Exit Pass?

[Rescue Pooh]

Hello everyone I have a ? about exit passes actually make that two ?? LOL. First has anyone heard of them and two how do we go about getting them if they do exist. The reason I ask is that our oldest DD who will be 8 this month is special needs and my wife was talking to one of our friends who also has a special needs child that was telling her about them. My DW and I plan on taking a trip just the two of us hopefully in the very near future to kind of scope everything out since it's been more than a few years since we've been to DL. After that trip we plan on making a family trip with our DD mentioned above as well as our other DD who will be 3 this month, our DS who is 1 and my DW's mom. Thanks in advance everyone

 

[rebecca1176]

Hello everyone I have a ? about exit passes actually make that two ?? LOL. First has anyone heard of them and two how do we go about getting them if they do exist. The reason I ask is that our oldest DD who will be 8 this month is special needs and my wife was talking to one of our friends who also has a special needs child that was telling her about them. My DW and I plan on taking a trip just the two of us hopefully in the very near future to kind of scope everything out since it's been more than a few years since we've been to DL. After that trip we plan on making a family trip with our DD mentioned above as well as our other DD who will be 3 this month, our DS who is 1 and my DW's mom. Thanks in advance everyone

I think what you are referring to is Guest Assistance Card(s). If anyone in your group is their own wheelchair or rents one, a GAC card is not necessary. I am disabled and in Disneyland they shoot you up the "exit" of rides to hop on. No questions asked. I've heard GAC can be a hassle to obtain but everyone is so friendly if you explain their health concerns, it would be worth it.

Good luck with your trip!!!

 

[rebecca1176]

OH, and you apply for a card at Guest Relations inside DL. If one person has the card (or wheelchair) your entire group, goes on rides with that person - if they want to! I tried to tell the cast otherwise, that my hubby and kids could go in the regular lines, but they insisted we all (5) go together

 

[DizNee Luver]

If your daughter is not in a wheelchair, then go to the guest services at City Hall & explain your daughters needs. They will issue you a pass that allows certain things, depending on the needs.

We have 3 yr old twins that are autistic & delayed. They are unable to stand in long lines & need to stay in their strollers until loading on a ride. We were able to get a stamp to use the strollers as wheelchairs. I think with the 2 trips we've done with them, we've used it a total of 6 times for rides. They don't really enjoy most of the rides, but it does let us take the stroller into places they usually like you to park outside.

Some rides have you load from the exit, this doesn't always save you time, but most of the time it does. Most of the rides in DCA are wheelchair accessible, so you won't be using special entrances for those.

Again, depends on the needs. It's not meant to be a way to jump the line but to make the time in the park for the special needs person easier for them.

 

[Rescue Pooh]

Thanks for the info. We will definitely look into it. Our DD is not in a wheelchair, but has been diagnosed bipolar along with a couple of other conditions and we were told it would be best to look into it. I feel bad thinking I'm jumping the line, but we feel with our daughter's condition she could not do the lines and I want to make it a memorable trip for her.

 

[DizNee Luver]

Thanks for the info. We will definitely look into it. Our DD is not in a wheelchair, but has been diagnosed bipolar along with a couple of other conditions and we were told it would be best to look into it. I feel bad thinking I'm jumping the line, but we feel with our daughter's condition she could not do the lines and I want to make it a memorable trip for her.

Just stop by City Hall when you arrive, you don't need any medical documentation.......just let them know your concerns & they'll set you up with a Guest Assistance Card. I hope she has a wonderful trip (and you too)

PS: I've heard that some of the rides, the wait time can be even longer using the handicapped entrance.....so just be aware of that. Our girls don't do the "big" rides & that's where I've heard the waits are pretty long. Mention the issue with waiting, if standing in the sun is a problem let them know, etc. The more they know the better they can put your GAC together....hopefully this will help your daughter have a stress-free trip!

