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

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The only reason I suggested LHR - NYC is that I know they have options at all different times of day for both legs and once you are stopping on the east coast, it probably doesn’t make THAT much of a difference where the layover happens. I haven’t looked into how many LHR-MCO direct options there were.

For my husband (different issues), flight times make a big difference to how stressful/successful the trip will be, so we plan accordingly.

I was thinking if someone is already struggling with cost and fatigue NYC is still a decent distance away from Orlando even though it's in the same time zone as Orlando. Hopefully you didn't take me saying something to mean you weren't giving good info as I wasn't meaning that just more meaning don't discount getting non-stop from London to Orlando as there are options there from various airlines (Air France/KLM, British Airways, Delta, etc) with different times of day as well.

I think the PP's jet lag seems rather extreme in terms of what most probably deal with so I would even more suggest to try the jet lag calculators that attempt to keep you as close as possible to your normal sleep schedule while preparing you for the time zone you'll be in for your trip since it does it ahead of time (if you select that option)

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

That sounds great- which company is it and will it work on international phones?

I have used Airalo (https://www.airalo.com/) in the past.

 

[2tinkerbell]

A wheelchair or ECV aren’t appropriate for our needs. Jet lag usually lasts for a week so the second week is better for evening activities. The issue is that we don’t ‘desire’ less time in the queue we actually can’t do a long time in the queue in close proximity to other people. I absolutely realise that we are fortunate to be able to visit (with our children in the past and now with our grandchildren) but with our new situation that can’t happen without DAS

You can look at the options available to accommodate your needs and try to make the best of things or not. It is a choice that no one can make for you. If getting Genie+ or a mobility aid is cost prohibitive, then adjust your budget or go for a shorter time. Don’t go as often. There are ways to solve the problem of cost.

Like I said in my previous post, Disney has drawn the line in the sand. As much as it pains us and is unfair, it is what it is. It is forcing a lot of people to think about ways to accommodate their own needs. It is hard.

 

[fairy8i8]

The topic of usage/super-usage is interesting…

I used touringplans before I had children with disabilities, and going on low to average days, I could do every ride in the park with rope drop. When I adopted children with special needs, I stopped going, and my trip last September was because my in-laws invited us and were paying for it, as they had taken all of their other children and grandchildren. I was SO SO nervous because of my children's difficulties with crowds and lines, but I prepped a TON, and the trip was a success!

So it's okay for those with DAS to buy Genie+ and ILLs? I thought that was looked at as DAS abuse?

When I did the DAS call for our trip to DLR, the CM encouraged me to get G+ for our group. My wonderful MIL had already bought it with the tickets (can do that at DLR). She said, Great! So at least that CM encourages it.

1. Try a touring plan. There are multiple companies who do these. I found a good touring plan customized to suit how much walking, waiting, and riding we could realistically manage to be invaluable.

5. If what you really need is rides, rides, rides, consider G+ and ILL - but selectively. You don’t need it at every park, and if you’ll be doing the same parks multiple days of your visit, maybe you only need G+ for one or two days to hit the things that are most important to you. Ideally, whatever touring plan you’re using will help you make a good plan to mix G+/ILL and SB for the shortest possible waits.

Love this! I created a touringplan for our day in the park, and it made the day SO lovely. All days have crowds ebb and flow, and I wanted to be away from the crowds as much as possible. Granted, we went to DLR on one of the least busy days of the year the first week of September, but we were able to see and do everything we wanted. We used 1 G+ pass, as MIL had purchased it for us. When we got home and my BIL was raving to his sister, she said she wished she had a DAS! I told her there was no need. That plan was for someone without DAS, and anyone could have done it in that time frame, probably quicker because of the logistics of accommodations we needed. Do not discount a good touringplan any time of year, and especially during slow times. My sons love rides- it's like a mini occupational therapy session for them. Their difficulties with lines are for specific reasons. I know this won't apply to most people I have read posting here, but maybe it can help the few who are in a similar situation.

I can remember being at Epcot last year where a family of six all had scooters .

