Replacement for GAC

[Objectivity]

Nobody has said that. If that's what you believe people think, that's all on you.

Isn't that what a lot of this discussion is all about - people who are not disabled being upset because they think the disabled have an advantage when it comes to ride lines?

I don't have to believe it. I just have to read the comments and count the number of people who say "you will still be able to enjoy rides faster than most of the park guests."

 

[maxiesmom]

It's not about enjoying rides faster than other people at the park. If you think people with disabilities have it so much better because sometimes a line a bit shorter, then you don't understand the obstacles they face every day.

I'm not opposed to the new policy. I think it will work well in most cases. I just want to see whether it's flexible based on disability and need. Based on Disney's record, I have no reason to think it won't be.

I never said people with disabilities have it better. Please don't put words into my mouth. The poster I was replying to said that now guests with disabilities will have to wait longer than able bodied guests. And given the minus 15 minutes fastpass that is the new system, that statement is simply not true.

And I don't think if someone is unstable for any reason how having them in use a wheelchair to keep them safe is offensive.

 

[maxiesmom]

Isn't that what a lot of this discussion is all about - people who are not disabled being upset because they think the disabled have an advantage when it comes to ride lines?

That is not how I am reading it. I am reading it as people who are used to using GAC to get on rides with very short waits are now upset that they will have longer waits using the new system. And they are trying to figure out how the new system will work for their family members. Only a few posters seem intent on seeing evil thoughts behind some posts.

 

[AndreaA]

I never said people with disabilities have it better. Please don't put words into my mouth. The poster I was replying to said that now guests with disabilities will have to wait longer than able bodied guests. And given the minus 15 minutes fastpass that is the new system, that statement is simply not true.

And I don't think if someone is unstable for any reason how having them in use a wheelchair to keep them safe is offensive.

You may not believe it to be true, but take a look at my previous post and see if the numbers add up to a shorter wait. 5 min. walk to kiosk + 10min wait in kiosk line + 5 min walk to ride (possibly in the same direction they were originally) + the current wait time AT THAT TIME AT THE KIOSK - 15min. If the wait time for Barnstormer is 30min when you leave Dumbo, and it takes you 15-20min to walk to a kiosk and get a pass AND the kiosk gives you the current wait time, which has now grown to 45min by the time all is said and done, then those using the DAS absolutely be waiting longer than normal park guests, and having to wait in multiple lines (because no doubt the FP+/DAS line at the rides will still take 5+min) and walk extra distances to boot.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

I'm curious where are all those hundreds of posters who always said that a GAC didn't act as a front of the line pass and that it didn't save you time and how sometimes you had to wait longer...where are these ppl? If what you use to say is true then this new DAS fastpass minus 15 will actually save you more time. 15 minutes more time. Since, you know, you were always waiting the same amount of time we all were. Now you get a 15 minute advantage on everybody else. So what is there to complain about? Or are you all now admitting that you have been using the GAC as an unlimited fastpass all these years? Which is it?

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

You may not believe it to be true, but take a look at my previous post and see if the numbers add up to a shorter wait. 5 min. walk to kiosk + 10min wait in kiosk line + 5 min walk to ride (possibly in the same direction they were originally) + the current wait time AT THAT TIME AT THE KIOSK - 15min. If the wait time for Barnstormer is 30min when you leave Dumbo, and it takes you 15-20min to walk to a kiosk and get a pass AND the kiosk gives you the current wait time, which has now grown to 45min by the time all is said and done, then those using the DAS absolutely be waiting longer than normal park guests.

You are assuming the kiosks are 5 minutes away and that your wait will be 10 minutes at the kiosk. I never have waited in line 10 minutes for a fastpass. Unless you were trying to get a fastpass for TSMM sometimes that line is long. But now that the DAS no longer acts as an unlimited fastpass the cheaters and scammers won't be in line waiting for a Das fastpass so you may be able to walk right up and get your return time instantly. So all that won't take you 20 minutes. Nobody even knows how it will all go down yet or how the system will work. I think everybody needs to give it a chance and try to make the best of it. Because I can tell you one thing I am pretty sure of. The DAS will never act as an unlimited fastpass again. The abuse is being stopped and they won't go back to a system where abuse was rampant.

 

[smidgy]

The Ada and hippa are two different laws. Under the ada it is illegal to be required to show proof of a disability to obtain EQUAL access to something. If the establishment offers special access or something above what the general public offers they can require proof. Disney has decides for numerous reasons I'm sure not to offer special access and therefore not require proof. I can understand why. In thirty seconds I can think of issues with a special access approach.
Hippa applies to medical professionals only. It's why your nurse can't gossip about you with your hairdresser. As a patient you own your records and can show them to anyone you choose but it doesn't mean it will get you special access.
If you think the ada needs to be revamped again (it was a few years ago) contact your congressman and tell him you want the ada updated to allow your child special access to rides at a theme park. Be sure to let us know what the response is.

Oh and not all disabled people would want to discuss their medical records with guest services. My husband wouldn't. I wouldn't want to discuss my daughter's history and needs. Just because vocal people here say they would doesn't mean those who are more private or reserved would react in the same way.

you must be confusing me with other posters. mychildren are grown. my husband is visually impaired.

