Uh oh...who heard Sherri Shepherd on the View today?

[mousebymarriage]

The "View" is not the only media outlet that has given out this info about GAC. I was just reading in The Parent Paper , which is a small monthly magazine type paper that is available in my area (northern NJ), not sure if it'a available in any other states. The Parent Paper is a free publication that is available in doctors offices, school, the library, and many other place, I actually got mine in Friendly's Restaurant yesterday. Anyway, The Parent Paper has an article (a rather long one)about differnet summer time activities and destinations for families with children that have special needs. Disney World was mentioned and so was the GAC.

They didn't call it a GAC but the article stated the following: "Families can also request a special pass if there is a member with a disablility such as autism, who have difficulty waiting patiently in lines. The pass allows that member and up to five others in the party to move into a shorter line."

 

[*Seanaci*]

So I had several posts I was going to quote...but upon reading them...I have decided I would have replied with the same thing to all of them.

Here is my few cents.

I feel blessed that I do not have to make use of WC, ECV, or GAC's...my family is healthy and fully able to get around on their own.

I also have to say that as others have stated, WC or ECV guests appear to get on quicker if the WC accible ride vehicle is readily available. IMO, I don't see a need to make them wait if it's there and empty anyhow as it takes a little extra time to get that person loaded safely onto the ride vehicle.

Yes, I'm sure there are people out there that do abuse the system Disney has set in place for it's guests needing handicapped accommodations...but don't let them ruin your day. You're at Disney for crying out loud! And if it bugs you that much and you are staying on Disney property, make use of EMH...lines for most rides during that time are pretty short and quick.

To those that have to make use of GAC's, ECV's, or WC's...my heart goes out to you...but I am certainly so happy you get to experienece WDW like even the "normal" people.

 

[lizzyb5280]

How can any one justify that WC users get to ride twice at least when "normal" people have to wait for one ride?

First of all, let me preface this by saying that our trip this fall will be my first time doing WDW since becoming a paraplegic.

However, I have visited several other amusement parks in the last five years, most of which have few if any rides that I can ride while still in my wheelchair. (I love roller coasters, and it is safe for me to ride them, but at my favorite park all I would be able to ride from my chair is the train.) I love that Disney presents this option so often, and am more than willing to wait my turn, even longer if needed for the appropriate ride vehicle to come around.

That said, on rides that require me to transfer, it is a great strain on both myself and my husband to get my 225 pound **** into and out of the rides. Some rides I will choose to skip because of their difficulty, but some are rides that I truly hate to miss out on. At the other parks I have visited, b/c of the great amount of work it takes to get in and out, they sometimes offer to let us ride twice without unloading. I do not ask for this accomodation, but if it is offered I do not turn it down.

If I could step in and out of a ride car like a normal person, I would gladly stand in line all day for one ride. However, that will never again be my reality.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

First of all, let me preface this by saying that our trip this fall will be my first time doing WDW since becoming a paraplegic.

However, I have visited several other amusement parks in the last five years, most of which have few if any rides that I can ride while still in my wheelchair. (I love roller coasters, and it is safe for me to ride them, but at my favorite park all I would be able to ride from my chair is the train.) I love that Disney presents this option so often, and am more than willing to wait my turn, even longer if needed for the appropriate ride vehicle to come around.

That said, on rides that require me to transfer, it is a great strain on both myself and my husband to get my 225 pound **** into and out of the rides. Some rides I will choose to skip because of their difficulty, but some are rides that I truly hate to miss out on. At the other parks I have visited, b/c of the great amount of work it takes to get in and out, they sometimes offer to let us ride twice without unloading. I do not ask for this accomodation, but if it is offered I do not turn it down.

If I could step in and out of a ride car like a normal person, I would gladly stand in line all day for one ride. However, that will never again be my reality.

I hope that you have a wonderful trip.

 

[leebee]

I think that the FOTL misconception exists because really, it is up to the CM at the attraction to make the decision of how to handle parties with a GAC or with one member in a wheelchair. When we go to WDW with my sister, who is in a wheelchair, we often are brought to the front of the line (or, in some cases, to the unloading area) to board a ride without waiting in line. My sister doesn't ever get a GAC, although I am pretty sure she would qualify for one if she chose. It's just not all that uncommon for our party to be pulled from line or redirected around the line for boarding. Yes, many rides are supposed to be "one line for all", and yes, sometimes we have to wait for a wheelchair accessible vehicle if my sister cannot transfer, but very often we are simply directed around the lines by the CM and loaded onto the attraction. Some of the places this has happened: IASW, PP, Pooh, HM, Splash/Space/BT Mountains, Spaceship Earth, Soarin, Maelstrom, ToT, RnRC, Safari, Kali River Rapids. I understand how it looks like we have a FOTL pass, but we don't; we just go where and do what the CMs tell us.

