Guest Assistance Cards - Page 3 - The DVC Boards at MouseOwners.com - the place to talk DVC and Walt Disney World

Sdgilliand · 05-22-2012, 07:59 PM

We were there about a week ago and my DD was issued a GAC. (she is almost 3 and has spina bifida...wears leg braces, but cannot walk or stand for long periods of time) We were given the GAC, even though her braces are visible, and a "stoller as wheelchair" tag. It was wonderful. We were sent throough the wheelchair access on most rides, and the fastpass return line on others. The only line that we were sent into the regular entrance was dumbo. We really had no idea how the card would work. We had a party of 8. (4 kids 4 adults) And I had worked on all these touring plans for us, and they really were unnecessary, because of this card. Not having to constantly take her out of the stroller was SO awesome, because her braces get hung up every time we lift her out...This card was a lifesaver for us, and I hope they don't change it too much. I know our experience would have been entirely different without it.

ppoe65 · 05-23-2012, 10:56 PM

I have two children who are on the autistic spectrum. They look and act "normal", however waiting in the lines stresses them out and they start to chew on themselves and scratch themselves very hard. The GAC is a God's send. It helps us with the long lines. Many people think we get right through the line, but on several occassions we've waited longer than in the regular line. This was fine because we were not in a narrow que, but in a roomy waiting area. Occassionally we get strange looks when we use the GAC, but it makes the whole trip much more enjoyable for the entire family.

Hopefully they won't do away with this.

jessykah77 · 05-24-2012, 12:26 AM

I had issues initially using the GAC card for our daughter.
I felt like people were judging me and my family. And one
of the worst paces was Dumbo and that was one ride it was
necessary because the line was never under half an hour, no
shade and very confined. I started to stress so much about it,
it was ridiculous. My daughter qualifies and we use the GAC
card only when we have to and I have given up feeling guilty
about it. This is our family time and I will always do whatever
I can in order to help her have a magical time and us all enjoy
the fleeting bits of childhood they have left.

Baltosam · 05-24-2012, 04:53 AM

I am glad there is a way for all of you to be able to enjoy WDW together as a family. As I read this thread I found it interesting that the folks with the real need feel guilty and the abusers don't have a care in the world. Should be the other way around. If I could offer my 2 cents don't feel guilty who gives a darn what a total stranger thinks you'll never see them again anyway do what you need to do and have a great time.

lakeariel · 05-28-2012, 01:30 PM

Yes, people who abuse ruin things for people who need services. I used to watch people cut lines in wheelchairs etc (especially at the buses) then just about dance onto the bus. I have heard people brag about cutting. A former friend pretended her son had ADHD and brought her huge family right on rides. For one thing, that is not a cause so these policies do need to be tweaked. I find myself disabled now after battling lung cancer for 3 years. I don't have enough lung capacity (mostly from radiation) to walk more then 20 ft. Looking at me you wouldn't know there was anything wrong with me sitting on that scooter! I would be glad to show my ID from Memorial Sloan Kettering or some other evidence to get the card. I should have to. The same form I needed to get a handicap tag for my car. I will be going in August and hope I don't have an issue.

a_popper · 05-28-2012, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baltosam

I am glad there is a way for all of you to be able to enjoy WDW together as a family. As I read this thread I found it interesting that the folks with the real need feel guilty and the abusers don't have a care in the world. Should be the other way around. If I could offer my 2 cents don't feel guilty who gives a darn what a total stranger thinks you'll never see them again anyway do what you need to do and have a great time.

I have MS and get the GAC to help me tour but I hate using it I feel like I am cheating even though without it I would be unable to do Disney. My husband on the other hand has no shame but he is healthy. I agree wholeheartedly with this statement.

Beca · 05-28-2012, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jessykah77

I had issues initially using the GAC card for our daughter.
I felt like people were judging me and my family. And one
of the worst paces was Dumbo and that was one ride it was
necessary because the line was never under half an hour, no
shade and very confined. I started to stress so much about it,
it was ridiculous. My daughter qualifies and we use the GAC
card only when we have to and I have given up feeling guilty
about it. This is our family time and I will always do whatever
I can in order to help her have a magical time and us all enjoy
the fleeting bits of childhood they have left.

