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

[lanejudy]

Just to be clear, the CMs interpretation of rider swap consistently was: one person waits in line, rest of party may wait out and rejoin at merge point.

Were you requesting Rider Swap? There definitely seems to be confusion around that -- WDW's website still indicates that Rider Swap requires a non-rider. Do you mean Attraction Queue Re-entry?

 

[KrzyKtty101]

Then it would be a failure of offering a standard accommodation. They don't have an * to it saying not applicable on busy park days

The * Is the fact nowhere in a clearly defined rule does say if you are a solo visitor using AQR, You will be let in the LL line immediately each time. As the original poster said there were mitigating factors that aren't well defined yet.

 

[KrzyKtty101]

I think what was meant is that instead of immediately directing the PP to the LL, CMs may have given a return time. Not saying no accommodation.

Thank you. That was it.

 

[keishashadow]

I didn’t specify a name of accommodation to CMs when inquiring

indicated the issue(s) as to not being able to wait in line

First response was to speak to GS re a DAS

Told them to assume I was denied already & requesting their help

All CMs but the Epcot attractions & one other CM whom I promised to keep private, acted as tho they never heard the term AQR

The CM who did share she wrote a return to line said she had to answer for it afterwards by a supervisor

Jmho. The CMs on the line look miserable and nervous. I’m sure they’ve been (unfairly) offered as the face of this and have encountered unpleasant interactions.

Conversely, more than a few seemed more than a bit brusque with guests ahead of us in line

They shouldn’t be the ones explaining Disney's position to guests. IMO should be directed to somebody onsite. It’s obviously not GS role now.

 

[nalababybear]

Thank you. That was it.

Ty for that.

The thought of Disney would suspend AQR on busy days would simply be a nonstarter.

 

[Takket]

I see lots of in-park reports.... has anyone seen a report in this thread from someone that went through the DAS application process and was accepted or rejected? What was the experience like? What did they ask? What sort of disabilities other than autism have been accepted? I travel with someone with a litany of physical AND mental disabilities though I would classify them as "developmental".

Is there a hard line being drawn at "developmental"? I see a lot of people resorting to buying Genie+ which angers me because this feels like a tax on disabled persons to avoid lines they know they can't wait in. Not that I'm unwilling to play for G+. We DID buy it on our last trip despite my companion having DAS anyway. It is the principle of the thing that is bothersome...

 

[KrzyKtty101]

I see lots of in-park reports.... has anyone seen a report in this thread from someone that went through the DAS application process and was accepted or rejected? What was the experience like? What did they ask? What sort of disabilities other than autism have been accepted? I travel with someone with a litany of physical AND mental disabilities though I would classify them as "developmental".

Is there a hard line being drawn at "developmental"? I see a lot of people resorting to buying Genie+ which angers me because this feels like a tax on disabled persons to avoid lines they know they can't wait in. Not that I'm unwilling to play for G+. We DID buy it on our last trip despite my companion having DAS anyway. It is the principle of the thing that is bothersome...

You might find the DAS approval thread to have more of the specific information you are looking for

 

[SueM in MN]

I see lots of in-park reports.... has anyone seen a report in this thread from someone that went through the DAS application process and was accepted or rejected? What was the experience like? What did they ask? What sort of disabilities other than autism have been accepted? I travel with someone with a litany of physical AND mental disabilities though I would classify them as "developmental".

Is there a hard line being drawn at "developmental"? I see a lot of people resorting to buying Genie+ which angers me because this feels like a tax on disabled persons to avoid lines they know they can't wait in. Not that I'm unwilling to play for G+. We DID buy it on our last trip despite my companion having DAS anyway. It is the principle of the thing that is bothersome...

This is a link to a DAS thread where posters are discussing being approved or denied.
If you have applied before, the process is similar. The thing to be ready to discuss is still “what are your concerns with waiting in the regular lines?”
Guests may be asked follow-up questions (which we are asking people not to share) or a Health Professional may join the call as a consultant to the CM.

DAS is not approved based on diagnosis, it’s based on needs/issues waiting in line. It’s not only developmental disabilities and/or autism that have been approved for DAS. But, even in those groups there is a spectrum of needs and not all are approved for DAS.

