4 days to go and questions...

[scojos]

ok, here they are...
1. decided to get double stroller for ds rather than a chair, for several reasons mainly i think the chairs should be left for people who need them and strollers have more *cover* from stimuli. We are going to request the "stroller as chair" on GAC, i believe its a sticker, but what happens when we take the train, we have to leave our stroller, will it re stick on another?
2. we are going to get a "length of stay" location, but does it have to be length of stay? we are off site, DC and Busch on 2 days, do we need to pay for those days to get the length of stay pass?
3. as we do not have (or need)a wheelchair can we use the disabled view spots for spectro, wishes and illuminations? we used the disabled area for fantasmic last year as ds was having a fit and nice CM suggested it, but i did feel abit awkward at the start...
4. we are going to write a detailed report of our visit, due to asd and adhd i would like to have seen a detailed (recent) TR, is there any info you would like especially to see? i am going to try and include timings and we are going to do a food report to, but anything else you would like to see, just let me know.
Thank you for all your help and support fro the last 11 months while i have been planning this visit, it has been great
Tracy
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[GrumpyMom25]

I'm not sure of the answer to some of your questions, not sure how old your son is. I can tell you that the last time we went to Disney we were able to use our son's stroller (and it was a double because he has a younger brother) as a wheelchair. We were given a card to show at attractions. We were able to sit in the handicapped areas in shows and able to use the stroller in lines as well. This time around we have a Convaid Special Needs Stroller for him. I'm hoping this will help us avoid the remarks we heard from park guests the last trip. We were even able to use the card to load the bus with the wheelchair lift by showing the card. It avoided us having to fold all his stuff up for loading and unloading.

 

[scojos]

thanks ds is 8 he is mobile but has asd so doesnt like the crowds wc isa more for that than mobility even though he has v severe asthma, it sort of kills 2 birds with 1 stone
tracy

 

[mechurchlady]

With the GAC you will be able to use any handicapped viewing areas. Train, what train. At MK you can take the stroller with you. The stroller-as-a-wheelchair would allow you to use the disabled section to load the stroller and take it with you. At AK you can board the train with the GAC which would allow you to board first and not have to fold the stroller.

Once you have the sticker and GAC you should not need another unless you lose it. The GAC and handicapped areas are for any guest who has limitations that would prevent them from reasonably using the regular areas. People sometimes police areas and tell others they do not belong. Just say "I have a back problem from when I was in Happydale Insane Asylum" or mention Sing Sing, lol.

My List
Food reports yeah.
What worked on your trip.
Cute moments like son doing something really cute.
Break through moments like a kid who never hugs people hugs a character or a kid speaking for the first time.
Pictures
Good stuff like CMs who treated you special.
TIPS is very important like a ride to avoid or a shortcut.

 

[mickeyluvr004]

please tell me what a GAC card is thanks

 

[Cheshire Figment]

ok, here they are...
1. decided to get double stroller for ds rather than a chair, for several reasons mainly i think the chairs should be left for people who need them and strollers have more *cover* from stimuli. We are going to request the "stroller as chair" on GAC, i believe its a sticker, but what happens when we take the train, we have to leave our stroller, will it re stick on another?

There are two possibilities. One is to get the "stroller as wheelchair" stamp on the GAC. The other is to get the sticker. The sticke is useful basically when you have your own stroller, as it sort of self-destructs when you remove it. This means if you want to use the MK train you would either have to take a full round trip to return to where the stroller is or arrange for a new sticker. Likewise, each day you will need a new sticker. Note, however, that having the sticker only makes it easier than having to show the GAC each time.

2. we are going to get a "length of stay" location, but does it have to be length of stay? we are off site, DC and Busch on 2 days, do we need to pay for those days to get the length of stay pass?

The LOS is actually a multi-day discounted purchase. You can purchase as many days as you will need, as long as it is at least two. Each day you use a ticket a date stamp will be put on the ticket. For the days you are planning non-Disney locations you will not need to make a purchase.

3. as we do not have (or need)a wheelchair can we use the disabled view spots for spectro, wishes and illuminations? we used the disabled area for fantasmic last year as ds was having a fit and nice CM suggested it, but i did feel a bit awkward at the start...

Since it is "stroller as wheelchair", effectively, for Disney purposes, you have a wheelchair and may use the reserved areas.

Thank you for all your help and support fro the last 11 months while i have been planning this visit, it has been great
Tracy
x

please tell me what a GAC card is thanks

If you click on where it says "disABILTIES" at the top of this page it will take you to the Index. One of the top items is the "disABILTIES FAQ" which will gives lots of useful information. Post #6 discusses the GAC.

Or, if you want an easier route, click on the link in my signature.

 

[scojos]

thanks guys for your help, again
we will get the stroller as w/c put on the GAC as will be using the disney double stroller for ds and hopefully dd 5 (depends whether ds will share!!).
I am especially intrested in doing the ddp with ASD has no one seems to have covered that around here, and it may be useful for others in upcoming trips, which cs - ts are too much for an asd child.
we are doing -
boatwrights
Brontosaurus bfast
CM
LTT
Marakesh
WCC (which was his request as he loved it last time)
Ohanas bfast
boma bfast
boma dinner
50 PTC
Raglan Rd
CR
Le Cellier
Cp on the last day for bfast (ok thats for me i love tigger... but with an adhd kid you probably understand why )

i am hoping for lots of food porn as well as how josh reacts to different things, we are also doing SW DC and BG, so hopefully our days there will be full of pixie magic too.
out of interest i do not kow if this has been mentioned before, but spoke to DC and they said there was an equivalent of the GAC for SW and BG too...
feel free to ask for anything else you would like included.
Tracy
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[SueM in MN]

thanks guys for your help, again
we will get the stroller as w/c put on the GAC as will be using the disney double stroller for ds and hopefully dd 5 (depends whether ds will share!!).
I am especially intrested in doing the ddp with ASD has no one seems to have covered that around here, and it may be useful for others in upcoming trips, which cs - ts are too much for an asd child.

