DAS with wheelchair question

[welovespacemoutain]

DD has mobility issues and uses a wheelchair at Disney. It has worked fairly well the past few trips, although at many rides (space mountain, jungle cruise, small world, BTM, and TSM) it could be a very long wait if there happen to be a few people in WC/scooters in line ahead of us. She can walk short distances, so she is ok if there is a short line, but she needs her chair for long lines and to travel from attraction to attraction. We probably waited an hour (mostly in the sun) for her to ride JC last time when the standby time was 20 minutes, so the alternative entrances are not always a great option. Never imagined it would move so slowly when we got in line.

I was speaking to a CM on the phone with questions I had about FP+ and asked him if there was any grace period if, for example, we got up to the top of SM and there were 4 people on front of us, we were late for our next FP+. He said he experienced the same problem with longer wait times when he went with a family member in wheelchair and suggested we get a DAS card which we have never done before. It would be nice not to have to push her over to SM to get the wheelchair "fastpass" for a later return if someone could take the DAS over in her place and accomplish the same thing. Any thoughts on if they would issue her a DAS since she already has a wheelchair?

Have any of the lines for the alternative entrances seemed shorter with the new policy?

 

[clanmcculloch]

In late February we experienced the shortest waits at alternate entrances that we've ever experienced. I suspect it was due to people who previously were in this line due to non-mobility needs now using a DAS in the FP+ line. I was dreading IASW, JC, safari, and SE (we didn't go to DHS so no TSMM and we don't like Space so no experience there) but we had no problems anywhere we did go. Granted, we were at the attractions at optimal times but we've done that before and while the regular queues had no lines the WC ones did so this was a really wonderful experience.

Since your need is entirely mobility related, you will not be issued a DAS. We did have a DAS for our other DD but we wouldn't have been able to use it for these attractions anyway since the FP+ queues are not accessible and the DAS uses FP+ queues (exception from my list above is safari but we had FP+ for that so no need to use the DAS; the WC wait is where the queues merge so no help from DAS anyway).

 

[welovespacemoutain]

Thanks for the reply. The CM was the one who suggested it and it seemed reasonable to not make her wait considerably longer than the standby lines.

I guess she is just caught in the middle. We are fine waiting in the standby line just like everone else when she can bring her chair. What is unreasonable is when she has to use an alternative entrance and her wait time is considerably longer than the standby line. Folks who can use the regular line get a shorter wait, folks with a DAS get to wait in a comfortable environment for the same time as the standby line, but WC users have to wait 2-3 times longer in line because Disney has some stairs or wahtever in the line? She doesn't have the option to use her chair in the standby line at several rides - with DAS she could possibly manage without her chair at some rides once she had waited outside the line the alloted amount of time (at JC for sure). I know that many people on this board face the same issue, not just her. Disney needs to better manage the alternate entrance lines so that people have an equal wait. At SM, there were typically GAC users in the wheelchair line who would now be routed elsewhere, but at many locations it is simply people in scooters, many of whom were in groups, who make the alternative entrance lines so long, so I am not sure DAS helps with that. Hopeful that the lines will be comparable this trip. Seems like they need a virtual queue for the wheelchair entrances as well.

 

[clanmcculloch]

I've read that during busy times the CMs will give return time slips for attractions with alternate entrances. This is similar to a DAS except you're not limited to how many you can have at one time. I'm not sure if there are end times on them or not since we never encountered long lines at any alternate entrances. This sounds like exactly what you're looking for.

 

[lanejudy]

It is very unfortunate that a phone CM provided misleading information, especially with supposed first-hand experience. But if her needs are strictly mobility-related and solve by use of a wheelchair, she will not qualify for a DAS.

Disney does seem to be recognizing the long waits for wheelchair users at some attractions. You MAY be issued a "wheelchair return card" -- these seem to be fairly common at DLR (with fewer accessible lines) though only used on busy days at WDW. No one can determine ahead if they'll be in use while you are there. There have been some posts about wheelchair return cards, I'll see if I can dig anything up for you.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[SueM in MN]

Are you talking WDW or Disneyland?

Because of differences in accessibility of the lines, they are very different.

 

[welovespacemoutain]

That is what I am looking for - but I've never run across it (other than SM) and we've gone during spring break 3 times. I'm curious to see if others on here know more about it.

I guess I will ask when we get there or maybe call before we go. Not sure how would work - if you come back at the given, do they let you cut in line? Otherwise, there is no benefit to it. I know Busch gardens and other parks do it that way, but they only allow people with a card at the alternative entrance - there is no existing line of WC folks without a pass.

