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

[xipetotec]

For the people wondering about the number of people on a DAS, under the current system I can have as many people attached to my DAS as I want (I think I’ve had 10 at one point), but I can only add up to 5 people to a ride. I’m sure it will work the same way when the changes go into effect.

While it does suck they decreased the limit to 4, because occasionally I will have my partner and 3 friends accompany us, I think it’s definitely a good change. In my situation it’s not necessary everyone waits in the line together, although it would be nice. I think they will be more lenient in family + grandparent type situations.

Really? Because they made a big deal for us when we wanted more than 6 people listed. And when they did make the exception ( we were 8 ), I was able to book rides for all 8 of us.

 

[nalababybear]

As I’ve already said, they need to move to a system that requires documentation. That would significantly reduce abuse.

Disney already has made their stance on this. They will not require diagnosis or documentation which is following the ADA guidelines much better than Universal's handwashing of it.

As a family affected by MS as with any chronic/relapsing ailment, the diagnosis is far from level of disability and need for reasonable accommodation -- hence the question at hand when Disney asks is disability driven and trying to find reasonable accommodations to mitigate it during the visit.

 

[HavendishSquare]

Really? Because they made a big deal for us when we wanted more than 6 people listed. And when they did make the exception ( we were 8 ), I was able to book rides for all 8 of us.

Were you asking to be able to book all 8? If you weren’t asking that, maybe it’s what the CM thought you were asking.

I had 5 people already attached to my DAS and wanted to swap out a person. On the chat with the CM they told me it wasn’t necessary to take a person off and they could easily add another person to the list. I still could only add up to 5 people on a ride though.

 

[Gentry2004]

Really? Because they made a big deal for us when we wanted more than 6 people listed. And when they did make the exception ( we were 8 ), I was able to book rides for all 8 of us.

Two different things. They made a big deal because they thought you wanted all 8 to be able to ride together. On our last trip, we had 11 people attached to the DAS (many were only there 1 or 2 days of the trip) and they didn't give us any trouble at all about attaching them, but they were quite clear that we could not add more than 6 to any queue and that was accurate (and totally fine with us.)

 

[Disneychick75]

Our pre registration DAS appt is at the end of this month. Curious to see if this will affect our last week of May trip or if these changes will affect those pre registration from May 20th.
Maybe they will screen developmental problems more closely rather than only accepting those with developmental problems?
All I know is that this will definitely be our last trip if I cannot get accommodations in future. The pain I experience from standing or sitting in a wheel chair can mean I will need a stretcher because the pain is so intense that my legs cannot support me. I can pretty much walk with my rollator but the other 2 can bring on level 9 pain and I never know when this will happen.
Praying that all who need DAS will be accommodated.

 

[The Renegade]

I'm a bit late to this party so I'm sorry if questions like this have been asked already. Do these changes mean that DAS is pretty much only going to be available to Guests with neurological disabilities? We have two individuals in our party who sometimes come with us who have both had lung transplants, fibrosis and are immunodeficient. A day in the park can be a bit rough for them so something like DAS was a big help. Does this mean going forward that they'll simply be told to buy a wheelchair or Genie+? What if Genie+ is sold out for the day? So many questions. : /

 

[Gentry2004]

Disney already has made their stance on this. They will not require diagnosis or documentation which is following the ADA guidelines much better than Universal's handwashing of it.

As a family affected by MS as with any chronic/relapsing ailment, the diagnosis is far from level of disability and need for reasonable accommodation -- hence the question at hand when Disney asks is disability driven and trying to find reasonable accommodations to mitigate it during the visit.

They aren't requiring it at this time. As we can plainly see, anything can change at any point.

 

[Gentry2004]

I'm a bit late to this party so I'm sorry if questions like this have been asked already. Do these changes mean that DAS is pretty much only going to be available to Guests with neurological disabilities? We have two individuals in our party who sometimes come with us who have both had lung transplants, fibrosis and are immunodeficient. A day in the park can be a bit rough for them so something like DAS was a big help. Does this mean going forward that they'll simply be told to buy a wheelchair or Genie+? What if Genie+ is sold out for the day? So many questions. : /

No one honestly knows, but this is certainly the way it sounds based on the limited information Disney has released. We will know more after May 20th.

 

[xipetotec]

For many people, having a scooter is a necessity. They still have to pay to rent it. For you, maybe a shorter line is a necessity. If you don't qualify for DAS, you can pay for Genie+. No one is saying you can't.

Plus, it's a misconception that wheelchairs and scooters get you much of any advantage. ( well at WDW anyway, Disneyland is a bit different ). People think wheelchairs get "front of the line to everything" ( they don't, except maybe the busses and living with the land ). That it's "nice to not have to walk" ( yeah if you don't mind being at butt level all day, and actually sitting in a chair all day leads to other types of soreness ). Really not an advantage, but a NEED.

