GAC and Give a Day Promotion

[Kim in PA]

We are heading to Disney in July. Our youngest daughter on the autsim spectrum and has ADHD, a mickey button, and other medical issues, so we were planning on getting her a GAC. When we went to Disney a few years ago, we had a GAC stroller as a wheelchair tag (she is an eloper and has no fear of getting lost) and that worked well for us to keep her from running away in line.

We were planning on getting her a GAC for this trip as well. I am not sure if we will be using a stroller (she is 9 now) and if we don't take a stroller, I don't know exactly what I want the GAC to say. I just know she drives us crazy in line running away from us to talk to people, running under the ropes, etc.

My question is about the Give a Day (GAD) promotion and how it compares to the GAC. I read what's on the website, but I am still confused. Right now we have 7 day Park Hoppers, and 5 of us participated in the GAD/GAD.

Would the Fast Pass option for the Give a Day be of any value to us, or would it be giving us what we already have with the GAC? What happens if we have a GAC, but don't take a stroller?

Would we be better off using our GAD vouchers towrads the tickets and saving the money? If we do this, do I change to 6 day park hoppers and then get a 1 day ticket, or is there a better way to do this?


Thank you so much for your help!

 

[jmartinez1895]

I don't know exactly what I want the GAC to say.

It has been our experiance that it is what the CMs want the GAC to say. Just go in and tell them your concerns with you child and tell them what has worked in the past and they will know what to do. The problem with going in and telling them what you want is that they may have a better option for your family that you did not know about. As I already said, just tell them her needs and they will do a great job of helping you out.
Even if you are planning on using the GAD promotion, if your child needs special accomidations then you should get the GAC to help her in the areas that the GAD passes will not.
I hope that someone who has used the GAD passes can tell you more.

 

[dclfun]

If it were me, I'd use the GAD promo for the tickets. Then I'd rent a SN stroller and use it for your daughter with the GAC to use it as a w/c. She'll likely be more comfortable and you won't have the stress of worrying about potential elopement. Even if you use Fastpasses there will still be the queue line for her to deal with.---Kathy

 

[melisandes]

If you do not want to use to a stroller there are other gacs they can give you. Alternate entrance gac is also popular and works ok for those of us with little run away kidgets. My son has the same problem and honestly pushing him in a stroller while hanging onto one of the twins is just impossible. So they give us alternate entrance and that works better.

 

[curemyreed]

Hi, Kim. I would like to suggest you think about renting the special needs stroller from Orlando Stroller Rentals. It is a very comfortable "jogger" type stroller that can accommodate a child who weighs up to 100 lbs. The company will deliver to your hotel & pick-up as well. It sounds like keeping your daughter with you can be a challenge. Since using the "stroller as a wheelchair" GAC was effective for you last time, this would allow you to repeat that if your 9-year-old is too big for a regular stroller. Also, it is going to be HOT in July & I would think having her corralled in a stroller with a canopy will help everyone in the family stay relaxed. My DD has autism, low muscle tone, sensory issues, but is not an elopement risk. Without the stroller she would have needed to "quit" for the day LOOOONG before the rest of the family. Riding along allowed her to have the energy and stamina she needed. Additionally, she could pull the canopy and this provided a cocoon-like "safe" zone when she had sensory overload. We found the stroller from this company to be clean and properly-functioning. I would only caution you to reserve the stroller as soon as possible to ensure it will not be rented out to someone else. In December of 2008 the company only had 1 special needs stroller for rent, as I remember. They may have added to their inventory.

Have a great trip with your three Disney princesses!

 

[SueM in MN]

There is more information about GACs in post #6 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread. You can find that thread near the top of this board or follow the link in my signature.

As was already mentioned, you don't ask or tell the CMs what to put on the GAC. You explain your needs and they will come up with a stamp that helps to meet those needs.

If you want to rent a special needs stroller, there is information in post # 2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread about rental companies (scroll past the wheelchair and ECV rental information).

ANother thing that other people have posted helped them even more than a GAC was using a tour planning service like TourGuide Mike or RideMax. THose can help you to avoid the busiest places and be in the places that are least crowded. People have posted that they never waited more than 10 minutes with using those planing services.