used both universals new gac and disney`s during the worst crowd week ever

[Coonhound]

My wife has bipolar disorder and depending on how she is, we don't get a full day in the parks. (She never has tried to get any type of accommodation) But, because she can't always handle a full day, should we get discounted tickets? No!
When you go to Disney, you buy a ticket, and however long you can stay is how long you stay-Every family is different and has different needs and stays for whatever amount of time works for them.

Some families have no disabilities but perhaps are traveling with grandma who moves slower and therefore means they get to do less activities, or perhaps a family with young children who have zero disabilities but just due to being so young they must go back to the hotel and rest a while, etc

People have various reasons for not staying all day, it doesn't mean they should so somehow be bumped up to the front so they can still "get their money's worth" of rides for the day.

You go to Disney, you do what you can do, and you stop when you need to.
Disney does not need to plan for you to make sure you get to accomplish 6 hours worth of activities in a 3 hour time frame.
I've never heard anything so silly.

 

[Lucky4me]

I am so glad you had a great time at Universal. I love it there too!

Afa the DAS, it's going to take some getting used to, no doubt. FOTL for every ride, vs one FOTL ride every few hours is a hard pill to swallow. It had to be hard, especially being there the busiest two weeks of the year (possibly ever, according to all the news!) That's the best advice you have given here- Don't go during peak season!

Disney really had no choice but to change their disabled guest assistance policy. People think it's due to abuse. But I believe larger attendance numbers without adding additional rides/lands was an issue as well. Probably a bigger reason than GAC abuse. I believe the majority used GAC exactly as it was intended to be used.

My family has gone to Disney with a host of disabilities/issues. Severe Autism, adhd, OCD, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, arthritic knees, new knees, (they still hurt when they're healing) and after treatment for brain cancer. Waiting in long lines was never, and will never, be an option.

We were our own advocates. We went off season. We got there at rope drop. We took breaks. Used fastpass. We didn't try to see it all. Sometimes we were in the park only two hours. I guess I don't understand the mentality of- Disney has to bend to make it easier on us. We never felt the need for guest assistance. They already made it easy to plan around our issues.

The ADA was created to equal the playing field, not to give preferential treatment. I am glad Disney is so helpful to people who need the help, but I'm extremely thankful we didn't. We felt much more like a "normal" family that way.

 

[infopurposesonly]

I am so glad you had a great time at Universal. I love it there too!

Afa the DAS, it's going to take some getting used to, no doubt. FOTL for every ride, vs one FOTL ride every few hours is a hard pill to swallow. It had to be hard, especially being there the busiest two weeks of the year (possibly ever, according to all the news!) That's the best advice you have given here- Don't go during peak season!

Disney really had no choice but to change their disabled guest assistance policy. People think it's due to abuse. But I believe larger attendance numbers without adding additional rides/lands was an issue as well. Probably a bigger reason than GAC abuse. I believe the majority used GAC exactly as it was intended to be used.

My family has gone to Disney with a host of disabilities/issues. Severe Autism, adhd, OCD, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, arthritic knees, new knees, (they still hurt when they're healing) and after treatment for brain cancer. Waiting in long lines was never, and will never, be an option.

We were our own advocates. We went off season. We got there at rope drop. We took breaks. Used fastpass. We didn't try to see it all. Sometimes we were in the park only two hours. I guess I don't understand the mentality of- Disney has to bend to make it easier on us. We never felt the need for guest assistance. They already made it easy to plan around our issues.

The ADA was created to equal the playing field, not to give preferential treatment. I am glad Disney is so helpful to people who need the help, but I'm extremely thankful we didn't. We felt much more like a "normal" family that way.

Why are people still under the impression that the GAC gave FOTL access? We NEVER had FOTL access at any time.

 

[mom to minnie&mickey]

I have to totally disagree with you because we pay the same price. If there was an option to pay less because we can't experience what you and your family can then I would agree. Disabled accommodation is clearly defined in ada laws. I suggest you look it up to understand this more because clearly you are misunderstanding.

With the new DAS you can experience the same amount of rides as a non disabled family in a given time and probably even more if you so wished as your family would not be confined to a long, slow moving line! If our 2 families arrived at the same time and you got a DAS and we went standby on Buzz whatever the wait time we would both be riding at around the same time. Repeat for the next ride and so on.
As for paying less that argument is ridiculous! How would Disney know how long you were there and what attractions you enjoyed? Were you willing to pay more when GAC existed and you were able to enjoy many more rides in a given time than a non-disabled family because you just simply entered the fp line and flashed your card? I didn't think so! Disney is abiding with every law regarding the disabled and they go above and beyond to help. Wanting more is just pure greed!