 

[Becky Mouse]

Ok. But again — you’re not seeming to recognize that there’s more out there than developmental disorders and medical conditions that can be alleviated by leaving the line and coming back. MS is one of them.

They are going to be offering a return to line accommodation.

I've traveled to WDW with my cousin with MS. It was my trip in 2009 when we ran the half marathon! She ran it, too. She travels to WDW pretty much every year. Her condition is kind of cyclical (is that the right word?) where sometimes her MS is debilitating, and she needs to rent a scooter. Other times it's not, and walking and running is actually good for her and helps reduce the affects of MS. She has become an avid runner since her diagnosis, and being a runner has kept her symptoms more manageable for much of the time (not all the time). However, one issue she has is that she can't ride thrill rides and roller coasters anymore. For many people with MS, rides like those affect their condition and exacerbates their symptoms.

So, depending on symptoms, people with MS can rent a scooter. They can use the return to line option. If they want shorter lines, they can buy Genie+. There are lots of options available depending on their need on a given day!

I think there are a lot of people on here trying to claim that DAS is needed for them, but Disney will be offering other accommodations that are better suited to address the needs of various medical conditions and disabilities.

 

[nalababybear]

Make the pass less appealing to cheaters. They already getting rid of the 2 advance selections, lowering the party size to 4, and adding a 10 minute waiting period to book a new attraction. I think they could also add a total attraction limit per day (5?) I really think this would curtail most of the abuse without alienating huge categories of disabilities.

Good options that they've started to make as you said and kudos to Disney for that.

How does one pass the ADA test with a limit of rides per day? There's a reason why it's not like G+ without the ride limit. I think Disney threw that on the wall and lawyers probably said -- nope-- no way.

 

[reddog21]

When you make things harder to obtain you

Who could've imagined that there would be such an uptick in DAS usage once they started charging (and more complicated) for the previously free fastpasses???? hmmm...oh wait, only everyone, but Disney apparently Again, they've created this problem and are just making it worse and insulting at this point.

Please explain how Universal and Six Flags are having the same problem yet they have been charging for there "skip the line" program for far longer than the increase in DAS requests.

This has more too do with people thinking every little problem they have requires DAS.

 

[mercuryvenus]

They are going to be offering a return to line accommodation.

I've traveled to WDW with my cousin with MS. It was my trip in 2009 when we ran the half marathon! She ran it, too. She travels to WDW pretty much every year. Her condition is kind of cyclical (is that the right word?) where sometimes her MS is debilitating, and she needs to rent a scooter. Other times it's not, and walking and running is actually good for her and helps reduce the affects of MS. She has become an avid runner since her diagnosis, and being a runner has kept her symptoms more manageable for much of the time (not all the time). However, one issue she has is that she can't ride thrill rides and roller coasters anymore. For many people with MS, rides like those affect their condition and exacerbates their symptoms.

So, depending on symptoms, people with MS can rent a scooter. They can use the return to line option. If they want shorter lines, they can buy Genie+. There are lots of options available depending on their need on a given day!

I think there are a lot of people on here trying to claim that DAS is needed for them, but Disney will be offering other accommodations that are better suited to address the needs of various medical conditions and disabilities.

But MS is not the same for everyone. My husband’s MS symptoms aren’t helped by leaving and returning to the line or using a scooter. Walking HELPS him. The problem is when he is stuck in the heat without being able to move much.

Please be sensitive and stop making assumptions about other people’s situations.

 

[Becky Mouse]

Plus, it's a misconception that wheelchairs and scooters get you much of any advantage. ( well at WDW anyway, Disneyland is a bit different ). People think wheelchairs get "front of the line to everything" ( they don't, except maybe the busses and living with the land ). That it's "nice to not have to walk" ( yeah if you don't mind being at butt level all day, and actually sitting in a chair all day leads to other types of soreness ). Really not an advantage, but a NEED.

Maybe I wasn't clear. I wasn't saying renting a wheel chair or scooter is an advantage! Absolutely not. I'm sorry if it came across that way.

What I was saying is that some people have disabilities or medical conditions that impact their ability to walk or stand for long periods of time. That's a mobility issue. Disney offers scooter rentals and wheel chair rentals for people to rent as an accommodation for their disabilities. Note, however, that those people have to pay for their accommodation, right? They have to pay for the scooter or wheel chair rental.