I admitted already I don't know a lot about this. as my husband has a degenerative eye disease, it has only gotten relly bad recently. therefore, I am trying to learn all I can (not just at Disney) to advoate for him and help him.

I am not complaining about anything. I was just, as I stated, "thinking out loud";.

I was in the process of trying to learn the whole GAC system. we only used it once, so far. and now it's changing, and I'm trying to learn how the changes will affect the visually impaired. both for lines and for shows.

 

[AndreaA]

You are assuming the kiosks are 5 minutes away and that your wait will be 10 minutes at the kiosk. I never have waited in line 10 minutes for a fastpass. Unless you were trying to get a fastpass for TSMM sometimes that line is long. But now that the DAS no longer acts as an unlimited fastpass the cheaters and scammers won't be in line waiting for a Das fastpass so you may be able to walk right up and get your return time instantly. So all that won't take you 20 minutes. Nobody even knows how it will all go down yet or how the system will work. I think everybody needs to give it a chance and try to make the best of it. Because I can tell you one thing I am pretty sure of. The DAS will never act as an unlimited fastpass again. The abuse is being stopped and they won't go back to a system where abuse was rampant.

FP locations had multiple stations and all a person had to do was slide in a card. At the new kiosks I assume only one or two CMs will be there to help, and each transaction - telling them what ride you want, having them look up the time, having them stamp/alter your card or MB in some way - will take much longer than sliding a card.

And I think that saying the kiosks will only be 5min away is generous. I'm sure that the distance from kiosk to many rides will be longer than 5min, especially walking at the pace some children require.

I should add that my son has Sensory Processing Disorder, but I have seen some improvement as he has aged and I have learned techniques to deal with him when he becomes agitated. I am hopeful that we won't even need a GAC/DAS when we return (my husband is less hopeful) so I'm not even posting here to my own benefit. Even if we do need a GAC/DAS, I expect that he will be able to handle the walking and interim activities (shorter line ride/snack/shop) better than most. However, there are some people who have children who won't have the improvement I expect to see. Who will always have to be "done" in the parks after 3hrs and who have children who need to ride the same thing repeatedly. Those are the people I believe will be hurt by the new system.

Now, if Disney rises to the occasion and is flexible with those people, then hopefully they will continue to be able to enjoy the parks.

 

[sunshinehighway]

Isn't that what a lot of this discussion is all about - people who are not disabled being upset because they think the disabled have an advantage when it comes to ride lines?

I don't have to believe it. I just have to read the comments and count the number of people who say "you will still be able to enjoy rides faster than most of the park guests."

I thought this discussion was about how the current gac system no longer could handle the needs of more guests using it and Disney's plan to make the system work better for park goers.

The only people who seem to be upset are gac users who are dismissing the new system before its even up and running.

 

[sunshinehighway]

You're going to love Disney's new line management system. EVERY customer now has to wait in line at a kiosk to get a ride time, then they wait for the time and wait in line for that ride. Then, after they're finished they can go back to that kiosk and wait in line again for another ride time and repeat the process.

Obviously, I'm being factitious. But, if you wouldn't want to do that yourself for every ride, why would you think it should be acceptable to those who are disabled.

Right now, we don't know what the kiosk system will be. It could be that you go one time and set up times for the rest of the day. It could be that you can do it from your phone and a virtual kiosk. Until we know for sure, it's all speculation.

You are completely ignoring the fact that you can still use the regular lines and the fp system. It would be one thing if das users could only get on rides using a das return time. Thats not the case though. Many rides have short waits a majority of the time.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

FP locations had multiple stations and all a person had to do was slide in a card. At the new kiosks I assume only one or two CMs will be there to help, and each transaction - telling them what ride you want, having them look up the time, having them stamp/alter your card or MB in some way - will take much longer than sliding a card.

And I think that saying the kiosks will only be 5min away is generous. I'm sure that the distance from kiosk to many rides will be longer than 5min, especially walking at the pace some children require.

Supposedly they are going to have one kiosk in every land. You can walk from land to land in less than 5 minutes. So I can't imagine any kiosk being 5 minutes away. If the child is a very slow walker that is not a disability that disney is going to accommodate for I presume. They are trying a blanket accommodation that should work well for MOST ppl and be fair to everyone in the park.

 

[smidgy]

This doesn't mean anything about whether the GACs were needed or not, but an extra, unexpected 20-40 people joining the Fastpass line DOES impact the wait times for everyone.
The Fastpass line is slower and the regular line backs up because there are people that the Fastpass system didn't 'expect' joining that line.
The new system will mean those people are spread out more and put them into the 'expected count'.
.

