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GAC to Become DAS
- Thread starter Animaniac93-98
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What part of limited don't you understand? It's not up to me. I am not like you or a healthy person that can just wait in line just fine or walk the parks normally and I also almost never mention my disability to get anything unless I absolutely need it. In fact I take pride in doing things that someone with my disease don't normally achieve. But I am unfortunately physically limited and now I will not be able to enjoy all the rides that someone without my disabilities will be able to enjoy with a fast pass or not. As I said before it is not practical to plan a day like this. I do qualify for a wheelchair and now may have dot use one to be able to sit more, which I find humiliating. A wheel chair just accentuates that something is "wrong" with me...
Thank You! I was asking how this works for someone if it's just like the regular fast pass or what. If it is only a matter of minutes before you can go to the attraction that is a big help and may work just fine for me. I'm sorry to hear about your loss, I unfortunately see it a lot at my dialysis unit from some of the older folks I've befriended there. Just to let you know I'm also in the Masters program to be a Physicians Assistant so one day I can help people like your Mother. Thanks for some clarity on the he program.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
And nobody knows your limitations better than you, which means you do not have to choose to experience the low-wait attraction across the park while waiting on your return time. The kiosks also seem like they could be a benefit, as you would be able to receive a time en route to a desired attraction across the park and then make your way to an attraction at your own pace knowing you will be able to enter. Their trying to remove the future possibility of you being stuck in a pointlessly long accessible queue.
It is also possible that Disney could adopt a strategy like some Q-Bot systems and allows you to start a new reservation after you have waited your time but before actually experiencing the attraction.
JimboJones123
Well-Known Member
For the Autistic kid won't understand waiting crowd:
When making a reservation time, I am pretty dang sure CMs are not going to get right in the kid's face and say "well, you want to see Peter Pan really bad, huh? So bad you can taste it right now? Well.... Unfortunatly it will be 95 more minutes until you can get in the 10-15 minute line. Boo-freakin-hoooooo!!!"
As a parent, be more subtle in your scheduling. Have one parent make the ride reservation if two parents are there. CMs won't harass the disabled kid for a retinal scan. Geez. These are going to be highly trained and very sympathetic CMs. If a single parent with a kid at the park, speak in code. It isn't too hard to be subtle.
Again, if you have a problem, why has there not been an uproar at Universal Studios over their policy? Busch Gardens? Cedar Point? Becaus their guests don't feel so entitled.
When making a reservation time, I am pretty dang sure CMs are not going to get right in the kid's face and say "well, you want to see Peter Pan really bad, huh? So bad you can taste it right now? Well.... Unfortunatly it will be 95 more minutes until you can get in the 10-15 minute line. Boo-freakin-hoooooo!!!"
As a parent, be more subtle in your scheduling. Have one parent make the ride reservation if two parents are there. CMs won't harass the disabled kid for a retinal scan. Geez. These are going to be highly trained and very sympathetic CMs. If a single parent with a kid at the park, speak in code. It isn't too hard to be subtle.
Again, if you have a problem, why has there not been an uproar at Universal Studios over their policy? Busch Gardens? Cedar Point? Becaus their guests don't feel so entitled.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Especially if they have been consulting with Autism Speaks, I too would expect their to be training on how to discretely make reservations so as to avoid the fixations.
Weather_Lady
Well-Known Member
From what I've read, the CM will be giving you a return time that is based on the current standby wait time -- minus 15 minutes or so to compensate for the time you had to spend getting to the nearest DAS kiosk (and there will be several of them scattered throughout each park -- e.g., one in each "land" in the Magic Kingdom). So if you've reserved an attractions that currently has, say, a 30-minute wait, you'll have about 15 minutes to "kill" as you make your way to the attraction.
flynnibus
Premium Member
So experiencing more attractions during a fixed time period is not stressful on your body... but waiting during that same amount of time is too stressful on your body....
Witchy Chick
Well-Known Member
My coworker (that I share an office with) was in the same situation as you up until this past January when he received his transplant.
He did not have handicapped tags on his vehicle.
He visited WDW with family last year and did not utilize GAC.
While on dialysis (for YEARS), he took multiple trips. He loves Iceland, and visits there as often as he can. He also has a timeshare (I forget which hotel chain) and uses that often to travel. While on dialysis, he researched thoroughly before his trips to find where he could get dialysis (even while abroad in Iceland).
