Say it ain't so....no more GAC?

[connie254]

I struck up a conversation with a fellow mom of an austistic child while we waited. She just got her GAC the day before and she was told not to lose it, they will stop issuing them. She was also told to keep it for her next trip, that they will give her one for that trip.
What both of us couldn't understand is why?
Will they require a doctor's excuse?
What about the future Disney lovers that need it?


My thinking is just an misinformed CM, or something that might have to do with the new fastpass system.

Anyone else get recent information?

 

[dzorn]

I struck up a conversation with a fellow mom of an austistic child while we waited. She just got her GAC the day before and she was told not to lose it, they will stop issuing them. She was also told to keep it for her next trip, that they will give her one for that trip.
What both of us couldn't understand is why?
Will they require a doctor's excuse?
What about the future Disney lovers that need it?


My thinking is just an misinformed CM, or something that might have to do with the new fastpass system.

Anyone else get recent information?

I think she may have misunderstood and not to lose it because it was good for the length of her trip (AKA you don't need to get a new one tomorrow)

I always bring back my old GAC as it is easier to say DD has autism this is what has worked before and show them the old one.

Denise in MI

Denise in MI

 

[A_Princess'_Daddy]

I think she may have misunderstood and not to lose it because it was good for the length of her trip (AKA you don't need to get a new one tomorrow)

I always bring back my old GAC as it is easier to say DD has autism this is what has worked before and show them the old one.

Denise in MI

Denise in MI

I agree with both points. We had a CM say a very similar thing to us once and in my surprise I asked a clarifying question and she said, essentially, "no, I mean don't forget to bring it each day so you don't have to wait in line again." If WDW was truly phasing out GACs, I suspect we would have heard a lot more on the subject!

We also always bring our last trip's GAC back with us, as our son has some unique needs and while we're always happy to explain them, it helps make it a little easier to explain if we can show what we have used in the past.

 

[dasan]

I would find it very strange if they were getting rid of the GAC.
I have two children with Autism and recently was called by the head of
guest relations and she was happy to hear how much the GAC card helped us
on our recent trip. It certainly did not sound like they were phasing them out
at all.

 

[SueM in MN]

I agree that the situation was a misunderstanding and that the CM did not mean what the person understood her to mean.

Her understanding was not logical - if they were actually not going to issue GACs any more, they would not tell her to keep it for her next trip because they would no longer be using GACs at that point.

I agree with the other posters that the CM probably meant was to not throw it away after that one day because it would be valid for the rest of their trip.

Universal's version of the Guest Assistance Card IS re-issued every day. It's possible the woman said something that made the CM think that WDW's worked like that. My guess is that the CM said to keep it "for your next visit" meaning the next park they went to on this trip.

 

[pbrim]

Don't panic. Even if they were to phase out the "GAC Program" they would have to institute something else that accomplishes the same purpose. The ADA requires that they make reasonable accomodations, and they have to have some way to implement that, whether it was a card called GAC or some other mechanism. Not to mention that Disney is well aware of their reputation as a prime vacation destination for those with disabilities, and would not be willing to throw that away on some exec's whim.

 

[dasan]

I agree that the situation was a misunderstanding and that the CM did not mean what the person understood her to mean.

Her understanding was not logical - if they were actually not going to issue GACs any more, they would not tell her to keep it for her next trip because they would no longer be using GACs at that point.

I agree with the other posters that the CM probably meant was to not throw it away after that one day because it would be valid for the rest of their trip.

Universal's version of the Guest Assistance Card IS re-issued every day. It's possible the woman said something that made the CM think that WDW's worked like that. My guess is that the CM said to keep it "for your next visit" meaning the next park they went to on this trip.

Actually Sue, when we went to Universal in August the card was good for
two back to back days for us. We did not need to go to Guest services
on the second day.

 

[SueM in MN]

Actually Sue, when we went to Universal in August the card was good for
two back to back days for us. We did not need to go to Guest services
on the second day.

Thanks
That's a change then because it used to be only good for a single day.