GAC to Become DAS

[arko]

Fair points made, but it was presumptuous to expect the old policy would of been available and issued and basing a vacation or trip from that presumption is a gamble that Disney are not and should not be at fault for. No promises were/are being made regarding that policy or the new one. The only promise that was and is still issued was that Disney will do its best and up most to accommodate guests needs. And that's what exactly is being done, it's upsetting to know that it isn't enough for some guests.

As for wait times on 'some' E ticket attractions, this could easily be associated to an increase in park attendance, park capacity, other ride's lowering wait times (less people in that line can displace them else where based on times of day), unexpected downtime's, ride maintenance (peter pans numbers have to go somewhere). Wait times on average have decreased, and even if it looks like a small amount, the big picture tells a different story.

I was comparing them to equivalent wait times on equally busy days. i am sure someone outside Disney is tracking them and comparing, give it a good month to give it a good statistical sample and we will see.

We have at least 2 more trips before our passes expire, and just as we should have no assumption that policies won't change, Disney should have no assumption that my money is guaranteed next year. How those trips go will most likely decide whether Disney is worth it for us in the future.
I am not going to or complain, I am simply going to spend my money elsewhere. And it won't be to spite them or out of anger it will simply be because we have decided that Disney no longer holds the value that it once did for us as a family with a disabled family member.
Right now Disney has basically positioned itself equal with every other theme park in that respect, so if I have to deal with a more stressful experience, there is no guarantee that Disney will keep my money.

 

[Tom Morrow]

I know two MiceChat pages have already been linked, but regarding the number of GACs issued, I remember a former GR CM in the last GAC thread saying that there were days where the MK would issue around 4,000 cards. 4,000!!

 

[BroganMc]

The reports you're reading on other boards have a much higher likelihood of being biased...... No conflict of interest there.

And the reports here aren't biased? Are you kidding me? There's been a bias against GAC and GAC users in this thread since just about the beginning. To the point of people digging up posts from blogs just to post them here for public ridicule.

Epcot is being much more selective on who they deem worthy of receiving a DAS. Show up in a wheelchair and it is pretty much an automatic no, and yes I saw it as the guy tried to explain that the reason they needed one was not because of the wheelchair but because of medical issues that meant they may need to exit a line quickly.

And as for the time of return, MK was using 15 minutes, Epcot 10 minutes, but on the 2 rides we used it on they gave the 10 minutes (Soarin, SSE). In fact on Soarin as I walked up it switched from 80 to 90 minutes and he gave me the 80 minute time minus 10.

Yeah I experienced that wheelchair bias firsthand with both GAC and DAS. I learned to go to Magic Kingdom my first day years ago. DAS I got the initial rejection but was able to speak to a manager and be heard. Irritated me no end, but I can kinda understand where they are coming from. EPCOT is so much more ADA accessible than any other park. It is mostly underutilized rides, shopping, dining and shows. The few "E ticket" rides they do have are so few GAC/DAS usage is hardly necessary, moreso once FP+ rolls out to everyone.

I just wish the CMs at GR realized that DAS was used at all the parks and not just theirs. There's a suspicion there are managers there that are propagating the false impressions. IDK about that. But then I've found EPCOT management does a lot of things I disagree with over the last few years. I've been on the outs with them ever since they took down the Lights of Winter and started cheaping out on the Christmas festivities. Now I boycott the park entirely on my NYE trips. (I once had a CM at GR tell me Christmas was only celebrated in Magic Kingdom and it wasn't EPCOT's thing.)

 

[JimboJones123]

E

I still find it amusing that they think saying "I'll just go to universal!" is going to make a difference to disney. They are WELL aware of the systems used all over..and Id like to think that when such a threat is made, that they laugh to themselves a little on the inside, knowing that the same system (for the most part) is used up the road.

Threats to go someplace else, or to cancel your ticket really aren't going to change anything. Its sad that the behavior exhibited by some individuals puts a bad light on an entire set of people. I know more people who are working around, or giving CONSTRUCTIVE feedback than I do those who whine and moan and threaten.

x
Except that Universal does not have Fastpass. You can pay more for it. Plus, Universal does not have anywhere near the number of family friendly rides that one might assume a disabled family would take great advantage of.

Threatening going to Universal is stupid.

 

[JimboJones123]

Uoh

As Jimbo said, the DLR has more rides than the four parks in WDW put together. Also the DLR AP perks are different than WDW ones.

Oh heck yeah!

FOOD DISCOUNTS!!!!!!!!

 

[pais]

And the reports here aren't biased? Are you kidding me? There's been a bias against GAC and GAC users in this thread since just about the beginning. To the point of people digging up posts from blogs just to post them here for public ridicule.



Yeah I experienced that wheelchair bias firsthand with both GAC and DAS. I learned to go to Magic Kingdom my first day years ago. DAS I got the initial rejection but was able to speak to a manager and be heard. Irritated me no end, but I can kinda understand where they are coming from. EPCOT is so much more ADA accessible than any other park. It is mostly underutilized rides, shopping, dining and shows. The few "E ticket" rides they do have are so few GAC/DAS usage is hardly necessary, moreso once FP+ rolls out to everyone.

