Anxiety Ridden

[Skyy]

Due to some recent trauma in my life, I have had extreme anxiety. I am a WDW passholder, BUT I'm not familiar with the GAC (or whatever they are now) services for people like me. I am not able to be at stand still with a lot of people around for longer than probably half an hour without having a full blown anxiety attack. I have been going to Disney since I was three, so I would really not like hearing "OH YOU HAVE ANXIETY? WHAT A DUMB CHOICE TO GO TO DISNEY." It's not polite.

Do you think the Cast Members will be considerate and help me manuverer through the parks? I am going to 10 days in June/July this year and plan to go to all four parks and both water parks.

P.S I think we're going to Seaworld for a day (again, I'm a passholder), is anyone familiar with how that park is with guests with invisible disabilities?

 

[anonymousegirl]

You will have to be able to articulate your needs to the CM. So instead of saying, hi I have severe anxiety, you will need to explain what triggers that anxiety. It is close spaces? darkness? loud noises?

For example, I am not claustrophobic in the usual accepted definition; I can handle close and dark spaces without issues. BUT I get extremely anxious if the area I am in is airless or very stuffy. I feel like I am suffocating even if I am the only person in a large room. I would need to tell the CM that, rather than saying I am claustrophobic.

Hopes this helps!

 

[lanejudy]

The previous GAC program no longer exists. The current program is the Disability Access Service (DAS) and there are details of how it works in the "WDW - Disability Access Service" sticky near the top of this forum. I'd suggest you check that out to determine whether it may help your needs.

As PP indicated, in requesting a DAS you will have to express your "needs" as related to your anxiety, not the diagnosis. And specifically, how it impacts your ability to wait in lines. This will have absolutely no impact on your movement around the parks -- considerate or no, the CMs are not allowed to physically help you "manuever through the parks" -- so I'm not sure what your question there really means. CMs throughout the park will assist in any way they are able, but not physically. DAS is only used in the 4 major theme parks, not the water parks or other areas of WDW.

You are apparently well familiar with the parks. I'd suggest you work on coping mechanisms to deal with your triggers, specifically as related to experiences in the parks. Nobody will be able to remove crowds or lines for you. You can do some planning to ensure you are there during low crowd times, use a touring plan to be in the least crowded park and the least crowded section of the park during the day, plan FP+. With or without a DAS, these suggestions should go a long way towards helping you enjoy your trip.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[SteveMouse]

What is it that you want from Disney? They will not provide you an individual escort, unless you book and pay for it, and it's pretty expensive.

Depending on your needs, you can request and receive a DAS card (see the sticky). The card can be presented at any attraction's FastPass entrance, and you will be given a return time equal to the wait for the standby line, minus about 10 minutes or so. You can wait anywhere you like, but you can only have one return time at a time.

A good touring plan will serve you well.

 

[Heva2015]

I know you've been visiting disney a while and so you may not wish to hear what I have to say but you do need to consider the real impact this could have on your health. If you feel this may make your anxiety worse then I'd hold off on a trip until you've found your own ways of coping with situations you struggle with. I have a number of disabilities both seen and unseen and whilst I hate them stopping me doing certain things sometimes I need to admit defeat, I can't ride space mountain for example and I can't spend a full day in the parks anymore.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

I am not able to be at stand still with a lot of people around for longer than probably half an hour without having a full blown anxiety attack.
. . . this could be problematic
. . . even with DAS, you do not get immediate access, like with the GAC card
. . . you still stand in a line awaiting entry
. . . at any time, the line could be short or medium length
. . . depends upon how many need the line at the time you appear

Do you think the Cast Members will be considerate and help me manuverer through the parks?
. . . certainly not
. . . you you want an escort, you need to hire one
. . . the ADA and the DAS card allows ACCESS, not EXCESS

I am going to 10 days in June/July this year and plan to go to all four parks and both water parks.
. . . it will be very crowded
. . . this might aggravate your condition

P.S I think we're going to Seaworld for a day (again, I'm a passholder), is anyone familiar with how that park is with guests with invisible disabilities?
. . . they also do not provide escorts

 

[chigirl]

I suffer from extreme panic and anxiety and have been to WDW 4 times and DL once in the past 10 years...2 September trips, 2 June trip, and October trip, so different crowd levels.

