GAC Question

[gigi1313]

my 7yo son is ADD & SID... he can sometimes tolerate a wait in line but sometimes it melts him down beyond repair... what is the criteria for a GAC? i'm just not sure we're "worthy" and don't want to take advantage, and until i read this board thereby discovering GACs, i was figuring that we'd have to minimize our touring plan and skip a few things that would interest us, just to accomodate him...

if i apply for one when we get there, what can i expect? will it reduce wait time or just allow for a better waiting location? (one would help, the other might not make a difference, he's got impulse control issues also and oftentimes needs "immediate" gratification)

his "disability" is truly not apparent, but i do have medical paper work which would "prove" it if necessary... he was originally thought to be high-functioning autism, but later determined to be SID w/ADD...

i'm very on the fence about this...

 

[SueM in MN]

The Guest Assistance Card (GAC) is not meant to (and usually won't) eliminate or shorten your wait in line.
What it is meant to do is be a tool for CMs to know what sorts of special assistance people with invisible disabilities need in order to not have problems. The excat "criteria" they use for determining who gets a GAC is not published (for good reason - if it was, it would be easier for people without disabilities to "meet" the criteria). What you do need to be able to do is expalin your child's behavior and what sorts of assistance you need.
This website might be very helpful to you. The webmistress has gathered a lot of information about helping sensitive kids and those with autism handle the parks.
My own DD has multiple disabilities that impact on her ability to wait in line. We do get a GAC, but find that we usually don't use it more than once or twice a day (and the past few years we have been going during Spring break, when it's really busy). If you go during the non-peak times, you will encounter shorter waits and smaller crowds. (One hint of when to know what are peak times is to look at the price for rooms. The more expensive they are, the busier it is). Also, if you are able to get to the park early in the morning, you can see a lot before the park gets busy. DH and I went on an adult only trip last July. By going early one morning, we were able to see everything in Fantasyland except Dumbo and the Caroussel (I don't do well on things that go in circles), Haunted Mansion and the Riverboat before 11am without rushing or using fastpass. Fastpass is also a good option for you. It's available to anyone at no extra cost, and with it you get a return time to come back to the ride. When you return, the wait will be 10 minutes or less.

Also, many rides have long lines at certain times of the day (for example, Spaceship Earth in Epcot and the Safari at AK). If you come back later in the day, there may be little (or even NO) wait. There is a "Information/Status Board" at each park. The CMs watch the wait times at those and can give you lots of good info about what to go to with little or no wait.

When we went this March, we had along my nephew who has ADD and some other mild autism-like problems. We found he was able to wait really well in lines for things he wanted to go on. The places he had meltdowns (sitting on the floor and basically making a nuisance of himself) were things he was not all that interested in. By including him in the planning and alternating things he wanted to go on with things he wasn't interested in, we were able to get by quite well.

 

[gigi1313]

thanks for your feedback... and that webpage, i will give it a look...

we will be going at low attendance time, the only time we're willing to go given ds' issues... aug 30-sep 6, hoping to do early mornings in the parks and naps/pool time during midday and then back to the parks for dinner and a few last rides...

it's funny that you mention fantasyland... we plan to do that area first thing w/a 10:30 ps for crt, leaving the rest of the mk for another day/evening...

we also plan to take full advantage of fastpasses, although i am sure we'll have a problem walking by an attraction/ride that ds wants to ride (i.e. buzz lightyear... it's all he talks about when he thinks of wdw although it's been nearly 3 yrs since we were there last!)

anyway... thanks for your input, i truly appreciate it!

 

[SueM in MN]

although i am sure we'll have a problem walking by an attraction/ride that ds wants to ride (i.e. buzz lightyear... it's all he talks about when he thinks of wdw although it's been nearly 3 yrs since we were there last!)

One thing you might not be aware of is that you could send someone else in your party to fetch fastpasses. All they need is your park passes.
Also, since you have visited before, yyou might have at least some idea of where things are. With a park map, you can plan a route to places you are going that helps you avoid walking past things you don't want your DS to go on yet.

 

[Selket]

Although perhaps not helpful for you this trip I'm wondering if going during the summer months when "eride" nights are offered would allow your son to experience rides with minimum wait times. I know we rode Buzz Lightyear last August with no waits. Eride nights are generally late at night (10pm-1am) and are a separate admission and you have to be staying on property to buy the ticket. This summer many of the Fantasyland rides are open - nice for kids if they can stay up that late - LOL! Eride nights make going in the summer worth it as we love doing our favorite MK rides with little to no wait.

Something to consider for the future perhaps. Have a great trip!