BTW, wheelchair seating for some of the shows, like Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Muppets, Indiana Jones, and Fantasmic is often lousy, way in the back or off to the side. My sister says this balances out the lack of waiting in lines at other attractions!

 

[princessmom29]

I think that the FOTL misconception exists because really, it is up to the CM at the attraction to make the decision of how to handle parties with a GAC or with one member in a wheelchair. When we go to WDW with my sister, who is in a wheelchair, we often are brought to the front of the line (or, in some cases, to the unloading area) to board a ride without waiting in line. My sister doesn't ever get a GAC, although I am pretty sure she would qualify for one if she chose. It's just not all that uncommon for our party to be pulled from line or redirected around the line for boarding. Yes, many rides are supposed to be "one line for all", and yes, sometimes we have to wait for a wheelchair accessible vehicle if my sister cannot transfer, but very often we are simply directed around the lines by the CM and loaded onto the attraction. Some of the places this has happened: IASW, PP, Pooh, HM, Splash/Space/BT Mountains, Spaceship Earth, Soarin, Maelstrom, ToT, RnRC, Safari, Kali River Rapids. I understand how it looks like we have a FOTL pass, but we don't; we just go where and do what the CMs tell us.

BTW, wheelchair seating for some of the shows, like Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Muppets, Indiana Jones, and Fantasmic is often lousy, way in the back or off to the side. My sister says this balances out the lack of waiting in lines at other attractions!

If you are skipping the regular line, even under the direction of a CM, you are being given FOTL access so it is not a misconception but a fact that WC vistiors are often given FOTL access by CMs. This is what I ahve been trying to say that I observe happening over and over. I think they need to change the policy to provide this access on the rides it is needed for rather say that they are not donig it, but do it anyway. That is why so many people get upset about it I think. Iti s not that whellchair parties get FOTL but that Disney says that is not thier policy, but we see it happen over and over. It this is the best way to serve people in a WC then change the policy to allow for it. As it stands they are continually violating their own policy.

 

[amberg@eastlink.ca]

i dont watch often as the kid are so into p and f rite now - thank you disney channel! lol we do require a gac. dd was born with brain damage, and altho minimal, her affected parts are her vision and coordination. anyone looking at us would not see this disability. we use it and for us we have had to lift her onto many rides, the moving walkways, esp. in potc is almost impossible for her. im not looking forward to when we go five years from now and shes double her weight! eek! lol no it's not a fotl pass, but im sure it's abused, we've read the stories on here.

we've used it and been shuffled into the fp line, or at spaceship earth, inside and in a seated area. which was great. a cm did point out the line was the same wait, i think it was actually longer. did not matter for me, i find it much easier to take her at her own pace, vs having a hundred or more people hot on her heels and her walking very slowly cus she can't do inlcines. i for one do not want to be part of the headline "child trampled to death at disney". i am very appreciative that disney offers this service, but would pay all the money in the world not to need to use it.

did anyone clear things up for sheri today? and to all those cm's who are going to get berated in the next few weeks and month, i feel horrible for them!

 

[SueM in MN]

I think that the FOTL misconception exists because really, it is up to the CM at the attraction to make the decision of how to handle parties with a GAC or with one member in a wheelchair. When we go to WDW with my sister, who is in a wheelchair, we often are brought to the front of the line (or, in some cases, to the unloading area) to board a ride without waiting in line. My sister doesn't ever get a GAC, although I am pretty sure she would qualify for one if she chose. It's just not all that uncommon for our party to be pulled from line or redirected around the line for boarding. Yes, many rides are supposed to be "one line for all", and yes, sometimes we have to wait for a wheelchair accessible vehicle if my sister cannot transfer, but very often we are simply directed around the lines by the CM and loaded onto the attraction. Some of the places this has happened: IASW, PP, Pooh, HM, Splash/Space/BT Mountains, Spaceship Earth, Soarin, Maelstrom, ToT, RnRC, Safari, Kali River Rapids. I understand how it looks like we have a FOTL pass, but we don't; we just go where and do what the CMs tell us.

BTW, wheelchair seating for some of the shows, like Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Muppets, Indiana Jones, and Fantasmic is often lousy, way in the back or off to the side. My sister says this balances out the lack of waiting in lines at other attractions!

It may look to you like it’s front of the line or directed around the line, but most of the places you mention have something about the line or boarding that makes part of it not accessible and most guests with wheelchairs wait in the regular line for a portion of time until they get to the inaccessible area.

The newer parks (AK and the Studio) were built with guests using wheelchairs and ECVs in mind. The older attractions at MK and Epcot were designed to ‘deliver’ a steady, single file line of guests to the boarding area and make sure that the guests at the unload area don’t interfere with loading.
This means that the boarding area and the unload area at older attractions are often at totally different places or are on opposite sides of a track.
And, to keep people in line, there are often narrow gates or bars at the boarding area.
These things make it difficult to get a wheelchair from the usual boarding area to the exit unless guests using them board at the exit.

