GAC question

[HALLOWEENTOWN]

Hi. I have a few questions about the GAC. My son is bipolar (manic depressive) and ADHD. He has meltdowns and rages because of the bipolar. One of the triggers he has is having to wait in lines. He has trouble standing still and can't stand to be standing that close to people.
I read that you can get a GAC that lets you wait in an alternate waiting area until it is your turn. Has anyone done this before? I was wondering what type of waiting areas they have. Also, I was wondering what happens when it is your turn? Does someone come and get you and lead you in front of all the people waiting in line or do you go in through an alternate entrance? I am afraid my son would have a meltdown if we had to walk by a lot of people who didn't understand. If my son heard people complaining about him going ahead of them if they didn't know that we had already waited he would get agitated for sure and there would be problems. I just didn't know if the GAC would be a help or if it would make the situation worse. Also, if we go to Disney it would be myself, my husband and my two kids. Would we all be able to wait together? I think it would agitate my son if we had to split up to use the GAC card. I think it would agitate him that he has to be the "different one" who had to wait in a different area if we were not together. He would feel like my dad and brother are standidng in line but I have to wait over here because I am bipolar. He has missed out on so much and I really hate for him to feel like that.
We have wanted to go to Disney for some time but we didn't think we would be able to because of how poorly my son does waiting in line. I was hoping this would make it possible for us to go. Thanks so much for your help.



Ami

 

[teri]

Click on the link in my signature ( I hope it works today! ) and read the section about the GAC there. Sounds like you will need it.

You do not have to split your party unless you have more than 5 people.

 

[SueM in MN]

Echoing what teri said. Your whole party will be able to wait together, as long as it's 5 or so. I hope teri's link works now (the DIS just switched servers and everything isn't back to working order). If it doesn't work, you can do a private message to teri or me and we can help you out.
Besides a GAC, Fastpass can also help you to minimize waits in line. You get a fastpass with a return time printed on it. When you come back, the wait will be very minimal. If you are lucky, you will walk right on; when you get the fastpass, you can ask the CM what time to come back during your time to avoid a line. Fastpass is available to everyone, so your DS wouldn't feel at all singled out using it.

Some rides/attractions will always have a line. Those are the ones that load slowly, like Dumbo and the teacups and the shows. For the shows, they hold a lot of people at the same time and there is no way to avoid some waiting in line. If he can't tolerate being with other people, you might not want to go to many of the shows anyway. If you want to go to some shows, you can talk with the CMs to find out which times are least busy. For example, we have seen people waiting in a 1 hour line for a show in the morning and in the afternoon, it was just a 5-10 minute wait. Going when the show won't be full will allow you to still get in at the last minute and also you will be likely to find seats with no one sitting close to you.
There is a status board in each park where CMs are posting wait times for different attractions throughout the day. THey can be really helpful at avoiding crowds.
A copy of the Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities would be helpful to you too. You can pick up one for each park at Guest Services. It lists each attraction and tells you a little about it (like is it a slow moving ride or a theater show or movie). You should also be able to find it online by clicking here.