GAC for Stress-Fractured Foot Questions

[Boo Bear]

I have been refered to this forum to ask questions about getting a GAC. I have a stress fracture in my right foot. I won't need a wheelchair or motorized vehicle, but I do need to avoid standing on my feet in the heat waiting for rides. Will a GAC allow me to sit down somewhere while I wait for rides? Also, will my boyfriend be able to go with me somewhere while I wait or do I have to go alone? I shouldn't be climbing steps either. Thanks.

 

[livndisney]

I have been refered to this forum to ask questions about getting a GAC. I have a stress fracture in my right foot. I won't need a wheelchair or motorized vehicle, but I do need to avoid standing on my feet in the heat waiting for rides. Will a GAC allow me to sit down somewhere while I wait for rides? Also, will my boyfriend be able to go with me somewhere while I wait or do I have to go alone? I shouldn't be climbing steps either. Thanks.

WDW suggests a wheelchair for mobility issues. There is a sticky in this section with lots of info. The GAC does not provide a place to sit down in line, nor does it cut down on lines or waiting times.

Hope you have a wonderful trip.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Some rides do have an alternative waiting area, but not all of them do. You'll find more information on the GAC in the FAQ section, but for any kind of mobility concern, Disney does tend to ncourage Guests to use a wheelchair or ECV. I have heard of a few people being turned down for GACs for mobility or stamina problems.

I know that it can be a daunting prospect, but Disney is the easiest place to wheel about that I've found. Do remember that at Disney you will do a lot more walking than most people do in their regular lives. Apparently the average Guest walks 6-10 miles each day at Disney. That amount of walking could aggravate the fracture, and put you in a lot of pain: not something you want generally, let alone on holiday!

If you did rent a wheelchair or ECV, you wouldn't have to use it the whole time. A lot of people use it to get between places, then park up and explore. Or, you could walk when your foot was feeling good (either parking the wheelchair, or using it to carry bags), and ride when you need to take the weight off it.

Just a couple of ideas there, I don't know if they'll be any help to you or not. Hope you guys have a great trip, however you choose to play it!

 

[Hook's Girl]

Additionally to what other's have posted, if you do not want to rent a wheelchair, most attractions provied one so you can sit just for the length of the queue.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

While most attractions have wheelchairs, they are not designed for this type of use. I used to work attractions in Fantasyland, and those wheelchairs are for the sole use of people with ECVs. There are many attractions in which the queue and load platforms are not wide enough to accommodate an ECV- like Winnie the Pooh. Therefore a person with an ECV must park it outside the attraction and use one of the wheelchairs to navigate the queue. These are the only attractions that I have seen with wheelchairs, and we can't give them to people without ECVs, because we can and have run out before, which means that the person with the ECV either has to wait for one to get returned, for us to find one, or has to stand/walk through the line.

It is not a good plan to depend on the attraction having a wheelchair for you to use in a queue as most don't, and those that do are specifically for people using ECVs.

 

[Hook's Girl]

While most attractions have wheelchairs, they are not designed for this type of use. I used to work attractions in Fantasyland, and those wheelchairs are for the sole use of people with ECVs. There are many attractions in which the queue and load platforms are not wide enough to accommodate an ECV- like Winnie the Pooh. Therefore a person with an ECV must park it outside the attraction and use one of the wheelchairs to navigate the queue. These are the only attractions that I have seen with wheelchairs, and we can't give them to people without ECVs, because we can and have run out before, which means that the person with the ECV either has to wait for one to get returned, for us to find one, or has to stand/walk through the line.

It is not a good plan to depend on the attraction having a wheelchair for you to use in a queue as most don't, and those that do are specifically for people using ECVs.

That's not the case at Epcot and Hollywood Studios. All of our attractions provide wheelchairs for guests who need them.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Is this new? I had lots of friends in attractions at DHS and Epcot, and it was the same thing. Are you a CM? I just find this very odd as I have never heard of this before.

In any case, it's not a good diea to depend on it, if you need a wheelchair, your best bet is to rent one. If you are staying on property, the resorts all have a very limited number you can borrow for free for the duration of the trip, you can ask for it when you check in. They are on a first come first serve basis, so make sure that you budget a rental, but this might be another route for you to go.

 

[merryweather20]

Is this new? I had lots of friends in attractions at DHS and Epcot, and it was the same thing. Are you a CM? I just find this very odd as I have never heard of this before.

