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Possible Changes coming to the Guest Assistance Cards (GAC)
- Thread starter RSoxNo1
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Yensid1974
Well-Known Member
doctornick
Well-Known Member
In my somewhat limited experience, GAC use is far more prominent at DLR than at WDW. I never even notice that it goes on at WDW, but I was constantly seeing it in DLR to the extend that I thought there must have been some sort of special pass that people could get (maybe CMs or their family members or such). The RSR FP line was the worse.
Tom Morrow
Well-Known Member
It is just as prominent at WDW. Not sure how many times that needs to be emphasized.
thelookingglass
Well-Known Member
Its actually reached a point where I find it absurdly hilarious to watch the Fastpass lines. Its close to half Fastpass/Half GAC
What an absolute joke. Yeah, they say they're changing it. I'm sure that means "within the next 5 years."
What an absolute joke. Yeah, they say they're changing it. I'm sure that means "within the next 5 years."
StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
This is true. I have now worked with a GAC at WDW and at Disneyland. I have a younger brother with autism and since I've lived with a kid with special needs, I can watch a kid for a few minutes and tell if they have something going on. The kids who I noticed at WDW who had GACs seemed to legitimately need them. At DL, I frequently saw guests who I would observe their kids for a few minutes and they would seem normal to me. Now this isn't to say that I can tell every kid who has special needs apart, but it did seem to occur more at DL. At WDW, as far as I could tell, almost every party I saw that came in with a GAC had a member of their party with special needs.
That being said, DL also cracked down harder in general. Every CM checked and double checked the GAC, and my brother had to stand up front so we could easily identify him. At WDW, this was sporadic at best, though when we got the GAC, the CM seemed to observe him for a few minutes to see if he really did have special needs. I think after a couple of sentences with him she figured it out. At the lines though, the general attitude was that they were not checking.
For RSR, and this has already been mentioned, they do what's called a re-entry pass which controls the amount of GACs coming in at once. Basically, there's a separate line and you show the GAC card and they give you a pass to come back in a certain amount of time. We found this generally to be between 30 minutes to an hour. Now, there are families like mine who only use the GAC for incredibly long lines and would more likely use their pass for RSR than for a shorter line. And since it's a nice ride, guests with GACs are more likely to ride more than once. We admittedly used it more than once in a day, but that's since he was so intent on riding it that it was that or suffer a meltdown (and those ain't pretty).
@raven24 put it once in a way that I agree with: Disneyland goers tend to be more knowledgeable about the system than WDW goers and therefore have a better understanding of how to abuse the system.
StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Need I point out that there are disabilities such as autism that you cannot readily observe until you've lived or have dealt with a child with autism for an extended period of time. There are times where I've seen kids talk normally and seem normal overall...but then certain behaviors will flip a switch. For example, this past trip I saw a kid with his parents. They had a GAC. The kid looked to be about 15. I watched him for a few minutes. He seemed to talk normally (a blessing, my brother talks in broken sentences) except I noticed he grabbed onto his father's hand, looked around with the expression that I can't put into words but recognize from my brother's face, almost like they're trying to process and take everything in, and then when he "flapped" his hands, I was pretty sure. And in contrast, I've had several friends who have been around my brother and despite his poor English, they can't tell that he has autism until I tell them. Lesson: not everything is observable. The seeming increase in use could be as simple as more people know about GACs and utilize them. It can quite often mean the difference between a bad vacation and a good one.
thelookingglass
Well-Known Member
That's great and all, but 1/3rd to 1/2 of everyone entering the Fastpass queues do not have autism or unobserable disabilities that prevent them from "waiting in long lines" (but riding thrill rides is ok!).
You are missing the point entirely and you are going to drive this thread back on repeat for the 100th time. Also note that you are a guest, your observations are not the same as the several blog posts, articles posted, and first-hand accounts from WDW Cast Members in this thread (including some that work in Guest Relations and actually give out the GACs) who have all noticed that the GAC abuse is absolutely staggering at WDW.
Disneycoog
Member
Pot meet kettle!!!! That was pretty rude to say. You might want to apologize for saying his observation is not the same. Everyone's observation on this site is worth noting!!!
mickeysbrother
Well-Known Member
very true. I will be getting a GAC card for the first time this September. My gf Sister is 31 and is mentally handicap. She speaks 3 languages but still acts like a 10 year old. You can tell there is something wrong when you do talk to her though and maybe she will do something weird when she is standing still. She has back problems also and her other sister that had a metal problem died last year from a heart defect she has been battling since she was born. So this is a trip for her pretty much because we were not able to take her older sister because of health issues obviously. My 7 year old talks and doesn't act out as much as she does. So yes i agree some instances may look normal but they really are not.
unkadug
Follower of "Saget"The Cult
I thought you said "worth nothing"!
