Guest Assistance Pass - Universal Studios

[Jadore Themeparks]

I was wondering if anyone's had problems getting a guest assistance pass? I have a condition however I look normal. so I was curious if I should try to get a doctors note?

 

[macraven]

a doctor's note is not needed.
go to guest services and discuss your needs with them.

they do issue guest assistant passes which are very good and will help with your medical needs.

 

[WantToGoNow]

Go to Guest Services. My oldest dd has the same thing (Neurocardiogenic Syncope and POTS) as well as two other heart issues. The older she gets (she's 29 now), the worse her symptoms get. She cannot even do theme parks anymore without the use of a ECV and she can no longer do any coasters or thrill rides (like ToT at Disney).

 

[foxxxy83]

No, you won't have ANY problems. My son's Autistic but not so you'd notice. He gets REALLY distressed in crowds, if his food is touching, if he gets water on his head (rain and showers are a definite no-no.. trying to was his hair requires two people!) etc and I have neurological probs that are affected by temperature and hormone changes. We got a guest assistance pass and most of the CMs were great with us (sometimes we need people to be patient). There was only 1 or 2 who I thought possibly were just having a bad day.. we didn't let them spoil our day anyway. Seriously though, you don't need a medical note, just know enough to be able to answer any questions they have (how they can accommodate you etc) and be confident enough to ask for help

 

[horseshowmom]

Go to Guest Services. My oldest dd has the same thing as well as two other heart issues. The older she gets (she's 29 now), the worse her symptoms get. She cannot even do theme parks anymore without the use of a ECV and she can no longer do any coasters or thrill rides (like ToT at Disney).

Your daughter has my sympathy. My daughter has this as well. Almost nobody has ever heard of it, and she "looks" perfectly normal. It can be very frustrating. She's a little younger than your daughter and is doing reasonably well. She never knows when it's going to happen though.

OP, here's a hug for you too!

 

[donaldduck352]

My DW's sister has acute anxiety disorder she freaks out around crowded areas and runs away.Would the GAC work for her?

I really think she would love Uni. like we do but she wont be able to handle the crowds.

 

[macraven]

i suggest she contact guest services.
the person that would be needing the assistance pass would explain their needs to the TM.


if she can't handle crowds, going in a low period would be beneficial.
if she stayed onsite or close by to the parks, she could do things in the park and then leave for her hotel room when her anxiety levels increased.

just a thought.

i've been to the parks before with a person that was unable to do well in crowds.
taking a break from being in the park worked for us.

 

[Jadore Themeparks]

Go to Guest Services. My oldest dd has the same as well as two other heart issues. The older she gets (she's 29 now), the worse her symptoms get. She cannot even do theme parks anymore without the use of a ECV and she can no longer do any coasters or thrill rides (like ToT at Disney).

POTS sufferers unite! I didn't wanna put my exact condition and will prob edit this later (as I did yours ) so people can't claim they have it. I ended up getting a letter from my doc and offered it to them but they didn't even look at it. I'm sorry your daughters symptoms have been getting worse. I was diagnosed this year and learning to deal with POTS is hard bc it is so rare. it's funny bc I have another heart condition and am unable to ride thrill rides or coasters as well.

 

[Jadore Themeparks]

Your daughter has my sympathy. My daughter has it as well. Almost nobody has ever heard of it, and she "looks" perfectly normal. It can be very frustrating. She's a little younger than your daughter and is doing reasonably well. She never knows when it's going to happen though.

OP, here's a hug for you too!

