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

[Ash10]

I didn't say I speak for all people with bathroom issues. I was responding to a person with ulcerative colitis who felt that DAS was a good accommodation for the condition. I have similar symptoms as people with ulcerative colitis, and I said I don't understand how DAS a good accommodation. When I have to go to the bathroom, I have to go NOW. It doesn't matter if the line is even just 5 minutes long. I need to leave it. The person with ulcerative colitis agreed but said the shorter lines make it easier to leave. I agree that part is true, but I don't think that is a good enough reason to give DAS. I think Disney is right to offer other accommodations for people with conditions like mine instead of a blanket DAS accommodation. That just shows an example of two people who have similar symptoms and both agree they need to be able to leave a line to have quick access to the bathroom. One of the two people says DAS doesn't make sense (and the return to line accommodation is better). The other person wants DAS because it'll be a little easier to leave the line if it's shorter.

I think we can all agree that Becky does not feel she needs DAS.

 

[Cassi Baskette]

With certain spinal conditions, mine is one, sitting in a wheelchair for even a little while can cause extreme pain. If the pain starts, forget the standing because my legs will collapse. As I previously posted, a CM would have to call someone to get a stretcher. Trust me when I say that the moaning and tears would likely scare a child. I've had abdominal surgeries and given birth twice and those pains are not even close. A back pain can reach 10 on the pain scale. My neurologist said it has been compared to breaking bones - bones, not bone. Unless one has had this pain and I hope none of you ever do, all I can say is it's indescribable and the person who has it has to take every movement of their lives into consideration because the fear of having the pain again is intense.

Unless someone has this kind of pain they don’t understand it. My life changed so much 20 years ago. Now every moment has to be planned out. I can’t be in the car 15 minutes without immense pain. But with that i still have the control of being able to pull over and get out and stretch and walk.

 

[Baytothemax]

I know we always say autism is a spectrum but I would go as far as to say all disabilities are a spectrum and that’s why accommodations should remain needs based vs based on the general concept of what a particular disability entails.

And please don’t ever assume that just because you can wait in a line with a certain disability that others with it must be able to as well.

And there are those of who have multiple compounding disabilities. How would someone who requires a mobility device and has bathroom issues be able to get out of line, even if they figured out a way to turn around If you ran into another device, you’re stuck. Lines are not wide enough for 2 wheelchairs to pass. There’s no just ducking under/stepping over a railing to leave. Same with the return. Only options would be coming thru exits that may not put you in proper loading location or waiting out entire lightning lane lines.

 

[mistysue]

Good idea! Another thing that would be helpful ( and the right thing to do) is don’t use if you don’t need to. No way to police that of course, but if your condition allows you to wait 45 minutes in line then wait in 45 minute standby instead of using the DAS.

That is what we do, but honestly, it's too much temptation to put on people.

 

[HavendishSquare]

IMO, part of the issue with DAS is the fact you can do it through the app. I’ve used the DAS equivalent at all major theme parks in Florida and they all use paper passes. The paper pass is most equivalent to a regular theme park goer’s experience in that you have to physically walk to the ride location to get a return time. There is no checking the wait times and quickly booking a ride when the wait time is low or booking the next ride while in your current line.

If we want to grab a return time for Hagrids, but have a dinner reservation in the next 10 mins at City Walk, there’s not enough time to walk all the way over to get it. If my party wants to ride Velocicoaster and Hagrids, then we are only going to be able to go on about 4-5 total rides that day.

In my case, I’m autistic and cannot handle being in the loud queues even with noise protection for extended periods of time. This does not usually affect my ability to stay in the parks for the whole day though. I’ve found that I can ride significantly more rides at Disney using their app and it does feel like an unfair advantage. I would prefer there be some other DAS level akin to what I experience at theme parks with paper passes.

TLDR: Not everyone needs an accommodation to speed run Disney, but a lot of people need more than a return to line system.

 

[tarak]

But there are likely many where it is dangerous to leave someone "solo" or unattended due to their person's disability while the rest of their party makes their way through the queue. What if someone, god forbid, has epilepsy and has a seizure while waiting? Or a diabetic passes out? Or someone with dementia/alzheimer's wonders off and never meets their party?? And who wants to experience Disney solo? I certainly don't want to ride anything without my mom (who has her own health issues) or my family when they come. Why do I want to spend hours of my day by myself? If that were the case, I'd book a trip for just me (except I never would due to my health issues). I apologize if I misread the statement, but what I took your statement to mean is that adults with non cognitive impairments can wait/ride solo.

