Ive never had problems with anything having to use a
scooter but last year in the MK and at Mission Space in Epcot I encountered a few problems when there wasnt a transfere wheelchair and no room for a scooter in the lines. At MK I was allowed to go to the wheelchair entrance but was asked to park outside wich ordinarily would have been fine because it wasnt that far to walk and the regular line was short meaning it shouldnt have been a long wait to be fair to the people in the regular line who were there ahead of us. However, they kept letting people from the regular line get on the ride even those that came in after us and made me stand there for like 20 minutes waiting to ride! I have problems standing or walking for more than 5 minutes.
At Epcot I went to ride Mission Space and encountered a similar problem and actually argued with the CM over it. They just said sorry no wheelchairs available and you have to wait in line and you have to park your scooter out here! Someone else may have just left but Im not someone else LOL. They finally called a manager who appologized to me and took me in the back way where I could use the scooter and not have to leave it outside! I dont think the CM knew what he was talking about because the manager said I wasnt the first to complain.
The funny thing is that no one ever asked me or told me about a GAC!! i didnt know what they were until I recently saw it on disboards! YAY disboards!!! Im going to get one this time around that I think will help in those cases. If they know my needs then it shouldnt be a problem. Most of the time it hasnt been a problem at all since they can see Im on a scooter but just in case i do need one I want one because I dont want a repeat of last year! It was just on a few rides but it may come in handy!
The weird thing is that Mission Space is listed in the Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities as being
ECV accessible. Yes, you need to transfer to the ride car once you get to it, but the line is totally accessible.
Once in the waiting area right before you enter your 'capsule' for your trip into space, they need to steer guests with wheelchairs and
ECVs to the correct line (not too hard, the door is marked with a wheelchair symbol).
We have had someone with an ECV in line with us in the regular line every time we have ridden MS.
So, if the CMs had known their attraction, you would not have had the drama. That is one of the reasons I suggest people get a Guide For Guests with Disabilities when they enter the park. The format of them currently is a map and they are available in the front of the park map kiosks with the regular maps. Look for the map with a black border on the top and they should be in a bin marked with a blue wheelchair symbol.
The maps clearly list the "Mobility Entrance"; if that is the entrance you are trying to get into, usually showing the map to the CM will do the trick. If not, asking for a manager will take car of it. That also has the effect of teaching the CM so that they don't inappropriately ask the next guest for a GAC.
In some ways, it makes it harder for everyone else when guests with a wheelchair or ECV have a GAC that says they can use the wheelchair entrance. Instead of looking at what the Guidebook says for the attraction, the CMs start to expect guests with wheelchairs and ECVs will have one.
We have been asked inappropriately for a GAC several times where a manager/othe CM quickly took care of the problem. Once was at Splash Mountain when the line gets to a set of stairs. The CM at the wheelchair pull off point did not even care that we had a GAC; she said she could not let us 'cut the line'. When I pointed out that we could go no further in the regular line with a wheelchair, she just kept saying that she could not let us cut. Even when the manager came and told the CM we needed to go thru the area with the wheelchair symbol, she did not want to let us and was arguing with the manager (who kept saying, "They NEED to exit the line here. They can't go any further in the regular line with a wheelchair.")
Another time, we had Fastpasses for Winnie the Pooh. I had our Fastpasses visible in my hand, ready to give to the CM; she said she could not let us into the line without a GAC. I pointed out that we had Fastpasses and she said we needed a GAC to go on the ride thru the Fastpass line. In that case, another CM heard and told 'our CM' that she was wrong; since we did have Fastpasses, we could use the Fastpass entrance. If we had not had them, we would have needed to get into the regular line.
That has happened several times when we had Fastpasses for attractions, but each time it was 'fixed' by showing the CM the Guide or by another CM correcting the first one.
So, the Guide for Guests with Disabilities is your friend. I almost think they put it out as much for CMs as for guests.
