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

[OurBigTrip]

In the case of very rare diseases I think that this is totally possible and indeed probable

But it's not about the disease/diagnosis, it's about the need. It doesn't matter how rare the disease/diagnosis is or if the medical professional has never even heard of the disease/diagnosis - it's about the need of the individual that results from the disease/diagnosis.

 

[lanejudy]

his problem, which he explained very clearly to the CM isn't helped by that scenario....
it's the same reason genie+ doesn't help him
he has no idea at what point he'll have an issue or for how long...

I’m so sad he won’t even consider trying other options. If he tries those he may find 1) something else can help even if not as good, or 2) I do believe he could get another chance to plead his case, probably explaining specifically what was tried and what went wrong. No guarantee of a reversal, but I also don’t think they’ll listen to him again he doesn’t try other accommodations. It isn’t as much about who was approved previously, who recommended GAC or DAS previously, or how well it worked. Too many people have DAS and Disney is trying to figure out what alternative accommodations may work.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

his problem, which he explained very clearly to the CM isn't helped by that scenario....
it's the same reason genie+ doesn't help him
he has no idea at what point he'll have an issue or for how long...

he often has to leave the park altogether and go back to the hotel to lie down, sometimes for hours, sometimes for days.

My guess is that Disney heard “multiple adults who can wait in the SB line plus one DAS adult without a developmental disability.” So even if your SIL explained everything perfectly and had a legitimate need, there was little they could do at that point given Disney’s desire to reduce the number of people in the LLs.

Others have suggested trying out the return to attraction queue whatever they are calling it now, and if that STILL doesn’t work you may be able to try again with more information about why their accommodations are insufficient. It may not work because Disney is working very hard to separate needs from wants or preferences, but you may get lucky.

 

[lanejudy]

I think the difference is, as people have said previously, G+ etc are choices but if the only way some people can experience the park is by buying G+ that makes it a necessity. Some people can only spend 2-3 hours in a park at a time which makes G+ a waste of money, especially as it’s very hard to schedule things to suit individuals. Imagine if a family of 8 (which we could have been) were forced to pay for G+ - it really does price a lot of people out of the market when they could have coped in the era of FP+ or DAS

So are other accommodations not an option? Only the paid? DAS was never intended to allow a full day’s worth of attractions in a short window of time. It’s intended to allow the DAS-holder as close to the same amount a non-DAS family might do in the same time, with time outside the queue to take care of needs. A non-DAS family of 8 has the same financial outlay, and they may be limited on time as well.

 

[mistysue]

Im not sure how to respond to this. To equate people who like to be naked to my family wanted to stay together on a family vacation seems like a bit of a stretch. Bottom line, for MY family, if we cannot all be together, we would rather not go. That's all I am saying.

I also agree that my families hardships are not other guests problems, and other guest should not suffer because of my families situation. For MY family, if we cannot stay together on vacation, it doesnt seem worth it. Our time together is limited and precious. I know this is true for everyone. I am not saying my family is more deserving than yours. I am just saying that without the accommodations DAS afforded out family, we will miss out on family time we treasured. Again, I appreciate reading everyones take on this. It is therapeutic in a way to voice my thoughts. Thanks for listening.

It was the example I used because people online tend to argue weird points - I didn't expect anyone to say "but my need to be naked is just as important as your need for whatever" Clearly it didn't work as you're the second person to then be bothered by it, but please think of it as a placeholder for whatever preference might be paramount to some other person but you wouldn't be bothered to skip out on.

As to the rest of your commentary - I get that it sucks to split up. Sometimes our needs do things like this, and the unfairness of it all is... unfair. And there's nothing we can really do but know it's unfair and do the best we can with that. I hope you can find a way to make it work, and if that's not at Disney, then I hope whatever you end up with brings you as much joy as Disney previously had to fill that gap. I know we spent many years trying not to split up over food (it really is that big of a pain in the butt for us) and eventually found that by splitting up, the time we then spent together was better because we weren't all running around waiting for each other.

Was it with you (too many comments these last few pages) that someone recommended you might be able to knock out some other activities (snack/bathroom/shop) during the wait process that might make it into another window of valuable time? We've used split up times to pick up surprise gifts or items we know someone in the other group is going to need later.

 

[Liquidice]

Why do you keep typing "medical professionals"? Do you believe that Disney is lying about using medical professionals to assist in the process?

I'm not sure why it really matters?