Are there varying degrees to kidney disease/dialysis? I'm asking because I truly don't know. I would honestly like to know how your situation is worse than my coworker's was prior to his transplant. (not being snarky, by the way)
Best of luck to you with being on the transplant list.
Think before you speak... You may feel differently if you were in my shoes... Ignorance is bliss I guess...So experiencing more attractions during a fixed time period is not stressful on your body... but waiting during that same amount of time is too stressful on your body....
ml123_9
Active Member
Really? So what were we supposed to do?
ddrongowski
Well-Known Member
From what is out there, it sounds like when you get to MK, AK, DHS, or Epcot, you go to GR and get a das with your digital picture printed on it. Then in 4 areas, tomarrowland, adventureland, fantasyland, etc... there will be a DAS kiosk for that area. You go to that kiosk and get your DAS done for a return to the front of the line, using the existing standby line time minus 10 minutes. Until that time do other things in that land area, then proceed to the attraction. Hope that helps clear it up, but again I am not endorsed nor do I work for Disney (although I do have publicly traded shares).
Thanks for the well wishes.. People on dialysis have different underlying condition that effect them differently. And yes I have to make reservations with a dialysis unit in Orlando before I can make concrete plans. I also have to have my phone charged at all times in case I get "the call" for a kidney. I actually know some people that do great on dialysis but there are people on dialysis that still urinate for instances which doesn't limit their fluid intake and makes it much easier which is how it was for me the first few years and I didn't use a pass for Disney. But as your kidney function decreases you lose the ability to urinate and the toxins in your system build up much more quickly. Basically every minute you aren't on dialysis you are being poisoned from the things your body would normally filter out. So depending on the he timing you can be really sick.. Also diabetes and other factors contribute to the severity of the disease.. I more than happy to educate on the subject. I hope you all are organ donors!
ddrongowski
Well-Known Member
This is exactly what Disney is doing with the new FP+ system. They have made everything, rides, parades, shows, etc a FP+ selectable item. You only get 3 per day and only 1 park per day. So yes they want everyone to be in the shops buying stuff more. No big surprise there.
flynnibus
Premium Member
A GAC is not needed to use wheelchair accommodations if you have a wheelchair
JimboJones123
Well-Known Member
This.So experiencing more attractions during a fixed time period is not stressful on your body... but waiting during that same amount of time is too stressful on your body....
It just limits the "I want it now" mentality. Getting a reservation time at noon for 2 pm when fastpass returns are now at 8:30 pm is a pretty nice deal. This gurantees, even if you cannot handle being in the park more than 3 hours, you can still hit your #1 choice attraction with a few extra stops before. Not a bad deal at all.
rct247
Well-Known Member
DAS won't make you wait in lines any more than you do now, it will just require you to virtually wait when you are given a return time. You can choose how you spend that time including elsewhere doing other things or perhaps using it to take a much needed break. Let's say you wanted to go on Toy Story Midway Mania. You would visit a kiosk in the general area of the attraction or land. There they will give you a return time. Looks like the wait is currently 120 minutes. Your return time will ask you to come back in 100 minutes. You won't be able to use your DAS to get an additional return time until it is used, but you can still use regular Fastpass/Fastpass+ in a similar fashion or visit other nearby low wait attractions. Keep in mind that even with GAC and going through the Fastpass line, you weren't guaranteed immediate access. Fastpass waits are generally 15 mins or less, so there is a chance you would even today with a GAC be waiting 15 mins for an attraction. Having to wait on a return time for a high demand high wait attraction will be your biggest change. Lower wait attractions won't be as bad. Let's say you wanted to visit Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. You visit the kiosk and find the wait is 35 minutes, so you receive your return time to ride 20 minutes later. Carousel of Progress nearby has no wait and is 20 minutes. Peoplemover has no wait and is 10 minutes. Stitch has no wait and is 20 minutes. Monsters has a 10 minute wait and is 20 minutes. It's not quite as fast as before, but it is very manageable. This will also make people think about the waits. Do you need to get a return time if the wait is 10 minutes? With GAC people use it to by pass it all the time saying they can't wait that long, but in the case of the 10 minute wait at Monsters, the show is 20 minutes.
