Haunted Mansion change alt cue line

[A Mickeyfan]

I went to use the alt entrance with my GAC today & was told that the regular cue was now "handicapped accessible". I have low vision and my eyes also do not adjust from light to dark like the average person's. I can't see any thing when I enter the first room prior to the stretching room. The stretching room is hard for me when alone & it's crowded. I was alone today. I tried to explain my disability to the CM, but all she kept saying was how how they changed the cue line & it was now "handicapped accessible". I politely told her it wasn't, it was wheelchair accessible & not for the visually impaired. She told me to tell the CM when I enter the line.
I walk back to the regular cue, show them my card & explain my problem. They tell me to tell the CM @ the door. I go through the line, get to the door & explain. She tells me I can skip the stretching room, but I must walk through the dark room, out the door make a left, another left & out another door! I looked @ her & told her I could NOT see in that room. I had to wait for her to finish filling up the room, then empty it out. I felt my way around the back wall & across till I got to the door. The hallway I walked through was dimly lit with
yellow lighting. I finally get to where I am supposed to be (Which was back outside again). CM, same one that I first went to, tells me to wait. She waited for the stretching room group to be released. One wheelchair family came, a party of 7 without a GAC...or at least they never showed it to her. She asks if they can transfer, mom says yes.… 2 kids jump out of chair, mom,dad, aunt?,grandma & grandpa go walking in front of me. CM tells me to follow . The family can't decide who is going to sit with who CM asks them do they need to have the walkway stopped... Not once did she even tell me to "watch my step"

I am sorry this is long & I sound bitter. There are disabilities that cannot be shuffled through the wheelchair accessible cue. We aren't a one size fits all here. I am not putting anyone down, but the feeling I get from Disney is, you are only disabled if you are in a wheelchair.

My vision is getting so that I can't drive at night. I am here for 10 days, if no one is with me, I have to leave the parks by dark....let me at least enjoy myself there during the day. Again, I am NOT putting anyone down. I just want Disney to see that we are not the same and have different needs. Telling someone who is visually impaired to walk in an extremely dark room alone is like telling someone in a wheelhair, who can't walk to take the stairs

 

[peemagg]

Could it be that the GAC that you have is not the right one for what you need? Maybe a trip to Guest Relations would be of use. Tell them what happened at Haunted Mansion and ask if there is anything else that can be done to help.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

my GAC has the 2 stamps, 1 for the vision with seating & 1 for alt entrance. Vision Impaired is also written on it. This is not the first time it has happened to me there. Once CM refused to allow me the alt entrance because it was for "wheelchairs only" I went to a non costumed CM & told him. He radioed for another non costumed & they personally escorted me through the entire way till I got in my buggy ! By law, if they aren't going to provide you with a safe way (lit) they are to guide you. As I stated, they do comply for the wheelchairs, but not "low vision"....yes, they do have Braile for
the blind, but vision impaired aren't all blind. Just as it can't be assumed all who are in a wheelchair can't walk.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

On way out of the MK, I stopped @ City Hall to tell them that just because the HM cue line is now wheelchair accessible, it doesn't help low vision guests. At first the CM kept telling me my GAC was not meant to skip lines. The lighting @ the loading dock is the same as the unloading. She was not getting my point about getting to the loading dock when I am alone. I honestly think the problem is that some CM's do not understand what it is, so they ignore it & take the liberty to deny you a safe entry. When I get home, I plan on getting a letter from my opthamologist & sending it off to Disney along with a note as to my encounter with the "new handicapped accessible cue" showing them, one size doesn't fit all. I also plan on taking a copy of my doc's letter with me next trip in the event they don't understand low vision.

If there is a 30 minute wait, have me wait out by the back door, but PLEASE don't have me go thru that room again. Oh, and an FYI, if they place me in there with the wheelchairs & I fall on you as I did in Ellen, I am not being careless, or not paying attention to where I am going, I cannot see you

 

[Michigan]

We have been here since November and my oldest has a GAC with alternate entrance and have been told every time to go to the regular line and stay to the right. Neither of my girls wants to do the stretching room so they tell us to go out the door down the hall turn left. Not a problem the first few times but the last time we went the cm told us we had to go back out and wait for a wheelchair escort. Ok so we go back and wait and wait and wait and wait no one ever comes so finally the cm that sent us back there comes and says someone will come and tells us that they are in the process of testing a new way to load wheelchairs so that it is fair to everyone else. Ok so here is where I ask her the million dollar question you can only stop the ride in one place right? She replies yes we can only stop it where the transfer seats are at. I then ask so do people that don't need the transfer seat buggies ride in them and her answer is no not allowed. So I asked what is the difference if people that need the transfer buggies can just go to the the exit and wait because by the time we now load all the people we waited in line with have already been on the ride and off by the time we now get on so who is that fair for. Her comment back was well you should be glad Disney has rides your kids can go on because if it was up to her they wouldn't. You have no idea how hard it was for me to hold my tongue and not say and if it was up to me they wouldn't hire ignorant people like you.

