Guest Assistence Card (GAC) question?

[Happy Dreams1]

I posted a thread about a week ago in which only DISer responded. Although, the response was good, I needed a bit a more feedback as I was still left in doubt. I'm 16 years old and a(recent) former Wish kid. I went on my Make-A-Wish trip to Disney World in August 2011. During our trip , my needs were met through the use of a GAC- a green light GAC. I don't know if the Disneyland system "works" differently, but I was researching on the types of GAC's and I sort of need the combination of them, sort of what the Green Light GAC did. I have stamina issues, sensitivity to heat and other problems arising from heart conditions. However, we do not have in our budget to rent a wheelchair each time we change parks ( We'll be staying for 2 weeks). At Disney world, although the wheelchair was free, I did fine without it because of the low wait time.

If we go to City Hall at DLR, and my family and me show the cast member out WDW GAC, might we be given( or ask) for the a similar one if the SAME one as my condition has neither detiriorated nor improved since August( considering we take the time to explain this to the CM)?

We are a group of 4.

If the Green Light GAC isn't provided, then what other GAC can come close to it, in regards to some of my issues I have mentioned?

 

[Happy Dreams1]

Anyone? PLEASE?

 

[Minuet888]

ok calm down I'm not quite sure what you mean by a green light and what exactly you need?
Do you need to not wait in line? Do you need a free wheelchair?
A GAC at Disneyland as far as I know means Guest Assistance Card.
It is a card that lets other castmemebers know your special needs and how they can best serve you and you can ask for one at City Hall, the cast member will ask you what your limitations are and what accomodations you need and then they will find something that best suits your needs

For example my son is 6 years old and autistic, he cannot be surrounded by a bunch of people and cannot wait in lines for long periods he will start to have a metldown however he is able to ride 90% of the rides and do just fine.
His guest assistance card allows him to go in the fastpass line. Even at Indiana Jones though he loves the ride if the fastpass line is long he can't do it, the enclosed area of the line drives him crazy with the echoes and stuff. For world of color and Fantasmic he is allowed to sit in the handicap section. He has never done the parades because as far as I now there is no special seating and he can't be surrounded by all those people with the noise and action of the parade too.

When you talk to the cast member you can show them anything you want but they legally cannot ask for it, I brought my sons IEP but the cast member put up his hands and said he couldn't look at it.

I hope this helps you a little bit but if you could be a little more precise on what exactly it is you need maybe I can help a little further?

 

[starshine514]

At Disneyland, the parks are right across from each other and share security tables. The wheelchair
/ECV rental area is inside that area and the WC or ECV can be taken between the two parks. With a stay that long, you may also consider renting from an outside company.

I haven't used a GAC at Disneyland. DH uses an ECV and my mom uses a wheelchair (we own both) and one is not necessary with those assistive devices. I would guess that kids on wish trip get more of a "front-of-the-line" pass than one would get with a GAC available to the general public. My understanding is that there are a wide variety of accommodations available through GAC, though.

 

[llump41]

At City Hall a CM will ask you what kind of assistance you will need. There are various levels now of the GAC. Based on that is what kind of card you will get. Stamina is something they will recommend a wheelchair or ecv.

 

[Malcon10t]

ok calm down I'm not quite sure what you mean by a green light

Greenlight on the GAC generally is used for Make A Wish kids. It gives them the ability to not have any wait in lines, or in other words, a front of the line pass.

For someone with stamina issues, they generally recommend a wheelchair. A GAC will give them the ability to access the ride, with what is needed. Example, someone who can't climb stairs will be given an alternative entrance, a child who need to use their stroller instead of a wheelchair will have that marked on the GAC, etc...

Wheelchairs in Disneyland are rented by the day, not by the park. But for your length of stay, I would recommend renting offsite. We rent from Deckert's. They will deliver to your hotel. (714) 542-5607

 

[DCDisney]

Bringing the old GAC doesn't really help. They always need to know what the issues are and different CMs put different stamps on the card. The MAW GAC is totally different and I'm pretty sure it's a one time only deal for once in a lifetime front of the line absolutely top of the line care. The stamps aren't even exactly the same between WDW and DL. Heat is tough at DL because so many lines are outside. I found that they are much more likely at DL to give a return pass like a fast pass to come back later which is a great thing but means extra walking around so with stamina issues I really think renting a wheelchair or scooter would be best. There don't seem to be as many spots to conveniently sit and rest like there are at WDW though the park is more compact which helps.

