GAC to Become DAS

[IWantMyMagicBand]

I hear what you are saying @shinymonkey ,and although this new system is preferable to the last, it is the exact reason why you would need to prove you needed a GAC/DAS with a DR note/letter from a consultant. I think this system will still be abused until people can prove why they need them, aside from the physically obvious disabilities.

 

[shinymonkey]

Oh yeah lets take a child who has combative behaviors and will melt down so bad that you have to restrain the child because she can and will hurt people even though shes cute and little into a store and will want the whole store and when she's told no because they can't afford it... just bloody let the kid ride Peter Pan 3 times in a row because its what makes her happy and when she's happy the rest of the family can enjoy the vacation... i totally completely get needing to make GAC work better but why punish the families that honestly need this to make a family vacation great when Disney is about the only place that they can vacation because of all the awesomeness Disney puts in place for these kids...

 

[Lee]

sounds like a good use of NexGen tech for this

That's one...

 

[WDWDad13]

That's one...

I knew you'd come around Lee! lol

 

[TubaGeek]

Oh yeah lets take a child who has combative behaviors and will melt down so bad that you have to restrain the child because she can and will hurt people even though shes cute and little into a store and will want the whole store and when she's told no because they can't afford it... just bloody let the kid ride Peter Pan 3 times in a row because its what makes her happy and when she's happy the rest of the family can enjoy the vacation... i totally completely get needing to make GAC work better but why punish the families that honestly need this to make a family vacation great when Disney is about the only place that they can vacation because of all the awesomeness Disney puts in place for these kids...

This system will (should) make it take just as long as a regular queue, just without the waiting in a line. It's closer to equality, but still gives those using the system a slight advantage. Isn't equality exactly what should be the goal of the system?

 

[Jakester]

I cal

Info on new Disabled Assistance System:
http://micechat.com/42628-miceage-disneyland-update/

To summarize:

October 9, 2013 is the start of the new guest assistance program, which will replace GAC

Guests will go to Guest Services to get a card (with photo ID) and then go to kiosks elsewhere in the park to make ride reservations

Like a Fastpass return time, less 10 or 15 min, the reservations allow you to not wait in line, but you will not be able to get more than one at once. You can get other types of Fastpasses during this time though.

People may not qualify for the program if they are in wheelchairs at DCA (and maybe AK and DHS, since all have accessible queues?)

l call BS

 

[JenniferS]

Oh yeah lets take a child who has combative behaviors and will melt down so bad that you have to restrain the child because she can and will hurt people even though shes cute and little into a store and will want the whole store and when she's told no because they can't afford it... just bloody let the kid ride Peter Pan 3 times in a row because its what makes her happy and when she's happy the rest of the family can enjoy the vacation...

Sorry, I don't agree.

 

[RandomPrincess]

It's just a matter of time before we see a news article about private tour companies manufacturing their own counterfeit Make-A-Wish shirts/buttons in order to cater to the wealthy.

"A new Genie lanyard has been created for Make-A-Wish children that will act like an unlimited Fastpass and instant backdoor access card (basically the same thing as the current GAC with the “green light” stamp on it), and it will be sent to the families just before their visit directly from the Make-A-Wish headquarters in Phoenix.he Make-A-Wish cards won’t be kept on Disney property, at the specific request of Disney to avoid any ability to use that courtesy for anyone other than qualified Make-A-Wish visitors."

 

[shinymonkey]

So families that have children that cannot physically wait in line due to the childs inability to understand what is going on and why you said ok lets go ride small world and you get in line and 15 minutes have passed and the child still isnt on small world and the child doesnt understand that they have to wait to have that child break down and freak out and start lashing out where the parents have to try and calm a child down in line where people are staring at them thinking about what a horrible parent they are because they can't control their child and the other children in the family see all of this and hear what people are whispering to each other and get embarrassed about the situation and the parents are now getting beaten up by their child and start loosing it themselves... yep that makes such magical moments.... I hope every one here that doesn't have a child with a disability thinks about that before they make such comments... and yes this happens and yes you may say "oh I would never think that about another parent" but you know you would/do we are only human and who do you think gets more annoyed over GAC abuse then that parents that NEED to use this to have a magical trip for their families because they deserve a magical vacation just as much as every one else

 

[RandomPrincess]

I like this version.
Will this see an increase in ECVs though? I really don't want to be run over waiting for Pooh, definitely not the sort of interactive queue I want to be standing in!
Or do ECV riders have to switch to a manual wheelchair for queuing?

If anything I would think it might lessen the ECV's as they won't let you cut the line anymore.

 

[ChrisM]

...who do you think gets more annoyed over GAC abuse then that parents that NEED to use this to have a magical trip for their families because they deserve a magical vacation just as much as every one else

"Deserve's got nothing to do with it."

 

[IWantMyMagicBand]

@shinymonkey no one is saying that those who don't "deserve" it shouldn't have it, I'm sure someone will post a link to the last thread on this in which this sort of thing was discussed.
But this new system will stop those thinking they can grab unlimited fastpass. No one is saying that you would have to go on another ride, there are plenty of other things to do in Disney other than rides or shopping.
I think Disney is the only place where it is a no-questions-asked-unlimited-use card. In the UK we have a system where you get 10 rides and you cannot return to the same ride within an hour, and you have to prove you need it.

 

[IWantMyMagicBand]

If anything I would think it might lessen the ECV's as they won't let you cut the line anymore.

Fingers crossed. I think that ECV rentals should be made to go round tomorrowland speedway before they can be let loose on the parks.

