Does this sound right? A medical/ethical question.

Four our trip in July we're traveling with some friends and staying off site at a vacation home that we won in a charity auction last year.

Our friends' daughter, age 7, is diabetic and they've had a bad time trying to get her blood sugar regulated over the last year. She will be having an insulin pump implanted next week, and on Friday the family attended an all-day educational seminar about the insulin pump. During the seminar, the counselor asked the kids if any of them would be visiting WDW this year. When our friends' daughter excitedly raised her hand, the counselor said "Congratulations, you get to go to the front of all the lines!" Her mom asked if this meant just her or everyone traveling with her, the counselor told her the entire party would be allowed to skip the lines.

Now, I don't know if this is something that the doctors actually recommend for medical reasons to keep her from standing around in the heat and humidity, or if its offered as a "perk" by the hospital and Disney due to her illness. She's certainly in good health otherwise, plays soccer and basketball with other kids her age and holds her own in school.

I'm assuming that either: A) The hospital will give her some kind of pass to skip the lines, or B) They will give her a letter that will allow her to get a guest assistance card at the parks.

This leaves me with a bunch of questions:

Is this a Disney program? Has anyone ever heard of this before?

Will they really let the entire party skip the lines, or just her and a parent? At times when we are all touring together it will be 12 people!

Should I feel guilty about me and my healthy family taking advantage of this? I certainly don't want to be thought of as one of those system-abusers that are often discussed here.

Thanks for your input.

My sister the one year went to the beach for a couple days before going to Disney. During that time she laid out in the sun and got a terrible case of sunburn (poisoning) on her feet and was in a wheelchair. She, her husband, my mother, dad and younger brother were all able to skip lines when they were with her due to the fact that she had this temporary disability.

This is just something that they do. I did not attend that trip that year due to being in school year round, but the following year my aunt required a wheel chair and everyone with her was able to skip lines. Unfortunately for myself, they moved very slowly and I'm a go, go, go kinda person and didn't spend much time with them. Everyone else in the family did though and got to ride quite a bit due to the wheel chair.

miles1 said:

Should I feel guilty about me and my healthy family taking advantage of this?

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No.

If the girl is issued a Guest Assistance Card without lying and if the Cast Members on duty have no problem with allowing 11 other people to accompany her, then you're playing by the rules, as outlined by Disney.

Splitting up your party so the able-bodied among you wait in line might feel like the right thing to do, but if it constantly forces the little girl and one or 2 other adults to busy themselves while they wait for you, then you're not really having the "together" trip that was planned.

Well...the hospital may give her a note explaining her medical condition, but it's not a free pass to the front of the line. It's called a Guest Assistance Card but it's meant to help assist the guest, not allow them to skip the entire line in most cases.

The last several years that I've gone to WDW my mom has been in a wheelchair due to stamina issues. VERY few attractions allow guests to by-pass the line. Most of the queues are wheelchair friendly so that person can stay with their party. Obviously my experience has been with somebody in a wheelchair, not with an insulin pump, but I can't imagine it would be that different.

I guess what I'm trying to say is don't expect it to happen everywhere.

She will be delighted by the dining options, however. Disney is wonderful about feeding guests with diet restrictions (my mom is also a celiac). They offer several sugar free desserts so she will be all set!

I'm glad that she's healthy otherwise and will soon have that part of her life under control also. I hope she has a wonderful trip!

Wilt Dasney said:

Splitting up your party so the able-bodied among you wait in line might feel like the right thing to do, but if it constantly forces the little girl and one or 2 other adults to busy themselves while they wait for you, then you're not really having the "together" trip that was planned.

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Agreed...and not only does splitting up cut down on the time you all have together, it will also make your friend's daughter feel bad that some members of your party have to stay behind (even if it's their choice, you don't want to make her feel that her condition is affecting anyone else's week).

I thought I've read on here that the person with the GAC gets to go to the front of the line with one person and what happens is that they have to sit and wait for the rest of their party to come thru the regular line. I'm sure someone will tell you for sure. Have fun on your trip!:wave:

If someone is healthy enough to play soccer and basketball I wouldn't think they and up to 11 other people should get a guest access card to skip the lines. just seems like that would be taking it too far.

