Using GAC on Disney buses?

[brenalexacamp]

We use a convaid too- we do go in front-the busdrivers tell us to so they can see us. They load us on 1st. LET ME TELL YOU- I stand- the people in my party stand- we do not take seats because they allow us the courtesy to load 1st. My child has down's. sometimes they driver wants to tie him down-i would rather fold it to make room for more people- I leave it up to the driver. I have also arrived at the bus stop when the bus was half loaded with people and the driver said i needed to wait for the next bus- no problem-The convaid is very heavy. I do not abuse the GAC card- There are many times a cast member sees us and waves us on. I think when you go to Disney, you have to know you are going to wait.
We stayed at Saratoga Springs last time- we never waited for a bus and they were never full. There was a cast member at the bus stop asking how long we waited for a bus.

It is a great challenge to have a child with a disability-very brave to venture to take a child on vacation-not knowing how the child will react to the changes in schedule. Disney has always made us feel "normal". If a cast member or driver wants to make it a little easier for us- a big thank you!

I went with my friend and her family-she pushed the convaid and she couldn't believe I could push that from rope drop to close-My child LOVES it-so I do it. While we may get a suprise perk in the parks sometimes- we live in the real world every day! We don't get a GAC card at home!

 

[OneLittleSpark]

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?

As others have said, you need to go to the wheelchair loading area, where there is one. If there isn't one, as at some of the resorts, you should stand near the curb, about where the back doors will be, and make sure you catch the driver's eye when he / she pulls up. If they don't come back to you straight away, you may need to get someone to go up front and let the driver know that you need help loading. If one member of the party can be spared, that's probably the best way to do it, but I've also had CMs or other Guests let the driver know, on the few occasions they've missed me (it's a bit easier for me, because mine is very obviously a 'wheelchair', and not everyone knows about medical strollers).

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.

What she said!

Your son is disabled, and you need a bit of extra help in order to do the things that most people take for granted. It's safer for you, safer for your son, and safer for the other passengers if you load on through the back door, and have your son's stroller tied down. You are not like those obnoxious people trying to cut the line, you are just trying to get the help your son needs .

 

[stitch34]

Thanks for the replies and info everyone.

My son has issues with being restrained. A big reason for the convaid stroller is to keep him safe and restrained. Problem.... the 5-point harness on there he can instantly undo. he hates the feeling of being restrained - driving in car is a nightmare, too, his sisters constantly rehooking him up.
Need to rig up some other way to hook him up to the convaid for next trip, a way to have it hooked up behind him where he can't reach to undo it.

He DID sit beautifully in the convaid the whole trip. But BIG issue, had me on edge the entire trip... was his obsession for food/drinks. ANY time we'd sit at a bench to relax, would have to see if people nearby had sodas or drinks or snacks and say nope, let's sit elsewhere - he's THAT quick to snatch something. Restaurants, we sit him in the corner - booths are ideal to trap him.
Sitting at pool bar at night, would just tell people around us, if you see my son coming toward you, watch your drink, LOL! Then came a woman from food court carrying a tray of fries - he dashed over to her and almost snagged one. thankfully everyone is always understanding. The people at the tables I just warned about him, saw him go for the fries and just laughed and said OMG, you sure weren't kidding!

But buses... he wants to get up and switch seats constantly, or find a nice stranger to try to cuddle up with. we really try to get the very back of the bus where the seats are set up as a normal bus would be so I can trap him in his seat there (which means lugging stroller all the way back and trying not to whack people with it)!
When got the convaid did get it so it could possibly be tied down. If comes a time just can't get him to sit at all on bus, at least he can be in the convaid and restrained through that. Now just need to figure out a good restraint system to keep him in the convaid. But even sitting in stroller waiting for a bus... worry about him getting up and dashing into the roadway.

He has a harness he wears on the school bus, thinking of putting that on him and then hooking the harness up to the convaid somehow.

Went on Soarin' first time with him. He freaked at first because of the seat belt, but calmed when ride started. Was worried he'd undo seat belt during ride, but CM assured me nope, can't do it, she has to hit a switch to undo all of them at once. Oh, I need that in my car and the stroller a seat belt like that for him, LOL!

But it's amazing how fast he can be and he has NO fear - to dash into a road, dash after a duck, attempt to grab food/drink from someone.

But will look into using that side door of the bus. Again, thanks for the info regarding that, do appreciate it.

