My experience of DAS & FP+

[Valista]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience.

 

[tinkerpea]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience.

Your welcome I just hope that it helps somebody, I know its a very confusing and frustrating time right now with the changes and the FP+.

I also want to make sure that people know the new DAS can work but with a little more planning, and tweaks we had to tweak our plans compared to normal but with FP and DAS did not Q more then 10 minutes for anything.

 

[tinkerpea]

I'm sorry, I'm curious what is "looping"

Looping is where you have a need/want to ride the same ride over and over more then once without having a significant time break in between,

Many children/adults with cognitive disabilities eg. Autism have either ritualistic need to ride over and over again, or have a ride which they want to ride again straight away without a break, where as a typical person would understand to Q again its not always possible with the above, so guest relations have in place a procedure that can help with this need
Hope that helps...

 

[DLRwish]

Last week I spoke to Guest Relations CMs and that was exactly what I was told. I feel similarly to you.

I'm sorry you were told that. What did you say in return?
I would have asked for the manager since the Cast Member was totally wrong.

 

[Flametamr]

Our experience with DAS during Halloween was not as nice as its being portrayed here. My daughter has multiple disabilities both physical and mental. We were denied any accommodations on numerous rides. And almost always the stock answer was we don't have "Front of the line passes anymore". This was frustrating because several times we asked for an alternate entrances or waiting areas.

My daughter has severe breathing problems and can't be in heat very long. When she gets hot she uses more oxygen and that shortens her park visits. To further complicate things I have back problems so the extra walking pushing her wheelchair to go find a "Place of our choice to wait" is not a good option for us.

My experience was that Disney has taken a system that worked well for most and was abused by a few to a system that only works well for a few. I believe they may have cured the abuse but it will hurt my daughter. I'm going to be hard pressed to suffer through that again soon.

 

[Sparkly]

Our experience with DAS during Halloween was not as nice as its being portrayed here. My daughter has multiple disabilities both physical and mental. We were denied any accommodations on numerous rides. And almost always the stock answer was we don't have "Front of the line passes anymore". This was frustrating because several times we asked for an alternate entrances or waiting areas.

My daughter has severe breathing problems and can't be in heat very long. When she gets hot she uses more oxygen and that shortens her park visits. To further complicate things I have back problems so the extra walking pushing her wheelchair to go find a "Place of our choice to wait" is not a good option for us.

My experience was that Disney has taken a system that worked well for most and was abused by a few to a system that only works well for a few. I believe they may have cured the abuse but it will hurt my daughter. I'm going to be hard pressed to suffer through that again soon.

No offense, but you would get more sun from walking around the parks then in lines? Aren't most lines in shade?

 

[SueM in MN]

Our experience with DAS during Halloween was not as nice as its being portrayed here. My daughter has multiple disabilities both physical and mental. We were denied any accommodations on numerous rides. And almost always the stock answer was we don't have "Front of the line passes anymore". This was frustrating because several times we asked for an alternate entrances or waiting areas.

My daughter has severe breathing problems and can't be in heat very long. When she gets hot she uses more oxygen and that shortens her park visits. To further complicate things I have back problems so the extra walking pushing her wheelchair to go find a "Place of our choice to wait" is not a good option for us.

My experience was that Disney has taken a system that worked well for most and was abused by a few to a system that only works well for a few. I believe they may have cured the abuse but it will hurt my daughter. I'm going to be hard pressed to suffer through that again soon.

I'm sorry you did not feel like you had a good experience. We were at WDW from October 25 thru November 9 with our DD who has multiple disabilities, some physical, some mental and had pretty much the same experience as the original poster. We did very little backtracking; someone else in our party went to attractions to get a Return Time on DD's DAS card send during the time I was alone with her, we got a Return Time and then went on other things in the area with short waits. Some of our waits were also used to go to First Aid for treatments or use the bathroom. Since we could return any time after the Return Time, we didn't feel like we needed to stay right by the attraction.

