Space Mountain

[LisaBi]

Can anyone help me figure out Space Mountain with a wheelchair? The "normal" line is not accessible - it has stairs. Only the FP line is accessible. Almost every time we try to ride it without a FP, they ask "do you have a card?
(i.e. you have to have a FP or a GAC). I haven't been getting GACs lately - don't need them anymore as long we go in quiet times.

One morning we were among the first 10 people at Space Mountain. FP wasn't even operating. But the CM wanted a GAC to let us in the FP/accesible line. That makes no sense at all. I can see if standby is running an hour, that we need to wait an hour to enter the FP/Accessible line if we don't have a FP - but there was NO wait.

Just weird!

 

[mechurchlady]

Space Mountain in WDW requires the disabled guest to use the FastPass entrance. CMs are not supposed to ask of a person in a wheelchair or ECV for a GAC as it is obvious that the guest is disabled and cannot do stairs.

CMs are not perfect and that is why I always say to get a GAC even if you are in a wheelchair or ECV. In your case you should have asked to speak to his lead or manager. This is a clear cut rule and the CM needs to be informed of company policy. You were correct in using the FastPass entrance and you did not need a GAC because someone in your party was in a wheelchair.

The disabled entry rules have little if anything to do with how many people are in single-rider and standby lines. There is a set way for a disabled person to enter a ride, show, transportation, etc. The rate of speed in which the disabled guests are loaded depends on numerous factors such as safety issues and number of disabled vehicles or seat available. The stand-by line can be empty but if 50 disabled people want to ride at the same time then they may have to wait for the ride to cycled 25 to 50 times before they get to ride.

 

[SueM in MN]

Someone who works at Space Mountain explained this a while ago. I can't find the thread where it was discussed, so I'm going by what I recall.
This is the 'gist' of it.
There are several configurations of the Space Mountain line. The most direct route doesn't have any stairs and if that is the line 'configuration' being used, then the line is accessible. That is a line that they use when it's not busy. As it gets busier and they need more 'space' in the waiting line, they change the configuration to one which includes stairs. At that point, the regular line is not wheelchair accessible, unless there is some way to bypass the stairs. (More about that later).
The Fastpass Line is accessible, but that is not the only way that is accessible.

The Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities says this about Space Mountain:
Access: Obtain a Disney's FASTPASS ticket OR see a host or hostess for additional options. If FASTPASS is not available, enter thru the queue on RIGHT.

The CM should have answered your 'unasked' question instead of the one you asked - you asked to use the FASTPASS line. Instead of explaining that the line currently in use was accessible, he got into a tangent about use of the FASTPASS line (which didn't apply, since FASTPASS was not available at that time anyway).
In the future, the question that would help you would be "I can't do stairs. Does this line have stairs?"
It appears that the RIGHT line does not have stairs (or at least has a bypass for the stairs) since that is where the Guidebook says to go. So, the RIGHT line would be the way to bypass the stairs.

Rather than getting a GAC, the better way for dealing with situations like this is the check what the Guidebook says and if the CM is asking you to do something other that what the Guidebook says to do, ask to speak to a manager. In many cases, the CM is correct, but is not communicating that in a way the guest understands. Also, WDW changes things from time to time, so it's possible that in the past, only the FASTPASS line was accessible, but that is not the case now.

 

[m!ssemmx0]

I used a wheelchair on my WDW trip; and all my dad had to do was tell the cast member that I was in a wc, and they let me in through the FP line with no problem; but I had to leave the chair next to the loading dock when I got on.