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

[OurBigTrip]

They would be waiting as a family? Instead of being separated? I mean I feel like that is pretty straight forward as to having to be separated. I guess I don't understand how that is a confusing thing to ask. There is added stress to being away from your family and knowing when to "merge" into line again, and not wanting to be separated incase they need both adults to help the child who is unable to wait in the line.

The poster I actually asked has answered, thanks.

 

[Snap Crackle Pop]

The poster I actually asked has answered, thanks.

I see that, you are welcome. Still think it wasn't your business to ask.

 

[OurBigTrip]

I see that, you are welcome. Still think it wasn't your business to ask.

Noted.

 

[nalababybear]

The goal of ADA is not equity. It is access. Can the individual access the ride or not? It's not about making a "more fair" trip overall although I understand why former DAS users thought this (because Disney was offering that which went above and beyond ADA).

Using it as an example of what the concept is. Access is part of equity.

There's a wide range of folk that was put into DAS by Disney's one size fits all.

 

[Dumbotron]

Not disputing that. Handicap parking is the same way.

Should we put handicap in the back of the lots if people lie and use them?

We should limit the granting of such plates and tags to those who really need them and we don't. I have patients who, after listening to me tell them I want them to walk more, will nod, and then turn to me and ask for a disability parking tag. There is rampant overuse and it hurts people who actually need it.

 

[OurBigTrip]

Using it as an example of what the concept is. Access is part of equity.

There's a wide range of folk that was put into DAS by Disney's one size fits all.

Yep, and now they're coming off, so hopefully the LLs will work for everyone that is using them.

 

[Snap Crackle Pop]

I agree that there may have been some abuse but I also think now Disney is swinging so hard in the opposite direction that those who should qualify and need it aren't getting it. I'm very thankful I was approved but am sad for those who do truly need it that are being denied.

 

[OurBigTrip]

I agree that there may have been some abuse but I also think now Disney is swinging so hard in the opposite direction that those who should qualify and need it aren't getting it. I'm very thankful I was approved but am sad for those who do truly need it that are being denied.

Abuse and overuse - Disney is swinging to get both groups.

 

[Snap Crackle Pop]

Abuse and overuse - Disney is swinging to get both groups.

Which I understand, but I personally feel like there are guests they are letting slip through the cracks who should qualify. I also think from reports that I have read and heard that they are not being consistent if that makes sense.

 

[Ms Bibbidi]

Inconsistency may come into this again soon.

As I understand this, a video call approval is only good for the duration on the trip for non-passholders and for 120 days for passholders. Then another round of calls is necessary.

Some say one factor in approval or disapproval is the luck of the draw on which cast member is on the call.

Then what happens next trip when people have paid for the trip in advance, call in for trip-specific DAS (or 120 day renewal) and are denied next time.

We have yet to see those posts. It may be due to the particular cast member, to a very permissive approval the first time or even Disney further tweaking the DAS policies.

 

[nalababybear]

Yep, and now they're coming off, so hopefully the LLs will work for everyone that is using them.

Such is the goal. Yes

 

[SueM in MN]

That's the priority of LL. DAS holders in that situation still have to wait the SB line time virtually. They are virtually in the same parking lot. Post revamp, they are again in the same SB line.

if accommodations still needed for that moment, AQR has been the accommodation identified to address the queue disability and handled at the merge -- which I would think the CM would be instructed to count as a SB party being entered.

I get folk maybe motivated to inquire on DAS. If the need meets the level of that accommodation determined by Disney, it will issued. The SB line is what it is -- a monster by any other name.

That's not wait times by definition. I believe @PrincessV is more true than not -- inflate standby times for two specific purposes: DAS virtual waits are extended and incentive to push G+ upsells.

Ironically, those DAS offramped to AQR probably will see faster throughputs than DAS holders if we're all talking about absolute need to ride (which most DAS holders aren't really interested in vs just getting on the rides successfully is our goal).

People may not remember or may not have been around when Standby Wait Times were inflated during the Fastpass/Fastpass + eras.
There was no incentive to inflate them for Fastpass/Fastpass + since they were free

I never got a Zoom invite, it was a video call.

The websites say guests using tablets or Smartphones need to download the Zoom app to join the video call. They don't say anything about computers/laptops, so maybe people using those are able to connect to the secure video call without the issues I know people on mobile devices had. So, computer users might be connected with the same video call as before

I know - I keep trying to think about WHY this is such a massive issue at Disney and not other parks - I keep coming back to the amount that their rides and shows are just more accessible by nature. I can think of 2 rides at WDW I won't do because they do unpleasant things to me. We went over the UO and somewhere between 1/3-1/2 of the park either I or my husband couldn't do.
I would hate for the answer to be building thrill rides over what I see as pleasant experiences.