How long has she had it? I was diagnosed this yr and the unpredictable is soo irritating. (edited your original post so people can't claim they have it to get the pass)

 

[Jadore Themeparks]

No, you won't have ANY problems. My son's Autistic but not so you'd notice. He gets REALLY distressed in crowds, if his food is touching, if he gets water on his head (rain and showers are a definite no-no.. trying to was his hair requires two people!) etc and I have neurological probs that are affected by temperature and hormone changes. We got a guest assistance pass and most of the CMs were great with us (sometimes we need people to be patient). There was only 1 or 2 who I thought possibly were just having a bad day.. we didn't let them spoil our day anyway. Seriously though, you don't need a medical note, just know enough to be able to answer any questions they have (how they can accommodate you etc) and be confident enough to ask for help

Agreed..Confidence is key. Oh my you do have your hands full when it comes to baths, huh? I'm glad you didnt let those sourpusses ruin your day. It's all about you and your wonderful son!

 

[bumbershoot]

I didn't wanna put my exact condition and will prob edit this later (as I did yours ) so people can't claim they have it. I ended up getting a letter from my doc and offered it to them but they didn't even look at it.

As far as I know they don't need the condition(which is why they didn't look at your note), they need to know what you need. So someone reading and getting the name of something isn't any more helped than not having the name. TMs would still need to know what sort of accommodations are needed, and the name of the condition doesn't help with that.

 

[twoplustwins]

How many people can be on the pass? I know my daughter's pass at Disney was for six people, including her.

 

[macraven]

person on the pass + 5

 

[Florida Bill]

I have a bad back and bad neck, have had 6 back operations and 2 on my neck all since 2001. Sometimes I have a hard time standing for a really long time, sometimes I don't, just depends if I'm having a bad day or not. I see a pain management doc. once a month and I'm on some pretty heavy duty pain meds. I can go on most rides as long as they're smooth and don't jerk you around alot, I try not to let my disability stop me from doing things that I want to, I am on permanent disability, have a handicap placard for the car and all, as long as I take things slow I'm usually o.k. We went to Universal for Halloween Horror nights and it was the first time I ever got the guest assistance pass, I didn't even know they had one! I had no trouble at all receiving one, I really like the way it works, if you are going to be in a line longer than 30 mins. they write in a time for you to return to that attraction and when you return you go through the express line. I didn't need it though as everything we went on was less than a 30 min. wait. We could've used it to go through some of the haunted houses as they had huge lines but I didn't bother using it as we only wanted to go through a couple of them.

 

[horseshowmom]

How long has she had it? I was diagnosed this yr and the unpredictable is soo irritating. (edited your original post so people can't claim they have it to get the pass)

Sorry, I'm just now seeing this. She was diagnosed at 19 after collapsing. It was really hard getting proper treatment since it's so rare. We finally wound up at Vanderbilt, and they've helped her a lot. Nonetheless, you're right about the unpredictability.

Looking back we realize that she's suffered from it for years. When she was younger and had a multi-day horse show (especially in the summer), she would be sick for a week after we got back. She would also have vomiting almost every long show too (which we mistakenly attributed to nerves). We used to joke and tell her that she was going to have to toughen up. Now we realize that she was dealing with the symptoms of her illness.

I have a bad back and bad neck, have had 6 back operations and 2 on my neck all since 2001. Sometimes I have a hard time standing for a really long time, sometimes I don't, just depends if I'm having a bad day or not. I see a pain management doc. once a month and I'm on some pretty heavy duty pain meds. I can go on most rides as long as they're smooth and don't jerk you around alot, I try not to let my disability stop me from doing things that I want to, I am on permanent disability, have a handicap placard for the car and all, as long as I take things slow I'm usually o.k. We went to Universal for Halloween Horror nights and it was the first time I ever got the guest assistance pass, I didn't even know they had one! I had no trouble at all receiving one, I really like the way it works, if you are going to be in a line longer than 30 mins. they write in a time for you to return to that attraction and when you return you go through the express line. I didn't need it though as everything we went on was less than a 30 min. wait. We could've used it to go through some of the haunted houses as they had huge lines but I didn't bother using it as we only wanted to go through a couple of them.

I just got back from Universal Orlando and was a little concerned about being able to do much of anything. Fortunately, the crowds weren't bad, and the lines were very short (frequently walk on) so that made all the difference in the world. I'm keeping the pass in mind for the future if I do ever need it though.