 

[kmgt]

We just got back from our first trip and had a double stroller and a GAC to use for our son w/ Down syndrome.

We didn't even attempt to use it during transportation.

As far as the back door, it was about 50/50 as to which drivers opened it or not. Some told my DH to get on in the back with the stoller folded up. Some said "you can board in the back".

So I don't know what was really supposed to happen. But it was fine either way. We didn't have any issues.

 

[darlingfamily]

I am going to voice a small dissent. My oldest is 18. He has severe autism as well. He has many behavior issues. One of which is large crowds and the sensory overload of closing time at the parks.

We have been in a situation before where he was going into full on meltdown mode and the bus driver put us on so that he wouldn't go over the edge. Now I am not saying that there are some who take advantage. However, meltdown mode for my son means major self-injurious behaviors. We are not always able to tell when there are going to be issues with the parks when closing. We actually do not stay till closing with him for this reason. So, our other kids just don't get to see the fireworks on regular park hours at MK. Since MK is the only park where you can't get to your car without going through Disney transportation. The time we used the GAC for bus loading was quite a few years ago.

But we had another situation that happened just last year. For some reason Disney transportation had decided to not have the monorail going about an hour before closing. (Our usual time for leaving the park to circumvent the whole crowds issue with our son.) This cause major issues with the boats and the buses. We actually used our GAC to get on a hotel monorail because my son was at the point of hitting himself. He is wheelchair bound when we are at the parks. We were EXTREMELY grateful for the operators and the Disney CM's who saw the situation and knew that we needed assistance asap and were willing to help even though it wasn't a certified usage for the GAC.

I'm not saying that there aren't people who take advantage of it, but sometimes I am very grateful for those who are willing to bend the rules just a bit to make sure my son is able to go to the only place on earth he is willing to leave our house for.

I'm mostly a lurker and I know that this isn't a popular view point and so this may cause some commotion but I just wanted to give another viewpoint from a mother of 2 autistic kids on very different ends of the spectrum with very different needs and deficits.

 

[dclfun]

I am going to voice a small dissent. My oldest is 18. He has severe autism as well. He has many behavior issues. One of which is large crowds and the sensory overload of closing time at the parks.

We have been in a situation before where he was going into full on meltdown mode and the bus driver put us on so that he wouldn't go over the edge. Now I am not saying that there are some who take advantage. However, meltdown mode for my son means major self-injurious behaviors. We are not always able to tell when there are going to be issues with the parks when closing. We actually do not stay till closing with him for this reason. So, our other kids just don't get to see the fireworks on regular park hours at MK. Since MK is the only park where you can't get to your car without going through Disney transportation. The time we used the GAC for bus loading was quite a few years ago.

But we had another situation that happened just last year. For some reason Disney transportation had decided to not have the monorail going about an hour before closing. (Our usual time for leaving the park to circumvent the whole crowds issue with our son.) This cause major issues with the boats and the buses. We actually used our GAC to get on a hotel monorail because my son was at the point of hitting himself. He is wheelchair bound when we are at the parks. We were EXTREMELY grateful for the operators and the Disney CM's who saw the situation and knew that we needed assistance asap and were willing to help even though it wasn't a certified usage for the GAC.

I'm not saying that there aren't people who take advantage of it, but sometimes I am very grateful for those who are willing to bend the rules just a bit to make sure my son is able to go to the only place on earth he is willing to leave our house for.

I'm mostly a lurker and I know that this isn't a popular view point and so this may cause some commotion but I just wanted to give another viewpoint from a mother of 2 autistic kids on very different ends of the spectrum with very different needs and deficits.

I would think that if a CM saw a child about to go into a melt-down mode, they would do whatever they could to assist and would NOT be looking for a GAC at that point. I have had friends with autistic children who had to request private transport when they left the MK. Their child(ren) got to the point where they knew they'd never make it on public transportation and around crowds and another queue line. A bus manager ordered a van for them and took them back to their resort. I don't think anyone here is questioning a person who has a legitimate need for special assistance of any kind. That's very different than the expectation of something without real need.---Kathy

 

[SueM in MN]

I am going to voice a small dissent. My oldest is 18. He has severe autism as well. He has many behavior issues. One of which is large crowds and the sensory overload of closing time at the parks.

