When do the “15’s” start to diminish?

[SarahC97]

We'll crap...we we're staying at Movies next week.

 

[HopperFan]

Well,I spoke too soon!lol

We were just sitting at Grandstand Spirits when I heard an all too familiar sound of MAJOR LEAGUE CHANTING!lol

It is a new TG that just arrived and they went Old School Chanting from Home Run Hotel all the way through Touchdown! and ON INTO End Zone.

Heads were turning!lol

A few of these 15s were throwing in a little dancing for old time's sake!lol

This new group is so OLD SCHOOL-they are FIRED UP!lol

Most of our 15s are at F!-I am thinking this new TG may get the whole All-Star Sports 15s contingent going Old School Chantingwhen everybody gets back home!lol

We have had this cycle before, Disney gets them quiet for a year or two and then stops enforcing it and we are right back to it.

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In each season it changes due to the Tour Guides. They are NOT chaperones, they don't enforce anything, they are there to give the kids a good trip.

When DD worked there she learned enough words to get her point across to those who pretend to not understand. She also had many conversations with some of the guides. The older women guides took pride in the kids behaviors and representing their country well. They said they hated the companies that use the young guides, especially the young men. The young guides actually instigate the chanting and behaviors because the more fun the kids have the bigger the tips they get at the end. The women guides said they wished Disney would not allow companies that didn't send older guides who expect better behaviors.

We had two years of pure misery at hotel with them and one trip I had direct conversations with the kids (that was ugly) and tracked down a Guide and told them I was done and if I didn't get sleep that night they would be having a conversation with the real police, not the Disney guards. I slept that night. But we were unable to use buses, food court or pools. Moved offsite during those times for a couple years. Heading down in couple weeks ... staying off property.

 

[DLgal]

We have seen them ALL over the parks over the past 10 days and they are generally very quiet and well behaved. They got a bit rowdy at Typhoon Lagoon yesterday but they were just having fun and it was amusing to watch. They would gather at the end of the slides and cheer for everyone coming down. Otherwise, they have been on their best behavior in the parks. Actually, they have been better behaved than most other guests...this trip has been a doozy in the "inconsoderate/rude guests" category.

 

[Animal]

We haven’t dealt with them since August of 2012. I can’t say I remember anything negative about the experience, but we were younger then and probably just as rowdy as they were. 6 years and 4 kids have tamed us a bit. I’m a little disappointed to hear they may be at POR as that’s where we’re staying on our upcoming trip. I always thought they were confined to the all-stars.

4 kids in 6 years..."tame" is not the first adjective to come to mind

 

[WEDWDW]

We have had this cycle before, Disney gets them quiet for a year or two and then stops enforcing it and we are right back to it.

This is different.

We have been every July an most every January since 2003 and The 15s have NEVER been this "subdued".(in the Parks).

 

[AngiTN]

We haven’t dealt with them since August of 2012. I can’t say I remember anything negative about the experience, but we were younger then and probably just as rowdy as they were. 6 years and 4 kids have tamed us a bit. I’m a little disappointed to hear they may be at POR as that’s where we’re staying on our upcoming trip. I always thought they were confined to the all-stars.

No, they've always been at POR too. There was even a CM in one of the Brazilian polo's stationed there during our trip 2 years ago. But they weren't rowdy there at all. Likely due to size alone. There isn't room for multiple groups of them.

 

[AngiTN]

This is different.

We have been every July an most every January since 2003 and The 15s have NEVER been this "subdued".(in the Parks).

Right? It's like Disney had to have said something to the group directors as a whole. Like sent out a notice to all the companies that organize these tours. There's just no way they all decided to behave calmer all on their own all at once.

 

[SarahC97]

I'm supposed to check-in to All Star Music for a quick weekend trip next Friday - should I stay somewhere else? Now I'm nervous!

 

[Beer Me]

Maybe I'm just lucky but I always go in July and never has a bad experience with these groups. They are just happy, energetic kids.