My son has epilepsy. Seizures are more likely to happen with inactivity. I can’t remember if I posted it here or not - when he played baseball, he didn’t have issues when actively playing. He’d generally have at least one seizure each game while sitting on the bench. He throws discus and javelin in high school and is roughy 190 pounds, most of it muscle. If he can feel a seizure coming on, he can usually get to a safe place. That won’t happen in the middle of a queue. Having a short wait in the queue itself doesn’t eliminate the possibility of a seizure - but it reduces the time frame in which one can happen and reduces the possibility that one will be triggered by inactivity. This purported change makes me incredibly sad for him because he loves Disney.

 

[lanejudy]

Folks - this bickering back and forth about this disability vs that disability is not in the least helpful. I’m closing the thread to give the moderators get a chance to catch up AND to force a time-out since the past few pages I read are the same posters arguing the same points over and over.

 

[SueM in MN]

I've only read 6 pages. We arrive at WDW on Friday. I pre-qualified for DAS due to an autoimmune disorder in the pemphigoid family. It is very rare. The fatality rate is high. Mine is aggravated by heat, sun, close crowds and it attacks my joints. The onset was during a COVID infection, and it is so rare that treatment options are primitive. And I would give much to not need DAS and have my life back. I care about DAS abuse, and would not use it for attractions I don't need it. I'm frustrated that physical disabilities don't qualify in the future.

We don't know what assistance physical disabilities will be offered, only what Disney has released. There may be things planned other than exactly DAS that will work for many.

CMs in the chat are not aware of the changes

View attachment 850200

That doesn't mean they don't HAVE any information, just that they have no information to share. I was privy to a lot of information during the 2013 roll out of DAS. The CMs who would be involved were trained over a 2 week period and were not authorized to give out any information until Disney published it.

I’ve mentioned in a previous post, but my primary care physician was the one who told me about the DAS pass when I asked her if I was fine to do rides with my heart conditions. I got approved for DAS on my last visit after I described my condition and symptoms to a cast member. But they didnt ask for a doctor’s note or anything like that. I would have no problem providing documentation - is there a reason why they won’t accept them? Is it a legal reason? I would think my own family doctor would know me better than a contracted third party by Disney making the determination.

Yes. There are privacy laws concerned with anyone receiving medical information. It's not HIPAA; but privacy acts mean if you receive the information you become responsible for safeguarding it. Also, parts of the ADA say people can't be required to prove their disability to receive reasonable accommodation from public place.
(In my opinion) Universal is getting around this by kind of a loophole - they use IBCCES to collect the information and say whether the person is disabled. IBCCES makes it very clear on their website that they are not giving any accommodations. Universal makes it clear on their website that they are giving accommodations, but not requiring 'proof' just having you enroll in IBCCES

That's why I thought they should require the documentation that they can verify with a medical records at the dr's office if need me. Harder to fake a diagnosis that they can contact the doctor about

There are ways around that. One is doctors who will supply a letter for anything. During the time when masks were required and people thought there would be requirements to show vaccine information, there were news stories about doctors who provided documents - often just stacks of letters in baskets in their waiting rooms for people to grab. Another is just faking letters.
One blogger I remember reading talked about her great hint for doing WDW while pregnant. She got her doctor to write a note saying that because of her pregnancy, she couldn't wait in lines. She write that even though the CMs didn't want to look at it, she got them to and got a card that allowed her to avoid lines. At the same time, she was writing about her and her husband's round the world babymoon and the adventures they were going on, including hikes in the mountains and walking tours of historic cities.

I don't know how many doctors offices IBCCES calls to verify the letters people send as their documentation. I'm guessing they spot check a few, but I've seen multiple accounts where people reported they submitted their doctor letter late in the day on a Friday, got notice of their temporary IBCCES access card within an hour or two and by the next morning were notified the status was changed to permanent. I have not read accounts of people who were not approved by IBCCES, but have seen quite a few accounts from people who were angry that IBCCES approved them, but Universal did not.

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. : /

We don't know what other options will be available, just that there will be other options

Another thing im worried about is the open end return time. We never join another line while waiting on our time, but we do often go over the return time. For example if our ride time is 20 minutes if my son is trying to self calm it make take an hour before we can get in the return line. Has anyone heard if that is changing?