But, when asked on the DAS video chat, the "medical professionals" refuse to provide any kind of certification or information about what qualifies them as a "medical professional". So I put it in quotes because I don't really know what their certifications are that allow them to make determinations better than your average person, like a doctor would be able to do.

I think people on this board have even said that these people appear to be similar to medical insurance claim processors who make decisions on whether an insurance claim should be covered or denied. They aren't doctors or truly able to evaluate medical needs based on symptoms.

I suppose the term "medical professional" is not well defined as compared to a "healthcare worker" which is more well defined. But I still have not heard what credentials the Inspire Health people have.

BTW- Not really related to what the "medical professionals" credentials are, but Inspire Health Alliance was founded by 2 people who were previously charged and initially found guilty of committing securities fraud, but the charges were later dropped because the statute of limitations had passed.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I'm not sure why it really matters?

But, when asked on the DAS video chat, the "medical professionals" refuse to provide any kind of certification or information about what qualifies them as a "medical professional". So I put it in quotes because I don't really know what their certifications are that allow them to make determinations better than your average person, like a doctor would be able to do.

I think people on this board have even said that these people appear to be similar to medical insurance claim processors who make decisions on whether an insurance claim should be covered or denied. They aren't doctors or truly able to evaluate medical needs based on symptoms.

I suppose the term "medical professional" is not well defined as compared to a "healthcare worker" which is more well defined. But I still have not heard what credentials the Inspire Health people have.

Continuously using quotations does what exactly? (which is what the poster was referring to at least IMO not your specific usage of the term medical professionals) It's not going to change Disney's mind just because you keep using it nor does it help any poster to feel any better if they are denied or advised other accommodations (that they may be apprehensive about).

I know previously there was a lot of talk about IBCCES being used over at Universal but the role that has is being used differently than Disney's partnership with Health Alliance. If people are actually demanding certifications while on the DAS zoom call that's highly unproductive and inappropriate, no wonder the calls are getting testy. If you (you generally or you specifically) have a personal issue or concern with that partnership by all means contact Disney about it, (ETA: Neither) Health Alliance employees nor CMs are responsible for this partnership and concerns about it should be relayed to Disney themselves.

 

[OurBigTrip]

I'm not sure why it really matters?

But, when asked on the DAS video chat, the "medical professionals" refuse to provide any kind of certification or information about what qualifies them as a "medical professional". So I put it in quotes because I don't really know what their certifications are that allow them to make determinations better than your average person, like a doctor would be able to do.

I think people on this board have even said that these people appear to be similar to medical insurance claim processors who make decisions on whether an insurance claim should be covered or denied. They aren't doctors or truly able to evaluate medical needs based on symptoms.

I suppose the term "medical professional" is not well defined as compared to a "healthcare worker" which is more well defined. But I still have not heard what credentials the Inspire Health people have.

BTW- Not really related to what the "medical professionals" credentials are, but Inspire Health Alliance was founded by 2 people who were previously charged and initially found guilty of committing securities fraud, but the charges were later dropped because the statute of limitations had passed.

You’re right, it’s not related, so why bring it up? Just as another way to cast doubt on what Disney is doing?

Cutting back on DAS abuse and overuse is long overdue, and I’m surprised that anyone is surprised by it.

 

[Liquidice]

Continuously using quotations does what exactly? (which is what the poster was referring to at least IMO not your specific usage of the term medical professionals) It's not going to change Disney's mind just because you keep using it nor does it help any poster to feel any better if they are denied or advised other accommodations (that they may be apprehensive about).

I know previously there was a lot of talk about IBCCES being used over at Universal but the role that has is being used differently than Disney's partnership with Health Alliance. If people are actually demanding certifications while on the DAS zoom call that's highly unproductive and inappropriate, no wonder the calls are getting testy. If you (you generally or you specifically) have a personal issue or concern with that partnership by all means contact Disney about it, (ETA: Neither) Health Alliance employees nor CMs are responsible for this partnership and concerns about it should be relayed to Disney themselves.

I understand what OurBigTrip was referencing, but I don't see why my use of quotation marks matters. Please feel free to read it as if there were not any quotation marks. I'm not trying to change Disney's mind by using the quotation marks or your mind.

I didn't say people were demanding certifications, but asking I think is reasonable? If you've been elevated to talking to someone who is supposed to know more about medicine than the CM, is it unreasonable to ask what certification they have? Usually when you select a doctor, you can read up about them and what their background is and if for some reason it was not readily available, every doctor I have ever talked to is happy to discuss their credentials.

