VIP Fastpass question

[DizCaptain]

On second thought, the people we saw weren't getting they're passes scanned or even looked at closely, they mostly just flashed it and in they went. That would exclude a limited number I think.

These look like blank white laminated cards with the DVC logo on them. The rules say to use them at fastpass machines for rides which have fastpasses currently available, but hey the rules aren't often held. I'll see whether or not a mere flash of the card will get me into the fp line or not. If not, its possible that its another card, there have been alot of convention/groups here lately that we've noticed walking around with lanyards/passes.

 

[doconeill]

These look like blank white laminated cards with the DVC logo on them. The rules say to use them at fastpass machines for rides which have fastpasses currently available, but hey the rules aren't often held. I'll see whether or not a mere flash of the card will get me into the fp line or not. If not, its possible that its another card, there have been alot of convention/groups here lately that we've noticed walking around with lanyards/passes.

The DVC cards are like the Birthday/GAD FP Exchange Cards - you put them in the FP kiosk and it spits out a FP good immediately. They say "currently available" because they actually existed before the Birthday/GAD FP cards, and they didn't leave kiosks open after regular FPs ran out, so if regular FPs were gone, the DVC card wasn't of any use.

The DVC cards are good for three uses total, on any FP attraction where Fastpass is in use. If FP is not in use at an attraction, you can ask and CMs may accommodate you in some fashion, but don't expecte it.

Since a kiosk is generally left open for Birthday/GAD FP use, the DVC cards will also work.

 

[SueM in MN]

We will be getting a GAC for my father-in-law for our trip (next week ). The only thing I'm expecting out of that is to notify the CMs that they may need to slow down/stop some of the in-motion loading areas so he has time to get on.

If he has a wheelchair, mobility aid or ECV and is using it in line, he would not need a GAC card to slow down or stop the in-motion ride.
With an ECV, mobility aid or wheelchair, he would be using the accessible boarding area without needing a GAC. If he is walking, he would need a GAC to use those areas.
For most attractions with moving walkways, this is just a pull off from the regular line just before it gets to the boarding area. For those attractions, guests with disabilities/special needs often are routed to the exit area to board because the moving walkway can be controlled better there, the wheelchair or ECV can be left right there where it will be handy when the guest is done riding without needing to be moved and there is usually more space and time at the unload area for someone who needs more time to board.

The GAC would not say he needs the walkway stopped or that he needs extra time. In general, if people are using a wheelchair, ECV or other mobility aid, the CMs will slow the moving walkway somewhat. That is usually enough for most people. If he needs it to be slower or actually needs a full stop, he will need to let the CMs know that.
We need a full stop for most of the attractions with moving walkways when we board with DD. The CMs always start with just slowing it, but will do a full stop if we ask them to.

1) Let us know how this worked, and which ones slowed/stopped.
2) There are only a few rides where they do this.
3) Of course, vehicle rides (like Splash Mtn) are no problem.

This is a complete list of attractions that have moving walkways:

• MK
• Haunted Mansion - The moving walkway can be slowed or stopped, but only if you are boarding at the unload area. We just rode it in May 2010 and it was stopped at our request so that DD could board. It was also stopped for exiting when we were finished. (We have been on it many times in the past and have always had it stopped - I added this recent info because some people have posted in the past that it did not stop). There is a transfer car with a wider opening that makes transferring in easier for some guests, but no wheelchair accessible car.
• Tomorrowland Transit Authority - there is a steep ramped moving walkway to get to the second floor station. There is also a moving walkway to board and exit and a moving ramp to get back down to the ground after riding. I would not recommend this attraction for anyone with trouble on moving walkways. These moving walkways can NOT be stopped and are sort or slippery and very steep metal ramps if they are not working and are stopped for any reason.
• Buzz Lightyear. Can be slowed or stopped, but only if you board at the unload area. They will normally slow it and only stop if slowing is not enough. There is a special wheelchair accessible ride car that a wheelchair can be rolled onto. Some of the CMs are so efficient at getting a wheelchair into the car that they can load it with just a slight slowing of the moving walkway.
• Pirates of Caribbean - steep moving walkway to get back from the underground exit to ground level (like an escalator without steps). There is an elevator to the left of the moving walkway, down a short hall. It brings you out into a sort of deserted looking semi-backstage area near the restrooms. Pirates has a very low boat that is a big step down to get into and a big step up to get back out.
• Space Mountain - steep moving walkway at the exit. There should be a way to avoid this with a wheelchair, but I have not ridden it with DD and her wheelchair, so I don't know for sure how.
  
