Tip for fellow "invisible disability" DISers

[OneLittleSpark]

Dragon, I think that you would probably be allowed to do a 'baby swap'. The idea of this normally is that part of the party rides, while the rest stay with the baby or toddler, then they swap and the remaining people ride. However, in your case, I can see no reason why they wouldn't allow you to go through the line with your daughter, wait out of the way while she rides, then collect her from the exit when she's finished. If a CM at the entrance to the ride says that your little one can't ride, just say you want to do a baby swap; then, when you get to the boarding, briefly explain that your daughter will ride and you will collect her from the exit when she is done. Almost all, if not all, thrill rides at Disney have a 'chicken exit' to allow you to go from the boarding point to the disembark area, without going on the ride.

As CF said, you might also want to see if they can offer you any assistance through the GAC. It was not designed just for physical disabilities, in fact, as a large number of physical disabilities are reasonably easily mitigated (e.g. using a wheelchair), the GAC is more for those with invisible disabilities. You do not need any proof of disability to get the GAC.

Good luck and have a magical holiday!

 

[mechurchlady]

GAC cover nonphysical things like phobias, mental disabilities, and mental illness as well as the physical things like bad knees and CP.

You cannot take a toddler into ride lines for rides they cannot ride because of safety reasons and Disney rules. Use the GAC and also talk to the guest relations to see if a manager can arrange an exception. The only way you will be able to take a toddler into a non-toddler ride is possibly with the GAC and some talking with CMS. It is a safety rule. Also people will try to sneak kids onto rides and CMs have no way of knowing if a kid will really not ride. If allowed to bring toddlers and babies into line then the guest would tell the CM at boarding that they were told they could ride. It is a hassle for CMs.


The baby swapping only works if there are two people to do the swap such as a mother and father or older sibling and mother. As for her wondering off a drastic measure would be a wheelchair and strapping her in. I am sorry if I could not help more. Do get the GAC as your daughter is eligible.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

The baby swapping only works if there are two people to do the swap such as a mother and father or older sibling and mother.

Sorry, I didn't explain myself clearly (blame the Fibro fog!). What I meant to say was that, as they allow baby swaps, they should allow you to take the baby into line. I understand that what you hope to do is not exactly a baby swap, but it's a convenient term. The other way to explain it would be "I want to stand in line with my daughter, then myself and the baby will go to the exit to meet her coming off the ride". Disney should be perfectly fine with this, but as Churchy said, a GAC could help smooth things along more easily!

Sorry for not explaining myself properly, the words don't always line up in the way I intended!

 

[dragon_mama_76]

Thanks for all the great info and tips. I really appreciate it! I hope the CMs will be helpful so she can experience some of the better rides. Thanks again!!

 

[mechurchlady]

Read all the tips dealing with autism and other children. Know ahead of time what rides your daughter can ride and what rides are closed for refurbishment. What child would not be saddened to find out Dumbo is closed after 3 weeks of trip planning and talking about Dumbo.

You say she has not self control and will wander off to pet a kittie or puppy. Make sure that you know which rides she should not ride alone. At DLR is Big Thunder Mountain and as you go up the incline there are goats and a skunk. Would she try to get out and pet the goat?

Disney resorts have a babysitting service and kids clubs (whatever they are called) and you could drop the toddler off with them and do one day with your daughter.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks for all the great info and tips. I really appreciate it! I hope the CMs will be helpful so she can experience some of the better rides. Thanks again!!

I don't know if you read the information about GACs in the disABILITIES FAQs thread, but it would be helpful to answer your questions.

You say she has not self control and will wander off to pet a kittie or puppy. Make sure that you know which rides she should not ride alone. At DLR is Big Thunder Mountain and as you go up the incline there are goats and a skunk. Would she try to get out and pet the goat?

Disney resorts have a babysitting service and kids clubs (whatever they are called) and you could drop the toddler off with them and do one day with your daughter.

I think the kids' clubs might be an excellent option for you.
If your older DD has a mental age of 4, she may not be allowed (or safe) riding alone on the thrill rides. The Disney rule is that a child must be at least 7 to ride alone. Even though she is physically older than that, if she is developmentally only 4, there might be safety concerns. Some other things to think about would be how she would manage if a ride was stopped for a while or had an emergency evacuation (which does happen sometimes) - would she be able to follow directions and follow a CM and other guests off.

WDW is a lot different than fairs or even other amusement parks - the rides are much larger and you will not be able to watch her riding on most of them. It's not physically possible, since many of the ride tracks are inside buildings. Some (like Test Track) have restraints, but others (like Splash Mountain) don't have any restraints and it would be possible for her to stand up during the ride. I really don't think most of the thrill rides would be safe for someone who needs constant supervision.
Another thing to think about is that in most cases, she would be seated/sharing a ride car with strangers.
Here is a link to the DIS site's height calculator. You enter your smaller child's height in and get a list of which rides she is too short to ride. That way, you would know which attractions she can't go on. The CMs would probably not let your smaller child into the lines for those attractions, even with a GAC for your older child (as was mentioned, for safety reasons).
You could 'save' those attractions for when you are able to be in the park without the younger child.
You may also find that there is plenty to please your older child once you look at the rides the smaller child is tall enough for.

