The new Guest Assistant CArd At disney

[Littlebelle]

Some of you may know that disney is getting rid of the GAC because of the fraud and abuse of it. I thought I would share PrincessMaderio's story. On how hard it is for her to go to Disney. There have been many years when she has been to ill to even go. So many of us VMKer's would take her avatar with us when we went and take pictures for her with the disney characters. Many many kids are being hurt by the new system. You make not understand. But I thought I would share.

Thank you for caring. She wrote this for this for the mouse aid forum. You may not know but Madison can only move a finger the rest of her body is paralyzed. So I find this amazing she types and plays games with the one finger she barely moves. So if you wantI you can PM me and I will send you a link to a petition that thousands are joining. We all know that Disney needs to do something to stop fraud, but they really need to re think their plan. The new plan means she will probably never get back to the park. This hurts my heart. Evening going to Disney is a big risk that could kill her because of all the germs. She loves disney so much she takes that risk. Now Disney is say all wheelchairs will go through the regular lines where possible. This puts her life in danger. WOW I am so sad for her.

http://www.mouse-aid.com/community/Spec ... fault.aspx

 

[Jude]

DUDET SHIP IT! :O

 

[Drewby]

Yeah, getting rid of GAC just because people are cheating the system doesn't seem like the right approach. The system is obviously very helpful to people like Madison. They should rework the system so that cheats and frauds aren't even a possibility.
Thanks for sharing.

 

[Breannita]

As much as i agree that people like Madison will be hurt by the new system, the only way to really stop the abuse is to require proof which Disney can't do. This new system will repel all the cheaters because it becomes a fair system. After reading about Madison though I am sure Disney will eventually extend the genie lanyard (unlimited fast pass) reserved for the Make-A-Wish kids for other cases.

 

[Ryan]

The new system (DAS) has it's pros and cons just like the GAC did. GAC allowed a lot of phonies to skip lines, but with the new system this will cut down on most phonies. Yes, it's unfortunate for people like Madison, but have they tried contacting Disney? I'm sure Disney would make certain exceptions for people who absolutely can not wait in line. I know Make-A-Wish kids are allowed to keep using something almost identical to the GAC system.

 

[relizabeth]

Yeah, getting rid of GAC just because people are cheating the system doesn't seem like the right approach. The system is obviously very helpful to people like Madison. They should rework the system so that cheats and frauds aren't even a possibility.
Thanks for sharing.

They didnt just get rid of it they are changing it. Instead you you just getting to skip the line you get a pass for how much time the line is. so if space mountain is an hour wait you get to skip the line in an hour. So now its fair to everyone

 

[neverlander]

They didnt just get rid of it they are changing it. Instead you you just getting to skip the line you get a pass for how much time the line is. so if space mountain is an hour wait you get to skip the line in an hour. So now its fair to everyone

they do this at universal studios too. it should be interesting to see how it works.

 

[LokiofSassgard]

I didn't see any rules about old threads so...

I feel for what she is going through. I have autism, which results in several delays. That means that having to acquire wait times if a line is too long is really hard. Disney should realize how much this hurts those with disabilities right now. There are too many varying disabilities to cover, and this new system can't fix that. You have people like Madison who struggle with diseases and germs... then you have people like me who can't comprehend the whole 'coming back later' routine.

Do you realize how much this hurts us? I mean, the GAC made it so much better for everyone. Why punish us for something for those that cheated the system? It feels as though that's what is happening. I once dreamed of going to Disney World or Disneyland someday, but now my anxiety and autism pretty much frightens me because of how messed up this new system is.

 

[sorsha1]

you do realize the Disney really has nothing to do with the genie lanyard. The only way to get the Genie lanyard is from the make a wish foundation. All this new system is doing is allowing you to get a wait time for the ride of your choice and riding it. I know some rides like mine most of the time has no wait time so we allow the riders just to come through without filling it out. This also lowers the wait time for wheel chair riders as well cause there have been times where I have seen 10 wheelchairs come through and they have to wait longer then the actual line cause they have to wait for a certain car. Really in all the system isn't all so bad but I understand some certain circumstances may be different. And I am speaking from the point of a Cast Member and as a person who has a family member who had a GAC card as well.

 

[Jonescrow]

I feel like Disney didn't really think this issue out. I definitely see the advantage and disadvantages to both, but there's really too many disabilities to cover for this to really work out. I'd love to hear ACECpt.RICH's view on this, considering that he worked at WDW for a while and probably knows how well the old system actually worked.