Sorry, sometimes you need a scooter. If I went with my parents and sister, we would look like that group. Do not discount disabilities. Also, if you complain at all to a CM of fatigue or achy feet, the solution I have always heard CMs give is to rent an ECV or wheelchair, so please don't put down even normally able bodied people who are taking care of themselves in an exhausting environment beyond their normal abilities and preventing possible injury or pain, and a lawsuit to Disney

And when they probe a toddler?
I think people need to think about their suggestions in terms of being in a queue vs normal daily tasks.

Probes are a great accommodation for the blind. I have friends that use them. Please don't belittle someone's use of an assistive device. Granted, for aging people, they might not be aware of the accommodation or as comfortable using it as someone who has used one when younger, but if someone is that vision impaired, it would be a wonderful tool to learn to use in many situations outside of Disney as well and could restore some independence and sense of freedom.

I'm sure the DAS Advance Selections amounted to a pretty big number. They originally were meant as a 'perk' for people who used the video registration. But, as time went on, people registering in the parks were requesting and getting them too.
And, a lot ended up not being used - that didn't add to LL congestion since those guests never got to the LL.

People have talked about abuse, and we have heard anecdotes of that, but also I read that over half of LL capacity at the most popular attractions is DAS, according to some independent data. Let's be charitable and assume every one of those parties had someone with a real need. It was breaking their system because it wasn't designed for so many (usage of DAS has tripled in the last 5 years). They had to make a change to get things back to equilibrium, and unfortunately, that has made for heartbreaking situations for so many who have come to cherish their time in the parks with way less anxiety and worry about their disabilities. It's so sad. I experienced grief knowing I couldn't walk through the parks anymore. I experienced it as doctors uncovered the needs of my children knowing our family life would always be different than I had envisioned and wouldn't include a lot of Disney trips, and I am feeling anxiety now for how these changes may exclude my children from DAS in the future, which for our family would likely mean just not going. I love Disney, but I love my kids more, and I need to do what's best for them.

 

[Grim Grinning Ghostie]

Actually, I think a lot of people care (including Disney!) that people who truly could not get through 30m lines were having to skip and abandon rides because of crowding in the LLs. I’m happy to hear you were able to finally ride Frozen…I recognize that I’m probably now excluded from DAS (even when I had it we had to leave TT multiple times) but I’ll be able to navigate the parks with a combination of AQR and paid LL (well just do a bit less and I’ll have to spend more time on my phone, which I hate)— I am OK with being excluded from DAS if it means the LLs I pay for (or access via AQR) actually don’t require me to stand for more than 15 minutes the majority of the time I use them.

That's an extremely positive way to look at it. I hope you do wind up being eligible, but am glad your visits won't be ruined if you aren't.

If more people were like you, and took on unexpected hardship with open-mindedness and a willingness to try to work through said hardships no matter the feeling of unfairness and inconvenience, the world would be a better place.

 

[Angel Ariel]

If more people were like you, and took on unexpected hardship with open-mindedness and a willingness to try to work through said hardships no matter the feeling of unfairness and inconvenience, the world would be a better place.

Respectfully, as I also appreciate the positive outlooks - can we acknowledge the positive without implying anything about how others take on hardship? None of us here have any idea the depth or breadth of hardships - expected or unexpected - anyone else is dealing with in our real world lives.

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

That's an extremely positive way to look at it. I hope you do wind up being eligible, but am glad your visits won't be ruined if you aren't.

If more people were like you, and took on unexpected hardship with open-mindedness and a willingness to try to work through said hardships no matter the feeling of unfairness and inconvenience, the world would be a better place.

Thank you very much for the kind words. I recognize I'm fortunate to have a supportive (able-bodied) spouse and ability to buy G+ and that just because I will make it work for my family doesn't mean it will work as well for everyone-- but I absolutely agree that if people addressed these changes with the open-minded attitude of "how do I adapt and have the best vacation possible" it would be better for them and the whole Disney parks community. People should be given space to process, grieve, etc., but the more people who choose to lie/exaggerate/catastrophize to try and get the full DAS accomodation, the more likely that Disney will feel justified in even further restricting (or outright eliminating) the option (which is why I am so aggrevated when I see people catastrophizing/fear-mongering/threatening legal action and refusing to even try the new accomodation options).

