Acquiring a Guest Assistance Card is actually very simple, so long as it is needed. You simple go to the Guest Relations Counter in any of the Walt Disney World Resort theme parks, accompanied by the child that needs the Guest Assistance Card (GAC), and explain why you need the card. We had absolutely no problem getting the card whatsoever. It took less than 10 minutes and the cast members were extremely nice. We also asked for a card for Imma's stroller so that we could use it as a wheelchair. This meant that Imma never had to get out of her stroller except for getting on and off of the ride. We pushed her right up to the ride's loading area and she got right on. This was important for us because Imma has a tendency to wander away when she is in wide open spaces. She also runs off and blends into crowds quickly. She doesn't always look where she's going and darts into traffic. With the GAC, we didn't have to worry about any of these things. She felt more comfortable in the crowds because she was in her own seat. She was able to rest if she needed to and she was less likely to bother others because they were not as accessible. These were all very beneficial.
Of course, the best part for us was that we didn't have to wait in extremely long lines with an anxious and irritable little girl. The longest line we had to wait in was about 15 minutes long but sometimes we actually just walked onto the ride. All you have to do to use the GAC is find a cast member near the attraction that you would like to ride and ask them which entrance to use. It's usually the Speed Pass entrance or the wheel chair accessible entrance. It can also be used for shows but not usually for character greeting. The card isn't intended to shorten the wait, just to put the child in an area where there is less stimulation. However, it usually does both. Your child gets to wait in a less crowded area where the line moves a lot more quickly.
I have heard that some people get harassed by other people when they use the GAC, so be prepared, just in case this happens to you. We did not get harassed by anyone and, in fact, several other people were actually very helpful. Other parents were pointing out the entrance to us or they would take special note of our kiddos. We did get a few rolled eyes from cast members, of all people, but they were usually younger people who probably looked at my girl and thought she "looked" fine. I was very prepared with a response, however, should anyone have had the nerve to say anything to us. My response would have been something along the lines of, "I'll gladly stand in that line for two hours if you'd rather be the one with a disabled child!" Did I feel a little guilty sometimes by-passing all of the other people standing in line? Of course! But our children go through so many things that other children don't have to. While most of those kids are playing baseball or going to dance class, mine is at therapy. Other children get to enjoy a lot of things that my child misses out on so I see no reason why I should feel guilty that someone--Disney--recognizes that sometimes there needs to be a few points in her favor. Without the GAC, our vacation probably would have been horrendous. But because of the GAC, we have some wonderful memories, with very little intermittent meltdowns.
If you have any questions about the GAC, or anything else you read about on this blog, please leave a comment or email me at amyevanhorn@gmail.com
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| Imma loved the Dumbo ride. We rode it over and over. |
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| We all loved Prince Charming's Carousel. We didn't need the GAC for this ride because the line was always short. |
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