Have you ever experienced anything neg at WDW?

[dansamy]

I'm a straight married woman and to be honest, I think my whole family would rather go during Gay Days. I think the people would be a whole lot more fun to be around. Not so uptight lol!

Gay Days is actually not bad if you hut the same parks they are. A lot of conservative hetero families avoid them, making those parks quite pleasant.

 

[AudreyKThompson]

Well it's a family-oriented place and a family-oriented place, all at the same time, and so it should be. Welcoming to everyone, if only more places were like that.

ITA- Love the Mouse!

 

[mcj79]

thanks for everyones input on this thread!
myself and my fiancee are having a civil partnership ceremony here in the UK in october, and flying over to orlando for our honeymoon straight after.
although we have been before and never had a problem ive been a little concerned about how people would react to us as a lesbian couple on our honeymoon, i could be wrong, but as i understand it our legally recognised partnership, meaning we have the same rights as a heterosexual married couple, isnt recognised in florida. (please correct me if im wrong?!)
i guess i was worried that people would diminish the fact we were on our honeymoon.....
however after reading many of the lovely posts and stories on here i am no longer worried! and am now even more excited to spend my honeymoon in WDW.

Same-sex partnership/civil union/marriage is NOT recognized in Florida or the majority of States in the United States. I think we are up to 9 or so that offer some type of same-sex legal relationship recognition. I would highly recommend traveling with a medical proxy or medical power of attorney documents. On the off chance you had a medical emergency you would need paper work clearing stating you have given each other the right to visit & make treatment choices for the other. You can look at HRC.org to find out more on the subject.

Thankfully Disney World is much more friendly then the state of Florida. While being at Disney World does not effect the legal issues it does have a different vibe. If you are open and friendly with the CM/Disney staff you will more often then not be treated really wonderfully no matter if you are gay or straight. I think if they know it is your honeymoon they will do their best to make it a fun & romantic time for both of you. Make sure call ahead and let them know you are coming for your honeymoon! You might get some extra special magic!

Hope you have a wonderful time!

 

[FlaNani]

My partner and I have annual passes and we live less than 2 hours away, so we are in the World as often as we can get there. We have never had any problems with cast members or other guests. We were asked when checking in if we wanted one bed or two, the CM didn't skip a beat when we said one. We have our Rainbow Mickey pins and wear them when we go, and everyone seems to love them.

 

[SullySpears]

I'm a straight married woman and to be honest, I think my whole family would rather go during Gay Days. I think the people would be a whole lot more fun to be around. Not so uptight lol!

I wish everyone were like you!

 

[lego606]

I wish everyone were like you!

Agreed

 

[BuddyThomas]

I've never ever had any issue of any kind at WDW, but there was a time when they tried to do some gay days stuff at Universal, and I heard the word "f*gg*t" more than a few times.........not directed at me, but still, it was uncomfortable, and it seems that the various gay days organizers now skip Universal on their schedules.

 

[Taytortots]

It was great to hear all the good stories on here.
I've never been to the World with a partner (and am now currently single) but I do wear my rainbow mickey, and if I hear discrimination, have a little bit of a problem holding myself back from saying something.
I've gotten a few looks due to the pin (and I suppose some people assume that I am a lesbian because of how I look) but nothing bad.
I think, even through the magic, some jerks will come into the park and behave like bigots. Unfortunately, these people are everywhere. Thankfully Disney does a great job of being accepting and not tolerating this behavior, and the cast members being wonderful and open is amazing.
It brightens my day to hear the good stories, thanks everyone for sharing.

 

[mcj79]

We just returned a couple weeks ago from our first Disney World trip together. And I'm happy to report we didn't have any negative experiences only 'magical' ones!

At check-in the CM didn't miss a beat when I told him it was my wife's B-day and our 1st trip together. He gave her a 'It's my Birthday' button, me a 'I'm celebrating' button us both 1st visit buttons. He noticed we paid with a Pen State Alum card and they struck up a conversation about Pen state. (He was there on a college program with Disney.)
We did a couple tours and both or our CM's were great & welcoming. The other guests were also friendly & welcoming. We walked arm-in-arm or held hands often during the tours. So, it was pretty clear between that & the introductions we were a couple. (If anyone had a issue they kept it to them selves.)
Any cast member's we actually talked with caught on pretty fast again never missing a beat. They were all so cheerful and welcoming.

