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

[lanejudy]

NM. Saw the answer above. But from reports, CMs seem to be acting like they have never heard of it lol.

That’s because people are walking up to the attraction and requesting RTQ. In my scenario they enter the queue and RTQ might be offered if they need to leave the queue. Or there may be an alternative way to re-enter the queue. But the point is to enter the queue and leave if necessary.

 

[oynk]

So the a
This. More likely than not happened. Recalling exact wording gets jumbled.

on QA, if that CM did say something along the lines of should get, but denied, that CM will get a significant retraining tag.

What we were told was "Clearly you can't wait in a standard line" (exact quote... The rest is more of a paraphrase) however my supervisor has been very clear that DAS is only for people who are not capable of understanding the concept of waiting in a line. (BTW makes the most sense of anything I've heard about the exclusivity of DAS for developmental disabilities).

We were given addition suggestions and advice and encouraged to follow up with how things worked out.

I will add that the CM was almost in tears having to deny us. What an awful position to be in.

We went through this when they switched from GAC to DAS. The 2 big differences are that my child's condition wasn't quite as severe and she was in a stroller wheelchair. (Lots more issues than mobility).

Guests actually lifted her WC and passed it up and over to get her out of line. Unfortunately her current power chair is quite a bit heavier and guests are not nearly as nice

No sense stressing right now. It will work out or we'll make changes. (BTW with the requirements for documentation at Universal she was granted extensive accommodations... Go figure).

 

[nalababybear]

What we were told was "Clearly you can't wait in a standard line" (exact quote... The rest is more of a paraphrase) however my supervisor has been very clear that DAS is only for people who are not capable of understanding the concept of waiting in a line. (BTW makes the most sense of anything I've heard about the exclusivity of DAS for developmental disabilities).

We were given addition suggestions and advice and encouraged to follow up with how things worked out.

I will add that the CM was almost in tears having to deny us. What an awful position to be in.

We went through this when they switched from GAC to DAS. The 2 big differences are that my child's condition wasn't quite as severe and she was in a stroller wheelchair. (Lots more issues than mobility).

Guests actually lifted her WC and passed it up and over to get her out of line. Unfortunately her current power chair is quite a bit heavier and guests are not nearly as nice

No sense stressing right now. It will work out or we'll make changes. (BTW with the requirements for documentation at Universal she was granted extensive accommodations... Go figure).

Sorry to hear this. We are concerned about this as our adult son 23 is mod/sev ASD and quite challenged to stay in a regular queue despite understanding the concept of waiting without a negative behavior happening.

Will Disney see a need for DAS? Don't know.

If no DAS, There will be a time when our boy acts out, the fellow queue folk will attest he does . Completely understand Disney's revamp intent. They are cutting quite close to the bone right now.

 

[Jdavidm]

however my supervisor has been very clear that DAS is only for people who are not capable of understanding the concept of waiting in a line.

I’ve heard this thrown around a few times in different groups now but I highly doubt this is their new ‘standard’ for DAS qualification. It simply does not add up with the approval reports I’ve seen related to older autistic kids & adults. I also haven’t seen people straight up stating they were denied because they were able to comprehend the concept of waiting in a line.

As much as someone on the spectrum may be able to comprehend that in order to enjoy X activity they need to wait in line…that doesn’t mean they would be capable of waiting in that line. It can be their favorite activity in the world but they may simply never be able to do it because of the queue environment and/or length of wait.

In my opinion, DAS should be approved for anyone who would otherwise have to skip out on the activity (rides) if there’s not an alternate way for them to wait out their turn. If someone can manage to wait the duration of the queue but it would be easier if they didn’t have to….thats where they would need to draw the line. DAS isn’t about making rides easier to access, it’s about making rides possible to access.

I think this is what Disney is trying to determine, the necessity of DAS in order to access rides at all versus the preference to make things go more smoothly by avoiding queues that could be an issue (they’re trying to determine if an individual might be able to manage most queues with other accommodations being offered if a situation arises in any of them).

 

[steve456]

. . .

In my opinion, DAS should be approved for anyone who would otherwise have to skip out on the activity (rides) . . . it’s about making rides possible to access. . . .

I don't think that criterion would help much. Most people applying could wait 60+ minutes without dying for a prize of $1 million so I understand "impossible" to mean "possible but really hard."

