GAC at Universal Experience About This Page:

[DisneyDana]

Originally Posted by TinkerBellK

Yeah, I love disney for the shows and dark rides, not so much for the thrills - my sister and father LOVED the coasters at Universal though!

My mother cannot ride anything that goes fast or spins either (inner ear problems leading to severe motion sickness), not even the Carousel, so my family is used to looking for things that don't spin you around by your ankles!

I'm not a fan of motion simulators and for some reason that is all Disney wants to build these days. I loooove the dark rides too! I wish they had more of those. That's what Disney is all about IMO. My favorites are the omnimovers like Spaceship Earth! I like them looong and to tell a story!

[Her Dotness]

It's odd, too, how different things can bother people differently.

DH has a very sensitive stomach; he felt a bit queasy on the Friendship from Epcot to DHS even!

I have the world's original cast-iron stomach except for heights, but I found the 3-D Muppet experience unsettling at a few points. Sure didn't expect that to make me feel mildly nauseous! I'm guessing my eyeglass prescription and the 3-D lenses didn't like each other very much.

DH, on the other hand, had no problem and loved the show. Go figger!

[Jammers]

Would ADHD be grounds for a GAC at Universal? My daughter has real issues with patience when she gets really excited. I can deal with her as can our family but I know others around us get very annoyed. We do have an official diagnosis I could take to show. Disney never wants to see it and gives us the card with no problem.

[disneyparis]

Does anyone have any more current updates on a GAC-type card at Universal? We are just going to be doing the Harry Potter area and Islands of Adventure on one day in December during our WDW trip. I never have any problem getting a GAC at Disney parks, but am totally unfamiliar with anyplace else. Thanks!

[joelsmom]

I see a number of differences in the "GAC" at Universal here. I can tell you that I was there June 2011 and our experience was not so good. I went to guest services with letter in hand from DS doctor about his autism spectrum condition. I explained about how it's difficult for him to wait extended periods of time over and over throughout the day.

What they gave us was a card that we could present to attendants at attractions. The attendant then had to mark the card with a return time. That time depended on the wait for the attraction. For instance, WWOHP is insanely busy, and the wait was 90 minutes. They wanted us to come back in an hour and then get in the express line. However, if we wanted to do something else in the meantime, we couldn't use the card. We had to cross off the first time before they would put another one on the card.

So if we went to another attraction while waiting, our only option was to wait in the regular line...and at Universal in June, there are no short waits, so the odds of us missing our penciled-in time for the first attraction were pretty high.

Well, I tried my best to use their system for about two hours, and after that I stopped trying. Using that card was tedious and cumbersome and actually began to make our day worse! We went about our day and did the attractions that were most important to DS, and that was that.

We were at Universal only that one day, and I was glad. It was definitely my experience that their accommodations were not at all accommodating.

I hope you have a better experience than we did.

[Sandra Bostwick]

Originally Posted by joelsmom

I see a number of differences in the "GAC" at Universal here. I can tell you that I was there June 2011 and our experience was not so good. I went to guest services with letter in hand from DS doctor about his autism spectrum condition. I explained about how it's difficult for him to wait extended periods of time over and over throughout the day.

What they gave us was a card that we could present to attendants at attractions. The attendant then had to mark the card with a return time. That time depended on the wait for the attraction. For instance, WWOHP is insanely busy, and the wait was 90 minutes. They wanted us to come back in an hour and then get in the express line. However, if we wanted to do something else in the meantime, we couldn't use the card. We had to cross off the first time before they would put another one on the card.

So if we went to another attraction while waiting, our only option was to wait in the regular line...and at Universal in June, there are no short waits, so the odds of us missing our penciled-in time for the first attraction were pretty high.

Well, I tried my best to use their system for about two hours, and after that I stopped trying. Using that card was tedious and cumbersome and actually began to make our day worse! We went about our day and did the attractions that were most important to DS, and that was that.

We were at Universal only that one day, and I was glad. It was definitely my experience that their accommodations were not at all accommodating.

I hope you have a better experience than we did.

WOW! I'm so sorry that your experience wasn't as magical as you'd like. I have parents in my office in tears all the time with stories like this.

More and more people simply refuse to go to theme parks because a 90 minute line for a 3 minute attraction is just not something they find reasonable. I like the way Disney is looking into theming to make the wait better, but the main issue is that long waits are unacceptable to alot of people, so more and more people swear they'll never go back to a theme park after one visit. Add melt-downs to this, and you need a good plan if you aren't going to avoid theme parks forever.

