- Joined
- Aug 23, 1999
UPDATE 9/21/13 - SEE POST 8 for UPDATED INFORMATION
There are very many rumors about GACs at WDW and Disneyland, but no actual news.
NOTE:SEE POST 4 OF THIS THREAD FOR BREAKING NEWS
Rumors tend to pop up every 6 months to a year anyway, but have been more recent because of news about RFID cards, Magicbands and problems with GACs.
We are asking people to NOT start new threads asking if there is any news. When there is something to report, a Moderator will add the information.
If posters have any news, we are asking them to send one of disABILITIES Board Moderators a message and we will post it in a single place.
This will keep all the news together and separate from rumors.
Post 6 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread will also be updated as there are changes to report.
Since the information on post 6 is quite general, basic, and based the ADA, it my not actually change much.
You can find the disABILITIES FAQs thread near the top of this board or follow the link in my signature.
Neither of the Moderators on this board work for or speak for Disney, but we do have ways to get information from CMs that is accurate.
Here are the things we do know:
1) GAC (Guest Assistance Cards) are not going away, but the program is being revised and probably renamed.
2) The target date for rolling out the changed program was reportedly August 1, but as been pushed further into the future - some sources now say October 2013.
3) One of the changes coming up a lot in rumors is giving some sort of a return ticket, based on the current wait time at the attraction.
A similar system is currently in use at Universal. If the current wait is short (less than 30 minutes) guests with disabilities may be brought into the attraction through the Express Pass line (this is Universal's version of Fastpass).
If the current wait is longer at Universal, a return pass ticket is given for a time similar to the wait time. (This is how Universal is reportedly working at the time of this writing)
4) Although many posters have not ever received a 'return time ticket' at Disney World or Disneyland, they have been an option. They are currently in use at some attractions at Disneyland, particularly in The Cars area.
My family has personally gotten a return time ticket at WDW on several attractions, so they are not new.
This is one of the rumors that is most likely to be part of the revised GAC program.
5) Although RFID enabled GACs or GAC information encoded onto passes or Magicbands is possible at some time in the future, it is not likely to happen soon.
The RFID/Fastpass Plus program is in the testing phases at this time (early August 2013) and is not ready for full roll out at WDW.
Fastpass Plus and RFID cards/Magicbands have not begun testing at Disneyland yet.
6) Disney does not have anything official published currently about GACs, either in print or on their website. The only information about GACs present on the Disney website has been on the Disney Mom's panel. The information there was often incorrect and the disclaimer on the page indicates that Disney takes no responsibility for correctness or completeness of the answers.
There are very many rumors about GACs at WDW and Disneyland, but no actual news.
NOTE:SEE POST 4 OF THIS THREAD FOR BREAKING NEWS
Rumors tend to pop up every 6 months to a year anyway, but have been more recent because of news about RFID cards, Magicbands and problems with GACs.
We are asking people to NOT start new threads asking if there is any news. When there is something to report, a Moderator will add the information.
If posters have any news, we are asking them to send one of disABILITIES Board Moderators a message and we will post it in a single place.
This will keep all the news together and separate from rumors.
Post 6 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread will also be updated as there are changes to report.
Since the information on post 6 is quite general, basic, and based the ADA, it my not actually change much.
You can find the disABILITIES FAQs thread near the top of this board or follow the link in my signature.
Neither of the Moderators on this board work for or speak for Disney, but we do have ways to get information from CMs that is accurate.
Here are the things we do know:
1) GAC (Guest Assistance Cards) are not going away, but the program is being revised and probably renamed.
2) The target date for rolling out the changed program was reportedly August 1, but as been pushed further into the future - some sources now say October 2013.
3) One of the changes coming up a lot in rumors is giving some sort of a return ticket, based on the current wait time at the attraction.
A similar system is currently in use at Universal. If the current wait is short (less than 30 minutes) guests with disabilities may be brought into the attraction through the Express Pass line (this is Universal's version of Fastpass).
If the current wait is longer at Universal, a return pass ticket is given for a time similar to the wait time. (This is how Universal is reportedly working at the time of this writing)
4) Although many posters have not ever received a 'return time ticket' at Disney World or Disneyland, they have been an option. They are currently in use at some attractions at Disneyland, particularly in The Cars area.
My family has personally gotten a return time ticket at WDW on several attractions, so they are not new.
This is one of the rumors that is most likely to be part of the revised GAC program.
5) Although RFID enabled GACs or GAC information encoded onto passes or Magicbands is possible at some time in the future, it is not likely to happen soon.
The RFID/Fastpass Plus program is in the testing phases at this time (early August 2013) and is not ready for full roll out at WDW.
Fastpass Plus and RFID cards/Magicbands have not begun testing at Disneyland yet.
6) Disney does not have anything official published currently about GACs, either in print or on their website. The only information about GACs present on the Disney website has been on the Disney Mom's panel. The information there was often incorrect and the disclaimer on the page indicates that Disney takes no responsibility for correctness or completeness of the answers.