At the AK we were walking along one of the paths near water fall and spotted a Photopass CM. It was not too busy of a spot so we jumped at the chance to get some good pics with out strangers in the background. So, we asked him for some photos, he took a few shots then asked if we were sisters. We said 'nope we are married'. He paused of a second and asked 'you two are married to each other?' We both replied 'yes'. He said "well then, give her a kiss and hold it for a minute." He had us both give kisses on the check and did some other fun shots with tinker bell.. tell us to give her that 'come on over here sexy look'! LOL! He was really nice & a lot of fun. And neither he or us cared about the other guests walking around and looking.

We are not big PDA people. But we did walk arm-in-arm fairly often. And always referred to each other as 'my wife' and when we talked to each other it was often 'sweety'. We had meals at a few group tables and talked with other guests in a few of the lines. We never had any issues. (We also never waited in line more then 40 minutes. Guess we had good timing!)

We realize not all Disney World or other Disney trips will be this perfect and amazing. But we are hooked and will for ever be chasing that first 'high'.

We are planning to hit Disney every couple years, at the very least when they ad something new. Totally checking out other Disney adventures too!

 

[KPeveler]

How were your experiences with having your wedding at WDW? We are planning ours for may 2014. Thanks!

My wedding was absolutely easy and wonderful! We had the smallest package (whatever it is called now) which came with a set of things included - flowers for me and my wife, cake and champagne, the site/chairs/table/set-up/clean up, violinist, photographer, limo, and a wedding planner.

We added more flowers, more champagne, and a couple other little things. You can make the wedding as big as you want - photos in the park and even Mickey at your reception. Basically if you will write a check and it is legal, Disney will do it.

It can be more complicated, but we just went with Disney photography (our photographer rocked), had a friend "officiate" since this was a ceremony but we got married "for real" in CT because Florida would not recognize our marriage.

Our wedding planner was Tanis (or something like that) and we were her first same-sex wedding. She was so excited about it. It was treated like any other wedding.

Sorry, can't type more right now. But I do want to say it was amazing.

 

[khmz]

When I saw the title of this thread, I thought twice about reading. I didn't want to hear about others being treated poorly in a place we love. My family (2 moms and 2 daughters) have made numerous trips to WDW and several Disney cruises. We have always been treated very well, as a couple and a family. We probably get more looks because of the 17 year old's hair color (changes weekly, usually very bright colors).

We have done the shared dinner table on the cruise. We were a little nervous. First cruise, the other family was rude but I don't think it was about us. Second cruise was completely different! The other family had a son that became best buds with our younger daughter. They are still pen pals. The straight couple, and the mother in law who came along, were fantastic. We even planned a couple activities together on the cruise. Did a tequila tasting on board. At the end, they do a couple's shots challenge. Our new friends quickly volunteered us and the entire group present cheered us on.

Disney has been such a great vacation experience that we joined DVC in 2010. When we purchased, the sales rep split the contract so my partner and I were both represented since we were not legally recognized as a couple in the state we lived in. We appreciated his attention to detail.

Now that we have moved to NorCal, its a matter of time before we make our first trip to DL. Disney will always have our business.

 

[Disneytwinsmom]

When I saw the title of this thread, I thought twice about reading. I didn't want to hear about others being treated poorly in a place we love. My family (2 moms and 2 daughters) have made numerous trips to WDW and several Disney cruises. We have always been treated very well, as a couple and a family. We probably get more looks because of the 17 year old's hair color (changes weekly, usually very bright colors).

We have done the shared dinner table on the cruise. We were a little nervous. First cruise, the other family was rude but I don't think it was about us. Second cruise was completely different! The other family had a son that became best buds with our younger daughter. They are still pen pals. The straight couple, and the mother in law who came along, were fantastic. We even planned a couple activities together on the cruise. Did a tequila tasting on board. At the end, they do a couple's shots challenge. Our new friends quickly volunteered us and the entire group present cheered us on.

Disney has been such a great vacation experience that we joined DVC in 2010. When we purchased, the sales rep split the contract so my partner and I were both represented since we were not legally recognized as a couple in the state we lived in. We appreciated his attention to detail.

Now that we have moved to NorCal, its a matter of time before we make our first trip to DL. Disney will always have our business.

Thanks for sharing your experience. We are a 2 mom with twins (boy & girl) family and on the cruise we didnt have any "magical moments" like you did, but didnt experience anything negative either.