 

[Piper]

Why are people still under the impression that the GAC gave FOTL access? We NEVER had FOTL access at any time.

Neither did I.

 

[WantToGoNow]

Neither did I.

Maybe not FOTL but very short. It was seldom that we ever had a wait of 10 mins.

 

[mom to minnie&mickey]

Why are people still under the impression that the GAC gave FOTL access? We NEVER had FOTL access at any time.

As many people here on the DIS will confirm, yes it did. It was never meant to but that is what the GAC evolved into. Hence the abuse and that is why there is such a huge outcry now like the OP because that big privilege is gone and a more fair accommodation is in place.

 

[Gracie09]

Why are people still under the impression that the GAC gave FOTL access? We NEVER had FOTL access at any time.

If the line to toy story is 90 minutes and you get to use the fast pass line which is ten minutes it's as close to front of the line access as possible. And then you can loop the ride or go to another ride with a long wait and use the fast pass line again by passing the wait

 

[infopurposesonly]

Maybe not FOTL but very short. It was seldom that we ever had a wait of 10 mins.

I must have been doing something wrong.

 

[bedogged]

If the line to toy story is 90 minutes and you get to use the fast pass line which is ten minutes it's as close to front of the line access as possible. And then you can loop the ride or go to another ride with a long wait and use the fast pass line again by passing the wait

But then you have to wait for those people who need the handicapped vehicles. I personally have waited over half an hour in the handicapped line alone, not counting the rest of the line.

I never ever received FOTL access.

 

[aaarcher86]

If you needed an accessible vehicle that wouldn't apply to you. Anyone not needing one went straight into the FP line with a significantly decreased wait. FOTL is not meant literally.

The DAS does not solve handicap vehicle waits and I do hope they change that.

 

[Talking Hands]

Why are people still under the impression that the GAC gave FOTL access? We NEVER had FOTL access at any time.

I agree with you. I never got FOTL access with GAC and I don't get it with DAS. What I do get is being in a line that is less crowded and easier to maneuver my power wheelchair after I have waited the allotted wait time. I am able to avoid running over your feet, getting pushed into walls and thrown from my wheelchair when you decide to slip in front of my wheelchair, hitting the controller and causing loss of control of the wheelchair. I avoid a meltdown when people press in on me and the wheelchair and the pain from people hitting the wheelchair. Unfortunately Fastpass + doesn't work for me because I don't get the schedule for sign language until a week before I arrive so am unable to schedule times in advance plus random times do me no good. I need times that will fit between the interpreted shows.
WE went from Dec 28-Jan 1 not expecting to ride any rides and just do interpreted shows and see Candlelight Processional. WE knew it would be super crowded. You do what you can and leave the rest for the next visit.

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

We went to wdw Thanksgiving week and the DAS rocked. We would not have been able to ride Toy story twice (once w fp+ and once w DAS) and Aerosmith twice (both w DAS) because the standby waits for both were 2 hours and my daughter would have had an anxiety attack waiting in a line that long. Instead we got to walk around and do other other things instead of being in a line.

 

[bobbie68]

OP thank you for posting your experience. I thought what you wrote was clear and I understood it. It amazes me how people turn a thread into something else.

Anyway, I also have to say I have been going to Disney for many years now and I have gotten a GAC in the past for my daughter. I never have gotten at the front of the line. I was given a return time and entered the fast pass line. When I entered the fast pass lane I moved right along with everybody else.

Have a great day!

 

[MagicalFun]

OP thank you for posting your experience. I thought what you wrote was clear and I understood it. It amazes me how people turn a thread into something else.

I agree! Thank you for writing about your experience!

 

[disneydenisel]

Another huge thank you to the OP for posting your family's experience at WDW and Universal. We just returned from a 10-night stay at WDW and the DAS did not work well for us and our daughter had severe meltdowns every day , which is a first for us out of six trips to WDW with her. Even with the potential for FP+ selections (did not work well for us to be at a certain place at a certain time with her in a certain good mood) we did not have a good experience. For our first three visits (2005, 2006 and 2008), even though she only went on one attraction each year, we had a better and more relaxed time than we did this year, because with the GAC we had it available *if* she was able to go on an attraction, and we didn't have to get a potential return time for an attraction that she would not want to return to after two hours of doing something else. By the way, the return time for Peter Pan was 150 minutes, and other attractions were 105-120 minutes...

