What is a guest assitance pass?

[crazyforpooh]

We are going to WDW Dec 2001 for Xmass and my husband on this trip can't do as much running around as he used to due to loosing one of his legs in a near fatile accident Oct 99 (2 months after our last trip).

He now has a prothesis but keeps reminding me to plan a less go go go trip because he can't go, go, go.

Could someone please tell me what a "Guest Assistnace Pass" is and how you get one? Thanks I appreciate your help. You just never know when your life wil change forever.

 

[JudithM]

Thank God you husband is here to go to WDW with you!

On the front of the Guest Assistance Pass it states, "This card will alert our Cast Members to provide the assitance you have requested where applicable. It is NOT intended to provide immediate access." The card is valid at the four "major" parks - Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney Studios & Animal Kingdom & is good for the length of your stay. SueM, in another subject, mentioned some of the various reasons a Guest Assistance Card may be issued.

Considering your husband doesn't think he can keep up with your "go, go, go," have you all considered renting an electric convenience vehicle (ECV)? I rented one on my last trip. It was a life saver for me & for my husband. It saved me from overdoing it & saved my husband from hearing me complain about the pain, etc. Plus we got to put all our camera stuff on the ECV - my husband takes great pictures.

Enjoy your trip to WDW & again thank God you can all go together

 

[SueM in MN]

Welcome to the disABILITIES Board. You already go the best info, take it easy and consider an ecv. The distances involved in WDW are immense. The only one I can tell you how far it is, is WS. If you walk from Canada thru the countries toward France and go al around to Mexico, you have covered almost 1.3 miles. The other parks have similar distances, so he may want to consider an ecv or wheelchair even if he isn't using one in the outide world.
Fastpass will be the most help to you. Someone else in your party can use his ticket to get a fastpass for him so he can avoid backtracking. With a fastpass, your wait in line is shortened to 5-15 minutes.
Click here for a link to the most recent thread about Guest Assistance Cards. You can request one at Guest Relations at any park and the card will be good for all parks for the entire legnth of your visit. Think about what might make the lines hard for him; are stairs or ramps hard for him? would he have trouble standing, but walking is OK? would he have trouble keeping his balance if there are a lot of people atound him, like happens in some lines? Will he need extra time to board? Can he walk on moving walkways (which many rides have at the entrance or exit)? For some rides they can turn off or greatly slow down the moving walkway. Think about those types of things and be prepared for him to explain them to Guest Services. And if you get a card and it does not allow you the type of help he needs, go back to Guest Services and try again.
Good luck and have fun.

SueM in MN
Co-Moderator of disABILITIES

 

[crazyforpooh]

I asked my husband if he wanted to take his wheelchair but he says "NO" (I think it's a pride issue) He says he will take his crutches for balance purposes. I wish he would take the wheel chair but, I'm not going to push the issue. Yes, we are very fortunate he is here with us to take this trip. I bet "Fastpass" will help him more than anything. And if we don't see it all again on this trip we'll just have to go back again, and again. Thanks again for the info and support. This has really been a life altering experience.

 

[SueM in MN]

If he finds the walking is too much, he can always change his mind and rent a wheelchair. I imagine that if he doesn't want to use the wheelchair, he probably would not consider asking for a Guest Assistance Card. If he would, that might help him to wait in places that would be easier for him to wait. At least if he has crutches, the CM should notice those and clue you in to things like steps that might be hard for your DH.
Fastpass will help you a lot and also there are status boards as you come into each park. These have the current wait time listed for each ride/attraction. The CMs there can be very helpful because they usually have a good feel for what parts of the park are busy and when things start to slow down.
If you are staying on site, I suggest you consider e-night. You pay an extra fee (it was $10), but resort guests who do that get to stay in the park after it closes to regular guests. The number of tickets is limited (I think to 5,000 people). Besides being romantic and really neat to be in a fairly empty park, the lines are short and you can go over and over with very little wait in line.π

SueM in MN
Co-Moderator of disABILITIES

 

[JudithM]

Crazyforpooh, I hope your husband will change his mind about his wheelchair. I thought about renting an ECV before our last trip, but it wasn't until I started reading this board that I definitely decided to rent one. It saved my knees a lot of ache & pain by letting me ride instead of walk. Plus my husband enjoyed his trip knowing I wasn't in a lot of pain (& the ECV held his camera equipment!). It was also on this board that I learned about the Guest Assitance Card. Enjoy your trip!