GAC to Become DAS

[Dasnowz]

/me grabs some more popcorn and keeps watching this...... No one is going to agree.

DISCLAIMER: I am paraphrasing, not quoting anyone, grouping things together and making generalizations not calling anyone out or picking on anyone or trying to offend anyone. Just show there is no making everyone happy and this thread is going down a slippery unhappy slope to being locked. No sides are going to budge from their stance or see what the other side has to say.

There are those who are truly disabled who the GAC helped to enjoy the park. Ex. Johnny has xxx problems gets GAC rides Peter pan 4 times and lm twice leaves for the day/is content. No parades or shows or anything else. Spends rest of day in hotel room trying to de-stress. One parent may take siblings back to park for some regular time but Johnny is done for the day and its only one.Time in park was 4 hours. Still paid full price for ticket like everyone else.

the abusers who say hey all I have to do is say magic words and I skip lines!!! I can do what I want and not be questioned. There for rope drop /stay till close. ride all rides 4 or 5 times esp. all the e tickets.

The other side who thinks GAC is unfair. We stood in line for 90 min and rode PP once then we rode sm, btmr, splash, potc, jungle cruise, watched a parade, ate dinner and that's it. Johnny/ abusers got more out of his trip then us. they rode more then once.

Another side that says why does xxx illness get you anything?? If you can't be normal in public don't go there. You don't belong in the general masses. Why is Disney even doing anything????

There is never going to be a system Disney can implement that will please everyone. All they can try to do is accommodate the majority. There are situations beside make a wish that Disney is going to have to address with the new system.

I get abusers take advantage of the card. I see it and can't do anything about it.

Abuse of Disney in general is rampant. Why should I pay to park? ECV's get on buses first with a party of 10!!! when I have been waiting 2 hours!!! I have a annual pass and should park where I want! I fell while running in the park and got a boo boo now what are you going to give me? We missed our bus because the fireworks ran late comp me a taxi to my hotel. A cm was rude- now comp me dinner. I was eating at the resort and missed last way back to my car comp me a taxi. I didn't look at park hours and now we can only be here an hour comp me new tickets and comp my parking. we were 4 hours late to our reservation for dinner and you can't fit us in. Comp me a meal. I could keep going on..... All of these are things I have seen or heard in the last 2 weeks.

There is honestly no happy medium. There is no solution. Everything is a learning curve.

And Like I aid I am not calling anyone out. Not naming names. Not quoting anyone. Just summarizing pages of arguing for those who don't want to read them. Also stating that GAC is not the only issue Disney deals with on a regular basis. Disney is starting somewhere. I see these cards eventually having different levels of service on them to fit the needs of guests. I can see higher tiered needs if proven being given better system access.

FIY I know I am going to be flamed, quoted etc.. I work closing shifts and only get on average 4 hours sleep. tonight I am off and in fact I am going to bed in 10 min. so I wont be back on till tomorrow sometime. its my night to get some real sleep. so please don't flame me for not replying quickly.

 

[GoofGoof]

/me grabs some more popcorn and keeps watching this...... No one is going to agree.

I agree with you there. I guess that means I actually disagree with your statement that no one is going to agree since we both agree that nobody will agree

 

[mdrongowski]

You have to sign up at least 90 days in advance for the groping Fast Pass+..

The groping comes with your flights by the wonderful TSA agents. If you don't fly then I guess you just miss it.

 

[khale1970]

I’m meant to accommodate them because they have a right to be there...

...Just because you know people who make a responsible choice based on their experiences, doesn’t mean others don’t have the right to make a different decision.

The creation of "rights" from desires is the beginning of the end of civilization. I cringe when responsible choice is subsumed by the ill formed notions of "rights" for those who would inflict there disabilities/manias/phobias on the populace at large. Not because you don't have the right, but because you feel you are entitled to your rights despite the damage done to your fellow man. When courtesy dies, rights are soon to follow.

 

[cmybliss]

Except he isn't the size of a child he is 18, therefore he is harder to control, the only thing I can say is until you have had that experience its very easy to just right it off. If you honestly feel that its unfair that disabled people get a sense of entitlement over you for getting to go to the front of the line then you may need to re evaluate some things. Once people abused this thing which is wrong yes, but like I said for those that actually need it, its a completely different issue and maybe one of the only ways they can experience their vacation. There is a reason they cannot wait in a line which is why they have the GAC, to call that an advantage is sick this isn't a race to an attraction this is the only way some families can honestly even get to experience it.