Last trip we were headed to RRC with a fast pass and a huge group of teens started heading to the FP line en masse and we started running so that we weren't stuck behind all of them (wouldn't have been the end of the world but a few minutes is a few minutes). Their chaperone saw us and held up the entire group to make sure we got in front of them. I thought it was very considerate.

We also see them at every value and moderate resort we've stayed at without a single issue.

 

[IrishNYC]

Right? It's like Disney had to have said something to the group directors as a whole. Like sent out a notice to all the companies that organize these tours. There's just no way they all decided to behave calmer all on their own all at once.

Disney has brought in "Super Greeters" to deal with the 15s and similar groups. They are fluent in their native language (mostly Portuguese) and mostly from Brazil, and welcome them to Disney while laying down the law. Coming from someone of their own background seems to hold more water for the 15s than just a random Disney employee telling them to keep it down.

 

[WEDWDW]

Disney has brought in "Super Greeters" to deal with the 15s and similar groups. They are fluent in their native language (mostly Portuguese) and mostly from Brazil, and welcome them to Disney while laying down the law. Coming from someone of their own background seems to hold more water for the 15s than just a random Disney employee telling them to keep it down.

They are ALL from Brazil and just come for Winter Break(they do not come for Summer Break).

So many CMs speak Spanish,but so few speak Portuguese so Disney started the SG Program.

Most,if not all,SGs have worked an ICP previously.

The Brazil 15s "respond" to them better that the Argentina 15s!lol

The SGs have my respect-they know the ATGs hate them,but they try their best with them anyway!

But the SGs have been in place for years-so something beyond the SGs has seemingly happened.

 

[WEDWDW]

I'm supposed to check-in to All Star Music for a quick weekend trip next Friday - should I stay somewhere else? Now I'm nervous!

Music currently has the fewest 15s out of the 3 All-Stars.

Unless you get assigned a room in their "territory"-most are in Broadway,I would not sweat it.

And if you have never "stayed" with them,it really can be interesting to see their "excitement"!lol

We were talking to some 15s today and they told us they literally had been thinking about this trip EACH day for 5 years!

We asked them if it was everything they had "imagined" and they said "Yes,and MORE!"-it was really a little touching.

 

[married2mm]

I know I'm often accused of living in la la land
But if anyone disturbed me in the early hours of the morn..
I'd be straight to the front desk & request a change of room/resort

 

[AngiTN]

Disney has brought in "Super Greeters" to deal with the 15s and similar groups. They are fluent in their native language (mostly Portuguese) and mostly from Brazil, and welcome them to Disney while laying down the law. Coming from someone of their own background seems to hold more water for the 15s than just a random Disney employee telling them to keep it down.

Yeah, as PP mentioned, these Green shirt CMs are not new, they've been around for years. This new attitude from the 15s is due to something else. Something has finally gotten through to them, something beyond the Green shirts

 

[Dug720]

Maybe I'm just lucky but I always go in July and never has a bad experience with these groups. They are just happy, energetic kids.

Last trip we were headed to RRC with a fast pass and a huge group of teens started heading to the FP line en masse and we started running so that we weren't stuck behind all of them (wouldn't have been the end of the world but a few minutes is a few minutes). Their chaperone saw us and held up the entire group to make sure we got in front of them. I thought it was very considerate.

We also see them at every value and moderate resort we've stayed at without a single issue.

I think it is like most things - you are going to see what you expect to see. If you (not YOU @Beer Me , but the general you) go into a WDW trip at the same time they typically come and groan and expect to see them being rambunctious, any bit of their excitement will get conflated into “out of control rambunctiousness” in your eyes. If you see them and think the best - they are just a group of teens on a long-awaited trip just as we are on a long-awaited trip, you’re more likely to not see them as problematic.

 

[LAS321]

If you see them and think the best - they are just a group of teens on a long-awaited trip just as we are on a long-awaited trip, you’re more likely to not see them as problematic.

