Disneyland to introduce MaxPass (New Fastpass & New Fastpass Attractions) - Now with Poll

[mom2rtk]

I don't know what Disney intends, but I think the impact will mostly be to raise the trip cost for the physically handicapped.

$10 per person per day, to save on moving around, is mostly going to be worth it for people who have trouble moving around (which is why I'm thinking of getting it).

Again, I don't know what they intend, but this isn't okay.

Interesting point. This might get complicated since Disney supposedly doesn't give DAS out for "mobility issues".

My question is whether Disney will end up with people lying to get a free DAS now that digital FP is a paid service.

 

[Niltiac]

Disney does have an option for those handicapped riders. You may walk up to the CM in front of the ride and ask for a disability pass. You will be given a time to return and will at that return time be ushered onto the ride very quickly. This eliminates the need for you to have to worry about running around to grab paper fast passes, if you don't want to purchase MaxPass.

My group also has mobility issues and my understanding is that physical issues like PP was describing do not qualify you for the program you're describing. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, because it sure would help if we did qualify. My understanding is that mobility issues only get you any accommodation if you're actually in a wheelchair, and in that case you only get a return time if the ride queue can't accommodate a wheelchair. All of the ride queues in DCA can accommodate a wheelchair, and some in DL can as well, so this really doesn't serve as a replacement for FP. I know that for me, the only reason we are considering Maxpass is to avoid the pain that the extra walking causes, or the loneliness of splitting up a group of two to use a FP runner. Without the medical issue, we would not be considering Maxpass, so I definitely see the point that this is unfair. But I think the unfair part, honestly, is not offering any kind of accommodation to those who have physical disabilities that don't require them to be full-time wheelchair bound. I also think this contributes to the rampant use of ECV's at the parks, when some people would be happy to walk if they didn't have to stand through long queues, and could sit on a bench and wait for their return time instead. I'm not sure what the solution is.

 

[ClaraOswald]

How it works is Mom has a FP for Star Tours and Dad has a FP for Space Mountain (instead of both having a FP for Space). They go to the first FP return time, let's say Star Tours, and go to the FP entrance with the baby and say we want to rideswap. They give one adult the rideswap pass, good anytime that day, and the riding parent rides Star Tours. Then they take the FP to Space Mountain FP queue and say they want to rideswap and they give one parent the rideswap pass and the riding parent goes on Space. Now the have a rideswap pass for both rides. These can be used any time that day. The downside is it really eats into your day to have to take turn riding the rides, and you miss out on some family time. The plus side is Disney has really made this easy on families.

I can't remember how many the rideswap is good for, it's either two or three. It doesn't matter if you are just two adults and a baby, but I guess it will matter to us now that we have two tall enough to ride and a baby.

Thanks for the info. We used ride swap last time but lines were pretty short so we didn't use FP. One of us waited in a regular line and got the swap pass. Our son will be 3.5 and possibly just tall enough for the 40" rides but I don't know if he would be able to handle them. Can we still use the ride swap so my husband and I can take turns on these rides? I'd like to go on everything at least once (that's what we did last time.) Or will they not let us get it if our son is technically tall enough? Also...it sounds like we could probably get 3 different FPs at one time if we wanted since our son is over 3 and will have a ticket this time. I doubt we'd do that because most of our time is going to be spent on rides with all three of us together. But it's good to know.

And it sounds like we could possibly pay for ONE person to have maxpass and go this route if we find fast passes are running out too quickly or something.

(Yes, I know this is totally off topic but people have been super helpful over here.)

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Thanks for the info. We used ride swap last time but lines were pretty short so we didn't use FP. One of us waited in a regular line and got the swap pass. Our son will be 3.5 and possibly just tall enough for the 40" rides but I don't know if he would be able to handle them. Can we still use the ride swap so my husband and I can take turns on these rides? I'd like to go on everything at least once (that's what we did last time.) Or will they not let us get it if our son is technically tall enough? Also...it sounds like we could probably get 3 different FPs at one time if we wanted since our son is over 3 and will have a ticket this time. I doubt we'd do that because most of our time is going to be spent on rides with all three of us together. But it's good to know.

And it sounds like we could possibly pay for ONE person to have maxpass and go this route if we find fast passes are running out too quickly or something.

