6 year old with Diabetes

[Beccastuff]

My 6 year old daughter has Diabetes. Will they give us one of those special cards`so we don't have to wait in line? She needs to eat at certain times and we wouldn't want to get stuck anywhere. Thanks!

 

[Figaro]

Hi, beccastuff!

WDW's Guest Assistance Cards are to help the people who work there know what kind of assistance that they need for disabilities that aren't visible. Like, if a person is in an ECV or wheelchair, they won't need one because the queues are for the most part mainstream.

One of the wonderful things about WDW is that they have no problem with you bringing snacks and drinks into the parks with you, so you shouldn't have any problems having food immediately available for your daughter if she needs it. Security will look at it, but as long as you aren't trying to bring in Thanksgiving dinner(smile), there will be no problem.

The First Aid stations in each park are absolutely wonderful and you can store her insulin there if you are uncomfortable taking it with you. They have sharps disposal containers there, alcohol wipes and even extra needles and syringes if you happen to run out when you are at the park. What I have noticed is that I need less insulin and more food because I am more active at WDW than I am at home (hard not to with all of the distances(smile), even though I use a wheelchair).

Oh, and the chefs at the sitdown restaurants are wonderful about fixing sugar free desserts and doing what they can to meet your daughters dietary requirements. You need to call them ahead of time, but everyone has reported that they are very good about this.

So, to answer your question, no, WDW won't give a Guest Assistance card to your daughter, but you won't need one!

Hope you have a magical time!

 

[SueM in MN]

Welcome to disABILITIES.
The card you are referring to is called a Guest Assistance Card (we abbreviate it as GAC) and I'm afraid you have misunderstood or been given some incorrect information about GACs. The GAC doesn't allow anyone to get on rides without waiting, bypass lines or shorten the wait. They are used for things like allowing a child with special needs to stay in a stroller for waiting in lines, allow a child with autism spectrim disorders to wait in a more appropriate (ie, less busy or less intense) place, etc.
What would help you a lot is to use FASTPASS. With Fastpass, you put your park passes into the fastpass machine and a little card comes out that gives you a time to return to go on the ride/attraction. That is your fastpass. When you return, you wait in the Fastpass return line and your wait will generally be 10 minutes or less. Fastpass is available to anyone with a park ticket and many attraction have fastpass. Using Fastpass would allow you to limit your wait in line and know when you would be getting on.
If you are going during a slow time at the parks (like pretty much anytime from now until Spring break in March -except for around President's Day), you will probably encounter very short waits evven without fastpass. Also, if you need to leave a line, most of the lines are wide enough that you would have no trouble turning around and getting out of line, or if you see a CM, you can ask for an easy way out of line.
I'm sure some of the people on the DIS board with disabetes will have some hints, but here are some other things to think about:
- always have something for her to eat with you in a pocket, purse or backpack.
- if you are concerned about how long the wait in a line is, ask a CM for an approximate wait time before you get into the line.
- the rides at MK are generally short, but some shows and some rides at other parks are longer, with no way to leave once you are on. The Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities that are available at Guest Services used to list the length of rides/attractions. I noticed the updated guidebooks available on line don't have that information, so I'm not sure what the printed versions now have. In general though, you can ask the CM before going in and they will know.
- if you see a ride with a long line, coming back later in the day will usually find a shorter line. A lot of people get in line at the first ride they come to. If you go farther into the park, you can often find things with a very short wait even if the first thing ou came to had a 1 hour wait.
- if you can get to the parks when they open, you can generally get on a lot of things quickly with short waits. Even during july (quite busy) and Spring break, it's very possible to get on 8 or 10 rides before 10:30 am if you can get to the parks when they open.

 

[SueM in MN]

Looks like I was typing while Figaro was (but I had some delay on posting, since I got knocked off line).
I just wanted to second the "First Aid" is wonderful part. My DD is not diabetic, but we use First Aid on almost every trip for the accessible bathrooms or because DD needs a rest. The CMs there are great, the place is clean and very restful.

