In WDW until 8/23 and having a ball!!

[dpaine]

I just wanted to say that we are here in Disney right now with my son (11 years Asperger's) and having a ball. We went right to City Hall and received a GAC from the nicest CM you would ever want to meet. She was absolutely wonderful. The only problems we encountered so far has been at MGM. It seems that a select few CMs do not take kindly to the GAC. One older cast member actually told me that most attractions at MGM would not accept our pass. I point blank told her she should take a good hard look at the pass. I have access through the Fast Pass Return Que and if there is not one then I am to use whatever alternate entrance they have. I just walked away. We have not had to wait for anything which has made all the difference in the world. The longest wait was 5 minutes (swear to God). Rain only in the afternoon for about 2 hours, but managable. All in all this is truly a magical trip for us all.

Any questions, just give a yell. I will be checking my email daily while away.

Thanks,
Deb

 

[JudithM]

Thanks for letting us know about your trip LIVE! Glad to read you are having a ball on your vacation!

I get a GAC with the Fastpass entrance stamp. I had some CMs insist I still needed to get a fastpass & come back later. I checked with an attractions manager & was told I did not have to get a fastpass.

 

[SueM in MN]

Glad to hear you are having a good time.
Not all GACs have the ability to use the Fastpass entrance, so the CMs should be reading it and not just assuming that it doesn't have that stamp. People who have the GAC can help the situation by limiting their use of the GAC to when they really need it. For example, we don't use the GAC if the line is 15 minutes long or less and we do get fastpasses if we can.
The thing that upsets me is inconsistency in handling things. My DD has a very hard time waiting in lines, we arrive at the parks late because it's a lot of work to get her ready in the morning and we never know when she will have a seizure and our day is done. Despite all that, CMs sometimes balk at letting her use the fastpass return (even though she has a GAC that lets her). And we usually have a bit of a time to get a GAC because they say, "She's using a wheelchair, she doesn't need a GAC." But, at the same time, we will see someone in a rented wheelchair without a GAC who IS allowed to use the fastpass return without a fastpass. That kind of inconsistency is what encourages people to "cheat".

 

[momejay]

I agree with you each CM seems to have their own ideas about GACs. My ds & dd have autism. My ds uses a stroller as a wheelchair, & has fastpass entrance on his GAC. (we just hand them our old GAC each time we go) We have been sent in different directions & lead down back alleys to get on rides depending on the individual CM. This is sometimes worse than the wait for my son because he doesn't understand that the change of entrance is probably for our benefit. (not always)
To name a few...
Pirates, Fast Track, & Haunted Mansion (had a CM yell at me for going the wrong way, but it was our second time in an hour on the ride)
Tomorrowland Speedway (I think that's the name) said the line was too long to let us on without a wait. I still haven't figured that one out.
Alladin ride, no one knew where we should go. We waited for 45 min. with my ds tantruming & then we were told we were in the wrong line. I still don't know what we did wrong that time or where the right line is. My son had to wait longer because by the time it was his turn he had wet his pants. We used the exit, after a quick change, & we got to ride twice.