(Yes, I know this is totally off topic but people have been super helpful over here.)

It's really at the discretion of the CM, but in my experience, yes they would allow the rider swap for a child technically tall enough but not wanting to go on the ride (especially around the 3-4 yr old range).

 

[PaintsWithAllTheColors]

My group also has mobility issues and my understanding is that physical issues like PP was describing do not qualify you for the program you're describing. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, because it sure would help if we did qualify. My understanding is that mobility issues only get you any accommodation if you're actually in a wheelchair, and in that case you only get a return time if the ride queue can't accommodate a wheelchair. All of the ride queues in DCA can accommodate a wheelchair, and some in DL can as well, so this really doesn't serve as a replacement for FP. I know that for me, the only reason we are considering Maxpass is to avoid the pain that the extra walking causes, or the loneliness of splitting up a group of two to use a FP runner. Without the medical issue, we would not be considering Maxpass, so I definitely see the point that this is unfair. But I think the unfair part, honestly, is not offering any kind of accommodation to those who have physical disabilities that don't require them to be full-time wheelchair bound. I also think this contributes to the rampant use of ECV's at the parks, when some people would be happy to walk if they didn't have to stand through long queues, and could sit on a bench and wait for their return time instead. I'm not sure what the solution is.

I personally don't have a reason to use DAS, however, I went to Disneyland just last month (December 2016) with a group of people that included one person with DAS. She had had surgery on her knee and had a brace on her leg but no wheelchair or crutches and we didn't have any issue using the DAS. It was my first time ever experiencing the DAS system and I'm not sure what documentation she hadn't to provide to get registered, as she already had it before we all went. I'm not sure exactly how all the rules work, just wanted to share my experience in case it helps!

 

[Niltiac]

I personally don't have a reason to use DAS, however, I went to Disneyland just last month (December 2016) with a group of people that included one person with DAS. She had had surgery on her knee and had a brace on her leg but no wheelchair or crutches and we didn't have any issue using the DAS. It was my first time ever experiencing the DAS system and I'm not sure what documentation she hadn't to provide to get registered, as she already had it before we all went. I'm not sure exactly how all the rules work, just wanted to share my experience in case it helps!

That is interesting. We've never tried to get DAS because my research had suggested that it was intended for people with mental/behavioral disabilities that make it difficult to wait in line, and that if you ask for it for a physical issue you will just be told to rent a wheelchair. I may have to look more into this, because it would really make a difference for us to be able to wait at a bench rather than standing in line. Thanks for the input!

 

[KatieCharlotte]

Interesting point. This might get complicated since Disney supposedly doesn't give DAS out for "mobility issues".

My question is whether Disney will end up with people lying to get a free DAS now that digital FP is a paid service.

I'm sure there are already people lying to get a DAS, but this might encourage more people to get one, although other people might not pursue a DAS because they see MaxPass as a good solution for their mobility issues.
My son has Tourette's Syndrome and related challenges. I may get a DAS for the first time when we go to DL this summer, because people keep telling me that I'm crazy not to, and that the DAS is basically made for families like mine. He doesn't ride most of the rides with FP at DL/DCA because of his sensory issues, but if the MaxPass puts us at a big disadvantage for his three favorites, Haunted Mansion, Buzz, and TSMM, I'm going to be even more tempted to get the DAS.

All the DAS research I've done suggests that it's not intended for people with mobility issues that don't affect the ability to wait in line or can be otherwise accommodated, but it always depends on the discretion of the person to whom the request is made.

 

[agamble]

Thanks for the info. We used ride swap last time but lines were pretty short so we didn't use FP. One of us waited in a regular line and got the swap pass. Our son will be 3.5 and possibly just tall enough for the 40" rides but I don't know if he would be able to handle them. Can we still use the ride swap so my husband and I can take turns on these rides? I'd like to go on everything at least once (that's what we did last time.) Or will they not let us get it if our son is technically tall enough?

You won't have any issues getting a rider swap at that age. They won't even know how tall he is because they won't measure him unless you try to take him on the ride. If he was noticeably older (like 10) they may question it, but it doesn't have to be a baby. It is called rider swap, and young children are often afraid of rides and they cannot be without an adult anywhere in the parks until they're 7. I wouldn't leave my 7 year-old alone to sit on a bench while DH and I rode a ride either, but by their own policy you cannot do so until they're 7, so they should be willing to give out rider swaps until that age at least. Sorry for the strange tangent.