We are going to WDW in Nov for 8 days and hope we have lots of pixie dust moments. It would be nice to run into families like ours!

 

[Disneytwinsmom]

We just returned a couple weeks ago from our first Disney World trip together. And I'm happy to report we didn't have any negative experiences only 'magical' ones!

At check-in the CM didn't miss a beat when I told him it was my wife's B-day and our 1st trip together. He gave her a 'It's my Birthday' button, me a 'I'm celebrating' button us both 1st visit buttons. He noticed we paid with a Pen State Alum card and they struck up a conversation about Pen state. (He was there on a college program with Disney.)
We did a couple tours and both or our CM's were great & welcoming. The other guests were also friendly & welcoming. We walked arm-in-arm or held hands often during the tours. So, it was pretty clear between that & the introductions we were a couple. (If anyone had a issue they kept it to them selves.)
Any cast member's we actually talked with caught on pretty fast again never missing a beat. They were all so cheerful and welcoming.

At the AK we were walking along one of the paths near water fall and spotted a Photopass CM. It was not too busy of a spot so we jumped at the chance to get some good pics with out strangers in the background. So, we asked him for some photos, he took a few shots then asked if we were sisters. We said 'nope we are married'. He paused of a second and asked 'you two are married to each other?' We both replied 'yes'. He said "well then, give her a kiss and hold it for a minute." He had us both give kisses on the check and did some other fun shots with tinker bell.. tell us to give her that 'come on over here sexy look'! LOL! He was really nice & a lot of fun. And neither he or us cared about the other guests walking around and looking.

We are not big PDA people. But we did walk arm-in-arm fairly often. And always referred to each other as 'my wife' and when we talked to each other it was often 'sweety'. We had meals at a few group tables and talked with other guests in a few of the lines. We never had any issues. (We also never waited in line more then 40 minutes. Guess we had good timing!)

We realize not all Disney World or other Disney trips will be this perfect and amazing. But we are hooked and will for ever be chasing that first 'high'.

We are planning to hit Disney every couple years, at the very least when they ad something new. Totally checking out other Disney adventures too!

Thank you for sharing your story! I love reading stories like that!

 

[khmz]

Thanks for sharing your experience. We are a 2 mom with twins (boy & girl) family and on the cruise we didnt have any "magical moments" like you did, but didnt experience anything negative either.

We are going to WDW in Nov for 8 days and hope we have lots of pixie dust moments. It would be nice to run into families like ours!

Thanks for posting. We too would love to run into more families like ours. Ive thought about posting to see a group from here organize to go on a cruise or something.

 

[SanFranciscan]

When I saw the title of this thread, I thought twice about reading. I didn't want to hear about others being treated poorly in a place we love. My family (2 moms and 2 daughters) have made numerous trips to WDW and several Disney cruises. We have always been treated very well, as a couple and a family. We probably get more looks because of the 17 year old's hair color (changes weekly, usually very bright colors).

We have done the shared dinner table on the cruise. We were a little nervous. First cruise, the other family was rude but I don't think it was about us. Second cruise was completely different! The other family had a son that became best buds with our younger daughter. They are still pen pals. The straight couple, and the mother in law who came along, were fantastic. We even planned a couple activities together on the cruise. Did a tequila tasting on board. At the end, they do a couple's shots challenge. Our new friends quickly volunteered us and the entire group present cheered us on.

Disney has been such a great vacation experience that we joined DVC in 2010. When we purchased, the sales rep split the contract so my partner and I were both represented since we were not legally recognized as a couple in the state we lived in. We appreciated his attention to detail.

Now that we have moved to NorCal, its a matter of time before we make our first trip to DL. Disney will always have our business.

Nice post. I liked hearing that your daughter and her shipboard mate have been able to continue their friendship because I really enjoyed pen pal relationships while growing up. Some of these people were my best friends, even though most were people whom I never met in person.

I moved from San Francisco two years ago, and I believe that most of the "San Francisco tourism" was actually Wine Country tourism. I don't even drink alcohol and still loved the area around where you now live, especially the really cute town of Sebastopol, which I have not seen since probably the late 1980's.

 

[khmz]

Nice post. I liked hearing that your daughter and her shipboard mate have been able to continue their friendship because I really enjoyed pen pal relationships while growing up. Some of these people were my best friends, even though most were people whom I never met in person.