We have been in a situation before where he was going into full on meltdown mode and the bus driver put us on so that he wouldn't go over the edge. Now I am not saying that there are some who take advantage. However, meltdown mode for my son means major self-injurious behaviors. We are not always able to tell when there are going to be issues with the parks when closing. We actually do not stay till closing with him for this reason. So, our other kids just don't get to see the fireworks on regular park hours at MK. Since MK is the only park where you can't get to your car without going through Disney transportation. The time we used the GAC for bus loading was quite a few years ago.

But we had another situation that happened just last year. For some reason Disney transportation had decided to not have the monorail going about an hour before closing. (Our usual time for leaving the park to circumvent the whole crowds issue with our son.) This cause major issues with the boats and the buses. We actually used our GAC to get on a hotel monorail because my son was at the point of hitting himself. He is wheelchair bound when we are at the parks. We were EXTREMELY grateful for the operators and the Disney CM's who saw the situation and knew that we needed assistance asap and were willing to help even though it wasn't a certified usage for the GAC.

I'm not saying that there aren't people who take advantage of it, but sometimes I am very grateful for those who are willing to bend the rules just a bit to make sure my son is able to go to the only place on earth he is willing to leave our house for.

I'm mostly a lurker and I know that this isn't a popular view point and so this may cause some commotion but I just wanted to give another viewpoint from a mother of 2 autistic kids on very different ends of the spectrum with very different needs and deficits.

I do hear your voice and agree that you need to do what you need to do to avoid a meltdown.
That may mean boarding before the other guests.
I think what the original poster was responding to (and many of the other posters also) was the sort of "entitlement" language that the person who went to the front of the line was reported to use. Not having been there, I can't say, but it did not sound like they did anything other than walk past the other guests.

I also want to mention that I am never a fan of confronting anyone - no one knows what anyone else's situation is. (Which re-reading the post that I quoted and then made comments on, might sound like I was in favor of confrontation, when I am not).

 

[darlingfamily]

I do hear your voice and agree that you need to do what you need to do to avoid a meltdown.
That may mean boarding before the other guests.
I think what the original poster was responding to (and many of the other posters also) was the sort of "entitlement" language that the person who went to the front of the line was reported to use. Not having been there, I can't say, but it did not sound like they did anything other than walk past the other guests.

I also want to mention that I am never a fan of confronting anyone - no one knows what anyone else's situation is. (Which re-reading the post that I quoted and then made comments on, might sound like I was in favor of confrontation, when I am not).

I understand Sue and Kathy what you are saying. I didn't mean to discount the frustration of the "entitlement" crowd. That is what my husband and I always call it. We have witnessed it many times over. I think the OP must have been at the end of her rope to have said anything at all. I am so not a confrontational person either which is why I even hesitated to say anything. I just felt like giving my two cents....or a cent and a half? My son is now 18...we just finished going through getting guardianship (that was fun...lol). Anyway, he was diagnosed just at the cusp, before the real "epidemic" occurred. My heart goes out to all those parents who have kids on the spectrum. I know it isn't an easy life and we all deal with individual struggles since the disorder effects our children all differently. Disney has been our one solace. I am so grateful for what it has done generally and specifically for my son.

I am sorry if I stepped on any toes. I just wanted to give a perspective. My son starts to verbally stim when he gets agitated louder and louder. Sometimes it isn't always obvious (except to us) when things are escalating. MK transportation has to be the ONE downfall of going to that park for us.

LOL

 

[SueM in MN]

I agree that the original poster sounded very frustrated. It's especially hard to deal with those kinds of situations when you are already toward the end of your rope.

(hugs)

 

[a1tinkfans]

OP; you sounded frustrated, really frustrated

I understand that frustration, but I also feel that no one of us truly knows what anyone elses life Is really like (even if one has a issue/diagnosis in their own family) no two kids are the same, even with the same diagnosis (and thats not to say its what you thought) I like to believe that the Majority of people do the right thing...
There will always be those that were like that woman, and for whatever her reason, feeling the need for attention, taking advantage, whatever....BUT I am reminded once again, that I do not envy her life or her decisions and would not confront her and I can live by my decisions for my family!

By the way we used to rush out fast at end of night at parks, and have found that now we wait......let the crowds go and Wah La, so much simpler!!! Wishing you an enjoyable week!!

 

[Bete]

Could it be that the GAC priveleges now includes Disney transportation? Times are a changing......