I'm curious whether you got a DAS card.

For readers who don't know about them, post one of this thread is DAS FAQs.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3178976

DAS (Disability Access System) is the way to get accommodation and the main accommodation is being able to wait outside of the line.
So, if someone asks for 'alternate entry' or other accommodation, they will most likely be told the DAS takes the place of that.

Abuse was the reason the news media glommed onto, but use was the largest reason for changing. There is no way the GAC (Guest Assistance Card) could continue the way most guests were using it.
There are just too many guests who were asking for assistance; considering just autism - there are estimates ranging from 1 in 88 to 1 in 50 people have autism.

So, out of every 100 guests, chances are good that there were 1-2 groups in that 100 using a GAC for autism. That may not sound like much, but considering I have heard Magic Kingdom has around 47,000 guests per day, it really adds up. And that 1-2 out of 100 only includes autism, not any of the other reasons people had GACs. I have heard from CMs that at times, the number of guests in the Fastpass line with GACs was higher than the number of guests with Fastpasses (we observed that too).
It may have worked from the point of view of the individual guests who were using it, but the GAC didn't work from the bigger perspective for the park.
So, abuse was one reason, but use was a much larger one.

 

[Vidia2]

Hi all I come from the UK where pretty much every single park already has a system like the new DAS implemented. I did hope when they took away the GAC & brought out the DAS that they would tweak a few things as I new some of it would not work for my autistic son, I also have some needs from having head surgery but mine are usually met with being able to go on rides with my sons GAC instead of us getting 2 since I ride everything my son does and vice verses.. Anyways we was in the world for 15 nights at the end of October through to the 13th of November which had wait times over 70 mins for alot of rides & wanted to share my experience We arrived at Epcot and took our son to GS to obtain his DAS card, I had explained to him how it would differ from the GAC as he had gotten very used to the way it worked since we go for 3wks every yr or so since he was 4 months old and he has needed a GAC from age 4/5 now 11 The CM was very nice asked his needs and I was surprised that all I had to say was he had Aspergers, she spoke to Brandon who was very shy but said his name and age, She explained the card and off we went, I already had some FP scheduled so we got a RT for TT and ride Ms with the FP+ the CM marked the card with 15 minutes return even though it was a 30 min wait another thing I did not expect since I'd been told only 10 gets knocked off the time. Anyways we did Ms went back over to TT & rode with about a 7 minute wait. This worked this way for most rides, but I had a few experiences where is go up alone to get a time and the CM would mark the card with 10 mins even though it was 30 min wait!! Def some inconsistencies... So it looks like its CM discretion on some rides, they would say have a magical day it won't be long and hand me the card. If a ride was less then 10 we would be sent through the FP lane, although I had read on here we would go through stand by if less then 10, so some rides are still walk on if under 10 mins After the 1st wk we had learned to schedule FP for the major rides and get a DAS time for the ride next to the FP ride scheduled, between this and eating or going through 10 min Qs we hardly waited around for much and the trip went quite smoothly. I will add that some CM let us through the FP line right away even when wait time was 15 mins, Now FP+ We found that sometimes due to meltdowns we would miss our FP+ time, if we was with in the hour we would go to the ride and let them know we had a DAS card and that we was late due to a medical condition, they would ask us to tap our bands then they would allow us access by over riding the system so that the light went green, we would then go through FP as normal. We only found this out as we was late for fp + and asked for a RT on our card our son was upset and the CM asked why, we explained we had missed our FP+ time due to medical reasons and the CM said don't worry I can sort that, we asked if this was allowed normally and she said yes. All in all we had a lot of worries about the DAS card but we was willing to try it, and found that with a little planning you can make it work We also found it worked brilliant for characters, which the GAC did not. Tips GS can act as a ride, you can go to GS at the start of the day and ask for them to check the ride time for you then put a RT on your card so that by the time you reach the ride you can go on, This is great for people with ASD. If the DAS is not working for you, go to GS and let them know! They have other accommodations they can allow but will not volunteer them up unless you are having problems with the DAS, Another thing we learnt when we had a meltdown about something and the CM told us to go to GS and let them know the situation. Hope this has helped.