I moved from San Francisco two years ago, and I believe that most of the "San Francisco tourism" was actually Wine Country tourism. I don't even drink alcohol and still loved the area around where you now live, especially the really cute town of Sebastopol, which I have not seen since probably the late 1980's.

That's a crazy coincidence, but we live in Sebastopol. So much more besides wine.... Like apples and fresh produce. It's still a quirky town and there's no place else like it on earth.

Pen pals take extra effort and care when done the old fashioned way. I do think it is a special treat to get something in the mail.

 

[1000HappyWishes]

While this specific thread is centered around Disney, there isn't one for Universal so I thought I'd share a little story.

We were at IoA at it was pretty late, about time for my two friends and I to go meet back up with our school group. We were doing a little bit of last-minute shopping at one of the outdoor stands and we were on the topic of cute guys (specifically Robert Downey Jr.) The man working there promptly joined in our conversation, and we all had a really fun time discussing the hottest Avengers with him as we made our purchases. Honestly, talking with that guy was one of the best memories of that day! Glad to see he felt comfortable just blurting it out like that. Also glad to see that the majority of people have been treated kindly at the World!

 

[OnceUponAMelodye]

My fiance and I are annual passholders and have certainly had way more positive experiences than negative ones. The one negative was actually quite silly. My fiance, a friend and I were in lines for Pirates and my friend saw a young teenage boy with his family talking to his family about us. We had our rainbow Mickey pins on and he was pointing at his shirt and pointing at us. We made eye contact as he was doing this and he stopped abruptly. His mother more than made up for his rude behavior, commenting on interesting things in the line and asking questions about the ride. I chalk it up to inexperience on the boy's part.

One of the best experiences we've had was the weekend last winter that we stayed at WL at the concierge level. We were celebrating our 2nd anniversary and the CMs were so kind and helpful, immediately bringing adult beverages to our room for us after our 5 hour drive to the World. One of the last days we were there as we were leaving to go to dinner one of the CMs asked if we would be available in the morning. A family had dropped out of Flag Family for the Day and she asked if we wanted to do it! Of course we did! We got up the next morning and my fiance and I got up bright and early and got to raise the flags at WL and got a wonderful view of the whole property! Such a cool experience!!!

One more!! The night I proposed to my fiance was one that was sprinkled with Disney magic! I had planned to propose during Wishes at a spot that we always watch from. I had two friends coming from home that my fiance didn't know were coming. They were there to take pictures of the whole thing. Weeks before I had sent my friends a detailed email of a map of the park marking where we would be, detailed instructions on how to get there, and a picture of my fiance from that spot. Of course the time came and my friend couldn't figure out where to go. This is right before the fireworks so imagine the crowd. She finally grabbed a CM, showed her the picture of my fiance at the spot and asked if she could help them figure out where we were. The CM took one look at it, noticed the location of the castle and the flowers around it and told my friends to hold on to her. She navigated them through the crowd and they made it JUST in time to see me get on one knee!!! The CM then came back with Happily Ever After buttons to give to us! Such a wonderful experience! So incredibly grateful for that CM!!

 

[CurtisB]

I have a question about your cruise experience. Did you have to ask to be seated alone at a table for two? Or is that something they do for couples automatically but might not do if they weren't sure if you were just 2 friends or a couple? Just wondering as we have never taken a cruise but are thinking about it. We aren't keen on the idea of sitting at a table with strangers, in part because of our less traditional relationship and concerns about offending people or even having to explain ourselves.

I know this is a little old, but thought I would provide our experience. We were on the Magic this past December, didn't put any requests in and ended up sitting at a table of 8 couples, us being the only same sex one. We had so much fun with them! We were all roughly the same age, from all over the country and just had so much fun. They could not have put together a better table. We ended up doing stuff together on and off the ship and still keep in touch! DCL generally does a fantastic job of matching up tablemates so don't be nervous about it!

The rest of the cruise was fantastic as well. We wore bow ties almost every night and had so many random people come up and compliment us on the ties, or ask why we weren't wearing the ties in the middle of the day! We even had a lady come up to us and mentioned she had seen one of our pictures at Shutters (where they post the pictures they take) and it was adorable and we had to go see it right away. Not once on the cruise did we ever feel uncomfortable or unwelcome.

 

[CurtisB]

Double post for some reason.