I don't know your DS or his age, but is there a way to use this as a learning tool? With the freedom to roam, can the time somehow be managed while waiting? I know this is a REAL stretch, but turning a bad situation into a teaching moment is something I've learned as a behavioral occupational therapist coaching parents. I work in a school that is mostly attended by kids on The Spectrum who have melt-downs in district due to behaviors, so I really feel your pain. The main thing we try and do, though, is give them the skills to get right back into district without the melt-downs.

I've also taught college students with an IEP or a 504 plans. Believe it or not, the measure of success in work or school doesn't seem to be intellect. It seems to be the ability to regulate attention, control behavior, adapt for social demands, and manage emotions like boredom, anger, or impatience when they'd rather e doing something else. Even the seriously involved young-adults in sheltered workshops seem to succeed based on how they can manage their melt-downs. Eventually, all the young adults who have frequent melt-downs end up pretty much together. It breaks my heart when all the attention seems to go toward behaviors while the other young adults are working on job and life skills that will make them independent and successful. I actually try to create those situations that are the most difficult to work on those skills when the consequences are less permanant.

I know your on vacation, and no one wants to manage behaviors on vacation, but that seems to be one of the biggest issues I'm asked about when summer approaches. Most of my families go places where there is no GAC available, so they really do need strategies and a plan.

Kid skills for learning to delay gratification, wait, and adapt to the annoyances of society is at the top of my "what do you want your kid to accomplish in OT" list. Parents beam when a plan helped them enjoy a family wedding, a vacation, And, boy, I'm NOT saying it is easy to do. It's one of the toughest interventions I do, and it is heartbreaking to see what parents go through until something clicks.

These are a few of the things that have worked (and failed) while we go through trial and error. Maybe using a timing system, like setting an alarm to ring every fifteen minutes and telling him there will be so many alarm rings to cross off before you are ready to go into the attraction could help him pace his time.
Maybe having activities to pass the time, like a scavenger hunt as you walk around the parks while waiting could help. Something to to mark the passage of time, like a time checklist ccould help with pacing. The old standard fidget bag or sensory strategy tool-kit helps also.

The skills really pay off! I keep in touch with alot of my special needs families through adulthood. I'm finding that children who have the skills for self-calming, self- entertaining, waiting, working a bit past when they really want to stop are the happiest. At ALL levels, behavior management makes or breaks a college, job, or group home placement and helps the kids to have friends. I've even been adding OT goals in school to address this.

I posted some links to some very old articles on vacation behavior management in thee parks. I hope something in there might help if you decide to brave a theme park again.

I really understand what you are saying, but I don't see the GAC going back to the way it was interpreted years agao, so strategies seem to be all I have to offer.

I*Managing: Case Examples on ADVANCE for Occupational Therapy Practitioners
I Managing on ADVANCE for Occupational Therapy Practitioners
I*Managing: Strategies and Resources on ADVANCE for Occupational Therapy Practitioners

[joelsmom]

Well, fortunately my DS is high functioning and we did okay. I really did use it as a "well this is what happens in an imperfect world" moment, and DS was a trooper. I am a real no-nonsense person, and I think that's been beneficial to my son (now almost 16).

The reason for my post was to help anyone who might need to plan for the Universal experience. DS actually loves Universal, but not as much as Disney.

I really hope Universal is improving their system.

[Sandra Bostwick]

Originally Posted by joelsmom

Well, fortunately my DS is high functioning and we did okay. I really did use it as a "well this is what happens in an imperfect world" moment, and DS was a trooper. I am a real no-nonsense person, and I think that's been beneficial to my son (now almost 16).

The reason for my post was to help anyone who might need to plan for the Universal experience. DS actually loves Universal, but not as much as Disney.

I really hope Universal is improving their system.

I'm so glad to hear that your son was able to manage the situation. So many of my parents can't say the same. (My favorite story is the kid who bit the man standing in front of him on the bottom in the queue.) I wonder if they gave him a never-expiring GAC.

Is there anything else you can tell us about the differences were between Disney and Universal?

[jovigirlnj]

Yes people can pay for the Express Pass and anyone who is staying at a Universal onsite hotel gets and Express Pass to - The Express Pass is the same as the Special Needs lines. We had gone back in 09 and stayed onsite so we didnt ask for a Special Needs pass because we had it from the hotel. We went in August and I dont remember ever having to wait too long for any ride. I enjoyed Universal but prefer WDW anyday!! MY older 2 boys however love thrill rides so they prefer Universal.