Thank you so much for sharing this. I'm so glad you had such a positive experience!

I'm bookmarking this to refer to while planning our trip in case I get overwhelmed.

It's really good to hear that Disney is considering the needs of the autism community.

 

[disneydenisel]

Thanks for the positive review of how the DAS and FP+ worked pretty well for your family. I am pretty nervous about our upcoming trip (Saturday), but I am just going to have to explain to Guest Services (or is it Relations?) what my children's needs are. We used to get the GAC at the International Gateway location before we entered EPCOT. Is that still a place where we can go to obtain a DAS?

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks for the positive review of how the DAS and FP+ worked pretty well for your family. I am pretty nervous about our upcoming trip (Saturday), but I am just going to have to explain to Guest Services (or is it Relations?) what my children's needs are. We used to get the GAC at the International Gateway location before we entered EPCOT. Is that still a place where we can go to obtain a DAS?

Yes.
If you have not checked out this thread, I would recommend checked post 1
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3178976

It is DAS FAQs.
I had asked people to post their experiences in that thread, but this one had gotten to several pages before I got a chance yo move it.

 

[disneydenisel]

Yes.
If you have not checked out this thread, I would recommend checked post 1
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3178976

It is DAS FAQs.
I had asked people to post their experiences in that thread, but this one had gotten to several pages before I got a chance yo move it.

Thanks, Sue. I have read it over and over . Still nervous, but I'll just show up and see what happens. And then I will try to remember to report back to that thread instead of starting a new one .

 

[Flametamr]

Yes we had the new DAS card. I guess it's difficult to explain here but in our experience this new system is not for us. We spent 8 days this trip and it was a complete stress factory for me. Between keeping up with FP+ return times and deciding when to even try to use the DAS I was always running to get somewhere or waiting to run somewhere. Specifically the DAS does not work well if you are tired and want to do one specific ride or show and there is a long return time. After trudging accross the park and then be given a return time of 40 minutes sucks. You have to now go find a suitable place to rest and wait. This happened a lot to us for some reason. Then since there is no more alternate entrances you have to push a heavy wheel chair around tight corners up and down inclines. Have you ever pushed a wheelchair in and out of Space Mountain ? I know all these attractions have elevators but we were never allowed to use them.

When getting the card I tried to explain my daughter's and my own difficulties and the CM there kept saying we don't have FOL passes anymore. I even stopped him and asked him to stop repeating that phrase to me. I got basically the same thing at all parks. Disney has taken away all accommodations and now offers a version of FP return. If you ask for anything you get accused of wanting a FOL pass. I guess my main problem is if I go to do a ride or show I need to do it then or wait there in a suitable area. I can't leave and return an hour later to try again and wait in another line. I also can't make my daughter wait in the heat.

The new system is not flexible at all. Get a return time and go thru the FP line. Like it or leave. Unless something changes I guess our Bi-annual trips to Disney are over. And that makes me angry on behalf of my daughter. She is a true Disney freak.

 

[KPeveler]

I am lucky to have a mostly able bodied family with me this trip but i do not think I could ever do WDW without them! This new system is very hard on solo travelers or those with small children who cannot send someone else to get a time.

 

[ttintagel]

Whether it's discriminatory really depends on the reason for the refusal. Not everything qualifies or requires a DAS and it's not right off the bat discrimination to deny someone the card.

I'm not sure anyone's saying there's a policy of discrimination.

But we sure are hearing a lot of reports of individual accounts of discrimination by certain CM's. We're told that the policy is for accommodations to be based on needs rather than diagnoses, but then we keep hearing reports like the OP's, where nothing beyond a diagnosis is asked. That really does sound like discrimination to me.

