Just got back - great trip!

[littlesuitcase]

Hi everyone - thought I would let you all know we had a great trip. We stayed at POP and had a top floor room facing the lake - for the most part it was quiet and I am sure that made a difference for him. We did have the special card for him but only used it once - leaving Beauty and the Beast - the crowd was too big and it would have been overwhelming. The rest of the time we used fast pass or the lines were short we walked onto the ride/shows. I am sure it would have been different if we visited during a busy season.

We didn't end up going to the light shows - we say Wishes from our table at Ohana and the kids were so tired every night that we couldn't swing the show at MGM. THe crowds would have been too much afterwards. If we had gone I am sure I would have used the card to avoid the crowded line - even having to wait it would have been less overwhelming.

We had each day planned as much as possible so we could let him know what was coming next and when something was too busy we passed and came back or just missed it. We stayed tuned in to the kids especially our son - we saw so many kids getting dragged around and you could tell they just needed some time to regroup. Our early starts had a lot to do with our success I think.

We loved POP - we love retro - but the bus rides were too much for all of us especially our son. I found we lost a lot of holiday time. I would rather pay more and stay closer - if were were at the Contemporary we could have walked back for a swim and rest without a long bus wait and ride. But even so - we had a great holiday and really want to go back again.

Thanks again for all of your tips and advice - it made the trip very magical.

Helen

 

[mommie2angels]

I am so glad your trip went good. Thanks so much for taking the time to share it with us.

 

[dbal]

Hi littlesuitcase-


I'm so glad you had a great time. Could you explain a little more about the trouble you had w/ the busses. We have always rented a car, which is great. But this trip we are debating whether to take advantage of the magical express shuttle feature wdw is offering. I never thought about how the busses & wait times for them would affect our dd.

Thanks
Deb

 

[riu girl]

Helen - Welcome back. Glad you had a great time. Can you (or anyone else) tell me about using the GAC at Beauty and the Beast? We have never been to MGM but plan on it our next WDW holiday. At MGM this show would be a "if possible must see" for us and I was just wondering what the beginning to end procedure was for GAC users.

Any info. would be greatly appreciated.

Suzy V.

 

[SueM in MN]

Glad to hear you had a good time.
I don't quite understand the reference about using the GAC at Beauty and the Beast (? to leave Beauty and the Beast after it was over?). It is a big outdoor auditorium. We usually just stay put until the crowd clears, so I'm not sure what the GAC would do after the show.
I do know that we have seen people who are using GACs, but don't have wheelchairs in the area where people with wheelchairs are seated. I'd assume they just showed their GAC to the CM.
If you have any questions about how things work while in the parks, a good place to get info is the Information Board. There is one in each park, near the entrance (they are marked on the map with a big i). The CMs there are very knowledgable about the different attractions and how things work. Since they are the "timewatchers" they also have info on when different things are likely to be busy or not. The CMs at Guest Relations are also helpful, but usually very busy. The ones at the Information Boards are usually not busy and are happy to help someone out.

 

[littlesuitcase]

Hi again everyone - just to clarify - we did not use the GAC to get into Beauty and the Beast - we just happened to get lucky and walk right in moments before the show started. The seating available happened to be in the wheelchair accessable section. When we went to leave we were able to leave via the bottom of the stairs where their is a ramp that goes around and out. It really only meant that we did not have to sit and wait (like we did at Lion King) for everyone to leave - or stand waiting.

I would ask about attending shows when you get the GAC. One CM told me you have to arrive 30 minutes early to use the GAC - I think it may be because they use the left over seats for anyone attending. Also to make it easier. For us though we either walked on or missed events. My son just can't sit for that long in a crowd of noisy people. The only time we really "waited" was for the evening parade at MK and I brough the gameboy - he didn't even notice anyone around him but I also made sure he had "his space" until the parade started. After that my husband held him as he sat on the top of the garbage can and it worked well. After seeing those crowds we passed on the MGM, Epcot and MK fireworks - but thinking back I wonder if we could have used the GAC to access a less crazy area or something like that. If anyone knows please let me know for our next visit. We did get to see wishes from Ohana which was really nice but I would have loved to see it up close.

Helen