Our family December DAS experience

[sharadoc]

Hello. We've been home for a few weeks but I wanted to make sure I brought you my insight into using the DAS system for the first time. We were there from 12/15 - 22.

First, it was easy to get. We picked up one at DHS on our first night. It was an EMH night and the park was already closed to off-site visitors. So we went to the Guest Services window to the left of the entrance to buy tickets. Our original intention was to get the card the next day at Epcot and I asked the CM at the window to explain the system to me. She offered to listen to our reason and give us the card. I explained DS' problem and the effect his issues would have on other guests. She said all she needed to do was take his picture and we would be good to go. So we did. She also said that if we needed more accomodations, to come back and let them know.

We didn't use the card that night, but it was nice to have it. We approached it as positive as we could. DS does not understand abstract concepts, so we couldn't approach the trip with an explanation to him as to why it would be different. We had to deal with issues as they happened.

We planned our visit according to EasyWDW's best parks schedule and our personal experience of when to do what. Like, we always go to Future World after 3 pm and can usually walk on everything but Test Track. On our first full day, we planned to go to World Showcase at 11, after a breakfast at Captain's Grille. We entered through International Gateway and while we shopped around the gift shops, etc. in the middle, DH went over to Test Track for a time reservation. We also got fastpasses from the machine since we had separate tickets and were able to pull them.

That evening, we went to DHS and I went to Toy Story Mania to get a reservation while the rest of the family went to Star Tours.

Later, we went to Great Movie Ride, which DS always expects to ride right away because it's NEVER busy in the evening. Well, as was written a few weeks ago, they now have FP+ for it, and have created articifical waits. The wait time was 20 minutes, so we had our card filled out for five minutes from then, and we stood around and watched the clock. DS started getting anxious and we spent the entire time trying to calm him down, showing him the clock and promising we would go in soon. Felt silly. No one else came up to the FP+ line while we were waiting.

We used it at Space Mountain and DS actually went WITH DH for the time reservation. We pulled FP for that one too. That was okay because they came back and we rode the TTA and Buzz. We used the DAS at Buzz but the wait was 15 minutes so we walked right into the FP line. We didn't use it at Peter Pan because we grabbed FPs from the machine. They also used it at BTM, but that wait was under 15 minutes too, so they went right on.

Overall, we had about 5 lines used/filled in on the back.

We were okay with it for the following reasons:

1. Not crowded. We could walk on many things, and others were 15 minutes or less, so the DAS allowed us to go right into the FP line.
2. Use of regular FP with our tickets and room keys. We had access to 2 sets at a time because our keys were separate from our MBs and room keys. I didn't connect them because of this reason and it worked great.
3. The MDE app was good for wait times so we could see what had a 15 minute or less wait and went to that one.

But, we're not enthusiastic about the future. We had to split up a lot, spent a lot of time figuring out where to go, and since legacy FP will be gone by our next trip, we don't know if we can manage a schedule that will force more waiting and anxiety like we experienced a couple of times on this trip.

Before everyone jumps on me about expecting special treatment, that's not what I'm saying. I'm willing to give up going to Disney World, not expect them to change for me. I always used to say that the GAC took away the constant anxiety, dealing with issues, etc. with our son and we could relax and have fun. That can't happen any more, and we went when it wasn't crazy crowded and it was so much more stressful.

It's probably over for us, sad but true. They changed the rules in the middle of the game for us so we'll just stop playing.

 

[Bete]

We were on scooters for a trip between 12-3 through 12-10. We didn't require DAS. We did have access to leagacy fastpass, but no fastpass plus; because, we were offsite guests.

Anyway, I felt it was my worse trip there and we have over 40 trips under our belt. Even if we had fastpass plus, I wouldn't be satisfied with 3 choices. We were use to getting 5 to 8 fastpasses a day with legacy fastpass.

We had the most fun with MVMCP, but heck you have to pay extra to do it.

I was afraid to be in line at Toy Story Mania with 2 hour waits in standby with being on scooters; I don't think our batteries would have survived the day. We went at rope drop there and it was that bad. Legacy fastpass was available with after 4 pm times and we were out of the park by that time.

