First time to Disneyland

[mjaynes288]

I just moved to southern California and want to go to disneyland but I have a few concerns.

1) I have Asperger's. I will need a GAC for an alternative place to wait away from the masses to aviod being overloaded. Will a CM believe that a prefectly heathy looking 23 yro(often mistaken for a teenager) who acts normal needs GAC?

2) Is there somewhere on the internet that i can find detailed descriptions of the rides and shows. I need to know if there will be sudden expolosions or flashing lights and things like that. I went to the official site but their disclaimer is that there might be flashing lights anywhere in the park.

I want this to work out better then the trip to WDW when I was 6. All I remember from that trip is being terrified of the characters and crying and screaming through It's a Small World from the painful noise. This time I want to know what I am getting into before I get there.

 

[SueM in MN]

Here's a link to the Disneyland Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities which should be able to answer your questions about which attractions have loud noises, flashes, etc.
For your other question, there is a board at Mouseplanet that might be able to help you. I can understand your concern about your DS looking very normal, my nephew who has Aspergers is very normal looking teenager until he gets upset/scared and tears start running down his face, etc.

 

[mjaynes288]

I have read the guide for guests with disabilities. It say, "Strobe-lighting effects are used throughout the Park. All uses may not be indicated." That did not help my anxiety. The guide seems to be mostly for vision, hearing, and mobility problems.

I am very shy and try to avoid conflict. There seemed to be a lot of conflict on the Mouseplanet board. Disclaimer: I am an Aspie. My interpretation of social situations may be way off but it is how I feel.

 

[dclfun]

I don't think it's so much a matter of CM's believing you need a GAC but rather whether or not your needs will be met even with a GAC. DL is very "compact" and from being there recently I honestly don't recall seeing anywhere someone could wait out of the crowds. The accessible lines were often in the midst of the action and were also filled with guests. I'd be really specific at Guest Services about which things are difficult for you so you can be assisted before you get into a tough situation- it's often hard to find a CM at entrances to the attractions. Perhaps bringing ear muffs or ear plugs might help with the noises. There was a thread on here recently about those being helpful during fireworks, etc. Good luck- you deserve to have a great vacation! Kathy

 

[JenJen]

I have read the guide for guests with disabilities. It say, "Strobe-lighting effects are used throughout the Park. All uses may not be indicated." That did not help my anxiety. The guide seems to be mostly for vision, hearing, and mobility problems.

I am very shy and try to avoid conflict. There seemed to be a lot of conflict on the Mouseplanet board. Disclaimer: I am an Aspie. My interpretation of social situations may be way off but it is how I feel.

No you are not off about the conflict mouseplanet has some very rude people that seem to always want to pick fights. This board is much more friendly in my opinon. If you have any question about a certain ride at Disneyland such as sounds lights and /or suprises you can ask me here or PM me I know all atrractions very well in both Disney'a california adventures and Disneyland. Please don't be afraid to ask any question I will not think any question you ask is stupid The only question that is stupid is a question that is never asked I work with people with aspergers and my step son and daughter both are in the autistic spectruim. I will be happy to answer any questions.
Jen Jen

 

[cupcake]

I am not a super frequent visitor to DL, but have been a few times. I think you should be able to track down information about the rides ahead of time in terms of the feel of the ride and whether there are special effects. If you can't get specific info on the DL rides, I would feel comfortable relying on the WDW descriptions and asking here if there are any differences. I wanted to add that I tried to get a GAC with a sun sensitivity stamp like I get at WDW. At DL, this is more necessary than at WDW (where I use it very rarely) bc many lines are not shaded. They did not have such a stamp and when I asked CMs at attractions with long sunny lines, they did not have a set place for me to wait and for shows, would not preload me. WDW in a similar situation would give a card with a time to come back. I would hope that DL would have an accommodation for you. How close are you to DL? An idea might be to go on a non-crowded day and see what kind of assistance they offer when you ask for a GAC, and plan on spending that day getting acclimated. There are lots of nice nooks and crannies to check out, much more so than WDW, and you can go on fastpass attractions if any of them sound good to you. Once you have that first trip under your belt, you will be better able to plan for the future.

And I would not worry about whether CMs doing to the GACs will judge you. They are there to help you and they know they need to find out what your special needs are, regardless of whether those needs show on the surface or not.

Have a lovely trip! How nice for you to be close to DL!! Please post with your experiences.

Oh -- have you looked at the Unofficial Guide? They have ratings for children and older adults re the attractions' scare factor. I recall that the point of the adult scare section was to prevent teens from enticing their relatives onto "fun" rides which might be too much for many adults. Both these sections might be of help to you.


Cupcake

 

[SueM in MN]

Sorry, I didn't realize they had changed the descriptions of the attractions in the DL Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities. It used to give more details, not telling exactly what would happen, but at least warning of sudden noises and/or things like strobe lights. If you check each individual ride description, some of them do indicate strobe lights, so it might be some help.
One thing that helps at WDW is to look for the rides that include warnings for Service Animals. Those dogs tend to not like sudden noises, bright lights or strobes, so the rides that recommend not to bring service animals on are often going to have those.

I do agree with mouseplanet sometimes being kind of brutal. I should have made myself more clear that I meant to look there, not necessarily to post there. Sorry.

Here are some sites that might be more helpful:
http://www.intercotwest.com/themeParks/dlFanMrToadsWildRide.asp

http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland-california/