Small World - ‘regular’ boarding is on one side of the water with gates to separate rows. Unloading is on the other side of the water. There is not a way to have guests with wheelchairs load in the ‘regular’ loading area. My DD has a wheelchair and we are always directed to get into the line until it comes to the point where it would not be possible to get out of the line with the wheelchair. We have also ridden at times when the ‘regular’ line was posted as 5 minutes, but we waited in the accessible line for 25 minutes because there were many people ahead of us.

Peter Pan - the ‘regular’ boarding area is not accessible. A wheelchair won’t fit through the line and if it would there would be no way to get the wheelchair from the boarding area to the unload area because it is small and narrow.
This attraction can also only be slowed or stopped in an emergency, so can’t be ridden by anyone who is not able to move quickly enough from the wheelchair to the ride car.

Pooh - the regular and Fastpass Lines are both wheelchair accessible. The last few times we rode, we had Fastpasses and still had CMs telling us we needed to get into the regular line because it was accessible!
Facing the ride, guests board at the left side of the ride track and get off on the right. CMs have to board guests with wheelchairs toward the left side of the ride track where there will be room to keep the wheelchair while the guest rides.

Haunted Mansion - the regular entrance goes into the stretching room and boarding is in one area with unload at a totally different location. It would not be possible to move a wheelchair from that boarding area to the unload area.
We have almost always been directed into the regular line until it gets to the point where the hearse is on the right side of the path (the wheelchair pull off point). That is the last point where guest with wheelchairs can get out of line because if they continue any farther, they will reach the turnstiles and entrance into the building.
If they can walk 200 feet and stand for the preshow, they can park the wheelchair in the exit courtyard and walk into the stretching room. The CM will take them into the next stretching room show, but because of where the pull off is, the group of guests who were right ahead of them in line will most likely be in the same show.
If the guest with the wheelchair can’t stand and walk, they have to skip the stretching room. That is our DD’s situation. If we arrive when there are not many people waiting, we may get on almost right away, but there are fire evacuation rules about how many guests who would need evacuation in an emergency can be on at one time. This includes guests with mobility disabilities, but might also include things like guests who are blind and would have a hard time getting out in narrow areas.
Sometimes, we have had to wait for other guests to board ahead of us and sometimes we have had to wait for enough to get off for the fire safety rules.
We have also gone when part of our party came with DD in her wheelchair and part went through the whole regular line - guess what - we all ended up done within a few minutes of each other (and more than once, the group with the wheelchair was done last).

Splash - there are 2 problems here, stairs in the line and the fact the boarding occurs on one side of the track and unloading at the other side. Both the regular and Fastpass Lines are wheelchair accessible until reaching the point of the stairs. At that point, the line and boarding area are not accessible and there is a wheelchair pull off which leads to a waiting area. Guests with wheelchairs/ECVs wait there until called by a CM. This could be a short wait or a long one; it depends on how many other guests with wheelchairs are waiting and how many guests who would need evacuation are on the ride.
Someone posted recently that he always just goes there without waiting in line, but we have run into CMs who do not even want to let us get out of the line at the stairs and were watching and sending people back into line if they had not waited.

Space - DD can’t ride Space Mountain because it would not be safe for her, but one line is accessible and I know people with wheelchairs who have used that line and waited with everyone else. This is another one where the guest with a wheelchair would need to be evacuated in an emergency. It is also an attraction with a very limited time to get into and out of the ride car.

BT Mountains - DD can’t ride this, but I do ride it and I know of 3 problems for guests with wheelchairs. One is the steep ramp that is part of the queue; it is very difficult to hold a wheelchair on a ramp like that for any period of time. The other is that guests board on one side and exit on the other, so a wheelchair would need to be brought over the line. Not all ride cars end up in the same place, so guests with wheelchairs need to board at the correct place to be able to end up where their wheelchair is.
Also an evacuation concern.

Spaceship Earth - the regular boarding area gets gradually narrower and narrower and has a moving walkway. One side of the circular moving walkway is the boarding area and the opposite side is the exit. There is no way to get a wheelchair into the normal boarding area. The wheelchair boarding area is at the exit because that is the only place guests can board and have their wheelchair waiting for them when they get off. A CM takes names as people enter the waiting area and has the guests with wheelchairs wait until called. We have waited over 1/2 hour here when the wait in the regular line was 5 minutes. This is an attraction where guests coming into the parks go right into the line because it is the first attraction they see. Early in the morning, the regular line will be over an hour. Walking into line in the afternoon, there is seldom more than a few minutes wait for people who can use the regular line (and this is even during busy times like Spring break). At those times, guests with disabilities will wait many times longer than those who can walk in.

