Special Needs Son @DL

[jemimabean]

I never judge. It doesn't ruin my day if people cheat the system, and many, many disabilities aren't easily spotted.

I wish that we had known about these passes when we first started going to WDW. Our daughter had severe respiratory disease at the time, and ended up having part of her right lung removed soon after. Those first few trips were REALLY difficult for her (she still gets winded and tired easily, but we take it slowly). Although she looks super healthy for the most part, that pass would have really helped her enjoy her day.

We learned about it from several friends who have autistic children, and I am so thankful that they're available for them. ALL families deserve to have a special, carefree time at Disneyland.

 

[Midnightred]

I picked up a special needs pass at city hall during our trip to Disneyland last July. I have 2 boys ages 8 and 10 with autism. The 8 year old is the more severe of the two. Everytime I tried to use the pass we were given a hard time by the cast members, so I gave up after a while. We got in line for the Nemo submarine ride around 10 am one morning and I knew without a shadow of a doubt we had to use it, there was just no way around it. We still had to wait a while, but it was fine. My kids became so tired at the parks so quickly, we spent lots of time at the HOJO pool, which was the best part of the trip for them. I will try the passes again, but only if I really need to, when we go July after next.

Midnightred

 

[Malcon10t]

I picked up a special needs pass at city hall during our trip to Disneyland last July. I have 2 boys ages 8 and 10 with autism. The 8 year old is the more severe of the two. Everytime I tried to use the pass we were given a hard time by the cast members, so I gave up after a while. We got in line for the Nemo submarine ride around 10 am one morning and I knew without a shadow of a doubt we had to use it, there was just no way around it. We still had to wait a while, but it was fine. My kids became so tired at the parks so quickly, we spent lots of time at the HOJO pool, which was the best part of the trip for them. I will try the passes again, but only if I really need to, when we go July after next.

Midnightred

What people don't always understand is the GAC doesn't mean your wait will be shorter, it just means you will wait in an area that isn't necessarily as congested and is wheelchair accessible. For example, POTC, the HA line is quite often considerably longer than standby. Same for IASW. Space mountain is longer, but you have benches to wait on. As for Nemo, consider using the Marine Outpost. It is usually a lot shorter wait, and it gives you the option of leaving if the kids get over-stimulated.