It's concerning, as I am now forced to think about whether Disney will ever be a place for us to vacation again, or will it go the way of the public restaurants which can't accommodate gluten and casein-free diets, or the public schools that can't educate her in the way that she learns.

It's not Disney's responsibility to help us EVER, but it is my responsibility to look at the current DAS situation and decide whether it would ever work in the future. We also planned our trip 11 months in advance, and booked the airfare a month before the death of the GAC. It was too late to cancel everything, so we went, knowing that it could be difficult.

Our first clue was when the EPCOT Guest Relations agreed to issue a DAS but could not because the printer was down. Our choice, after waiting about 45 minutes, was to walk to the other Guest Relations at the other EPCOT gate, or to go to Hollywood Studios to get it printed. When we got to Hollywood Studios, the line was very long so we didn't get the card until we left the park.

I have also learned that we will never go back, if ever, during a busy time. But this was the only time off my husband had 11 months in advance, so that was what we had to work with.

 

[Sparkly]

Another huge thank you to the OP for posting your family's experience at WDW and Universal. We just returned from a 10-night stay at WDW and the DAS did not work well for us and our daughter had severe meltdowns every day , which is a first for us out of six trips to WDW with her. Even with the potential for FP+ selections (did not work well for us to be at a certain place at a certain time with her in a certain good mood) we did not have a good experience. For our first three visits (2005, 2006 and 2008), even though she only went on one attraction each year, we had a better and more relaxed time than we did this year, because with the GAC we had it available *if* she was able to go on an attraction, and we didn't have to get a potential return time for an attraction that she would not want to return to after two hours of doing something else. By the way, the return time for Peter Pan was 150 minutes, and other attractions were 105-120 minutes...

It's concerning, as I am now forced to think about whether Disney will ever be a place for us to vacation again, or will it go the way of the public restaurants which can't accommodate gluten and casein-free diets, or the public schools that can't educate her in the way that she learns.

It's not Disney's responsibility to help us EVER, but it is my responsibility to look at the current DAS situation and decide whether it would ever work in the future. We also planned our trip 11 months in advance, and booked the airfare a month before the death of the GAC. It was too late to cancel everything, so we went, knowing that it could be difficult.

Our first clue was when the EPCOT Guest Relations agreed to issue a DAS but could not because the printer was down. Our choice, after waiting about 45 minutes, was to walk to the other Guest Relations at the other EPCOT gate, or to go to Hollywood Studios to get it printed. When we got to Hollywood Studios, the line was very long so we didn't get the card until we left the park.

I have also learned that we will never go back, if ever, during a busy time. But this was the only time off my husband had 11 months in advance, so that was what we had to work with.

Because you went at Christmas time! The most crowded time of the year! Are you really so surprised you didn't get to do much? Nobody really does. Go again in a off peak time and try the system again?

 

[disneydenisel]

Because you went at Christmas time! The most crowded time of the year! Are you really so surprised you didn't get to do much? Nobody really does. Go again in a off peak time and try the system again?

Absolutely. If we go back again, of course we won't go during Christmas. Of course we knew it would be busy. I NEVER said that we didn't get to do much, did I?! I never said I was surprised that it was difficult. I said that my daughter had meltdowns every day and had never had them at the parks before with the GAC.

 

[Disneylvr]

Absolutely. If we go back again, of course we won't go during Christmas. Of course we knew it would be busy. I NEVER said that we didn't get to do much, did I?! I never said I was surprised that it was difficult. I said that my daughter had meltdowns every day and had never had them at the parks before with the GAC.

I have never gone Christmas week but due to work & schools schedules and my available vacation time off we are restricted to going during busier times of year like spring break, Memorial Day week, etc. it has always worked out well but reports like yours and other has me trying to decide if WDW is going to work out for our family vacations anymore. With our DD it will be difficult to plan out every day (rides) in advance. Sue mentioned that she wad able to change FP+ times same day but would that even be possible to do during busier times especially once FP+ is available to everyone? I still haven't booked our
May vacation because of our concerns.

 

[wheels on fire]

Can I ask how it works if the only accomidation you need is wheelchair access me and my son can wait but obviously need accessible line

So would we be penalised at wdw or us would if count as a timed thing if no wheelchair access in normal linesand accept we need wait bit longer often for wheelchair access carts on rides that have them so almost a double wait for us but compared to uk where not theme parks accessible its a no brainer its orlando for us

Just want it clear in my head how works for wheelchair users so can plan the holiday will probably pay for express passes at US/IoA