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

[PrincessV]

This is how it was for me in January as well, though I wasn't as lucky with not having to explain my disability/issues several times. Not at all attractions but enough to make you not want to bother going forward and souring the day.

I’m so sorry to hear that was your experience. Maybe they’ve done some additional training since then? I opened with something like, “Hi, I need to request a disability accommodation, please. I’ve used the DAS program in the past but was told on my most recent call to request accommodation at the attraction instead. I’m a solo visitor and can wait elsewhere, just not in the actual queue for the current length of wait time. Can you help me with this?” That was it. I was prepared to ask for a supervisor if necessary, but it wasn’t.

 

[Evita_W]

I’m so sorry to hear that was your experience. Maybe they’ve done some additional training since then? I opened with something like, “Hi, I need to request a disability accommodation, please. I’ve used the DAS program in the past but was told on my most recent call to request accommodation at the attraction instead. I’m a solo visitor and can wait elsewhere, just not in the actual queue for the current length of wait time. Can you help me with this?” That was it. I was prepared to ask for a supervisor if necessary, but it wasn’t.

Even this shouldn't need to be explained in this detail every time.

 

[jennab]

Even this shouldn't need to be explained in this detail every time.

How is that even detailed? It’s not… she didn’t give personal info about herself, just that she needed accommodations and what would work.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

Even this shouldn't need to be explained in this detail every time.

Seriously??? It’s 4 sentences long. If that’s too hard for you perhaps you can laminate it and hand it to a CM each time.

 

[PrincessV]

Even this shouldn't need to be explained in this detail every time.

My feeling was that they need some detail to provide the appropriate accommodation. They need to know I’m solo because asking my party to wait in the queue isn’t an option. They need to know that I can wait for however long I need to, just not in the queue. They need to know it’s not a mobility issue that would require special seating. So I offered that info upfront to make things easier. But that was it. No intimate details about my disability; no invasive questioning about what happens to me in line. I’ve had longer interactions with CMs just discussing the weather, so a few short sentences was a non-issue to me.

 

[HopperFan]

My feeling was that they need some detail to provide the appropriate accommodation. They need to know I’m solo because asking my party to wait in the queue isn’t an option. They need to know that I can wait for however long I need to, just not in the queue. They need to know it’s not a mobility issue that would require special seating. So I offered that info upfront to make things easier. But that was it. No intimate details about my disability; no invasive questioning about what happens to me in line. I’ve had longer interactions with CMs just discussing the weather, so a few short sentences was a non-issue to me.

Very well said.

CMs are not mind readers. Giving them the concise parameters of your situation ~ which means the CMs don't have to ask several questions to get to a point where they know how to accommodate you. The more questions they have to ask, I imagine the more frustrated the guest (and maybe CM) gets and it might feel invasive. But they need those parameters. You kept it to the point and simple, and had a good experience.

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

My feeling was that they need some detail to provide the appropriate accommodation. They need to know I’m solo because asking my party to wait in the queue isn’t an option. They need to know that I can wait for however long I need to, just not in the queue. They need to know it’s not a mobility issue that would require special seating. So I offered that info upfront to make things easier. But that was it. No intimate details about my disability; no invasive questioning about what happens to me in line. I’ve had longer interactions with CMs just discussing the weather, so a few short sentences was a non-issue to me.

I was last at WDW in Jan and don’t go alone but did occasionally only have my two elementary school aged kids with me while my husband was working and (since we were mainly using LLMP) we only needed it a couple times total to try it for rides my kids really wanted to do more than once with lines over 30m— and our process was similar to @PrincessV except since my issue is more time based I started by asking how long the lines actually were, offered to try it if it was close and was generally given a return time about equal to current total wait, for which I was very grateful. When with my husband and kids, they had options for meeting up in the queue, I was told I could wait with one kid and husband could wait with one kid in queue—that seemed very fair to me (less so to the kid who has to wait in line, lol). I know it can vary based on operational factors and crowds, but I was not asked to even get in lines that I knew were too long— I wonder if it is because I was affirmatively explaining that I was willing to try waiting as long as they expected it to be less than 30m.

 

[OurBigTrip]

Even this shouldn't need to be explained in this detail every time.

What detail?

 

[PrincessV]

Very well said.

CMs are not mind readers. Giving them the concise parameters of your situation ~ which means the CMs don't have to ask several questions to get to a point where they know how to accommodate you. The more questions they have to ask, I imagine the more frustrated the guest (and maybe CM) gets and it might feel invasive. But they need those parameters. You kept it to the point and simple, and had a good experience.