There is nothing that would lead me to believe that would change. Since you can only hold one active DAS Return Time, it wouldn't make a lot of sense for DAS Return Times to not be open ended.
The only exception is shows. The DAS Return Time is for a specific show time. Since each show has only a certain number of seats, you need to use it for the showtime assigned or cancel it and get one for a later show.

Just another thought... I know we don`t have enough info yet and probably freaking out straight away is not a good thing (for me it`s already causing extra bathroom breaks)...BUT!
As for now from Europe the DAS preregistration via online chat is not available. The local disneyworld (disneyworld.co.uk) websites don`t have DAS pages. And there is no possibility to change to the US version!
If you try to go from a google link they take you back to the UK version. The only way to do preregistration is to buy/install a VPN and pray that the video quality is good enough to have a video chat.

So for now people who live in Europe (probably anywhere in the world but US/Canada) and don`t have VPN they have NO WAY to even try to get DAS. I hope Disney will fix it. It seems quite discriminatory that only those who live there can get any chance at all to have DAS!

And I thought Disney is all about equality! LOL

The DAS Advance video registration was actually only open to guests in North America from the start. People from Europe figured out hey could 'disguise' their location and make it look like they were in North America. But it was always only officially available for North America

I'm sure someone has mentioned it and forgive my ignorance here but I'm just checking out the guest services page for WDW and seeing how it's broken up. I haven't visited their page much for guest services so I have no idea if it's newly designed or not. It caught my eye more so because they make clear buckets.

View attachment 850353



I know people took issue with the information on a different page that was shared with how they worded it (this page https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/accessing-attractions-queues/ ) but I don't think Disney is trying to offend here. Disney parks, especially WDW, is quite unlike many places even other theme parks. And everyone was new to a Disney park at some point.

However, I like the way they input the information in this link better (https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/guests-with-disabilities/). I think for someone new to Disney parks, new to a diagnosis or an adjustment in issues, etc it can be very helpful.

For example under Neurodivergent and scrolling down to Take a Break they list suggested locations throughout the parks for where this could be possible. That could be very helpful to someone new to the parks.

Just a snippet screenshot
View attachment 850354

I learned a lot more about the devices for deaf and hearing loss than I knew before Some of the people in my family if they toured with us would benefit with some of those things including the captioning devices.


Again I have no idea if they've redesigned this page with the content I'm making specific notation to or if it existed before. They have obviously update the information at least with the new verbiage regarding DAS. I just wanted to offer that I do think Disney is/has been trying to do more helpful hints at least with some of information. Not everyone has been to Disney before nor has used DAS before so some may read some information Disney is giving as pointless it may be helpful to someone.

I've read thru the newly designed page and was very familiar with all the parts of the old page. Most of the information was on the old page, but often was 2 or 3 clicks in. Some of it was only available if you knew exactly where to look. They made the page more visually inviting and put a lot of the information more on display instead of hidden like it was before

A bit of an aside, but I wonder if Disney has considered whether the increase in DAS usage corresponds to the end of Fastpass? It's entirely possible that some folks who needed an accommodation were able to make things work with Fastpass.

Just from what I've seen, there were a lot of people who were able to do the park without DAS by using the 3 free pre scheduled Fastpasses. My daughter did have DAS (and GAC) before it, but we used it sparingly, using Fastpass as much as we could.

I'm actually surprised they kept DAS at 4...but then again, I think this pass is gonna focus hard on minor kids (so they'd need parents anyway).

For adults without severe developmental issues, I feel like the "return to line" pass will operate like an old GAC for 1 - come to the line, get a time to come back, enter LL as a solo when either you would have ridden (if you are solo) or when the rest of your party would be ready to ride having gone through the standby line (so you can join them).

Maybe I'm wrong, but that would take groups of 6+ down to singles, and that would probably knock 70%+ off the LL - and that's probably what Disney would be looking to do. Accommodate the disabled adult only, and not the entire non-disabled party.

