behind us ....we were told ride together or get off.

Sorry that happened to you. But with the continual line it was easy for the girls to hop in one and we just waited until the next. The people behind us just had to wait one more car. I'm pretty much a rule follower but I'm sorry...6 people in one people mover car is insane and I would be asking for a manager if they had insisted.

 

[Eastern]

This happened to us a couple times last NYE week. I think it was Small World and Living with the Land. Both times I said 'we are not going to fit' and they just made us do it. It was so uncomfortable but at the time I was caught off-guard.

We were literally jammed in! This time I won't be surprised. I would rather not ride, actually.

 

[Mousemom234]

<snip>..The Pirates boats are designed to hold 4 adults per row, except row 6 which can only have 3. CMs are encouraged to fill the boats as closely to 23 people as possible in order to keep the wait times down. Even if you splilt 2 and 2, many CMs will try to find a party of 2 to fill in with another party of 2. If you don't want them to do so, please speak with the grouper and be polite about it. It's easier to accommodate a request if someone is nice about it. Just don't complain if the line is long because the boats are leaving with empty seats in it.

I've got no problem with 2 & 2, but DH and I have been 'firmly encouraged' to sit in a row with 3 others, sometimes 3 adults, no kids. We aren't small people, and I get noticeably uncomfortable when packed like a sardine.

We're happy to be single riders anywhere that will let us, and it can be fun to ride with strangers, I'd rather be split up than squeezed, but for some reason, this doesn't seem to be an option in most cases

 

[Finally08]

We've had this happen to us over the years. At times when it is super busy I can see them trying to maximize space, but we rarely visit at times that are THAT crazy.
We have been crammed into a row of 5 on safari (I had to sit up straight and not sit back because I couldn't wedge myself in all the way), we've had to share a Magic Carpet with another family (us in back, them in front) - we always get stuck sharing a honey pot in Pooh, and this last trip we got put in a ride vehicle on Primevil Whirl with a family that had to be split (they had 5 total), which is especially odd since the seats kind of curve in a U shape which makes you sort of part way facing the other people. I usually like to film dd on this ride because she giggles and giggles but didn't this trip since I would have been all in these stranger's faces.

 

[BlovesC]

DH and I primarily hit the parks just as party of two. We go often, and we've never, ever had CMs sit random strangers with us, and if they're not doing it to our party of two, I find it hard to believe they'd be doing it to groups of four or five!

I think what is happening in most cases is miscommunication on half of the other guests. DH and I have definitely had instances in which random strangers tried to join us in our row on a ride, not because of CMs, but because the guests A)had a language barrier B)weren't paying attention or C)were simply impatient. We've always gently explained/gestured that they get the next vehicle and I've never had a problem.

Guest confusion is pretty rampant at certain rides like PotC, and especially Aladdin's carpets, which is one of my favorite rides, and I'm on it at least once a month. I kind of get a kick out of watching the loading process for it...half the guests grab the first carpet they see, and then the guests who try and go to their designated number carpet get confused and think they have to join the other party. I've seen so many rounds of the ride start with two strange families sharing a carpet while others are totally empty!

And I agree with everyone else's comment about the new PotC boats...they've really turned it into a water ride! If you're in the front or back, you're likely to get drenched!

 

[tinkerbelle8878]

One of the worst ones and oddest I've ever experienced was years ago on Spaceship Earth. Three in one 'row' There are only 2 headrests and speakers so my sister was stuck in the middle..literally. So stupid since it was a continually loading ride and not one where there's a long wait.

Another was on TSMM when I was on a solo trip and after 85 minutes behind one family that I had just about had it with, the CMs wanted me to sit in the car with the worst of them.

I said point blank, 'Its been 85 minutes, please, I can't."

I think after then seeing the darling in action, the CM agreed and just nodded.

At that point I would've waited another 10 minutes just to not have to sit with them.

I generally don't have problems with it , if there's enough room or if its like TT where you go on the single rider line knowing you're sitting with anyone's party. But on rides where its not meant for more people, or there's just not the room, I think you have to be firm and say you don't feel its safe.

Also, on many of the boat rides, I've found there's no leg room for tall people so squishing more people in just isn't going to work when the tallies are forced to sit with their legs in all sorts of odd angles.