Using GAC on Disney buses?

[stitch34]

Sorry, more of a vent - but am I correct, the GAC is not to be used to just cut the line and walk right onto a bus?

Situation in MK the other night. You know, the typical after fireworks wait for resort buses, plus add in Easter spring break crowds. You know... tons of people waiting and waiting and not all will get on that first bus, or even second or third bus to arrive. I'm waiting with three little ones, one severely autistic in his special needs stroller. We know we have to wait, and last fireworks goes off, we dash out of the park, knowing get in that line ASAP!

So bus finally pulls up - family comes walking up front, just gets right on the bus. I totally understand IF they had a wheelchair to be loaded, but nope, just mom, dad and two kids. When we got on the bus, of course now is standing room only - I have to stand struggling to hold onto three small kids and a heavy stroller. Fine, such is life, we deal with it. Not looking for any special treatment, but if I can wait in line and struggle to stand solo with three kids, so can this family.

Get on the bus, sorry, I can't help it, I made the comment - and I am the least confrontational person, LOL! - I commented, "it would be nice if the people that cut the line were the ones standing". Well, turns out that family was right there. the mom got my attention, "excuse me, but my daughter is autistic". I said yeah, so is my son. She says all excited, like she's telling me about a good deal - "But oh, you need to get what we have then - we have a pass that lets us cut the lines in the parks and everywhere". I said nicely, to educate her, "oh, no, that is not to cut the line, and is to assist you in the parks and is NOT for Disney transportation, how only ones to get on would be those that need the bus lowered, ramp down to get on a wheelchair, etc." She's insisting this is to be used on the buses.

I think the kicker that really ticked me off was when she then made the comment, in her woe is me, whiny voice "you don't knooowwww what it's like to live with autism". Oh, no. I'm like didn't I just tell you my son is autistic? He can't speak at all, at 7 am struggling to change poopy diapers in the park bathrooms. Trust me, I KNOW what it's like to live with autism. I understand completely what it's like to live with autism. Just was trying to let her know you can't use it for the buses.... unless I am the one that is wrong?

 

[Hannathy]

No you aren't wrong, two people in that scenario were wrong. the woman and the BUS DRIVER!! Where the heck were they? I think they would have gotten an earful from me.

It is examples like this that get people with GAC s a bad reputation.

 

[Disneyadore]

I'm very sorry this happened to you. Stupidity is a decease you cant cure.
I really wish Disney would enforce there own rules on every level.

 

[SueM in MN]

No you aren't wrong, two people in that scenario were wrong. the woman and the BUS DRIVER!! Where the heck were they? I think they would have gotten an earful from me.

It is examples like this that get people with GAC s a bad reputation.

Exactly. GAC are officially only for use in the 4 Theme Parks.
And, with a special needs stroller, you should have been able to board thru the back door where you would not have to contend with getting the larger and heavier stroller dragged thru the bus.

Also, if you want to avoid the packed buses, my hint would be to not hurry out of the park after the parade/fireworks,etc.
We used to do that and found it was difficult to walk out AND the buses were full.
Now we take our time, stay sitting where we are and don't move until the crowd has died down. Then we walk slowly out of the park, not in a crowd at all. And when we get to the bus stop, we are often the first people waiting for the next bus. It sounds like it would take longer to get back to your resort, but we have timed it out several times ( a couple of times even compared with some of our group who wanted to get out right away and get the first bus).
It really only took a few minutes longer and made the difference between being swept out in a crowd or walking calmly out with a few other guests.

 

[stitch34]

yeah, they just walked right on. Didn't see them flash a GAC at the bus driver either. Would assume the driver simply didn't realize they had done that - wouldn't expect anyone too. But wow, the instant that bus pulled to a stop, there they were. My girls kept saying mommy, did you see that? It really bugged them, which I guess prompted me to casually say the comment outloud that the people who cut should be the ones standing. I nicely tried to educate the mom.
But as I said, I think what really ticked me off is how insistent she was about oh, no, head of the line, cut the line for everything and her woe is me attitude. Do you know the type of person I mean? Boo hoo, my child has a special need, the world revolves around this child. Like I could be standing with a child with no head or arms or legs and oh, so what, MY child has autism and MY life is so hard dealing with this and woe is me.


we have a convaid stroller, which technically we could take on the bus and have it tied down. Would never think to do that, it's not necessary. Yes, is a royal pain to lug on the bus. But if could enter through that side door... wait in line, but just enter through that door, yeah, that would help a lot. Holding onto my son's hand for dear life so he doesn't take off, and carrying that stroller up the bus steps, phew, was tough - but, I did it and managed it.