What it comes to for you is this: Does your medical condition prevent you from waiting in lines or does it just mean that at any time you may have to cut things short or can only visit in smaller visits requiring you to attend to those needs. 20 minutes outside of a line vs 20 minutes in a show. If you can't wait 20 minutes outside of a line, are you able to sit and watch a 20 minute show?
I hope it doesn't feel like we are attacking you or your needs. GAC currently probably lets you get more of an immediate access through an exit or Fastpass line, what about your medical condition doesn't allow you to return to an attraction at a later time and still get in through an exit or Fastpass line? On a final thought, because it is a very real situation, how do you handle unexpected events? What if the Fastpass line right now with your GAC is backed up and the wait for Fastpass is 25 minutes (Standby is 150)? What if you are on an attraction and it breaks down and you are stuck for 6 minutes? What if you are on an attraction and it breaks down and requires you to be evacuated off the track which means you sat there for 10 minutes, then sat for 6 more waiting to be properly evacuated, then you would have to walk out? Even if you couldn't walk, you would have to wait for a rescue team to arrive and then carry you out. Those things don't happen very often, but they can happen. They are nightmare to a guest with special needs, but people get through those just fine too. On a final note, I'm sure using the GAC card gets you an occasional look or comment very similar to being in a wheelchair does. It isn't Disney's responsibility if they have found a way to accommodate you, but you choose not to use it because it makes you feel different. Tell that to a wheelchair bound kid with a breathing tube and requires a special ride vehicle different from anyone else which also requires an extra wait for it to return to the loading area.
You have a legitimate reason to need a pass that provide assistance, but all the benefits are there to help aide you, not make your life more difficult. DAS will still be very beneficial to you and will take some time getting used to because GAC allowed you to experience immediate access when it really wasn't designed to in the first place.
awoogala
Well-Known Member
Well, from the description, and the kiosks.. this is all coming from how it is to be implemented in Disneyland... they have not said that WDW will work exactly the same way. The Magic Bands may make the whole system work differently in WDW.
1. photo id may not be necessary with a band.. it will already be a unique identifier of the person wearing it.
2. kiosks may not be needed, they may simply have a magic band fp+ machine to tap...
3. It may all be dealt with in advance.. If a guest would normally get 3 fp+, someone with a DAS may automatically get 6, 7, 8, etc. (no idea what they would consider an equal number)
4. Another idea.. if you get your Magic band in advance, you would need to write to Disney to describe issues/accommodations before you receive the band. This would allow Disney to make better accommodations on a case by case basis, without the Guest relations having to deal with it on a daily basis.
5. A Magic Band would not be up for discussion at the attraction- right now, some abusers will argue with Cast Members for an instant access, even if they have a different stamp on their GAC. without the band lighting it up, they could not argue for different accommodations.
If any of this is implemented, in WDW, the magic band could make DAS even easier than dealing with a GAC. (and it would be the first good thing about MB IMO!)
ddrongowski
Well-Known Member
This is correct, if you are in a wheel chair they already have non-GAC provisions in play.
JimboJones123
Well-Known Member
We have had to use GAC a few visits. These were visits where we could in no way spend more than 6 hours in a park. We were quite blown away with how generous the system was and felt it could have been reeled in.
Although we understood that 6 hours was the most we could spend in the park, we also realized that we would never be able to experience a full day in the park. Because of this, we always made trips longer than the normal vacation. Most of the time, 2 weeks. We also understood that we might want to make extra trips. We just were unable to do one week commando trips like some. We accepted that. If GAC did not exist at all, we would still have had a great time in a safe and clean environment. That is what really counted on our vacations. Not hitting attraction checklists.
With disabilities, you have to give a little as well. Accepting that gives you more peace as well.
Although we understood that 6 hours was the most we could spend in the park, we also realized that we would never be able to experience a full day in the park. Because of this, we always made trips longer than the normal vacation. Most of the time, 2 weeks. We also understood that we might want to make extra trips. We just were unable to do one week commando trips like some. We accepted that. If GAC did not exist at all, we would still have had a great time in a safe and clean environment. That is what really counted on our vacations. Not hitting attraction checklists.
With disabilities, you have to give a little as well. Accepting that gives you more peace as well.
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