 

[Aladora]

That is interesting. We've never tried to get DAS because my research had suggested that it was intended for people with mental/behavioral disabilities that make it difficult to wait in line, and that if you ask for it for a physical issue you will just be told to rent a wheelchair. I may have to look more into this, because it would really make a difference for us to be able to wait at a bench rather than standing in line. Thanks for the input!

I'm sure there are already people lying to get a DAS, but this might encourage more people to get one, although other people might not pursue a DAS because they see MaxPass as a good solution for their mobility issues.
My son has Tourette's Syndrome and related challenges. I may get a DAS for the first time when we go to DL this summer, because people keep telling me that I'm crazy not to, and that the DAS is basically made for families like mine. He doesn't ride most of the rides with FP at DL/DCA because of his sensory issues, but if the MaxPass puts us at a big disadvantage for his three favorites, Haunted Mansion, Buzz, and TSMM, I'm going to be even more tempted to get the DAS.

All the DAS research I've done suggests that it's not intended for people with mobility issues that don't affect the ability to wait in line or can be otherwise accommodated, but it always depends on the discretion of the person to whom the request is made.

The DAS is not intended to help those with mobility related issues that can be resolved by using a wheelchair, scooter or other mobility device.

The goal of DAS is to accommodate Guests who aren’t able to wait in a conventional queue environment due to a disability. A Guest whose disability is based solely on the necessity to use a wheelchair or scooter does not need DAS. Depending on the attraction, Guests utilizing a wheelchair or scooter will either wait in the standard queue or receive a return time at the attraction comparable to the current wait time.

From:
Guests With Disabilities

We've used the DAS for our son who is autistic and while it does give us the ability to wait outside the regular line environment, it does result in more walking in order to get to the kiosks and then back to the attraction. For us, this works well since mobility is not an issue but tight, crowded lines can be.

 

[Rebekkap]

That is interesting. We've never tried to get DAS because my research had suggested that it was intended for people with mental/behavioral disabilities that make it difficult to wait in line, and that if you ask for it for a physical issue you will just be told to rent a wheelchair. I may have to look more into this, because it would really make a difference for us to be able to wait at a bench rather than standing in line. Thanks for the input!

I have been to Disneyland with my aunt twice, and Disneyworld plus Universal Studios once. She has a very bad back - doesn't have trouble walking at a relatively normal speed but has a lot of trouble with sitting for prolonged periods, standing still or moving very slowly, as one does in lines, and has problems with stairs. Both Disneyland, Disneyworld and Universal were very accomodating with a disability pass that allowed us to get return times (which at Disneyland you can also get from the information booth in Main Street so you don't have to walk to each attraction) and in some cases use the exit to bypass stairs. Unfortunately for me, she doesn't do thrill rides of any sort, so I still had to use fast pass or wait in line if I wasn't riding a very tame ride with her

It's definitely not true that DAS is only for mental/behavioural issues. They ask about what you have trouble with (not about the actual disability, but about the issues you need help with) and they certainly didn't just tell us to rent a wheelchair (which wouldn't have helped her anyway as she can't sit for extended periods)

 

[tarheelalum]

I have been to Disneyland with my aunt twice, and Disneyworld plus Universal Studios once. She has a very bad back - doesn't have trouble walking at a relatively normal speed but has a lot of trouble with sitting for prolonged periods, standing still or moving very slowly, as one does in lines, and has problems with stairs. Both Disneyland, Disneyworld and Universal were very accomodating with a disability pass that allowed us to get return times (which at Disneyland you can also get from the information booth in Main Street so you don't have to walk to each attraction) and in some cases use the exit to bypass stairs. Unfortunately for me, she doesn't do thrill rides of any sort, so I still had to use fast pass or wait in line if I wasn't riding a very tame ride with her

It's definitely not true that DAS is only for mental/behavioural issues. They ask about what you have trouble with (not about the actual disability, but about the issues you need help with) and they certainly didn't just tell us to rent a wheelchair (which wouldn't have helped her anyway as she can't sit for extended periods)

A friend recently had knee surgery and he was able to get one as well. Nobody told him he had to rent a wheel chair. They just accommodated his condition without any issue.

