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

[Disneychick75]

Thank you for this explanation and, just to be clear, I never said I was angry. The entire accommodation process is incredibly complex (as I’ve come to appreciate over the course of this thread). I was honestly just wondering about the considerations when charging some people but not others. I didn’t know if it was something Disney had to account for.

If you mean those with disabilities, yes, they would have to account for it because as in my previous post, Disney cannot charge disabled people for their accommodations.

 

[PrincessDadx2]

I obviously can't speak for anyone else, but I'd be more than willing to pay for Genie+ for myself and my family if it worked like DAS. Meaning: it doesn't "sell out" and if I can't make it to a ride because of my medical condition my reservation doesn't expire. It would be great if my family was no longer tied to me being able to go but we could "sync" our reservation times. If they have their Genie+ they could still go at the planned time, but say there was a hypothetical "DAS" flag on my Genie+ and I (and one family member) could go later on that ride when I was feeling up to it. It would actually be freeing in a lot of ways because I always feel like I'm slowing people down with my issues so I no longer go with groups and just with my kid and/or husband.

100%. DW already feels guilty because it takes 2x as long to be with her. She already pays full price even though she can't ride a meaningful % of the rides. If it is about the money then just say so and I can decide to pay or not. To say that people are abusing the system and then arbitrarily lump people with physical disabilities in with the "cheaters" and offer some unknown accommodation that may or may not work is harsh. Is it really that hard to say something like:

We have decided to change our DAS system. Our intent is not to diminish access to our guests who struggle with disabilities and we continue to welcome all people. The new system will work in the same way for people who have developmental issues such as autism. For other guests who need accommodations our cast members will work with you to ensure that you are able to access the park. We are upgrading our queue's and blah blah blah. We are sure that with some combination of upgrades, DAS pass, LL for troublesome queue's, etc. we can accomodate all our guests. If you are not satisfied with the accommodation prior to your arrival then we will, of course, provide a full refund and let you know of changes that will hopefully meet your needs in the future.

The main issue to me is that 25 years ago I would trust Disney to treat me right and it would not be an issue. Today, not so much. They have burned a lot of good will in 5 years.

 

[CT Disney]

If you mean those with disabilities, yes, they would have to account for it because as in my previous post, Disney cannot charge disabled people for their accommodations.

No, my question was about charging different able-bodied people different prices.

ie: charging able-bodied people for genie+ lightning lane usage versus not charging the 5 able-bodied people in the DAS pass holder’s party for lightning lane usage.

 

[nalababybear]

100%. DW already feels guilty because it takes 2x as long to be with her. She already pays full price even though she can't ride a meaningful % of the rides. If it is about the money then just say so and I can decide to pay or not. To say that people are abusing the system and then arbitrarily lump people with physical disabilities in with the "cheaters" and offer some unknown accommodation that may or may not work is harsh. Is it really that hard to say something like:

We have decided to change our DAS system. Our intent is not to diminish access to our guests who struggle with disabilities and we continue to welcome all people. The new system will work in the same way for people who have developmental issues such as autism. For other guests who need accommodations our cast members will work with you to ensure that you are able to access the park. We are upgrading our queue's and blah blah blah. We are sure that with some combination of upgrades, DAS pass, LL for troublesome queue's, etc. we can accomodate all our guests. If you are not satisfied with the accommodation prior to your arrival then we will, of course, provide a full refund and let you know of changes that will hopefully meet your needs in the future.

The main issue to me is that 25 years ago I would trust Disney to treat me right and it would not be an issue. Today, not so much. They have burned a lot of good will in 5 years.

Do you trust universal or SeaWorld or six flags? Or other leading in person entertainment that you would like to submit as a worthy place.to emulate that has surpassed Disney?

We haven't, even with this latest proposal.

 

[Disneychick75]

No, my question was about charging different able-bodied people different prices.

ie: charging able-bodied people for genie+ lightning lane usage versus not charging the 5 able-bodied people in the DAS pass holder’s party for lightning lane usage.

K, sorry for the misunderstanding.

 

[Disneychick75]

Do you trust universal or SeaWorld or six flags? Or other leading in person entertainment that you would like to submit as a worthy place.to emulate that has surpassed Disney?

We haven't, even with this latest proposal.