So then the issue is what is the difference between "can wait in line but its exhausting/unpleasant" and "can wait in line but it's really hard on me." There's a spectrum of how unpleasant people find waiting in line with no obvious place to draw the line between "needs DAS" and "denied."

 

[Jdavidm]

I don't think that criterion would help much. Most people applying could wait 60+ minutes without dying for a prize of $1 million so I understand "impossible" to mean "possible but really hard."

So then the issue is what is the difference between "can wait in line but its exhausting/unpleasant" and "can wait in line but it's really hard on me." There's a spectrum of how unpleasant people find waiting in line with no obvious place to draw the line between "needs DAS" and "denied."

While I appreciate your point, I think there are people who wouldn’t be able to wait 60+ minutes in certain queues no matter the “reward.” Taking it to the extreme of it leading to “death” is a bit far. For them, being unable to wait may not mean they would die but they certainly wouldn’t be able to remain in the queue to win the prize.

To take this example a step further, let’s say they were given the option to step out of the queue and rejoin before the rest of their party reaches the front in order to still receive the prize. This example person would have an incredibly low chance of being able to return in time for the prize to be earned. Therefore they would miss out on the prize/ride.

At the end of the day though, we’re not talking about a million dollar prize or a life/death situation. We’re talking about gaining access to a ride. And for many, they wouldn’t be able to remain in a queue of that length in order to access the ride. Rejoining also wouldn’t work for them (I won’t go into why as that would go into the territory of explaining a need for DAS).

I do agree that there isn’t really an obvious place to draw the line between those who are able to wait (with some difficulty) and those who are not able to wait (they would never reach the front of a queue / it would lead to extreme day ending results due to them even attempting to queue) however, despite this, I do believe Disney is trying to draw a line between those two situations and only giving DAS to the later.

Are they misjudging situations at times and incorrectly denying DAS to people who need it? Absolutely. But they also are restricted to the information someone provides them about the impact being in a queue would have on them and are trying to make an informed decision based on that. Hopefully they’ll get better at assigning accommodations over time and hopefully they will be willing to reevaluate if someone provides feedback that other options for accommodations aren’t working for them.

People with the same disability have gotten different results when it comes to approval/denial. Because just like you said, there is a spectrum between how unpleasant/challenging people find waiting in a queue and this differs even between people with the same disability. To me, they seem to be aiming at the extreme end of that spectrum. Those who one could argue it seems nearly impossible (if not impossible) for them to access the rides through the regular queue.

Again though, this is all just my way of perceiving how they are going about things now. You’re free to disagree, or course. We will never know 100% what their mindset is for what qualifies/what doesn’t, especially since sharing that type of information with guests would only lead to further DAS abuse.

The one thing I can say for certain is that current reports indicate they aren’t denying people just because they comprehend what waiting in a line means/entails.

 

[PrincessV]

very few that do not have cognitive disability are being approved, even adults who ptsd 100% disabled vetsare being denied.

And others with PTSD have been approved. It always comes back to a person’s needs, not their diagnosis.

 

[mhautz]

Edit - incomplete thought got posted by accident. I need to reserve my posting to my computer apparently.

 

[jlundeen]

Another thing that is tossed into the "can with difficulty vs. cannot possibly" wait in a long crowded line... is "want". Having to wait for something that is important to life is different than wanting to wait for something, even though it's difficult. On the far end of that spectrum is "is it worth it for me to wait with considerable difficulty even though I might be able to manage it?" Everyone may have a different answer.

It's not the same as "having to wait for something with considerable difficulty" since a ride or attraction is part of something that is a choice for entertainment vs. NEEDING to do for whatever reason.

If the choice is "no, it's not worth it to put myself/my child, etc, through it" then it may mean the difference between a Disney vacation and something else.

 

[mistysue]

Another thing that is tossed into the "can with difficulty vs. cannot possibly" wait in a long crowded line... is "want". Having to wait for something that is important to life is different than wanting to wait for something, even though it's difficult. On the far end of that spectrum is "is it worth it for me to wait with considerable difficulty even though I might be able to manage it?" Everyone may have a different answer.

It's not the same as "having to wait for something with considerable difficulty" since a ride or attraction is part of something that is a choice for entertainment vs. NEEDING to do for whatever reason.

If the choice is "no, it's not worth it to put myself/my child, etc, through it" then it may mean the difference between a Disney vacation and something else.

