Negative experience obtaining GAC...

[DISoriented]

This past week I went to WDW with ds, who is on the Autistic Spectrum. I explained to the CM at guest services that my son is Autistic and overwhelmed by very large crowds and cannot tolerate waiting on very long lines. I had my boy with me and a note from his pediatric neurologist. I was told, "we no longer do that. Our policy changed in April. We can only stamp the GAC with Provide with Shade, if available and Guests can use Alternate Attraction entrance where available. Your son will have to wait on line like everyone else."

She was very nasty and said, "we don't discriminate against any of our guests...those with a disability and those without."

I was so steamed that she thought I was asking her to discriminate against anyone!!! I only needed the GAC for non-FastPass attractions. In the end I never used the card, I was just so mad and shamed by the whole experience.

My son did okay, for the most part. We just avoided the attractions without FastPass at peak times.

I have the Cast Member's name and number. I'm thinking of writing letter. I just need to figure out who to send it to.

Anyway, just thought I'd share my very disappointing experience.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

thats to bad
im sorry for your negative experience
i know you can email disney at guest relations the email address is on disney.com
there was a guys name up here last week
hold on ...

 

[Alicnwondrln]

try this guy

Mr. Lee Cockerell
Executive Vice President
Walt Disney World Operations
1375 Buena Vista Dr.
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-1000

 

[Nanajo1]

I'm sorry this happened to you. What guest services did you go to? I'm just curious if some guest services are better than others

 

[DISoriented]

I'm sorry this happened to you. What guest services did you go to? I'm just curious if some guest services are better than others

You might be on to something...I went to the one right outside MK. Not the one at City Hall. But I was told by this CM that the response at City Hall would be no different: "you can go there if you want, but they will tell you the same thing I am." Grrrr.

 

[lewdyan1]

I am sorry to hear you had a problem. I am glad to hear you had a nice time anyway.

 

[Michigan]

The CM should have explained the GAC to you better but you had what you needed. The Alternate Attraction entrance where available stamp allows you to go through the fast pass line without having a fast pass. It also allows you to use wheelchair entrances where fast pass isn't available. The GAC would have put you in the line with the fewest people.

 

[DISoriented]

The Alternate Attraction entrance where available stamp allows you to go through the fast pass line without having a fast pass. It also allows you to use wheelchair entrances where fast pass isn't available. The GAC would have put you in the line with the fewest people.

I wish I had been better informed. I could have saved myself the agita.

Thanks for the info.

 

[tbelfonti]

we were in Disney from May 13 - 20th. Went to guest services outside MK on 5/13 and explained our situation - DD 10 months has complex heart defects, no spleen and needs to stay out of the sun and away from large crowds as much as possible. I was given a GAC for using the FP line w/o having a FP and I requested the "Use stroller as wheelchair" stamp as well.

I'm sorry you were treated so poorly - we had no problems and they gave us the card w/o our note from the pediatrician (we had it, just didn't present it).

Definitely write a letter. Based on the time / date of your visit they can determine who it was you spoke with.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Generally people seem to have more problems, especially related to GACs, at the windows outside the park as compared to going into the inside park location.

 

[MrsDude]

Generally people seem to have more problems, especially related to GACs, at the windows outside the park as compared to going into the inside park location.

That was my experience...The CM at the Guest Services outside the EPCOT gate was very curt with me and did not let me explain my situation. In fact, she told me to go inside the park....I asked her if this was Guest Services, and she said yes, and gave me the GAC.

 

[Mike Bartenhagen]

I am sorry that you had so much trouble but as someone else said she did explain the GAC correctly but it sounds as though she didn't do it in a very helpful way.

Mike

 

[SueM in MN]

I believe that what they got rid of was the stamp that said you could use a fastpass entry without getting a fastpass. I know there were people who were specifically asking for that stamp. I have had some PMs and emails from people who told me they had relatives/friends with children who did not have disabilities who were "bragging" that they got a card that let them bypass lines.
A CM who works at WDW had potsed a month or so ago that the CMs in the Guest Relations posts outside the parks are the same CMs who work inside the parks - they rotate to the different positions. But, that said, I have still seen more problems with people who asked about GACs outside the parks.

