Nervous about GAC

[SandraC]

Hi all! In 1998 dd was granted a wish from Make A Wish Foundation to visit WDW. It was incredible. We returned in 2001. I brought all her medical info, the 1998 GAC and her GKTW button to request a GAC. She was given one without a problem. In 2002 we returned again with all the same information to request a GAC for dd. I was told, "We don't give that out anymore." They is a special stamp on dd's and I think that's what the CM was referring to not giving out. I told her that nothing has changed with dd's health since the first two GAC's. She rolled her eyes and talked to someone in the back room. She returned with a new GAC for dd. It was like pulling teeth. We aren't misusing the GAC. We either use FP or stand in short lines. We only use the GAC if dd really wants to see an attraction and the line is extremely long. Has this happened to anyone else? Sandra

 

[Talking Hands]

Just take the old GAC to Guest Services. You just had a bad castmember. Don't let it worry you. In fact my last trip since I am a annual passholder and frequently visit they just wrote my GAC for a year so I don't have to go to Fuest Servicces everytime.
It really depends on the castmember.

 

[SueM in MN]

That has happened to us in the past, but not recently.
We have have always been told to use the GAC (Guest Assistance Card) sparingly, use fastpass if possible and not use the GAC if the wait was 15 minutes or less. The GAC is not meant to shorten your wait in line, just give a more appropriate place to wait or other assistance that the CM would not realize you need without the GAC. But, we have seen people who apparently don't understand that and are using it for every attraction, even when the wait is very minimal (we've run into some over and over again while we were waiting in the short line and saw them flash the GAC and pretty much demand front of the line treatment. When things like that happens a lot and CMs get complaints, they start getting more conservative about giving GACs out.
With using fastpass (and especially if you go at a slower time), you may not really need a GAC all that much, so if you don't get one, you may not have as much trouble as you think.
If one CM won't give you one, you can always ask to speak with a manager and re-explain your needs. One time, I just took the CMs word for it that the GAc we got was the same as the one we had the previous time. What we ended up with was a GAC that just said we could use the wheelchair entrances - which we could already use since DD can't walk and uses a wheelchair. We got stares from the CM when we tried to use the first time. We took that GAC later to another CM and got the message changed to something that was more appropriate to our needs.

 

[Poohnatic]

Just returned and got a GAC that I thought was worded identically to the one we got our previous trip, but like SueM experienced, it just said we could use the alternate entrance. We had two CM's give us a little bit of a hassle (probably because they saw my CM id and figured that I was bucking the system), so we went to City Hall our second day and the CM (Nikki) added a line to it that removed our problems.

It's hard when you've got a child who looks perfectly normal, but looks can be deceiving. I think that's where I got the minor problems. Spend two minutes and he seems fine. Spend 20 and you'll wonder why he keeps talking about the same stuff over and over again.

We found that the GAC was hardly used for most of the trip. We weren't even going to use it for a few rides, but I carry it in a sleeve on my lanyard with the room keys and ID. It peeked out above those items and most CM's saw the blue and white and asked if we needed assistance. However, the last day we were in the Magic Kingdom, the place was packed, and it helped us keep son in check all day. Wish I could say the same for the rest of the week, but not even the GAC could've helped him!

Suzanne

 

[SandraC]

My dd's disability is somewhat 'invisible' too. Invisible unless I lift her shirt and display all the scars from three heart operations. To look at her, you would like 'there goes a healthy kid' but underneath it all there is a child who suffered and still suffers with health problems. Last summer we had a terrible scare with her health. We thought the worst. She had to go thru so many tests AGAIN. Now that she is 9 years old, she understands her condition a little more, which is harder for all of us. She hasn't clued in as to her mortality, but she has asked if she will die. That's the hardest thing to deal with. She loves Florida and especially Disney. But the heat and humidity knock her out. Heart and lungs have to work really hard. We always take a break midday and it helps so much. She swims and rests and is ready for more Disney. We couldn't do Disney as often as we have if dd didn't get the GAC. She might use it once or twice in moderate crowds for her fav rides and more ofter in major crowds and hot hot weather, but never when it's low crowds and managable weather. She is getting to big for a stroller, so we are thinking wheel chair rental next trip. It really bothers me when CM's give us a hard time getting the GAC. If they really knew what dd goes thru, they would cry. I would trade a permanent GAC for a healthy child in a heartbeat. S

 

[SueM in MN]

She is getting to big for a stroller, so we are thinking wheel chair rental next trip.

Don't count out the WDW strollers yet. Some WDW CMs have posted that they have several sizes and the largest should fit up to a small 12 yr old. If you use a stroller, you can get a GAC that allows the stroller to be used as a wwheelchair.
If you decide to go with a wheelchair, I'd suggest you rent one from one of the outside rental places. These places rent children's wheelchairs (I don't have personal experience, but they do according to their website):
Care Medical:
http://www.caremedicalequipment.com/

Walker Mobility:
1-888-726-6837
www.walkermobility.com

Colonial Medical
http://www.colonialmed.com/about_cms.html

I've read this child care equipment rental company rents special needs strollers (sort of like very large regular strollers).
http://www.all-about-kids.com/main.htm

There are a couple of reasons for renting outside:
1) WDW just rents adult size wheelchairs. While people do rent them for kids, the kids I've seen in them don't look very comfortable. The seat length is too long, the footrests are too low and the armrests are too high to be useful. They also have sling seats that are too wide for a child. OK for a few minutes to get from here to there, but not comfy for a day of touring.
2) You would have the wheelchair to use other places if you need it - like your resort or DD. You might not need it, but if it's really hot and humid when you go, you might be glad to have the option.
3) The WDW wheelchairs are quite heavy compared to some you can rent outside. On our last trip, we talked with a couple who had rented a "companion chair" from one of the outside places. It is meant to be pushed only - a regular wheelchair can be pushed by someone or the rider can drive it using the large wheels. The companion chair has just small wheels; more like a stroller. These people said they liked it better than a wheelchair because it was so light and easy to push and also was easy to fold up and put in their car trunk. Even if you rent a regular wheelchair from outside, you will have more choices of size and you can rent a lighter weight wheelchair.
4) A final thing; having a non-WDW wheelchair doesn't make you immune to people who think you are renting one to "cheat". My DD has an expensive custom manual wheelchair that is obviously much different than the rental ones, but we have gotten some "cheating" comments over the years. A different wheelchair does make it more obvious (to the CMs, if not to everyone else) that you did not just decide once you got into the parks to rent a wheelchair.

 

[Safari Steve]

I'm pretty sure that the reason for the difficulty was because the "Green" GACs (which do eliminate as much waiting as possible) are only available through the Make a Wish Foundation or Give Kids the World. It is a special arrangement, like admission and accomodations granted by/for those programs. You should be able to get a GAC for specific medical needs, but a 'Green' GAC will not be available unless that specific trip has been provided by GKTW/MaW.
I don't know the specifics of your situation, so I'm just giving a guess and trying to show the other side of the coin.

BTW, Poohnatic, your CM ID should not be visible at all when visiting the parks. Non-costumed CMs who are on the clock are to wear their IDs, and costumed CMs who are in backstage areas on official business are to wear their IDs, but everyone else is to keep them under a shirt, in a pocket, etc.