Need help with a delicate matter for my dad....

[DisneyBrat]

We are going to be spending 11 days at Disney in November. My dad is on Lasix and has to use the restroom ALOT! He is worried about his condition. Dad will be in his wheelchair so I assured him somehow we can manage to get him to the restroom. Would a GAC card be useful here? if so How do they work exactly.

My next question is if we are in the wheelchair line how does that work? Mom will be on her scooter and dad in the wheelchair so I didn't know if the work us in as possible. If so would it be better to have them wait and our other party stand in regular line?

Thanks for any help you can give me

Lew

 

[KPeveler]

i cant speak as to the first point, but as to the wheelchair line...

there is really no such thing as a wheelchair line... in almost every circumstance you will wait in the mainstream line, and then you are pulled out at the last minute when you need to be. most times nothing special really happens, except for some of the rides in MK. how big is your whole party? in general 5 people are allowed to accompany the person in the wheelchair if you pull off. since you have two, i suppose you could take more than that, but sometimes it is tight in fantasyland, since you go in the exit sometimes. i know at peter pan, having 10+ people at the exit would be hard...

in general, you should be able to keep your whole party together, since almost everything is mainstreamed.

 

[toocherie]

it might be a good idea to get maps of all the parks and identify restroom locations BEFORE you go. I've taken Lasix in the past, and for me there was like two hours of "don't stray to far from the restroom" and then several hours of increased frequency but not that horrible "now" urgency. Is it the same for your Dad? If so, if he can time his dose so that he takes it before going to the parks and has a couple of hours to let it do its thing that would probably help.

I don't think a GAC card would work for this situation--like KPeveler said--it's not going to get you on faster in most cases (and people in restrooms are not going to stand aside a lot of times).

Best wishes!

 

[mechurchlady]

The GAC is for persons with invisible limitations such as vision, hearing, stairs and sun sensitivity. If a guest is obviously disabled such as crutches, wheelchair or scooter then they do not need the GAC.

Your parents would not need a GAC for the scooter and wheelchair. The GAC cannot help you as far as the bathroom issue. All of the Disney magic is kept in the hearts of the CMs. Talk to a CM to see if he can leave the line and join at the loading area, sometimes they allow that. It is best to plan bathroom breaks though. It will be hard to get out of line on some rides with a wheelchair though.

My dad was on Lasix and was taking too much. Instead of having him take one extra pill every 2 days they had him taking it twice a day. He was drinking massive amounts of water and his legs were skinny for him, he was dehydrated pretty bad when I realized what was happening. Once he got back to normal and was taking it daily with one every 2 days he was fine. He had prostrate cancer and that was way back about 1991 or 1992.

Check FAQs for the site that has pictures of bathrooms and I agree with mapping out the bathrooms on park maps and even your resort. Study the maps so that when you are at Point A you will know immediately where to go for a bathroom. My friend is amazed how I know so much about DLR and how I can find stuff he needs right away. it becomes second nature.

Good luck with the trip.

 

[DisneyBrat]

Thanks Dis friends!!! I knew that I could come here to find my answer. I wasn't sure what a GAC card was. I had seen posts about getting them but didn't know how they exactly worked. I will tell Dad to talk to his Dr about a stepdown dose or even a different medication. Dad will be 71 when we go. I just want things to be Magical for my parents too!

Thanks again,
Lew

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks Dis friends!!! I knew that I could come here to find my answer. I wasn't sure what a GAC card was. I had seen posts about getting them but didn't know how they exactly worked. I will tell Dad to talk to his Dr about a stepdown dose or even a different medication. Dad will be 71 when we go. I just want things to be Magical for my parents too!

Thanks again,
Lew

Post #6 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread is all about GACs.
As was already posted, in most cases, people using wheelchairs or ECVs don't need a GAC.

 

[ya librarian]

Getting Guest Services to circle the restrooms on the map is a good idea as the icons are very small. But also all the parks and DTD have Companion Restrooms, where a person in a wheelchair can use a private RR and even get help from a person of the opposite sex. These do not seem to be indicated on recent maps, but the CM will know where they are. For example, in DHS, there is one near Rock n Rollercoaster, another near Star Tours, etc.

These have been very important to our family as my husband uses a wheelchair at WDW and sometimes needs help getting out of it, and my adult son has autism and may need assistance. The Baby and First Aid stations also have unisex restrooms, which anyone can use if that's the closest one to where you are.

 

[SueM in MN]

Getting Guest Services to circle the restrooms on the map is a good idea as the icons are very small. But also all the parks and DTD have Companion Restrooms, where a person in a wheelchair can use a private RR and even get help from a person of the opposite sex. These do not seem to be indicated on recent maps, but the CM will know where they are. For example, in DHS, there is one near Rock n Rollercoaster, another near Star Tours, etc.

These have been very important to our family as my husband uses a wheelchair at WDW and sometimes needs help getting out of it, and my adult son has autism and may need assistance. The Baby and First Aid stations also have unisex restrooms, which anyone can use if that's the closest one to where you are.

The Companion Restrooms are not listed on the regular park maps. They have actually nver been listed there. They are listed in the Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities and the new Guidemaps for Guests with Disabilities.

In the disABILITIES FAQs thread, there is also a link the a thread about Companion Restrooms. It is not complete yet (I have more work than time), but it does have a great deal of information.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Thanks Dis friends!!! I knew that I could come here to find my answer. I wasn't sure what a GAC card was. I had seen posts about getting them but didn't know how they exactly worked. I will tell Dad to talk to his Dr about a stepdown dose or even a different medication. Dad will be 71 when we go. I just want things to be Magical for my parents too!

Thanks again,
Lew

Based on experience, there are restrooms almost everywhere you turn, and I think we have visited almost everyone of them That was beofre mom passed away, one or the other of us always had to go And being a woman, I never had to worry about standing in line, except once in 9 trips, that is saying ALOT.

Suzanne