Question Regarding Guest Assistance Card

[zweltar]

In a few weeks, my DW and I will be traveling with my parents to WDW. My father will be in an ECV the entire trip, as last trip he was completely worn out and couldn't function after 3 days.

He has considerable health problems: diabetis, quadruple bypass and other heart problems, knee replacement, needs the other knee replaced, colostomy, numerous organs removed, anti-seizure medication, etc etc. A few years ago he contracted spinal meningitis while in a hospital, and that has caused numerous problems, including some unexpected personality changes. With all of those challenges, I am very concerned about the Florida heat and the potential for problems with his knees, heart, and blood sugar levels while standing in lines.

Do his medical conditions sound like something that would be eligible for a guest assistance card? I am certainly not hoping to take advantage of it just to skip lines, I just don't want his (and my mother's) vacation to be ruined by him being worn out and unable to do anything halfway through our trip.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

 

[merryweather20]

Rather than thinking about his specific medical daignosis think about what he might need. The GAC doesn't le6t anyone skip lines and the waits are often longer with a GAC.

When he takes his ECV in line it will automatically clue the greater in that he needs an accessible boarding spot, so he won't need a GAC. Some other posters have reported getting a GAC so that they can park their ECV outside at some attractions and still be able to, avoid stairs or have additional boarding time.

Also consider whether he'll get tired out just driving the ECV around, if you don't think he can handle it you could get him a wheelchair instead.

 

[SueM in MN]

Having an ECV will help him a lot. He will be able to stay on the ECV in almost all lines right to the point of boarding attractions. For the few lines that are not ECV accessible, they will have a wheelchair that he can transfer to, so he would never need to stand in line at all.

Guest Assistance Cards are not meant to (and usually don't) mean you skip waiting in line. They are meant to provide accommodations/conditions that will kind of 'level the playing field' so that someone with a disability is able to experience the parks as well as anyone else.

The list of conditions that you mentioned are not what the CMs are looking for when you request a GAC; they are looking for what the needs are so that they can come up with accommodations to meet those need. People with the same condition (like diabetes) can have very different needs.

Most of his needs will be met by having the ECV. Some, like the heat, will be as much of a problem outside the lines as in line (and, in fact, many lines are inside for the majority of the time). One thing that will help a lot with the heat is to go early in the morning, before it gets hot. That is also helpful for getting on some attractions - for example, the rides in Fantasyland. Also, using Fastpasses will help with the wait outside - send your fastest runner ahead with eveyone's tickets to get Fastpasses. When you come back to ride, you will have a minimal wait.

Because AK feels the hottest, we save that park for one of the cooler days or a day that will be overcast. We do that even if it means changing plans because AK feels much hotter than the other parks. Ecpot is a good park for warmer days because most of the waits are actually inside of buildings and at The Land and Living Seas, you can see a number of things without leaving the building (those are good places to go in the heat of the day).

You can look in post #6 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread for a much more complete explanation about Guest Assistance Cards.