For some, there are other accommodations or tools available that can be used and will be recommended- those are the things you’ve seen discussed in this thread

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

I’ve been thinking about @PrincessV ‘s experience today and it gives me hope that Disney is serious about LL management (especially for DASholders who cannot wait more than 5-10m at best, but also for those of us who use LL as accommodations for other issues and have limited total time we can spend in the parks or in line), because from that perspective, it makes total sense that they looked at her profile, said “yep, you’re definitely a party of one, no way to do AQR or rider swap, may as well send you through right now when we know nearly nobody is in the LL queue because you’re going to need it sooner or later, so you may as well do it now while there’s excess LL capacity.” Whereas if it was one of those times where the LL line was seemingly longer than the standby queue because it had just recovered from a breakdown, you might get a return in 30-60+ minutes.

If they are adopting this (potentially superior to DAS) system for single riders, I hope they are checking to make sure that groups of 3-4 aren’t all splitting into groups of 1 to beat the system over and over. Disney has the data and tools to stop abusers, the question is if they will try.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

If they are adopting this (potentially superior to DAS) system for single riders, I hope they are checking to make sure that groups of 3-4 aren’t all splitting into groups of 1 to beat the system over and over. Disney has the data and tools to stop abusers, the question is if they will try.

I have raised this (bolding mine) a couple of times in various forms. Parties of 1. Parents suddenly becoming “single parents with minor child(ren).” It seems like such an easy way to cheat because the CMs have no idea that you and the person standing behind you (or 3 people back or whatever) are together. Other posters have nixed the idea as implausible but I’m still skeptical. Hopefully Disney has more safeguards in place than it appears.

 

[lanejudy]

indicated the issue(s) as to not being able to wait in line

...

The CM who did share she wrote a return to line said she had to answer for it afterwards by a supervisor

Maybe you were too detailed, which made the CMs think you were asking for DAS? AQR is available for anyone who may need to leave the queue, no real need to explain the disability issue(s) other than "I may need to leave the queue. What should I do if that happens?"

And it sounds like that CM gave you a Return to Queue time instead of having you do Attraction Queue Re-entry, which has the party wait in the queue and the individual (+caregiver if needed) return through the LL. There typically isn't a return time issued with AQR, and it does require that your party split up. RTQ is limited and the CMs need to document why it was issued.

 

[lanejudy]

I have raised this (bolding mine) a couple of times in various forms. Parties of 1. Parents suddenly becoming “single parents with minor child(ren).” It seems like such an easy way to cheat because the CMs have no idea that you and the person standing behind you (or 3 people back or whatever) are together. Other posters have nixed the idea as implausible but I’m still skeptical. Hopefully Disney has more safeguards in place than it appears.

I think it's unlikely that parties will be immediately allowed into the LL. It does seem the PP was either pixie-dusted, or queues were so short that it didn't really matter. If the LL was virtually a walk-on, the standby must have been moving fairly well also and likely shorter than the posted wait.

 

[keishashadow]

If the LL was virtually a walk-on

Other than 7 dwarfs most LL we experienced so far were quick

Conversely, with light attendance, the standby lines were longer IMO

When I have time at home will
Look at thrill data charts to try to
Get a handle on actual line SB times

Curious to see how this falls out over 4th of July trip, still on old DAS tho

No RTQ offered to us or acknowledged when I mentioned it, except by the one CM. Could be we didn’t ‘look’ eligible. If so, that’s a slippery slope. They need to ask why one is requesting

They were insisting rider swap was the only option available to us

The interesting twist that was being repeated: only 1 person in party had to wait in standby vs all but the individual with issues. This versus all inside waiting?

The one thing for us that may be sqewing things is they did know we had DAS & my Qs were hypothetical

Will see how experiment goes at mgm today

 

[PrincessV]

We then did inquire at each ride and ask to speak to the CM who handled accommodations for those who didn’t have DAS

All but one CM originally looked at me like I was speaking gibberish

Some insisted there were no such accommodations & I needed to go to city hall in the MK to talk to them. ???

Others indicated only that rider swap was an option. Probably because there were 2 people???

I think the main difference between our experiences is party size - there just aren’t a lot of options for a party of 1: it’s either send them right into the LL, or give a return time. (And it dawns on me just now that that was probably why the PP CM told me to just see them when I returned - no ding on them for giving a return time or doing anything in MDE, and I’m still accommodated.)