At some point, this has to be remembered when people are thinking about this. We aren't talking about accommodations to get a medical treatment, we are talking about accommodations to see a boat ride about imaginary pirates or singing dolls. People with or without any serious diagnosis might have higher or lower difficulty, and no person can accurately judge all of their respective levels of "need" for accommodations for entertainment fairly under any circumstances.
But we are talking about drawing a line and saying "THIS PERSON" is definitely more in need of not waiting in that defined space than anyone else in that line. Nobody can say that with complete certainty.

 

[jlundeen]

Just thought of one more wrinkle in this equation (want vs. ability vs. need to wait) - folks who do not have the knowledge ahead of time, (like first time or very infrequent visitors), may not really have a basis for choosing the answer to this. That's where the CM comes in, and the central team for registration may not have knowledge to help with that, at least as far as all the individual attrations.

So many factors to this, and I do not envy the people taking the calls nor the CMs at the attractions having to assist the many guests with so many different needs and prior experience levels.

 

[nalababybear]

Just thought of one more wrinkle in this equation (want vs. ability vs. need to wait) - folks who do not have the knowledge ahead of time, (like first time or very infrequent visitors), may not really have a basis for choosing the answer to this. That's where the CM comes in, and the central team for registration may not have knowledge to help with that, at least as far as all the individual attrations.

So many factors to this, and I do not envy the people taking the calls nor the CMs at the attractions having to assist the many guests with so many different needs and prior experience levels.

Probably why at the attraction level they are utilizing two simple accommodations available for everyone: AQR and rider switch.

For those with significant issues, a RTQ can be issued. For now, the RTQ demand will be high as so many folk with prior DAS will be requesting off the bat and as both prior-DAS holders and Disney learn and adjust to the new normal,

New visitors and requestors of accommodations won't have this legacy knowledge and either accept DAS/AQR/Rider switch options with case-by-case RTQ offered at the attractions.

 

[mhautz]

New visitors and requestors of accommodations won't have this legacy knowledge and either accept DAS/AQR/Rider switch options with case-by-case RTQ offered at the attractions.

Yes, we are mostly just hearing from a subset of the people who need accommodations. I think a lot of people who do not have the idea of “something better” stuck in their head will see the ability to “temporarily” leave the line (through AQR) if the need arises to be a perfectly acceptable accommodation.

I by no means want to excuse Disney for setting a standard and then pulling the rug from people who reasonably adapted to and relied on the program, but it is true that they were providing a service that was more than necessary.

 

[lanejudy]

I think folks are trying to analyze this more than necessary with the need vs want vs ability. Simply inform the CM of your concern(s); answer the CM's questions. There is no need to use diagnosis as the basis for any of this. The CMs have been trained to ask appropriate questions that should help even new guests who aren't familiar with the parks.

 

[Evita_W]

One reason might be because someone with a condition like IBS may request DAS because of the possibility that they may have a “flare” (necessitating repeated bathroom use) on the day of their visit. The problem with this being, of course, that even if this person is not having a flare on a park day, the temptation to nonetheless still use the DAS would be hard to resist. So Disney’s solution is to deny DAS, and say if you’re having a flare, use RTQ. Harsh (compared to DAS) but arguably fair, and less prone to abuse.

Except the problem is if you are having a flare, you aren’t going to have time to stop and ask for a RTQ, you are also far more likely to be stuck in a part of the queue where leaving is problematic. Not saying that DAS is the only solution here, but RTQ isn’t going to work either.

 

[lanejudy]

Probably why at the attraction level they are utilizing two simple accommodations available for everyone: AQR and rider switch.

I have not seen much in the way of reports that Rider Switch is being offered at WDW. I do believe you are correct about Attraction Queue Re-entry being the primary "alternate" accommodation for those denied a DAS. Rider Switch at WDW still indicates it's to be used with a non-rider.

Rider Switch at DLR suggests it can be used for a disabled person who needs supervision while waiting outside the queue. But we don't have a lot of DLR reports at this time since the "official" roll-out isn't until next week (and it may still take a month to get those reports coming in).

 

[greeneyedchick]

Another thing that is tossed into the "can with difficulty vs. cannot possibly" wait in a long crowded line... is "want". Having to wait for something that is important to life is different than wanting to wait for something, even though it's difficult. On the far end of that spectrum is "is it worth it for me to wait with considerable difficulty even though I might be able to manage it?" Everyone may have a different answer.