 

[WheeledTraveler]

We've definitely had posters come back from both WDW and DLR/DCA and mention being given a wheelchair return card. I think once the DAS started, they upped the use of wheelchair return cards (which they've always had as an option for CMs to use, but were rare). I know that JC at WDW is one of the rides that's been specifically mentioned as using wheelchair return cards. Overall reports have been that accessible entrances at WDW have had shorter waits than they used to. Wheelchair return cards do have a set windows in which you need to return (unlike the DAS), but you can hold multiple wheelchair return cards at a time (again, unlike the DAS).

I'm not sure if we've had any reports from DLR/DCA written by wheelchair users who did not have additional needs requiring a DAS. We have had several come back, though, and report that at rides at DLR/DCA that had wheelchair return cards, most people would be better served by getting the wheelchair return card rather than using their DAS. I don't know if that's changed at all, but in case you're talking about DLR/DCA, I wanted to make sure to mention it!

 

[SueM in MN]

That is what I am looking for - but I've never run across it (other than SM) and we've gone during spring break 3 times. I'm curious to see if others on here know more about it.

I guess I will ask when we get there or maybe call before we go. Not sure how would work - if you come back at the given, do they let you cut in line? Otherwise, there is no benefit to it. I know Busch gardens and other parks do it that way, but they only allow people with a card at the alternative entrance - there is no existing line of WC folks without a pass.

Are you asking about WDW or Disneyland?

 

[welovespacemoutain]

Thanks all!

We are going to WDW. The wheelchair return card sounds promising - but I still curious at to how it works. If we get there and the line is long - they potentially give us the return pass with a set time. What happens when we return and the line is still long - do we bypass those guests?

As I said, something needs to change as her needs as not being met by being asked to wait twice as long as other guests. I hope this option works out.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks all!

We are going to WDW. The wheelchair return card sounds promising - but I still curious at to how it works. If we get there and the line is long - they potentially give us the return pass with a set time. What happens when we return and the line is still long - do we bypass those guests?

As I said, something needs to change as her needs as not being met by being asked to wait twice as long as other guests. I hope this option works out.

No, you don't wait twice as long.
We just got back from WDW and found things were working very well.

I'll give you an example - Small World was one with a separate wheelchair waiting line we were in at least 4 times during our 14 day trip.
We got a wheelchair return time card. When the wait time was up, we came back and got into the wheelchair line. Since the only people in that line were other people with wheelchair return time cards, the line is short
Several times we walked right to the bottom of the ramp and our only wait there was for the wheelchair accessible boat to arrive and our longest wait in line at Small World was just over 5 minutes. This was during Spring break and compared with sometimes waiting in that line for 20-45 minutes in trips before DAS.

We found pretty much the same thing at other attractions with separate wheelchair entrances. We had noticed some improvement last fall on our trip 3-4 weeks after DAS began, but it was even better on this trip

If it's not busy (it generally was not when we were at WDW last Fall), then they don't issue wheelchair return cards and just take guests as they come.

As clanncculloch pointed out, the wheelchair lines are now just people with mobility issues. People without who previously would have been waiting there are in the Fastpass line instead at WDW. This made a very big change in the wait since previous to the DAS, those lines were sometimes as much as 60-70% not using mobility devices.

 

[welovespacemoutain]

Thanks! I am glad to hear the wheelchair line situation may have dramatically improved since last year.

Any feedback on how lines at TSM are now with DAS in service? That's another one where we have had to wait a long time at the WC loading area once they split you off at the stairs We had a CM there a few trip back who offered us bypass that backed-up area by letting us get to the stairs with the chair and then DH and I helped DD up the stairs to the regular line and the CM took the chair outside and around to the exit - but we have never been able to have that option again. Hoping those lines are more manageable.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks! I am glad to hear the wheelchair line situation may have dramatically improved since last year.

Any feedback on how lines at TSM are now with DAS in service? That's another one where we have had to wait a long time at the WC loading area once they split you off at the stairs We had a CM there a few trip back who offered us bypass that backed-up area by letting us get to the stairs with the chair and then DH and I helped DD up the stairs to the regular line and the CM took the chair outside and around to the exit - but we have never been able to have that option again. Hoping those lines are more manageable.

We went on Toy Story Midway Mania 4 times during our trip.
Never had a back up and once we were the only people in the boarding area.

Again, this was Spring break and again the biggest change was that only people with mobility issues were in the line.