 

[ACECpt.RICH]

My brother has Down syndrome and my family has been utilizing the GAC card the last few years we have been going to WDW. We never knew about it until a CM at EPCOT mentioned it to us and we've used it ever since. If I'm correct, the current policy only applies to DLR in California, but I won't be surprised to see it extended to WDW, if it's not already being implemented.

I think there should be a change with the GAC card, but I don't agree with the way Disney has chosen to do this. To make the people who really need this service suffer at the expense of people who abuse it is an indication that the policy may not have been updated appropriately. When I worked at Thunder Mountain, I had many parties who were using GAC cards who didn't appear to need one. However, 1) not all disabilities are visible, and 2) family members who have a person/people in their party with a special need are just as in need of skipping lines as the actual person the card belongs to. From experience, my family makes sure my brother gets to do everything he wants before we even begin to think about what we would like to do. After bringing him throughout the park all day, getting access to rides quicker is a blessing. Obviously we could utilize fastpasses, but it's more convenient for us this way. I never questioned parties who had a GAC who didn't seem like they needed it because I assumed they fit the previous two points I just made.

GAC cards are irrelevant when the wait times are down which usually didn't happen until late at night or very early in the morning, at least for Thunder. When I knew a party would wait ten minutes or less I would send them through the regular queue (if they could walk) with everyone else because it really wouldn't be a significant difference in wait time. Like sorsha1 mentioned, BTM also had it's times where there was a long wheelchair line which made people wait longer because someone in the party needed a specific train to ride in.

 

[John]

The new system (DAS) has it's pros and cons just like the GAC did. GAC allowed a lot of phonies to skip lines, but with the new system this will cut down on most phonies. Yes, it's unfortunate for people like Madison, but have they tried contacting Disney? I'm sure Disney would make certain exceptions for people who absolutely can not wait in line. I know Make-A-Wish kids are allowed to keep using something almost identical to the GAC system.

I had a Disney Wish granted and I got a GAC Card. On the card there is a 5th option, other than the parks which is Give Kids The World, and allows for line skips in any park.

 

[LokiofSassgard]

I feel like Disney didn't really think this issue out. I definitely see the advantage and disadvantages to both, but there's really too many disabilities to cover for this to really work out. I'd love to hear ACECpt.RICH's view on this, considering that he worked at WDW for a while and probably knows how well the old system actually worked.

There's way too many spectrums to cover. I'm nto saying for autism either. I'm talking about all. Each one of them has a certain spectrum. You have to realize that there are people, like others have said, that invisible disabilities are indeed invisible. If you were to see me right now, you wouldn't even know I have as many issues I say I do, but I really do have them. They are usually more apparent if I'm having a bad day or something. It just depends on the situation. Disney needs to realize these spectrums and try to work with those who suffer from certain illness and conditions to come up with some sort of plan to accommodate them.

I also don't think they realize what a Cognitive disability is. I've read blogs by mom's who are actually raging because of how Disney expects them to pacify their child. Not only that but... those things work for children. They are forgetting that adults with invisible disabilities use their services too. Are you simply going to expect an adult with autism to be soothed by some toy or device? No. That's for kids. I mean sure, I do have my comfort plushies... but not when I'm melting down to the point of nearly fainting. My meltdowns are severe, and they drain my stamina. That's why it's better if those meltdowns aren't triggered. I also have poor motor coordination. I'm too big for strollers and my parents are also getting to a point where they can't keep up either. Both of them have physical limitations.

I've also read how people who can walk, but only certain distances have trouble with this because they have to come BACK to the ride. It drains their stamina a lot because it's just more walking around that most older people aren't capable of doing. Not everyone is going to use a wheelchair either. I agree that Disney didn't think this through. There are too many flaws to this new system. At least the GAC covered all disability spectrums. With the GAC, you could take breaks while waiting in line by sitting or stay out of the sun to avoid getting burned for those who can't be in the sun. It covered everything and made sure that everyone had an equal opportunity to enjoy the parks.

Now, they expect everyone to follow the same rules of coming back to the ride later, when a majority of people are incapable of doing so. It just seems like they are punishing us for something that other people were doing. How do they even know those people were cheating the system? What if those people really did have some invisible disability that can't be seen by the naked eye? Disney has no right to define someone as faking.

It's just like the handicap parking spots at Walmart or whatever. Most of the time you see people walk right in and walk right out with no problem... yet for all you know, that person could have some sort of issue that isn't seen by the naked eye. Sure, people do abuse the system, even the handicap spots... but you can't exactly prove it.