Thanks @HopperFan, I appreciate that! I felt like I rambled a bit with the first CM, so once we were done getting it set up I asked her if there was a better, more concise way for me to make the request in the future - she said nope, what I’d provided was perfect. It definitely felt smoother the 2nd time, and I imagine with further practice it’ll just roll out easily.

~~~

“Trauma” is maybe a bit too strong of a description, but I definitely have some residual feelings from just how difficult my almost 2-hour DAS chat was. It took me days to recover. The CM, their supervisor, and the medical professional were all VERY kind, understanding, and compassionate, but discussing my particular disability in that way causes the very issue I’m trying to avoid by seeking accommodation. So I really do understand how difficult it feels to just walk up to a CM in a busy park and make that request. I just want others reading here to know that my in-park AQR experience was NOTHING like a DAS call. That alone makes it a better accommodation for me.

ETA: just to add a point - maybe if I needed to make the request at every attraction, all day, every day, I might feel differently. But that’s not how I tour in the first place, so it’s a non-issue. I only needed it twice in one day because the other things I did that day either had no waits or waits short enough that I didn’t need accommodation. But I think that illustrates why there are different options made available based on unique needs - I don’t need the other features of DAS like booking from the app or having it available at every attraction regardless of wait time. AQR works well enough for my needs so far.

 

[PrincessV]

I know it can vary based on operational factors and crowds, but I was not asked to even get in lines that I knew were too long— I wonder if it is because I was affirmatively explaining that I was willing to try waiting as long as they expected it to be less than 30m.

I was thinking about the time factor… in both cases I used AQR, the wait was more than an hour. The topic of how long I could be in a queue never came up, I’m guessing because it was obviously such a long wait time. I’ll be interested to see if that’s different when it comes to something with a 35 min wait, which would be too long for me if it’s really 35, but might be okay if it’s actually only 20.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

I have been thinking about @PrincessV ’s excellent explanation of her recent non-DAS accommodation experience, specifically her comment about how it wasn’t such a big deal because she only had to talk to CMs twice, but how others have objected when it is “every ride, every day."

To the group - how many times would be considered a reasonable ask? 2 times? 5 times? Is it truly impossible to enter every single standby line for the entire day? To what extent is Disney introducing this “friction” to have people stop and think about whether they really need to be asking for an accommodation rather than just easily requesting one through the app? And if a guest really needs to request, say 10+ accommodations in a given day are they using this as intended or perhaps are they taking advantage of the flexibility that the system allows?

 

[Disturbia]

Some disabilities should be accommodated without question - colostomy bag burst in GOTG line March 5. The line was NOT shut down!

 

[Tatebeck]

Some disabilities should be accommodated without question - colostomy bag burst in GOTG line March 5. The line was NOT shut down!

That would be a very slippery slope and quite unsustainable. And even then I don't think a colostomy bag would automatically qualify a person even if they did do automatic qualifications for some things.

A colostomy bag is not supposed to fail like that. They cannot give automatic DAS for everyone who has a diagnosis or problem where something might go wrong. Almost every person in existence would qualify at that point, as everyone can conceive of a situation that something can go wrong in a queue for them.

They simply cannot have a majority of visitors using DAS or it doesn't work. The LL line has to be short enough that those who can't wait long periods of time in line can still use it after their DAS wait. It has to be reserved for those who will or most likely will have issues in the line every time.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

Some disabilities should be accommodated without question - colostomy bag burst in GOTG line March 5. The line was NOT shut down!

I’m sorry that happened to you. It must have been very traumatic.

Do you have any idea why it failed? Was it overfull? Defective?

 

[Disturbia]

I’m sorry that happened to you. It must have been very traumatic.

Do you have any idea why it failed? Was it overfull? Defective?

It didn’t happen to me. I just saw a newsflash about it.

The headline was not accurate (seemed intentional vs accidental)

https://apple.news/AIZSgpa9WQiaSyyHts3f3dA

 

[Disturbia]

That would be a very slippery slope and quite unsustainable. And even then I don't think a colostomy bag would automatically qualify a person even if they did do automatic qualifications for some things.

A colostomy bag is not supposed to fail like that. They cannot give automatic DAS for everyone who has a diagnosis or problem where something might go wrong. Almost every person in existence would qualify at that point, as everyone can conceive of a situation that something can go wrong in a queue for them.

They simply cannot have a majority of visitors using DAS or it doesn't work. The LL line has to be short enough that those who can't wait long periods of time in line can still use it after their DAS wait. It has to be reserved for those who will or most likely will have issues in the line every time.

I didn’t say accommodated with DAS. They should have been offered return to queue to shorten the wait in queue and potential of an accidental leak.

 

[Goldelpack]

It didn’t happen to me. I just saw a newsflash about it.

View attachment 946751

With all due respect to whomever had this issue - it all goes back to personal responsibility. On the one hand there's been several "poopsplosions" on planes which are for the most part accidental occurrences. Unfortunate but not something that would require accommodations. A colostomy bag however requires attention and that guest may (or may not) have done their due diligence. But overall this just doesn't seem to be something to require Das

 

[Goldelpack]

I didn’t say accommodated with DAS. They should have been offered return to queue to shorten the wait in queue and potential of an accidental leak.

Did they request this?

 

[Tatebeck]

I didn’t say accommodated with DAS. They should have been offered return to queue to shorten the wait in queue and potential of an accidental leak.

The only guaranteed accomodation they have for lines is DAS. They are free to ask for a return time, but even then I personally don't think that would be required in a case like this.

A return to queue pass I feel would be the most appropriate if they had to leave the line to manage their needs mid line.

 

[Perdita&Pongo]

Someone thing I was told on my recent DAS call that I wasn’t aware of, is that - like AP, DVC also gets 240 days with approved DAS. I was surprised when she said it.