But I also think the language we use might matter… I was very intentional about speaking plainly and asking pretty open ended questions because my goal was research: I wanted to see what was offered without my prompting, if that makes sense. At POTC, I asked, “There’s a high chance I’ll need to leave the line if the wait really is 25 minutes - what’s the best way for me to do that, and how might I be able to return?” That opened the conversation for the CM to ask a couple questions to learn that I was solo and that my issue was the line itself. I imagine if I had a different party size and/or my issue was different, they’d have offered a different accommodation.

I’ve been thinking about @PrincessV ‘s experience today and it gives me hope that Disney is serious about LL management (especially for DASholders who cannot wait more than 5-10m at best, but also for those of us who use LL as accommodations for other issues and have limited total time we can spend in the parks or in line), because from that perspective, it makes total sense that they looked at her profile, said “yep, you’re definitely a party of one, no way to do AQR or rider swap, may as well send you through right now when we know nearly nobody is in the LL queue because you’re going to need it sooner or later, so you may as well do it now while there’s excess LL capacity.” Whereas if it was one of those times where the LL line was seemingly longer than the standby queue because it had just recovered from a breakdown, you might get a return in 30-60+ minutes.

^ Nailed it. The LLs were SO short, it made obvious sense to just send me right through at that time. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I walked right through the POTC LL and straight into a boat! If the LL had been backed up, I assume I’d have been given a return time or maybe told to wait in SB until I had to leave, though that would end up either dumping me into LL or being given a return time, too. Any way I slice it, I think solo Guests will land in the LL at some point.

If they are adopting this (potentially superior to DAS) system for single riders, I hope they are checking to make sure that groups of 3-4 aren’t all splitting into groups of 1 to beat the system over and over. Disney has the data and tools to stop abusers, the question is if they will try.

In my case, it was obvious - there wasn’t another human anywhere near me. On a busy day, I suppose it’s possible, assuming that many families are willing to break up into single riders, though I really don’t think many would be willing. I think they’d also have to be pretty cagey about it - I don’t get the impression a lot of people are asking for AQR, so if 6 in a row, all standing in line right behind each other, suddenly do, it might be pretty obvious. OTOH, is a CM going to waste time and energy challenging them? IDK. I’m glad it’s not my job to figure it out!

I think it's unlikely that parties will be immediately allowed into the LL. It does seem the PP was either pixie-dusted, or queues were so short that it didn't really matter. If the LL was virtually a walk-on, the standby must have been moving fairly well also and likely shorter than the posted wait.

Yep, ITA. And that was part of why I asked before entering the SB at POTC - I was half expecting the CM to tell me, “oh, it’s not really 25 minutes - more like 10”, in which case I’d just have gotten into the SB queue.

 

[mhautz]

Other than 7 dwarfs most LL we experienced so far were quick

Conversely, with light attendance, the standby lines were longer IMO

When I have time at home will
Look at thrill data charts to try to
Get a handle on actual line SB times

Curious to see how this falls out over 4th of July trip, still on old DAS tho

No RTQ offered to us or acknowledged when I mentioned it, except by the one CM. Could be we didn’t ‘look’ eligible. If so, that’s a slippery slope. They need to ask why one is requesting

They were insisting rider swap was the only option available to us

The interesting twist that was being repeated: only 1 person in party had to wait in standby vs all but the individual with issues. This versus all inside waiting?

The one thing for us that may be sqewing things is they did know we had DAS & my Qs were hypothetical

Will see how experiment goes at mgm today

While reading through your posts, it seems like the CMs are mostly giving you the exact accommodation that would be expected if a member of the party is unable to wait in line. They are offering for the person to wait outside while at least one other person waits in the queue. Regardless of what they were calling it, this is the accommodation expected when there is a party that can reasonably split up.

While I understand that CMs should be better trained to handle the various ways people may request accommodation and better manage their expectations, their job is to take the information and give you a solution that adequately addresses your needs while successfully managing the efficiency of the queue as a whole. I don’t know if it’s fair to expect them to proactively offer RTQ because that is not the primary tool in their arsenal and is reserved for when they have exhausted other solutions.