Certainly crowds affect my panic...I'd really like to do MVMCP on our upcoming November trip, but I CANNOT handle pushing and shoving, so that is out, as I know how it will be. We do not stay for the fireworks, I have never watched "Illuminations". We did watch "Fantasmic" at Disneyland and "World of Color", but I paid to be in the VIP viewing area.

DIN gets me the most...that background noise at restaurants, etc...where everyone is talking at once. But I have figured out coping methods.

As far as waiting in lines goes, I try to tune out the people around me (of course being mindful of manners, not to be rude or holding up lines) and focus on the theme and design of the space, which is always awesome at WDW.

I had 2 full-blown panic attacks at WDW...last September, I begged a bus driver to let me off en route to the Magic Kingdom and he pulled over at the Swan and let me off, and I went inside and chilled out and met my family a half an hour later at MK.

The other time was at Epcot, in October 2006 when it was packed for Food & Wine Festival...I sat inside one of the quiet buildings in the Japan section until it passed.

I also had a major panic attack AFTER World of Color at DL, when the horrible management of CA had a terrible exit plan (it was grad nite at DL June 2011) and had thousands of people stuck behind a fence, trapped and pushing. It was awful...I actually climbed over a different fence and escaped into Downtown Disney, with my family wondering where I was. I still can't believe I wasn't caught by security, but if you're familiar with the set up of CA, you know how close it is to Downtown Disney and there are several un-secure spots where anyone can hop a 5-foot fence.

I am not going to lie...I also tranq up on every trip and once had a breakdown at POFQ when I thought Mouskeeping took my bottle of Valium.

The funny thing is, though, I usually have such a good time at WDW that the thought of going there makes me able to endure stress in my life.

I just know what to avoid! So, alas, no fireworks for me and no Epcot after about 6pm...

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Whatever you do, don't get caught in the post Illumination, Wishes, etc., mass exodus.

 

[chigirl]

Whatever you do, don't get caught in the post Illumination, Wishes, etc., mass exodus.

Amen to that.
I STILL have post "World of Color" anxiety!!!!!

 

[LilyWDW]

Whatever you do, don't get caught in the post Illumination, Wishes, etc., mass exodus.

Oh good lord do I agree!

OP, I have anxiety, depression, PTSD, and OCD. I always like to mention my issues when I answer posts like this because I want people to know that I am coming from a "similar" place.

Disney is hard. They will not help you maneuver through the parks nor should they be required to. The DAS will only assist you when it comes to lines for attractions. Even then, it will give you a time to return and you will still have to enter through the FP+ line, which could STILL have a wait.

The biggest problems I have are (1) Restaurants (TS and QS) and (2) General crowds in the parks. There is nothing that can really be done in these situations.

TS restaurants are packed with as many tables as Disney can fit in. This sometimes means being seated in very close quarters with other people. I nearly had a full blown panic attack at Les Chefs due to how close the chair of the person behind me was to me because I felt I couldn't "escape". Ruined the whole dining experience for me.

QS locations are just generally busy if you go and eat at "normal" times. Especially in the lines and especially if Disney is controlling who is allowed into the dining area like they do at specific times of the year. Tables here can also be very close together.

Then you have the general crowds. As I said before, Disney will not assist in any way in maneuvering through them. There are services you can purchase that can give you some help here, but those are very expensive.

Some tips:
- Go during quieter times of the year. Stay away from any time period where kids are out of school as this increases crowds.
- This will be the only time I say this but... don't get to the parks too early. Otherwise you will have to stand there waiting for the parks to open and you will be surrounded by many many people. I still do rope drop and my anxiety can get bad during this time, but I think of it as a trade off.
- DO still get there on the early side and then leave in the middle of the day. Come back at night. Crowds build and peak in the afternoon.
- Have a touring plan.

And I know you don't want to hear it but... sometimes you just have to really evaluate if a trip like Disney is possible at this time based off of your disorder. As someone who "gets" it, there are times where there is no way in heck I would be able to handle Disney. It would be impossible. It stinks, but it is the way things are.

 

[SueM in MN]

Other posters have very good advice, so I'll agree with them and only add a bit.
Even if you don't normally consider yourself claustrophobic, there are some attractions that can give some guests a feeling of not being able to escape.
This link has a lot of information about attractions people have expressed having trouble with.
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42597910&postcount=27


If you lose track of this thread, the link is to post 27 on page 2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread.