While Uni doesn't offer as many attractions there are benefits that Disney doesn't offer such as FOTL for their top level resort guests. So if a disabled person stays in one of these resorts, they won't feel they have to pay extra in the parks for better line access because they will already have it. I really like Uni but we're going to stick with Disney for this last trip because 1 of grandsons has never been. After this trip though, it's sayonara WDW.
The other theme parks are not fair comparisons to either Disney or Universal.

 

[tjmw2727]

We have only used RS if we are traveling with my sister or our second son and we want to ride FOP or similar larger attraction. Our disabled son is an adult and cannot ride any bigger ride, but I've never had a CM question our need for an RS. We used it one time in December and once the previous February. Usually its just the three of us that travel together, so we only ride attractions that he is able to do.

That has never been the case for us at WDW and I know many others have had the same experience. My nephew was a hair over 40" and we were denied RS for TOT. We were offered to swap at the exit, but he was terrified of the queue and the idea of having to ride with no way to exit (hard to explain alternate exit to a 4yo).

I know another poster here (hopperfan) has posted many times that they have a child who should qualify for RS under your circumstances - but have not been granted this over the years as AP holders.

 

[JLTraveling]

While Uni doesn't offer as many attractions there are benefits that Disney doesn't offer such as FOTL for their top level resort guests. So if a disabled person stays in one of these resorts, they won't feel they have to pay extra in the parks for better line access because they will already have it. I really like Uni but we're going to stick with Disney for this last trip because 1 of grandsons has never been. After this trip though, it's sayonara WDW.
The other theme parks are not fair comparisons to either Disney or Universal.

For my family, and many others we know in the local disabled community, Universal starting surpassing Disney as soon as Disney switched from GAC to DAS. And it's not even just that (or the FOTL option at the top resorts). It's also everything ELSE that Universal offers that Disney no longer does. Benches, for starters. If Dad needs a bench at Disney these days, he's going on a hike. If he needs a bench at Uni, he's walking a few steps. EXCELLENT, and very easy to access, disabled viewing for parades...that you don't need to arrive two hours ahead of time to get into. And for people like Dad, who don't want to use disabled viewing since they're not on wheels....there's annual passholder viewing...and APs are cheap enough that even if you go on one trip of more than a couple of days in a year, you've generally paid for it. There are three AP tiers: the bottom has a few blockout dates and doesn't include parking or discounts. The middle has no blockout dates, includes parking, and gives 10% discounts on darn near all food and merchandise. The top tier bumps the discount up to 15%, gives daily Express access after 4pm, AND includes a free one-night HHN ticket if you're into that. And for Mardi Gras, they now have tons of food booths that are easily comparable to Epcot Food and Wine...passholders can buy a $150 food card for $120 and STILL get their 10% or 15% discount on top of that.

I could go on and on, but the point is, as far as we're concerned Uni is now what Disney USED to be: a family-friendly, highly inclusive, laid-back place that bends over backwards for both its disabled community and its annual passholder community. Dad finds that he can go there on a whim, stay for an hour or a day, and be treated as an individual human being who matters, not a number or a dollar sign. For us, it's not JUST about rides. It's about the whole, overall experience. And Uni wins hands down.

 

[PrincessV]

So I've seen people mention queues triggering PTSD. I'm not being snarky, I'm genuinely curious...how does a queue in the parks trigger it?

I’ve been thinking on this for a bit, trying to figure out how I can answer without inadvertently providing info a lurker could use to fake their way into a DAS… and I’m stumped - I honestly can’t find a way to explain without divulging too many details. I think the best I can do is say that for me, it’s not just being in any old line: it’s specific attributes of Disney’s and other theme parks’ queues, coupled with the amount of time spent in those particular conditions.

Transformers for my first time in Orlando, I was triggered because I was stuck in the middle of what felt like sea of people in a room that I couldn’t see the entrance or exit with sirens flashing continuously. I had a full blown panic attack and security and medical personnel had to help remove me from the line and that made my attack even worse. Even thinking about it now makes my heart race. Once I was stable, I obviously had to leave the park to recover for the day. I got the AAP for the next day and my only other tiny problem after that was once on one of the HP rides when I felt like I was in a dungeon, luckily I never had to stop on that area. But to someone else with PTSD and/or panic disorder that wouldn’t phase them.

Transformers is one of my favorite rides at UO, but I haven’t been there since before my PTSD hit - the thought of that queue now is terrifying. I didn’t get the AP with ExpressPass after 4pm just for that ride… but it might be the ride for which I’m most grateful to have and use it! I find the Buzz queue at MK similarly awful.