 

[cruisehopeful]

The website says it isn't for people with mobility issues, but my daughter's friend got DAS while she had a broken foot. She was in a wheel chair, too, but was given the return times to lines like anyone else with DAS.

 

[Niltiac]

Well I didn't mean to hijack the thread, but all these reports re DAS are interesting and helpful. I will certainly have to talk to someone next time I'm there to see what accommodations are possible for our situation. It seems like I might have misinterpreted what they mean by "mobility issue", and the program might be more inclusive than I thought.

I get the sense there isn't much more to be said about MaxPass until more details are released. I really wish they would give some details for AP's because I need to decide if we're purchasing them this year, and which level we should get.

 

[soniam]

I think being able to book same day FP on the app is a nice feature. However, the implementation is bad. They shouldn't be charging, especially for hotel guests, and they absolutely need to expand/improve their wifi before starting this.

 

[mamapenguin]

Does anyone have a guess as to when this is going live? We will be there in mid June and want to plan accordingly.

 

[Khokhonutt]

Does anyone have a guess as to when this is going live? We will be there in mid June and want to plan accordingly.

I'm curious for the same reason, but at this point I'm thinking everything is speculation until Disney officially passes along more information. To me no news is good news for now. I'd think the longer they wait to make an announcement, the longer it will be before they implement it. For me, I'd rather see it go in very soon, so we can at least see how it's working or I'd like to see it go in after we're there. Worst case would be for them to implement it a week or two before we get there.

 

[mom2rtk]

I think if they were close to rolling this out, they would have held off on AP renewal rates to include MaxPass.

 

[agamble]

Look at recent construction and park photos. There are pictures showing the new scanners popping up in the parks. I would guess that it will be around the time Matterhorn reopens since Matterhorn and Toy Story were the new FP rides being offered. Though I guess they could start it before Matterhorn opens. If I was Disney I would try to get it going by Spring Break if possible, and certainly before summer.

 

[Kindermouse]

I personally don't have a reason to use DAS, however, I went to Disneyland just last month (December 2016) with a group of people that included one person with DAS. She had had surgery on her knee and had a brace on her leg but no wheelchair or crutches and we didn't have any issue using the DAS. It was my first time ever experiencing the DAS system and I'm not sure what documentation she hadn't to provide to get registered, as she already had it before we all went. I'm not sure exactly how all the rules work, just wanted to share my experience in case it helps!

Your experiance with DAS is not the norm and actually has inaccuracies that are worth clearing up. You probably didn't notice things about how the DAS worked because you weren't actually the one with it. DL doesn't give DAS for mobility issues that can be solved with a wheelchair so even if people don't normally use a wheelchair or don't feel like they are hindered to the point of needing a wheelchair they suggest that they rent one if their needs are related to standing or walking so that is really weird for your friend to have gotten a DAS with only a knee brace. Also you do not provide any documentation or disclose your diagnosis's but rather explain your needs and they tell you how best to get equal acess to the parks given your needs which may be with a DAS or not. Also you do not just go up to rides and get a return time. Many rides cannot assign a return time so you have to go to one a few kiosks that may be a quite a walk from he attraction you want to ride, and get them to give you a return time but the kiosks often have lines of there own. To those that think it sounds better to lie and get a DAS for free rather than pay for Disney's latest up selling I assure you it's not. My son and I are thrilled that he is finally in a place where we don't think we will need to use the service in the future. Hip hip hooray.

 

[Kindermouse]

The website says it isn't for people with mobility issues, but my daughter's friend got DAS while she had a broken foot. She was in a wheel chair, too, but was given the return times to lines like anyone else with DAS.

She was given a return time for rides that can't accomidate wheelchairs in the regular line becuase they don't fit. That isn't DAS but it does look pretty similar for some rides. It is not for all rides, only those that aren't acessable to people. In wheelchairs which doesn't apply to nearly all of CA while DAS does.

May I suggest people with questions about DAS go to the DISabilities board. They Know all the ins and out and even though I have used DAS many times I still ask questions there and those dis'ers are super knowledgable about all aspects of DAS