In any case, it's not a good diea to depend on it, if you need a wheelchair, your best bet is to rent one. If you are staying on property, the resorts all have a very limited number you can borrow for free for the duration of the trip, you can ask for it when you check in. They are on a first come first serve basis, so make sure that you budget a rental, but this might be another route for you to go.

Just to add to what EB said there are so many places with walking and long waits, not just rides that it just wouldn't work as a strategy. Even the hotels themselves are huge a wheel-chair would make sure you could get back to your room safely each day.

 

[KPeveler]

a few points

1. it is more walking than you think at disney, and many attractions need to be experienced standing - for instance, pre-shows, which you would not avoid even if there IS an alternative waiting area. also, may have to wait a long time for things like wishes, and then stand for the show, and there is no GAC for wishes.

2. most rides do NOT have an alternative waiting area, and disney will not send you past the standard line if there is not a alt waiting area. they will suggest you rent a wheelchair.

3. if you get stuck with your foot hurting badly partway through the day, you will have to gave someone in your party go back and rent a wheelchair for you, while you sit alone. there is no guarantee that there is a wheelchair available later in the day.

my suggestion is either to rent an ECV, or if you do not think you will use it much, get a wheelchair and push it yourself. that way you can still walk between attractions and you dont have to be pushed, but you have a place to sit in the lines. that is what i do on "bad" days at disney, because standing is worse than sitting for me.

Also, you should get a GAC if you cannot do stairs (i think a GAC can be used for this) if you do not use a wheelchair, because they will not let you bypass stairs without it i think. however, that same GAC will not shorten waits, nor will it shorten walking distances.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Ok- I just talked to my friend who still works in Fland, and this is what he told me:

The attractions with greeters have them, so in Fantasyland that is Pooh, Philhar, Small World, and Pan. However, if the entire queue is ECV accessible, the wheelchairs are not in a good place for the person to get. Here is what I know about Fantasyland:
1.) Small World's are at the loading dock because ECV's can go through the line but not on the boat. This means that the greeter would have to leave their position, go down to the dock, and bring it back up.
2.) Philhar's are stored behind Tink's Treasures, so the greeter would have to leave their position and walk a fair ways, then come back with it. This is very problematic if there is one person as both greeter and FastPass Return because we are not supposed to leave the entrance unattended.

As I said, Snow White, Dumbo, Teacups, and Carousel do not even have them because they do not have greeters. I can't speak for other parks or for other lands, but at least in Fantasyland it will be better for you to bring your own.

 

[ireland_nicole]

I agree w/ pp's that if you can't stand in line, you probably need a w/c or ECV; the only reason you might need a GAC is for an unable to climb stairs stamp if you don't get the w/c.

 

[mechurchlady]

The problem is thinking that you can go so far or do so much when it all adds up to hours on your feet, walking, and stretching like getting into a boat. I can stand for half an hour in line but 10 lines and I am crying exhausted and in pain.

I strongly suggest a wheelchair or ECV. If he cannot stand long periods of time then what about the times he is on his feet walking? What will he do when waiting for things like transportation, to exit and enter the park, to get food or a drink of water, to see shows like in Canada Pavillion, and for people to move. Nothing like hitting a traffic jam which is as bad as waiting in line.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Please ask the following questions. Here are the suggested answers to go with them.

1. Are you disabled (even temporarily)? Yes.

2. Do the people you are traveling with, such as your family, know you are disabled? Yes.

3. Do you expect to meet anyone you know during this trip who may not know you are disabled. Probably No!

4. Do you expect to meet a bunch of people who you will probably never meet again in your life? Probably yes!

5. Is there any reason at all that you should care what these people think about you? Absolutely No!!

6. Will using a wheelchair or ECV make for a better vacation for you and your family? Absolutely YES!

 

[J&J'sMOM]

Please ask the following questions. Here are the suggested answers to go with them.

1. Are you disabled (even temporarily)? Yes.

2. Do the people you are traveling with, such as your family, know you are disabled? Yes.

3. Do you expect to meet anyone you know during this trip who may not know you are disabled. Probably No!

4. Do you expect to meet a bunch of people who you will probably never meet again in your life? Probably yes!

5. Is there any reason at all that you should care what these people think about you? Absolutely No!!

6. Will using a wheelchair or ECV make for a better vacation for you and your family? Absolutely YES!

Thank You Cheshire Figment!

Everytime you post this, it reminds me of why I NEED an ECV for our trip! You have put my mind at ease again!