 

[Disneychick75]

For my family, and many others we know in the local disabled community, Universal starting surpassing Disney as soon as Disney switched from GAC to DAS. And it's not even just that (or the FOTL option at the top resorts). It's also everything ELSE that Universal offers that Disney no longer does. Benches, for starters. If Dad needs a bench at Disney these days, he's going on a hike. If he needs a bench at Uni, he's walking a few steps. EXCELLENT, and very easy to access, disabled viewing for parades...that you don't need to arrive two hours ahead of time to get into. And for people like Dad, who don't want to use disabled viewing since they're not on wheels....there's annual passholder viewing...and APs are cheap enough that even if you go on one trip of more than a couple of days in a year, you've generally paid for it. There are three AP tiers: the bottom has a few blockout dates and doesn't include parking or discounts. The middle has no blockout dates, includes parking, and gives 10% discounts on darn near all food and merchandise. The top tier bumps the discount up to 15%, gives daily Express access after 4pm, AND includes a free one-night HHN ticket if you're into that. And for Mardi Gras, they now have tons of food booths that are easily comparable to Epcot Food and Wine...passholders can buy a $150 food card for $120 and STILL get their 10% or 15% discount on top of that.

I could go on and on, but the point is, as far as we're concerned Uni is now what Disney USED to be: a family-friendly, highly inclusive, laid-back place that bends over backwards for both its disabled community and its annual passholder community. Dad finds that he can go there on a whim, stay for an hour or a day, and be treated as an individual human being who matters, not a number or a dollar sign. For us, it's not JUST about rides. It's about the whole, overall experience. And Uni wins hands down.

Wow Uni has stepped up! Love that the parks have benches!!!! Your point about it being laid back has always been its #1 appeal to me.
We haven't been to Uni in several years. My husband and I want to take our grandsons next year to Epic Universe as well as the other Uni parks. If I am not feeling well, I don't mind staying in our room because room service is not a problem at our favorite Uni resort.

 

[JLTraveling]

Wow Uni has stepped up! Love that the parks have benches!!!! Your point about it being laid back has always been its #1 appeal to me.
We haven't been to Uni in several years. My husband and I want to take our grandsons next year to Epic Universe as well as the other Uni parks. If I am not feeling well, I don't mind staying in our room because room service is not a problem at our favorite Uni resort.

Wow, if you haven't been in a few years, be prepared to be amazed! We are SO excited about Epic Universe!! Yay room service, but also don't be afraid to get out into the parks when you're feeling so-so. It's night and day from the difficulties at WDW. You will need to go through the third-party verification for accommodations, but it is absolutely nowhere near as intimidating as it sounds. And once that's done and you have your phone call with a team member, just remember to keep your third-party card renewed even if you won't be back for a few years. Your accommodations will remain in place (and they'll even set you up with equivalent accommodations for CA if you think you might end up there at some point) for as long as your third-party card remains valid. And if you have any issues with your initial accommodations, let Guest Servies know and they can hook you back up with the (trained) disability team. There are actually a bunch of different accommodations available, so let them know what (if anything) isn't working for you.

 

[Disturbia]

Disney: on our menu we have soup, steak, pizza and poutine. If you have allergies, let us know and we'll see what can be done.

Some folks: why are you forcing me to eat soup??? Don't you know some of us are allergic to soup?? Disney hates ppl with allergies.

I know you were just giving an analogy, but it helps to understand why families with disabilities/allergies continue to visit despite the ever increasing curveballs thrown at us.

Disney is one place where we feel safe eating as a family. It has impacted our decisions on where to vacation for the past 12 years (WDW and DCL). They’re not perfect but very accommodating and quick to fix things/assist when things do happen.

The MNSSHP was where we first discovered our son could have chocolate! Even the CMs at the QS locations have a smile on their face and are very kind when they have to bring the ingredient list out. We will gladly pay the $40-50 charge for him to safely eat pasta with grilled chicken and sorbet/fruit. Our first experience at Boma the waitress had someone run down to Mara to get Erin McKenna brownies for our son!

If you have little ones with restricted diets you definitely know what I mean.

And no I don’t excuse their occasional rude behavior in the parks and do complain about Disney.

