GAC Passes

nicholeb

Earning My Ears
Joined
Aug 27, 2011
I have an aunt who takes alot of medicine and is not suppose to be in the sun...and she has many other things like diabeties and so on. I also have a grandma with a heart condtion who also takes meds where she is not suppose to be in the sun...Is there away the GAC pass can help them to where the can go inside some of the attraction and wait for us? :confused3 I just would like them not to get sick because of the sun which happens...My grandma ends up in the hospital alot even from just going outside and being exposed to the sun for like 20 minutes...
 
I have an aunt who takes alot of medicine and is not suppose to be in the sun...and she has many other things like diabeties and so on. I also have a grandma with a heart condtion who also takes meds where she is not suppose to be in the sun...Is there away the GAC pass can help them to where the can go inside some of the attraction and wait for us? :confused3 I just would like them not to get sick because of the sun which happens...My grandma ends up in the hospital alot even from just going outside and being exposed to the sun for like 20 minutes...

A GAC is not a pass. It is a card given for CM's to be able to assist those with un seen disabilities.

Your Aunt and Grandmother need nothing to be able to wait in a/c for you to exit a ride. Each park has a first aid they can use. And many attractions exit into an air conditioned gift shop.

Another suggestion would be to have them wait at a shaded bench or table. Perhaps even an out of the way table at an indoor CS during a slow time.

Since it sounds like they may not be riding, have you given thought to other things they may enjoy? The monorail resort loop can be lovely and relaxing (and air conditioned) and they may enjoy it much more than waiting. The GF has a piano player in the lobby.
 
I would also look into protective clothing and floppy hats, and if heat is the issue, with cooling vests. Most attractions do offer shaded queue lines but a few don't have that option. Definitely take advantage of resting in First Aid if they do start to tire or need to be in a/c. I've taken many a nap there!
 
Are you asking about ways for them to head into the interior of attractions, and wait until you catch up with them, so you can all ride together?? IF so, that's a different situation than you've seen answered here.
I would recommend their getting some nice umbrellas to use when they have to be out in the sun. There is a lot of walking around, in the sun, and being able to use an umbrella will keep most of the sun's rays off them. They just have to be very careful not to run into other guests with those umbrellas.
It sounds like having both these ladies out in the Florida sun may not be the best idea to begin with...not if being in out in the sun for 20 mins could put one of them in the hospital!!!
 
My daughter has an illness where a sunburn can trigger a 2-3 year flare (juvenile dermatomyositis). The problem with the Disney parks, particularly in Florida, is that most of the sun exposure will occur when walking around the parks, not while standing in line. (At DL, many more of the lines are outside, because the weather is so much better and consistent).

She has found it better to do most of her park touring in the evening. For that reason, trips when the hours are extended are quite helpful. Usually after 6-7pm it begins to be ok. She can wear sunscreen, or protective clothing, but of course she is 20 now, and does not like these options. :rolleyes:
 
I have Lupus and the sun can cause a flare. I always wear 100spf sunscreen, protective clothing and a hat. I also have a cooling vest. I cannot ride many of the rides because of other issues, so I just wait in the gift shop that is at the exit of many rides. For the rides that don't have that, there are plenty of shaded areas.

I also go early morning and late afternoon/evening to minimize sun exposure. A GAC will really not help with the issue. There is no place to wait inside the ride itself.
 
I wanted to add that you will likely be asked by a CM to fold up an umbrella. There is just too much risk that the person using it, no matter how careful, can poke another Guest in the eye or body. Besides, it gets tiring holding an umbrella no matter how lightweight it might be.
 


Like others have mentioned, the majority of sun exposure will be while walking in the parks, not in lines. So a GAC isn't going to really help. A GAC may possibly give the ability to wait in a shaded location however there are not shaded locations available at all rides, so often it won't help. But again, the majority of sun exposure and heat exposure is going to be the other 90% of your day.
 
I also advise touring the parks in the evening. The heat is so much more bearable, the chance of a sunburn is gone, and the parks are easier to handle physically after resting for the first part of the day. :goodvibes
 
Another vote for going after sundown! This will help a lot and the park is so pretty then. :thumbsup2
 
I would go ahead and go to Guest Relations, describe the situation, and see what they say. Then, ask the CM stationed outside of the attraction if they can wait in a shaded area while you go through the queue, and join you when you get to the front of the line. It seems like a reasonable accomodation to me, and I think most CM's would be OK with it. You may run into some who are not (the Haunted Mansion CM's in particular have always been less than accomodating to special needs in my experience, but their queue is shaded), but it's not like you're asking to board the ride ahead of anybody else.
 