 

[SueM in MN]

For dragon_mama_76, another possibility besides the Kids' Clubs is that there are some in-room babysitting services. Some of those have staff who can come with you to the park. That way, someone else could care for your 4 yr old in the park while you take in some of the bigger rides with your older child.
This is the phone number for Disney Child Care Facilities:
Kid's Nite Out, Inc: 407 - 828-0920

One of the other services is called Fairy Godmothers.

Another thing to keep in mind - the big rides at WDW are not just roller coasters/thrill rides; they are roller coasters or thrill rides that are themed to add to the thrill. For example, in Tower of Terror, you don't just get dropped and pulled back up again like on some carnival/other amusement park rides. You are immersed in an experience where you get in a pretty 'normal looking' environment and your elevator goes off in a way to surprise and scare you. A lot of the 'suspense' and thrill in attractions comes with making it look like something is going wrong - for example there are several parts of Test Track where things 'happen' like a truck's lights coming right toward you head on and your car vears off at the last minute. There is another part in that ride where you come to a room where they are 'testing/demonstrating' robots that spray 'acid'. You can smell a chemical smell as you enter the room and see the 'acid' spraying. Then the voice of your 'guide' comes over the speaker questioning whether or not the acid was turned off.
On Expedition Everest, you are on a mountain train ride when, the track ahead of you is 'torn up', leading to the 'emergency' situations that happen in the rest of attraction.
Even though your 12 yr old is physically old enough for those kind of things, since she has the understanding of a 4yr old, that could be way too intense for her unless she had someone who knows her with her.

 

[SmallWorld71]

dragon-mama-76

First off, I agree with everything SueM said. Just wanted to ask, how tall and brave is your little one? If she is over 40" tall and brave you may be able to enjoy some of the less intense thrill rides together. My daughter enjoyed the following thrill rides when she was 4: Splash Mountain, BTMRR, Soarin, Test Track and Kali River Rapids. Splash, Soarin and Test Track can fit 3 across, not sure about BTMRR? Anyway, if this is not an option for you, the sitter or kids club are good ideas. However, if there is a specific thrill ride you want to try, you might want to pick up a fast pass for it earlier in the day.

 

[SueM in MN]

not sure about BTMRR?

BTMRR is 2 seats across. They are actual seats with 2 separate restraints (not a bench), so only 2 people can sit next to each other.


EDITED TO ADD: I was wrong. See post 113 for correction.

 

[SmallWorld71]

BTMRR is 2 seats across. They are actual seats with 2 separate restraints (not a bench), so only 2 people can sit next to each other.

Thanks! I had drawn a complete blank on that one.

 

[mechurchlady]

Thanks Sue for the information. I was in my brain fog, very dense as usual, and I read about the girl running up to a cat to pet it. I just kept thinking of that incline at DLR and the goat. Goat, pretty goat, here goat.

My neighbor's young daughter almost climbed out of the Pirates boat at DLR. She saw that gold and jewels and wanted it. No, Lynny, you cannot have the shiny stuff. She had not disabilities but like all kids saw something she had to have despite being in a boat with water all around her, lol.

<--me as usual, lol.

 

[hematite153]

it just feels like another battle that I am loosing with my pain, what's next? If I am this bad now, what will I be like in 5 10 15 years??

One of the lessons I keep learning, is that if I manage my pain properly, then, I can actually do MORE than when I try to fight through the pain.

Dragon, I think that you would probably be allowed to do a 'baby swap'.

You cannot take a toddler into ride lines for rides they cannot ride because of safety reasons and Disney rules. Use the GAC and also talk to the guest relations to see if a manager can arrange an exception.

They used to allow the whole party to walk through the line together for rider swap. But, now, they give out a pass that allows access to the FP line when you return. In other words, as mechurchlady says, the "too short" member is not allowed into the lines.

We were just there with our 4 year old niece and nephew and both of them had cleared 40". Dragon, check out your youngest's height. If she's reached 40" then there won't be very many rides that the whole group cannot enjoy.

If you think that your older DD will really want to do the remaining thrill rides then I'd recommend choosing 1 day and arranging for someone to come with you (Kids Nite Out/Fairy Godmothers) or arranging for the 4 yr old to go to a kids club. Then, that one day can be all about hitting thrill rides.

You could also try looking (around the disboards) for another single parent going around the same time as you and arranging for a 1 day meet where both of your older children could do the thrill rides with rider swap while you shared the job of looking out for the younger ones (and your DD in lines).

BTMRR is 2 seats across. They are actual seats with 2 separate restraints (not a bench), so only 2 people can sit next to each other.

Really???? I would have sworn that I sat with my DFIL and DNephew across a bench with a lap bar in Jan. Is this a WDW/DLR difference?

 

[SueM in MN]

Really???? I would have sworn that I sat with my DFIL and DNephew across a bench with a lap bar in Jan. Is this a WDW/DLR difference?

No.
You are right and I am wrong. I remembered wrong.
My last ride was with my nephew who has ADHD and had not taken his medication that day, so you can imagine why my memory is faulty.
Here's a link to the picture of the BTMRR ride car from allearsnet.com

 

[Lachesis00]

More then once, reading these threads, as *odd* as I look (and I do look weird... with my disabilities), sadly I am glad I 'look' disabled. Not for pity, but so people do not think I am faking it...

I am amazed at what some of you go through... visable or invisable!