GAC....12 People....Wheelchair?

[Mike Bartenhagen]

We are going to be in WDW on Thanksgiving week, arriving on Friday night and going home Thanksgiving day. We go every other year as extended family, there are 12 total including our family, my sisters family, and our parents.

My son is 10 and previously used a Convaid Cruiser, it looks like and umbrella stroller so we always got a GAC just to be certain that we had no issues. He now has a new chair, it is a Convaid Cruiser which looks a bit more like a wheelchair but could still be confused with a stroller.

In the past we have always traveled in October and crowds were very light, I expect that will be different this trip so I have a few questions:

Should we get a GAC just to be certain that no one confuses the chair with a stroller?

If you don't have a GAC how many people are allowed to go in the wheelchair access line? Is it still 6?

For those that travel in larger groups, how do manage the limit of 6 with the GAC? Part of the enjoyment for our kids is being with their cousins but they also want to be with their brother (our son with special needs). This has never been a problem before as crowds were light so they always just sent all 12 of us through the access line. What do other do...do you split up, do some sit out, do you take turns?

Thanks for the help.

 

[EvangelineG]

If you don't have a GAC how many people are allowed to go in the wheelchair access line? Is it still 6?

For those that travel in larger groups, how do manage the limit of 6 with the GAC? Part of the enjoyment for our kids is being with their cousins but they also want to be with their brother (our son with special needs). This has never been a problem before as crowds were light so they always just sent all 12 of us through the access line. What do other do...do you split up, do some sit out, do you take turns?

Thanks for the help.

I can't address your other questions, but last year we went post Thanksgiving with a group of 10, including a wheelchair. We were often split up (yes, six is the limit), but it was no big deal. Some of the party would go with my sister in her wheelchair and some would head for the regular line. We usually finished up around the same time (we were mostly riding rides in the mornings and following a touring plan), and would then meet up. We alternated who went in which line, so everyone got turns to wait and ride together.

 

[peemagg]

You will most likely have to split up, but you can take turns riding with each other. That way it makes it more special for everyone. Everyone gets a special memory with your son.

 

[blondietink]

Yes, 6 is the limit.

 

[lunaemica]

We were also told that 6 is the limit

 

[Vickie46]

My friend had a party of 7 and one person could ride sometimes with the rest but most of the time they waited out when they were told only 6.

 

[Piper]

When I went with a large group, people took turns riding with me. There are many rides I cannot do and I just waited at the exit (in many of the shops) and people watched until the rest of my party had ridden whatever it was I couldn't do. I also can only do a few hours at a time before I need to rest, so my party got fastpasses to ride when I was resting.

 

[Jonell]

When we went in Sept there were 9 of us and we were allowed to all ride together with my DH's GAC but, we had 3 scooters in our group and it was a very slow week. I guessing they will probably only allow 6 during Thanksgiving week.

 

[SueM in MN]

Many of the regular lines and all of the Fastpass lines are wheelchair accessible. For those accessible regular lines, you will all be able to wait in line together. If you all have Fastpasses, you will be able to wait in lines together.

(Check the disABILITIES FAQs thread for 'Mobility Entrances'. You can find that thread near the top of this board or follow the link in my signature).

For shows, there is limited wheelchair seating and there are limited numbers of companion seats for each wheelchair spot. We have been in shows where the guests traveling with one wheelchair took all the companion seats (in one case, it was 12 people). That meant that the other guests with wheelchairs could not have a companion sitting by them.

Some attractions have boarding for guests with wheelchairs in a separate place than other guests. For those, they generally will no more than 6 (including the person with a disability) because of space limitations. There are also some situations where the accessible ride car holds a smaller number than a regular car. For example, the accessible boat on Small World and in Mexico has 6 seats; the accessible Toy Story Mania ride car has 6 spots (1 can be wheelchair accessible).
So, at each attraction, make sure you have chosen who will ride with your child. I would choose no more than 6 people total for each attraction.

 

[lovethattink]

We are going to be in WDW on Thanksgiving week, arriving on Friday night and going home Thanksgiving day. We go every other year as extended family, there are 12 total including our family, my sisters family, and our parents.

My son is 10 and previously used a Convaid Cruiser, it looks like and umbrella stroller so we always got a GAC just to be certain that we had no issues. He now has a new chair, it is a Convaid Cruiser which looks a bit more like a wheelchair but could still be confused with a stroller.

In the past we have always traveled in October and crowds were very light, I expect that will be different this trip so I have a few questions:

Should we get a GAC just to be certain that no one confuses the chair with a stroller?

If you don't have a GAC how many people are allowed to go in the wheelchair access line? Is it still 6?

For those that travel in larger groups, how do manage the limit of 6 with the GAC? Part of the enjoyment for our kids is being with their cousins but they also want to be with their brother (our son with special needs). This has never been a problem before as crowds were light so they always just sent all 12 of us through the access line. What do other do...do you split up, do some sit out, do you take turns?

Thanks for the help.

We just recently went with 8 in our party. We don't go on many attractions as we don't stay in a park very long.

For Enchanted Tales with Belle we were all able to stay together, though we sat in several different rows for the show part.

For Under the Sea, 4 boarded at the entrance, and 4 boarded at the exit/WC entrance. We were able to stay together right up until boarding and they waited for us outside until we were finished.

At POTC we had to split up and go in two totally separate lines. The elevator was broken that day too. So they did things differently. It was our first time using the w/c entrance so I'm not sure what was different?

Those are the only attractions we did that day. Usually we are a party of either 4 or 6.

 

[SueM in MN]

We just recently went with 8 in our party. We don't go on many attractions as we don't stay in a park very long.

For Enchanted Tales with Belle we were all able to stay together, though we sat in several different rows for the show part.

For Under the Sea, 4 boarded at the entrance, and 4 boarded at the exit/WC entrance. We were able to stay together right up until boarding and they waited for us outside until we were finished.

At POTC we had to split up and go in two totally separate lines. The elevator was broken that day too. So they did things differently. It was our first time using the w/c entrance so I'm not sure what was different?

Those are the only attractions we did that day. Usually we are a party of either 4 or 6.

The usual wheelchair entrance at Pirates in MK is to use the left side line of the regular queue. So, not sure why they separated you for that. It is the other side of the regular queue.

 

[lovethattink]

The usual wheelchair entrance at Pirates in MK is to use the left side line of the regular queue. So, not sure why they separated you for that. It is the other side of the regular queue.

We were sent through a gate back stage and in a door that took us right to the loading area.

 

[MG3G]

Does anyone happen to know if exceptions are ever made to party size? We have 5 children all fairly young. If we had to split up our group of 7 for the majority of the rides it would make our trip pretty miserable. FYI - we want to go to disneyland (not world) and far fewer of the rides (I've heard) have WC entrances in the main lines.

 

[SueM in MN]

Does anyone happen to know if exceptions are ever made to party size? We have 5 children all fairly young. If we had to split up our group of 7 for the majority of the rides it would make our trip pretty miserable. FYI - we want to go to disneyland (not world) and far fewer of the rides (I've heard) have WC entrances in the main lines.

Yes, they do make reasonable exceptions.

The usual number is a total of 6 (5 plus the person with a disability).
If you were asking about a GAC for 12, that is very unlikely. But, one or 2 more than 6 is not unusual if there are circumstances like small children with 2 adults or an elderly person with 6 others.

You will still need to be prepared to split up into smaller groups if needed. There are places where a whole group of 7 may not fit, so they still might ask you to split into 2 smaller groups.