Is there a GAC for this?

[karliebug]

I have 2 DD with health problems. One has a reaction to the heat/sun in which she gets a type of rash with big welts on her skin kind of like hives. when we went last year, I was able to get a GAC that had a shade stamp on it however we used it with limited success. When we went to the Safari ride in AK for instance and went to the fast pass line as instructed, the CM said that since the ride line was shaded we could not use the fast pass entrance. We skipped the ride because I didn't think that she could stand in the heat that long without having a reaction. My other DD has ulcerative colitis and has bathroom issues. When she has to go she has to go immediately which may cause a problem if we are in the middle of a line somewhere. The medication she takes for this is basically the same as chemo. only in a pill form. She also gets fatigued easily and feels sick/dizzy in the heat/sun.She is rather embarassed about this problem as you can imagine a teen girl would be. What I'd like to be able to do is either use the fast pass lane when it is available or for the CM at the attraction to give us a time to come back later when we could go right on (for example, if the ride wait is 45 min. we could come back 45 minutes later and get on allowing us to wait somewhere cooler out o the heat,sun,etc) Is there a GAC that would allow this and what type of stamp would need to be on it? Thanks for all your help.

 

[Hook's Girl]

Don't forget to utilize fastpass too! That's what they are there for. The shaded area stamp does just that, provides an area out of the sun to wait. Unfortunately there is no way to escape that heat and keep in mind the distance between attractions is far longer than the length of the queues. Some outdoor queues, like Jungle Cruise, for example are both shaded and air conditioned!

 

[allyphoe]

IIRC, the standard recommendation for fatigue is a wheelchair or ECV. I second the recommendation for using Fastpass where available. Would it be possible to go at a cooler / less crowded time of year? Even the air conditioned spots seem pretty hot in the summer with everyone packed in.

For your second DD, you might want to check out ride lengths (I know TGM has this info; I believe the UG does as well). At least in a line, you can generally get out; finishing Safari and having to find a bathroom after would be pretty miserable if you had to go soon after getting on.

 

[SueM in MN]

If you have not already checked out the disABILITIES FAQs thread, there is a section about GACs (Guest Assistance Cards) there.
Most of the lines are shaded (some of the outdoor lines are even air conditioned according to CMs who have posted here!), so a GAC that allows you to wait in a shaded area is not as helpful as it was years ago when many of the lines were in full sun. Some of the attractions (like the Safari) don't have a place to wait which would be cooler. Because different attractions have different accomodations available and because of differences in things like staffing levels or the number of people with special needs who are already waiting, GACs are not always handled consistently, even at the same attraction at different times.

For your situations, it would be important to be at the parks when they are not busy; even having a GAC, you will still be exposed to the heat and sun while just moving around the parks. Also, if it's busy, you will need to wait in lines for things like bathrooms and meals.
By knowing when it is busy when, you can avoid most of the wait and most of the lines. That is true even at the busiest times like at Spring break - for example, the Safari might have a long wait early in the day, but you can basically walk right on in the afternoon as fast as you can get thru the lines. Some of the tour books can help with that and there are also services like Tour Guide Mike (a Theme Parks Board Sponsor) and another one called Ride Max.
Other things that can help a lot are getting to the parks at opening - for example, you can get thru most of the Fantasyland attractions with less than a 15 minute wait if you are there at opening. By the time the park gets busier, hotter and the sun is at a peak, you can go to your resort to cool off. If you come back later in the day, it will be cooler, the sun will be less intense and the crowds much lower. I f you are staying on-site, EMH can help a lot with crowds too. My oldest DD, her cousin and I went to evening EMH at Epcot in April. It was great for crowds - the only thing that had a line was Test Track (I believe it had broken down earlier in the day and people with Fastpasses for that day stayed in the park to ride). But everything else had such short lines that we were able to get off, get right back on and ride as fast as we could get thru the line. We rode Soarin' 3 times in a row.

Another thing that you may or may not have tried for your DD with sun sensitivity is clothing with sun protection built in. There is also a new product from RIT that you can wash into your own clothing to give it sun protection.

 

[BeckyScott]

For your daughter, I also have u/c and was also extremely worried/ paranoid about going to any kind of theme park, for the reasons you mentioned.

First off, please tell her doctor about your upcoming trip. It's not just waiting in the lines. I was also worried because when you're on vacation you eat "wierd food"-- just stuff you normally don't eat so much. The doctor might decide it would benefit her to up her meds temporarily, to keep the u/c from flaring during the trip. But there are several different meds for u/c, so that was just what worked for me.

Secondly, I stopped at every bathroom we passed, whether I needed to go or not. It probably didn't "really" make a difference, but psychologically it made me feel better to know I'd just been there. I also wore the hugest maxi-pads I could find, which also yes wouldn't have done a whole lot of good but made me feel a little better too.

As I'm sure you know, stressing about the u/c makes the u/c worse (which makes you stress more, etc etc, not a fun cycle), so whatever small things you can do just to make her not worry so much will make a difference to her. If she's really really concerned, (oh gosh I even hate to suggest this) you can buy her some Depends, and while you're at it, a bunch of new outfits that will hide them well. I know, no teen girl wants to wear Depends, but given the other possibility... been there, really I do understand. While my u/c is pretty under control at this point (thanks to modern medicine) I still wear the huge maxi as a "just in case" if I go anyplace where I don't have easy access to a restroom.

The good part is, that with the adjustment to my meds (which really was very slight), I didn't have any problems at all. I think the change of environment was so much fun, that I wasn't stressing nearly so much, and things were more normal than usual, even.

 

[super_crunch]

I just wanted to chime in with some sympathy.

I had UC for 10 years from age 17-27 (I had j-pouch surgery last summer, so I am finally free of UC). My entire life revolved around where the bathroom was and I would never have been brave enough to venture out to WDW. Good for your dd for getting out there and doing stuff!

Definitely use as many fast passes as possible, and sneak off into the air conditioning often.

I hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[Schmeck]

Another way to avoid the sun is to go during the summer when the parks are open later! I've had melanoma twice, and I'm not supposed to be outside betwen 10AM-4PM. We go in mid-August because we can hit the parks at opening, get a lot of attractions done, then go back to the resort (for a nap) until dinner time. Of course, I'm covered head-to-toe with sunscreen and SPF-rated clothing as well...

The late night EMHs can get crowded, but near the end of the night it thins out a bit.