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

[Kerr84]

I am sorry. I think you misunderstood. The DAS person — not the caregiver. The data would not matter for any of the plus 3 or immediate family accompanying the DAS eligible person. That said, however, the person who told Disney the DAS holder could not do standby lines would be the one held responsible for the truthfulness of their statements and representations.

I think I just didn’t explain myself well. I get everyone meant the DAS user’s
data. I didn’t clarify enough that when we go with my daughter and use her DAS, we get a lot done. Definitely way more than the average park goer. I was trying to say that doesn’t mean she doesn’t need DAS, it just means I’m a super fan and do lots of research so we get a lot done. If they looked at her account and said “oh, you used DAS on x amount of rides in Magic Kingdom, so you must not need it” that wouldn’t be true at all. I was trying to say I get more done than the average park goer when I use genie/standby (instead of DAS) too because I have a lot of knowledge, but the mods asked us not to speculate on tracking data to determine DAS so I probably shouldn’t even reply to this. Mods, feel free to delete!

 

[Ms Bibbidi]

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[PrincessV]

I would hope that Disney would somehow keep track of how many AQR are being given out to each guest. Otherwise it’s potentially an even BIGGER way to cheat the system. I won’t go into details of how to do it here but for cheaters, it would be trivial to replicate old DAS if there is no oversight/protection in place, especially because it is available to everyone.

There is no need to cheat or lie - AQR is available to EVERYONE for any reason they may need to leave the line. Disney says this clearly on its website. I seriously doubt there’s going to be that many people willing to leave the rest of their parties in line while they go wait elsewhere. And even if there are, that’s what AQR is designed to offer, so how would using it as intended be “cheating”?

 

[nalababybear]

I think the data on rides thing would be a weird way to to determine who gets DAS. My 4 year old daughter gets DAS for a developmental disorder, but I’ve been without her on a few adult trips too. I am going to ride more rides than the average person whether I am using DAS on a trip with her or if I am using genie or just standby on a trip without her. I am on these boards and doing research. I know what rides to rope drop in what order to have the shortest wait times. I know my way around the park and know different tips or refreshing genie+, jumping in a line at the end of the night or during a parade/fireworks show; etc. I honestly get more done in a day when I go without her and don’t have DAS because I don’t need frequent sensory breaks like she does. But if you are comparing my ride list to an average park goer, I’m getting more done no matter what. That doesn’t mean my daughter can safely wait in lines.

Yeah that ride data.would need to be filtered too and Disney IT just really isn't up to it. Sure, a CM may have the data.

But to make a decision on that, especially a written one into standard process, I can see Disney lawyers axeing that quickly....just wouldn't pass muster.

 

[Kerr84]

There is no need to cheat or lie - AQR is available to EVERYONE for any reason they may need to leave the line. Disney says this clearly on its website. I seriously doubt there’s going to be that many people willing to leave the rest of their parties in line while they go wait elsewhere. And even if there are, that’s what AQR is designed to offer, so how would using it as intended be “cheating”?

I’ve been at Disneyland, where groups of 5 or 6 teenage boys, push through the entire standby line saying they are joining their party when in reality, there is no one in line they are joining and they just eventually find a place to stop. People will always cheat. There are definitely ways people will try to cheat AQR but I don’t want to list them.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

There is no need to cheat or lie - AQR is available to EVERYONE for any reason they may need to leave the line. Disney says this clearly on its website. I seriously doubt there’s going to be that many people willing to leave the rest of their parties in line while they go wait elsewhere. And even if there are, that’s what AQR is designed to offer, so how would using it as intended be “cheating”?

Except that CMs have no way of knowing who is in your party, whether there is anyone to come back to, and how long you have been in line. It’s hard to believe that former DAS cheaters wouldn’t be willing to lie about that as well.

What I mean by this is that for parties with only adults, each person just needs to claim to be solo riders, or a rider and a caregiver. Families just have to say that the adult is alone with whatever kids they are exiting with. As long as people aren’t wearing highly customized Disney shirts and exit a few minutes apart, there is no reason a CM would know that they were together.

 

[KrzyKtty101]

Except that CMs have no way of knowing who is in your party, whether there is anyone to come back to, and how long you have been in line. It’s hard to believe that former DAS cheaters wouldn’t be willing to lie about that as well.

What I mean by this is that for parties with only adults, each person just needs to claim to be solo riders, or a rider and a caregiver. Families just have to say that the adult is alone with whatever kids they are exiting with. As long as people aren’t wearing highly customized Disney shirts and exit a few minutes apart, there is no reason a CM would know that they were together.

But then when they go through the LL, it is to join their group at the merger. You are supposed to wait for your group there. I doubt the cast member would allow you to join the merger line with no party to meet you.

 

[PrincessV]

I’ve been at Disneyland, where groups of 5 or 6 teenage boys, push through the entire standby line saying they are joining their party when in reality, there is no one in line they are joining and they just eventually find a place to stop. People will always cheat. There are definitely ways people will try to cheat AQR but I don’t want to list them.