May have to try one night staying a bit later and take our time going out the park. Ideally say fireworks are at 10 - we like to dash, get on a bus by 10:30 and alllllll the way back to usually the values. We like to have time for kids to hit the food court and get some chips, fill up their mugs - and um, I know I need to make it before the pool bar closes to get a mommy drink, LOL!

But I wonder how many times this family had done this on the buses? Did they just arrive, their first day? Can't see them doing this for multiple days and no one else saying anything to them or a bus driver telling them?

 

[kaffinito]

I would have said something to that lady too - and not very nicely either.

It's one of my peeves that a lot of folks seem the have the idea nowadays that the GAC is an all purpose pass to get people in and out of lines faster than everyone else. I've been reading a lot of threads lately that seem to point to the GAC as a type of line passing ticket, rather than a tool that some people really need.

 

[crashbb]

And how many ride lines did they somehow manage to skip, given her comment that:

"But oh, you need to get what we have then - we have a pass that lets us cut the lines in the parks and everywhere".

Definitely the people that give GAC users a bad name.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Also, if you want to avoid the packed buses, my hint would be to not hurry out of the park after the parade/fireworks,etc.
We used to do that and found it was difficult to walk out AND the buses were full.
Now we take our time, stay sitting where we are and don't move until the crowd has died down. Then we walk slowly out of the park, not in a crowd at all. And when we get to the bus stop, we are often the first people waiting for the next bus. It sounds like it would take longer to get back to your resort, but we have timed it out several times ( a couple of times even compared with some of our group who wanted to get out right away and get the first bus).
It really only took a few minutes longer and made the difference between being swept out in a crowd or walking calmly out with a few other guests.

We've found this works well for us too. Most of the stores stay open until all the Guests have left the parks, so we enjoy trundling around these at a gentle pace. You can also just take your time to look at all the gorgeous lighting they have about at night, or enjoy a relaxing stroll through the empty paths (the smaller, winding paths are wonderfully peaceful at night, but are still perfectly well lit).

we have a convaid stroller, which technically we could take on the bus and have it tied down. Would never think to do that, it's not necessary. Yes, is a royal pain to lug on the bus. But if could enter through that side door... wait in line, but just enter through that door, yeah, that would help a lot. Holding onto my son's hand for dear life so he doesn't take off, and carrying that stroller up the bus steps, phew, was tough - but, I did it and managed it.

It sounds like boarding at the back would be a huge help to you guys. Not only is it difficult to carry the stroller on without whacking people, you're also putting yourself at some risk. If your son tried to bolt at the wrong moment, while you were carrying the stroller, you could be twisted in an odd way and throw your back out . Remember - if Mommy is out of action, so is everybody else!

When I first started using a wheelchair at Disney (long before I was using one in my day-to-day life), my mother insisted on carrying the chair on, while I hobbled it. It was one of the big heavy Disney rentals, and she had problems with her back all through the trip (nothing too serious, thankfully, but still not much fun). Once we started using the lift / ramp at the back, everything suddenly became a lot simpler.

At first I transferred and held onto the folded chair, but in the end I found it was a lot easier, a lot less painful and a lot safer for everyone on the bus, if I stayed in it and had it tied down. I hate to think what would have happened if the driver had to do an emergency stop, and I lost my grip on the chair Although your Convaid Stroller won't be as heavy as a folding wheelchair, I bet it could still pack a punch if it slipped out of your hands (which could easily happen when you're also trying to hold onto your kids on a moving bus). As it is designed to tie down, I suggest you use those tie-down points, not just for your sake, but for that of the people around you. If you don't want to take up any more seats, you and your other 2 can stand; there's usually a bit of room in front or behind of the chair, that you wouldn't really want a stranger standing in (the number of times people have done this and kicked me, or the restraint straps has gone beyond counting!).

Please don't feel guilty about using the help that is there, if you need it. If you worry about 'skipping the line', you can wait off to the side for a while before coming forwards to load. The other option, which might suit you better, is to go through the line then, when you get to the front, step aside and load onto the next bus that comes, through the back door. The problem with doing this is that there may be other wheelchair users waiting before you, or there may be more people come afterwards, and there are only 2 tie-down points on most of the buses. It is pretty easy to watch two or three buses pull up and leave without you, when you're waiting at the wheelchair-loading are, because of broken lifts, problems with tie-downs, lack of space or other wheelchair users already on the bus.