 

[Rescue Pooh]

Thank you for all your help. I'm looking forward to taking them to DL. I can't wait to see the looks on their faces. I'm also looking forward to going back after all these years, as my wife says I'm a big kid. LOL.

 

[DizNee Luver]

Thank you for all your help. I'm looking forward to taking them to DL. I can't wait to see the looks on their faces. I'm also looking forward to going back after all these years, as my wife says I'm a big kid. LOL.

I don't know if you have dietary restrictions, but if you do, you can call Disney Dining & ask to speak to a chef. They'll either transfer you to their voice mail or give you a number to call directly. It takes about a week to get a call back, but they will be able to help you out with concerns, allergies, etc.

Disneyland makes all of us a kid.....no matter the age or size!!! Its nice to step away from reality & be totally surrounded in happiness!! It truly is the happiest place on earth!

 

[KPeveler]

You will need to be able to explain the needs of the child to the people in Guest Services, not the diagnosis. For example "autistic" can mean so many things. You would need to be able to explain what the child will have problems with going about a regular day in the parks.

If you go at a crowded time, even the waits for not as popular rides will be quite long for a party with a GAC. They can also be even more cramped and crowded than the regular queue, and are often in direct sunlight even if the standby queue is covered.

If she is going to have problems with stamina or mobility, I suggest renting a wheelchair for her to use when she gets tired.

If she does not like being touched by others then you may really want to rent a wheelchair - it helps create a "buffer" to keep others from bumping into her.

ETA: Do not plan on the GAC working the same way every time and at every ride. You will see it handled differently based on many many factors, and there are many different GACs, so you should plan on waiting in lines as usual and then have the GAC as a bonus. A lot of people do not find the GAC entirely helpful, and find good planning and touring plans to be more helpful.

 

[groovygirl927]

Hi Rescue Pooh you are the second person on here that I have seen from Santee. Hello neighbor

I used the wheelchair pass years ago when my daughter was little and my friends mom took us she was in a wheel chair and they would let all four of us on the rides (three adults and my daughter who was three) We went mostly on Fantasyland rides and it wasn't too bad.

When do you plan on going. Would you be willing to take her out of school to go. It will probably less crowded and I am sure that would help.

Have fun when you go

Monica

 

[CrazyDuck]

Don't automatically go to the exit expecting to jump on the ride... Different rides load differently for the disabled. Go to the main entrance for each ride and check with the cast member there to find out where the line is. Also, as others have said, certain rides do take longer, It's a Small World has a specific boat they use for disabled. If the main like is short you may end up waiting 3 or 4x longer!

 

[kiwitravel]

Like many others have said, at peak times GAC can load slower... I am afraid there is no "front of the line" pass at DL.... We had a GAC last trip (long story...) and the only rides we felt it had a benefit in term of less queuing on were TSMM, Mattahorn, Peter Pan and Dumbo... On occasions it was slower on the other rides, GACs are not loaded instantly and if more than one GAC waiting expect to still have to wait....

 

[rebecca1176]

Personally, I had a total different story as far as loading via exit (in a wheelchair). We were there over Easter weekend and my hubby said my wheels were better than a fast pass. This made me very uncomfortable. Every ride we went on, my family bypassed the long lines and were immediately assisted onto rides.

 

[kiwitravel]

Personally, I had a total different story as far as loading via exit (in a wheelchair). We were there over Easter weekend and my hubby said my wheels were better than a fast pass. This made me very uncomfortable. Every ride we went on, my family bypassed the long lines and were immediately assisted onto rides.

A lot of the time we used our GAC like a FP, same entry point as FP so didn't see too much benefit over FP however on non FP lines that had the bigger queues it was a definite advantage... We too felt a little uncomfortable especially as from the outside we looked fit but we had lost nearly a whole day at a Hospital ER during our holiday and it helped us catch up... The biggest help was for TTSM, we rode this once every day once we got the GAC, we wouldn't have put up with that 30 - 45 min line every day otherwise...