But that isn’t how AQR works - there is no need for a group of people to push through SB. With AQR the person/s who need to leave the line leave and meet back up with their party via LL or other entry point, not by pushing back through the SB line.

Except that CMs have no way of knowing who is in your party, whether there is anyone to come back to, and how long you have been in line. It’s hard to believe that former DAS cheaters wouldn’t be willing to lie about that as well.

What I mean by this is that for parties with only adults, each person just needs to claim to be solo riders, or a rider and a caregiver. Families just have to say that the adult is alone with whatever kids they are exiting with. As long as people aren’t wearing highly customized Disney shirts and exit a few minutes apart, there is no reason a CM would know that they were together.

But Disney clearly does not care if multiple solo parties need to use AQR, or they wouldn’t make it available to everyone. It’s still not “cheating” in the example you give, as they aren't going to be treated as a party riding together - they’ll be treated as they indicated they were when leaving the line: as solo visitors. Think Single Rider lines - same idea. I’ve used Single Rider while visiting with my family - shorter wait, but we don’t ride together.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

But that isn’t how AQR works - there is no need for a group of people to push through SB. With AQR the person/s who need to leave the line leave and meet back up with their party via LL or other entry point, not by pushing back through the SB line.

But Disney clearly does not care if multiple solo parties need to use AQR, or they wouldn’t make it available to everyone. It’s still not “cheating” in the example you give, as they aren't going to be treated as a party riding together - they’ll be treated as they indicated they were when leaving the line: as solo visitors. Think Single Rider lines - same idea. I’ve used Single Rider while visiting with my family - shorter wait, but we don’t ride together.

Perhaps, perhaps not. Because single party A, B, and C can all enter the LL again at the same time (just swipe in one after another). Has Disney gotten stricter about a second tap in at the merge? If not, and before this there were very few second taps, then CM2 has no way of knowing if you are meeting up with your party, have a Genie+ reservation, RTQ, or whatever. It’s on the guest to say whether they have to wait or just walk straight through the merge point.

I hope I’m wrong, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Disney hadn’t thought about this, and it took me about 3 seconds to figure out a “cheating” strategy around AQR.

 

[Ms Bibbidi]

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[PrincessV]

Perhaps, perhaps not. Because single party A, B, and C can all enter the LL again at the same time (just swipe in one after another). Has Disney gotten stricter about a second tap in at the merge? If not, and before this there were very few second taps, then CM2 has no way of knowing if you are meeting up with your party, have a Genie+ reservation, RTQ, or whatever. It’s on the guest to say whether they have to wait or just walk straight through the merge point.

I hope I’m wrong, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Disney hadn’t thought about this, and it took me about 3 seconds to figure out a “cheating” strategy around AQR.

I think what’s missing in your equation is the waiting part - even solo visitors using AQR have to wait. From the little we’ve heard, they will wait in SB until they need to leave and then they inform a CM when they’re leaving the line. The CM will almost certainly then issue a return time and procedure - maybe it’s a piece of paper, maybe it’s adding it digitally in MDE, maybe it’s just “come back and find me in 30 minutes” - we don’t know the particulars, but they’ll still be waiting before returning, probably at least as long as their wait would have been in the physical line. So yes, once they return, I imagine they’d go straight through because there is no party with which to merge. And if Guests A. B, and C of the same party all do this at the same time, claiming to each be a solo rider, they’ll be boarded as solo riders upon returning to the ride.

 

[mhautz]

Perhaps, perhaps not. Because single party A, B, and C can all enter the LL again at the same time (just swipe in one after another). Has Disney gotten stricter about a second tap in at the merge? If not, and before this there were very few second taps, then CM2 has no way of knowing if you are meeting up with your party, have a Genie+ reservation, RTQ, or whatever. It’s on the guest to say whether they have to wait or just walk straight through the merge point.

I hope I’m wrong, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Disney hadn’t thought about this, and it took me about 3 seconds to figure out a “cheating” strategy around AQR.

That sounds like a lot of work for something that might not work, and could be punished if caught. If you are correct that it happens, then the solution is there as you stated, CMs can just be more diligent and the second tap will be better monitored if not already. Otherwise, it seems the best case scenario is someone who doesn’t “need” to wait outside the line gets to while making the rest of the party suffer in line. If your party is cool with that, I guess it’s okay. The person sitting out still has to be there in the first place and convince the cast member when they leave the line to accommodate them.

 

[diablodancer]

I fully understand your points and they are valid. It's a balancing act. It still remains that within that balancing act the individual is willing to accept risks A and B and C but because they have accepted risks A-B-C they feel they should be accommodated for D. So what I (maybe clumsily) was trying to point out ... Is D required to provide accommodation for the whole party when the individual is willing to accept other risks? In an ideal world, yes that could happen; unfortunately we don't live in an ideal world. And in the PP's example, even DAS did not prevent their family member from illness/hospitalization on a prior trip.