As for that woman you met, I'm sorry you had to deal with her. It is extremely frustrating dealing with Drama Queens, and I'm afraid I've no advice to offer, other than gritting your teeth. You're right, it is also hard when people go around spouting this rubbish about getting to the front of the line - only MAW kids get this, and I think that's a great set-up. I don't use a GAC, but I find the same things said about wheelchairs "We took grandma and got to the front of every line", "you should rent a wheelchair, like we did, and skip all the queues" etc, etc. It's utter rubbish, and makes people get angry with disabled people, because of some perceived 'perk' .

Huge hugs to you , and kudos for trying to educate her. At least you know that you've got a group of people here who know the real score, and understand your frustrations.

 

[thej]

Wow... that would ruffle my feathers too. Our son has Aspergers, and we do get a GAC so we can use the alternate entrances. He has some sensory and muscle tone issues, so lines can be a problem. And if he has a problem... suddenly everybody around us does too Some lines he can stand in just fine, and we dutifully shuffle through those. We only use the card when we think he's not going make the line without issues. Even he knows (at 8) that he has to wait whether we are in the line, or at the 'alternate' entrance. Because DS looks so "normal" we get a fair number of questions and looks from other visitors when we do wind up using the GAC for the FP entrance. Most are fairly nice about it once we explain.

We make a serious effort not to abuse the GAC because we have seen people do so and it bothered us long before we had DS. For this lady to say out loud that it's for cutting the lines takes the cake. Disney makes it very clear that's not what it is for, and I don't think I could have been as restrained as you. Even more so after the comment about not knowing what it's like....

 

[stitch34]

Wow... that would ruffle my feathers too. Our son has Aspergers, and we do get a GAC so we can use the alternate entrances. He has some sensory and muscle tone issues, so lines can be a problem. And if he has a problem... suddenly everybody around us does too Some lines he can stand in just fine, and we dutifully shuffle through those. We only use the card when we think he's not going make the line without issues. Even he knows (at 8) that he has to wait whether we are in the line, or at the 'alternate' entrance. Because DS looks so "normal" we get a fair number of questions and looks from other visitors when we do wind up using the GAC for the FP entrance. Most are fairly nice about it once we explain.

We make a serious effort not to abuse the GAC because we have seen people do so and it bothered us long before we had DS. For this lady to say out loud that it's for cutting the lines takes the cake. Disney makes it very clear that's not what it is for, and I don't think I could have been as restrained as you. Even more so after the comment about not knowing what it's like....

Yep, what you said - we use the GAC when we really need to use it. Just the other night... wow, MK was crazy packed, lines huge. Couple rides my girls already had gone on this trip, wanted to do again. They said use Tyler's card. I said girls, you see all those people waiting? Nope. you did that ride already, just let all those people do it, we'll find something else or just enjoy walking around taking in the sights a bit more. So we moved on, and did Aladdin, waited about 3 loadings of it to get on.

And yes, I really wnated to say more to her when we got off the bus. I was kinda hoping she had something to say and would find me when we exited at the resort. Otherwise, I said nope, am not going to look for her, just get right off the bus because if I saw her I had a lot more to say, after riding on the bus and having time to think more about it all! I am SURE her husband scurried her off the bus quickly as he didn't want any confrontation - he didn't like the exchange between me and her and kept saying to us both to stop it earlier.

 

[dclfun]

I'd have been furious too. If this situation happens again ( hopefully not) *do* take the time to get the bus driver's name and bus #. The driver should have stopped these guests, even though I'm sure it would have been a challenge with many waiting guests and these insistent jerks, but that's his/her job. OP, please feel free to use the side lift next time on the busses. You have a SN stroller and your situation is an accident waiting to happen. Why should you struggle and make-do when assistance you actually need is available? Next time go to the h/c queue line for the bus and be sure your SN stroller is locked down securely and that your son is safe. I'm sorry you had to deal with an obnoxious woman during your trip to WDW.---Kathy

 

[bookwormde]

It is unfortunate that WDW does not give out a little pamphlet with the GAC cards explaining their usage.

WDW does have the obligation to make reasonable accommodations for non physical disabilities everywhere including with transportation, but it sounds like this parent just did not have a clue, the best thing to do is to load last

bookwormde

 

[jmartinez1895]

From what OP said it sound like that lady wanted everyone on the bus to know that she was getting some kind of "special treatment." We have to use the back door on the buses because we have a special needs stroller that is safe for transport. I was told by a bus driver that while the GAC is for the parks, they will try to honor an accomidations that they can ( which I imagine is very limited).

