Interesting expiriences at Disneyland

[shellybaxter]

I've been spending my Disney time in Florida for the past 5 years. I hadn't been to Disneyland since 2001. My DH and I wanted to take our niece and nephew to Disney for Christmas but we live in California and didn't have enough time to take them to Florida. So we decided to go to Disneyland instead. Before I get into my observations I want to say up front - WE HAD A GREAT TIME !!!

My first "strangish" expirience was with the turnstyles in Fantasyland. They were really small and being pooh sized and mobility challenged I had a very difficult time with them and couldn't go through some of them. I could find no CMs to assist me. I finally found someone and explained the problem and they didn't know what to do. I asked for a manager. Instead of being able to speak with a manager I was told that the manager said I had to go to Town Hall and get a GAC. A GAC for turnstyles? I thought that was odd, but they gave me one and I was asked to show it even when there was no ling at all.

My second observation was about the companion/family restrooms. I know that this is a hot topic on these boards and that people don't always agree about who should use them. Some feel they are strickly for use by those who have a medical need and other feel that they are families with young children as well. I don't really want to get into who is "right" but I think it is interesting that at Disneyland they are labled as "family restrooms".

My last observation is about shows. I am used to WDW where the wheelchairs all enter in one place and are pretty much escorted to your "seat". In DLR I was simply shown a map of the theater and pointed out the wheelchair spots. I was on my own to choose my spot and figure out how to get to it through the crowds of people. Very odd.

Just a few things I noticed and thought you all might be interested in

 

[SueM in MN]

That is strange about needing a GAC for the turnstiles. I suppose that in some attractions, there is an alternate entrance to avoid turnstiles????

For the restrooms being labeled Family Restrooms in California, that is interesting. There are some places that mandate Family Restrooms in their building codes. I wonder if that is the case in California?

I guess the way they handle theaters probably takes less staff, but it makes it harder.

 

[shellybaxter]

That is strange about needing a GAC for the turnstiles. I suppose that in some attractions, there is an alternate entrance to avoid turnstiles????

For the restrooms being labeled Family Restrooms in California, that is interesting. There are some places that mandate Family Restrooms in their building codes. I wonder if that is the case in California?

I guess the way they handle theaters probably takes less staff, but it makes it harder.

I was directed to the wheelchair entrance for the rides as that entrance by-passed the turnstyles. I didn't use the GAC I was given accept in Fantasyland as that is the only place I needed it.

I wondered if California had some restroom regulation that required the family signage as well. I live in California but my town is really rural. We don't have family restrooms but that could be because we don't have establishments that have that many visitors at one time.

The theaters were confusing and would have been very hard for a wheelchair/scooter user if there had many a normal crowd there. We didn't really expirience any type of crowds while we were there so it wasn't a huge deal. It just felt so unorganized.

While we had a blast; I'll be happy to return to Florida for our next trip to Disney

 

[Figaro]

If I remember correctly, California is one of the states that has a law that allows opposite sex attendants to come into public restrooms to assist the person they are with. This means a female can go into the men's bathroom to assist a male and a man could come into the women's bathroom to assist a female. I wonder if this is part of the reason why the restrooms at Disneyland are labeled "Family Restooms?" Since technically they wouldn't need a companion restroom since all public restrooms are able to accommodate an opposite sex attendant.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

If I remember correctly, California is one of the states that has a law that allows opposite sex attendants to come into public restrooms to assist the person they are with. This means a female can go into the men's bathroom to assist a male and a man could come into the women's bathroom to assist a female. I wonder if this is part of the reason why the restrooms at Disneyland are labeled "Family Restooms?" Since technically they wouldn't need a companion restroom since all public restrooms are able to accommodate an opposite sex attendant.

Interesting! Though I'm not sure whether you could fit two people plus a wheelchair into some of those disabled stalls, and still have room to move.

 

[SueM in MN]

Interesting! Though I'm not sure whether you could fit two people plus a wheelchair into some of those disabled stalls, and still have room to move.

We have done it, but there is not really space to move and it is dangerous if you need to lift the person because there is not much space for feet to go. That's why we don't do the handicapped stalls in the regular bathrooms that much and just use the Companion Restrooms.

There are people who either might not need to have the wheelchair in the stall with them or might not even have a wheelchair at all. A situation I can think of would be an older woman I saw in a ladies room once with her DH. He appeared to have Alzheimers or something and needed direction to stand up from the wheelchair. Although he could walk without much difficulty, he needed a lot of help from her.

 

[mechurchlady]

I was shocked when I first saw a sign saying persons of the opposite gender may accoumpany a disabled person. YEP, in California a disabled person may take into a restroom a person of a different gender than that designated for the restroom.

If a guest cannot go through the line then they must use the designated disabled entrance. Guests not in a wheelchair or ECV must have a GAC to use the designated handicapped entrances. It could be the inability to do stairs or in this case to big to get through an entrance or turnstile. In over 40 years of attending DL there has never been a time when I could not wiggle through a turnstile. I did go there once with a lady who was bottom heavy and she had a hard time.

Guestd in wheelchairs and ECVs are given maps and general directions on how to get to a show. Normally a guest can ask a CM if they need help on where to sit during a show. The times I did go to a show they were very helpful but it has been a while.