I will wait and see what develops into the final product with fastpass plus for offsite guests, but we like staying offsite with our dog with us. She has never been in a kennel and I'm hoping I won't have to do that ever with her.

I may take an occasional Disney trip onsite, but I'm still not satisfied with 3 choices only on fastpass plus. If I go onsite it will have to be with a friend or relative and hubby will stay home with the dog. He's not a great fan of Disney anyway, but most of our vacations are together; so, I will have to think long and hard to do a Disney trip without him.

There was a time we used a GAC and I absolutely know the DAS would not have worked for us.

I'm willing to pay to get more than 3 fastpass plus perks. I'm willing to pay extra and do advance reservations for fastpass plus as an offsite guests.

I'm not willing to go back if this is how it's going to be from now on. I had great times and memories at Disney World, but I do believe it's time to move on.

 

[Disneylvr]

Thank you for sharing your experience. I am really worried about our upcoming trip in May which is during a very busy week. We won't have access to legacy FP at that time. I know many will suggest going during a less busy time of year but we have very valid reasons for why we can't. We are going to give it a try and carefully plan our days and see how it goes.

 

[andrews_dad]

Sorry, late to this party. Legacy FP are the old ones where you put in tickets, correct? They are going away when? So you are saying off site guests will not have any FP options? We go once per year but have always had GAC with wheelchair bound Grandpa, now 90. Was not aware of the major changes...

 

[livndisney]

Sorry, late to this party. Legacy FP are the old ones where you put in tickets, correct? They are going away when? So you are saying off site guests will not have any FP options? We go once per year but have always had GAC with wheelchair bound Grandpa, now 90. Was not aware of the major changes...

Ak already gone.
MK gone as of this week.

 

[aaarcher86]

Sorry, late to this party. Legacy FP are the old ones where you put in tickets, correct? They are going away when? So you are saying off site guests will not have any FP options? We go once per year but have always had GAC with wheelchair bound Grandpa, now 90. Was not aware of the major changes...

Legacy FP are the Paper FP tickets. They are gone at AK and MK. Off site guests can choose their FP+ selections at a kiosk when they get to the park for the day.

 

[disneydenisel]

Thanks to the OP for sharing your experience. I totally understand because we were there last month and had a similar experience.

 

[sharadoc]

Thanks to the OP for sharing your experience. I totally understand because we were there last month and had a similar experience.

I struggle with communicating with Disney about it. Will it make a difference ? I feel they would prefer we stop coming and our spot taken by a family without disabilities and WITH money to spend.

 

[lanejudy]

... The wait time was 20 minutes, so we had our card filled out for five minutes from then, and we stood around and watched the clock. DS started getting anxious and we spent the entire time trying to calm him down, showing him the clock and promising we would go in soon. ...

OP, please don't take this wrong, I've seen this very situation mentioned in other posts and I'm trying to understand something.

WDW has to have a "cut-off" and for them it seems to be that standby waits of 15-20 minutes will get a DAS return time of 5 minutes later. I understand that's the DAS policy "as stated" and they stick to policy. What I don't quite understand is the rationale behind actually standing around outside for 5 minutes before entering the (FP) line... wouldn't it be easier to just spend that 5 minutes in the (standby) line? Wouldn't you get to the ride in about the same time? In my experience, FP lines can be a 10 minute wait anyway. Maybe that has to do with the time of year we've visited in the past and the crowds. So if this was my family, I'm thinking we would do standby and save the DAS return time for another ride, or simply not get the return time altogether and move on to the next ride afterwards.

Please, I'm sure you are doing the right thing for your family. There must be something I'm not understanding about the process, or maybe it's just my family or our needs or our approach to touring WDW.

 

[OurBigTrip]

I struggle with communicating with Disney about it. Will it make a difference ? I feel they would prefer we stop coming and our spot taken by a family without disabilities and WITH money to spend.

While I can certainly understand that it's frustrating that it's not as easy as it was before, I don't agree that Disney would prefer that SN families stop coming. I think it's just that they finally realized that while the previous system was a boon to SN families, it was unsustainable due to the GAC making it impossible to equitably manage the lines and wait times.

I'm glad that it was manageable for your trip.

 

[LindaBabe]

I struggle with communicating with Disney about it. Will it make a difference ? I feel they would prefer we stop coming and our spot taken by a family without disabilities and WITH money to spend.

