DAS change

[Gussie Granger 1969]

I am so happy they are finally addressing the abuse of the DAS pass. We have used it for our autistic son. How has everyone dealt with the new change on how many people can be on the pass? We are a family of 4 but are thinking of inviting one extra person with us on our next trip. If he can’t be added, we were maybe not going to invite him now. He’s a cousin so he is family but not sure how that works. Just curious how the change affected your touring.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Autistic people are also being denied so it is not a guarantee your son will qualify.

You can only count on 4 for rides, but the group can rotate as long as the DAS holder rides.

 

[jennab]

I am so happy they are finally addressing the abuse of the DAS pass. We have used it for our autistic son. How has everyone dealt with the new change on how many people can be on the pass? We are a family of 4 but are thinking of inviting one extra person with us on our next trip. If he can’t be added, we were maybe not going to invite him now. He’s a cousin so he is family but not sure how that works. Just curious how the change affected your touring.

Is the cousin a minor child? If so they may give you an exception to the rule if you are all in the same room. It’s honestly hard to know as it’s hit or miss.

 

[Gussie Granger 1969]

Ok yeah, completely understandable. But good to know. I like researching before we even consider going back. Cousin is 18.

 

[lanejudy]

Cousin is 18.

It’s unlikely you would get an xception to the 4-person rule. He could be added but still only 3 + the DAS-holder can ride so you would need to rotate who sits out or try to coordinate times with LLMP/LLSP.

 

[RD-SOX]

My DIL has always had DAS, unfortunately was not approved for our next trip because of the new guidelines. We will be there in September, she called this morning and was denied. She is now so anxious, has been crying all day, thinking the trip will be horrible. I feel terrible and have been trying to offer any support, while I do agree that Disney had to crack down on the abusers but now its just so frustrating that some that still need it don't qualify.

 

[Angel Ariel]

My DIL has always had DAS, unfortunately was not approved for our next trip because of the new guidelines. We will be there in September, she called this morning and was denied. She is now so anxious, has been crying all day, thinking the trip will be horrible. I feel terrible and have been trying to offer any support, while I do agree that Disney had to crack down on the abusers but now its just so frustrating that some that still need it don't qualify.

I'm sorry it's causing so much anxiety for her. Maybe after a little time to process it all, she'll be in a place to better think about how to make the best of the trip?

 

[NightGuardianAngel]

To be honest, they should have kept it like it is. Nobody should be dishonest and abuse the system, but unfortunately, it is completely impossible to have a foolproof system to prevent abuse. DAS users still are required to wait the entire standby wait time so DAS does not get anybody on the ride faster. All this does it make it more difficult for those who truly and genuinely need it. As for me, I am on the Autism Spectrum as well.

As for me, it is driving my motorhome to Tennessee to camp out in the Great Smoky Mountains and going to Dollywood and Grand Ole Opry. Dollywood also has a quiet sensory room for those who have Autism. Boarding Pass works similarly DAS system at Dollywood and can be used for cognitive and mobility disabilities as well to my knowledge. Dollywood is not nearly as premier and unique of a destination as Disney World and Disneyland is and would not be worth traveling over a thousand miles to do just by itself (comparing Disney to Dollywood is comparing apples to oranges), but it is perfect for those who love roller coasters, riding old fashioned amusement park rides, and love country music.

 

[jo-jo]

I wonder how many abusers would stick with DAS if they went back to having to go to each ride and ask for a return time instead of just a few clicks on phone. I think it became too easy to use and people took advantage of the program.

 

[NightGuardianAngel]

I wonder how many abusers would stick with DAS if they went back to having to go to each ride and ask for a return time instead of just a few clicks on phone. I think it became too easy to use and people took advantage of the program.

That could be part of the problem as well. I believe the DAS should be rolled back to the old school pen and paper system with a photo on the pass itself and require the person who the DAS is issued to be present at the scene even to request a return time by physically going to the attraction just like it originally was at the time it first rolled out.

 

[matt_in_nh]

I wonder how many abusers would stick with DAS if they went back to having to go to each ride and ask for a return time instead of just a few clicks on phone. I think it became too easy to use and people took advantage of the program.

I think the abuse was off the charts no matter how it was/is implemented. If you truly cannot wait in a line due to a disability and get denied then they have went to far. If you can wait in a line you need to like everyone else, or buy LL's. I personally know of people who have used DAS when it made no sense to me how they would have qualified. For instance, a sprained knee. My son is severely autistic, at this point we cannot get him to Florida and we cannot guarantee everyone's safety to bring him to the parks anymore even though he loves it. Even DAS would not work sometimes for him.

 

[jo-jo]

I think the abuse was off the charts no matter how it was/is implemented. If you truly cannot wait in a line due to a disability and get denied then they have went to far. If you can wait in a line you need to like everyone else, or buy LL's. I personally know of people who have used DAS when it made no sense to me how they would have qualified. For instance, a sprained knee. My son is severely autistic, at this point we cannot get him to Florida and we cannot guarantee everyone's safety to bring him to the parks anymore even though he loves it. Even DAS would not work sometimes for him.

I would be shocked if someone got DAS for a sprained knee. But there have been stories of just saying my child has XYZ and it was granted. No questions, no nothing.

 

[matt_in_nh]

I would be shocked if someone got DAS for a sprained knee. But there have been stories of just saying my child has XYZ and it was granted. No questions, no nothing.

If you knew what to say you could get DAS for almost anything.......there were scripts, some reason why medical condition prevents you from standing or sitting in a wheel chair for a long time........

