GAC trouble (using it)

[JenJen]

I worked for Disney for several years and although I don't agree with everything they do all the time I am going to try and explain things. If you have an endurance issue which is ether not being able to stand for long periods of time in lines or having a hard time walking. They will, at all Disney resorts tell you to get a wheelchair. They do not give GAC's for endurance issues anymore. Because the length of time in lines are shorter the distances between lines and if you can not stand in a line then you will have problems walking through the park. They can not make you get a wheelchair but they do not have to give you a pass ether. They are to suggest ways to help you through your day but it is up to the guest to use there suggestions.
I am going to give some examples of passes at Disneyland and what they are used for. First they have one that has a stairs stamp and it is used for those that can not go up stairs. This pass will inform cast members that if there are stairs in a Que area or exit area to have you go an alternate way. This means that you wait in line until you get to the stairs and walk around the stairs and get back in line on the other side of the stairs. Another stamp is the stroller for a wheelchair stamp which allows you to bring your stroller in the line as if it were a wheelchair. As you can see none of these passes give you any "front of the line privileges" There are several other passes for visual impairments ect. ect.
The new system is based on individual needs not any diagnoses. When Disney revaluated there GAC system with lawyers and ADA experts they realized that the only thing they HAD to provide was equal access to attractions. Which means that everyone had to be able to get on the ride. Anything they did beyond that was considered a "guest service"
The only type of alternate waiting area (which on some rides is a alternate entrance but rarely) they give now are for those with mental impairments that can be dangerous to the guest or those around the guest in a line. This does not mean that every child with SIDS or autism will get this pass because each child has there own specific needs. For instance my son has aspergers and does not need the alternate waiting area pass he does better with planning out his day and knowing what attractions he is going on in what order. My daughter on the other hand has major issues with crowds and we need a place to wait away from the que. This means that on some attractions that we get fastpasses (if they are still available) on some attractions we wait off to the side until it is our time to ride, and on not so busy days we go through the regular que. On someday's all of the above can happen on one attraction because the alternate entrance changes do to attraction hostess availability, attendance, and attraction capacity issues. So the answer to the question about going to different places on the same ride is YES it happens all the time. If your child requires consistency I highly recommend fastpass because the will know exactly when they can ride and where they will go.
I have to say this new system has worked great for us except for the last trip. On our last trip it had nothing to do with the new system but inflexible cast members and I believe it was new cast members that did not realize that there are several ways to use the pass not just one way.
I hope this explains things a little more. Like I said before I don't agree with all that Disney does but they are following the law and going beyond what they need to do to assist guest with special needs. Did I like it better when I just went through the exit in the past. YES!!!!! But it was not necessary. We have survived several trips since the new system has been in place and are fine.
JenJen
I will let you all know about my trip this Sunday and let you know how it goes
JenJen

 

[JenJen]

We had to make a couple of requests (no GAC - just minor things) and it seemed the the CMs just wanted to get as many people on a ride as possible, so didn't really listen to what I said. I wonder if they are being pressured to hurry people through? We were asked so many times to bring the time tag through, etc. I wonder if too many cost cutting measures have been taken, so that CMs don't get training, don't have the manpower to give the guests that extra Disney touch anymore. I wonder if they are being monitored on how many people they can get on an attraction, and it's being reflected on the CMs?

Yes cast member are pushed to get more and more people on the attractions the last few years I worked at Disney we had what was called "War of the Mountains" to see what resort could get the most guest on different attractions such as Space mountain, Star tours, and Thunder Mountain. Ride capacity and efficiency is really a big deal to management in fact I believe they get incentives for there cast members performance.
JenJen

 

[Schmeck]

JenJen, thanks for the info in both of your posts!

 

[kdtwiss]

I am really sorry you had a hard time. I just wanted to say tho - in our case the GAC was alifesaver! We never would have been able to do all that we did w/o it. Although the FP wait can even be 20 - 30 minutes long - the GAC was such a time/hassle saver! Don't be discouraged!

 

[SueM in MN]

JenJen, thanks for your explanations (and confirming my explanations).

 

[JenJen]

Thanks for the thankyou's!!! I have to say you explain it much better SueM LOL But you know how I feel about that already!!! This board is great I love it!!! I believe Disneyland and WDW have similarities but are different with there GAC program. I know it is ALOT harder to get a GAC at Disneyland then WDW. But I also think it depends who you get and how you explain your or your childs needs. You can not just walk in and ask for a pass anymore you have to be very vocal about what you or your child needs now.
JenJen

 

[taximomfor4]

Your explanation makes a big difference.
To quote a movie, I think "What we have here is a failure to communicate." When you said you needed "Vision Impaired Seating" you had something in mind and the CM who heard it had something else in mind.

When I hear "vision impaired", I think that the person needs to be seated as close as possible to the action.
For shows, that's pretty easy and most everyone would agree - front row. For rides, the action is on the sides, so it's logical to think that any seat along the side should be as acceptable as any other seat.

