As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
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There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
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Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
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To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
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If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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We just returned from Universal Studios last week and after the feedback I received about how difficult it is to obtain any kind of guest assistance card, I thought I'd share our experience.
We arrived at US and went directly to Guest Services inside the park. I had my son with me who uses forearm crutches to walk long distances. I explained to the US employee that Disney issues us a pass like this (I pulled out my previous Disney pass which states that our party may use an alternate entrance or Fast Pass entrance). She said, 'no problem. Seeing this helps. How many in your party?" I told her six and she proceeeded to print us six individual Universal Express passes which gave us unlimited front of line access for all attractions. They could not have been nicer. I think it must depend on who is working that day but we had absolutely no problems and since it was spring break time, it certainly made our visit much more tolerable and enjoyable.
The people who I have heard have problems at Universal are people like my daughter. She uses a wheelchair, but also has a number of other special needs that are not accomidated by just having accessible lines.
We have not been to Universal in many years, but the reason we stopped going was that they said (several CMs and on several trips) that since she had a wheelchair, she did not need any other accomidation because "All our lines are accessible and meet ADA guidelines. That is all we are required to provide."
We told them that we did not expect to avoid waits in line, but just wanted to see if she and my husband could wait somewhere out of the heat and sun - even if the rest of our party went thru the line. They just kept repeating the "all our lines are accessible.....".
On another board, I have heard reports of people recently having the same situation as we had. The people who had problems also had wheelchairs + other needs and got the same "you have been accomidated just because our lines are accessible" message that we did. I have heard it enough times from different people over the years that I think the CMs see the wheelchair and don't see the other needs.
On the hand, I have heard of people with situations similar to the OP here, and people who had children with autism who had the same experience as the OP - they felt they were treated very well.
Also, the Universal "Rider's Guide" is excellent. It gives very specific information about the attractions and what types of abilities are needed to experience it. You can download a copy from their website.
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We will be visiting the new Harry Potter Exhibit at Universal for one day this summer and I bought my tickets, but was very alarmed to see that people actually buy express passes. If I show them a pediatricians diagnosis of autism, are we able to receive any assistance like we do at Disney? Do I have to show them the GAC that Disney issues us as well?
Thank you
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Wilderness Lodge August 20-25, 2011
Disney Dream Stateroom 10098 August 25- September 1, 2011
Wilderness Lodge September 1-4, 2011
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Anyone who chooses to pay for one and Anyone in their hotel can get the front of the line pass - this means their "special assistance" pass line can sometimes be quite lone and the people working there will not know that a person may need assistance by looking at a GAC type thing...
I have heard many things like what Sue said, which is why I can never go there. I cannot be in the sun for very long and have needs other than needing my wheelchair - mostly just waiting somewhere cool and in the shade is enough...
me, i think i will just stick with disney - neither my wife nor i can ride most thrill rides or roller coasters, so i prefer disney anyway!
We went to Universal a few years ago, & I was not impresses one bit
with the way I was treated in a wheelchair
All the ECV's were gone or broken first thing in the day, We even had to trade back the first wheelchair because it was messed up.
I was pushed & trampled in some of the attractions & just gave up on going into some of them. We will stick to WDW...
I have heard many things like what Sue said, which is why I can never go there. I cannot be in the sun for very long and have needs other than needing my wheelchair - mostly just waiting somewhere cool and in the shade is enough...
me, i think i will just stick with disney - neither my wife nor i can ride most thrill rides or roller coasters, so i prefer disney anyway!
Disney really makes an effort to keep the waiting areas shaded, interesting, and cool for EVERYONE. I love that because you often don't need any special accommodations at all to enjoy the day. It is the walking from place to place that will get you, though!
The only time we have been offered any kind of special assistance while at US or IOA is when my son was on a Make-A-Wish trip and he had his special button. that trip was fantastic! Other than that, even though I have 2 children in adult travel chairs/strollers, when we ask about a GAC or something similar, we are given the "all rides and ride access areas are handicapped accessible and use the same line". We might try IOA in October to see HP during the mid-week and hopefully the crowds will be done by then. Won't attempt it in August, though.
Wait! Don't give up on Universal because of that....I'm sitting here thinking about the lines and from what I can picture in my mind, almost all of the lines there ARE indeed either in the shade with fans and misters, OR indoors! The ride lines that I can remember for sure having cover are these:
UNIVERSAL:
Terminator 3D -indoors
Shreck- covered
Jimmy Neutron- covered
The Mummy- indoors
Disaster- covered
Jaws- covered
Men In Black- covered and indoors
The Simpsons- covered and indoors
ET- both
Cant remember about the new coaster...it was closed
IOA
The Hulk- covered
Spiderman- Indoors
Dr Dooms Fearfall- indoors
Storm accelarator- covered I think
Duddly doright log flume- indoors
Jurasic park- covered
Poisidons fury- mostly indoors i think
Cat in the Hat- indoors
Circus Train thing-covered
Dualing dragons- indoors
Wow...honestly that is pretty much all that we ride there, and it's all inside. If you go in the winter months like I do, there would be no issue at all. I can't take the heat at all!!! So I would surely recomend going and enjoying yourself. It's well worth the visit and there will be lots you can do.
Unfortunately for us, we just do not do most thrill rides. We cannot do anything in 3D (in disney the only 3d things we do are TSM, philharmagic, and muppets, and we do not do the glasses for the last two, we just listen). Due to my wife's vision problem she cannot see in 3D, and it just makes me motion sick.
I cannot do too many rides which jerk me around, my wife cannot ride things that go upside down (she passes out if she does - she has a blood pressure thing)... I just don't like things with big drops or freefalls (just plain old motion sickness).
Really Universal just does not have much that I would enjoy. We spend a lot of time in fantasyland and watching street shows.
Maybe one day if we have kids, especially boys, who want to go, fine, but I am sticking with disney! I have heard very few good comments about navigating in wheelchairs at Universal....
Well, I guess that would narrow most parks down to little or nothin'. lol Oh well.
Yeah, I love disney for the shows and dark rides, not so much for the thrills - my sister and father LOVED the coasters at Universal though!
My mother cannot ride anything that goes fast or spins either (inner ear problems leading to severe motion sickness), not even the Carousel, so my family is used to looking for things that don't spin you around by your ankles!
It's odd, too, how different things can bother people differently.
DH has a very sensitive stomach; he felt a bit queasy on the Friendship from Epcot to DHS even!
I have the world's original cast-iron stomach except for heights, but I found the 3-D Muppet experience unsettling at a few points. Sure didn't expect that to make me feel mildly nauseous! I'm guessing my eyeglass prescription and the 3-D lenses didn't like each other very much.
DH, on the other hand, had no problem and loved the show. Go figger!
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Would ADHD be grounds for a GAC at Universal? My daughter has real issues with patience when she gets really excited. I can deal with her as can our family but I know others around us get very annoyed. We do have an official diagnosis I could take to show. Disney never wants to see it and gives us the card with no problem.
Does anyone have any more current updates on a GAC-type card at Universal? We are just going to be doing the Harry Potter area and Islands of Adventure on one day in December during our WDW trip. I never have any problem getting a GAC at Disney parks, but am totally unfamiliar with anyplace else. Thanks!
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