 

[stargazertechie]

Her comment back was well you should be glad Disney has rides your kids can go on because if it was up to her they wouldn't.

WOAH. You're a better person than I am. I would have LOST it.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

OMG! What is it with the CM's on this ride? Had they said that about my kids, I would have told her she was lucky to have a job & if it were up to me, she would NOT!

As you can see, I am not at a park today. It was too chilly this morning for me before the crowds arrived & I'm alone which makes it hard to navigate in them. Tomorrow will be a park day as I am meeting up with a friend. My sister was to meet me today, but couldn't..... And today is my 55th birthday. I did want to bein a park, but that is OK. I have my comfort food, Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake. My younger DD, her BF, my sister & a friend of mine are all coming to Orlando for NYE for me..... At least that night I can stay out lol It stinks having what they relate to as "old age vision" when you are too young to have it' but when it's also hereditary,all I can do is hope for the best. My Mom had wet macular degeneration, & I have the early signs. She was told @ 54, by the time she died @ 78, she was legally (& nearly competely blind). I was told @ 50 In addition to that, I have a swollen optic nerve which they cannot figure out why. I have gone to the neuro-optho & had mega testing done. All they they come up with is my eyes are equavalent to that of a very "elderly person" they normally don't see this @ my age but more like someone closer to 80

 

[disney david]

OMG! What is it with the CM's on this ride? Had they said that about my kids, I would have told her she was lucky to have a job & if it were up to me, she would NOT!

As you can see, I am not at a park today. It was too chilly this morning for me before the crowds arrived & I'm alone which makes it hard to navigate in them. Tomorrow will be a park day as I am meeting up with a friend. My sister was to meet me today, but couldn't..... And today is my 55th birthday. I did want to bein a park, but that is OK. I have my comfort food, Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake. My younger DD, her BF, my sister & a friend of mine are all coming to Orlando for NYE for me..... At least that night I can stay out lol It stinks having what they relate to as "old age vision" when you are too young to have it' but when it's also hereditary,all I can do is hope for the best. My Mom had wet macular degeneration, & I have the early signs. She was told @ 54, by the time she died @ 78, she was legally (& nearly competely blind). I was told @ 50

happy birthday

 

[A Mickeyfan]

happy birthday

I see (yes I can still see somethings ) you are from Hartsdale! I'm from Yonkers, but living in SW FL since 1991 & I actually blame that for my vision problems... Too sunny here year round, I have light eyes & I know the sun damages them! But I'm staying here too close to Disney to give it up thanks for the birthday wishes

 

[Talking Hands]

Happy birthday and please contact the people I sent you in a PM. Maureen is at WDW but Mark is in California and is Maureen's boss.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Happy birthday and please contact the people I sent you in a PM. Maureen is at WDW but Mark is in California and is Maureen's boss.

Thank you! I got your info I do plan on contacting them. Now I have someone to actually address when I contact instead of "whom it may concern", because sometimes no one is really concerned & you end up with a generic response

 

[Piper]

I hope you have a wonderful birthday and the rest of your trip is magical!

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Happy birthday and please contact the people I sent you in a PM. Maureen is at WDW but Mark is in California and is Maureen's boss.

I would also like to tell I give you a lot of credit for managing your way through the parks. Hearing & vision are the disabilities that many don't think of when they are complaining about the guest "who wasn't paying attention"
They see the wheelchair/scooters, they can see a seeing eye dog/cane for those that are totally blind. Many are taught to always assume a child must have a disability if they are having a severe melt down (I mean no disrespect on this either), but or some odd reason, those with hearing or vision are never considered .....it is either, they are ignoring you (can't hear what you said) or not watching where they're going (really did not see you sitting with your legs spread out into the street)

 

[A Mickeyfan]

I hope you have a wonderful birthday and the rest of your trip is magical!

thank you

 

[LockShockBarrel]

Sometimes a guide dog isn't enough. When I used to travel with one we were still asked for GAC's at certain points, never told at Guest Services that we shouldn't need one and had to straight up argue with 2 Cms at different rides.

