First - a reminder to all readers and posters -
Things that might sound just fine if you were in the room with the person and could see them and hear their tone of voice may 'sound' very different when those same things are read without any 'cues' except the bare words.
Most posters (at least on this board) are really trying to be helpful and are not trying to be 'snarky'.
We are planning a grand gathering with a
total of nine people. First of all let me stress that I like the gac not to get to the top of line because it doesn't work that way.I am traveling with people with multi disabilities. I have a child who is mental handicapped and is diabetic. I also have a son who is diabetic and my daughter who has npddnos.My mother in law will be in a
scooter and the other people who are with us the husband has a heart condition and waiting outside would be difficult. Obivously they are not going to give one for all of us but can we each get one? I know we won't be together on the rides that is a give I just want to keep my kids out of the sun and my daughter away from crowds in the line(she tends to talk and hug people and we are trying to disway her from doing so)Anyhow I just need some advice. If we did do this should we go into guest relations together?Thanks in advance!
Although most of the time GACs are issued for a total of 6 people (5 plus the person with a disability), the CMs in Guest Relations do have the ability to make reasonable exceptions for larger groups. You would need to be able to explain why you need a GAC for a larger number.
If they do give several people in your group a GAC to meet their needs, it's also possible they may not allow a total of 6 on each GAC.
Sometimes, a large group may not all be able to stay together because of the amount of room in the area or the number of seats in a specific ride car/area of the show. So, you would need to be prepared to split into smaller groups if asked.
Then, look at the needs of each person. If you plan or may split up or some will not be going on all attractions, it may be best to get separate GACs for each person who has needs. Some people just get one person a GAC because they don't plan to split, even though others also have special needs.
I have a child who is mental handicapped and is diabetic......
my daughter who has npddnos.
I didn't see if you wrote how old these children are, but many people find that using a wheelchair (for an older child) or a stroller as a wheelchair (for a smaller child) is very helpful because it provides a safe haven from stimulation for the child and also helps to keep the child separated a bit from other guests.
Even though the children may not have any
mobility needs, they still have needs that a mobility device may be a big help for.
A stroller being used as a wheelchair is allowed to go where ever a wheelchair goes. The only exception would be that some attractions have ride cars that are made to hold a wheelchair. A stroller could be brought to the point of boarding, but would not fit in the wheelchair ride car.
I also have a son who is diabetic
For the children with diabetes, try to think of what their specific needs are; what are you concerned about?
Many people with diabetes find that a GAC is not particularly helpful to them. If they need to treat a low blood sugar, many find they can do it in line and do not need to leave. If they do need to leave the line, many felt that talking to a CM before leaving worked well and allowed them to come back without 'losing' the time they already waited.
This doesn't mean I am saying people with diabetes don't need GACs, just that you need to think what your children need because not all diabetics have special needs at WDW.
My mother in law will be in a scooter
A scooter is allowed in all lines where it fits without needing a GAC. If all she needs is to be able to bring the scooter into line, she won't need one.
There are some attractions where the line is wheelchair accessible, but
ECVs (especially larger ones) may not fit. Those attractions do have a wheelchair for guests who need to switch from an
ECV to a wheelchair. You don't need a GAC to do that - just explain to the CM at the entrance.
If she plans to park the ECV and walk in lines, she may need a GAC to avoid stairs. The distance walked will not be shorter with a GAC, so many people choose to stay on the ECV as much as possible.
the husband has a heart condition and waiting outside would be difficult.
Besides waiting outside, what sort of problems/needs do you envision for him? Would he need to avoid stairs? Need a place to sit while he is waiting for attractions? (Most don't have anywhere to sit unless the guest has a wheelchair or ECV with them).
A couple of things to keep in mind:
The amount of time you spend in line is just a small part of the time spent at WDW. GACs will just help while in lines, but you will need to make allowances for needs while you are not in attractions too.
Many people have found that tour planning services, like Tour Guide Mike is very helpful because the tour plan helps them to be in the quietest part of the quietest park. Quite a few have felt tour plans were more helpful than a GAC and are able to limit their use of the GAC to a few attractions. They have posted that with Tour Guide Mike they were able to get on everything they wanted and never waited more than 10 minutes.
For heat, sun or humidity, many of the lines are covered, shaded and depending on the park, might be entirely indoors.
For example, Epcot has almost all the waiting inside of buildings, so is a good place to go on a warm day. The Studio and MK have some inside and some outside. AK has almost all the waits outside and can be a very warm park - without anywhere cooler to wait, whether or not the person has a GAC. Again, going from place to place will be a significant amount of exposure that you need to be concerned about.
If the GAC you are given does not meet the needs, you can always go back to Guest Relations and try to explain what was not working and/or what needs were not met. You also don't need to get a GAC for each person with needs right away; if you are not sure of the needs, you can always try things for a while and see how it goes. You may find you don't need a GAC for that person or trying to wait may give you more information about what the needs are.
My family has traveled with large groups - as large as 14 (we did not have 14 on a GAC). We found that it was hard to keep a large group together; people get hungry at different times, need restroom stops at different times, want to ride different things or may want to ride them at different times.
Flexibility is very important, which is why some of your people may need to get a separate GAC.
oh, and there's a first aid station just in case you need to keep some insulin shots there or the kid might feel ill. If the person does not think he or she can make it to the first aid station because it is too far away, just tell a CM promptly, What they'll do is probably get a wheelchair to bring you there. If the situation is an emergency, they will call the paramedics(they have on-site ones) and CM's will actually 'hide you' from the crowd or just form a wall to give you privacy and make it less stressful. I have seen alot AED's(Automatic external defibrillaters ) in the park so it's a oretty medically safe place I guess you could say. I mean, by law they have to have it, but i've seen so many in such short distances. Good luck!