I've been to Universal several times by myself and several with friends. My husband has gone with friends.
When I went to Islands of Adventure, I rode 2 of the Harry Potter rides there - Forbidden Journey and Flight of the Hipogriff. I went on most of the Zeuss Landing rides, but for the most part, I just walked around and looked. There was more at Universal Studio, but a lot of those rides are also more 'thrill type' rides than I like.
It's not a park we take our disabled daughter to because there is very little for her to do. We took her when she was smaller and more 'portable', but a lot of the rides are either too rough to take her on and/or too difficult of a transfer since we need to lift her on and off, with her having little ability to help.
Obviously, I can't tell who/how many people at Universal on the days I've gone had invisible disabilities. But, I consistently see more people with visible disabilities at any WDW park in an hour than in a whole day at either Universal park.
Different parks, different atractions, different clientele.
I've read a lot of comments from people saying, "if I don't get DAS, I'll just go to Universal." That might be true for some, but not realistic for a very large number of DAS users.



Right now, many people are worried, disappointed, confused, uncertain or just downright angry.
It's natural to feel angry at Disney because they were who changed things.
It's natural to remember how things were and maybe not remember all things that didn't work - like having to leave lines or abandon DAS Return Times because the wait in line was too long.
I remember when the previous program, GAC (Guest Assistance Card) was discontinued and replaced with DAS. There were the same kinds of 'we can't do it without GAC...the new program won't work...we/our kids are used to the old way and we won't be able to do Disney without GAC' comments as there are now in the DAS conversations. This was despite people complaining about and posting pictures of the long waits in the 'GAC' lines. In many cases, the wait in the Standby Line would have been shorter.

Disney looked at the data they had both in the GAC era and now and decided they needed to make some changes to make things work. In both cases, the number of people using the program overloaded it.
Disney is still operating within the ADA world of 'reasonable accommodations' even if it's not the accommodation the person wants. Even if people can't see it, Disney is trying to make the distinction between those who actually need the level of accommodation provided by DAS and those who don't need that level, but think they need it or prefer it because it's familiar and comfortable.

Will some mistakes or inconsistency happen? Yes, very likely.
Will people be asked to try some alternatives to DAS that don't work for them? Yes, very likely.
My family's last trip to WDW started 5 days after the DAS changes were announced, so I was at WDW on vacation when most of the **** was happening online.
DD already had DAS for that trip. I DON'T know if she will be approved going forward. I think it's likely because I've always been asked a lot of questions about her needs, possibly because she's a full time wheelchair user and they want to make sure she has needs besides mobility.
But, if she's not approved, we will try whatever is suggested with an open mind and if it's not working, we will contact Accessibility Services again with our specific concerns.

I hope everyone has an extra pair or shoes, extra patience and keeps their 'angry eyes' put away and specifically not use them on each other.

 

[OurBigTrip]

Inconsistency may come into this again soon.

As I understand this, a video call approval is only good for the duration on the trip for non-passholders and for 120 days for passholders. Then another round of calls is necessary.

Some say one factor in approval or disapproval is the luck of the draw on which cast member is on the call.

Then what happens next trip when people have paid for the trip in advance, call in for trip-specific DAS (or 120 day renewal) and are denied next time.

We have yet to see those posts. It may be due to the particular cast member, to a very permissive approval the first time or even Disney further tweaking the DAS policies.

That could have always happened though - DAS has never been a guarantee, because it's not supposed to be a renewal, it's supposed to be a re-application.

 

[Ms Bibbidi]

That could have always happened though - DAS has never been a guarantee, because it's not supposed to be a renewal, it's supposed to be a re-application.

Good point with an important distinction.

 

[Flynn's Gal]

They didn’t know that I had another adult and child with me.

When we went through the process, I had to type in everyone who would be in my party for our upcoming trip (at WDW). Did you not have to do that?

 

[Jrb1979]

When calculating the standby wait, you account for the fact that LL guests are let in by a much larger ratio than standby - some CMs say this is 4:1, some up to 10:1. If close to 80% of the LL previously were DAS users, and the number of DAS users has now decreased by 40% (latest reports), then the standby will be moving much quicker due to not having to stop and let LL guests in so often. It decreases the wait time in standby overall, even if there are now more people in the standby line.