I just wish the CMs at GR realized that DAS was used at all the parks and not just theirs. There's a suspicion there are managers there that are propagating the false impressions. IDK about that. But then I've found EPCOT management does a lot of things I disagree with over the last few years. I've been on the outs with them ever since they took down the Lights of Winter and started cheaping out on the Christmas festivities. Now I boycott the park entirely on my NYE trips. (I once had a CM at GR tell me Christmas was only celebrated in Magic Kingdom and it wasn't EPCOT's thing.)

That's completely untrue about Epcot not celebrating Christmas. Epcot is completely decorated for Christmas and beautiful. You are missing out!

 

[Snowflake82]

That's completely untrue about Epcot not celebrating Christmas. Epcot is completely decorated for Christmas and beautiful. You are missing out!

Epcot is much less decorated for Christmas than it used to be in years past.

 

[natatomic]

That's completely untrue about Epcot not celebrating Christmas. Epcot is completely decorated for Christmas and beautiful. You are missing out!

But they DID take away the Lights of Winter, which is still a sore spot for me as well! The park is still pretty - it's always pretty - but the LoW were my favorite part of Christmas at Disney! It wasn't as crowded as going to Studios and the music was better! (They at least still have the music, though).

 

[OswaldTheRabbit]

Epcot has Candlelight Processional.

I am pretty sure you can't get more Christmasy than the telling of Jesus's birth complete with choir.

 

[peter11435]

Epcot is much less decorated for Christmas than it used to be in years past.

I love it when people say this but never really back it up. So out of curiosity.. Other than the lights of winter what is missing from EPCOT?

 

[BroganMc]

Oh I've gone to EPCOT over the holidays many times the last 6-7 years. My first year was 2006, early December. It was amazing then. Everything was decorated and LoW was amazing. Then you had the dove peace garden, where the cranberry bog is.

2008/2009 they started taking things away. Now the Christmas Tree is down by Dec 30. The special Peace on Earth fireworks used to extend all holiday week so you could see them Jan 1. Candlelight Processional and Holiday Santa's are done by NYE too.

I come down Dec 29-Jan 2. Trust me EPCOT is a huge disappointment then. And the crowd on NYE is beyond dangerous stupid. Got caught in a moblike scene there in 2010 I still have nightmares over. Too many people, not enough CM control. Eventually you have the rude drunk guests peeing in the bushes at England. Yuck!

If you go for NYE you're better off avoiding EPCOT.

I had two December trips last year. Early December I took my uncle to see the Candlelight Processional, Voices of Liberty and those holiday fireworks. No special decorations by the Christmas Tree and the poinsetta towers were noticeably scarce. Came back myself on Jan 1 and only Voices were still celebrating.

I complain to GR every year about the park's dwindling celebration, but management there keeps taking stuff away. I was told the bit about Magic Kingdom celebrating in 2010.

 

[JimboJones123]

Agreed, that I wish that Epcot and DHS were more on par with MK and with the changes that have been made, I fully believe that Disney will be demanding and expecting more consistency from its cast at those 2 parks in question.

Be careful what you wish for. MK could go more like Epcot and DHS to be more consistant.

 

[devoy1701]

As stated, and I agree. The only thing anyone has to go on is the persons word. I find it pretty flaky. First of all, in her follow a CM would never say they took an action based on the persons tone over a phone call. Second, a cancellation does require authorization...and I'm going to say its safe to say that the FIRST call, she did just that...but left that fact out to help make her look like a victim.

I believe Disney reserves the right to cancel an AP or any park admission media at their discretion. They don't have to ask permission to cancel admission that they granted to you.

As for some of the other comments around "Changes were made and we just had to deal with them." Absolutely. As long as Disney is operating within the law, they are free to change their policy as they feel fit. It's private property.

 

[BroganMc]

Be careful what you wish for. MK could go more like Epcot and DHS to be more consistant.

Always a risk they get more stupid. That's what customer feedback is for. I read on another board from another guest they are keeping the system as is for the first two weeks while they collect data at Disney land. Then they'll reevaluate and make changes. If WDW is the same that would explain the continuing discrepancies. I just feel bad for all the guests who get squeezed during the experiment.

 

[jaklgreen]

I was comparing them to equivalent wait times on equally busy days. i am sure someone outside Disney is tracking them and comparing, give it a good month to give it a good statistical sample and we will see.

We have at least 2 more trips before our passes expire, and just as we should have no assumption that policies won't change, Disney should have no assumption that my money is guaranteed next year. How those trips go will most likely decide whether Disney is worth it for us in the future.
I am not going to or complain, I am simply going to spend my money elsewhere. And it won't be to spite them or out of anger it will simply be because we have decided that Disney no longer holds the value that it once did for us as a family with a disabled family member.
Right now Disney has basically positioned itself equal with every other theme park in that respect, so if I have to deal with a more stressful experience, there is no guarantee that Disney will keep my money.