I would go ahead and go to Guest Relations, describe the situation, and see what they say. Then, ask the CM stationed outside of the attraction if they can wait in a shaded area while you go through the queue, and join you when you get to the front of the line. It seems like a reasonable accomodation to me, and I think most CM's would be OK with it. You may run into some who are not (the Haunted Mansion CM's in particular have always been less than accomodating to special needs in my experience, but their queue is shaded), but it's not like you're asking to board the ride ahead of anybody else.

This is not something Disney offers. There is not a way to join a line you were not in. And quite honestly the other guests would strongly opject to people pushing past them.

Most lines are shaded and or indoor and a/c. As many have suggested your best option may be to tour later in the day. That will keep your family out of the sun walking in the park, and to other attractions.
 
This is not something Disney offers. There is not a way to join a line you were not in. And quite honestly the other guests would strongly opject to people pushing past them.

Most lines are shaded and or indoor and a/c. As many have suggested your best option may be to tour later in the day. That will keep your family out of the sun walking in the park, and to other attractions.
but the one time we got a GAC and that's what we were told to do. We used it a total of one time. It WAS annoying. and it was totally impractical because sitting in the hot july weather, even in the shade, was nuts. I think the only ride was Test Track and that's because the initial line was waaaaay down the walkway, before it even got to the building.
It was the most ridiculous accommodation suggestion ever.
 
but the one time we got a GAC and that's what we were told to do. We used it a total of one time. It WAS annoying. and it was totally impractical because sitting in the hot july weather, even in the shade, was nuts. I think the only ride was Test Track and that's because the initial line was waaaaay down the walkway, before it even got to the building.
It was the most ridiculous accommodation suggestion ever.

Perhaps that is why it is not something WDW offers:lmao:

I cannot see how "joining" the line would even work at TT unless you were asked to wait in the shade until the line entered the building. In that situation, it could make sense.

According to what we have experienced and what we have been told by various managers WDW does not encourage guests to "join" lines.
 
I've spoken with people who have been given this accomodation. It really is a rediculous accomodation as it can't be implemented in any kind of practical way.
 
I have an aunt who takes alot of medicine and is not suppose to be in the sun...and she has many other things like diabeties and so on. I also have a grandma with a heart condtion who also takes meds where she is not suppose to be in the sun...Is there away the GAC pass can help them to where the can go inside some of the attraction and wait for us? :confused3 I just would like them not to get sick because of the sun which happens...My grandma ends up in the hospital alot even from just going outside and being exposed to the sun for like 20 minutes...



My son is extremely heat sensitive--he literally collapses if in direct sunlight too long (no clue what causes it). On the GAC they put a stamp about waiting in a "cool" shaded area. At one point, the Winnie the Pooh line was out into the sun---he's also autistic so I couldn't just not let him ride after we said we were going to ride. The CM had us wait in the gift shop, then let us merge into the line to ride....Doesn't really work for character meet and greets, though, so we didn't so a lot of that.

The other thing I found that helps manage his heat sensitivity is to walk through the connecting gift shops instead of out on the walk ways. Takes a little longer, but gives him a little more cool time. We also take unbrellas to cover him and keep one of those cooling neck wraps at the ready. I also carried a small ziplock with ice water and a cloth to cool him down periodically when we re-sunscreened. He has his cooling fan and a mister. Finally, the other little hint I learned the hard way---Tomorrowland has more air conditioning than Adventureland.
 
Perhaps that is why it is not something WDW offers:lmao:

I cannot see how "joining" the line would even work at TT unless you were asked to wait in the shade until the line entered the building. In that situation, it could make sense.

According to what we have experienced and what we have been told by various managers WDW does not encourage guests to "join" lines.

yeah but that's what we were told to do. Our accommodation was for 'wait in the shade'. So then..how exactly do we do that? go sit someplace and when the line got to whatever spot our family entered the building the CM told us to watch and then rejoin. There was no period where the line itself was ever not outside - it was July. It probably had a 90min or more line. Of course the CM was no where to be found near the top of the line at that point and we had jump over ropes, etc. So, yes, our accommodation was for shade, and that's how the CM at test track decided it would be handled. So..for what it's worth, that is what you could be told to do.
 
Or you could be told- there's nothing we can do- which isnwhat we were once told at Nemo the musical. There is no perfect system.
 
Or you could be told- there's nothing we can do- which isnwhat we were once told at Nemo the musical. There is no perfect system.

We have been told that several times at Nemo. In fact we have been denied waiting in the shade and told we needed to be in line.

Same thing at the Am Gard theater. "Nothing we can do-wait in the line (in direct sun) with everyone else".
 

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