 

[Disneychick75]

Wow, if you haven't been in a few years, be prepared to be amazed! We are SO excited about Epic Universe!! Yay room service, but also don't be afraid to get out into the parks when you're feeling so-so. It's night and day from the difficulties at WDW. You will need to go through the third-party verification for accommodations, but it is absolutely nowhere near as intimidating as it sounds. And once that's done and you have your phone call with a team member, just remember to keep your third-party card renewed even if you won't be back for a few years. Your accommodations will remain in place (and they'll even set you up with equivalent accommodations for CA if you think you might end up there at some point) for as long as your third-party card remains valid. And if you have any issues with your initial accommodations, let Guest Servies know and they can hook you back up with the (trained) disability team. There are actually a bunch of different accommodations available, so let them know what (if anything) isn't working for you.

Thanks so much for this information! Does it take a long time to go through the vetting process with the third party? Wondering how much in advance I need to send in my information.

 

[Weedy]

How about for the first two hours of the last two park no LL, no Genie, no DAS.
This would make it fair for the people who use the standby lanes.

 

[Kerr84]

Thanks so much for this information! Does it take a long time to go through the vetting process with the third party? Wondering how much in advance I need to send in my information.

My daughter’s took less than 48 hours. I haven’t heard from universal yet but our trip is in July. It says if they haven’t called, we can call like a week before our trip.

 

[tjmw2727]

The more I read here and think about my experiences over the years before and after using DAS I think Disney does need to move away from the current DAS pass as an answer for everyone. Even the CM told me it's all or nothing now as far as accommodations when I explained my needs.

I don't need DAS all the time, but it does save our vacation when I do need/use it. Even with DAS I still have to make some accommodations myself and I am fine with that. I can't do Fantasmic without the dinner package so we buy that, I can't do HEA without the dessert package so if I want to see it I buy it. Each trip I decide which events I want to do, and we pay for those. The others my dd's do on their own as they don't need the accommodations and I find something else to do that evening. I can no longer watch any parade as the only accommodation right now is for mobility.

With a party of 3 we often already separate for rides we can't ride together and don't even use the DAS for things like Slinky as it only seats 2 anyway - but we will use it to ride together on MMRR for example. We don't need to be together 24/7 but we are already spending a decent amount of time separated because of attractions I don't enjoy or can't ride anymore.

For me the RS accommodation would not be ideal so if that is the solution I am offered I would probably just send my dd's to ride without me so they can at least keep each other company in line (party of 3). On the other hand, I don't need the full LL access that DAS provides so it seems I fall somewhere in the middle here.

I would gladly buy G+ if there was no end time like with the DAS - that would likely meet my needs instead of DAS. Not for "stacking" but because often I can't make it during a random specific hour that day so for me it is often a waste of $ when we do try and use it. If with G+ I could book a return time with an open-ended window to return and then not book the next until we rode/canceled that would work for me.

 

[greeneyedchick]

We have to provide a dr's note when our son misses school. It doesn't say why or for what diagnosis. But if that's allowed by HIPAA, why wouldn't this be?

HIPPA allows it. You are allowed to share your own health information with whomever you want. However the ADA laws prohibit a business from asking you what disability/ diagnosis you have. That is why DIsney asks for your "needs" instead of your diagnosis.

 

[starlite_]

I know you were just giving an analogy, but it helps to understand why families with disabilities continue to visit despite the ever increasing curveballs thrown at us.

Disney is one place where we feel safe eating as a family. It has impacted our decisions on where to vacation for the past 12 years (WDW and DCL). They’re not perfect but very accommodating and quick to fix things/assist when things do happen.

The MNSSHP was where we first discovered our son could have chocolate! Even the CMs at the QS locations have a smile on their face and are very kind when they have to bring the ingredient list out. We will gladly pay the $40-50 charge for him to safely eat pasta with grilled chicken and sorbet/fruit. Our first experience at Boma the waitress had someone run down to Mara to get Erin McKenna brownies for our son!

If you have little ones with restricted diets you definitely know what I mean.

And no I don’t excuse their occasional rude behavior in the parks and do complain about Disney.

I know all about how good Disney is with food allergies ♡

 

[Disneychick75]

My daughter’s took less than 48 hours. I haven’t heard from universal yet but our trip is in July. It says if they haven’t called, we can call like a week before our trip.

Thank you!

 

[OurBigTrip]

How about for the first two hours of the last two park no LL, no Genie, no DAS.
This would make it fair for the people who use the standby lanes.

I see two problems with that…
First, DAS is an accommodation for standby, so taking away DAS effectively makes it difficult if not impossible for many DAS users to ride anything during that time.

Second, the LL would become more backed up during the hours it’s open, so it doesn’t solve the issue of too many people having access to the LL.