PLEASE communicate with Disney, early, and often! It's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease, and that can only help all of us.

 

[sharadoc]

OP, please don't take this wrong, I've seen this very situation mentioned in other posts and I'm trying to understand something.

WDW has to have a "cut-off" and for them it seems to be that standby waits of 15-20 minutes will get a DAS return time of 5 minutes later. I understand that's the DAS policy "as stated" and they stick to policy. What I don't quite understand is the rationale behind actually standing around outside for 5 minutes before entering the (FP) line... wouldn't it be easier to just spend that 5 minutes in the (standby) line? Wouldn't you get to the ride in about the same time? In my experience, FP lines can be a 10 minute wait anyway. Maybe that has to do with the time of year we've visited in the past and the crowds. So if this was my family, I'm thinking we would do standby and save the DAS return time for another ride, or simply not get the return time altogether and move on to the next ride afterwards.

Please, I'm sure you are doing the right thing for your family. There must be something I'm not understanding about the process, or maybe it's just my family or our needs or our approach to touring WDW.

In this case the FP+ line went straight to the front of the theater. Standby snaked through the lobby and then the theater. Definitely the full 20 minutes. If you got lucky in FP you waited much less than that.

In my son's case the crowd and proximity to strangers is difficult. Our need is keeping him from excessive hand stimmimg, inappropriate touching of strangers, verbal stimming and anxiety. A busy standby line for 20 minutes would be really tough.

 

[disneydenisel]

I struggle with communicating with Disney about it. Will it make a difference ? I feel they would prefer we stop coming and our spot taken by a family without disabilities and WITH money to spend.

I think that we have been very happy and excited about the trips that we have had to WDW and DLR, and it was wonderful to be able to take our kids and feel a little bit more relaxed there. I am happy to have had those family trips in the past.

I don't think Disney is singling out those of us with special needs or not wanting us to visit their parks. They want everyone to come, regardless of their needs. I think that the reality is that there are many things that are difficult for our families to do at typical public places. Disney may just be on that list when it wasn't there before.

I think it's up to us to decide what will work for our families--financially, emotionally, and entertainment-wise. We had a rough trip, but a rough day at Disney looks good compared to a rough day at home (although it's a lot less expensive to stay home)! But there were good moments, and special moments, and memories, that we can't make if we didn't try.

I'm going to work to figure out how to make it manageable, and play the game again . It's therapy for them, sometimes a break for us, and a lot of work all the time.

I'll play, at least until my 10-day non-expiry park hoppers are gone!

 

[lanejudy]

In this case the FP+ line went straight to the front of the theater. Standby snaked through the lobby and then the theater. Definitely the full 20 minutes. If you got lucky in FP you waited much less than that.

In my son's case the crowd and proximity to strangers is difficult. Our need is keeping him from excessive hand stimmimg, inappropriate touching of strangers, verbal stimming and anxiety. A busy standby line for 20 minutes would be really tough.

Thank you. We've never done FP at The Great Movie Ride so I didn't realize just walking the line could take so long! DD would not do well at all standing outside a line to wait -- it would be a constant barage of "let's go now!" and she'd actually be better entering a line. But maybe not; I guess we'll have to see when get there. Thanks again for explaining.

 

[aubriee]

Sorry, late to this party. Legacy FP are the old ones where you put in tickets, correct? They are going away when? So you are saying off site guests will not have any FP options? We go once per year but have always had GAC with wheelchair bound Grandpa, now 90. Was not aware of the major changes...