Your view on Disney is different then mine. I LOVE WDW! I can go for a week and not ride anything and still feel like I had an amazing vacation. It is my happy place. I love the resorts and how beautiful they are. I love walking around world showcase and watching all of the entertainment they have. I love that when I go as a single woman that I feel safe there even walking around the resorts at night. There is so much more to WDW then just rides IMO. It is the Disney magic, as they say. It does not sound as if you have that, which is fine but understand that for others it is not all about how many rides we go on. You sound as if you would be fine going anywhere there are rides of any kind but just preferred Disney because of the GAC they provided. I am not saying this to be mean or rude but just to point out the differences between us and why I will keep going to WDW even if I never go on another ride ever again.

 

[JerseyDad]

Oh I've gone to EPCOT over the holidays many times the last 6-7 years. My first year was 2006, early December. It was amazing then. Everything was decorated and LoW was amazing. Then you had the dove peace garden, where the cranberry bog is.

2008/2009 they started taking things away. Now the Christmas Tree is down by Dec 30. The special Peace on Earth fireworks used to extend all holiday week so you could see them Jan 1. Candlelight Processional and Holiday Santa's are done by NYE too.

I come down Dec 29-Jan 2. Trust me EPCOT is a huge disappointment then. And the crowd on NYE is beyond dangerous stupid. Got caught in a moblike scene there in 2010 I still have nightmares over. Too many people, not enough CM control. Eventually you have the rude drunk guests peeing in the bushes at England. Yuck!

If you go for NYE you're better off avoiding EPCOT.

I had two December trips last year. Early December I took my uncle to see the Candlelight Processional, Voices of Liberty and those holiday fireworks. No special decorations by the Christmas Tree and the poinsetta towers were noticeably scarce. Came back myself on Jan 1 and only Voices were still celebrating.

I complain to GR every year about the park's dwindling celebration, but management there keeps taking stuff away. I was told the bit about Magic Kingdom celebrating in 2010.

....makes one wonder if this is a logistics move ...readying for the NYE celebration, or a budgetary move ....or ...if political correctness has something to do with it? Like the removal of the "Venus de Milo" type statue in Spaceship Earth ...which was replaced with one that was "more dressed".

 

[BroganMc]

....makes one wonder if this is a logistics move ...readying for the NYE celebration, or a budgetary move ....or ...if political correctness has something to do with it? Like the removal of the "Venus de Milo" type statue in Spaceship Earth ...which was replaced with one that was "more dressed".

My guess has been budgetary and a preference by someone high up in management. Those holiday fireworks tags are very expensive. Dropping the Candlelight Processional by NYE I could understand but taking away more and more decorations every year just shows a bias. They could do so much more for the holidays but choose not to.

 

[pais]

Your view on Disney is different then mine. I LOVE WDW! I can go for a week and not ride anything and still feel like I had an amazing vacation. It is my happy place. I love the resorts and how beautiful they are. I love walking around world showcase and watching all of the entertainment they have. I love that when I go as a single woman that I feel safe there even walking around the resorts at night. There is so much more to WDW then just rides IMO. It is the Disney magic, as they say. It does not sound as if you have that, which is fine but understand that for others it is not all about how many rides we go on. You sound as if you would be fine going anywhere there are rides of any kind but just preferred Disney because of the GAC they provided. I am not saying this to be mean or rude but just to point out the differences between us and why I will keep going to WDW even if I never go on another ride ever again.

I love your post! I feel the same way. One of our favorite things to do is just hop the monorail and get off at different hotels. There's much to see besides the parks, from riding the monorails around to different hotels to a boat ride over to Fort Wilderness for pony rides. It's the one place you can do almost anything without needing a car. Plus like you said, feel safe. I usually get up when it's still dark out for a peaceful walk around (before the craziness of the day) and I would probably not do that anywhere else!

 

[BroganMc]

I love your post! I feel the same way. One of our favorite things to do is just hop the monorail and get off at different hotels. There's much to see besides the parks, from riding the monorails around to different hotels to a boat ride over to Fort Wilderness for pony rides. It's the one place you can do almost anything without needing a car. Plus like you said, feel safe. I usually get up when it's still dark out for a peaceful walk around (before the craziness of the day) and I would probably not do that anywhere else!

Ah but you also don't need to buy park tickets to do those things. I wonder how Disney would like it if guests parked at a Disney resort and spent their money at Universal or SeaWorld.

 

[BroganMc]

You actually don't need park tickets for any of that. I have a FL seasonal pass and have gone there in the Summer to do all of that.

You mean enjoying the resorts. Quoting my EPCOT holiday post was a mistake?

FWIW we spend a day or so at NYE just visiting the resorts to see their decorations. Most do a far better job of staying in the season than dismal EPCOT.