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

[KrzyKtty101]

Some people who have similar problems with lines are getting DAS approved and others are not. That's why it has been called it a lottery.

I addressed a comment that was almost word-for-word exactly like this on another form lol. That probably is more to do with how the person is presenting their needs than anything else.

What is just as likely to be inconsistent is how different people are presenting their need for DAS rather than Disney's percieved inconsistancy of approval.

With emotions running as high as they are, I doubt very many of those that have been denied have taken the introspective time needed To realize that they might not have presented in the most effective way.

 

[Kerr84]

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

 

[PrincessV]

I agree with everything you said and I also think we need to remember we can’t trust everything we see on the internet message boards

So true. At this point, I’m treating the online reports like I do TripAdvisor reviews: throw out the ones at the extreme ends of stellar and horrific as sometimes entertaining works of fiction and lump the rest together as an aggregate of “probably more or less accurate-ish”.

 

[OurBigTrip]

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

Disney would know you weren’t using DAS on those trips.

I’m not saying this should be a criteria for approval, just noting that if it were, the example you gave wouldn’t be included.

 

[lanejudy]

The Magic band plus or the phone app tracks where you are in the park with amazing precision. The technology will show if the DAS user is also using longer standby lines.

We know from a previous poster that Disney is also considering that rider history and DAS usage in the parks.

You better believe that Disney is going to use rider data to help determine if someone approved for DAS really needs it or not.

This has been widely speculated, but as far as I am aware we do not KNOW such data is being used to determine DAS eligibility nor that there is any intent on Disney's part to use such data in that manner. Does the data exist? Yes. Might it come into play in a lawsuit? Probably. But Disney is really NOT interested in playing "gotcha!" and deciding to ban regular guests for "misuing" DAS (and I put that in quotes because the WDW and DLR websites both encourage guests may do other things and join other queues while waiting on DAS). The wording of that warning has been part of DAS for years now, at least very similar wording. It was just brought a few clicks forward and some social media picked up on it in April thinking it was new. It is not. It has always been there.

At this point, any suggestion that "data" from activities within the park might be used to determine DAS eligibility is speculation. The moderators have repeatedly asked to stop the conversations about speculation.

 

[Disneylover99]

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

If they are in fact looking at DAS usage, they’d be looking at your daughter’s use, not yours.

 

[Bearval]

This has been widely speculated, but as far as I am aware we do not KNOW such data is being used to determine DAS eligibility nor that there is any intent on Disney's part to use such data in that manner. Does the data exist? Yes. Might it come into play in a lawsuit? Probably. But Disney is really NOT interested in playing "gotcha!" and deciding to ban regular guests for "misuing" DAS (and I put that in quotes because the WDW and DLR websites both encourage guests may do other things and join other queues while waiting on DAS). The wording of that warning has been part of DAS for years now, at least very similar wording. It was just brought a few clicks forward and some social media picked up on it in April thinking it was new. It is not. It has always been there.

At this point, any suggestion that "data" from activities within the park might be used to determine DAS eligibility is speculation. The moderators have repeatedly asked to stop the conversations about speculation.

I think the banning will be reserved for someone who has lied to get DAS and is stupid enough to post online how they did it or brag about it. Disney did use data in a lawsuit that someone had filed to get them to go back to the system that was in place before DAS. Disney won the lawsuit and if you read it you will see how they ( the person who filed the suit) kind of shot themselves in the foot and lied about their needs. The data Disney provided clearly contradicted what the person stated .

 

[lanejudy]

As with many disabilities it’s about finding ways to mitigate that risk and workaround. I don’t think it’s contradictory (and I say that as someone who has been ill from the parks before).

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

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

 

[Ms Bibbidi]

.

 

[KrzyKtty101]

Attraction Queue Re-entry does not involve re-entering the standby queue. If they have someone “holding their spot” they re-enter via the LL and re-join their party at the merge point.


That is correct. You don't have to "stay" at your place in the queue until you come across a CM. If you need to leave, head towards the exit -- in most cases that is probably back behind you at the entrance to the queue but depending on the queue it may be ahead at a merge point or loading. That's when you speak with a CM.


AQR does not involve pushing past people in line to re-join your party. In pretty much all cases it will involve use of the LL. But your party remains in the queue.

Anyone have information on how it works if you were alone in the line? Or maybe just you and small children?

 

[lanejudy]

Anyone have information on how it works if you were alone in the line? Or maybe just you and small children?

I have not seen any first-hand reports yet, though someone was told they would receive a "return to queue" return time in that type of situation. But they didn't actually leave the queue, it's just what they were told would happen if they needed to leave.

 

[Ms Bibbidi]

.

 

[Ms Bibbidi]

.

