have they changed the way the GAC card works? - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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I wondered if anyone had information of any policy changes in the way the GAC card is handled ? My son is autistic and the GAC card is very useful for us. However, from reading articles online I am beginning to get very nervous about our upcoming trip( we leave on Monday). Its much easier for my son if I can know what to expect ahead of time so I can try to plan around challenges. We are getting to use the new magic bands which has allowed me to pre plan some activities. However I'm not sure how helpful that is to us (we were picked last September to be a part of the test, and he became so fixated on the fish tank at Epcot we spent 6 hours in front of it and missed our spectro magic and wishes fast passes that I had been so excited to reserve).
Thank you for any information! When I have questions I always ask here because everyone is so friendly and helpful
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As far as I know, nothing has changed. Being the mom of an autistic son myself I totally get where you're coming from. We honestly couldn't do WDW without the GAC. I laughed when I read about the fish tank. We have spent a good deal of time standing at the bottom of Splash Mountain so my DS can hear the people scream as they plummet down the flume.
We were just there in April and the only place we noticed a change was at Haunted Mansion. However, I think my mom being in an ECV affected where they sent us. Our GAC said "alternate entrance" and was for my DS with autism but I think they just saw the ECV and thought it was for my mom and sent us through the regular queue (it is now wheelchair/ECV accessible). When we left the stretching room, they took us back outside to park the ECV. This caused a huge meltdown with my son, because he thought we weren't going on the ride. It took us about 20 minutes to calm him down and they even had to take a group in before us and come back for us. Had I known that was going to happen, I would have been able to prepare him.
Other than that nothing seemed any different to us.
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I wondered if anyone had information of any policy changes in the way the GAC card is handled ? My son is autistic and the GAC card is very useful for us. However, from reading articles online I am beginning to get very nervous about our upcoming trip( we leave on Monday). Its much easier for my son if I can know what to expect ahead of time so I can try to plan around challenges. We are getting to use the new magic bands which has allowed me to pre plan some activities. However I'm not sure how helpful that is to us (we were picked last September to be a part of the test, and he became so fixated on the fish tank at Epcot we spent 6 hours in front of it and missed our spectro magic and wishes fast passes that I had been so excited to reserve).
Thank you for any information! When I have questions I always ask here because everyone is so friendly and helpful
Hi there! Information about the GAC changes quickly, and, it seems, is sometimes dependent on the cast member you're dealing with. Here's a link to some information I just wrote. I'm honestly not even sure if the GAC info still applies, but there is other information to help you with some of your son's needs.
1)There are very many rumors about GACs at WDW and Disneyland, but no actual news.
Rumors tend to pop up every 6 months to a year anyway, but have been more recent because of news about RFID cards, Magicbands and problems with GACs.
2) Fastpass Plus and Magicbands are currently still in testing phases, so how it is working at this point, either alone or combined with a GAC, may not be how things work once Fastpass Plus/Magicbands are totally implemented.
3) GAC (Guest Assistance Cards) are not going away, but the program is being revised, according to what I have heard from Guest Relations Cast Members.
4) The target date for rolling out the changed program was reportedly August 1, but as been pushed further into the future - some sources now say October 2013. In preparation for this, GACs for Annual Passholders started in June to be dated for no more than 2 weeks - previously, they were sometimes dated for as long as 3-6 months.
5) One of the changes coming up a lot in rumors is giving some sort of a return ticket, based on the current wait time at the attraction.
A similar system is currently in use at Universal. If the current wait is short (less than 30 minutes) guests with disabilities may be brought into the attraction through the Express Pass line (this is Universal's version of Fastpass).
If the current wait is longer at Universal, a return pass ticket is given for a time similar to the wait time. (This is how Universal is reportedly working at the time of this writing)
6) Although many people have not ever received a 'return time ticket' at Disney World or Disneyland, they have been an option. They are currently in use at some attractions at Disneyland, particularly in The Cars area.