And again... WDW isn't NOT offering accommodations, they are offering different accommodations rather than DAS. AQR still allows the individual to remain outside most of the queue and join the party who did standby. PP didn't feel that was adequate and wanted the whole party accommodated outside the queue.

Think we’re agreeing I wasn’t commenting on DAS for that situation - just conscious that there’s a number of able bodied people in here and don’t want them to take any wrong conclusions about immunocompromised people away so felt it was useful to clarify.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Think we’re agreeing I wasn’t commenting on DAS for that situation - just conscious that there’s a number of able bodied people in here and don’t want them to take any wrong conclusions about immunocompromised people away so felt it was useful to clarify.

My mother-in-law is immunocompromised. Trust me she has no issue going to crowded places would never think to ask for DAS (and she has another disability as well), she had no problem going to Cancun, Mexico with us last year, wants to go on another family trip next year, has visited family in both TX and MA, she's had covid 3 times now (all from home not from traveling). You're correct that in terms of air flow an airplane typically is presented as less risk (and the airlines suggest putting the air vent on and over you to disperse the air quickly) but the mod's point was about being surrounded by tens of thousands of people after taking a long flight (specific to that poster) but then talking about needing DAS in order to shorten the time you're around people due to concerns over catching something. The very environment of a theme park would prohibit the ability to provide that specifically for one person.

Just like other disabilities spoken about not everyone with a specific diagnosis handles it the same much less has the same issues. My mother-in-law would have stamina issues due to age which would affect her ability to tour the parks the same as my husband and I but her immunocompromised status would not.

I think we need to stop with the "able-bodied" description, IMO. They also present a conclusion about someone not to mention tend to frame it like someone is unable to share their thoughts.

 

[Ms Bibbidi]

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[Ms Bibbidi]

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[GoingSince1990]

Except that CMs have no way of knowing who is in your party, whether there is anyone to come back to, and how long you have been in line. It’s hard to believe that former DAS cheaters wouldn’t be willing to lie about that as well.

Disney probably believes that the number of "worst of the worst" cheaters, willing to lie through their teeth to CM after CM throughout the day, looking them in the eye and saying "I've been in the standby line for an hour and need to use the bathroom", is a tiny fraction of the number of people prepared to lie or exaggerate one single time to get DAS, which they can then use all day, every day, throughout their trip without any further inquiries. And in this, I believe Disney is correct. For one thing, all it takes is for a single CM to have spotted someone leaving the line 5 minutes in when they claim to have waited an hour, and then boom, removal from the park and a possible trespass.

 

[diablodancer]

I think we need to stop with the "able-bodied" description, IMO. They also present a conclusion about someone not to mention tend to frame it like someone is unable to share their thoughts.

I only used that term as I’ve worked in the disability sector and tend to lapse into that terminology, apologies. Not suggesting people can’t share their thoughts, was coming at it from the place of explaining that there are already some inbuilt precautions that people who are not immune compromised might not know about, like HEPA filters on planes. In the same way I frequently find out about things that might help conditions I don’t have reading these discussions.

 

[sunburnin]

With all the discussions about lines, DAS, Genie+, FP, FP+, some people might find below analysis of Fastpass jnteresting. It doesnt take DAS into account, but it is a great watch to understand queuing.

Defunctland - Fastpass: a complicated history.

At 1 hour and 42 minutes, I'll have plenty of time to watch this in line. HA! (kidding before anyone attacks me)

 

[nalababybear]

My mother-in-law is immunocompromised. Trust me she has no issue going to crowded places would never think to ask for DAS (and she has another disability as well), she had no problem going to Cancun, Mexico with us last year, wants to go on another family trip next year, has visited family in both TX and MA, she's had covid 3 times now (all from home not from traveling). You're correct that in terms of air flow an airplane typically is presented as less risk (and the airlines suggest putting the air vent on and over you to disperse the air quickly) but the mod's point was about being surrounded by tens of thousands of people after taking a long flight (specific to that poster) but then talking about needing DAS in order to shorten the time you're around people due to concerns over catching something. The very environment of a theme park would prohibit the ability to provide that specifically for one person.

Just like other disabilities spoken about not everyone with a specific diagnosis handles it the same much less has the same issues. My mother-in-law would have stamina issues due to age which would affect her ability to tour the parks the same as my husband and I but her immunocompromised status would not.

I think we need to stop with the "able-bodied" description, IMO. They also present a conclusion about someone not to mention tend to frame it like someone is unable to share their thoughts.

People on steroids in general are immunocompromised as well as folk with a multitude of others. Being over 80 in itself is higher risk overall. Our mom went when on Christmas steroids with my sister. No das. Rented evc and got return times where indicated.

Her grandson helped navigate the evc friendly queues.

Agree, with the label or reverse labels even. One doesn't haven't to have a direct experience to be empathetic or be able to offer opinions.