While I agree with you to a certain extent that people looking for something negative will always find it. That being said, I don't think any of us should have to put up with behavior that infringes on our vacation either. We shouldn't have to step over teens laying on the sidewalks on Main Street, listen to the endless chanting in the parks or yelling late at night around the resort. My all time winner though, is the girls that were wetting their very long hair in the sinks and basically bathing in the bathroom by Splash Mountain. There was hair in all the sinks and water everywhere as they ran around the bathroom, shoes off, while the tour guides were right outside doing nothing. It was disgusting. We all have to use the bathrooms. Sometimes we all need to be respectful of others on their "long awaited trip" as common courtesy.

 

[disneyseniors]

I honestly believe they have given them some direction of some sort. Simply because we saw more than I've ever seen and every single one were on their best behavior. We saw at least 4 groups per park, per day (identified by their different shirt groupings) where on my past trips I've never seen more than 1 per park. Odds alone tell you that the volume alone would have indicated that at least one of the groups would have been acting like teens but not this time.
There's just no way we had the fortune to have only the well behaved groups come at once.

I was wondering about that too! We stayed in 2017 mid February, and we were apprehensive about staying when the BGT's would be there. We had read all the horror stories.
Well, we only saw 2 tour groups in 9 days in the parks. The first one was at the entrance to splash mountain. They were organized by an older leader lady who had them in 2 straight lines and quietly waiting to go in. I couldn't believe it! We had one small group, appx 15 girls, pass us in Adventureland, and they were quietly singing, no problem. We saw large groups of cheerleaders but we didn't get in line behind them, just headed the other way. Again,no problem.

I was wondering if Disney had finally laid down the law about behavior in the parks, and it seems they have. We were happily surprised at their behavior in the parks, absolutely no problems at all. We stayed at POR and saw no tour groups there while we were there, so don't know how they acted at the resorts.
So glad Disney has finally done something about this, as large groups of teens with no supervision is only asking for trouble, IMO.

 

[WEDWDW]

While The 15s are definitely more low-key than they ever have been,they can still STOP THE SHOW!

We were at Epcot tonight and were walking through UK when we saw The 15s(at least 100) walking from backstage via the gate by the UK restrooms out onto World Showcase Promenade and down to World ShowPlace for their "formal night".

They looked like SUPER MODELS.

Their dresses were gorgeous and many of them wore "KISS shoes"!lol

Well,they stopped traffic!lol

Everyone stopped and stared and wanted to know who they were!lol

The 15s looked a lot more like The 22s tonight!lol

 

[Alicenwonderment]

I worked the YES Program back in spring 2000. I gave educational tours to students that came to Disney on field trips. For the most part the children behaved well. The tour required 1 chaperone for every 15 students. (if my memory serves me well)Groups came from all over the US and beyond. One of my favorite memories was a group from HI that gave Leis to their tour guides and was very respectful. I guess their chaperones came every year with a group of students. I do believe that the chaperones can set the tone of the trip by letting everyone know what is expected of them. There was one high school from NJ that was not respectful at all. I heard later in the day the group was asked to leave the park because they kicked one of the characters. I had some groups that did chant but we were encouraged to have the groups to tone it down.

 

[Dug720]

While I agree with you to a certain extent that people looking for something negative will always find it. That being said, I don't think any of us should have to put up with behavior that infringes on our vacation either. We shouldn't have to step over teens laying on the sidewalks on Main Street, listen to the endless chanting in the parks or yelling late at night around the resort. My all time winner though, is the girls that were wetting their very long hair in the sinks and basically bathing in the bathroom by Splash Mountain. There was hair in all the sinks and water everywhere as they ran around the bathroom, shoes off, while the tour guides were right outside doing nothing. It was disgusting. We all have to use the bathrooms. Sometimes we all need to be respectful of others on their "long awaited trip" as common courtesy.

I'm not saying that bad behavior doesn't happen. It does - EVEN with Americans (individual, families, or groups).

I'm just saying I think some people see a large group of Latina girls and/or hear "Oh, the 15s" and then every little thing that they do (I'm not saying what you experienced as little - I'm saying legit little stuff like them being a little bit excited) gets blown WAY up in those people's minds.