I'm not sure that's what is being said. The problem comes in when you have people abusing the system. This has put a strain on the stand-by lines at some rides. That's what people are upset about. Disney is working to fix the problem. If you've read through the whole thread, you'll have seen that I have a child with "hidden" disabilities, and I'm all for the change. I understand that it can be difficult and embarrassing to deal with an outburst from your child/charge. I've been there. But I don't think that our family's needs outweigh the needs of other families. This new system looks like it will allow families like mine to enjoy the parks in a way that reduces the impact on others. If a child/charge can't sit or stand still for prolonged periods there are plenty of things to do while you wait for your ride time. If you go during off season lines are typically very short and this becomes a non-issue. Because you don't get the pass at the ride itself, there's no reason your child/charge need know you are "waiting". You pick up the pass then head off to a walk-on ride or to check out the duck. When time's up you say, "Hey Billy! Let's go ride Small world!" Easy-peasy-lemmon-squeezy! As others have pointed out, if someone is incapable of waiting for 10-15 minutes, you should rethink your plans to visit the parks. Life is full of waiting, there's no way around it completely.

One last thing, fair does not mean treating everyone the same. Fair is making allowances for people based on ability. If you have two children, one of whom is a math wiz and the other has severe difficulties with math, fair is to allow the child with difficulties more time and/or the use of math aids to complete the same work the math wiz does without said aids/time. This balancing act is hard enough when dealing with small groups of people. Applying that to the millions Disney sees on a daily basis is much more so. I think the new system is a step in the right direction. It makes gaming the system much more difficult for the dishonest yet still makes allowances for those that really need them.

 

[Goofyernmost]

/me grabs some more popcorn and keeps watching this...... No one is going to agree.

DISCLAIMER: I am paraphrasing, not quoting anyone, grouping things together and making generalizations not calling anyone out or picking on anyone or trying to offend anyone. Just show there is no making everyone happy and this thread is going down a slippery unhappy slope to being locked. No sides are going to budge from their stance or see what the other side has to say.

There are those who are truly disabled who the GAC helped to enjoy the park. Ex. Johnny has xxx problems gets GAC rides Peter pan 4 times and lm twice leaves for the day/is content. No parades or shows or anything else. Spends rest of day in hotel room trying to de-stress. One parent may take siblings back to park for some regular time but Johnny is done for the day and its only one.Time in park was 4 hours. Still paid full price for ticket like everyone else.

the abusers who say hey all I have to do is say magic words and I skip lines!!! I can do what I want and not be questioned. There for rope drop /stay till close. ride all rides 4 or 5 times esp. all the e tickets.

The other side who thinks GAC is unfair. We stood in line for 90 min and rode PP once then we rode sm, btmr, splash, potc, jungle cruise, watched a parade, ate dinner and that's it. Johnny/ abusers got more out of his trip then us. they rode more then once.

Another side that says why does xxx illness get you anything?? If you can't be normal in public don't go there. You don't belong in the general masses. Why is Disney even doing anything????

There is never going to be a system Disney can implement that will please everyone. All they can try to do is accommodate the majority. There are situations beside make a wish that Disney is going to have to address with the new system.

I get abusers take advantage of the card. I see it and can't do anything about it.

Abuse of Disney in general is rampant. Why should I pay to park? ECV's get on buses first with a party of 10!!! when I have been waiting 2 hours!!! I have a annual pass and should park where I want! I fell while running in the park and got a boo boo now what are you going to give me? We missed our bus because the fireworks ran late comp me a taxi to my hotel. A cm was rude- now comp me dinner. I was eating at the resort and missed last way back to my car comp me a taxi. I didn't look at park hours and now we can only be here an hour comp me new tickets and comp my parking. we were 4 hours late to our reservation for dinner and you can't fit us in. Comp me a meal. I could keep going on..... All of these are things I have seen or heard in the last 2 weeks.

There is honestly no happy medium. There is no solution. Everything is a learning curve.

And Like I aid I am not calling anyone out. Not naming names. Not quoting anyone. Just summarizing pages of arguing for those who don't want to read them. Also stating that GAC is not the only issue Disney deals with on a regular basis. Disney is starting somewhere. I see these cards eventually having different levels of service on them to fit the needs of guests. I can see higher tiered needs if proven being given better system access.

FIY I know I am going to be flamed, quoted etc.. I work closing shifts and only get on average 4 hours sleep. tonight I am off and in fact I am going to bed in 10 min. so I wont be back on till tomorrow sometime. its my night to get some real sleep. so please don't flame me for not replying quickly.