I was not suggesting that anyone should berate a CM or Inspire Health employee. There is a big difference between asking and demanding, I don't think anything in what I wrote said people should demand to know what the Inspire Health employee's certifications are. However, when asked, people on other groups are reporting the Inspire Health employees either disconnect the call or refuse to answer that question.

You’re right, it’s not related, so why bring it up? Just as another way to cast doubt on what Disney is doing?

Cutting back on DAS abuse and overuse is long overdue, and I’m surprised that anyone is surprised by it.

I simply mentioned it at the end as an aside and a "did you know?". But it wasn't related to my usage of quotation marks.

 

[starlite_]

But, when asked on the DAS video chat, the "medical professionals" refuse to provide any kind of certification or information about what qualifies them as a "medical professional". So I put it in quotes because I don't really know what their certifications are that allow them to make determinations better than your average person, like a doctor would be able to do.

Sooooo a guests ask for DAS, the CM isn't sure their needs require DAS and bring in a medical professional as is protocol, the guest proceeds to demand the medical professional's what? School diploma? Work credentials? In what I am picturing a very Karen-y way, and then when the guest is denied they are somehow surprised ??

Or is the demand for credentials only after the guest is denied DAS??

In any case, I can't picture a single scenario where it's ok for a guest to demand this of anyone on the DAS team (CMs and IHA both). Like I'm sorry but if you are being rude to either person then don't be surprised if they terminate the call.

 

[Liquidice]

Sooooo a guests ask for DAS, the CM isn't sure their needs require DAS and bring in a medical professional as is protocol, the guest proceeds to demand the medical professional's what? School diploma? Work credentials? In what I am picturing a very Karen-y way, and then when the guest is denied they are somehow surprised ??

Or is the demand for credentials only after the guest is denied DAS??

In any case, I can't picture a single scenario where it's ok for a guest to demand this of anyone on the DAS team (CMs and IHA both). Like I'm sorry but if you are being rude to either person then don't be surprised if they terminate the call.

Wait, where did I use the word demand? I just re-read everything I said and I never said anyone should demand credentials. I said that the Inspire Health employees have refused to answer when asked what credentials they have. Reports are that the Inspire Health employee ended the call when asked what their medical credentials are or they refused to answer. Refused to answer could be as simple as the person saying, "I'm not willing to share that information with you" and the guest did not persist. I wasn't suggesting that the guest went into interrogation mode and tried to force an answer.

Nowhere did I suggest being rude to anyone. If you go back through what I've posted throughout this thread, I've never suggested being rude to CMs (whether DAS or front line), Inspire Health employees.

But, is it wrong to ask someone who is supposed to be in a position of having more medical knowledge to ask them what gives them that ability beyond a normal person?

I'm not saying be rude to anyone, but I don't think it is wrong to politely ask.

 

[starlite_]

But, is it wrong to ask someone who is supposed to be in a position of having more medical knowledge to ask them what gives them that ability beyond a normal person?

I'm not saying be rude to anyone, but I don't think it is wrong to politely ask.

Yes it's rude and wrong to ask that. It's the same thing as questioning both their ability to do their jobs and their knowledge as well.

They have that ability because they were trained for it, that's it, it doesn't matter by who or how. Disney has given them that ability. Guests don't have the right to ask them for any more personal information.

I truly can't believe this needs to be said. Specially in a group that values privacy so much.

 

[Liquidice]

Yes it's rude and wrong to ask that. It's the same thing as questioning both their ability to do their jobs and their knowledge as well.

They have that ability because they were trained for it, that's it, it doesn't matter by who or how. Disney has given them that ability. Guests don't have the right to ask them for any more personal information.

I truly can't believe this needs to be said. Specially in a group that values privacy so much.

I disagree and I get based on replies that multiple people agree with you. I'll just say I think its OK to disagree on some things, everyone has different opinions. We can agree to disagree

But in my opinion, there is a difference asking someone about a disability or medical condition which they generally have no control or choice on and asking someone who is evaluating your medical symptoms what gives them the ability to make that evaluation.

In Florida, the Board of Medicine actually has requirements on how to display your medical credentials. I get there is a difference between being treated for a medical issue and talking to someone about getting an accommodation, but I still think there is nothing wrong with asking.

In any case, I'm going to stop talking about this as it isn't really adding anything to the topic or helping.

