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[orangarnold]

Hi


I've just read this about the US parks, it may be something that needs to be watched for those of you who use the disability passes in case they bring it out over in Paris


http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-halts-program-allows-disabled-634754

[SGregory27]

This link was just sent to me. Not sure if this is in all Disney parks or just USA.  What are your thoughts?? I went with my dad who was in wheelchair 5yrs ago and "Line Jumped" Buzzlight year, thunder Mt and the Parades . But what about the Kids??
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2430133/Disney-bans-disabled-people-skipping-lines-able-bodied-visitors-CHEATING.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

[orangarnold]

I posted about this last night, I've seen people abuse it. I've got rheumatoid arthritis and I just queue normally, it probably helps that I always plan to go when it's quiet, and I am fine. I really don't like to been seen as taking the piss but when you see people actually walking with a wheel chair and then getting in it to bypass queues it's wrong

[SGregory27]

Its the kids that really do need it I feel sorry for and their parents.

[orangarnold]

In the US parks with the interactive queues and the virtual queue like they've introduced for Dumbo I don't think it would be as bad.


It's keeping it fair for all and it's a tricky balance

[staceylc]

It's not as if Disney are making them physically stand in line though.  They get given a ticket to come back once they reach the estimated wait time.

I don't see anything wrong with it myself.

[orangarnold]

It's not as if Disney are making them physically stand in line though.  They get given a ticket to come back once they reach the estimated wait time.

I don't see anything wrong with it myself.

Me neither and just think of the things they can do whilst not stuck in a queue

[Kristof]

I've merged both topics on this. Please make sure you don't double post on the same subject. 

[idylles]

I don't see anything wrong with this news, to be very honest.  The article says it, and I've noticed it too, people abuse this program a lot.  And it's a waiting line for everyone, disabled or not. 

[DisneyInMyBlood]

What needs to be remembered is in the USA, no "proof" is required. Anyone can walk up to guest relations and say "I can't queue" and they get a pass. No questions asked because they are so frightened to be sued. In Paris, the model is already good as is those in the U.K non-Disney theme parks.
I cannot see any problem with the new system that WDW and DLR are implementing. Nothing is changing other than that you cannot walk up to a ride anymore without a reserved time. It means that those families/groups are now on a more even par with those that are queuing, which is the aim of Disability policies - to make everyone "equal".

[orangarnold]

Totally agree, its a fairer method of doing things.

[HildeKitten]

If DLP would implement a system where they allow people to return at a certain time (which they already do with several rides as it is) I certainly wouldn't have a problem with it.

[bad-pink-tink]

I read about this on micechat. Aparently in the American parks the system has been abused, and not only by general public. It seems that many Disney employees who do not work in the park are using and abusing the system.


http://micechat.com/37890-miceage-tomorrowland-starwars/comment-page-2/#comments

]With D23 Expo avoiding a mention of most of the big long term projects the company is actually working on, there are still new things coming to the Anaheim parks in the short term. We've told you in the past about changes coming to the Guest Assistance Card (GAC) program, after an embarrassing expose on The Today Show had executives in Orlando and Anaheim shocked that it had gotten that bad. Of course the Guest Relations and Attractions teams in the six American parks knew it was even worse than that, and the abuse of the system was so widespread that thousands of people per day were wandering the Anaheim parks with GACs issued to them for dubious or simply fraudulent reasons. But the executives had refused to address the growing problem for years since it wasn't a glamorous topic and the hard work of fixing it might bring unflattering attention. The Today Show changed all that, and the complete revamp of the system has been pushed back to October due to the scope of the project growing quickly over the summer. What has many theme park managers rolling their eyes is how all the executives are now tripping over each other to try and get on the bandwagon and be seen by their peers and bosses as someone who is working on the GAC project. There are other huge problems in the Anaheim parks that don't get much attention from ladder-climbing execs (the horrific Cast Member parking situation, for example), but at least The Today Show turned the GAC problems into a trendy topic that can be used to puff up annual performance reviews for the executive class.

COMMENTS SECTION
StrikeYerColors
August 6, 2013 at 1:01 pm
I'm not really surprised that there is a healthy number of cast members gaming the GAC system. However, when I am in the park, the vast majority of people using GACs behind me in the fastpass line (or single rider line, sometimes, if they use the same entrance, and I usually go SR), are very CLEARLY annual passholders. They are wearing their AP around their neck or their conversation tells me that they are APs when discussing events, discounts, etc. It would be silly to say that only CMs who work in Attractions know how to game the system; judging by the frustration they much be experiencing on a daily basis when operating with growing numbers of GACs, as reported here on MiceAge with regards to the HUGE FP wait at Radiator Springs Racers, they'd probably be happy to do away with the system altogether! But other CMs in all departments as well as lots and LOTS of APs and savvy casual visitors can get information on how to get a GAC through word of mouth, or apps with messageboards like MouseWait, and other internet sites that aren't as moderated on the ethics side as our dear MiceChat. I have read tips about "faking handicapped" on Yahoo Answers even, asked by high school aged kids going in a group who "hate waiting in line".

I have even seen a CM working in a store checking out the person in front of me, detailing to them that "they should go to City Hall because it is really easy to get a front-of-the-line pass, all they have to do is tell them this". I was really upset because even when I am with a family member who is physically limited or who has one of the other conditions that people commonly use as an excuse for needing a GAC, we don't bother getting one. Using the FP smartly as I always have (though it's more challenging now with the return times!), and going to the right place at the right time of day, we never wait more than 20 minutes even on a busy day except for things like TSMM. We probably wait longer in food lines than attraction lines! And for my grandmother who cannot stand for long periods, she was perfectly happy with the wheelchair I rented her so that she always had somewhere to sit when the benches were full... we didn't use it to go into any exits because we didn't need to! So I told the person in front of me some other tips I use instead, like the best time to ride the large, popular rides, and scowled at the CM behind the counter later.
Westsider
August 6, 2013 at 1:34 pm

Yes, the GAC abuse amongst APs is rampant and sickening.
But many of the APs with GACs used to work in the park. I know a few guys who used to work Canoes and quit who now show up with their AP buddies and their GAC, and then I see them the next day working out at Gold's Gym in Fullerton. They give me the "Whatup bro" nod and go back to the squat rack. God only knows what "disability" they claimed at Guest Relations to get the GAC.


There's also a bunch of former Attractions and/or Guest Relations CM's who work in TDA now who show up in the parks with a GAC. They work 5 days a week without any special requirements or medical restrictions, but when they sign their family into the park on Saturday they can't wait in line for Splash Mountain. Funny how the "disability" comes and goes like that, isn't it?

[gemmasteele84]

We went in may/april this year with my husband who is disabled and when it was busy (particually on POTC) we were given a time to come back later anyway so wouldn't bother us either. We used to go during term time when it was quieter but obviously with the new rules thats no longer an option    Hopefully they won't do away with it all together as don't think we could visit if that was the case.
It angers me beyond belief that people are low enough to abuse the system but hopefully karma will bite them sometime soon, just a shame that the rest of us suffer for their actions.

[bad-pink-tink]

gemmasteele84


this article and the comments are all in relation to the American parks. For people like you who genuinely need this service it really angers me too that there is so much abuse. I hope that they look at the parks individually and don't remove this from DLP.