I have no desire to flame you, so when you do get your rest and return, perhaps you could tell me what your point was. Was it that we are being too picky about GAC abuse? Is it that there is so much uncontrollable abuse at Disney that that is just the tip of the iceberg, so instead of complaining we should perhaps be looking for a lifeboat? Honestly, I'm not trying to be snotty here, although it probably seems like it, but I really don't know how to take your post. The closest I can come is that we should all just throw our hands in the air, holler, I give up and walk away. Am I right?

 

[ddrongowski]

I give Disney a lot of credit for actually acting on this problem in a responsible, professional and quick manner. Let's give credit when credit is deserved.

 

[Neverland]

Now that is outstanding! What was it to stand for?

Pages later, but... ARS was going to stand for Accessibility Return System. And yes, it would have been pronounced just like a rather similar, more unpleasant word.

 

[khale1970]

Except he isn't the size of a child he is 18, therefore he is harder to control, the only thing I can say is until you have had that experience its very easy to just write it off. If you honestly feel that its unfair that disabled people get a sense of entitlement over you for getting to go to the front of the line then you may need to re evaluate some things. Once people abused this thing which is wrong yes, but like I said for those that actually need it, its a completely different issue and maybe one of the only ways they can experience their vacation. There is a reason they cannot wait in a line which is why they have the GAC, to call that an advantage is sick this isn't a race to an attraction this is the only way some families can honestly even get to experience it.

If you find it hard to control 18 year old that can't handle a theme park (including waiting in lines), why are you there? What if you have to wait in line for the rest room? Or the parking lot tram? Or the monorail? Should the other guests just take their beatings so you can be there, or should you realize that you aren't there for the 18 year old who can't control themselves, but for you?

 

[Sped2424]

The excerpt from the above post can not be repeated or stressed enough!




being in a long line upsets my children very much too! I don't understand why this is a problem I have to endure but not for someone who has successfully convinced a CM that they deserve a GAC. No matter what your condition (or whomever is in your party), I don't think you deserve an enhanced experience over mine. I paid just as much to get through the doors. The sense of entitlement here regarding this "get to the front of the line as much as you want" card can be nauseating to read.

I'm not sure that's what is being said. The problem comes in when you have people abusing the system. This has put a strain on the stand-by lines at some rides. That's what people are upset about. Disney is working to fix the problem. If you've read through the whole thread, you'll have seen that I have a child with "hidden" disabilities, and I'm all for the change. I understand that it can be difficult and embarrassing to deal with an outburst from your child/charge. I've been there. But I don't think that our family's needs outweigh the needs of other families. This new system looks like it will allow families like mine to enjoy the parks in a way that reduces the impact on others. If a child/charge can't sit or stand still for prolonged periods there are plenty of things to do while you wait for your ride time. If you go during off season lines are typically very short and this becomes a non-issue. Because you don't get the pass at the ride itself, there's no reason your child/charge need know you are "waiting". You pick up the pass then head off to a walk-on ride or to check out the duck. When time's up you say, "Hey Billy! Let's go ride Small world!" Easy-peasy-lemmon-squeezy! As others have pointed out, if someone is incapable of waiting for 10-15 minutes, you should rethink your plans to visit the parks. Life is full of waiting, there's no way around it completely.

One last thing, fair does not mean treating everyone the same. Fair is making allowances for people based on ability. If you have two children, one of whom is a math wiz and the other has severe difficulties with math, fair is to allow the child with difficulties more time and/or the use of math aids to complete the same work the math wiz does without said aids/time. This balancing act is hard enough when dealing with small groups of people. Applying that to the millions Disney sees on a daily basis is much more so. I think the new system is a step in the right direction. It makes gaming the system much more difficult for the dishonest yet still makes allowances for those that really need them.

See above. The ADA was never designed to give someone an enhanced experience or accessibility, but allow them to achieve a reasonably similar level of accessibility.

Thats who I was responding to.
and there are plenty of people with other disabilities that make it hard for them to wait in line. Every person is different, we are talking about people who come to the park, sometimes they can't plan to come in the off season even though it would benefit their child. I think the old system worked great for those that needed, again I mentioned that many abused it. This new system I don't have that many issues with but like I said it still sucks because things were just that much easier for those that actually needed it. Also this isn't about putting other families first, its about giving families with disabled members a chance to experience the same attraction that you get too. Once again if you think this means they are better/outweighing your family's needs because they have a family member who is seriously disabled and cannot wait in a line then you should re evaluate visiting the parks.