Once was at Spaceship Earth when a CM told us the dog wasn't allowed on because he'd "freak out at the smoke smell". In the old handicap guides (it still may say this too) it did say to be aware that the smell effect may bother dogs but not that they were not allowed to ride.

The other time was at Dinosaur, when the CM couldn't understand that we BOTH had to go through the line WITH the dog then swap out at the boarding area. He kept trying to say only one of us could go through the line and we'd have to keep the dog outside. He couldn't understand that the person I was with wouldn't be able to see enough to get to the loading area.

 

[jmartinez1895]

I'm sorry that you where given such a hard time. We took a trip in Nov. We have a GAC with the Alt entrance as well and they took us in the side of HM. The first time they took us directly to the ride so the next day we asked if we could do the stretching room and the CM was happy to take us there. The only problem we have had on that ride was on our last trip and a CM kept telling us to park our stroller in the parking area ( we have stroller as a wheelchair) She even raised her voice as us. Unless they changes something since Nov 16th they do have an ALT entrance and I would like to know why they did not let you use it.

 

[Hook's Girl]

I can confirm that the alternate entrance has changed. It is no longer at the exit. I do not work in Liberty Square but was told that there were too many safety related incidents loading guests at the exit. Too many injuries were happening at that location.

Please don't shoot the messenger. I don't know why the stretch room can not be skipped and did not personally make this decision!

 

[disney david]

they do have a safe way to skip the stretching room their a door in the back of the first room. The cms use it to switch out the cm at the door and if someone get scared they have to have a way they can exit. The problem the op had i think is the first room is dark so it was hard for her even if they told her to go through it. if i am wrong please correct me but that what it sounded to me. when you come out of the stretching room their a cm standing a door to take that leads to the exit where they load you again as of dec 21 they had cms their. Not sure if they still load you through the exit but don't see how they can through the main que because it tight turns. the first cm she talked to and show her gac should of walked her through the exit and loaded her safely. instead of giving the run around making it not safe for her because know she had to go back and final get someone to help her which didn't make sure she got on the ride safe she could of been hurt by the moving walk way. Disney dose care and it sad it has to come down to the op having to write to them it should of been taking care of by the first cm and if not by the guest relation cm.


Op sorry if i got it wrong but that how i took it as

 

[A Mickeyfan]

they do have a safe way to skip the stretching room their a door in the back of the first room. The cms use it to switch out the cm at the door and if someone get scared they have to have a way they can exit. The problem the op had i think is the first room is dark so it was hard for her even if they told her to go through it. if i am wrong please correct me but that what it sounded to me. when you come out of the stretching room their a cm standing a door to take that leads to the exit where they load you again as of dec 21 they had cms their. Not sure if they still load you through the exit but don't see how they can through the main que because it tight turns. the first cm she talked to and show her gac should of walked her through the exit and loaded her safely. instead of giving the run around making it not safe for her because know she had to go back and final get someone to help her which didn't make sure she got on the ride safe she could of been hurt by the moving walk way. Disney dose care and it sad it has to come down to the op having to write to them it should of been taking care of by the first cm and if not by the guest relation cm.


Op sorry if i got it wrong but that how i took it as

Yes,you got it correct I did skip the stretching room, but I had to walk my way thru the dark room alone,find the door that blends in with the wall go thru that door, enter a dimly lit (yellowish lighting) hallway, then out the other door. That takes you to right back outside in the back near where the exit is. Yes, you still get loaded from the unloading dock.

 

[disney david]

Yes,you got it correct I did skip the stretching room, but I had to walk my way thru the dark room alone,find the door that blends in with the wall go thru that door, enter a dimly lit (yellowish lighting) hallway, then out the other door. That takes you to right back outside in the back near where the exit is. Yes, you still get loaded from the unloading dock.

the sad thing s they make you go through the main que make you walk in the dark room then through a dimly lit hallway just to come out by exit. when they could just told you when you talked to the first cm to just go through the exit then you would not of had a problem. This whole thing could of been handled much much better by disney they turn something that didn't need to be a problem into a problem. if they just said you could go through the exit and not have to go through the main que then you would of had a better time then having to ask more then one cm and have to wait longer then you had to and then put you in a situation where you could of been hurt.

Then to go to guest relations and have them not understand how stupid those cms where. I hope they make it right and change things because that can't and should not happen again.