 

[Talking Hands]

You do not need a GAC. You will need to schedule your meals at the proper times for your daughter. PS don't really help because they are not reservations for a certain time but a commitment that you will be seated on a next available basis after that PS time. They try to be helpful but it is not always possible. I recommend bringing acceptable snacks with you in case you are delayed. Don't depend on Disney for them. Be prepared.
While Disney does have sugar free dessert be aware many of them contain Equal which may or may not be acceptable for your daughter. Also some are sweetened with fructose, a slower acting sugar or with sugar alcohols like mannitol. Rarely do you find one sweetened with Splenda, unless you have requested it in advance and even then it is iffy. Fresh fruit is normally available at most places. The best restaurant for this is Boma. Chef there is awesome at creating special meals for people.
That said, Disney is great if you do have a hypo. CM have been great the 2 times I crashed.

 

[gardendame]

I have 2 insulin dependent diabetic children (DD 6 and DS 7) and we will be traveling in October. We plan on having breakfast in the room most days (blood sugar check, eat, insulin all before heading to the parks). Will make PS for dinner at night. Lunches we will wing it and just make sure no one is standing in a ride line at meal time. Counter service is probably what we will do. We are carrying the small juice boxes and Airheads for emergency lows. However, for those times the meal is simply 'delayed', we are carrying Gogurt tubes. This will give them the carbs AND protein they needs while they wait, but also will not fill them up to spoil their dinner.
As parents, we could worry ourselves about the unknown, but I have to tell myself that the kids will be fine. After reading these boards, I have come to realize that we could not be in a better place if we were to have a problem. Lots of help around - just grab a CM if there is a problem. It could be worse - you could be backpacking in the wilderness or camping far away from the nearest doctor.
Just be prepared for any and all emergencies and try (even though it may be hard) to schedule meals as best you can.

 

[BCV23]

I second and third Sue's advice about always carrying some food. I also try to carry my son's glucagon kit although I admit to forgetting it at times.

We have found it very helpful over the years to make PSs. My son is now 21 but developed diabetes at six. Juvenile onset is a whole 'nother animal and I think WDW is great about recognizing it. I usually mentioned it when I made our PSs and if I was worried about him when I checked in, CMs were always great about offering juice in an emergency, etc.. We also always seemed to heve good luck with being seated on time. That may have been a function of the fact that we tended to eat on the early side....again to keep him on schedule.

He's not on R/NPH anymore which gives us more flexibility but I still find it best to try to try to stick to a schedule.

Good luck, have fun and don't worry too much!

 

[Beccastuff]

Thanks for all the great advise. We actually have a good handle on things and are prepared for whatever comes up. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't anything we were missing. We would never take advantage of the situation and plan on having a great time. Thanks again.

 

[knucklehead]

Originally posted by Beccastuff
We actually have a good handle on things and are prepared for whatever comes up.

A little off topic, but your statement has such a familiar ring to it. The wife and I "think" we have a good handle on things when we travel to WDW with our now 11 year old, but we've managed to lose his MedicAlert bracelet during one trip and his glucose monitor/glucagon/supply pack during two other separate trips. The wonderful Disney staff was able to get the pack back to us quickly both times because we put address labels on everything and they tracked us down since we stay on site. To be better prepared this trip (in 10 days, whoo-hoo), we are going to bring an extra bracelet and the extra pack that we keep with the nurse at his school just in case our luck changes.

As for standing in lines or any other type of waiting, we've had great success avoiding "lows" for ten years by carring with us several of those little single serving size bags of fruit snacks (Farleys, Brachs, Betty Crocker, Nabisco, etc.) that you can get by the box (8-10 per box) in the granola bar/pop tart/fruit roll up section at the supermarket. The kid likes 'em and they work pretty quick. "We don't leave home without 'em"!

Sorry for rambling!