I believe that CM was very rude and I do not like the responses on this thread. Of course, it is a long walk between rides. However, there are benches and places to relax in between where the girl could have caught up. When you're in line, that's it. It could be standing for an hour or more!
Let me make it more comprehensible. If you get a GAC for son/daughter with some sort of autism spectrum disorder or sensory issues, wouldn't it be contradictory in itself? If the child could not handle the line, then the child could certainly not handle the park in itself. Of course, they could last for quite some time, but at some point there will be some sort of happening.
Sometimes, people plan their trips on a tight budget and cannot afford renting a wheelchair and thus depend on the GAC- say the GAC which allows you to use the wheelchair entrance although not using one. Would this not be fair?
I've seen some rude and ignorant comments on here regarding the GAC and its uses.
The girl shouldn't have been denied a GAC. Of course, situations like these are conflicting in nature and each case should be considered.
First - just because you do not agree with some of the previous posters does not make their comments rude or ignorant.
Second - the CM was giving WDW's policy. it could be said in a rude voice, but the original poster did not consider it rude, so I am assuming it was not said in that type of voice. But, as KPeveler noted, we were not there, so do not know.
I have also seen people who said they could not stand in line just leave when the CM started talking about wheelchairs.
This is written on the WDW park maps and website:
Stamina or Endurance Concerns
Some Guests may be concerned that they do not have the stamina to wait in our queues. We strongly suggest that these Guests consider using a wheelchair or electric convenience vehicle, as the distance between our attractions is much greater than the length of our queues.
ALL lines are at WDW are wheelchair accessible. In most cases, the regular line IS the wheelchair line. For those few lines with stairs or boarding at a moving walkway, a Guest Assistance Card could be issued to allow use of the wheelchair accessible boarding area.
GACs are for things the CMs can't see and would not know about otherwise. The young woman that the OP wrote about had a walking boot. WDW's policy is that guests with visible needs don't need a GAC to use the accessible boarding area because the Cast Member at the attraction can see what they need.
Most guests walk between 4 and 9 miles in a day at WDW. most of the walking is OUTSIDE of line, not in line. true, she could stop often and sit while getting from place to place, but if she would have trouble in lines, a wheelchair is still what she needs.
It sounds like you think a GAC shortens lines, but it says right on the card that it is not meant to shorten or eliminate waits. The card and park maps suggest that guest who want to shorten their wait should use Fastpasses - and the map explains how to use them.
The distance walked in line would be the same, whether the girl had a GAC or not - in most cases, guests with wheelchairs are using the same line as everyone else. So, a GAC to use the wheelchair entrances would really not help much for someone who is concerned about standing.
There are also times when using the wheelchair accessible boarding area means a longer wait. For example, last Spring, my husband waited in the accessible line at Small World with our daughter, who uses a wheelchair. I went in the regular line and waited 25 minutes LESS than they did. I waited 20 minutes - they were in line for nearly 45 minutes.
There are no seats in the accessible line, so anyone waiting there will need to stand unless they have a wheelchair or
ECV.
And last, it turned out, it appears that the young woman was not telling the truth when she said she was alone, since the original poster saw her later with her family being pushed in a wheelchair. There are options besides renting a wheelchair if someone really was not able to afford one. Resorts do have them to loan out, although wheelchairs can't be reserved ahead of time.
She told the girl "you should be more concerned about how you are going to walk from ride to ride than the small walk once you are in line." The girl didn't reply and stormed out. She didn't give us any problem giving us our GAC but I was honestly surprised that a cm would deny someone a GAC. She did make a point though. I did see the girl in a wheelchair later on in the day and she was with her family so she must have broken down and gotten a wheelchair.