 

[livndisney]

It is unfortunate that WDW does not give out a little pamphlet with the GAC cards explaining their usage.

WDW does have the obligation to make reasonable accommodations for non physical disabilities everywhere including with transportation, but it sounds like this parent just did not have a clue, the best thing to do is to load last

bookwormde

I don't know that a booklet would help. Clearly people don't even read what is written on the GAC. It states "This card is valid for use at ATTRACTION locations". This is just another example of GAC abuse/misuse that gives the rest of us a bad name.

 

[stitch34]

Update... my daughter was just telling me (she is the one that called my attention to them cutting the line).... it gets better.....

daughter is saying that she saw the family approach a cast member - you know, the ones standing up front by the buses at MK, directing buses, whatever they're doing.
My daughter says the cast member was standing at the head of the bus line right before our bus stop, family walked up to him, showed the GAC, they were speaking with the CM for a bit, and then the CM walked them to the door of our bus that just pulled up. She also says the bus driver had a confused look on his face.


I didn't notice the CM. It's my daughter that called my attention to it, mom, look at them cutting! So I saw it from as they were on the steps of the bus already and didn't see the CM.

So who knows... maybe they were pushy and insistent to CM with their have pity on us attitude and let us through? Not sure. CM didn't know better? not sure.

AlSO.... those saying I may be better off going through the side door... yep, sounds good. So worried going down that aisle and trying to not bang into people with the stroller, let alone as mentioned before, holding onto my son. Someone made a good post, can't have Mom out of commision when I wrench my back out trying to do all this!
But... they dont' open the side door when loading, do they? My thought was okay, when my turn to board the bus, just simply walk to that door instead - would be easier, one wide step and closer to back of bus which we need... but isn't that door usually closed?

 

[dclfun]

All the bus loading queues have a queue that is JUST for w/c's and ECV's. There will be a w/c symbol there. You should wait in that line ( you'll see it as you approach the queue) vs. the regular queue line. The bus driver should see guests in that area and automatically close the front doors to prevent boarding and allow you in first to tie down the stroller and let you use the ramp. These special loading lanes are available at most of the resorts and all of the parks. Good luck!---Kathy

 

[LockShockBarrel]

Just wanted to say that we were told by CM's at check in, and 2 bus drivers (I know that doesn't make it law but just saying) that if there was no handicap/wheelchair line at a bus stop we could stand at the beginning of it. We had a service dog with us, so we always use the handicap line for the buses so we can get him in a spot where people won't have to step over him. We only had to do the stand at the beginning of the line thing twice, and I believe both times it was at obscure resort stops.

 

[lovetoscrap]

But... they dont' open the side door when loading, do they? My thought was okay, when my turn to board the bus, just simply walk to that door instead - would be easier, one wide step and closer to back of bus which we need... but isn't that door usually closed?

You would just need to line up at the wc loading area. The bus drivers always look to see if there is anyone there as they pull up. If there is they go to the back first to take care of them, before they open the front doors. They will not open the front until the guests at the back are taken care of, and they will close the back before they open the front.

ETA: you are not getting "front of the line" at the bus by waiting at the back. You are getting "safely loaded". You need to be on and the stroller secured before letting others on. And you will also be the last off of the bus when you get there so all those that are giving you dirty looks because you got on first will be back in their rooms at the end of the night before you even get off the bus. It all works out.

 

[SueM in MN]

There is a section of the disABILITIES FAQs thread all about bus travel. It was mostly written for me by a WDW bus driver, edited by me and then reviewed by another driver.

As far as Service Dogs, the Guidebook/Guidemap for Guests with Disabilities says to follow the same procedure as guests using wheelchairs. It makes sense to me to load thru the back door so that you can get to the rear where the dog is less likely to be in the way. A dog may be easily invisible to guests on the bus after a number have loaded because the dog is below their usual field of view.

 

[dclfun]

I use a power wheelchair and have a service dog. Due to the w/c, we board via the ramp or lift at the rear. This does NOT prevent my dog from being trampled, hit in the head by purses and backpacks, touched and leaned on, etc.. Due to the tie-down area for my chair she can't go under a seat and still be near me, which would be optimal. Just an FYI to someone else in a similar situation.---Kathy