 

[Mama Who]

Wheelchair rental is not going to be free. It will probably be much cheaper to rent from an offsite company. If you go to City Hall and tell them you have stamina issues they will recommend that you go rent a wheelchair.

A front of the line GAC is not available except for Wish trips. An alternate entrance stamp on a GAC will reduce your wait times on some rides, but it is not a guarantee and in fact the GAC says right on it that it is not intended to reduce wait times. In a few cases, the wheelchair line is going to be longer than the standby line.

Make good use of FastPass. Tell the CM at City Hall what your needs are and they will accommodate to the best of their ability. Do not expect wish trip style accommodations, though. Those are limited.

While your "green light GAC" is probably not useful, the CM at City Hall told me specifically to hang onto my GAC and bring it next time if my needs haven't changed in order to expedite the process of getting a new one.

 

[Malcon10t]

For world of color and Fantasmic he is allowed to sit in the handicap section. He has never done the parades because as far as I now there is no special seating and he can't be surrounded by all those people with the noise and action of the parade too.

There are a couple viewing areas he could use. One that we have used is at the hub, the walkway facing the train station. There is also one just outside the Showcase (across from the hat store.)

 

[tiggerjay]

As has been mentioned already, the wheelchair is rented per day, for your length an offsite rental would be a good idea. Also you can check with your hotel. I know that some hotels provide FREE chair rentals to guest, be sure to call and asked ahead of time. Sometimes they are simply first-come basis.

Once you have a wheelchair, that usually meets 80% of traditional GAC needs without actually needing to get a pass. At Disneyland it will give you near from of the line access. At California Adventure, you will likely wait in lines, but I would imagine that a wheelchair would meet your stamina requirements.

Also it never hurts to ask at every point along the way to see if a special need can be accommodated. Always be prepared with "how" you would like to be accommodated with a reasonable request. Front of the line typically is a bit beyond what is reasonable. Also remember that what you're bringing is a request. It never hurts to ask and you will find the cast members will frequently go out of their way to accommodate you as best as possible. However, please, don't come with the expectation (with or without a GAC) that is beyond reasonable. Remember you're there with over 10,000 other people who have also paid the same price, and disabilities withstanding, front lining all the time isn't fair to everyone either.

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[Disney Dreams]

I posted a thread about a week ago in which only DISer responded. Although, the response was good, I needed a bit a more feedback as I was still left in doubt. I'm 16 years old and a(recent) former Wish kid. I went on my Make-A-Wish trip to Disney World in August 2011. During our trip , my needs were met through the use of a GAC- a green light GAC. I don't know if the Disneyland system "works" differently, but I was researching on the types of GAC's and I sort of need the combination of them, sort of what the Green Light GAC did. I have stamina issues, sensitivity to heat and other problems arising from heart conditions. However, we do not have in our budget to rent a wheelchair each time we change parks ( We'll be staying for 2 weeks). At Disney world, although the wheelchair was free, I did fine without it because of the low wait time.

If we go to City Hall at DLR, and my family and me show the cast member out WDW GAC, might we be given( or ask) for the a similar one if the SAME one as my condition has neither detiriorated nor improved since August( considering we take the time to explain this to the CM)?

We are a group of 4.

If the Green Light GAC isn't provided, then what other GAC can come close to it, in regards to some of my issues I have mentioned?

Hi Happy Dreams1,

Okay, one Dream to another Dream. Don't worry about what type of GAC you need. What you DO need to worry about is expressing effectively to the cast member at City Hall what needs you have that need accommodating. For example: I am recently recovering from a foot injury. I went to DL last week.

Upon arrival I went to City Hall and told the CM: I cannot do stairs. I have difficulty standing for long periods of time, walking is not an issue, standing is. He handed me a GAC and told me to give it to a CM anytime I encounters stairs and I would be directed to an alternate option. He then specifically said, "As for the standing, some of our queues have planter walls you may be able to sit on while you wait, but if standing is a big issue for you, you may want to consider renting a wheelchair or an ECV. We don't really have any alternative for the standing difficulty.