I don't think they will be focusing more on minor kids - after all, kids with disabilities grow up to be adults with disabilities. It would be discriminatory to accommodate only children

I think they mean this case that included studies from industrial engineers:

https://casetext.com/case/al-v-walt-disney-parks-resorts-us-inc-1

“Mr. Laval, as well as a current Disney industrial engineer, testified about a "Tester Study" in which testers used certain ride passes—DAS, FastPasses, or readmission passes—to experience as many attractions as possible during a three-day period. The results showed that testers with DAS experienced, on average, 45% more attractions than those without DAS. On one of the days, the non-DAS testers waited in queues on average a total of 255 minutes or more than 4 hours, whereas the DAS testers only waited in line on average total of 107 minutes, or just under two hours. As a result, Mr. Laval concluded that the Tester Study showed that guests with a DAS can experience more rides and attractions—as the evidence showed, at least 4 or 5—with much less waiting than guests who do not have a DAS card.”

“The Disney Industrial Engineering team performed an "incremental analysis" study in 2015 which highlights the impact on wait times for the vast majority of guests at the Disney parks. The team measured the impact on wait times if every guest with a DAS pass were given one to three readmission passes, as well as the impact if the percentage of guests with DAS passes were to increase by one or two percent. As more guests enter the FastPass line, the standby line will be slowed as more guests from the FastPass line are put onto the ride to keep that line moving quickly, since guests wait times are limited to around 15 minutes or less in the FastPass line. The "incremental analysis" study showed that the wait times increased significantly for all guests across the board when guests with DAS were given one or more readmission passes. Specifically, if every DAS guest were given two more readmission passes, the standby wait time at the popular Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride would increase by 39 minutes, from 69 to 108 minutes. The wait times would also increase more significantly if the percentage of guests with a DAS increased, a scenario Disney anticipated as more guests learned about the increased benefits, based on similar problems and abuses that developed with the GAC program. Thus, for example, if all DAS guests were given two readmission passes for their party, a 1 % increase in daily DAS users would cause the standby wait time at Seven Dwarfs Mine train to increase by nearly an hour, from 69 minutes to 124 minutes. Similarly, there were significant increases in wait time for the other popular rides the industrial engineering team studied.”

I don't think that study can be extrapolated to ALL or the AVERAGE guest using DAS.
It was designed to address the specifics of the lawsuit. The plaintiffs in the cases had Guest Assistance Cards (GAC) that allowed them to show the card and immediately enter the Fastpass line for the attraction of their choice with no wait.
They claimed that their children with autism could not understand or tolerate 'idle waiting time' and that the only accommodation was for ALL guests with autism to keep the GAC and other guests with disabilities change to DAS. They said they needed to move quickly from attraction to attraction without waiting. If forced to use DAS, they claimed a need for a number of immediate entry cards (I don't remember the number, but I think it was 2 to 8 per visit).
They claimed that without the immediate entry cards, they would not be able to access the same number of attractions as other guests. The study was to prove that using DAS, they WOULD be able to experience at least as many attractions as other guests. It proved that as well as showing that granting them the automatic entry passes would impact all guests.

I know we always say autism is a spectrum but I would go as far as to say all disabilities are a spectrum and that’s why accommodations should remain needs based vs based on the general concept of what a particular disability entails.

And please don’t ever assume that just because you can wait in a line with a certain disability that others with it must be able to as well.

I've said before, every condition is a spectrum. My daughter's physical diagnosis is Cerebral Palsy (which is the reason she is a full time wheelchair user, but is not the reason she gets DAS). One of the doctors she had many years ago was an orthopedic surgeon who also had Cerebral Palsy. But, other than a weak leg that he wore a brace for, his CP didn't affect him much.

I have said and shared this view with Disney before, but they need a way to cut down on what the DAS gives some people. Can't handle long lines in the sun? That should be a set of X rides where you can use the DAS. If your issue is sunlight, you don't need a pass for pirates or Dumbo or after 10PM, but Slinky dog at noon could be a massive problem. Low light an issue? Certain rides where you can use the pass- you might need it for Nemo but not for the safari, etc. A lot of people can tell you exactly what rides they have a problem getting to.

Some portion of the current issue is that they don't give you a pass and say "here is where you can use it" - they give everyone this golden pass that works on everything. The system gets so out of control so quickly that then people need to use it more because it's being used so much the regular lines become unmanageable when they wouldn't be if only people who needed the pass for that specific line had access to it.