 

[Dasnowz]

my point was that this thread is turning into an arguing on whats fair like the last GAC thread did and no one is listening to each other. I was simply summing up pages of arguing. I was also showing its not the only abuse at Disney. Things need to change and Disney knows it. Its a matter of how to reign in all the issues that are so far out of hand.

and now I am off to bed.

 

[Sped2424]

If you have a hard to control 18 year old that can't handle a theme park (including waiting in lines), why are you there? What if you have to wait in line for the rest room? Or the parking lot tram? Or the monorail? Should the other guests just take their beatings so you can be there, or should you realize that you aren't there for the 18 year old who can't control themselves, but for you?

Waiting in prolonged lines, you are there because there is a pass that lets you bypass that. Its not hard to do the math. Also that 18 year old favorite attraction is the haunted mansion, he has a bad time dealing with prolonged actual ques, my issue isn't that he can't wait in a fastpass line. Its that he needs a type of pass like this so him and his family can have a vacation together at disney. Yet some on here view that as unfair. Don't you think if his family thought he hated the place they wouldn't be there? Save them some money for sure. Also not my son or kid he is my friends little brother.

 

[RandomPrincess]

Maybe I missed it but did they change the amount of guests that can accompany a person with DAS? Or is it still 5 plus the disabled person? I know some peoe that have large families have has issues with this in the past.

 

[khale1970]

Waiting in prolonged lines, you are there because there is a pass that lets you bypass that. Its not hard to do the math. Also that 18 year old favorite attraction is the haunted mansion, he has a bad time dealing with prolonged actual ques, my issue isn't that he can't wait in a fastpass line. Its that he needs a type of pass like this so him and his family can have a vacation together at disney. Don't you think if his family thought he hated the place they wouldn't be there? Save them some money for sure.

Yet with the DAS, you can still by pass that standby line at Haunted Mansion. You just have to wait until you would have been at the front of the stand by line. Your violent 18 year old doesn't have to wait with the rest of us, they get to go walk around/shop/eat/potty while we stand in line. How is that benefit diminishing your visit to WDW? If the violent 18 year old can't walk around/shop/eat/potty for 45+ minutes, then how did you possibly get that violent 18 year old to sit in the car or on a plane for more than 45 minutes on your trip to Orlando?

 

[AndyS2992]

As long as it cuts abuse and serves those who do need it well then I'm all for this.

 

[Sped2424]

Yet with the DAS, you can still by pass that standby line at Haunted Mansion. You just have to wait until you would have been at the front of the stand by line. Your violent 18 year old doesn't have to wait with the rest of us, they get to go walk around/shop/eat/potty while we stand in line. How is that benefit diminishing your visit to WDW? If the violent 18 year old can't walk around/shop/eat/potty for 45+ minutes, then how did you possibly get that violent 18 year old to sit in the car or on a plane for more than 45 minutes on your trip to Orlando?

Are you kidding me? Violent? you don't even know the kid, hard to control doesn't allude to him being violent it means he could begin to get anxious, nervous, shut down/ wander off any of the above. I didn't have any real issue with the new system other than they can't use it for the rides as they used too, but I assume you haven't been reading that much. My issue was that people thought it was unfair that the GAC's existed in the first place. Like I said in my first post before I got ranted on it sucks that people who abused it ruined the GAC's for those that didn't. You seriously have no idea what you are talking about and honestly I recommend you learn a little more before you go on a rant.

 

[khale1970]

Maybe I missed it but did they change the amount of guests that can accompany a person with DAS? Or is it still 5 plus the disabled person? I know some peoe that have large families have has issues with this in the past.

Restrict this to only parents and siblings (no matter how many), and you'll knock out most of the abuse.

 

[khale1970]

Are you kidding me? Violent? you don't even know the kid, hard to control doesn't allude to him being violent it means he could begin to get anxious, nervous, shut down/ wander off any of the above. I didn't have any real issue with the new system other than they can't use it for the rides as they used too, but I assume you haven't been reading that much. My issue was that people thought it was unfair that the GAC's existed in the first place. Like I said in my first post before I got ranted on it sucks that people who abused it ruined the GAC's for those that didn't. You seriously have no idea what you are talking about and honestly I recommend you learn a little more before you go on a rant.

Okay, take out "violent" from my post and put in anxious/nervous/shut down/wander off. Point is still the same...

 

[Sped2424]

I just can't wait to see the immediate change in wait times this isn't going to create.

 

[Sped2424]

Okay, take out "violent" from my post and put in anxious/nervous/shut down/wander off. Point is still the same...

Not at all, again you didn't read my post but that's fine.