 

[I Love Pluto]

I just came back from a very frustrating trip at Disney. The bottom line on your disability (and mine) is that Disney does NOT care about you or your foot. You MUST fit the mold of a person in a wheelchair or Disney will NOT help you. A GAC does no good at all if you are using a cane or rollator. I am still very bitter, and I probably will not visit Disney again unless I am able to walk and board rides without issue.

 

[SueM in MN]

I just came back from a very frustrating trip at Disney. The bottom line on your disability (and mine) is that Disney does NOT care about you or your foot. You MUST fit the mold of a person in a wheelchair or Disney will NOT help you. A GAC does no good at all if you are using a cane or rollator. I am still very bitter, and I probably will not visit Disney again unless I am able to walk and board rides without issue.

I'm not sure what you expected.
Most lines are accessible (i.e. without stairs) and for those that are not, they do have a GAC that allows the user to bypass the parts of the queue that are not accessible or to board at whatever is the accessible entrance for the attractions with moving walkways.
The distance walked in line is not usually going to be much (if any) different for someone using a GAC than not. And, in some cases the distance is very long - the Safari at AK, Soarin' at Epcot, A Bug's Life at AK for example. Even many of the theater shows involve a lot of walking once you enter the building - like Mickey's Philharmagic and Laugh Floor have several rather large preshow/wait rooms you need to go thru before getting to the actual theater. They can't make the distance shorter because the distance from one place to another is far. That (plus the distance between attractions) is why they recommend a wheelchair or ECV for anyone who is concerned with either walking distances or stamina/endurance. Even with a GAC, it's still a long walk between attractions.

 

[KPeveler]

I just came back from a very frustrating trip at Disney. The bottom line on your disability (and mine) is that Disney does NOT care about you or your foot. You MUST fit the mold of a person in a wheelchair or Disney will NOT help you. A GAC does no good at all if you are using a cane or rollator. I am still very bitter, and I probably will not visit Disney again unless I am able to walk and board rides without issue.

What did you want a GAC to do for you that a wheelchair/ECV cannot do? Since so many lines are mainstreamed, a GAC will not allow you to skip a line (which does not decrease your walking length, just time standing, sometimes) if a scooter will help. Perhaps you were misinformed ahead of time as to what a GAC can do for you, and that lead to some bitterness and misunderstanding.

Also, what exactly is a "wheelchair mold?"

And why would a cane or rollator not be a help? If you cannot do stairs, tell GR that. Other than that, I dont see how a cane or rollator would keep you from using mainstream lines. (I use a cane in daily life). If a cane is not enough for disney, then rent a scooter, so you can enjoy the elaborately themed queue lines with the rest of your party...

 

[merryweather20]

I just came back from a very frustrating trip at Disney. The bottom line on your disability (and mine) is that Disney does NOT care about you or your foot. You MUST fit the mold of a person in a wheelchair or Disney will NOT help you. A GAC does no good at all if you are using a cane or rollator. I am still very bitter, and I probably will not visit Disney again unless I am able to walk and board rides without issue.

I'm not sure what yu mean by "the mold of a person in a wheelchair". Even just asking the people on this board you will find that the differences from one person to the next make wheelchair users as similar as night and day.

A GAC certainly can work well for someone using a cane or a rollator, what are there needs? They'd likely need to avoid stairs perhaps, extra time to board an attraction. If that problem includes stamina though, the problem is with the mobility aid not with Disney. Canes and rollators are useful but don't do much to mitigate a stamina problem.

 

[mechurchlady]

wheelchair mold

i have heard from someone at DLR and at times was treated at DLR as a second class citizen among disabled people. I had to set in the back on a waist high wall with my butt in the damp dirt to pin trade while people in ECVs and wheelchairs were allowed to use the low table at the front of the pin trading area. Often we sat in the cold rain in the back with no trades.

In DLR there seemed to be, this was long ago, chairs versus others. Some people feel that since they are not in a chair that they are ignored or treated in a lesser manner. I saw it usually only at the pin trading but at times it was rough without the chair but I could not use one or afford an ECV.

that said, there is a myth that GAC and being disabled gives you instant access but trust me on the pain I suffered over the years because I could not afford a wheelchair or ECV. I now am planning a trip and will take the trolley, take my mom's spare wheelchair or rent an ECV there but I will not try to even venture out of the hotel walking as I know my limits. It is chair/ECV or not all.

 

[I Love Pluto]

Please don't judge me. I am speaking of my problems, not judging others.