Everyone knows if given this opportunity, they would take full advantage of it. Just do it, forget the critics. Why would you wait in lines when you absolutely don't have to? You can't always please everyone, and they don't really matter. Just because your party is large, doesn't mean they should be split up. You are playing by the rules, so it's fair game. You don't want to call too much attention to the girl's condition and you want her to be comfortable.

haveyoumetmark said:

Everyone knows if given this opportunity, they would take full advantage of it. Just do it, forget the critics. Why would you wait in lines when you absolutely don't have to? You can't always please everyone, and they don't really matter. Just because your party is large, doesn't mean they should be split up. You are playing by the rules, so it's fair game. You don't want to call too much attention to the girl's condition and you want her to be comfortable.

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actually, no I wouldn't take advantage of the situation. when my mother in law accompanies the wife and I to disney in sept, she'll be in a wheelchair a majority of the time due to her knee problems and we will be using the fastpass alot. and no, I wouldn't call attention to anyone in a wheelchair because we all know you can't tell whats wrong with someone just by looking at them. but how do you think people will react to 12 healthy looking people walking on to rides? It might affect her having a magical day.

My wife is Diabetic, and we wouldn't DREAM of doing this. It's abusing the system, if she's able to get around like anyone else. And using it for a party of 11, is most definitely abusing the system. If people want to justify that, by saying it's allowed, so do it, then Disney needs to change it.


If, on the other hand, she needs it, and it's legit, then so be it, but allowing 11 people to skip, is still abuse, IMO. The lines are not that long, deal with it.

Added detail: The GAC only generally allows 5 people to accompany the Card-carrying guest into the GAC line (whichever that may be). So if your party is over 6 total, start planning on how you're going to split your group up.

The GAC is designed to assist the guests in need to have a more comfortable experience while waiting in the lines. So if they are unable to be in the sun, the pass will let the CMs know that particular person is unable to wait in direct sunlight. They will then be able to direct the party to a more shaded area to wait in while the rest o the party waits through the queue. If the guests is unable to stand, then there should be a place for the affected party to rest while waiting for the rest of their party. Getting the catch yet? The GAC only modifies HOW you wait, not HOW LONG. Very few cases warrant front of the line passes, and I highly doubt that a new insulin pump would qualify for said pass.

ChipmunkStar said:

Added detail: The GAC only generally allows 5 people to accompany the Card-carrying guest into the GAC line (whichever that may be). So if your party is over 6 total, start planning on how you're going to split your group up.

The GAC is designed to assist the guests in need to have a more comfortable experience while waiting in the lines. So if they are unable to be in the sun, the pass will let the CMs know that particular person is unable to wait in direct sunlight. They will then be able to direct the party to a more shaded area to wait in while the rest o the party waits through the queue. If the guests is unable to stand, then there should be a place for the affected party to rest while waiting for the rest of their party. Getting the catch yet? The GAC only modifies HOW you wait, not HOW LONG. Very few cases warrant front of the line passes, and I highly doubt that a new insulin pump would qualify for said pass.

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this makes more sense to me than just letting your entire party jump to the front of the line. some tour groups could have alot of people and the abuse would be rampant if there were no limits.

kimmychad said:

actually, no I wouldn't take advantage of the situation. when my mother in law accompanies the wife and I to disney in sept, she'll be in a wheelchair a majority of the time due to her knee problems and we will be using the fastpass alot. and no, I wouldn't call attention to anyone in a wheelchair because we all know you can't tell whats wrong with someone just by looking at them. but how do you think people will react to 12 healthy looking people walking on to rides? It might affect her having a magical day.

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While I don't think that the group in the this case really needs to use a GAC I don't think the people that do should have to seperate their group or family just because of the way some people might feel about seeing healthy people skipping the lines. Families come to Disney to be together, if one person in the group needs to bypass the lines for whatever reason it would be awfully silly to expect them to seperate and not ride together. It wouldn't be very magical for anyone if they couldn't experiance the attractions together, that's not really what Disney's guest service is all about.

progroupie said:

While I don't think that the group in the this case really needs to use a GAC I don't think the people that do should have to seperate their group or family just because of the way some people might feel about seeing healthy people skipping the lines. Families come to Disney to be together, if one person in the group needs to bypass the lines for whatever reason it would be awfully silly to expect them to seperate and not ride together. It wouldn't be very magical for anyone if they couldn't experiance the attractions together, that's not really what Disney's guest service is all about.

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I agree that families shouldn't have to be split up in order to ride, but where do you draw the line as to how many people should be allowed to accompany a person with a guest access card? If they are really set on riding together, if they get to a park early and or use the fast pass efficiently, they really shouldn't have to wait long for an attraction. this will be my sixth trip coming up in sept, and I can honestly say I've never waited longer than 35 minutes for an attraction, when I've waited.