The CM used to give a little explanation of what the message on the card meant and also a "GAC Etiquette 101". I wish they still did that. It would have made the OP's visit more pleasant.

 

[seashoreCM]

You would write a letter only to point out the desk clerk's nastiness.

What you need is a third person in your party, so someone can wait in line and someone can accompany your son some distance away, and when the person in line gets to the front, your son is brought over to the ride.

Unfortunately there is currently no (?) mechanism at Disney to make this work with just you and your son.

Something for the future that might work for non-Fastpass rides would be a time stamping clock under the sign that says how long the wait is. Only guests with appropriate GAC's could punch this clock and get a slip with a come back time that many minutes in the future that would work like a fast pass.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[Nik's Mom]

I'm sorry this happened to you. She had no right to be so nasty to you!

 

[DISoriented]

I'm not going to write a letter. I was venting. And after thinking about it, the CM's worst offense was not explaining exactly how the GAC worked. If she had said, "you will need to wait on the Fastpass line where it is available" and changed her tone, the entire experience would have been different for me.

I'm annoyed at myself for not having been more informed. I never knew the exact words that were stamped on the GACs used for this purpose. So, I didn't exactly "get it" when the CM gave me the card. Plus, she made it sound like, "look here, missy, you're not getting a free ride here. We'll give you a comfortable place to wait but that's all you're getting from us. It's not like it was before." So, I was confused after having read how it's supposed to work on these boards. No one here mentioned that they did away with the system, so her comment that Disney did away with the stamp in April just further confused me. She was just not clear with me.

I really wish the CMs at Guest Services were better trained in this respect. It was very difficult for me to ask for help. And to be treated and spoken to in that manner was rather humiliating.

Anyway, at this point, it is water under the bridge.

 

[JLTraveling]

As the others have mentioned, you did in fact get the correct GAC...but it certainly sounds like the CM was way out of line, both with her attitude and lack of proper explanation of the pass. For everyone's future reference though, policy does not seem to be standardized, or at least it is not applied equally across CMs. My dad has the GAC for FP line without a FP...but we've had some headaches with it. There are normally six in our party, but the first CM would only make it out for the two of us that were standing there. Got another CM, got that corrected. Then one day he got there without his GAC and requested a replacement for the day. The first CM gave him the one with just the wheelchair stamp. Talked to a different CM and got the correct GAC that time as well.

So yes, it is a hassle. But if one CM is giving you problems, thank them, smile sweetly, and go to a different location. Kind of like talking to people at a call center...if you call back you'll never get the same person again, and the next one might be able to help you out. Perseverance is key to getting what you need.

Sorry about your bad experience.

 

[DISoriented]

So yes, it is a hassle. But if one CM is giving you problems, thank them, smile sweetly, and go to a different location. Kind of like talking to people at a call center...if you call back you'll never get the same person again, and the next one might be able to help you out. Perseverance is key to getting what you need.

Sorry about your bad experience.

Thanks.

Btw, for anyone who plans on requesting a GAC, make sure that all the members of your party are there. I went with ds and the GAC was only stamped for the two of us...it didn't include my husband or daughter.

 

[mrsgus06]

I'm sorry if I sound dumb, but what is the GAC stamp? I am heathly as are all of my children (thank goodness) but I often go with my best friend who has a 16 yo dd that suffers from siezures. She has also had a stroke suffered during one of her siezures and has a left sided weakness and is mentally delayed. It is usually me, my friend and 9 children so I realize we can't all use the stamp, but if she could take Ashley and a couple of others, I could stand in line with the rest and meet at the exit. I get very frustrated with others around us due to the fact that Ashley looks "normal" and walks fairly well, but needs to be helped on EVERY ride due to her severe imbalance so they have given us dirty looks. When we started going, she was twelve and the rest were 7 and under so we had a hard time "splitting up" and controlling all of the kids, but thankfully, they are all almost 4 and over so that makes it better on us. It would be very beneficial for her to know about this as she will be there for 2 weeks this summer with her husband helping out!

 

[soccermom5]

please explain this