A lot depends on whether the child with ASD is a sensory seeker or a sensory avoider. The seeker might absolutely love something that the avoider absolutely can't tolerate at all. If you check out the links about autism in post #3 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread, you will find some people have posted about their experiences at some restaurants (but I don't think anyone specifically posted about the Disney Dining Plan).

When you do your trip report, it would be helpful for other people to know a little bit about your child so they can see how he compares to their child.

 

[mechurchlady]

This means if you want to use the MK train you would either have to take a full round trip to return to where the stroller is or arrange for a new sticker.

I am a DLR person so I am confused. As far as I know there are the AK train, MK's Casey Junior, and the MK big trains that circle the park. Why would a new sticker be needed? It is a ride where disabled guests get on and off as they please so I am thoroughly confused by the sticker would be removed when they got on the train. It has been years since I was at WDW and maybe they do the big trains differently.

 

[ireland_nicole]

I can't help w/ much, although thankfully Cheshire Figment knows just about everything and I for one am grateful for it; but re: food- we did most of those last trip and they worked out well for us; when DD was overstimulated we just put her closer to a wall (we asked for a table against something solid when we got there). That worked really well when she had just had too much. At 50's; she wasn't having a good day; so we let the waitress know b/f she said anything to DD, and it went fine. DD likes to color, so we kept colored pencils (not crayons, they'll melt) and a small notepad at all times. At the louder restaurants, she wore ear protectors to muffle sound. For the trip, both kids had "bum bags" with their own fidgets, penlights, sunglasses, mp3 player, etc. and so when it was just too much, they could control their stim levels a bit. Most rest. have soewhere nearby that's not to busy, and we would spend soe tie chilling out when needed; my kids loved lookng out over the savannah at AKL for instance. DH and I kept our cell phones w/ us, so when waiting for meals, I would take kids and he would wait inside til we were called. Most rest. have some kind of food quickly, Marakesh was the exception, consider bringing in some goldfish or biscuits or something. Sorry to ramble on, just ask if there's anything else Have a fantastic trip, You're going to have a brilliant time! And thanks again for the LGMH, I've made my tags already

 

[SueM in MN]

I am a DLR person so I am confused. As far as I know there are the AK train, MK's Casey Junior, and the MK big trains that circle the park. Why would a new sticker be needed? It is a ride where disabled guests get on and off as they please so I am thoroughly confused by the sticker would be removed when they got on the train. It has been years since I was at WDW and maybe they do the big trains differently.

At WDW, there are only 2 trains.
AK train that goes to/from the Conservation Station.
MK steam train.

The WDW park rental strollers are not allowed on the trains because they are too large and can't be folded. People's personal strollers can be brought on the train, as long as they can be folded up and held during the train ride.

Guests riding the train with a WDW park rental stroller normally either make a round trip and pick up the stroller again when they return to the same station -or- they take the card from their stroller and get another stroller at the station they get off at. (There are often extra strollers kept at the stations for that purpose, but there is no guarantee that one will be available).

The stickers being talked about are put on strollers to show that the stroller can be used as a wheelchair. If the stroller belongs to the guest, the sticker can stay on for the entire length of their vacation. But, if they are renting a park stroller, they will need to get new sticker every day because they can't remove the sticker to use the next day. (They have to return the park rental stroller each day and the sticker will fall apart if someone tries to remove it).
How that relates to the trains?
If the park rental stroller can't go on the train, the guest can leave it parked where they got on the train. After making a round trip around, they can claim the stroller again.

 

[scojos]

A lot depends on whether the child with ASD is a sensory seeker or a sensory avoider. The seeker might absolutely love something that the avoider absolutely can't tolerate at all. If you check out the links about autism in post #3 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread, you will find some people have posted about their experiences at some restaurants (but I don't think anyone specifically posted about the Disney Dining Plan).

When you do your trip report, it would be helpful for other people to know a little bit about your child so they can see how he compares to their child.

josh is diff sensory seeking, indeed he ll run off to see whats going on if he thinks he is missing something.
we are off now, so ill see you all in a few weeks when we get back, hopefully with lots of fantastic stories and pictures.
tc
tracy

 

[mechurchlady]

Thank you for unconfusing me for now Sue. You need to apologize to Casey Jr. as he thinks he is a real train, lol.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thank you for unconfusing me for now Sue. You need to apologize to Casey Jr. as he thinks he is a real train, lol.

Well, he is a real train, but he's not at WDW!

 

[Disneylvr]

We had the sticker and the stamp in April but started off with just the stamp on the GAC. Another guest recommended that we get the sticker for the stroller so we did and it helped allot! We will get it next year too.

 

[mechurchlady]

Well, he is a real train, but he's not at WDW!

OMG you hurt his feelings so bad that he left WDW.

 

[SueM in MN]

OMG you hurt his feelings so bad that he left WDW.

He is a cute little train.

Hope that makes him feel better