 

[Grim Grinning Ghostie]

Respectfully, as I also appreciate the positive outlooks - can we acknowledge the positive without implying anything about how others take on hardship? None of us here have any idea the depth or breadth of hardships - expected or unexpected - anyone else is dealing with in our real world lives.

Respectfully, I am not responsible for the projections others place onto a comment directed toward and specifically about one singular person.

I speak very plainly and meant what I said without nuance. I admire that person's mindset and think trying to push past hardship should be praised. If I meant to insult others by saying so, I would have outright stated such directly to the people I meant to insult.

Implications are an allistic person's sport.

 

[SueM in MN]

People have talked about abuse, and we have heard anecdotes of that, but also I read that over half of LL capacity at the most popular attractions is DAS, according to some independent data. Let's be charitable and assume every one of those parties had someone with a real need. It was breaking their system because it wasn't designed for so many (usage of DAS has tripled in the last 5 years). They had to make a change to get things back to equilibrium, and unfortunately, that has made for heartbreaking situations for so many who have come to cherish their time in the parks with way less anxiety and worry about their disabilities. It's so sad. I experienced grief knowing I couldn't walk through the parks anymore. I experienced it as doctors uncovered the needs of my children knowing our family life would always be different than I had envisioned and wouldn't include a lot of Disney trips, and I am feeling anxiety now for how these changes may exclude my children from DAS in the future, which for our family would likely mean just not going. I love Disney, but I love my kids more, and I need to do what's best for them.

Not sure why you quoted me for this part of your reply.
I was talking about the large number of LL 'slots' that were pre-allocated due to DAS Advance Selections.
Everyone who was registered for DAS using the Advance Video registration was able to make 2 DAS Advance Selections per day for each park day, selecting from a limited number of time slots for a select number of attractions (Individual Lightning Lane attractions and Virtual Queue were not included). That's a pretty large number of LL slots.
Originally, it was an incentive for using the video registration and was not supposed to be available to guests who registered in the parks, but those people eventually got DAS Advance Selections too; so more people.
Many people were not able to make their Advance Selection times work for them, so those are the ones who have taken up LL capacity, but are not actually in the LL because they never made it into the line.

Disney knows how much of the LL capacity was taken up by DAS. Some people have guessed and have observations (not actual data, just observations and basing extrapolations on the observations).
Whatever the number actually is, Disney has decided they need to do something about DAS. They are actually bringing it back more closely to what it was when DAS began in 2013

 

[nalababybear]

Thank you very much for the kind words. I recognize I'm fortunate to have a supportive (able-bodied) spouse and ability to buy G+ and that just because I will make it work for my family doesn't mean it will work as well for everyone-- but I absolutely agree that if people addressed these changes with the open-minded attitude of "how do I adapt and have the best vacation possible" it would be better for them and the whole Disney parks community. People should be given space to process, grieve, etc., but the more people who choose to lie/exaggerate/catastrophize to try and get the full DAS accomodation, the more likely that Disney will feel justified in even further restricting (or outright eliminating) the option (which is why I am so aggrevated when I see people catastrophizing/fear-mongering/threatening

legal action and refusing to even try the new accomodation options).

I believe most here try to.make lemonade with the cards we are dealt.

It certainly makes it harder when the dealer changes the wild card in the middle of a hand, but most will adapt as most here have needed.to do in their own lives with disabilities.

The lemonade for us would be if the LL get under 30minutes consistently, we'd have a fighting chance for his favorite rides.

 

[Flynn's Gal]

The solution of an ECV has been suggested by a CM who didn’t understand our needs. It was too expensive and wouldn’t have solved the problem

@dbriggsq, when reading all your responses to suggestions, I thought of one that you might consider, but it also adds an additional cost. An "attendant controlled power wheelchair" can be rented from at least one ECV rental company in Orlando (unsure if I can post a link). The controller is mounted on the back of the chair and allows the companion to steer, but without the task of pushing the chair.