Soarin, - the regular and Fastpass lines are both accessible and I don’t know of any reason they would bring someone with a wheelchair into a different place to board unless it was a child on a MAW trip. We have always just entered the same way as everyone else and waited in the boarding area with everyone else. The wheelchair or ECV is brought into the show room and parked near the ride vehicle during the ride. After the ride, someone else in the party can bring it to the guest. So, there is not any special boarding or unloading.

Maelstrom - the boarding area is not wheelchair accessible and there is not a way to get a wheelchair from the regular boarding area to the exit. The regular line is narrow and there are gates to separate guests while waiting for their boat. The wheelchair entrance is just a door farther down the boarding area so there is room to maneuver. CMs do need to move the wheelchair to the unload area after the guest gets into the boat.

Tower of Terror - We waited in the regular line. A CM does need to move the wheelchair from the load to the unload area. If there is not enough staff to do that, they may board guests with wheelchairs in another place.

Rock N Roller Coaster - I don’t ride this and it would not be safe for DD to ride. It is listed in the Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities as being a Mainstream line and that guests with wheelchairs should enter the regular line or get Fastpasses. I do know of people who have used the regular line with a wheelchair. Many people with mobility challenges can’t ride this because you need to be able to board and get off in 30 seconds and many can’t do it that fast.

Safari - both the regular and Fastpass lines are accessible until they reach a point just after the 2 lines merge (also just after the stroller drop off point). Guests who continue in the regular line at that point will board at one ‘station’ and when they are done with the ride, they will be getting off at a different ‘station’. If guests with wheelchairs did that, there would be no way to get the wheelchairs from the boarding area to the unloading area.
The reason for the accessible boarding area is to have guests with wheelchairs and ECVs board in the same area that they will unload at. They park their ECVs/wheelchairs and then get on the ride tram (there is one wheelchair spot per tram). When the ride is over, that tram unloads at the same spot it boarded at.
Being sent to the accessible boarding area doesn’t mean a shorter wait. For each tram that stops there, many trams stop at the regular boarding area. So, guests who were ahead of the wheelchair party at the pull off point will board before the guest with a wheelchair is boarded. Our longest wait at the accessible boarding area, after waiting in line first, was 40 minutes - when guests were walking as fast as they could to the ‘regular’ trams and some trams were being sent out with many empty seats.

Kali River Rapids - the regular loading and unload areas are on a large rotating disc that moves at the same speed as the boats. It is not accessible because there would be no place to put the wheelchair and the boat is not held stationary. Guests also have a limited time to transfer into and out of the boat. The pull off point for the accessible boarding area is not far before the regular line reaches the regular boarding area. The regular and Fastpass lines are accessible until that pull off point.
The accessible dock has space for wheelchair to be parked and the boat will be brought back to that dock for unloading. The accessible dock does not move and the boat is trapped there while guests load and unload; they can also take as much time as needed, which is especially important because the boat is wet and slippery.

I hope this explains why some attractions have different boarding. If guests only see either the accessible side or the regular way, it’s hard to get a picture of what is really happening and why.

 

[1st_trip4us]

I have not read every single response to this thread but wanted to post our experience using the GAC. I have a physically disabled 10 yo dd. Last time we went to WDW she was 6 or 7 though looked younger since she's small for her age. We had a GAC to use stroller as wheelchair. She could not walk at all at that time. So this was absolutely necessary. At every single ride or character meet & greet we were directed to enter rides at another location, usually the exit. As we would just be walking up to the exit area we were almost always greeted immediately by a CM telling us they'd get us on the next ride and apologizing for the wait. What wait??? To us we were getting FOTL privelages. I actually thought that's what a GAC was. Take this card and show them that you have a disabled child and you won't have to wait for anything. We got a ton of "looks" from other people who I'm sure wondered why on earth we were getting brought in from another area and getting to go in front of them. DD didn't appear different at all since she was sitting in her stroller. As any other parent of a special needs child we would gladly wait in long lines if we could trade in our child's disability for that privelage. We went in Sept & Oct when the parks weren't super crowded, I'm not sure if that matters as far as CM's letting us right on rides. Maybe if there were long lines they'd have made us wait longer.
So Sherri Shepard may have gotten the same treatment we did on our 2 trips and just assumed that's what the GAC card was for.

 

[princessmom29]

It may look to you like it’s front of the line or directed around the line, but most of the places you mention have something about the line or boarding that makes part of it not accessible and most guests with wheelchairs wait in the regular line for a portion of time until they get to the inaccessible area.