• Peter Pan - can only be stopped in emergency, and stopping requires an evacuation of the attraction.
  Sometimes, it is possible to have the CMs stop this attraction for the very first or very last ride of the day. Because of how this ride operates, they can only stop it for boarding if there are no other guests on the ride. For the first ride of the day, they would load guests with disabilities with only a small number of other guests on the attraction (the number who would fit in the cars on the stopped walkway) before starting the walkway. At the end of the ride, they would stop the ride and all guests get out before re-starting the moving walkway. (This information is from an area supervisor at MK).

• Epcot
• Spaceship Earth - you enter at the exit; there is a waiting area for people with wheelchairs, ECVs and special needs. The wait is sometimes long and they tend to load people with special needs in 'batches', so keep your group together while you wait. They usually slow the walkway, but it can be stopped completely if absolutely needed.
• Where's Nemo - does have a moving walkway. It can be slowed way down and stopped completely. They will usually only slow it, but can stop it on request. There is a special wheelchair accessible ride car.
• The Land Building - the building is on a hill and you enter on ground level on the top of the hill. There is a long steep ramp down to get to the level where you will find escalators or stairs to get down to ground level where the rides are. There is also an elevator on the far left side of the building. Look for the Garden Grill restaurant and head left, around a corner. This thread explains access for the rides in The Land (page 2).
• American Adventure - does not have any moving walkways, but the access to the building is on ground level and the access to the theater is on 2nd floor. If not using a wheelchair, there are stairs or an escalator to get upstairs. With a wheelchair or a GAC, you can use the elevator to the right of the building entrance. (see the thread I linked in The Land).

• Disney's Hollywood Studio
  Has no attractions with moving walkways.

• AK
• Kali River Rapids - has a circular moving walkway for entry and exit. There is a separate loading area for guests with wheelchairs/ECVs/special needs. You wait in the 'regular' line until just before getting to the boarding area, when you are sent to a different boarding area. In this area, they can 'trap' a boat for boarding; the boat stays in place and you don't use the moving walkway.

 

[doconeill]

If he has a wheelchair, mobility aid or ECV and is using it in line, he would not need a GAC card to slow down or stop the in-motion ride.
With an ECV, mobility aid or wheelchair, he would be using the accessible boarding area without needing a GAC. If he is walking, he would need a GAC to use those areas.
For most attractions with moving walkways, this is just a pull off from the regular line just before it gets to the boarding area. For those attractions, guests with disabilities/special needs often are routed to the exit area to board because the moving walkway can be controlled better there, the wheelchair or ECV can be left right there where it will be handy when the guest is done riding without needing to be moved and there is usually more space and time at the unload area for someone who needs more time to board.

The GAC would not say he needs the walkway stopped or that he needs extra time. In general, if people are using a wheelchair, ECV or other mobility aid, the CMs will slow the moving walkway somewhat. That is usually enough for most people. If he needs it to be slower or actually needs a full stop, he will need to let the CMs know that.
We need a full stop for most of the attractions with moving walkways when we board with DD. The CMs always start with just slowing it, but will do a full stop if we ask them to.

I'm not fully sure if he will have an ECV yet (DMiL is supposed to be looking in to it), and I'm not sure he intends to use it in line - only to get from attraction to attraction. His problem is mainly being able to move quickly when needed, and getting his legs to do what he wants to. Frankly I'm more concerned with his ability to control the ECV

 

[SueM in MN]

I'm not fully sure if he will have an ECV yet (DMiL is supposed to be looking in to it), and I'm not sure he intends to use it in line - only to get from attraction to attraction. His problem is mainly being able to move quickly when needed, and getting his legs to do what he wants to. Frankly I'm more concerned with his ability to control the ECV

He would need a GAC to use the wheelchair boarding areas if he is going to walk in line.
But, for those attractions with moving walkways, he will still need to be somewhat assertive and tell the CMs what he needs. They usually just slow it slightly because that's enough for most people. So, if he needs more than that, he will have to let them know.

For controlling the ECv, has he practiced at all at a local store. Christmas shopping time may not be the best time to practice
but many people find that using one in a place like Target or Walmart gives a good view of their abilities and makes them more comfortable when they get to WDW. Anyone who can use one of the store ones (with a shopping cart on the front) will find that the WDW ones are much smaller and easier.

 

[Minnie321]

I was also going to say the Kidds Kids Trip - that was two weekends before Thanksgiving. I also know when they did the Year of a Million Dreams promotion thing we got lanyards one time that gave us fast passes for 8 different rides in Animal Kingdom - they were awsome! Maybe they had some left over and were using them for something else. They were big plastic lanyards with break off pieces for each ride.