I would agree completely with the CMs reasoning EXCEPT for the fact (didn't want to post specifics here, but here goes...since it really is so pertinent) our GAC does specifically mention front row seating on ride vehicles AND shows. I really assumed, silly me, that once CMs READ The GAC, they would just follow what it said. It was really a nice and specific one, hehe.

 

[dclfun]

Once again, I see the biggest problem is that the GAC is seldom, if ever, read. Whether for lack of time, lack of CM staffing, lack of interest, or assumptions that all GAC users want/need the same thing it's really annoying to know that the reason for the different cards is to indicate different needs and then not have it read....sigh. With TaxiMom's clear wording of "front row seating on rides and shows" you couldn't be any more clear as to what her daughter needed, if only someone had looked at it. It shouldn't be up to the guest with the GAC to request for it to be read- we've already had to explain our needs at guest services, hence the issuance of the card...who wants to explain their situation over and over again in front of other guests or risk that their needs will be ignored? Kathy

 

[taximomfor4]

Once again, I see the biggest problem is that the GAC is seldom, if ever, read. Whether for lack of time, lack of CM staffing, lack of interest, or assumptions that all GAC users want/need the same thing it's really annoying to know that the reason for the different cards is to indicate different needs and then not have it read....sigh. With TaxiMom's clear wording of "front row seating on rides and shows" you couldn't be any more clear as to what her daughter needed, if only someone had looked at it. It shouldn't be up to the guest with the GAC to request for it to be read- we've already had to explain our needs at guest services, hence the issuance of the card...who wants to explain their situation over and over again in front of other guests or risk that their needs will be ignored? Kathy

Hehe, thanks, Kathy! You summed up exactly what my biggest beef was last week. My dh kept saying, "I thought this was why we stood in line at Guest Services and explained everything?!" And really, even after telling them what the card said, it stunk having to debate WHY we really needed to follow the card, with us volunteering to await the next ride vehicle/show. Oh well. We had a wonderful vacation -- dh says NEVER Easter vacation again. We considered it well worth the heat to have such reduced crowds. I just wish my letter after my Easter visit, about the apparent lack of empathy in CMs for GAC users, which generated such wonderfully kind, sympathetic phone calls from Guest Communications, eventually results in some re-training, re-staffing, or whatever it takes. The GAC is a wonderful tool for those who could not otherwise have these WDW trips...

Beth

 

[Nik's Mom]

Wow! Sorry you had a rough time. We've only encountered rude guests and one rude cm who discouraged us from getting the GAC on our first trip. We used our GAC only once on our last trip. But that's only because we got there on park opening and ds didn't have crowded lines to wait in (he's autistic). We only use the GAC when it is necessary. But it is a life-saver when we do use it. My ds is only 6, but he is very strong and if he melts down in a line, he could hurt someone by his kicking and flailing about. I would feel horrible if that happened. I'll never forget when we were in line at a ride at DL and ds melted down in a hurry. He threw a toy that he had and it hit a little girl in the head. I felt so bad! We quickly left the park after that.

 

[ZIPBAGS]

Wow! Sorry you had a rough time. We've only encountered rude guests and one rude cm who discouraged us from getting the GAC on our first trip. We used our GAC only once on our last trip. But that's only because we got there on park opening and ds didn't have crowded lines to wait in (he's autistic). We only use the GAC when it is necessary. But it is a life-saver when we do use it. My ds is only 6, but he is very strong and if he melts down in a line, he could hurt someone by his kicking and flailing about. I would feel horrible if that happened. I'll never forget when we were in line at a ride at DL and ds melted down in a hurry. He threw a toy that he had and it hit a little girl in the head. I felt so bad! We quickly left the park after that.

We are in the same boat. We use the card as insurance. When my DD was 3 1/2. We were on the Small World line. It was moving. But, something set her off and she had a meltdown. It was so bad she scratched my face until I was bleeding. We almost were never going to come back. Until a friend with an autistic child told us about the GAC. I have since used it 3 times and have never had a problem. When I have used it. They have either brought me in through the exit or sent us into the fast pass line. Like I said. I don't use it. Unless I feel she might have a problem.

 

[admepo]

Wow I am so sorry to hear the CM's were very insensitive towards your family's needs. Definitely need further training so things like this do not happen. As it has been said we all receive enough flack from the onlookers waiting in line that we don't need it added by the people who are supposed to be there to help diffuse issues!

 

[JenJen]

I just wanted to let you all know that I did do a trip report for the Sunday I told you I would it is under the Our GAC experiance thread. I guess I should have done it here I was not thinking
JenJen

 

[SueM in MN]

I just wanted to let you all know that I did do a trip report for the Sunday I told you I would it is under the Our GAC experiance thread. I guess I should have done it here I was not thinking
JenJen

You could post a link to it here. If you don't know how, just give a yell and i will help you.

 

[JenJen]

You could post a link to it here. If you don't know how, just give a yell and i will help you.

Okay sue I am yelling out LOL Thanks!