 

[lanejudy]

I believe the DAS should be rolled back to the old school pen and paper system with a photo on the pass itself and require the person who the DAS is issued to be present at the scene even to request a return time by physically going to the attraction just like it originally was at the time it first rolled out.

DAS has never required the DAS-holder to be physically present to obtain a DAS Return Time. Since DAS began more than a decade ago it has been possible for someone other than the DAS-holder to request the Return Time; the DAS-holder's presence is only required at the time of redeeming the Return Time (entering the queue to ride the attraction).

 

[Disneylover99]

I wonder how many abusers would stick with DAS if they went back to having to go to each ride and ask for a return time instead of just a few clicks on phone. I think it became too easy to use and people took advantage of the program.

100% of the abusers would still use it if they got DAS. It would still be easy to do. It would just be like getting paper fast passes from back in the day. It’s much harder for them to get DAS now though.

Anyways, I think the bulk of the DAS users legitimately qualified for DAS, but it was just too much for the system to sustain. Many who did qualify, really didn’t need DAS. Those users were squeezed out.

 

[traveler9]

To be honest, they should have kept it like it is. Nobody should be dishonest and abuse the system, but unfortunately, it is completely impossible to have a foolproof system to prevent abuse. DAS users still are required to wait the entire standby wait time so DAS does not get anybody on the ride faster. All this does it make it more difficult for those who truly and genuinely need it. As for me, I am on the Autism Spectrum as well.

As for me, it is driving my motorhome to Tennessee to camp out in the Great Smoky Mountains and going to Dollywood and Grand Ole Opry. Dollywood also has a quiet sensory room for those who have Autism. Boarding Pass works similarly DAS system at Dollywood and can be used for cognitive and mobility disabilities as well to my knowledge. Dollywood is not nearly as premier and unique of a destination as Disney World and Disneyland is and would not be worth traveling over a thousand miles to do just by itself (comparing Disney to Dollywood is comparing apples to oranges), but it is perfect for those who love roller coasters, riding old fashioned amusement park rides, and love country music.

Except you can do whatever you want while waiting for a DAS time. To an abuser it’s basically an extra LL reservation that they don’t have to pay for.

 

[SueM in MN]

That could be part of the problem as well. I believe the DAS should be rolled back to the old school pen and paper system with a photo on the pass itself and require the person who the DAS is issued to be present at the scene even to request a return time by physically going to the attraction just like it originally was at the time it first rolled out.

As was already pointed out, from the time DAS was rolled out in 2013, there was never a requirement for the guest approved for DAS to physically go to the attraction to receive a Return Time. When it was a paper card, the time could be obtained by any member of the group who brought the card to the attraction.

One of the big reasons they changed from the old school paper system with a photo and CMs writing the times on the card was abuse.
Multiple types of abuse occurred (I was told mostly about them by CMs I knew, but they were on different social media - not here - we deleted things that were cheating)

• changing guests. The card had a picture of the guest DAS was issued to, but it just said the number of other guests without any way to identify who they were
• Duplicate cards. 'Hints' online suggested getting 'extra' paper card(s) as a 'hack' for getting extra DAS Return Times. Guest Relations would issue another card to guests who reported they lost or left their card at their resort. Since there was no record of the Return Times being given out, guests with more than one card could get more than one Return Time at a time.
• Guests writing in Return Times themselves. CMs mostly just looked that there was a Return Time and that the Return Time had started. So, unscrupulous guests could get away with writing their own. Disney countered that by using different colors of pens on different days. Unscrupulous guests responded by stealing the pens or carrying multiple different colored pens. Disney countered that by getting specific stamps for attractions; stamps got stolen or a CM might take it with them to their next position
• Printing fake cards. There were multiple fairly high quality picture of both sides of the card posted online. People also shared the exact measurements (common innocent question was "I want to get a clear pocket to protect the DAS card. Could someone measure theirs for me?"). The originals were printed on a regular color printer from an iPad. Someone with a good color printer and some editing skills could print a copy on card stock that looked pretty realistic

Disney went to attaching digital DAS to the guest's My Disney Experience profile, linking other guests' profiles and issuing DAS Return Times digitally to fight all these types of abuse

I would be shocked if someone got DAS for a sprained knee. But there have been stories of just saying my child has XYZ and it was granted. No questions, no nothing.

From what I've seen over the years on Social Media, it actually was pretty easy to get DAS for a sprain, even with using a wheelchair.
I saw one on Facebook just over a month ago where someone posted her son had a tumor on his foot and she was wondering what accommodations Disney could provide. Most people gave suggestions to get a wheelchair or stroller with a 'stroller as wheelchair' tag if the child would be more comfortable in a stroller.
Many people who didn't know DAS had changed said they had gotten DAS for injuries even with a wheelchair since 'someone could bump him' and 'child deserves a good trip after an injury'. They even gave suggestions for which Guest Relations to go to for 'best chance of success'.

 

[AnneK]

wow, so you're glad that truly disabled people are now being denied solely so Disney can sell more Lightning Lanes?

 

[CAPSLOCK]

There are many, many "truly disabled people" who should be denied. Do you have any idea how many disabilities there are, how wide a net that is? Many disabilities have absolutely no impact on waiting in a line.

Furthermore, if it was solely about money, Disney would nix the DAS program entirely. That would save them a boatload of cash. Reports seem to be that LL are recently much faster, ie they are not selling LL to the same capacity as the number of former DAS users.

 

[NightGuardianAngel]

My idea is just go back to the system before COVID 19 with the complementary Fastpass+ system which is what made Disney truly magical. I went to Disneyland long time ago and the Fastpass system was enough for me (did not need DAS). It worked out perfectly and I had so much fun back then.