To be clear, I appreciate all the information you are providing and I think it is very helpful for everyone to better understand what is being offered and better preparing people to set their expectations appropriately. I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip and enjoy MGM Studios (which is totally the right name )

 

[PrincessV]

No RTQ offered to us or acknowledged when I mentioned it, except by the one CM. Could be we didn’t ‘look’ eligible. If so, that’s a slippery slope. They need to ask why one is requesting

I think the key here is that RTQ is not being offered to anyone as a primary accommodation - all indicators are that it would be offered only in situations where there is no other accommodation possible. So if you’re specifically requesting RTQ - meaning a return time for your entire party - I can see why CMs are suggesting you use DAS instead.

They were insisting rider swap was the only option available to us

The interesting twist that was being repeated: only 1 person in party had to wait in standby vs all but the individual with issues. This versus all inside waiting?

Apologies if I missed it - what is your party size? And CMs were telling you one person would wait in SB while the others waited outside of the line and returned to all ride together? That is a departure from how AQR is said to work, but maybe they were making an exception so that you could keep most of your party with the disabled individual.

The one thing for us that may be sqewing things is they did know we had DAS & my Qs were hypothetical

I do think that plays a large part - it sounds like CMs were trying to work things out, but felt DAS was really your best fit. FWIW I never mentioned DAS at all when requesting AQR the other day. I didn’t mention AQR or RTQ, either - only that I had a need to leave the line and return.

I hope you have a great day at MGM!

 

[sunburnin]

but also for those of us who use LL as accommodations for other issues and have limited total time we can spend in the parks or in line)

It does sound like the CMs are getting more familiar with the process. However, they should never offer accommodations or DAS-like service just because someone only has a few hours in the park. For other reasons, sure. But not this.

 

[mhautz]

I think the key here is that RTQ is not being offered to anyone as a primary accommodation - all indicators are that it would be offered only in situations where there is no other accommodation possible. So if you’re specifically requesting RTQ - meaning a return time for your entire party - I can see why CMs are suggesting you use DAS instead.

I agree. Part of the reason RTQ is not a primary solution is because it’s kind of like DAS, but in person, so the idea would be in most instances, a person truly in need of RTQ as a primary solution should already qualify for DAS or their need for RTQ is evident but not necessary for all rides (such as the wheelchair return time).

 

[lanejudy]

No RTQ offered to us or acknowledged when I mentioned it, except by the one CM. Could be we didn’t ‘look’ eligible. If so, that’s a slippery slope. They need to ask why one is requesting

They were insisting rider swap was the only option available to us

The interesting twist that was being repeated: only 1 person in party had to wait in standby vs all but the individual with issues. This versus all inside waiting?

It's not about "looking" eligible. There are very limited situations where a return time will be issued. The primary accommodation is either Attraction Queue Re-entry or Rider Switch. It sounds like as a party of 3 they wanted you to use Rider Switch, with 1 person waiting in the queue and the other 2 waiting outside (person with disability + a caregiver).

edited to correct for party size​

The one thing for us that may be sqewing things is they did know we had DAS & my Qs were hypothetical

Hypothetical questions do seem to be getting non-answers. I believe it's because what is actually offered will depend on several factors -- attraction, party size, line situation, etc. and it may vary. So it's hard for them to answer a hypothetical. If you intend to enter the standby, I suggest asking "what should I do if I need to leave the queue?"

 

[keishashadow]

At POTC, I asked, “There’s a high chance I’ll need to leave the line if the wait really is 25 minutes - what’s the best way for me to do that, and how might I be able to return?” That opened the conversation for the CM to ask a couple questions to learn that I was solo and that my issue was the line itself. I imagine if I had a different party size and/or my issue was different, they’d have offered a different accommodation.

Pretty much what I said

I don’t know if it’s fair to expect them to proactively offer RTQ because that is not the primary tool in their arsenal and is reserved for when they have exhausted other solutions.

True

I think the key here is that RTQ is not being offered to anyone as a primary accommodation - all indicators are that it would be offered only in situations where there is no other accommodation possible. So if you’re specifically requesting RTQ - meaning a return time for your entire party - I can see why CMs are suggesting you use DAS instead.

Again true, it’s just when I brought that up after being told the other option; was repeatedly told they knew nothing about it/not an option/go talk to GS

Apologies if I missed it - what is your party size? And CMs were telling you one person would wait in SB while the others waited outside of the line and returned to all ride together?

We have 3 this trip, all adults

Doesn’t look too crowded. Got here at 10 picked RotR all returns were 50-90 min then Sitting at Indy, it’s full