 

[racefanof88]

When we were at Disney, a few years ago, we had to rent a wheelchair for my youngest DS. We did not have a GAC, nor did we expect any special treatment, but at every ride we approached the CMs were wanting to wave us to the front of the line. I know this does not really answer the OP's question, but I just wanted to comment on Disney's approach to someone with perceived disabilities. Thankfully it was just a minor thing with my son, but I saw just how great Disney can be with disabled guests and their families.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

I guess my conspiracy theory has been debunked. I really thought I was on to something! LOL.

What we saw must have been an anomaly and a combination of all the things mentioned herein.

Thanks everyone.

 

[sandsummers]

Just returned and I do have an opinion, although some may not like it...if someone truly has a disability, either psychical or mental, I am in all agreement with getting to the front of the line. I have 4 healthy children and I thank the Lord every day for that. But I must say... some people are taking advantage of the fact that Disney does not question a disability. Just because someone is in a power scooter, their entire group of 15 gets special privileges, either on a ride or on a bus,and I don't agree with the people that take advantage of this!

 

[Jonell]

I unfortunately can shed some light on the GAC as I have an Autistic Son. It is a pink and white card. You can get the card at guest services with the proper documentation. I wear mine on a lanyard so its easier to juggle everything else I'm handling. The card itself is good for 5 guest. ( I have 4 in my party).There are times when I’ll take just my non Autistic son on a ride while my wife and autistic child are waiting for us and not visible to the crowd. I am grateful for this program because my daily window of time at the park is limited and cannot typically take advantage of early or extended hours. I understand some people think this is "unfair" but I would be grateful to trade places.

I agree. My husband gets a GAC that allows him to use the fastpass or alternative entrance for all attractions. His disability is not visable but he would not be able to enjoy the attractions without it. We received some "dirty" looks from other guest before because of this but I know my husband woud also be grateful to trade places anyday.

 

[MagicKisses2]

I guess my conspiracy theory has been debunked. I really thought I was on to something! LOL.

What we saw must have been an anomaly and a combination of all the things mentioned herein.

Thanks everyone.

Peter Pirate, it is so funny that I came onto DIS today and saw your thread, because this past Thanskgiving weekend I went to a family's house and they were talking about planning a Disney trip. One of them said they heard that you can now buy a "VIP Fastpass" that allows you to walk up to the front of a line and bypass everyone else.

I had never heard of this and said so, now you are writing something about it... Just weird.

I figured if anyone knew of this VIP Fastpass, DIS would, however it seems to be debunked...

 

[doconeill]

Well, we got back last night are are still regrouping, but here is my update:

- There was no evidence of any kind of VIP Fastpass. I saw no one using anything like that.

- DFiL did get an ECV for the entire stay from Apple Scooter.

- We also got the GAC card, which said that he could use the wheelchair entrance, even when walking, and the rest of us could accompany him. However, since he had the scooter and could take that through the entrance, there was no need to ever show the card. However, a couple of gentlemen did follow us through once, and I mentioned it was the wheelchair entrance, and they showed me they had the card, so it was OK.

- I can see where what PP2 was saying was being shown might have in fact been GAC cards. They are large, but could fit in a ID-style lanyard holder. However, there are only a couple of attractions where the FP/WC entrances coincided. If this was the front end of the FP entrance, people could have just been flashing their FPs in lanyards since they don't actually have to take them out until the other end of the line.

- Although the GAC card does not "provide" front of the line access, it does appear that it can get you through the line faster in general. The CMs do not accommodate you immediately, but they do seem to get to you quickly - at least if you can transfer and don't need to bring a wheelchair directly on a specially-equipped vehicle, for which you'd likely have to wait. At least that seemed to be my impression - but the lines were not terribly long to begin with.

- At TSM, we had FPs, so we got through fast anyways - and I think we got through faster because we got the "shortcut" - but then we waited anyways as they only bring vehicles over to the alternate loading area periodically. And there is one specially-equipped car with a wheelchair-accessible side.

- At Haunted Mansion, we were "backdoored", so we skipped the whole line and pre-show (the kids actually missed the stretching room), only having to wait a few moments to be brought in.

- None of the other top attractions mattered, as he wouldn't ride them.