I think this is one of the main reasons (well, that and just providing a cool guest experience) that MK is changing the Dumbo line. I'm not sure if this has been posted, but when we were at MK in March, a manager-type began talking with our family. We asked him LOTS of questions, like "What happened to Tinkerbell's home tree in the new Fantasyland?", and others. He began to tell us a LOT of stuff, one of the most interesting was how the new Dumbo line is going to work. He said you will enter the big tent behind the Dumbo's, which is a big, interactive, air-conditioned room. You will be given a "boarding pass" of sorts, and you will be called to the outdoor line when it is time for you to board. He had heard there will be LOTS going on inside the room, but he wasn't sure what....he was saying there MIGHT be a store (I'm thinking a definite yes on that one), and that characters were supposed to come and randomly visit guests who are waiting in line....I'm not so sure about that one being feasable.

Anyway, as a parent of a small child, I am really happy to hear this, because Dumbo always seems to have the LONGEST lines, and I get really tired of the "kiddie" rides having the longest lines (we recently returned from DL, where Gadget's Go Coaster had a 40 min. wait, and space and Big Thunder were 30 and 20, respectively). It will be really nice to have a place where the kids can "be kids" in air-conditioning while you wait.

However, I do think Disney may be thinking about what seems to be more and more a reality for the park....more and more guests living with disabilities, and coming to the park. (This is happening in the military as well....more and more soldiers are surviving combat, when compared to other wars, due to medical technology, but they are surviving with many more disabilities). I think, as they build new attractions, they are trying to focus on how best to serve EVERYONE with the line cues.

And, since I have been traveling to both parks more frequently, I definitely see a difference between how guests with special needs are treated at WDW, compared to DL. There must be a LOT more abuse in DL, because the "solutions" offered at DL usually have longer waits than the regular line....

bpaquette · 05-28-2012, 03:46 PM

I do agree I think as more people find out about this program the more it will be abused. However, you can not look at someone and say they don't need the GAC. If you look at me I had 5 knee surgeries but I can walk short distances and look fine. Actually standing in place is the worse thing because I shift my weight on the trouble areas. Hopefully that will get better for future trips and I wont need the GAC. Right now the card keeps my family and me enjoying the park where I do not drag there trip down. I really hope they can find a way to control this so its not abused but allow people who need it to get access.

lafdvolspt · 05-28-2012, 05:21 PM

My 4 year old daughter is on the Autism Spectrum and I have to say that getting a GAC allowing us to use her stroller as a wheelchair and take it through the regular ques has made all the difference in the world. She is no longer aggressive, agitated, etc in line. She feels like she is in her own safe little cacoon and it really keeps her stress level under control through out the day. Wouldn't go to Disneyland again without it!

Pilotdog · 05-28-2012, 06:05 PM

DLR has really changed the way the GAC is used. In the pass people with one would just go up the exit and would then be put on the next ride. I have been on the Matterhorn and Big Thunder when the regular line would not move for 10+ min because people with a GAC kept showing up. That has changed and now if you have a GAC you have to get in line at the exit and they only allow one party to enter at a time. I 'm not sure if this was done because people complained or if Disney saw a danger with so many people going up the exit. At Big Thunder there is nothing to block you from the moving trains.

05-23-2012, 10:56 PM	#22
ppoe65 Waiting to pass ROFR Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Cape May, NJ Posts: 52	Gac I have two children who are on the autistic spectrum. They look and act "normal", however waiting in the lines stresses them out and they start to chew on themselves and scratch themselves very hard. The GAC is a God's send. It helps us with the long lines. Many people think we get right through the line, but on several occassions we've waited longer than in the regular line. This was fine because we were not in a narrow que, but in a roomy waiting area. Occassionally we get strange looks when we use the GAC, but it makes the whole trip much more enjoyable for the entire family. Hopefully they won't do away with this. __________________ Pete MOD 106

05-24-2012, 04:53 AM	#24
Baltosam Grand Villa Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Maryland Posts: 1,280	I am glad there is a way for all of you to be able to enjoy WDW together as a family. As I read this thread I found it interesting that the folks with the real need feel guilty and the abusers don't have a care in the world. Should be the other way around. If I could offer my 2 cents don't feel guilty who gives a darn what a total stranger thinks you'll never see them again anyway do what you need to do and have a great time. __________________ -Sam Calling SSR Home since 2006 MOD 40 Founding member of the NERD (Never Ever Ridden Dumbo) Club.