And we made the best of it with that accommodation.

Let them know what you cannot do. They will give the stamps that apply.

- Dreams

 

[Geemo]

We have done a day at Disneyland with a wheelchair. It wasn't a problem. We wouldn't have needed the wheelchair if my DIL would have worn shoes instead of flip flops the first day in the parks. Some people have to learn the hard way.

It's good that you are checking on these details prior to your visit. Learning now will improve your time on the trip.

Two weeks in Anaheim, that's great!!
When are you going and where are you staying?

Remember planning is suppose to be one of the fun parts.

Geemo

 

[PatMcDuck]

One of my kids had a Wish trip to DL too. That is a once in a lifetime experience. You will not get that SAME GAC, not exactly, it is for MAW trips. My child is probably worse now than when she had her MAW trip. (just had her 2nd knee replacement 10 days ago, she is 20 now, bone complications from chemo and steroids).

It really is not (fair? appropriate?) to say you would use a wheelchair for lines, that you need one, but you can't afford it, so you would rather have a skip the line pass? I think that would hold true for many guests who rent wheelchairs? And you probably really need a wheelchair to handle all the walking around all day long, waiting for parades, etc The waiting on line for attractions is only a small part of your day at DL.

It is tough, I have 2 special needs kids, and it is more expensive for me to take them on vacation than it would cost for healthy kids. And it is not really "fair" but such is life. Hang in there! And see if you can get a wheelchair somehow, it would likely make your day much easier. And of course, see if a GaC would help you as well. It is hard, they rarely have a place to wait for attractions out of the heat or sun. One great thing about DL though, the weather is generally much less extreme than at WDW.

 

[PatMcDuck]

One of my kids had a Wish trip to DL too. That is a once in a lifetime experience. You will not get that SAME GAC, not exactly, it is for MAW trips. My child is probably worse now than when she had her MAW trip. (just had her 2nd knee replacement 10 days ago, she is 20 now, bone complications from chemo and steroids).

It really is not (fair? appropriate?) to say you would use a wheelchair for lines, that you need one, but you can't afford it, so you would rather have a skip the line pass? I think that would hold true for many guests who rent wheelchairs? And you probably really need a wheelchair to handle all the walking around all day long, waiting for parades, etc The waiting on line for attractions is only a small part of your day at DL.

It is tough, I have 2 special needs kids, and it is more expensive for me to take them on vacation than it would cost for healthy kids. And it is not really "fair" but such is life. Hang in there! And see if you can get a wheelchair somehow, it would likely make your day much easier. And of course, see if a GaC would help you as well. It is hard, they rarely have a place to wait for attractions out of the heat or sun. One great thing about DL though, the weather is generally much less extreme than at WDW.

 

[Amommy21]

Go read the disABILITIES board... they have a sticky.

Disney's answer to stamina issues is a wheelchair. GAC does not guarantee shorter wait times. To receive a GAC simply tell guest services the type of help you think you need and they will give you the type of stamp that will accomodate you.

 

[bumbershoot]

We have done a day at Disneyland with a wheelchair. It wasn't a problem. We wouldn't have needed the wheelchair if my DIL would have worn shoes instead of flip flops the first day in the parks. Some people have to learn the hard way.

Aw, poor DIL. But don't be too hard on her. FWIW, I nearly needed wheels on our Disneyland/Universal Orlando trip (yes, bi-coastal) because I did NOT remember to bring my flipflops! My good shoes (both of them, as I switch out each day) were absolutely killing me, and once I broke down and bought a brand new pair of Crocs Athens to replace the Crocs Athens at home, I then had to break them in. The bones of my feet hurt less, but the skin was not happy! If I'd brought them I wouldn't have hurt so much.

One of my kids had a Wish trip to DL too. That is a once in a lifetime experience. You will not get that SAME GAC, not exactly, it is for MAW trips. My child is probably worse now than when she had her MAW trip. (just had her 2nd knee replacement 10 days ago, she is 20 now, bone complications from chemo and steroids).