DAS changes coming WDW May 20/ DL June 18, 2024

[HavendishSquare]

That’s interesting to hear - I had my first and only DAS interview at the end of March and it was more in depth. Makes me wonder if they had already been slowly screening more.

They definitely were. I’ve been renewing my DAS every 60 days since March 2023 and I noticed slight changes over time. It did also depend on how strict the CM was though.

 

[Grim Grinning Ghostie]

Just got done with my DAS interview and was approved.

I’m an autistic adult with low support needs who only travels with friends. I’m also an AP holder. I do have another condition that is exacerbated by my autism. I explained my concerns with waiting in line and once I was done they had no further questions and approved me.

They spent some time going over the new accommodations they offer as well and they said the return to queue option is even available to those who also have DAS.

I’m so sorry to everyone who has been denied and felt belittled during the interview. I have experienced that once before under the old DAS system when I did not explain my needs well. I was extremely nervous during this interview, but I had prepared myself well because I knew it wouldn’t be as easy as before.

I think the speculation that they need people to explain their needs well and they will not prompt for more info are accurate.

That's good news. Sometimes, even the LL lines are too much; it's good to know RTQ is an option even for DAS if needed. I don't like ruining the fun of whomever I'm with just because I couldn't handle the queue at that time. Thanks for giving us hope.

 

[nalababybear]

I took it to mean report people outside of the Parks. So ppl like PPs sister, who lies to get DAS. Or "influencers" who make videos on how to cheat the system, things like that. Not turning guests into hall monitors in the look-out for anyone who uses DAS (how would they even know??)

Yes, Dev Disabilities are quite often 'invisible' to many folk who aren't used to folk with DD.

Reporting # for the public would be akin to a 'report' button on the forum IMHO.

 

[Creido]

I did my interview for my son yesterday. First of all it looked like my CM was sitting on her couch at home.

I felt a little like I was having to over explain but maybe I was just nervous. My sons reasons are some that fit what they have said would be covered even after the change but I still felt like it seemed weird.

I explained everything and then she said “so would he have to leave and be unable to return to the line”? Well yes for all the reasons I just explained so then I felt like I just completely repeated myself.

She did not indicate one way or the other if she could see he had had it before. She did not indicate if he would qualify in the future.

Before I was connected she made me drop dining reservations. We have 4 day tickets but when I originally made our dining reservations we had not decided for sure which days we were going to parks and which day was our rest day, so I had made dining reservations for 5 days (intending to drop the one as soon as we decided which day to not go to a park) She would not allow me to interview for DAS until I only had dining for the same number of days as my park ticket which I thought was really weird as anyone can make a dining reservation for any day or place and I had no idea it would be in any way related to DAS. So that kind of got me started off a little flustered bc I felt from the start that she thought I was trying to pull something (though I don’t know what).

She did not offer me pre selects and I didn’t ask bc the whole thing already felt weird.
I went back in the next day to the chat and asked about pre selects and the woman that time did them with me quickly and easily over chat.

Both for the approval and the pre selects I was connected quickly. About 15 minutes once and almost immediately the second time.

So all in all we got it but it felt weird but I may have just gotten a weird CM.

Anyone who travels frequently on business would tell you that if you don't like what a customer service person is doing, hang up and call back to get a different person.

 

[Bearval]

The old DAS interviews did not require very much explanation. I can’t get very specific without crossing the line into helping abusers, but I’ve had interviews where I said 1-2 sentences of the most generic symptoms before the CM interrupted and approved me. My guess is a lot of those people are giving explanations similar to the old interviews.

I don’t think they are going to give an autistic adult a DAS if all they say is they have sensory overload in line.

Thank you for not sharing the information about the interview. The past system was abused beyond belief and I appreciate the accommodations that disney does provide for those who truly need it.

 

[HavendishSquare]

I forgot to include this in my original post about the DAS interview, but they no longer require everyone in your family and friends list to have an upcoming park reservation with you to add them to your travel party. I’m guessing this only applies to guests with APs.