05-28-2012, 01:30 PM	#25
lakeariel Waiting to pass ROFR Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Westchester, NY/Lake Ariel, PA Posts: 21	Disability Yes, people who abuse ruin things for people who need services. I used to watch people cut lines in wheelchairs etc (especially at the buses) then just about dance onto the bus. I have heard people brag about cutting. A former friend pretended her son had ADHD and brought her huge family right on rides. For one thing, that is not a cause so these policies do need to be tweaked. I find myself disabled now after battling lung cancer for 3 years. I don't have enough lung capacity (mostly from radiation) to walk more then 20 ft. Looking at me you wouldn't know there was anything wrong with me sitting on that scooter! I would be glad to show my ID from Memorial Sloan Kettering or some other evidence to get the card. I should have to. The same form I needed to get a handicap tag for my car. I will be going in August and hope I don't have an issue. __________________

05-28-2012, 05:21 PM	#29
lafdvolspt Waiting to pass ROFR Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: California Posts: 12	My 4 year old daughter is on the Autism Spectrum and I have to say that getting a GAC allowing us to use her stroller as a wheelchair and take it through the regular ques has made all the difference in the world. She is no longer aggressive, agitated, etc in line. She feels like she is in her own safe little cacoon and it really keeps her stress level under control through out the day. Wouldn't go to Disneyland again without it! __________________ Kim

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05-22-2012, 07:59 PM	#21
Sdgilliand Waiting to pass ROFR Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 12	We were there about a week ago and my DD was issued a GAC. (she is almost 3 and has spina bifida...wears leg braces, but cannot walk or stand for long periods of time) We were given the GAC, even though her braces are visible, and a "stoller as wheelchair" tag. It was wonderful. We were sent throough the wheelchair access on most rides, and the fastpass return line on others. The only line that we were sent into the regular entrance was dumbo. We really had no idea how the card would work. We had a party of 8. (4 kids 4 adults) And I had worked on all these touring plans for us, and they really were unnecessary, because of this card. Not having to constantly take her out of the stroller was SO awesome, because her braces get hung up every time we lift her out...This card was a lifesaver for us, and I hope they don't change it too much. I know our experience would have been entirely different without it.

05-24-2012, 12:26 AM	#23
jessykah77 Grand Villa Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: DFW, TX Posts: 2,656	I had issues initially using the GAC card for our daughter. I felt like people were judging me and my family. And one of the worst paces was Dumbo and that was one ride it was necessary because the line was never under half an hour, no shade and very confined. I started to stress so much about it, it was ridiculous. My daughter qualifies and we use the GAC card only when we have to and I have given up feeling guilty about it. This is our family time and I will always do whatever I can in order to help her have a magical time and us all enjoy the fleeting bits of childhood they have left.

05-28-2012, 03:46 PM	#28
bpaquette Waiting to pass ROFR Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 6	I do agree I think as more people find out about this program the more it will be abused. However, you can not look at someone and say they don't need the GAC. If you look at me I had 5 knee surgeries but I can walk short distances and look fine. Actually standing in place is the worse thing because I shift my weight on the trouble areas. Hopefully that will get better for future trips and I wont need the GAC. Right now the card keeps my family and me enjoying the park where I do not drag there trip down. I really hope they can find a way to control this so its not abused but allow people who need it to get access.

05-28-2012, 06:05 PM	#30
Pilotdog Waiting to pass ROFR Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 23	DLR has really changed the way the GAC is used. In the pass people with one would just go up the exit and would then be put on the next ride. I have been on the Matterhorn and Big Thunder when the regular line would not move for 10+ min because people with a GAC kept showing up. That has changed and now if you have a GAC you have to get in line at the exit and they only allow one party to enter at a time. I 'm not sure if this was done because people complained or if Disney saw a danger with so many people going up the exit. At Big Thunder there is nothing to block you from the moving trains.