The newer parks (AK and the Studio) were built with guests using wheelchairs and ECVs in mind. The older attractions at MK and Epcot were designed to ‘deliver’ a steady, single file line of guests to the boarding area and make sure that the guests at the unload area don’t interfere with loading.
This means that the boarding area and the unload area at older attractions are often at totally different places or are on opposite sides of a track.
And, to keep people in line, there are often narrow gates or bars at the boarding area.
These things make it difficult to get a wheelchair from the usual boarding area to the exit unless guests using them board at the exit.

Small World - ‘regular’ boarding is on one side of the water with gates to separate rows. Unloading is on the other side of the water. There is not a way to have guests with wheelchairs load in the ‘regular’ loading area. My DD has a wheelchair and we are always directed to get into the line until it comes to the point where it would not be possible to get out of the line with the wheelchair. We have also ridden at times when the ‘regular’ line was posted as 5 minutes, but we waited in the accessible line for 25 minutes because there were many people ahead of us.

Peter Pan - the ‘regular’ boarding area is not accessible. A wheelchair won’t fit through the line and if it would there would be no way to get the wheelchair from the boarding area to the unload area because it is small and narrow.
This attraction can also only be slowed or stopped in an emergency, so can’t be ridden by anyone who is not able to move quickly enough from the wheelchair to the ride car.

Pooh - the regular and Fastpass Lines are both wheelchair accessible. The last few times we rode, we had Fastpasses and still had CMs telling us we needed to get into the regular line because it was accessible!
Facing the ride, guests board at the left side of the ride track and get off on the right. CMs have to board guests with wheelchairs toward the left side of the ride track where there will be room to keep the wheelchair while the guest rides.

Haunted Mansion - the regular entrance goes into the stretching room and boarding is in one area with unload at a totally different location. It would not be possible to move a wheelchair from that boarding area to the unload area.
We have almost always been directed into the regular line until it gets to the point where the hearse is on the right side of the path (the wheelchair pull off point). That is the last point where guest with wheelchairs can get out of line because if they continue any farther, they will reach the turnstiles and entrance into the building.
If they can walk 200 feet and stand for the preshow, they can park the wheelchair in the exit courtyard and walk into the stretching room. The CM will take them into the next stretching room show, but because of where the pull off is, the group of guests who were right ahead of them in line will most likely be in the same show.
If the guest with the wheelchair can’t stand and walk, they have to skip the stretching room. That is our DD’s situation. If we arrive when there are not many people waiting, we may get on almost right away, but there are fire evacuation rules about how many guests who would need evacuation in an emergency can be on at one time. This includes guests with mobility disabilities, but might also include things like guests who are blind and would have a hard time getting out in narrow areas.
Sometimes, we have had to wait for other guests to board ahead of us and sometimes we have had to wait for enough to get off for the fire safety rules.
We have also gone when part of our party came with DD in her wheelchair and part went through the whole regular line - guess what - we all ended up done within a few minutes of each other (and more than once, the group with the wheelchair was done last).

Splash - there are 2 problems here, stairs in the line and the fact the boarding occurs on one side of the track and unloading at the other side. Both the regular and Fastpass Lines are wheelchair accessible until reaching the point of the stairs. At that point, the line and boarding area are not accessible and there is a wheelchair pull off which leads to a waiting area. Guests with wheelchairs/ECVs wait there until called by a CM. This could be a short wait or a long one; it depends on how many other guests with wheelchairs are waiting and how many guests who would need evacuation are on the ride.
Someone posted recently that he always just goes there without waiting in line, but we have run into CMs who do not even want to let us get out of the line at the stairs and were watching and sending people back into line if they had not waited.

Space - DD can’t ride Space Mountain because it would not be safe for her, but one line is accessible and I know people with wheelchairs who have used that line and waited with everyone else. This is another one where the guest with a wheelchair would need to be evacuated in an emergency. It is also an attraction with a very limited time to get into and out of the ride car.

BT Mountains - DD can’t ride this, but I do ride it and I know of 3 problems for guests with wheelchairs. One is the steep ramp that is part of the queue; it is very difficult to hold a wheelchair on a ramp like that for any period of time. The other is that guests board on one side and exit on the other, so a wheelchair would need to be brought over the line. Not all ride cars end up in the same place, so guests with wheelchairs need to board at the correct place to be able to end up where their wheelchair is.
Also an evacuation concern.

Spaceship Earth - the regular boarding area gets gradually narrower and narrower and has a moving walkway. One side of the circular moving walkway is the boarding area and the opposite side is the exit. There is no way to get a wheelchair into the normal boarding area. The wheelchair boarding area is at the exit because that is the only place guests can board and have their wheelchair waiting for them when they get off. A CM takes names as people enter the waiting area and has the guests with wheelchairs wait until called. We have waited over 1/2 hour here when the wait in the regular line was 5 minutes. This is an attraction where guests coming into the parks go right into the line because it is the first attraction they see. Early in the morning, the regular line will be over an hour. Walking into line in the afternoon, there is seldom more than a few minutes wait for people who can use the regular line (and this is even during busy times like Spring break). At those times, guests with disabilities will wait many times longer than those who can walk in.