It's not the same as "having to wait for something with considerable difficulty" since a ride or attraction is part of something that is a choice for entertainment vs. NEEDING to do for whatever reason.

If the choice is "no, it's not worth it to put myself/my child, etc, through it" then it may mean the difference between a Disney vacation and something else.

That's a good point. I don't think we would qualify for DAS now (although we never had one at Disney because we used FastPass and it sufficed). We do have DAS for Universel. Even with that, one of my kids won't go to Universal at all. It's just too much for him.

For my teenage kids and myself (we all have medical issues), we are capable of waiting in line, but it's painful and stressful. My kids' default (and I have tended to agree with them over the past few years) is that "it's not worth it." They have 0 tolerance for crowds, heat and waiting before becoming overstimulated. They would prefer to not go.

I do miss Disney's ambiance but it's too costly to go just to walk around. I can go to the resorts if I want that feeling. We haven't been to Disney in 5 years. Our go-to now is the Oculus VR. I watched Tron, Tiana's, and Runaway Railroad through that. I get the gist of the rides. I think what some people don't want to accept is that maybe Disney isn't a good vacation destination if the accommodations won't work with their condition. Disney is offering them an option like AQR. If that isn't going to be a desirable work around, accept it and find another place to go. Sadly, we all have to accept our health limitations. I don't hear people complaining that DIsney isn't making a smoother version of a ride so that someone with back pain can go on it. People with back pain accept that they are paying to go to a park with rides that they can't ride. Same thing with lines...find something that does work better. Maybe a Disney Cruise instead?

 

[nalababybear]

I have not seen much in the way of reports that Rider Switch is being offered at WDW. I do believe you are correct about Attraction Queue Re-entry being the primary "alternate" accommodation for those denied a DAS. Rider Switch at WDW still indicates it's to be used with a non-rider.

Rider Switch at DLR suggests it can be used for a disabled person who needs supervision while waiting outside the queue. But we don't have a lot of DLR reports at this time since the "official" roll-out isn't until next week (and it may still take a month to get those reports coming in).

Yeah, shows again how the two parks continue to address things differently.

Would be interesting to see how DAS settles down now that they are linked too -- will that impact other accommodations offered and utilized. Time will tell.

 

[BingoJoe]

Except the problem is if you are having a flare, you aren’t going to have time to stop and ask for a RTQ, you are also far more likely to be stuck in a part of the queue where leaving is problematic. Not saying that DAS is the only solution here, but RTQ isn’t going to work either.

You could have the same flare on a ride, otherwise a way from a bathroom, on a bus, etc.

The only possible advantage the LL gives you in such a situation is that if you happen to have a flair up in the middle of a line you will likely have fewer people behind you. Granting DAS for that is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. One of your party can ask for the RTQ for you, we already know they are offering different options for solo travellers and duos anyway.

Most importantly either you are having so many flare ups that you really can't do anything in public safely at all, and the lines are just a small part of that, or its really once in a while and you are mostly ok. DAS is irrelevant to either, the first need further medical aids to be able to do anything at all (not just queueing) and the latter doesn't affect your usage of the park most of the time (you won't need DAS to ride the same number of rides as the average person).

 

[Evita_W]

You could have the same flare on a ride, otherwise a way from a bathroom, on a bus, etc.

The only possible advantage the LL gives you in such a situation is that if you happen to have a flair up in the middle of a line you will likely have fewer people behind you. Granting DAS for that is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. One of your party can ask for the RTQ for you, we already know they are offering different options for solo travellers and duos anyway.

Most importantly either you are having so many flare ups that you really can't do anything in public safely at all, and the lines are just a small part of that, or its really once in a while and you are mostly ok. DAS is irrelevant to either, the first need further medical aids to be able to do anything at all (not just queueing) and the latter doesn't affect your usage of the park most of the time (you won't need DAS to ride the same number of rides as the average person).

You could but you miss the point, reducing the amount of time in line reduces the chance of that happening. And you seem to think things are all or nothing, day to day life is absolutely nothing like a 60 minute wait in a line at a theme park.

I can’t think of a single instance where there are lines over 15 minutes in my day to day life outside of a theme park.

And yes, there could be other accommodations that a DAS, but RTQ doesn’t work for many, perhaps due to a mobility device added into the mix, or the speed at which there is an issue, etc., there needs to be a better in between option that doesn’t involve trying to flag down a cast member during the urgent issue.