- In the end, _I_ could have probably used the scooter and GAC card. Again, as soon as I set foot on WDW property, blisters started forming. I was able to hold them off once we got our room finally and could switch to my crocs, but my achilles also swelled up and still is

 

[amberg@eastlink.ca]

we were there in april and received dvc passes after we did the tour and also bought in. it was a card much like your kttw card that you insert and gives you a fp with a current return time.


but we did see a young boy who was in front of us for dumbo i believe- we use the gac entrances for dd- and he headed up the guest assitance ramp and had a green piece of paper that gave him basically instant access or so the cm said when he showed it to her. i can't remember her exact words and wished i could of seen the paper closer up, but my vision isn't that good. lol has anyone else seen these types of papers/passes etc?

 

[doconeill]

we were there in april and received dvc passes after we did the tour and also bought in. it was a card much like your kttw card that you insert and gives you a fp with a current return time.


but we did see a young boy who was in front of us for dumbo i believe- we use the gac entrances for dd- and he headed up the guest assitance ramp and had a green piece of paper that gave him basically instant access or so the cm said when he showed it to her. i can't remember her exact words and wished i could of seen the paper closer up, but my vision isn't that good. lol has anyone else seen these types of papers/passes etc?

That sounds like the pass that the Give Kids The World kids get.

 

[amberg@eastlink.ca]

That sounds like the pass that the Give Kids The World kids get.

i presume that's like make a wish?

 

[doconeill]

i presume that's like make a wish?

Sort of. They don't grant wish trips, but they have a resort specially designed for such children.

http://www.givekidstheworld.com/

 

[disneyfinatics]

We just got back from Disney. I wish they would revise how they do the disabilities. We went as a family of 15, from different states. One of the kids in our group has cancer & needs a wheel chair. We didn't want front of the line privileges, we just wanted to stay together. We were separated on almost all of the rides. It would have been nice to enjoy the rides together. We would gladly wait until our spot in line came up to get on the ride.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

We just got back from Disney. I wish they would revise how they do the disabilities. We went as a family of 15, from different states. One of the kids in our group has cancer & needs a wheel chair. We didn't want front of the line privileges, we just wanted to stay together. We were separated on almost all of the rides. It would have been nice to enjoy the rides together. We would gladly wait until our spot in line came up to get on the ride.

Disney's normal procedures are twofold.

One is that almost all lines are "mainstreamed", so a person in a wheelchair or ECV will go through the regular line. It is just some attractions where an alternate entrance is used.

The policy for the Guest Assistance Card or for an alternate entrance is normally limited to the disabled person plus no more than five member of the party. Depending on crowd conditions, it is up to the discretion of the people working an attraction to waive the number limit.

 

[doconeill]

Speaking of mainstreamed lines, the recent changes at IASW, where they swapped the entrance and exit. I had heard that it was supposedly to mainstream that queue - but they didn't. The HC entrance is still through the exit - it's just a shorter distance now because it goes to the near side of the loading area. I think the change was more to allow for a longer internal queue.

The only mainstreamed line I can recall using for a ride was Soarin', but he didn't do any of the thrill rides. The Safari I think was partially mainstreamed, but at some point you are diverted to a separate loading platform.

 

[ILOVECAMPING]

Not just a few times. That's the point. And generally it was different groups each time although I did see one family three times. But I'm telling you I saw at least 20 families with these, what I would describe as VIP passes. The CM's glanced at them, never looked hard and they moved swiftly into where directed so as not to cause a stir, so it seemed (only my perception).

I just came back from WDW
I was next in line to ride the dinosaur ride that look like Dumbo in Animal Kingdom.
All of a sudden, a little girl passed through the rope off area and flashed her card. She was all smiles along with her mom and dad. The cast member did exactly what you said above.
Her and family immediately went on the ride.

I asked the cast member why were they able to get on the ride so fast? He told me... but sadly,
I am very hard of hearing and I did not hear what he said. I do know, he said, it was not a regular fast past, it was something different.
Maybe it was a VIP fast past

It looked similar to a large white laminated index card.

Other times, I seen large groups of people getting a head of the line. I don't know if these people had fast passes or not.

I wish Disney would stop giving out fast passes.
Most of the time the FP booths were out early.
The wait in line was so long because of people using their fast passes or the "get to the head of the line" passes.

I believe the wait in line would go by much faster if there were no fast passes.

I don't live near WDW and my time there is valuable. I hate wasting time standing in line and have people cut in front.

Sorry if, I sound grumpy tonight.
During our trip it was so cold.. I think it had record cold one or two nights. It was rainy, freezing cold, and very windy. We did not get a chance to do much of the parks because of the weather. We stayed in the room to stay warm.
Just wish we had more time to see the parks without having to stand in long cold lines.