 

[nalababybear]

I disagree and I get based on replies that multiple people agree with you. I'll just say I think its OK to disagree on some things, everyone has different opinions. We can agree to disagree

But in my opinion, there is a difference asking someone about a disability or medical condition which they generally have no control or choice on and asking someone who is evaluating your medical symptoms what gives them the ability to make that evaluation.

In Florida, the Board of Medicine actually has requirements on how to display your medical credentials. I get there is a difference between being treated for a medical issue and talking to someone about getting an accommodation, but I still think there is nothing wrong with asking.

In any case, I'm going to stop talking about this as it isn't really adding anything to the topic or helping.

The DAS team is specifically NOT diagnosing nor treating anything medical. They are asking a very narrow question of why a guest cannot stay in a queue that's seeking a reasonable accommodation, and trying to match up the request to what Disney has available in accommodations and review general coping mechanisms that may help remain in the queue that's not tailored to any specific diagnosis.

. That's not diagnosis. That's not treatment. There is no reasonable authority of the guest to question qualification. That's Disney's job to hire and train.

If you disagree as a guest, file a complaint. You have no right to investigate the qualifications of that employee. If I were the line manager, I would enable my CM to advise the guest this is not being productive and to disconnect that call and.log it on the file if the guest persists despite the redirect.

 

[disneyholic family]

If there is any chance G+/ILLs can help buy it for at least your first park day to try it. Another cost and not a tiny one I know- but maybe it could prevent him having to hole up at his hotel and pretend he’s enjoying himself.

we were always planning on getting genie+
we got it in 2022 and will get it again this time.
but genie+ doesn't help him.
genie+ has a defined return window
DAS is an open ended window. so if he's unable to return for hours, it's not an issue for DAS, but with genie+ you're out of luck.

Genuinely curious, And if there is no way to answer without divulging information you don't want I completely understand.

Just curious how Genie+ doesn't work but DAS does? Is it because genie+ tends to have a fixed window of return?

see my answer above
we do get genie+ but it doesn't necessarily work for him for two reasons.
first it's a defined return window, which he's often not able to comply with
DAS is open ended so he can return any time through the day.

also he's not able to ride a great many of the rides at all.
there are a few he can ride and he enjoys riding them a few times if he's able to
but with genie+, even if he can do the return, which isn't always possible, it only allows you on any given ride once.
so while he can't go on things like tower of terror, dinosaur, space mountain, splash mountain, thunder mountain, etc.
the rides he can go on he'd like to do more than once, but he can't using genie+.

anyway, it's not the end of the world
there are people who have much worse problems after all
like being dead.
so it just means taking this into consideration for future trips.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

we do get genie+ but it doesn't necessarily work for him for two reasons.
first it's a defined return window, which he's often not able to comply with
DAS is open ended so he can return any time through the day.

also he's not able to ride a great many of the rides at all.
there are a few he can ride and he enjoys riding them a few times if he's able to
but with genie+, even if he can do the return, which isn't always possible, it only allows you on any given ride once.
so while he can't go on things like tower of terror, dinosaur, space mountain, splash mountain, thunder mountain, etc.
the rides he can go on he'd like to do more than once, but he can't using genie+.

You are there for 14 days, right? And in the summer when it is hot? Might it be helpful to frame the trip to him as just having a slower pace this time? So no need to ride a ride twice today if he can ride it today AND tomorrow? That’s how we have always handled the inability to repeat a ride. Build in enough downtime at the middle of the day that you can let some of the Genie+ rides stack up a bit, and then plan to either (or both) rope drop and be there at the end of the park? You can always modify the return times if necessary and still let your 2 hour clock play out. Especially if he isn’t interested in headliners, you should be able to get returns. You might also decide to plan a day or two without a focus on rides at all. Eg. one of our favorite things to do on Disney trips now is a huge scavenger hunt that my mom and I plan.

With respect to the 1 hour return times, I’d highly recommend taking a picture of your reservation (just in case it disappears from the records), and if he isn’t able to make the time for whatever reason talk to the CM. Worse comes to worse they say no, but given that they are already empowered to make more accommodation decisions at the attraction AND are already used to giving flexibility around dining reservations, transit issues, etc, I would imagine that they would be more willing to work with you if you said something like “we did everything we could to make this work but X happened.” Ideal? No. But it might help to still allow him to have a good trip. At a minimum it should also be a helpful data point if/when you call DAS again (“we tried using Genie+ but were only able to make X% despite modifying times because …”).

