If you have a disabilities pass does it get you in front at Fantasmic

[huggiebear23]

Hi guys,

My friend is getting a disabilites pass for breast cancer, Will this pass prevent her from waiting in line at Fantasmic?


Thanks so much

 

[SueM in MN]

I would suggest you look at post #6 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread, which is about Guest Assistance Cards. That thread is near the top of this board or you can follow the link in my signature to get there.

They are NOT disability passes, just a way to more easily let CMs know what your needs are related to a disability. they are not given out for a specific condition or diagnosis, but are based on the needs that person has that are related to a disability. Different people with the same condition will have different nerds. Some may have problems with fatigue, walking/standing and only need to use a wheelchair or ECV in line; you don't need a Guest Assistance Card to do that.
She will need to go to Guest Relations and explain her needs - just knowing breast cancer won't tell them that.

And, the cards are not meant to be front of line passes or shorten the wait in line. Sometimes, the wait using a Guest Assistance Card will be even longer if there is a specific waiting area that is already full or there are the allowed number of people with special needs already on the attraction ( the number is often for safety and evacuation reasons).

 

[huggiebear23]

I would suggest you look at post #6 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread, which is about Guest Assistance Cards. That thread is near the top of this board or you can follow the link in my signature to get there.

They are NOT disability passes, just a way to more easily let CMs know what your needs are related to a disability. they are not given out for a specific condition or diagnosis, but are based on the needs that person has that are related to a disability. Different people with the same condition will have different nerds. Some may have problems with fatigue, walking/standing and only need to use a wheelchair or ECV in line; you don't need a Guest Assistance Card to do that.
She will need to go to Guest Relations and explain her needs - just knowing breast cancer won't tell them that.

And, the cards are not meant to be front of line passes or shorten the wait in line. Sometimes, the wait using a Guest Assistance Card will be even longer if there is a specific waiting area that is already full or there are the allowed number of people with special needs already on the attraction ( the number is often for safety and evacuation reasons).

Thanks, and I hope I didnt mean to offend anyone. She just finished radiation and has severe ashthma so she does has limitations, walking too long of a distance. She does have a doctors note. I just wanted to ask because she had inquired. Thanks for your help.

 

[syko]

I will not even go and see Fantasmic anymore as it has got too dangerous for my SD.
I have a GAC with 3 stamps on it, and my Sd has been trampled on in the crush to get in.
I have asked for a safe place to wait with her and have always been told no.

I would either reccommend an ECV or wheelchair for your friend, and she will not need the note from her Dr.

 

[peemagg]

If stamina issues are her main concern, then Disney's response is to get either a wheelchair or ECV. They usually don't give out GAC's for those issues, unless she needs some other kind of acommidation for her issues. You might want to suggest to your friend to start looking for an off site rental company to get a wheelchair or ECV from. They will be much cheaper than renting from Disney.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

As others have said, I think renting her a set of wheels would make your trip much easier on her body, and more fun for both of you. You can easily cover 6-10 miles a day at Disney, each day, which is hard enough on people without health issues to deal with. As others have said, renting from an off-site company would probably be a good idea, as it means she'd have it for the whole trip, and it usually works out cheaper.

Using an ECV will mean that she can drive herself, so be in control of where she goes and when; but it does take energy to keep your arms up, and to pay attention. Also, if her fatigue causes concentration lapses or mental fatigue, it probably wouldn't be safe for her to drive a scooter around small children and morons (there seem to be a lot of them in the parks ). If she can't use an ECV, would you be able to push her around the parks in a manual chair?

Good luck and have a great trip!

 

[Debbie Jean]

Thanks, and I hope I didnt mean to offend anyone. She just finished radiation and has severe ashthma so she does has limitations, walking too long of a distance. She does have a doctors note. I just wanted to ask because she had inquired. Thanks for your help.

GS cannot ask for a doctor's note... privacy issues.

As others have said, she will need to explain her needs and I also suspect they will suggest either an ECV or wheelchair.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks, and I hope I didnt mean to offend anyone. She just finished radiation and has severe ashthma so she does has limitations, walking too long of a distance. She does have a doctors note. I just wanted to ask because she had inquired. Thanks for your help.

Not to worry - no one is offended.

We just want to make sure she has the correct information. A lot of people are given a note by the doctor, who tells them they will be able go to the front of lines or not have to wait. When they get to WDW and it doesn't work that way, they are surprised and shocked. We just want to avoid that happening to her and prepare her to think of her needs before she gets there.

 

[huggiebear23]

Thanks so much Guys!! I will pass on the info to her.

DIS IS THE BEST!!!!

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Not to worry - no one is offended.

We just want to make sure she has the correct information. A lot of people are given a note by the doctor, who tells them they will be able go to the front of lines or not have to wait. When they get to WDW and it doesn't work that way, they are surprised and shocked. We just want to avoid that happening to her and prepare her to think of her needs before she gets there.

Thanks so much Guys!! I will pass on the info to her.

DIS IS THE BEST!!!!

That's what we're here for ! If she has any more questions, we'd be happy to answer them for you guys. Doing Disney with a disability for the first time can be a big worry, but they are absolutely wonderful, and will do everything they can to give you a magical trip!

