Special needs pass at Disney

We are going to Disney in 2 weeks. My ds is 3 and is diagnosed with PDD-nos. I was going to get the special needs pass. Can anyone explain what it does? What can I expect? Does it help with the lines?

Re: Special needs pass at Disney

You go to guest services in any of the parks when you get there. You need to be able to explain to them what accomodations your child needs. It could be that your child gets sensory overload and freaks out in large crowds, and waiting in a less crowded area would be beneficial. Or that your child has a hard time waiting at all due to his shortened attention span due to the nature of his disability. They will give you a guest assistance card with a special stamp on it that informs the cast member of the accomodation you need.

On most rides you show the guest assistance card at the fast pass entrance and they direct you where to go, which is usually the fast pass line.

You do not need to bring a note from a doctor, despite what people may tell you. They legally cannot ask to see one.

Have a fun trip!

Re: Special needs pass at Disney

I agree with everything pp said. The only other thing you can do is that if your DC is still in a stroller and you think they need that "safe haven" you can request a tag for the stroller that lets the cast members view it as a wheelchair so your child can stay in the stroller on line when most children have to walk on their own.

We're leaving again for Disney tomorrow, can't wait!!

Re: Special needs pass at Disney

I brought the letter for JUST IN CASE! They asked for it actually.

But you go to the first park you want to go and go to Guest Services. They will give you a special pass/card.

Officially it's not a NO WAIT, go in front of everyone card.

Just show the card to the attendant. They know what it is. You don't need to be in line. There is usually an attendant in sight. Just waive at them if they are a bit farther away to get their attention.

Each ride is different. In some rides there is an handicap entrance. In most instance, you go through the exit and wait there. But ask the attendant. We just showed our cards and they signaled us where to go or talked to us on special instructions. You might have to wait for a ride. Usually 1-2 rides. Sometimes we got right in. The most we waited was 3 rides but that was in May before the full season in the Summer.

The card is valid for up to 5 people total including the person with the disability.

It's only valid in the parks. Not in restaurant resorts, monorail, buses, etc...



ETA: You will LOVE the card. Some rides were 1 hour wait. We went right in or waited 2 rides. So yes, it made the whole trip so enjoyable. We were so happy about our trip that we will absolutely go back.

Message edited 8/1/2011 6:57:58 PM.

Re: Special needs pass at Disney

Thank you everyone. I am planning on having a note just in case. Does anyone make you feel uncomfortably for using it? Should I still try to get the fast pass for certain rides? Sorry for so many questions.

Re: Special needs pass at Disney

We were in Disney this past week. I had gotten a letter from Emma's school psychologist. Brought it to guest services at Magic Kingdom and they didn't even ask to see it. They write out a pass which was good for the whole trip. When we got to a ride we showed Otto the first person we saw and they usually had us walk through the handicap entrance. No one ever gave us a hard time...not the workers or othervisitors. It's noteven that obvious you are cutting the line. We had a great time on the trip and I owe a lot to that pass. The most we ever waited was 5 minutes and July is their busiest time. I also heard you can get special seating for the parades but the kids were so exhausted theynever made it up. I had a lot of anxiety about making this trip so if you have any questions feel free to FM me. Good luck!

Re: Special needs pass at Disney

Re: Special needs pass at Disney

I SO wish I had known about this when we went on our trip and I am going to tell my friend who is going next fall about it.
DD is diagnosed with SPD and while our trip wasn't awful it was not all that enjoyable. We had to leave the park during the day b/c she was too hot and didn't want to wait in line and be hot and she's got low muscle tone so her legs were always tired b/c we had to leave the stroller behind to get in line.
Now I know for next time.

Re: Special needs pass at Disney

Re: Special needs pass at Disney

We just came back from Disney and I have to say the pass was absolutely a life saver! No one made us feel bad about having it at all! We used it in all the parks and usually went through the fast pass line. On some attractions (mainly in Epcot)...they allowed us to wait in an air conditioned area for some of the rides which was a plus. Enjoy your trip!

Message edited 8/2/2011 8:02:58 AM.

Re: Special needs pass at Disney

Thank you again! You girls made me feel better. We are so excited about our trip. I'll let everyone know how it went hen e come back.