The old Guest Assistance program (GAC) actually had stamps to represent the different accommodations - things like wait outside of the line when the line was in the sun, avoid stairs, etc. There was no way to really police it effectively (like, what is a significant amount of time) and it was confusing to CMs and guests. So, people pretty much just used it. With technology now there would be possibly be ways to do things like make DAS active during the day for people who need to avoid sun, for example, and deactivate it after sundown

IMO, part of the issue with DAS is the fact you can do it through the app. I’ve used the DAS equivalent at all major theme parks in Florida and they all use paper passes. The paper pass is most equivalent to a regular theme park goer’s experience in that you have to physically walk to the ride location to get a return time. There is no checking the wait times and quickly booking a ride when the wait time is low or booking the next ride while in your current line.

If we want to grab a return time for Hagrids, but have a dinner reservation in the next 10 mins at City Walk, there’s not enough time to walk all the way over to get it. If my party wants to ride Velocicoaster and Hagrids, then we are only going to be able to go on about 4-5 total rides that day.

In my case, I’m autistic and cannot handle being in the loud queues even with noise protection for extended periods of time. This does not usually affect my ability to stay in the parks for the whole day though. I’ve found that I can ride significantly more rides at Disney using their app and it does feel like an unfair advantage. I would prefer there be some other DAS level akin to what I experience at theme parks with paper passes.

TLDR: Not everyone needs an accommodation to speed run Disney, but a lot of people need more than a return to line system.

When DAS first rolled out, it was a paper card, which a member of their party had to take to the attraction to get the DAS return time filled out.Guests figured out ways to abuse that and many posted their 'hacks' online:
- Some claimed to have lost their card or left it at their resort. After they got a 'replacement' card, they could get twice the number of DAS Return Times.
- Some added Return Times themselves. WDW tried to combat that by having a certain color of pen used at each attraction for the day. Some people brought different colors of pens and for example, if they knew Haunted Mansion was green after they got a first Return Time, they could write in as many as they wanted with their green pen. People also stole the pens (and CMs sometimes went to a different assignment or break with the pen in their pocket)
- WDW made stamps for attractions. People stole the stamps

 

[lanejudy]

Folks - we don’t censor opinions. You may not agree with another’s point of view but that doesn’t make it false or something to be removed. We do ask that everyone keep it polite. If you need to step away and take a deep breath before considering a reply, please do so. Arguing back and forth is unproductive. Understandably people are worried because what they are used to may no longer be an option.

Change is hard. Those who have been around a decade or so May remember the big hubbub when GAC changed to DAS. Once live reports started coming in it became less concerning. I ask patience from all while we await more definitive information.

I’m reopening this thread for questions and to keep everything in one place for now. More arguing may result is closing the thread.

 

[ryang25]

Folks - we don’t censor opinions. You may not agree with another’s point of view but that doesn’t make it false or something to be removed. We do ask that everyone keep it polite. If you need to step away and take a deep breath before considering a reply, please do so. Arguing back and forth is unproductive. Understandably people are worried because what they are used to may no longer be an option.

Change is hard. Those who have been around a decade or so May remember the big hubbub when GAC changed to DAS. Once live reports started coming in it became less concerning. I ask patience from all while we await more definitive information.

I’m reopening this thread for questions and to keep everything in one place for now. More arguing may result is closing the thread.

It was before my WDW days when GAC was around so correct me if I am wrong, but it seems it used to give instant access to the attractions via the exit. The change from GAC to DAS was therefore that waiting and a virtual queuing element was introduced.

I’d say that the change from DAS to an alternate accommodation like return to queue is more significant. DAS and GAC both avoided the need to be in the main queue. From what has been announced so far, the new accommodations will not. That’s the huge factor for many of us on here - it isn’t getting used to change, it’s that if the change is as Disney have announced so far, some of us will not be able to attend anymore.

 

[vampiroth]

I sent an email to the Disability.services@disneyparks.com account shortly after my original post in here expressing my concerns. I was very disappointed this morning when I found that not only did they auto reply almost instantly that day, but after 2 days they sent a copy paste reply rather than actually trying to hear people out with their concerns.

Here is that reply:

Dear Guest,

Thank you for your message to the Walt Disney World Resort regarding services for Guests with disabilities.

Disney is committed to providing a welcoming, inclusive environment, and accessible experience for all our Guests. All Guests who inquire about accessibility options during this period of transition are receiving this note to share information ahead of your next visit.