The system isn't changing only because of the scammers. The current system wasn't designed for the increasing number of guest who need accommodations. Now that Disney is changing its fp system, its entirely possible this gac change is needed because fp+ cannot handle an unknown number of gac users coming into the fp line. if the fp line gets backed up, then those people who cannot wait very long are suddenly stuck in a 30 minute fp line. How does that help them? Fp backup causes regular line backups which impacts every park goer.

these statements make total sense.


as to wheelchairs for the blind and visually impaired: mhy husband doesn't need a whellchair. he isn't unstable. he just cant see in the dark lines. renting a wheelchair everyday can be pricey (for us, anyway) and wheelchairs can be a pain to manuever and deal with through the whole day.
the safety issue is easily taken care of by allowing those who can't navigate the darker lines becuase of visual problems to use an alternate entrance or the exit. just trying to ensure this will still be the case.

 

[AddictedtoDoleWhip]

The only way i feel like anyone is going to be pleased is having the unlimited fast pass, which is not going to happen anymore. There was way too much abuse. People are mad that they are losing that privilege even though it wasn't meant to be that way in the first place. This system will not please everyone, as most times people will find something to complain about but I think this system will work.

 

[Sunny37]

But now that the DAS no longer acts as an unlimited fastpass the cheaters and scammers won't be in line waiting for a Das fastpass so you may be able to walk right up and get your return time instantly. So all that won't take you 20 minutes. Nobody even knows how it will all go down yet or how the system will work. I think everybody needs to give it a chance and try to make the best of it. Because I can tell you one thing I am pretty sure of. The DAS will never act as an unlimited fastpass again. The abuse is being stopped and they won't go back to a system where abuse was rampant.

 

[Objectivity]

You are completely ignoring the fact that you can still use the regular lines and the fp system. It would be one thing if das users could only get on rides using a das return time. Thats not the case though. Many rides have short waits a majority of the time.

You're missing my point.

Some people with disabilities don't have the luxury of being able to wait in regular lines. If the hypothetical kiosk system that we're discussing is as fair as you're saying, you should be willing to use it as well if given the opportunity.

 

[AddictedtoDoleWhip]

You're missing my point.

Some people with disabilities don't have the luxury of being able to wait in regular lines. If the hypothetical kiosk system that we're discussing is as fair as you're saying, you should be willing to use it as well if given the opportunity.

So how do these kids wait in lines at the grocery store? Or waiting in a restaurant which can sometimes have a wait of an hour? Or any other kind of line?

 

[fajina]

If by waiting longer you mean you will not immediately board any ride? Yes. But that is not what GAC was meant to do anyway. As already noted, the new system will take into account the fast pass time and subtract 15 minutes from that. So you will still be able to enjoy rides faster than most of the park guests.

How could it be quicker when it takes longer under the current GAC system with supposed front of the line access for a truly physically disabled person confined to a wheelchair to go on a ride where they have to wait on a wheelchair accessible ride vehicle?

What I see happening is after studies show how grossly unfair the waiting period is for the physically disabled who can't transfer, Disney will revert back to a GAC type system for them (which was the original intention) and then DAS will be for the other type disabilities where there is no waiting period for an accessible ride vehicle. It was those with the blind disabilities who truly had front of the line access and, hence, why the abuse occurred.

 

[shellypaige]

So how do these kids wait in lines at the grocery store? Or waiting in a restaurant which can sometimes have a wait of an hour? Or any other kind of line?

We don't typically go out to eat with our kids, and at Disney we do QS at odd times when there typically isn't a wait. I only do the grocery store on week days in the morning when there isn't really a line and other than that we don't ever really wait in lines. They may wait 2mins to go down a slide at the park but even that is a challenge. A 5 minute wait at target typically results in all out chaos and people staring because my kid is screaming his head off.

 

[Objectivity]

I thought this discussion was about how the current gac system no longer could handle the needs of more guests using it and Disney's plan to make the system work better for park goers.

The only people who seem to be upset are gac users who are dismissing the new system before its even up and running.

I'm still a little disturbed by your "us and them" approach to this conversation when you say "guests using it" and "park goers" as if they aren't the same group of people, but you'll just deny it so it's not worth discussing.

As for the new system, I don't know who's dismissing it. Based on the limited information that's available, it sounds like something that will work well for those who have disability issues related to having to wait in a line or confined space.

I haven't seen anything yet about how the new policy will affect those who have disabilities with different needs than what I listed above. That doesn't mean the system won't work, just that the information hasn't been shared yet. I'm sure the rest of the plan will be explained in much more detail before the launch date occurs.

 

[Objectivity]

How could it be quicker when it takes longer under the current GAC system with supposed front of the line access for a truly physically disabled person confined to a wheelchair to go on a ride where they have to wait on a wheelchair accessible ride vehicle?

What I see happening is after studies show how grossly unfair the waiting period is for the physically disabled who can't transfer, Disney will revert back to a GAC type system for them (which was the original intention) and then DAS will be for the other type disabilities where there is no waiting period for an accessible ride vehicle. It was those with the blind disabilities who truly had front of the line access and, hence, why the abuse occurred.

I would tweak the last sentence to say those with non-wheelchair disability had limitless fast pass access (which is different than FOTL), but otherwise, I think you bring up a good point.

The GAC system as it currently exists is ideally served to assist those with wheelchairs who can't transfer. With only a small fraction of cars on some rides wheelchair accessible, the shorter line for wheelchairs is negated by the wait for an appropriate vehicle.