 

[Einstein509]

The DAS team is specifically NOT diagnosing nor treating anything medical. They are asking a very narrow question of why a guest cannot stay in a queue that's seeking a reasonable accommodation, and trying to match up the request to what Disney has available in accommodations and review general coping mechanisms that may help remain in the queue that's not tailored to any specific diagnosis.

. That's not diagnosis. That's not treatment. There is no reasonable authority of the guest to question qualification. That's Disney's job to hire and train.

If you disagree as a guest, file a complaint. You have no right to investigate the qualifications of that employee. If I were the line manager, I would enable my CM to advise the guest this is not being productive and to disconnect that call and.log it on the file if the guest persists despite the redirect.

I don't know, I kinda agree with Liquidice on this one.

If a detective shows up at your door, you should be shown a badge, just sayin'......

 

[disneyholic family]

You are there for 14 days, right? And in the summer when it is hot? Might it be helpful to frame the trip to him as just having a slower pace this time? So no need to ride a ride twice today if he can ride it today AND tomorrow? That’s how we have always handled the inability to repeat a ride. Build in enough downtime at the middle of the day that you can let some of the Genie+ rides stack up a bit, and then plan to either (or both) rope drop and be there at the end of the park? You can always modify the return times if necessary and still let your 2 hour clock play out. Especially if he isn’t interested in headliners, you should be able to get returns. You might also decide to plan a day or two without a focus on rides at all. Eg. one of our favorite things to do on Disney trips now is a huge scavenger hunt that my mom and I plan.

With respect to the 1 hour return times, I’d highly recommend taking a picture of your reservation (just in case it disappears from the records), and if he isn’t able to make the time for whatever reason talk to the CM. Worse comes to worse they say no, but given that they are already empowered to make more accommodation decisions at the attraction AND are already used to giving flexibility around dining reservations, transit issues, etc, I would imagine that they would be more willing to work with you if you said something like “we did everything we could to make this work but X happened.” Ideal? No. But it might help to still allow him to have a good trip. At a minimum it should also be a helpful data point if/when you call DAS again (“we tried using Genie+ but were only able to make X% despite modifying times because …”).

i'm sad for him
i know he's having a hard time even contemplating the flight.
It usually takes him at least a day to recover from the flight.
His issue is intense pain - he broke his back and neck - actually broke them in a terrible accident when he was 18 years old.
only by a miracle was his spinal cord not severed.
He was in surgery for 20 hours to put his spine and neck back together.
at the time, the surgeon said he would never walk again, even if his spinal cord itself wasn't severed.
He spent the next year and a half in hospital, 12 months of it flat on his back in a full body cast.
and then another 2 years after that in intensive physical therapy.

he's a miracle, he's alive and he can walk
for his mom and dad, he was reborn that day..
the surgeon actually took part in his wedding ceremony as it was such a miracle that he even got to that day
but he suffers from horrifying pain, not all the time, but much of the time and without predictability.
even just walking over uneven ground can result in him being bedridden the following day the pain is so intense.
The flight is a total nightmare for him.
but he knows at the end of the flight he'll experience disney magic...
or not...

 

[OurBigTrip]

I don't know, I kinda agree with Liquidice on this one.

If a detective shows up at your door, you should be shown a badge, just sayin'......

Completely different situations.

 

[rk3668]

i'm sad for him
i know he's having a hard time even contemplating the flight.
It usually takes him at least a day to recover from the flight.
His issue is intense pain - he broke his back and neck - actually broke them in a terrible accident when he was 18 years old.
only by a miracle was his spinal cord not severed.
He was in surgery for 20 hours to put his spine and neck back together.
at the time, the surgeon said he would never walk again, even if his spinal cord itself wasn't severed.
He spent the next year and a half in hospital, 12 months of it flat on his back in a full body cast.
and then another 2 years after that in intensive physical therapy.

he's a miracle, he's alive and he can walk
for his mom and dad, he was reborn that day..
the surgeon actually took part in his wedding ceremony as it was such a miracle that he even got to that day
but he suffers from horrifying pain, not all the time, but much of the time and without predictability.
even just walking over uneven ground can result in him being bedridden the following day the pain is so intense.
The flight is a total nightmare for him.
but he knows at the end of the flight he'll experience disney magic...
or not...

You wouldn't be able to do rerides, but it seems like stacking Genie+ rides would work similarly to DAS. The difference would be that instead of showing up in the morning and using DAS, you would show up in the afternoon and use the 3 or 4 Genie+ reservations that you have made. Since it doesn't seem like he is riding that many headliners, Genie+ should be easy to get and modify so they are at convenient times.