When I heard about the new system, my main cause for optimism was that, whatever its flaws, maybe it would be used as an opportunity to change the great inconsistency with which the old one was sometimes implemented.

 

[aaarcher86]

I'm not sure anyone's saying there's a policy of discrimination. But we sure are hearing a lot of reports of individual accounts of discrimination by certain CM's. We're told that the policy is for accommodations to be based on needs rather than diagnoses, but then we keep hearing reports like the OP's, where nothing beyond a diagnosis is asked. That really does sound like discrimination to me. When I heard about the new system, my main cause for optimism was that, whatever its flaws, maybe it would be used as an opportunity to change the great inconsistency with which the old one was sometimes implemented.

The OP said that the CM asked for her child's needs. The OP offered up that's he child had Aperger's. If the CM is familiar with the diagnosis and approved based on that I don't see the problem. The CM didn't ask for it.

I DO have a problem with CMs saying the card is for Autism, but I've seen that phrase mostly in reports of people that didn't qualify based on their needs which is why I have a hunch it's a way of letting someone down. I think it's a poor method, but I haven't seen many reports at all of CMs flat out asked for a diagnosis.

 

[ttintagel]

The OP said that the CM asked for her child's needs. The OP offered up that's he child had Aperger's. If the CM is familiar with the diagnosis and approved based on that I don't see the problem. The CM didn't ask for it.

I DO have a problem with CMs saying the card is for Autism, but I've seen that phrase mostly in reports of people that didn't qualify based on their needs which is why I have a hunch it's a way of letting someone down. I think it's a poor method, but I haven't seen many reports at all of CMs flat out asked for a diagnosis.

Well, in my opinion, it's a pretty fine distinction between the CM asking for a diagnosis and nothing more, and the CM asking for nothing more than a diagnosis that's given.

Yes, I grant that the former falls outside the strict letter of the ADA and the latter doesn't. But that's a "Strange in Fact, but True in Law" technicality worthy of W.S. Gilbert himself. As any two people with a given diagnosis can tell you, any two people with a given diagnosis don't always have the same needs.

As we've pondered here many times before, is minimum technical compliance with the black and white letter of the ADA the one and only goal of WDW's policy for accommodation of people with disabilities?

 

[OurBigTrip]

As we've pondered here many times before, is minimum technical compliance with the black and white letter of the ADA the one and only goal of WDW's policy for accommodation of people with disabilities?

If it's not their goal, it should be.

 

[OurBigTrip]

Specifically the DAS does not work well if you are tired and want to do one specific ride or show and there is a long return time.

It works as it is intended, which is to have the DAS holder wait for their turn to ride just as a non-DAS holder does.

 

[Wishes Count]

It works as it is intended, which is to have the DAS holder wait for their turn to ride just as a non-DAS holder does.

Exactly. This is equal accommodation. You are required to wait like everyone else but can do so more comfortably by not being confined to the line. The previous GAC was a superior accommodation. Not equal

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[aaarcher86]

Well, in my opinion, it's a pretty fine distinction between the CM asking for a diagnosis and nothing more, and the CM asking for nothing more than a diagnosis that's given. Yes, I grant that the former falls outside the strict letter of the ADA and the latter doesn't. But that's a "Strange in Fact, but True in Law" technicality worthy of W.S. Gilbert himself. As any two people with a given diagnosis can tell you, any two people with a given diagnosis don't always have the same needs. As we've pondered here many times before, is minimum technical compliance with the black and white letter of the ADA the one and only goal of WDW's policy for accommodation of people with disabilities?

We will just have to disagree on that point then. If someone has a good grasp on aspergers which is pretty specific I don't see the need in having them carry on for another 10 minutes.

I don't see what would be wrong with Disney going for black and white with the ADA. The ADA tells them what they need to do and they need to do it. That's all.