 

[tinkerbelletreasure]

I agree with the others that she probably needs a ECV and not a guest assistance pass. We had to sit in the back with my son(stoller as a wheelchair) during fantasmic. To us it really wasn't worth the crush of teh line and we were very far away and couldn't see anythign well.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

I agree with the others that she probably needs a ECV and not a guest assistance pass. We had to sit in the back with my son(stoller as a wheelchair) during fantasmic. To us it really wasn't worth the crush of teh line and we were very far away and couldn't see anythign well.

If you head for the second show of the evening, that tends to have smaller crowds. There is some wheelchair seating right up front; if you get in line reasonably early, you might be able to get a spot there instead . I've not yet done this, but I always feel that I can see well enough from the back, and can't be bothered to wait that long in line

 

[SueM in MN]

DH and I have sat in the front when we were at Fantasmic without DD I
in her wheelchair. So, we did see the front wheelchair seating. There is very little of it (unless they have changed in the last few years). So, you would need to get there early for those seats.

It's also important to know that you are very likely to get water spray on you. Several portions of the show involve movies shown on screens made of water spray. You may get a little splashed or feel like you are in a shower if the wind is blowing toward you.
We had noticed vendors selling beach towels before the show and wondered why. After the show started, we understood.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

Wow to the post about the SD being trampled!! I'm really surprised at that. I've only seen Fantasmic once, kind of spur of the moment so the arena was mostly filled. We were seated in the back with our SD in a wheelchair gap and the CM helping us said "If you're not in a hurry to get out, we've noticed it's much easier for people with guide dogs to wait for the arena to clear mostly out and avoid trying to get through the mob" (obviously our SD is a guide dog ) We were just going back to Pop so waiting wasn't an issue. When the show ended, another CM came and stood with her arms out and holding a broom in either hand and shooed people who were climbing the benches up away from us so they didn't step on the dog. I thought this was going way out of her way for us, and keep in mind this wasn't even the CM who helped us get situated, so I'm just kind of stunned no one was more helpful towards you.

 

[syko]

It was not at the end we have had problems it was waiting to get in.
This is what has happend to us every time we have see the show, we live down the road and are in the parks several times a week.
We will now not see the show and I was so disgusted by the managers attitude last time I will no longer go in to HS, my Dh takes my Dd in. I have reported what happened, but nothing will be done about.

 

[tinkerbelletreasure]

If you head for the second show of the evening, that tends to have smaller crowds. There is some wheelchair seating right up front; if you get in line reasonably early, you might be able to get a spot there instead . I've not yet done this, but I always feel that I can see well enough from the back, and can't be bothered to wait that long in line

We were there for teh second show...and got in line 45 minutes early. The crush of pepel in that line is terrible. We finally had to move teh stroller up on teh sidewalk because people were pushing teh wheels into the curb. It was a mess and our least favorite of the things we did.

 

[peemagg]

I don't think that Disney did anyone (but maybe themselves, but I even doubt that) any favors by only doing this very popular show only once or twice a week and then only maybe once on that night. All they did was to cause this to be a very dangerous situation for all involved. I wonder how many people have been knocked down by the crowds and injured in some way? I truely think they need to ditch that American Idol thing (which is why they did what they did to Fantasmic. To try and make American Idol show have more people go see it. They knew it couldn't compete with Fantasmic if they both went on at the same time.) and bring back the Fantasmic show every night!

 

[leebee]

I have seen Fantasmic probably a dozen times and it is always a madhouse, especially getting out after the show. Sometimes we just skip it because it's such a hassle having to get there an hour in advance to get a decent seat, sitting and waiting, and then the crush of rude people at the end. Scary for the kids, scary for the adults. We ALWAYS review our family emergency plan before going in to see Fantasmic. Fantasmic always played to a full stadium, and I do not understand Disney's logic in limiting shows to a few nights a week. If Idol is so lame, dump it and get something new!

My DSis has Cp and uses a wheelchair while in the parks. She is very frustrated by Fantasmic. In addition to the crowds at the end, the wheelchair seating she has always been offered is in the back row of the stadium. It NEVER fails- someone ALWAYS decides to lean on her chair, stand their kid on the hand grips (I kid you not), etc. (As she has joked with us, although perhaps her aluminum crutches might make her LOOK like lawn furniture, she is NOT a seat for a stranger! ). The rudeness of some people is amazing- surely they wouldn't stand their kid on the shoulders of some guy sitting in the rear row! Between the crowds and the rudeness, she never goes to Fantasmic anymore.

 

[Schmeck]

I will not even go and see Fantasmic anymore as it has got too dangerous for my SD.
I have a GAC with 3 stamps on it, and my Sd has been trampled on in the crush to get in.
I have asked for a safe place to wait with her and have always been told no.

I would either reccommend an ECV or wheelchair for your friend, and she will not need the note from her Dr.

There are no isolated areas to wait for Fantasmic - even the area excluded off for GAC use can get pretty full and crowded. Since the pathway to Fantasmic is physically accessible, and WDW is known to be a pretty crowded place, there's not much else they can do there. They can't make other people go away, kwim?

 

[syko]

There are no isolated areas to wait for Fantasmic - even the area excluded off for GAC use can get pretty full and crowded.

I have never been allowed to use the GAC area!!!!!!
I don't mind crowds, I'm in the parks all the time, I just think that if you have a GAC then you should be allowed in to the GAC area, I don't think it's too much to ask.