Soarin, - the regular and Fastpass lines are both accessible and I don’t know of any reason they would bring someone with a wheelchair into a different place to board unless it was a child on a MAW trip. We have always just entered the same way as everyone else and waited in the boarding area with everyone else. The wheelchair or ECV is brought into the show room and parked near the ride vehicle during the ride. After the ride, someone else in the party can bring it to the guest. So, there is not any special boarding or unloading.

Maelstrom - the boarding area is not wheelchair accessible and there is not a way to get a wheelchair from the regular boarding area to the exit. The regular line is narrow and there are gates to separate guests while waiting for their boat. The wheelchair entrance is just a door farther down the boarding area so there is room to maneuver. CMs do need to move the wheelchair to the unload area after the guest gets into the boat.

Tower of Terror - We waited in the regular line. A CM does need to move the wheelchair from the load to the unload area. If there is not enough staff to do that, they may board guests with wheelchairs in another place.

Rock N Roller Coaster - I don’t ride this and it would not be safe for DD to ride. It is listed in the Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities as being a Mainstream line and that guests with wheelchairs should enter the regular line or get Fastpasses. I do know of people who have used the regular line with a wheelchair. Many people with mobility challenges can’t ride this because you need to be able to board and get off in 30 seconds and many can’t do it that fast.

Safari - both the regular and Fastpass lines are accessible until they reach a point just after the 2 lines merge (also just after the stroller drop off point). Guests who continue in the regular line at that point will board at one ‘station’ and when they are done with the ride, they will be getting off at a different ‘station’. If guests with wheelchairs did that, there would be no way to get the wheelchairs from the boarding area to the unloading area.
The reason for the accessible boarding area is to have guests with wheelchairs and ECVs board in the same area that they will unload at. They park their ECVs/wheelchairs and then get on the ride tram (there is one wheelchair spot per tram). When the ride is over, that tram unloads at the same spot it boarded at.
Being sent to the accessible boarding area doesn’t mean a shorter wait. For each tram that stops there, many trams stop at the regular boarding area. So, guests who were ahead of the wheelchair party at the pull off point will board before the guest with a wheelchair is boarded. Our longest wait at the accessible boarding area, after waiting in line first, was 40 minutes - when guests were walking as fast as they could to the ‘regular’ trams and some trams were being sent out with many empty seats.

Kali River Rapids - the regular loading and unload areas are on a large rotating disc that moves at the same speed as the boats. It is not accessible because there would be no place to put the wheelchair and the boat is not held stationary. Guests also have a limited time to transfer into and out of the boat. The pull off point for the accessible boarding area is not far before the regular line reaches the regular boarding area. The regular and Fastpass lines are accessible until that pull off point.
The accessible dock has space for wheelchair to be parked and the boat will be brought back to that dock for unloading. The accessible dock does not move and the boat is trapped there while guests load and unload; they can also take as much time as needed, which is especially important because the boat is wet and slippery.

I hope this explains why some attractions have different boarding. If guests only see either the accessible side or the regular way, it’s hard to get a picture of what is really happening and why.

I can tell you, from what I have witnessed, that this is NOT what I saw CM's doing. There was almost never a wheelchair in the regular potion of the line on any attraction at any point. They were almost always pulled as soon as they got in line and taken to board the attraction immediately. I know what the policy is, but it appears that the CM's are not all following it correctly. The only ride I actually saw a wheelchair or ECV in line for was Toy Story Mania. They waited in line with us up to the stairs and then were pulled. They still rode ahead of us, not where they would have been in line. We saw it many, many times over the course of the week. No one with a wheelchair or ECV were allowed to wait in line for attractions. The show were handled differently and several wheelchair parties waited with us in the regular line. They were pulled to the wheelchiar seating area as everyone was coming in.

 

[thebeesknees]

Is it possible to quit arguing over this? Those of you complaining about handicapped guests or GAC folks getting FOTL treatment need to lighten up a bit! I posted at the beginning of the thread but feel like I need to post again to clarify - yes, I have seen handicapped guests go to the front of the line. So what? My family is healthy enough to not require the GAC (although my disabled sister has used it before, so I am familiar with how it works). I would not trade our health for getting to ride a ride 5 minutes faster, would you? In the long run, what difference does it make if you had to wait another couple of minutes beyond what you would have to ride Small World or whatever? Why is that going to ruin your day? I guess I just don't understand why people are getting so upset over how Disney is making things more accessible. If that were you or your family member needing to use those entrances, I doubt you'd be compaining about it.