This was also the primary complaint that led to pressure on Disney to change the DAS system - that standby waits were way too long due to DAS users clogging up the LL to get "instant access." I simply find it ironic that Disney went to all this trouble to calm complaints about wait times - and it didn't fix it at all. Perhaps because 80% of LL users were not DAS??

My view? Wait times are long because we don't have adequate operational attractions during enough hours of the day. Disney used DAS as a scapegoat for their own operational problems. Able-bodied guests were only too happy to jump on the DAS-bashing bandwagon. Those with disabilities paid an unnecessary price - and we've seen no change in wait times whatsoever.

I know this is going to upset many but the reason they wanted to limit DAS has nothing to do with wait times.

It all has to do with switching to the new system. With less DAS users they can calculate the amount of LL availability each day a lot better.

It wasn't so much the amount of DAS users but they couldn't properly calculate for them each hour as DAS can return any time after their return times.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

It feels like Disney is being held to an unfairly high standard with respect to old DAS/line standards. Eg I just landed in Europe. Customs line was well over an hour and we were relatively quick off the plane. By the time we looped around a bunch of times the line stretched so far back that I couldn’t even see the end. No way to get help if you needed something. No way to exit to go to the bathroom. Bathrooms once we finally got to baggage claim were poorly marked and not particularly clean. Customer service so far has been poor at best and it feels like everyone is out to rip us off (stupid example but there was no way to get change after buying a bus ticket and no way to get the bills back and pay by credit card instead).

Don’t get me wrong - I love traveling. But Disney sets the bar really really high, and sometimes people forget that that is not actually “normal.”

 

[koszmok]

The alternative is to give everyone a DAS, which isn’t sustainable. Not everyone needs to wait outside the line the entire time. It’s very likely that many, if not most, of the people who had DAS for “just in case” would have been fine waiting in line and leaving if necessary.

Well just reading reports here in DIS I wouldn't say only people "just in case needs" get denied

I can see a lot of people "permanent" needs get denied

I don't think your reply is warranted because of this reason

I didn't say they should offer DAS for every person who has "just in case"

I only suggested that they decide what is someone's needs. And that is a fact.

 

[Hippomom]

The issue is how common it is to have a health reason that impacts ability to stand in line for 1-2 hours.

Across my family (parents, siblings and their family) many have currently documented health reasons that also impact their ability to stand on line. It’s not feasible to accommodate them all with something like DAS. Where should the cutoff go?
ADHD, PTSD - DSIL
ASD, anxiety - DN
Bathroom urgency - DSB
Brain tumor - DB - permanently disabled
Nerve damage, spinal fusions - DH
Open heart surgery, pace maker - DFIL
Organ transplant waitlisted - DN
Reoccurring vertigo - DSIL
Rheumatoid arthritis - DBIL
Severe sun sensitivity, stroke - DMIL

We’ve never all gone to WDW together, but we all go and sometimes together. Each one listed has to manage their condition to some degree where queues may be concerned. Most of these health reasons can be accommodated with a mobility device. None use ECV in daily life. Two use ECV at WDW and the others choose not to use ECV. Four of them are legally disabled. One is on permanent disability. We have a big family but each nuclear family has at least one person listed here.

Having a medical condition that somehow impacts the person in queue is more common than I think most people realize.

I don’t think it’s fair to say Disney doesn’t care, they are punishing guests, or they’re imposing paid services on disabled. Before any of that can be claimed, where should the cutoff go that fairly addresses all needs and still functions.

the cut off should definitely include terminal cancer patients, people on ventilators, children with documented sever seizure disorders. I agree unfortunately they can’t accommodate everyone to the level of need praticallly. But twlling terminal cancer patients they can wait outside the line when their party is inline crosses the line for me.

 

[Hippomom]

It feels like Disney is being held to an unfairly high standard with respect to old DAS/line standards. Eg I just landed in Europe. Customs line was well over an hour and we were relatively quick off the plane. By the time we looped around a bunch of times the line stretched so far back that I couldn’t even see the end. No way to get help if you needed something. No way to exit to go to the bathroom. Bathrooms once we finally got to baggage claim were poorly marked and not particularly clean. Customer service so far has been poor at best and it feels like everyone is out to rip us off (stupid example but there was no way to get change after buying a bus ticket and no way to get the bills back and pay by credit card instead).

Don’t get me wrong - I love traveling. But Disney sets the bar really really high, and sometimes people forget that that is not actually “normal.”

accessibility in us is typically better in the US but even in Europe they have things like sunflower lanyards for those who cant wait in line. And as a person with mobility issues ive always been short cutted on every line in every airport i’ve been too and I haven’t requested this they just automatically help me.