There are people on here saying that they will no longer qualify for DAS because their disability is not a developmental disability. They are upset because they say they do better with short lines and reduced wait times. I was saying that they can still pay for Genie+ to have reduced wait times via LLs. It's an option that's available to them if they think they would benefit from shorter lines. The difference is that now they will need to pay for it, right? But that's really no different from a person with a mobility issue needing to pay for their scooter rental. Sometimes, we need to pay for the accommodations we need. Someone with claustrophobia might not be able to handle riding on a Disney bus, and they might pay for an Uber instead or a car rental instead. Sometimes, you need to pay for the accommodation you need, and that's OK.

 

[snoopboop]

but Disney will be offering other accommodations that are better suited to address the needs of various medical conditions and disabilities.

You keep saying that, and you keep refusing to listen to the many of us who are telling you that leaving the line and returning to it is NOT better suited to our needs.

You don’t know us, and you don’t know our needs. Believe us when we tell you our reality.

 

[ryang25]

Maybe I wasn't clear. I wasn't saying renting a wheel chair or scooter is an advantage! Absolutely not. I'm sorry if it came across that way.

What I was saying is that some people have disabilities or medical conditions that impact their ability to walk or stand for long periods of time. That's a mobility issue. Disney offers scooter rentals and wheel chair rentals for people to rent as an accommodation for their disabilities. Note, however, that those people have to pay for their accommodation, right? They have to pay for the scooter or wheel chair rental.

There are people on here saying that they will no longer qualify for DAS because their disability is not a developmental disability. They are upset because they say they do better with short lines and reduced wait times. I was saying that they can still pay for Genie+ to have reduced wait times via LLs. It's an option that's available to them if they think they would benefit from shorter lines. The difference is that now they will need to pay for it, right? But that's really no different from a person with a mobility issue needing to pay for their scooter rental. Sometimes, we need to pay for the accommodations we need. Someone with claustrophobia might not be able to handle riding on a Disney bus, and they might pay for an Uber instead or a car rental instead. Sometimes, you need to pay for the accommodation you need, and that's OK.

Please read the replies to you that outlined how Genie+ is not the same as DAS.

 

[RamblinWreck]

No one honestly knows, but this is certainly the way it sounds based on the limited information Disney has released. We will know more after May 20th.

They certainly didn’t do a good job rolling this out.

The verbiage on their website looks like something somebody would write in a draft with a note to come back later and finish it. “Like autism or similar”? What does that even mean?

 

[Becky Mouse]

But MS is not the same for everyone. My husband’s MS symptoms aren’t helped by leaving and returning to the line or using a scooter. Walking HELPS him. The problem is when he is stuck in the heat without being able to move much.

Please be sensitive and stop making assumptions about other people’s situations.

I'm sorry if I was coming across as insensitive. I think buying Genie+ would be the perfect solution to your problem because then he can use LL and hopefully avoid being in the heat for too long.

I have a son who tends to overheat. We travel in the summer frequently, so we plan our day so that we do the air conditioned queues (like Soarin') during the hot parts of the day. Maybe doing something like that will help, too! So then, not only do you get to keep using the shorter lines with LL, but then you can also make sure you're spending more time in AC during the hot parts of the day. Good luck!

 

[Becky Mouse]

Please read the replies to you that outlined how Genie+ is not the same as DAS.

I didn't say it was the same. There are people on here saying that they need to wait in shorter lines for various medical reasons. Genie+ would allow them to wait in shorter lines. It's not exactly the same as DAS, but it provides the shorter lines they say they need.

 

[RamblinWreck]

Maybe I wasn't clear. I wasn't saying renting a wheel chair or scooter is an advantage! Absolutely not. I'm sorry if it came across that way.

What I was saying is that some people have disabilities or medical conditions that impact their ability to walk or stand for long periods of time. That's a mobility issue. Disney offers scooter rentals and wheel chair rentals for people to rent as an accommodation for their disabilities. Note, however, that those people have to pay for their accommodation, right? They have to pay for the scooter or wheel chair rental.

There are people on here saying that they will no longer qualify for DAS because their disability is not a developmental disability. They are upset because they say they do better with short lines and reduced wait times. I was saying that they can still pay for Genie+ to have reduced wait times via LLs. It's an option that's available to them if they think they would benefit from shorter lines. The difference is that now they will need to pay for it, right? But that's really no different from a person with a mobility issue needing to pay for their scooter rental. Sometimes, we need to pay for the accommodations we need. Someone with claustrophobia might not be able to handle riding on a Disney bus, and they might pay for an Uber instead or a car rental instead. Sometimes, you need to pay for the accommodation you need, and that's OK.

I’m not sure how telling any person with a disability that prevents from from standing in long lines to just buy Genie+ is any different from telling a kid with autism who can’t stand in long lines to just buy Genie+