 

[Luvchefmic]

Is it possible to quit arguing over this? Those of you complaining about handicapped guests or GAC folks getting FOTL treatment need to lighten up a bit! I posted at the beginning of the thread but feel like I need to post again to clarify - yes, I have seen handicapped guests go to the front of the line. So what? My family is healthy enough to not require the GAC (although my disabled sister has used it before, so I am familiar with how it works). I would not trade our health for getting to ride a ride 5 minutes faster, would you? In the long run, what difference does it make if you had to wait another couple of minutes beyond what you would have to ride Small World or whatever? Why is that going to ruin your day? I guess I just don't understand why people are getting so upset over how Disney is making things more accessible. If that were you or your family member needing to use those entrances, I doubt you'd be compaining about it.

Personally I say to myself "There but for the grace of God go I....and am aware of my blesssings" Seriously don't people with needs have enough to handle without judgement & looks ?

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

Because people only care about 'fair" when it affects them. It isn't "fair" that someone is in a chair or disabled, but that "fair" doesn't count. "Fair" is only about someone seeing and believing that someone else might be getting something they had no clue about.

 

[Disneyadore]

Because people only care about 'fair" when it affects them. It isn't "fair" that someone is in a chair or disabled, but that "fair" doesn't count. "Fair" is only about someone seeing and believing that someone else might be getting something they had no clue about.

Fair means equal access and not preferred access and this has nothing to do with being disabled.
I always thought that disables persons fought for equal rights and not FOTL or "we are disabled and deserve preferred access".

 

[princessmom29]

Is it possible to quit arguing over this? Those of you complaining about handicapped guests or GAC folks getting FOTL treatment need to lighten up a bit! I posted at the beginning of the thread but feel like I need to post again to clarify - yes, I have seen handicapped guests go to the front of the line. So what? My family is healthy enough to not require the GAC (although my disabled sister has used it before, so I am familiar with how it works). I would not trade our health for getting to ride a ride 5 minutes faster, would you? In the long run, what difference does it make if you had to wait another couple of minutes beyond what you would have to ride Small World or whatever? Why is that going to ruin your day? I guess I just don't understand why people are getting so upset over how Disney is making things more accessible. If that were you or your family member needing to use those entrances, I doubt you'd be compaining about it.

I DON'T have a problem with the fact that it is happening, but I do think they need to change the policy to allow for it, and people need to stop burying thier head in the sand and saying Disney is following thier policy and not one gets FOTL becuase that is just NOT the case. I really feel that those with a need should NOT have to wait in line and should be allowed FOTL acesss. I just think that Disney should change thier policy to reflect that. I think they don't because they don't want to deal with all the "why do they get special treatment" arguments. I personally have no problem waiting longer so that a disabled party can go in fornt of me, but I have seen and heard others get in a snit about it more times that I can count. If the policy were changed, I think it might help with that.

Because people only care about 'fair" when it affects them. It isn't "fair" that someone is in a chair or disabled, but that "fair" doesn't count. "Fair" is only about someone seeing and believing that someone else might be getting something they had no clue about.

Again I don't mind waiting, but there are people out there that make a huge deal about it. I personally get tired of hearing it, and hearing others deny over and over that it is going on. I think if Disney changed thier policy to state that disabled gusets will be loaded in the first available car with diasbaled access a lot of the confusion and resentment would be resolved. tehre will always be those that will have something to say about it, but a change in the rules to align with what is actually going on would certianly help.

 

[crisi]

If Disney consistanly followed their own policies on pretty much anything it would be a different place.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

lol, you have a point there.

People are obviously not perfectly consistent. The above mom had a far different experience than I had when my son, profoundly disabled (he passed soon after). For people to be slap happy, "i'm going to get a chair and skip lines" is rude and carries on a msg that is, for the most part, a lie or misconcption, and is disrespectful of those living that life.

princessmom, not everyone waits for a disabled car, etc. It would be a hundred possible different rules, I'd think. I get their having one rule, and I don't care if they bend that one as they see fit. A good portion of rules are merely guidelines. Sometimes the bad guys will sneak one by (encouraged by the mockery and misinformation) but I am willing to believe they don't ususally win.

Last trip, my mom was able to walk it slow for about half the days. We were wildly happy about that because everything about the ecv slows us down. Well, everything except sending her on fp runs!

 

[tjmw2727]

I can honestly say that using a GAC or a wheelchair has never gotten us front of the line access over 2 or 3 trips a year for the past few years. It gives us excactly the accomdations we need when we can't get a FP and nothing more.