 

[RandomPrincess]

So families that have children that cannot physically wait in line due to the childs inability to understand what is going on and why you said ok lets go ride small world and you get in line and 15 minutes have passed and the child still isnt on small world and the child doesnt understand that they have to wait to have that child break down and freak out and start lashing out where the parents have to try and calm a child down in line where people are staring at them thinking about what a horrible parent they are because they can't control their child and the other children in the family see all of this and hear what people are whispering to each other and get embarrassed about the situation and the parents are now getting beaten up by their child and start loosing it themselves... yep that makes such magical moments.... I hope every one here that doesn't have a child with a disability thinks about that before they make such comments... and yes this happens and yes you may say "oh I would never think that about another parent" but you know you would/do we are only human and who do you think gets more annoyed over GAC abuse then that parents that NEED to use this to have a magical trip for their families because they deserve a magical vacation just as much as every one else

ADA's about equality. Not getting more then non disabled people. I have compassion for any family with children with special needs but unfortunately other people have cheated the system to the point this new system has to be put in place.

 

[shinymonkey]

So punish the many because of the few... its a wonderful system... I realize the ADA is about equality... I teach those folks that the ADA is a part of their every day life so don't tell me what the ADA is about... I am sure I know more about the ADA then you do... what I am saying is Disney has made their parks a safe haven for families that are impacted by a family member with disabilities... now it seems that because people have taken advantage of the system those families that have traveled to disney for years because of everything disney bent over backwards to do for them they are yanking that away from them..

 

[TubaGeek]

So punish the many because of the few... its a wonderful system... I realize the ADA is about equality... I teach those folks that the ADA is a part of their every day life so don't tell me what the ADA is about... I am sure I know more about the ADA then you do... what I am saying is Disney has made their parks a safe haven for families that are impacted by a family member with disabilities... now it seems that because people have taken advantage of the system those families that have traveled to disney for years because of everything disney bent over backwards to do for them they are yanking that away from them..

Alright, using punctuation this time: are you upset because it's taking away your advantage, or because you feel newly disadvantaged?

 

[Weather_Lady]

What I am curios about is.. when this rolls out in Florida and I'm sure it plays a roll for some in Cali.. I travel with my friend and her daughters.. one of her daughters needs the GAC and a stroller as a wheelchair pass.. when they limit to one ride at a time and say you can go ride something else with a low wait time for those children that literally cannot handle a 10-20 minute "low wait time" what are the families suppose to do?

First, the family will still have 3 Fasptass+ they can use, outside of and in addition to whatever they're getting under the DAS system. Also, unless you're traveling only at peak seasons (e.g., Easter or Christmas weeks), there should be enough live shows and walk-on attractions to give families who can't wait more than 10 minutes something viable to do while waiting for a return time, particularly early in the day. We tend to go during the "moderate crowd" times of year and hit the parks early, and we rarely run into standby lines longer than 10 minutes except at headliner attractions.

I really don't think this is going to have a huge impact on guests with DAS. What it will do is ensure that they and everyone else are treated fairly.

 

[IWantMyMagicBand]

But they're not yanking it away. If they had implemented a good system to start with then they wouldn't have to backtrack to make it the system it should have been in the first place. How do other themeparks work a GAC in the US? (Genuine question as I don't live there, just interested to hear)
I use the equivalent system in the UK, but because I only use it for my needs, I never use all 10 tickets just because I can. Many others would, and it's those that have let you down.

I have a feeling this thread may go down the same way as the last one on the subject.......

 

[luv]

So families that have children that cannot physically wait in line due to the childs inability to understand what is going on and why you said ok lets go ride small world and you get in line and 15 minutes have passed and the child still isnt on small world and the child doesnt understand that they have to wait to have that child break down and freak out and start lashing out where the parents have to try and calm a child down in line where people are staring at them thinking about what a horrible parent they are because they can't control their child and the other children in the family see all of this and hear what people are whispering to each other and get embarrassed about the situation and the parents are now getting beaten up by their child and start loosing it themselves... yep that makes such magical moments.... I hope every one here that doesn't have a child with a disability thinks about that before they make such comments... and yes this happens and yes you may say "oh I would never think that about another parent" but you know you would/do we are only human and who do you think gets more annoyed over GAC abuse then that parents that NEED to use this to have a magical trip for their families because they deserve a magical vacation just as much as every one else

Putting aside the issue of standing in line at Disney World, I strongly urge you, if you are close to these parents, to guide them toward taking the child to a psychiatrist. The sooner this child receives help, the better off he/she will be.

 

[JenniferS]

My cousin has a disabled, combative, autistic foster child. Joey is unable to wait in any kind of a lengthy line or deal with massive crowds. Even though he has the emotional and development capacity of a 4 year old, he has the body and strength of a 12 year old pre-pubescent boy. When he "loses it", people get hurt.
My cousin, therefore does not subject him to excessive stimuli such as a theme park.
When she takes her other children to Canada's Wonderland or the Ex, Joey goes to day camp.
When she took a family trip to California, which included a 2-day trip to Disneyland, Joey went to respite.
I have known and loved Joey for 8 years, since he was a pre-schooler, and I completely agree with my cousin's decision to exclude Joey from some of their more intense vacations. I would never want to be on a plane with Joey. I would never want to be in the middle of Fantasyland when Joey has a melt down. I would never want to walk away from an overpriced $40 Disney steak because Joey was overwhelmed by the time dinner finally arrived. And therefore to be fair to myself, my family, other guests, and MOST ESPECIALLY JOEY, I would never take him to WDW, despite his "right" to be there.
Just because he has the right to be there, and Disney has kindly made some allowances to make his visit more enjoyable, doesn't mean that Joey "should" be there. Joey will probably never get to experience WDW, and that's just the way it is.