ChipmunkStar is correct in that GACs are normally limited to a total of 6 guests, but I have seen as many as 10 on a single card.

There are many different types of GACs and each has its own set of rules. There are no cards that allow "front of the line" permission, but there is one for terminally ill guests to get priority entrance with no questions asked. Some of the other cards allow for alternate entry (Fast Pass Return lines without a Fast Pass), front of the teather seating (these do not allow for alternate entry), strollers as wheelchairs, etc.

Attractions without Fass Pass will allow most GAC holders to use the wheelchair entrance. Some popular Fass Pass attractions will issue a special Fast Pass with a time that is equal to the current time plus the Stand By wait time, others will just allow the guests to enter the Fast Pass line.

If the party is larger than that indicated on the GAC, some CMs will allow the entire party to enter, but this depends on the CM and the atitude of the guests.

What CMs don't like is members of the party that do not need the GAC using it without the guest that does (this happens alot and CMs are not allowed to question the guests even when it is obivious) or when a guest tried to use a GAC to get priority entry when the reason for the card does not provide for it.

Disney tries to make itself accessible to everyone and hopes that guests do not take advantage.

But if someone in the group has an actual medical condition that makes the line process difficult for them, why should they be expected to just use the fastpass system that's available for all guests? They have a legitmate issue and Disney has a solution for it so why not utilize it? A family of 5 or 6 people with a person using a GAC isn't going to throw a major wrench in the wait times. I'm sure traveling with someone who has a condition severe enough to require a GAC is difficult as it is, if that family can have their vacation made easier by skipping the lines without worrying about fastpasses or rushing around, I don't see why that should be frowned upon.

Because just because someone has a minor medical issue, does not meant that they should automatically be skipped to the front of the line. You have to remember, a few years back, anybody could go to Guest Relations and ask for a Special Assistance Pass (at Disneyland, anyways). Many people knew about this, and sometimes the Special Assistance line was longer than the "Regular" queues.

There has to be some form of regulation so that people who don't necessarily "Need" the pass have a way to abuse the system. By regulating how many people are able to use the pass, and modifying the way those who need special access wait in line, Disney is finding the compromise so that people who Overglamourized the whole process find it less satisfying to go through a few extra hoops, and so that those who need the access can have it. While it may not be the front of the line pass that everyone wants, Disney's found a way to offer equal (not immediate) access to its attractions.

I'm not saying a person should get a GAC for any medical issue out there, only if it truly affects the actual process of standing in line, I'm just saying I think that when a person has one and needs one they shouldn't be expected to split their family up or to just use fastpasses like everyone else.

progroupie said:

But if someone in the group has an actual medical condition that makes the line process difficult for them, why should they be expected to just use the fastpass system that's available for all guests? They have a legitmate issue and Disney has a solution for it so why not utilize it? A family of 5 or 6 people with a person using a GAC isn't going to throw a major wrench in the wait times. I'm sure traveling with someone who has a condition severe enough to require a GAC is difficult as it is, if that family can have their vacation made easier by skipping the lines without worrying about fastpasses or rushing around, I don't see why that should be frowned upon.

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I have no problem with 6 people using the guest access card to their advantage, but as another poster said, people are abusing the system, where people other than who the card was assigned to are using the card. Just think there should be a better way to identify those guests that need help, like with a wristband or something that can't be given to someone else in your party.
and another poster had said they "got to ride quite a bit due to the wheel chair". that, to me, just sounds like taking advantage of the system. and yes, I think disney should be maybe be a little more selective in who they issue a guest access pass to. a terminally ill patient, absolutely. someone that got sunburned? nah, use fast pass. And for the record, when my mother in law goes with us in sept, we'll use fastpass/get to the park early even though she'll be in a wheelchair.

I'm not sure that a person with an insulin pump would qualify for a GAC. It is a tool to treat diabetes just like regular injectable insulin and oral medications and a prescribed diet. Speaking as a diabetic, if she is sick enough to need to be in a wheelchair then she really shouldn't be in the parks, but seeking medical care. It will not stop her from playing, running around, walking or standing inline. There are professional athletes who compete while using them, normal everyday people who work their nine to five and then some with them. This will not incapacitate her, but actually help to make her healthier since her diabetes will be better treated.