You may have no issues with some of the attractions mentioned, but may want to look at YouTube videos of others to get ideas.
Some of them, people have dealt with the part that is a problem by using other members of their group around them as a kind of buffer to get some separation from other guests.
Others, the part that could be an issue is part of the attraction and there is nothing that can be done about it - for example, the parts of Spaceship Earth and Haunted Mansion where your ride car is going down backwards causes issues for me. I've been on them enough times that they are no longer a big problem. But, if you think they might cause an issue for you, those would be ones to skip for this trip.

If you do choose to watch any of the parades or night shows, the biggest hint would be to try to find an un-crowded place to watch from and stay put until the crowd going by you thins out. That will avoid much of the crowds.
For Illuminations at Epcot, a good place to watch from a distance is in front of the restrooms at the Odyssey Building. Most people will be by the water, and most of the crowd follows the pathway close to the water when they leave.

For MK, there aren't a lot of I crowded areas to watch the parades, but some of the areas in Frontierland have limited space behind you, so, if you are up by the curb and have family members providing a buffer, it might be doable. Be aware that ropes are removed just before the end of the parade passes by an area.
For the Fireworks at MK, the majority of people will be watching from the castle hub or Main Street. The area in Fantasyland behind the castle can be a good place to watch either less crowds - not the same effect, but you do get the music and fireworks. Some people also watch from a beach at one of the nearby MK resorts.

 

[cobright]

I'm in the same boat Skyy with General anxiety, acute anxiety (panic attacks), and often general social awkwardness.

Have you been to Disney since you started having issues? I've found that I usually have less troubles than on the outside.

That said, you really have to take the reigns on this yourself. This is the approach I recommend.

Talk to your doctor about medications. Even if you are opposed to RX therapy in general, a trip to Disney is something special. If a bottle of klonopin will get you through your vacation, great; then you never have to use them again. Often, I will fill a scrip for benzos and it will take months to use them all, just having them available drops my anxiety level.

Personally I find liquor to be an essential part of every trip to WDW, but that's just my personal strategy. Start working now to find something that works for you.

And, good luck.

 

[GSUJillybean]

I have trauma-based PTSD as well, and, while there have been times I have had to admit to myself that I just couldn't handle a trip right now, I can't make that decision for you. Only you can decide if it's worth the risk to your mental health.

I have never attempted to obtain a DAS, but I've used FP+ very recently, and I will say to prepare yourself for the FP lines to be just as closed in and crowded as the regular lines. I think when FP lines are busy, they're actually a little MORE confining than the regular lines because the space is not really designed to handle congestion.

My only advice is to use a crowd calendar and follow it to the letter. We went President's Week/Princess Half-Marathon weekend this year, and even though the crowd levels were high, we used the park recommendations to avoid the worst of the rush.

The key to enjoying your trip if you're absolutely sure you want to go is low expectations. When we go, We arrive at rope drop, hit the park hard until lunch-time, and then plan on relaxing the rest of the day. If we feel up to going back to a park, then that's great. If not, no one is disappointed. We normally catch each nighttime show once per trip and take it easy the other days. This time, we watched Wishes during the Pirates and Pals voyage, and it was amazing.

 

[alicia080979]

I have severe anxiety as well and panic attacks that often hit without triggers that I know of. I know some triggers but other times, it is out of the blue. I never used the GAC in the past (my mother did for avoiding steps and on continuous loading rides so I have a little experience) and really have no idea how the DAS would help me so not sure if I am much help there. Typically though, I keep my Rx of Xanax with me and sometimes just having it as a security type thing will help.

In the past, being at Disney has helped to lower my anxiety level overall because I have been able to "forget" about everything else in my life and just in general have a lower stress level. Hopefully the same will happen for you. I have had a couple big panic attacks and been done for the day because of them but often times I can feel something come on and I can take some medicine, get out of line (or not get in line) and go find somewhere quiet and take a few breaths while I regain control. I have been known to go into a bathroom stall and breathe into a paper bag. If I am in the parks late, you will almost always find me waiting until the crowds thin down after the fireworks. For Wishes, we pay to do the Dessert Party so I can have my own space.

I am already anxious about touring with FP+ because we had FP- down to a science but I am just going to plan what I can and hope we can work around any issues I might have once we are there.

I'm sorry you are going through even more on top of your anxiety that already exists. I know how frustrating and defeating anxiety can feel at times.