After I was approved, they asked if there was anyone else I would be traveling with frequently and that they could add them. I was able to add 4 people from my family and friend’s list. They are trying to make it so you don’t have to go back to the online chat as often since you can no longer add/remove guests in the park.


This is Disney’s verbiage for clarity (as explained by the CM I talked to today):

Travel Party - An unlimited number of people linked to DAS holder from their family and friends list.

Riding Party - A group up to 4 from the Travel Party.

 

[audrey2580]

I stopped by pirates and asked the front CM how the return to queue works there. She said leave the line, use the restroom, get back in the line and find your party.
I was shocked.
I said so the person with the medical condition has to push past all these people twice? She said yes.

 

[Disneychick75]

I’ve seen an awful lot of posts accusing Disney of greed; some even go so far as to accuse Disney of extortion.

I said this upthread but I think it bears repeating. If approximately 8% of guests get a DAS pass and they, on average, have 2 or 3 people with them, that means 16-24% of non-disabled folks are going through the LL for free…while the rest of the non-disabled population has to pay for that privilege.

Disney is in business to make money, increase earnings, and please shareholders. And 16-24% is too big of a number. It had to be reduced from both an operational and an earnings standpoint.

Sorry to disagree but when CMs are actually telling people to buy Genie+ since they no longer qualify for DAS.

 

[Debbie Jean]

I mean, you will make standby folks incredibly happy b/c fewer people will be in LL, so standby will go much more rapidly, so it is a win/win.

Very true so there is that bonus. Just means more people with fewer time slots to reserve so LL for top attractions will be more competitive. This is how Genie+ is designed to work and why people buy it. To get access to those prime slots. And if you can’t book a LL for your chosen ride, you can still do standby which as you point out should go faster. So win win.

 

[nalababybear]

I stopped by pirates and asked the front CM how the return to queue works there. She said leave the line, use the restroom, get back in the line and find your party.
I was shocked.
I said so the person with the medical condition has to push past all these people twice? She said yes.

And that's why after a few weeks; the feedback to the disability team will be -- gotta figure out something else than telling them to check with the CMs at the ride.

This isn't going away just because folk being denied DAS and told - go deal with it. -- again.

 

[Mrs.Reese]

You can ride other rides while in a DAS queue and many people do.

Another easy tweak would be to remove this feature. It’s actually a no brainer and I don’t think anyone would have a legitimate issue with it.

Well Disney's own website does say to ride other rides while waiting but how is that different then someone booking a time with genie plus and then riding something else while they wait for their return time?

 

[diablodancer]

Us speculating criteria for doing so is hypothetical, however, which was my point. I don’t disagree that genuine abuse should be curbed, where possible, but as I and another poster outlined the criteria suggested is not clear cut and would lead to people who have genuine need being included.

 

[nalababybear]

Well Disney's own website does say to ride other rides while waiting but how is that different then someone booking a time with genie plus and then riding something else while they wait for their return time?

Exactly. Disney encourages this. And it rubs some folk the wrong way.

Regardless, even if Disney were to want to limit a DAS holder to riding -- the implementation would be onerous, costly, and most likely -- ineffective.

Hence the lemonade situation -- go ride and enjoy! ...and making non DAS holders cry advantage and fairness

 

[SteveMouse]

It' been stated many many times that this is untrue. DAS users are able to go on other rides while they wait their 60 min for 7DMT. Which non-DAS users can't do. They can go on 2 15-20 min rides while the non-disabled guest is in a 60 min standby, effectively going on 3 rides on the same amount of time as a non-disabled guest.

For those DAS users that are not dealing with a medical issue (something the typical visitor does not usually do while in the Park) while not waiting in line. These folks aren’t “double dipping.” They, I expect, constitute a very small minority of park visitors.

I can’t go on “a-list” attractions much because I cannot transfer into any ride vehicle (I also have other conditions that at least used to qualify me for DAS). Most attractions I can go on don’t have long waits regardless of LL, standby, or DAS, so double dipping isn’t something I can do regularly.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I regularly go to parks open to close, my disability doesn't impede me from having to leave a park early.

