disability passes

[formykid]

hi i was wanting more info on the passes for both disney and universal, we are going for the first time and my son has multiple disabilities and a trach, we are going to magic kingdom, universal studios and island of adventure, we are hoping to get the GAC at disney and praying it helps us avoid to long of lines due to the heat, we are coming prepared for the heat and are used the heat, but def want to keep my son as comfortable as possible, we really can't do water rides that get you soaked, due to the trach, so it anyone can recommend any water rides that do not get you soaked? at all 3 parks? as far as the universal parks i have heard they changed their passes for the disabled in the last couple of weeks?? that they are trying to pressure you to buy a express pass? does anyone know if is better to buy the express pass or does universal make accomdations? thanks

 

[deegack]

welcome to the board! You should read the FAQ at the top of the page to learn everything you wanted to know about GACs.

However, they will not shorten your wait time for rides. In fact depending on the situation your wait may be longer than the standard line.
Disney is a wonderful place for all children and if you use a touring plan and intersperse some indoor shows (air conditioning!) you should have a wonderful time.

 

[formykid]

thanks for the reply, i did read the FAQ, lots of great info there for sure,but i guess i am more concerned about universal, seems like disney should be ok with a plan for sure, with universal i have read so many mixed reviews i am concerned that we should buy the fastpass for island of adventure? trying to fiq it all out, thanks!

 

[DaniGal]

If the long wait is your primary concern and its in the budget I would definately get the express pass for Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure. Universal has changed there version of express pass a couple of times over the years and we never know if they will make an adjustment in the near future. All GAC at either park are not meant to shorten wait times but try to accomodate other needs. They will tell you this right at guest services. My most recent experience had us going up to a ride if the wait was one hour they would mark down to return in one hour and you could use the express line which still had waits of ten to fifteen minutes. However while you were waiting that one hour you couldn't use it again meaning you would have to go in the stand by line. They were not very good about this at Forbidden Journey, however there is not express at Forbidden Journey.

 

[EvangelineG]

We opted to stay one night at Loew's Royal Pacific which gave us two days of express pass and early entry for two mornings into WWoHP. So I can't answer for how the GAP works at Universal. With the unlimited express passes it was a really easy and pleasant experience, and our waits were short.

 

[dimndgal1]

My experience with Universal was truly hit or miss -- some rides the pass expedited the wait, some they didn't. Overall, it wasn't bad: most of the time when I had to wait, they wrote a return time on my card and I could go and sit or relax while I waited out the time.

For Disney, I can say that FP worked A LOT faster than GAC. In fact, on a few rides, most of my group went ahead and did FP but since I needed assistance loading on the belt rides, I had to wait. Admittedly the waiting area for GAC on some rides allowed me to sit, but many didn't and the wait was unpredictable.