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GAC to Become DAS
- Thread starter Animaniac93-98
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ddrongowski
Well-Known Member
Welcome to the forum.
Nemo14
Well-Known Member
I'm truly sorry for your health issues, but what changes would you suggest to the new system that would improve your experience?
Gomer
Well-Known Member
This sounds like a great idea. But, I'd be worried about Disn'ey's ability to integrate it into MDE. Considering the issues they've had just integrating multiple accounts, DVC reservations, annual passes (and those are just my personal issues), I'd be worried to trust my son's GAC/DAS use to that infrastrucutre. Maybe after FP+ has been in place a year or so and some of the kinks are worked out, but for the foreseeable future I think it could cause more issues that its worth. And in many cases, such as my own, you are walking a thin line between planning and setting expectations where any variation on the plan can cause a meltdown. The last thing I need is for my son to walk up to IASW and have a cast member tell him he can't ride because the system thinks he already went in or something rediculous like that.
I say let the less fragile guests be the guinea pigs for FP+. But that's just my opinion.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
What it stops in regards to the group is the group going on an attraction without the person who has the card.
Maybe limit the people allowed in the party only 2 or 3 people, get medical documentation, treat people on a case to case bases. You cant use a blanket system to handle all disabled people because a few idiots abuse the system..
Nemo14
Well-Known Member
Well, first of all there have been more than a few abusers. And I think you might find that the new system will be fairer than you think.
Lord_Vader
Join me, together we can rule the galaxy.
There are many forms of disability, not all are wheelchair bound and that is completely understood. Mostly I was speaking about mothers who take multiple children in to change clothes, or use the larger area as a feeding station. The latter has happened at least twice on each of our trips and so much more. It is usually a guest that takes 20-30 minutes or longer in the stall that is an issue, not someone who actually needs the facility or is in and out in a normal amount of time.
ddrongowski
Well-Known Member
This would be a good thing and sounds like you would be happy to do it. But reading thru this post, there are those that are 100% against it and use the "discrimination" word.
I agree, but Disney has to start somewhere, and then can make appropriate changes. As I posted earlier, I think Disney should give a DAS that doesn't require kiosk visits if someone voluntarily provide real medical documentation as to why the DAS is needed, and not just they say "well I have lineitis."
BrightImagine
Well-Known Member
I feel like all these blog posts and online complaints (the ones linked to and quoted, not any particular one on this forum) are missing the arrival of Fastpass+. If you or your child can only tolerate 3 hours in the parks, why not schedule FPs for that window? I understand that some may not be able to plan their day out to this extent... but why not go ahead and schedule some FPs for your favorites in the hope that you will be able to get to them.
The one blogger was basing her argument on the Dumbo queue... which has since been transformed from the most brutal line into probably the most tolerable possible wait for young children. And I don't understand all the people saying "oh well, we'll never go again" about a system that doesn't exist yet, that hasn't been given the benefit of the doubt.
My child has multiple mild issues that make the parks a challenge. Coping with them has turned me into a super planner. I have never asked for a GAC, because it wouldn't help our situation and because my child doesn't enjoy the "mountains" and other popular attractions due to sensory issues. We made the most of the old Fastpass and I intend to do the same with Fastpass+. In fact I would have expected WDW to simply give a disabled person some extra FP+ allotments, like say 50% more.
I don't understand why one would throw hands up and say "oh well, at least we went once"... what about the experience of simply being in the park or seeing the entertainment or eating the food? Those things, for me, are 80% of the joy of being in WDW.
The one blogger was basing her argument on the Dumbo queue... which has since been transformed from the most brutal line into probably the most tolerable possible wait for young children. And I don't understand all the people saying "oh well, we'll never go again" about a system that doesn't exist yet, that hasn't been given the benefit of the doubt.
My child has multiple mild issues that make the parks a challenge. Coping with them has turned me into a super planner. I have never asked for a GAC, because it wouldn't help our situation and because my child doesn't enjoy the "mountains" and other popular attractions due to sensory issues. We made the most of the old Fastpass and I intend to do the same with Fastpass+. In fact I would have expected WDW to simply give a disabled person some extra FP+ allotments, like say 50% more.
I don't understand why one would throw hands up and say "oh well, at least we went once"... what about the experience of simply being in the park or seeing the entertainment or eating the food? Those things, for me, are 80% of the joy of being in WDW.
Spikerdink
Well-Known Member
The only flaw I see here is why wouldn't EVERYONE then say they want a DAS? I could theoretically say, "I need a DAS due to my broken leg and can't stand or walk..." Disney then allows the MDE the extra FP and before you can say Yowza, everyone is claiming a disability and we are back where we started.....
IWantMyMagicBand
Well-Known Member
Oh totally agree, I was thinking after roll out to all guests, and after kinks have been ironed out, even if a couple of years off. They are going to have to run this new system for at least 2, maybe 3 years as it is.