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

@dbriggsq, when reading all your responses to suggestions, I thought of one that you might consider, but it also adds an additional cost. An "attendant controlled power wheelchair" can be rented from at least one ECV rental company in Orlando (unsure if I can post a link). The controller is mounted on the back of the chair and allows the companion to steer, but without the task of pushing the chair.

The mods have started a list of additional mobility device options for people trying to figure out how they might navigate the parks in the new system—this seems like a great add for some tricky use cases.

 

[dbriggsq]

The mods have started a list of additional mobility device options for people trying to figure out how they might navigate the parks in the new system—this seems like a great add for some tricky use cases.

Thanks for this. I really do appreciate everyone's suggestions. We don't need a mobility device though, it's a different problem, although muscle fatigue is a factor.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

Thanks for this. I really do appreciate everyone's suggestions. We don't need a mobility device though, it's a different problem, although muscle fatigue is a factor.

If muscle fatigue is a factor, have you tried explaining to Disney why a mobility device won’t address those needs?

 

[dbriggsq]

If muscle fatigue is a factor, have you tried explaining to Disney why a mobility device won’t address those needs?

Yes and we have received DAS in the past, sometimes approved easily and others not so much. My worry is that going forwards we might not be, and coming from overseas we won’t we able to find out until we get there.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Yes and we have received DAS in the past, sometimes approved easily and others not so much. My worry is that going forwards we might not be, and coming from overseas we won’t we able to find out until we get there.

You may not find out, but at this point, you probably have a strong sense of which way they will go...so I would take steps NOW to make the trip better if you sense that you will be receiving a no. If you get an unexpected yes, then there's nothing lost and everything gained.

 

[Ms Bibbidi]

.

 

[SueM in MN]

Yes and we have received DAS in the past, sometimes approved easily and others not so much. My worry is that going forwards we might not be, and coming from overseas we won’t we able to find out until we get there.

One of the things people may have forgotten is that until the video registration began at the end of 2021, all DAS registration was only in person after arriving for the trip.
As you point out, sometimes approval was easy and sometimes not so easy.
We knew each time, there was a possibility of being turned down.
(My daughter does fit into one of the categories that Disney has said DAS is for, but just fitting the category is not enough; the needs in lines are the determining factor, not the category).
I think one of the big reasons Disney moved DAS from Guest Relations into a new department is that Guest Relations CMs were not consistent. Some asked all the questions they were supposed to ask and some didn’t really ask any. Being Guest Relations, some seemed more concerned with having a satisfied guest than making sure the policy was followed.
I saw a Facebook thread the other day that illustrated some of the issues. A person posted their son had a tumor removed from his foot and had a brace on the foot. They asked what accommodations Disney had.
Some posters gave information about wheelchairs and pointed out the lines are accessible without need for anything else.
A large number of posters suggested DAS for various reasons - “being in a wheelchair is no fun…:he deserves some pixie dust…tell them his foot might get bumped…”
Many of the posters didn’t know the process had changed and said to do it in the park NOT the video registration because “the video CMs will turn you down for sure”. Posters suggested CMs in the park were more likely to approve DAS because they feel bad for him. The discussion also covered which park was most likely to approve and trying different places if one turned him down. Many suggested the blue umbrellas were more likely to give DAS.

Hopefully, the new process creates more consistency in the registration

 

[Karin1984]

My worry is that going forwards we might not be, and coming from overseas we won’t we able to find out until we get there.

If you are coming from outside the US, you can use a VPN. Set to anywhere in the US, go to the WDW website, the DAS section is now available to you and you can do the call. Whatever the outcome, you will know ahead of time.

 

[PrincessV]

Do not discount a good touringplan any time of year, and especially during slow times.

I could not agree more! I’m a decades-long, seasoned WDW regular - I could make my own touring plans at this point… but I don’t want to lol! So much easier to let the “computer overlords” do it. I almost always end up ditching a plan part way through a visit, but it’s the creating them ahead of time that I find most helpful: I don’t like surprises and if I know it’s a day when I’m likely to find high wait times across the board, I can work around that by doing fewer rides and more things without lines instead of just showing up and getting frustrated.