Is It True Disney Is Getting Rid of Guest Assistance Cards? - Page 2 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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Although keep in mind that when you call WDW, you are actually talking with someone at a call center, who may or may not give you a correct answer. There are numerous situations where people have posted about calling and asking the same question, but getting different and contradictory answers.
They would not be able to get rid of GACs because they provide some accommodations that are necessary for some people because of their disabilities. WDW would have to have some way to provide notice to CMs at attractions of what accommodations people need related to their disability. GACs are how they notify the attraction CMs of those needs.
Every time there is any change to GACs or the process, people tend to think they are being gotten rid of. I saw a post on a different forum where someone wrote that WDW was no longer giving out GACs at the Guest Relations locations outside the parks. They said they were told to go to the Guest Relations inside the park. As it turned out, the person was at Magic Kingdom when the outside the park Guest Relations was extremely busy with people picking up tickets for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. But, the person did not realize that was the reason, so posted you can’t get GACs outside the parks any more. So, it was true, but only for that occasion and others have gotten GACs there since.
Ooh, notjustamom, I see your a local - I'm from Long Island too (Levittown!)
But anyway, a car accident unfortunately, made me get diagnosed with syncope after passing out behind the wheel on the way to work, no one was hurt thank God, but it was still very scary.
I used the GAC the last time I was in Disney with my husband, but because we were there in May at an off-peak time, the standby waits weren't bad at all, so I only used it if the waits were more than an hour. My card let me use the FP line, but for Expedition Everest and Toy Story Mania, I used it since the waits were more than 60 minutes!
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To help dispel any misinformation that may be out there regarding GACs, I emailed Disney guest Relations today and asked them directly. SO far I have only gotten a form response saying that they will respond to my email within 10 days. When I get a response I will post it here.
To help dispel any misinformation that may be out there regarding GACs, I emailed Disney guest Relations today and asked them directly. SO far I have only gotten a form response saying that they will respond to my email within 10 days. When I get a response I will post it here.
We are at WDW right now and got one, so I can say they are definitely NOT discontinued (beside the things about the ADA that I posted before).
Last edited by SueM loves WDW; 04-17-2011 at 11:48 PM..
Reason: Typo - drat that autocorrect!!
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I have noticed that while GACs are still given out, the CMs are asking for more detailed explanations about why a person cannot use the regular mainstreamed line. For example, most Disneyland CMs I have heard will not accept "I cannot walk much" "I get tired easily" "I cannot stand for a long time" "I get sore/it hurts to walk."
All of these needs can be met by using a wheelchair or ECV. If a person says they cannot use a wheelchair or an ECV, they tend to ask why - Saying, "I have bad hips or a back problem so it hurts to sit for too long" is an acceptable answer.
Also, I have anxiety/autism/etc is sometimes not enough of an answer. They have never accepted only a diagnosis, but since diseases manifest in so many different ways, they want to know what YOU think will help best.
And they ALWAYS tell people who ask that there is no way to skip lines. I have even seen one person leave without a GAC!
they are still giving them out, but they are asking for more details. Even when I go to get a new one, with the old one in hand, they ask me to explain again why that stamp is important and why it works for me. They do not want medical details (I have yet to give them the name of ANY condition I have), but they do want you to explain in fair detail why a mainstream line does not work for you.
This does NOT mean they are asking for proof - I have never had them ask for a letter or anything. they take my word for it when I say "I have a sun allergy, can I have way to wait out of direct sunlight." If I said, "I cant wait in the line for Dumbo" - they would want to know why.
I have a feeling that has cut down on abuse a lot - people who do not have a ready explanation of issues (i.e. My son is autistic and cannot handle sudden loud noises - How can you help us?) may not be given a GAC. Of course, people still abuse it, but I know it helps more people than could ever abuse it!
I keep the GAC from my previous trip and show it to the CM when picking up a new one. That way I don't have to give the details again. We'll see if it works on my next trip.
I keep the GAC from my previous trip and show it to the CM when picking up a new one. That way I don't have to give the details again. We'll see if it works on my next trip.
I keep the GAC from my previous trip and show it to the CM when picking up a new one. That way I don't have to give the details again. We'll see if it works on my next trip.
I have not been to WDW in over a year, but in DL, I will say that at least half the time, they ask me for an explanation of why I have the GAC and what needs I have, even if I have the old one with me.
I have not been to WDW in over a year, but in DL, I will say that at least half the time, they ask me for an explanation of why I have the GAC and what needs I have, even if I have the old one with me.
I agree - the same thing at Disney World
The CMs are allowed, under the ADA, to ask questions that help them to determine what sort of needs you have, even if you have the old card with you.
They can't ask ( and don't want) specific medical information like a diagnosis, but do need information that will help with knowing what the person needs. For example, they do need to know if someone can't climb stairs or do moving walkways - they don't need to know if the reason is because the person has an artificial leg, a recent hip replacement, MS that affects their balance or Menier's disease. Those are not pertinent and are private. But if someone just asks for a GAC and is not able to explain their needs, they are not likely to get one. I have also seen people leave without one because the only information they gave to the CM was not helpful.
Also remember that just because they are asking questions about why you need a GAC, it might not be to try to refuse you the accommadation that the GAC allows, but rather to make sure that you are getting the proper GAC that you need. I have personally been given two separate GACs, one that had a stamp of a wheelchair, and I can't remember for the life of me what it said on it, but had a lot of weird looks from CMs when I showed it to them (one even saying...why do you have this, you aren't in a wheelchair). The usual one I get is with the two arrows that asks them to provide alternate exit. If you explain clearly and calmly what acommodations you are looking for, it will only help your trip out in the long run.
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That's our family for sure. Without a GAC for DS (autistic) there is 
no way we'd be able to do a Disney vacay.
Our last WDW trip as a family 
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