My family has personally gotten a return time ticket at WDW on several attractions, so they are not new.
This is one of the rumors that is most likely to be part of the revised GAC program.
7) Although RFID enabled GACs or GAC information encoded onto passes or Magicbands is possible at some time in the future, it is not likely to happen soon.
The RFID/Fastpass Plus program is in the testing phases at this time (August 2013) and is not ready for full roll out at WDW.
Fastpass Plus and RFID cards/Magicbands have not begun testing at Disneyland yet.
8) Disney does not have anything official published currently about GACs, either in print or on their website. The only information about GACs present on the Disney website has been on the Disney Mom's panel. The information there was often incorrect and the disclaimer on the page indicates that Disney takes no responsibility for correctness or completeness of the answers.
I had a problem at Haunted Mansion this last trip. I was not on an ECV this trip but had a GAC for shaded wait and alternate entrance. I showed my GAC and they sent me through the regular line (through the interactive queue). She said "there is no alternate entrance". My immune system is suppressed and I can't be in the stretch room. Then we got pushed up against the door for the stretch room. When the CM came I was emphatic that I could NOT do the stretch room. She told me to go in and wait by the rear right wall. So, I go in and am once again shoved against the wall. She FINALLY came and opened the door and we went to the ride the back way. I was so freaked out about being in such close contact with people. I travel at slower travel times to avoid crowds as much as possible. I am not sure how to express my need next time from the get go. I am so submissive that I have trouble speaking up unless I have to (as I was at the stretch room).
Other than this and Star Tours, I have never had any issues with the GAC.
I will warn those though that GAC through the fastpass line at TSM will most likely mean a longer wait. I didn't have a problem with that because there was lots of space and no one crowding me. I leaned against the wall to alleviate the strain on my legs and was fine waiting. Just letting people know it probably means a longer wait.
__________________
Sandi
mom of 6: dd25, ds22, dd17, ds13, dd12, and dd9
mawmaw to 3 beautiful granddaughters: 5, 3, 1 and #4 due in February
16 trips to WDW
Wow! Thanks to everyone who took the time to offer information and help, it is always comforting to find others facing similar challenges. As long as the system isn't drastically different from last year we should be okay. I just grew concerned thinking that they may discontinue the system all together. That would pretty much limit our ability to Disney at all. My son can wait, however while he waits he paces in circles flapping his hands and making excited noises. That makes traditional lines not a doable option for us or those around us.
Thanks again for all the help!
Welcome to our forum
As mentioned above, too many rumors going around with no facts to back them up.
I also think GACs for us on wheels will be very different that one you may have because they all serve different purposes..
Speaking of Haunted Mansion, my boyfriend has compartmental leg syndrome and can't wait in long lines. I told him we could get a GAC. But if we use it at HM, will definitely miss the stretching room? Or is there a way to just get to the front and still experience it?
Speaking of Haunted Mansion, my boyfriend has compartmental leg syndrome and can't wait in long lines. I told him we could get a GAC. But if we use it at HM, will definitely miss the stretching room? Or is there a way to just get to the front and still experience it?
As someone mentioned already, GAC's work differently for different people. For us - I have a GAC for my Autistic daughter - we were sent through the FP line and into the stretching room. After that, because my husband uses a scooter, we were sent down a small hallway to another CM who directed us to enter at the end of the ride. None of us have any problem with the strectching room so I didn't say anything. I would think you'd probably have to be very vocal if you cannot be in there.
Speaking of Haunted Mansion, my boyfriend has compartmental leg syndrome and can't wait in long lines. I told him we could get a GAC. But if we use it at HM, will definitely miss the stretching room? Or is there a way to just get to the front and still experience it?
We were just there on Monday and we were directed through the regular queue with my mom's scooter. When we were directed outside to park her scooter a family came up that were skipping the stretching room and were directed with us to the ride.
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