My mind is blank, I can't remember this: How will the new system physically look? Will it be a card that the CM writes on the back in a grid? Date/Ride/Return time. Or will it be electronic? If the latter that could be prone to system failure too.
If the former, surely a guest can just write on the back themselves without actually visiting the kiosk (as in cheating?) once they have the card in their possession.
Absolutely, I would be more than happy to give them medical documentation. I have a plethora from all these years.. The messed up part is they won't even consider that though. That is wrong.
Gomer
Well-Known Member
My guess is that they will essentially have a fast pass printer at the kiosks that will print out the name of a ride and small return window on similar (but not ride-branded) FP cards.
That would make the most sense to me without re-inventing the wheel.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
So why are you unable to utilize FastPass or experience a low-wait attraction during your wait instituted by the new program?
Also is there any information from someone to tell me how it's going to work for me. Not for abusers? You know, the 90% of people who don't abuse the system. I will be there October 3rd through the 9th so will see first hand on my last day how this works for a person with disabilities (myself). I have a magic band also. So will this be like a regular fast pass where I don't get to go back to the ride until several hours later and is it only one at a time or will I get to plan a couple? Not that it matters because my schedule is erratic because I can't predict how I'll be feeling form one moment to the next. I really hope they make adjustments to this because the main reason me and my gf to to Disney and annual passes is because of how well they treat the disabled compare dr o universal.
What if the low wait attraction is at the other end of the park? I can't walk to the other end of the he park and walk back it's not practical like I said. Look up dialysis and what it does to patients then you may understand better. Especially in the heat being as I'm limited to 28oz of fluid per day its nearly impossible to walk all around and then back track. Also how many low wait attractions are there at Disney? Looks like I'll be sitting in a gift shop most of the time.. Fun..
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Where you decide to go in the parks and how you decide to get their is entirely up to you.
Spikerdink
Well-Known Member
I don't envy what you have to go through on a daily basis, and I know at times it can be overwhelming to have to deal with the reality of your illness every day....
Three things struck me in your post. The first thing that caught my attention is when you stated that some people here stated that people in their 20's didn't look disabled. I haven't seen that in the posts, but I do recall a post where someone stated that there were kids who would switch in and out of a wheelchair to take advantage of the GAC. That is what they were referring to, and if someone said, 'You don't look disabled' they are dealing with issues that are more involved than what we can deal with here on the board.
Secondly, when you read Disney's press release on the new DAS, it specifically stated that the goal was to provide a consistent experience among all guests. How I interpreted that was that no longer would people be able to scam their way onto a premier day in the parks when someone obeyed all the rules and did the right thing but was not able to ride Splash Mountain 4 times in succession when one family waited to ride it once. That is the consistent experience they are trying to right.
Lastly, I understand the weight your diagnosis has on your body, and your mind. I can not begin to imagine what you go through. But one thing I have found though my meandering through life is that we all use Disney as an escape to a large degree. When you say that Disney is the 'only thing that helps [you] get away from the awful reality that is [your] life' I get it, because that's what I have done also. While my problems are not physical in nature, I have had to deal with family/career/financial isses that have sapped my mental energy which I now believe is leading to physical problems (irregular heart beat). I am no different than the woman who just lost (or is losing) a parent to cancer, the want-to-be parents who are struggling to concieve and have suffered multiple miscarriages, or the young man who is fighting an addiction and just wants to be happy and sober every day from here on out. I don't want to insult you, or denigrate your experience, but we all use Disney to refresh our soul....and all of us want to maximize our time in the parks and our experiences....and that is what I think this new policy is trying to achieve.
Weather_Lady
Well-Known Member
First, please accept my sympathies. My mother died last summer from kidney failure after many years of dialysis, and suffered from additional limitations posed by Type 1 diabetes, intestinal problems, a precancerous blood disorder and blindness, so I am all too well aware of the burden you bear.
That being said, I don't think you'll find yourself constrained to visit gift shops while waiting for a return time. First of all, the return time will be faster than the standby line, so in most cases, your wait will be a matter of minutes. Second, almost every major attraction has a few low-wait (by which I mean, waits generally under 15 minutes and often under 10 minutes) ones nearby. Using the Magic Kingdom as an example, for Splash and Big Thunder, there's Pirates and the Country Bear Jamboree. For Space Mountain or Buzz, there's the Carousel of Progress and PeopleMover. For the Jungle Cruise, you have the Tiki Room, Swiss Family Treehouse and Aladdin's Magic Carpets. For Peter Pan, there's its a small world, the Hall of Presidents or the Carousel.
Moreover, if you go during slower times of year, you won't encounter the long waits in the first place. We visited last October, deliberately selecting a week that was not going to be crowded. Although we did use Fastpasses for some attractions (e.g., the Magic Kingdom "mountains"), we never had to wait more than 15 minutes for anything and half of the attractions we visited were walk-ons. I realize it's an inconvenience to have to plan your visit around crowd levels, but you may find it to be well worth it, as it would free you from having to rely on the DAS system altogether.
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