 

[Ms Bibbidi]

.

 

[SueM in MN]

You better believe that Disney is going to use rider data to help determine if someone approved for DAS really needs it or not. I also wouldn't be surprised if they also used the same data to determine if someone who was denied DAS and was told to use one of the other suggested options would get approved in the future if the data showed that a DAS pass was actually what is needed for them. Unfortunately for people with mobility issues I think that Disney will hold the line on denying DAS for them.

Disabilities where the primary issue was mobility/based on need to use a mobility device were NEVER part of Disney’s disability programs.
GAC (Guest Assistance Card) was the program before DAS.

• stamp for ‘may use wheelchair access’ that could be stamped on the GAC card
• that stamp was NOT meant for wheelchair users.
• meant for guests with non-apparent needs or unusual devices to use the wheelchair access
• Some of the reasons someone might need that stamp included needing assistance to board where the gates at attractions didn’t give room, bypass turnstiles they could go thru

When DL, MK and EPCOT were built, attractions were designed to deliver a steady single file flow of guests to the loading area and out again at the exit. Some of the ways they did that included:

• Turnstiles ahead of the boarding area or when entering theaters (those also counted guests so the CM knew when all seats would be filled)
• Boarding at one side of the ride track and unload at the other. For those, guests using mobility devices were sent to board at the exit

In the very late 1980s early 1990s attractions started to be designed/renovated to remove barriers. Some were totally Mainstreamed, so everyone waited in the same line, some added a ‘wheelchair pull off’ closer to boarding and some still boarded thru the exit.
Fastpass Entrances were accessible, so in some cases they were the accessible entrance.

This was confusing to new guests using mobility devices - if they entered thru the exit, they expected to do that on all.
Some guests who were used to boarding at the exit were upset they were told that was no longer the wheelchair entrance. Many went to Guest Relations and demanded a GAC to use the ‘wheelchair entrance’

DAS was introduced in 2013 and was never meant for mobility. The Disney websites actually had language that said that in 2 ways. This is not the exact words, but similar:

• Guests who are concerned with mobility or stamina should consider using a wheelchair or ECV. The distances of our queues is a small portion of the distances in our parks
• DAS is not meant for Guests whose primary needs are mobility or stamina based or based on need for a mobility device

 

[PrincessV]

The re-entry time component may be contributing to the confusion by some posters as to whether AQR is a separate accommodation for disabled and non-disabled or just a non-digitized, ad-hock DAS delegated to the attraction CMs.

Just a quick scan of recent posts in that public FB group tells me that a LOT of folks are really, really confused by the whole AQR/RS/RTQ thing. Understandably: if the DAS CMs are denying DAS and suggesting in some way that those denied can “get a return time if unable to wait in a standby line” I imagine that has to sound to the Gust being denied a lot like a special alternative accommodation separate from anything available to any Guest. The CMs aren’t wrong, and to explain it thoroughly would take extra time they don’t have. Add that to a Guest “stuck” (and I use that term with great compassion because one of my son’s greatest challenges is getting stuck on an idea of how something should be and being unable to entertain any alternatives) on the idea that DAS in the past allowed their entire party to wait and ride together, while AQR or RS does not, but it sounded like it would when it was briefly mentioned in the DAS call… yeah, I can see why many are so confused and some are downright miffed. IDK what the solution to it is - I guess eventually those who want to understand will figure it out and those who don’t will stop visiting?

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

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

 

[GoingSince1990]

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

I don’t think they are as concerned about AQR (leave the standby line and return to be reunited with your party) as they are about RTQ (get issued a LL return time) which would indeed be much more open to abuse. Multiple reports say that CMs have been instructed to use RTQ only as a last resort, and any CMs seen as issuing too many will be subject to discipline (“they are treated like money” is how one source put it). I’m not sure, because I don’t know if RTQ is digital or paper, but if digital I would think Disney would also watch out for individual guests possibly abusing RTQ.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

I don’t think they are as concerned about AQR (leave the standby line and return to be reunited with your party) as they are about RTQ (get issued a LL return time) which would indeed be much more open to abuse. Multiple reports say that CMs have been instructed to use RTQ only as a last resort, and any CMs seen as issuing too many will be subject to discipline (“they are treated like money” is how one source put it). I’m not sure, because I don’t know if RTQ is digital or paper, but if digital I would think Disney would also watch out for individual guests possibly abusing RTQ.

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

 

[nalababybear]

Didn’t know that. They made it seem like as I had das then that was the reason I was allowed to guardians lots of hours after the boarding.

We've ridden 8 hours later than our vq time. No issues. No das either as son was back at the hotel and done for the day. CM even joked with us about it with us being a few minutes late.