 

[ireland_nicole]

I have not read every single response to this thread but wanted to post our experience using the GAC. I have a physically disabled 10 yo dd. Last time we went to WDW she was 6 or 7 though looked younger since she's small for her age. We had a GAC to use stroller as wheelchair. She could not walk at all at that time. So this was absolutely necessary. At every single ride or character meet & greet we were directed to enter rides at another location, usually the exit. As we would just be walking up to the exit area we were almost always greeted immediately by a CM telling us they'd get us on the next ride and apologizing for the wait. What wait??? To us we were getting FOTL privelages. I actually thought that's what a GAC was. Take this card and show them that you have a disabled child and you won't have to wait for anything. We got a ton of "looks" from other people who I'm sure wondered why on earth we were getting brought in from another area and getting to go in front of them. DD didn't appear different at all since she was sitting in her stroller. As any other parent of a special needs child we would gladly wait in long lines if we could trade in our child's disability for that privelage. We went in Sept & Oct when the parks weren't super crowded, I'm not sure if that matters as far as CM's letting us right on rides. Maybe if there were long lines they'd have made us wait longer.
So Sherri Shepard may have gotten the same treatment we did on our 2 trips and just assumed that's what the GAC card was for.

We have gone in September and I can tell you, no one was waiting very long; and that's probably why you didn't. The only part of our GAC we used that trip was for stroller as wheelchair; we actually ended up with a private showing of one of the shows. There is a huge difference between low crowd levels and high- with our without a GAC- Glad you had a great trip!

I can tell you, from what I have witnessed, that this is NOT what I saw CM's doing. There was almost never a wheelchair in the regular potion of the line on any attraction at any point. They were almost always pulled as soon as they got in line and taken to board the attraction immediately. I know what the policy is, but it appears that the CM's are not all following it correctly. The only ride I actually saw a wheelchair or ECV in line for was Toy Story Mania. They waited in line with us up to the stairs and then were pulled. They still rode ahead of us, not where they would have been in line. We saw it many, many times over the course of the week. No one with a wheelchair or ECV were allowed to wait in line for attractions. The show were handled differently and several wheelchair parties waited with us in the regular line. They were pulled to the wheelchiar seating area as everyone was coming in.

I understand that this is your impression, but what many of us who experience this on a regular basis are trying to say is that what you think you see in isolation is not in fact the rule all the time. Stay with one of our families for a full day (or in our case the maybe 3 hourswe can actually stay in a park) and you'll see that for every faster there is a def. possibility of a slower. That's reality.

I DON'T have a problem with the fact that it is happening, but I do think they need to change the policy to allow for it, and people need to stop burying thier head in the sand and saying Disney is following thier policy and not one gets FOTL becuase that is just NOT the case. I really feel that those with a need should NOT have to wait in line and should be allowed FOTL acesss. I just think that Disney should change thier policy to reflect that. I think they don't because they don't want to deal with all the "why do they get special treatment" arguments. I personally have no problem waiting longer so that a disabled party can go in fornt of me, but I have seen and heard others get in a snit about it more times that I can count. If the policy were changed, I think it might help with that.

Again I don't mind waiting, but there are people out there that make a huge deal about it. I personally get tired of hearing it, and hearing others deny over and over that it is going on. I think if Disney changed thier policy to state that disabled gusets will be loaded in the first available car with diasbaled access a lot of the confusion and resentment would be resolved. tehre will always be those that will have something to say about it, but a change in the rules to align with what is actually going on would certianly help.

It sounds like you're kind of accusing those of us who regularly use the GAC as lying- I'd really prefer if you didn't do that. I have been completely honest, and so have Sue and others. Maybe it's not what you want to hear, or think is true- but I assure you, it IS.

 

[princessmom29]

We have gone in September and I can tell you, no one was waiting very long; and that's probably why you didn't. The only part of our GAC we used that trip was for stroller as wheelchair; we actually ended up with a private showing of one of the shows. There is a huge difference between low crowd levels and high- with our without a GAC- Glad you had a great trip!



I understand that this is your impression, but what many of us who experience this on a regular basis are trying to say is that what you think you see in isolation is not in fact the rule all the time. Stay with one of our families for a full day (or in our case the maybe 3 hourswe can actually stay in a park) and you'll see that for every faster there is a def. possibility of a slower. That's reality.



It sounds like you're kind of accusing those of us who regularly use the GAC as lying- I'd really prefer if you didn't do that. I have been completely honest, and so have Sue and others. Maybe it's not what you want to hear, or think is true- but I assure you, it IS.

I am not accusing ANYONE of lying. I totally DID NOT mean to give that impression. I am only saying thet just because it doesn't happen to you doesn't mean it doesn't happen at all. I have spent a fair amount of time conversing with disabled individuals and families at Disney in the interest of carrying info back to others. It may be time of year, ect, but I can only report on what I have observed and been told by familes using disabled access. Many, many times they are completely by passing the regular lines. It may not be waht happens all the time, but it DOES happen. That is all. I don't think anyone here is lying, but I do think we have had different experiences.