We would encourage you to first explore our website for Guests with disabilities, which has been updated to showcase a variety of accommodations and services to meet different needs.

Additionally, to help you plan your visit, we have developed an Accessibility Planning Guide and Recommendations and a Sensory Experience Guide, which provide pertinent information as well as answers to many Frequently Asked Questions.
There are various accommodations available to meet the needs of our Guests, which may be discussed in individualized conversations within 30 days of a planned visit with our Accessibility Services Cast Members. The Disability Access Service (DAS) is one program offered, and it is intended specifically for those guests who, due to a developmental disability like autism or similar, are unable to wait in a conventional queue for an extended period of time.

Some Guests enrolled in DAS in the past may be offered alternate accommodations based on the results of their individual conversations. These include Rider Switch, Mobility Services, options for those who may unexpectedly need to leave a queue, and/or other recommendations. Guests who may need accessibility accommodations will be offered an individualized conversation with our team within 30 days of a planned trip (including on the day of your visit, if necessary), to help provide an appropriate match of tools and services.

If you are visiting before May 20, 2024:
Please visit us at Accessibility Services to initiate a connection with our team. You will be connected with a Cast Member via live video to assist you further. Please note that you will need to have access to a video camera and a microphone. During this discussion, if eligible, you may register in advance for DAS between 2 and 30 days prior to your visit.
During this time, you may also request accommodations by visiting a Guest Relations location once you arrive at our theme parks. Our Guest Relations Cast Members will work individually with you to discuss your overall needs to determine which service will be appropriate. Guests will not be asked for medical documentation.
Note: If you already have an approved DAS accommodation, it remains valid until your existing expiration.
If your visit begins May 20, 2024 or later:
Beginning May 20 at the Walt Disney World Resort, there will be an updated process for Accessibility Services conversations. Guests can learn more on our website for Guests with disabilities. In this video discussion, health care professionals may be available, if needed, to help determine appropriate accommodations. Guests will not be asked for medical documentation.

Please know we will not determine any Guest’s future eligibility until our processes are updated on May 20.


Kindest Regards,

Walt Disney World Accessibility Services Team

 

[Philsfan77]

Folks - this bickering back and forth about this disability vs that disability is not in the least helpful. I’m closing the thread to give the moderators get a chance to catch up AND to force a time-out since the past few pages I read are the same posters arguing the same points over and over.

I just want to thank you and the other moderators for doing your best to keep things civil and reasonable. This is obviously a very tough situation in general (talking about disabilities and needs) which has been further complicated, with this general announcement (but no exact details at this time). I see too many arguments/fights on this thread dealing in hypotheticals, for which we won't know the answers too, until the full system is rolled out and people actually start applying for it.

 

[10CJ]

I have seen a variety of percentages thrown out on DAS usage (ranging from 40 – 80%).

Let’s make up some numbers.

1 DAS user + 5 guests = 6 people
Family of 4 using G+ = 4 people
1 Rider Swap = 2 people
1 Disney issued LL (due to ride being down, etc) = 4 people
1 DAS user + 3 guest = 4 people


So the numbers could be:

2 out of the 5 groups used DAS = 40% DAS

10 out of the 20 people went through on DAS = 50% DAS

2 out of the 20 people actual DAS holders = 10% DAS


Relying on ride CMs for an accurate estimate of how many people are going through the line on DAS seems skeptical at best. Which method above is being used? If you looked at just the first two groups, 6 out of the 10 went through on DAS in that small sample, that gets you to 60% DAS. Without more information % DAS usage does not mean much to me.


I think the bigger issues are Disney has:

-reduced capacity (length of park hours, number of attractions/parades/diversions, etc)

-replaced a product that some were able to make work for them (Fastpass+) and replaced it with a very different product (Genie+) that does not function the same way. Many are not able to make G+ work for them. Factor in that you pay for the lesser experience of G+ and yeah, you probably have additional people requesting DAS. Does not mean any of those people are abusing the system.


I am not saying changes do not need to be made. A LL/DAS line that is 30 minutes is not good for anyone. I think changes could be made without changing who qualifies. Get rid of the pre-booked passes. Add a leave the line pass for anyone who needs it and thinks that will work for them. If that does not work for someone, still allow them DAS. I think 1 DAS holder + 5 guests is reasonable but reducing that could help. It is not hard to get to six people. 1 couple, their 2 kids and 1 set of grandparents.