That's why I think people will want to be careful about we view en masse individuals here.

Some of the comments throughout the thread would have people view DAS users as a majority as frail, barely functioning, unable to do basically anything at the theme park and I understand there's a point attempted there trying to illustrate the impact a DAS user could have on the park operations as in attempting to reflect a minimal impact but it's also very stereotypical (the reverse of categorizing DAS users as something less than kind) way of describing individuals.

 

[TheMouseKId]

Sorry to read this. Just to be clear…your Mom expressed her issues standing in line to the CM and was denied?

Yes. She also told me she talked about other experiences like avoiding the monorail over a fear of getting stuck during peak times.

 

[TamTamMinnie]

Here at Wdw now.
1) at HM they were NOT telling us to fill in all available space. I was shocked how much room we had. Could have easily fit another 15 people in there
2) talked to the blue umbrella GS. For return to queue, each ride has its own procedure. You may be given a pass or maybe a password to return. It depends how far along your waiting party is. Going through the LL is not guaranteed. They agree this is a terrible idea.
I lodged my friendly complaint with them and they said they are getting a lot and passing them along.

It's so good to read a 1st hand account of what's being said IN the park for how return to line looks right now. Thank you! And I hope that continues at HM! Way better than shoving into ppl. Hope TOT stops it also!)

I'm still waiting anxiously to hear any reports on what process Disney wishes for someone using an ECV (not for a DAS reason but separate issue) to use to leave/return line.

 

[Wojodis]

I think everyone needs to take a deep breath and truly look at the situation. 1) LL length and time has grown significantly—waits of >30 minutes defeat the purpose of the DAS as well as decreases customer satisfaction with Genie+—the system needed to change cause it was helping no one; 2) Non DAS holders need to stop the assumption that everyone uses a DAS fraudulently and only for “the big rides”—it’s an unfair and inaccurate assessment that everyone gets a DAS for Slinky Dog and then waits in the line for TSMM. People need to stop with the narrative of “they’re getting something better than me—it’s not fair”. Life isn’t fair and those who need a DAS know it, probably much more than you do.
A little empathy, compassion, and understanding on both sides can go a long way!

 

[SirDuff]

DAS return times already match the wait time for the standby line, so DAS users are already limited to the same number of rides a standby user can ride. Further limitation doesn't make sense.

Except (as has already been discussed), they aren't limited to the same number of rides. First, when using the DAS, you can ride other rides while waiting for your return time. Second, you can do things like eat lunch/go shopping while waiting for your return time whereas people standing in line have to take additional time for lunch/shopping.

I'm not saying that this is bad - this is exactly how we were told to use the DAS but pointing out that your statement is not true.

 

[Unity]

1. The debate over whether someone should ride a ride while in line shouldn't be happening. Disney doesn't see it as a problem nor as abuse, as they literally have it out-lined as an option.

2. The debate over whether people should be monitored and reported on by even other guests is something that is both not happening and that unless it is an 'influencer' literally recording themselves and saying they are faking, or footage has somehow been recorded, then it shouldn't happen. Invisible disabilities are real, and it sounds ripe for people to call out bad stuff. Also it would create a line for what is too much? Going on a ride once while using DAS? Twice? What if they used LL? Not to mention having to have someone monitor each DAS person for tap-ins or RFID scans. It sounds both like a logistical and literal nightmare. I do not think Disney would ever implement something like this

3. The fact is the 8% is a number that has been flung out but not specified. This 8% of guests who use DAS may in fact include people who have been in the party and may be based on tap-ins. Or it may just be disabled people in general. The fact is we do not know either way so I am glad the ping pong debate is ended.

Glad to read about a few more approvals as well as the one with the five year old being approved after going to explain why her circumstances wouldn't fit the deal. Second time I have heard of calling back and being approved. This shows the need to advocate for one's needs. In my opinion it shouldn't be seen as Disney bending the knee or giving in - it should show the flexibility needed to give disabled folks what accomodations they need for going through the park.