It wasn't really rude....he said their observations were not the same...not that they were without merit.
mickeysbrother
Well-Known Member
the act of mitigating, or lessening the force or intensity of something unpleasant, as wrath, pain, grief, or extreme circumstances: Social support is the most important factor in the mitigation of stress among adolescents.
falls under handicap children that have a stress issue. No?
Oh and sometimes its as bad as a 4 year old. When she looks at you confused to all belief and tries really hard to figure out what you did or said, Then goes on and apologises for your misktake 300 times...
falls under handicap children that have a stress issue. No?
Oh and sometimes its as bad as a 4 year old. When she looks at you confused to all belief and tries really hard to figure out what you did or said, Then goes on and apologises for your misktake 300 times...
Nemo14
Well-Known Member
I know there are disabilities that are not as obvious as others. I think the problem with GAC abuse comes from where do you draw the line between "physically can't wait in line" and "doesn't like to wait in line". It seems that more and more that "disability" falls into the latter category, and somehow that becomes entitlement, certainly not in every case, but in enough to make it problematic to the rest of the visitors.
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Belowthesurface
Well-Known Member
If you want your child with autism to be just like everyone and else and treated as if they are normal, DON'T GET A GAC CARD.
I always liked the people without a GAC card who complain they can't wait in line for whatever reason and get mad if you tell them to go to City Hall to discuss their disability. LAZY.
I always liked the people without a GAC card who complain they can't wait in line for whatever reason and get mad if you tell them to go to City Hall to discuss their disability. LAZY.
luv
Well-Known Member
It doesn't matter! One million times will not be enough!
My question is, "Why do people refuse to admit that the GAC is abused?" That's what I can't figure out.
StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Are you saying that people with disabilities can't ride thrill rides? My brother gets on thrill rides ALL OF THE TIME! And he has autism. He rides the big stuff at Hershey. I saw a little girl who had some "defects". Her hands were formed at the elbow (and she did validly need the card as far as I could tell) and she was getting on Space Mountain. She got off and seemed excited about it. And I was wondering if she would need assistance with the restraint, but nope! Guess I should have known better. Now she might not be able to ride Rock 'n Roller Coaster or other rides with the overhead restraints
Also, if the disabilities are "unobservable", then how can you say for certain that no disability exists? And how can you say that the number is as high as half if you can't observe the disabilities?
I'm not saying that abuse isn't there. With every system there will be abuse. I just don't think that there's as much abuse as it is made out to be.
StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
I disagree. I've worked with a GAC in both resorts this summer. I noticed more people in line at DL who I could not identify the disability (that's not to say that there wasn't one there) than at WDW. At WDW, pretty much everyone who came through the GAC had some disability that I could figure out after a few minutes. There was a fairly obvious case of attempted abuse where someone in a wheelchair tried to go through the FP line of TSM. At TSM, however, wheelchairs can wait in the regular line and go through a wheelchair entrance. When I looked more closely, the person in the wheelchair did not appear injured, and it was a Disney-rented wheelchair. I have a feeling it was a ruse, but I can't say for certain.
StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
I'm entitled to disagree with these people as my being a guest and working with a GAC does not make my opinion invalid. And while I respect the opinion of these CMs, I have to wonder how many of them are around kids with disabilities and are qualified to judge whether they are abusing it.
Now as far as GR CMs, I'm sure they see more attempted abuse than I do. But I'm referring more to those who actually get a GAC, not to those that attempt and fail to get one.
Still have not had an answer to my question. Why does anyone, no matter disability, get to have unlimited access through Fastpass entrance? If you have a disability, what is wrong with giving you a stamped card with the current wait time and returning later?(you should be allowed one at a time) If this does not work, do you use Fastpass?
I paid for my vacation just like everyone else. Why should I have a lessor experience than someone who gets a GAC? I just spent 7 days the first week of August and did not get to ride everything I wanted. That was my first time going in the summer peak season as I had to move my vacation due to "extreme weather". I never noticed the large number of GAC's until this trip. The best was the family who cut in front of me at Buzz. Young son asks mom for the "Fastpass" while everyone sat waiting for the line to move(Buzz was temp closed). Mom hands the kid a GAC.
I paid for my vacation just like everyone else. Why should I have a lessor experience than someone who gets a GAC? I just spent 7 days the first week of August and did not get to ride everything I wanted. That was my first time going in the summer peak season as I had to move my vacation due to "extreme weather". I never noticed the large number of GAC's until this trip. The best was the family who cut in front of me at Buzz. Young son asks mom for the "Fastpass" while everyone sat waiting for the line to move(Buzz was temp closed). Mom hands the kid a GAC.
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