 

[luvyawdw]

Hello,
We obtain a GAC for our daughter who has Vaccine Associated Polio. She can not walk unassisted, so we use her wheel chair, she also has restrictive pulmonary issues. We are instructed to use a fast pass also but I have a question now. Do they mean go to the fast pass machine and get a fast pass with a time to return or do they mean use the fast pass line without actually obataining the fast pass? I see someone mentioned they use the fast pass line w/o the fast pass? Maybe i misunderstood. Can someone help?
Lisa

 

[Forevryoung]

Hello,
We obtain a GAC for our daughter who has Vaccine Associated Polio. She can not walk unassisted, so we use her wheel chair, she also has restrictive pulmonary issues. We are instructed to use a fast pass also but I have a question now. Do they mean go to the fast pass machine and get a fast pass with a time to return or do they mean use the fast pass line without actually obataining the fast pass? I see someone mentioned they use the fast pass line w/o the fast pass? Maybe i misunderstood. Can someone help?
Lisa

Use fast pass with the machine- if all the fast passes are used up for the day or the fast pass time is unreasonably late (like it says 9pm but you are going to have to leave for the day by then because current time is 1pm) then ask the CM at the attraction what you should do. Show him/her the GAC at that point in time.

There are few reasons why people should need to use the fast pass line without a fastpass (not that there aren't any... but the majority of the time a true fastpass should be obtained)

I've never had a GAC issue but then again, you have to see where the CM's are coming from as well and if you need something, speak up nicely. They do not know your needs besides the generic statements on the card. Additionally, I have found that people who have the expectation that the GAC will shorten or eliminate their wait times are more often angry and disappointed- not saying that is you (or anyone on this thread/board), but go with an open mind that any assistance is better than no assistance

Have a great trip!

 

[SueM in MN]

Use fast pass with the machine- if all the fast passes are used up for the day or the fast pass time is unreasonably late (like it says 9pm but you are going to have to leave for the day by then because current time is 1pm) then ask the CM at the attraction what you should do. Show him/her the GAC at that point in time.

That's how we were told to do it when Fastpasses first started to be used. We still do pretty much do it like that.

One thing to keep in mind is that your whole party doesn't need to go to the Fastpass machine to get Fastpasses. You can send one person ahead with all the group's park passes. For each park pass that is put into the machine, a Fastpass pops out. This is not to say that Fastpasses work for everyone, but they will work for a lot of people.

Also, by knowing when things are busy, you can avoid a lot of waits in line. If you are able to get to the parks when they first open, you can often ride things without waiting in line more than a few minutes. This is especially true in Fantasyland, and it even works in busy times like Spring Break.

Also, some attractions with long lines early in the day are pretty much walk right in later in the day. That doesn't work for the newest, really popular things like Soarin', but it does for many other attractions.

 

[luvyawdw]

Thank you for your response. I had just read a post by another member stating that they use the fast pass w/o the actual fast pass ticket (with the GAC). My thought was that this is the procedure they want you to use and we had been doing it wrong, that was my reason for the post. I do understand many people do not need to go through the line faster, they may just need a shady spot to wait or a quiet one. However, there are people with medical conditions that make a whole day in the park unsafe. So they need to plan for shorter days and rest periods throughout the day. And yes, we could all say, well then, just plan a shorter day! And go rest. However, when it is you or your child, or loved one, then you might think differently. Being able to acess an attraction without waiting 40 minutes is often nessecary, for physical disabilities as well as conditions such as autism. As there are many medical conditions that would fall into this catorgory. I have experienced at Epcot, for example, CMs that were extremely accomodating when I showed our GAC. They handed us fast pass tickets that were for the current time, we did not have to leave and come back at a specific time. This happened on "Soarin" many times. My daughter has pulmonary issues as well as weakness (Polio) that requires her to attend school only half days. She has also had several surgeries. If you were on a 7 day trip at WDW and had to rest at your hotel periodically, and shorten the time spent in the park, would going through the line faster help? I know I sound a bit harsh but I have been reading through the threads about GACs and it seems like there are alot of different disablilities here, with a huge range of needs. And I would like to say I know it is hard to understand a disability if you have no experience with it. I understand your comment about expectations though, many people do expect to go through the line faster with a GAC. Many times they may actually feel justified with their condition. On the other hand the GAC is really, really, abused, but I personally don't know anyone with a true disability that would abuse it. It maybe people that don't really need the help that are frustraing the guests? Part of our daughters disability is visually very aparent,( she is 12 and weighs 40 lbs with very low muscle tone) some of it isn't (you can't tell she has restrictive pulmonary function by looking at her). Some other conditions are not visually evident at all. But I try to remember that and tell my children that when we are at the park when they see other people go though an exit or are given acess. I understand why disney has to be strict when they issue a GAC. Anyway, sorry I went on so long, I guess this is sort of a post to everything I have read so far. I do enjoy this site. I hope I have not offended anyone. Please PM me if I did.
LISA