I can see the lift is used for those with wheelchairs and ECVs, etc. but maybe other special need considerations are important, too and need to be addressed, as well.

I don't fault the family with the autistic child who used the GAC to get on the bus quicker; the bus driver allowed it. The family thought they were okay with doing this and the bus driver let them do it. I'm not mad at the bus driver, either. I rather they be on the side of caution and safety and service. Also, creating a scene with the bus driver and arguing about it won't get the bus moving any faster, either. I know no one did this in this case. Perhaps the bus driver was spreading some pixie dust for this family.

I feel for the original poster, too. I would gladly let you board before me.

I have a situation myself with an Alzheimer's mother (who has outbursts and needs a wheelchair, too) and we tend to use a car at Disney and other places. We drive to Disney even though it would be cheaper and quicker to do it by plane a lot of times. We usually do two layovers before reaching Disney Orlando. My mom does better in the car and we've come to realize it's better for all concerned. My hubby needs a rental scooter there and we get a portable one that breaks down to get into our trunk. He's 73 years old. It's not easy for us to do a scooter and a wheelchair in the car. I feel bad taking up 2 spots on the bus; so, we struggle through it more times then not.

There are a few times we will use the Disney buses, but I make sure we don't go at opening or closing times. I will stand on the bus most of the time even though I've pushed that wheelchair all day for my mom. I don't have all the right answers, but I feel for others, too.

We all make choices and we have to realize others are in special situations, too.

 

[livndisney]

My concern is that people will come here and read XXX got to use the GAC for transport and expect the same. Since the OP started this thread based on what sounds like a misuse of GAC this thread seems to be fueling that fire.

Quite honestly I can see a HUGE revolt if people start trying to use a GAC to board a bus ahead of those waiting at park closing.

For what it's worth, from what I have been told both at GS and by Transportation Managers, the GAC is not accepted on the bus/monorail/boat. In a situation where transport is needed right away Transportation may be able to help. But you need to speak with them directly and they will try and arrange transport for you. We had a medical situation recently that required us to leave the park immediately and transportation was very helpful.

 

[cranbiz]

NO, GAC's are not usable for Disney buses. If a driver honored a GAC, he was wrong. You still need to wait like everyone else.

The only thing the most drivers will recognize for the buses are the stroller as a wheelchair tags. In fact, I recommend getting that one if you need to identify your stroller. I look for those when I see a stroller in the wheelchair area, that helps me a lot.

Now, unless it is transportation rated, it will still need to be folded one on the bus. You can insist that it be tied down, but again, we take no responsibility for any damage that may occur and your child will NOT be allowed to stay in it.

If it is transportation rated, we will tie it down and allow your child to stay in it.

 

[MinnieVanMom]

The only thing the most drivers will recognize for the buses are the stroller as a wheelchair tags. In fact, I recommend getting that one if you need to identify your stroller. I look for those when I see a stroller in the wheelchair area, that helps me a lot.

Now, unless it is transportation rated, it will still need to be folded one on the bus. You can insist that it be tied down, but again, we take no responsibility for any damage that may occur and your child will NOT be allowed to stay in it.

If it is transportation rated, we will tie it down and allow your child to stay in it.

Thank you so much for this post. I knew there was a driver here but couldn't remember who. I am so happy you added to the posts.

We have a large SN stroller, it is rated for a small adult and will get the red stroller as wheelchair tag. We plan to fold it up, it is huge but folds up huge too. Then carry it on the front and try to be considerate of others around us we won't be able to squish in very well as the stroller really is very big.

Our stroller is not rated to be tied down and I would hate to have it broken. Again, thanks for posting and making it clear what we need to do should we have to load in back.

I am just crossing our fingers now that we get it folded quickly and onto the bus with ease and consideration of other passengers.

 

[MinnieVanMom]

By the way we used to rush out fast at end of night at parks, and have found that now we wait......let the crowds go and Wah La, so much simpler!!! Wishing you an enjoyable week!!

I thought we were the only people that walk into tomorrow land when wishes ends! We walk in and count how many CM's tell us it is closed, we do turn around and walk as slow as we can out. We take our time to talk the CM's, see how their day was, make new friends, and this time is when the crowds are leaving. We love walking down mainstreet with just a handful of people and then we wait on a bench if the line is still long for the bus. It is a nice quiet time to relax and recount the joys of the day.

DS doesn't do very well at all with crowds especially at the end of the day. Heck I don't either.