I am sure people abuse the DAS system. I have not seen anything concrete that says DAS abuse is the main problem. Maybe they need to change the G+ system. Maybe they need to keep the parks open longer. Maybe they need a few more things to divert crowds. Hopefully Tiana’s opening back up in MK will help there a little bit.

It would be nice if they released what other accommodations they will offer people with non developmental disabilities if they really plan to exclude them from DAS.

 

[Nikkimouse44]

My apologies if this has been asked

Do you read this as Inspire Health will be just training CM initially, or they will be contracted indefinitely to be on the calls?

I go back and forth on what I think when I read it.

 

[SarahC97]

It was before my WDW days when GAC was around so correct me if I am wrong, but it seems it used to give instant access to the attractions via the exit. The change from GAC to DAS was therefore that waiting and a virtual queuing element was introduced.

I’d say that the change from DAS to an alternate accommodation like return to queue is more significant. DAS and GAC both avoided the need to be in the main queue. From what has been announced so far, the new accommodations will not. That’s the huge factor for many of us on here - it isn’t getting used to change, it’s that if the change is as Disney have announced so far, some of us will not be able to attend anymore.

Yes. We're arriving June 16. I think the anxiety I'm having right now is the lack of info about accommodation for non-developmental disabilities. I don't feel like there's enough time ot info to judge if this is really a vacation I will be able to take.

 

[ryang25]

I sent an email to the Disability.services@disneyparks.com account shortly after my original post in here expressing my concerns. I was very disappointed this morning when I found that not only did they auto reply almost instantly that day, but after 2 days they sent a copy paste reply rather than actually trying to hear people out with their concerns.

Here is that reply:

Some interesting points I think in that reply.

They’ve seemed to confirm the CM video calls will take place for all accommodations, not just DAS. Website suggests these are only for applying for DAS but that’s not going to be the case if that reply is accurate.

They say how some guests who were enrolled in DAS will now be offered alternatives but the conversation will be individual and matched to users’ needs. I think for some needs, Disney will struggle to justify how return to line is appropriate.

Still need more information but the reply reads to me that DAS is intended for developmental disabilities, but everyone can still have the call and accommodations will be individual and based on needs. If the only reasonable accommodation is DAS, I think it will be offered despite the condition potentially not being developmental.

 

[SteveMouse]

I sent an email to the Disability.services@disneyparks.com account shortly after my original post in here expressing my concerns. I was very disappointed this morning when I found that not only did they auto reply almost instantly that day, but after 2 days they sent a copy paste reply rather than actually trying to hear people out with their concerns.

Here is that reply:

A real issue with a conversation only 30 days in advance doesn't provide much opportunity for significant course corrections, the development of alternative travel plans. or outright cancellation without penalty (when staying on property pn a reservation made with the Travel Company) because the accommodation(s) offered do not meet the needs of the individual (stepping aside from whether the accommodation is preferred by the individual).

 

[taradelao]

My apologies if this has been asked

Do you read this as Inspire Health will be just training CM initially, or they will be contracted indefinitely to be on the calls?

I go back and forth on what I think when I read it.

Initially, I understood that they would be training CMs and maybe available for consult in difficult situations where the CM can't make the determination?

 

[Nikkimouse44]

I sent an email to the Disability.services@disneyparks.com account shortly after my original post in here expressing my concerns. I was very disappointed this morning when I found that not only did they auto reply almost instantly that day, but after 2 days they sent a copy paste reply rather than actually trying to hear people out with their concerns.

Here is that reply:

While I totally understand your frustration, I have lost a lot of sleep over this, called my husband in tears and rambling on and on and had panic attacks - I do have to take a moment and say - I am sure they have received thousands of emails so they probably sent these generic replies out to everyone and *hopefully* will read the concerns in the emails thoroughly as the new system rolls out and make tweaks.

I imagine it’s not possible or feasible for them to read all the emails, and legally they probably cannot even answer or address anything right now.

But your feelings are valid and I want you to know I understand your frustrations!

 

[taradelao]

Yes. We're arriving June 16. I think the anxiety I'm having right now is the lack of info about accommodation for non-developmental disabilities. I don't feel like there's enough time ot info to judge if this is really a vacation I will be able to take.

We arrive May 31. It sounds like we can't even do the 30-day pre-registration? We have to wait until May 20?