If his needs are met with a wheelchair he will not qualify for a DAC. We went down there with my 80 y/o mom in early Dec and tried at both DS and MK to get my mom one and both times were refused. They'd take one look at her ECV and just tune the rest of what we were saying out. We tried to tell them that she had needs the ECV did not meet (some senile dementia and anxiety where she doesn't do well in crowded spaces, brittle diabetic with frequent unexpected drops in blood sugar where she will pass out, easily fatigued, respiratory problems, vision problems--eyes don't adjust from light to darkness well, on medications that cause her to not tolerate heat and to get sunburned, etc). The only thing we were asking for was a quieter, less crowded place to wait, but we were refused. At DS we were told that the DAC was mainly for kids with autism and WDW didn't really offer anything for the elderly anymore, other than ECVs and wheelchairs. We go to WDW 4-6 times a year and this was the worst trip we've ever had. Due to my mom not being able to stay in the parks past lunch and FP return times being for later in the afternoons or evenings, we got to use only one FP- the entire week for Soarin. We were staying offsite, so did not qualify for FP+. Usually we can just get to the parks at rope drop, get fast passes with decent return times, ride before the parks gets crowded and get out of there around lunch. That strategy no longer works, because fast passes run out alot sooner and the few that are available have later return times that we couldn't use. Both FP and stand by lines are alot longer now. We are all three annual passholders, but for the first time in years will not be renewing them. The CM at DS really hurt my mom's feelings when she said, "Well really what rides can an 80 y/o ride anyway?" My mom doesn't ride the coasters, but loves the shows and slower rides. She loves playing Toy Story Mania, but did not even get to ride it once this trip. The CM made her feel like she didn't belong at WDW due to her age. We weren't asking to get on the rides quicker, just wanted a quieter, less crowded place to wait where she wouldn't be bumped into.

 

[Bete]

Legacy FP are the Paper FP tickets. They are gone at AK and MK. Off site guests can choose their FP+ selections at a kiosk when they get to the park for the day.

Same day fastpass plus doesn't cut it for offsite guests. After all the advanced fastpass plus passes are taken from onsite guests there just isn't enough left and all the decent times are gone even at rope drop when you do it the same day at the parks. You may have some luck with lesser attractions, but even that has some difficulties. Most of us, here can't last coming in at rope drop and then staying a long day to do a fastpass plus in the late afternoon or early evening at best. If you come later in the day instead for fastpass plus, then chances are even the bad times for fastpass plus are gone. You end up doing a lot more standby rides and most of us can't tolerate a 2 hour wait at Toy Story Mania; so, we have to pass on that experience. We went at a relatively better time and I was highly disappointed on how little we were able to accomplish at the parks. It just doesn't seem worth it to us for the high cost to go to Disney World. I am very experienced at Disney and savvy and I know how to plan a day at Disney. Even with my skills this just didn't work out. We still had the advantage of legacy fastpass on our trip and it still wasn't a good experience; because, we were not on a level playing field with those already using fastpass plus. Fastpass plus is not as effective for offsite guests. Even as an onsite guest 3 fastpass plus passes is well below what we were able to get before with legacy fastpass. We averaged 5 to 8 fastpasses per day under the legacy fastpass program. Also, now you have to contend with so much pre-planning that it really takes the fun out of it. At least with legacy fastpass you could somewhat free lance it in the park that day. Now, it's totally too rigid. If you try to change your mind and rearrange it's highly likely that you won't be able to make changes easily. Sorry, I just don't feel the same anymore about Disney World. I recently heard some statistics that for the population who is over 65 years old that only 40% use Internet on a regular basis. Smart phones and iPads and such are quite foreign to this age group overall especially as the age gets higher. For this age group to use My Disney Experience is highly unlikely. Disney is hurting this age group big time. Florida is filled with this age group and it's sad that Disney is treating this age group this way. Besides, many seniors can't afford these technologies and they are behind the times for that reason. Shame on Disney for this reason alone. My mother has passed, but we took her to Disney even at 90 and she was wheelchair bound and had other issues. GAC worked well for us. I can tell DAC would not have done us as good. Then add to it all the above and I would be mortified. I will be patient to see how all of this will turn out, but for now I'll be going elsewhere for vacation.

 

[aaarcher86]

Same day fastpass plus doesn't cut it for offsite guests. After all the advanced fastpass plus passes are taken from onsite guests there just isn't enough left and all the decent times are gone even at rope drop when you do it the same day at the parks. You may have some luck with lesser attractions, but even that has some difficulties. Most of us, here can't last coming in at rope drop and then staying a long day to do a fastpass plus in the late afternoon or early evening at best. If you come later in the day instead for fastpass plus, then chances are even the bad times for fastpass plus are gone. You end up doing a lot more standby rides and most of us can't tolerate a 2 hour wait at Toy Story Mania; so, we have to pass on that experience. We went at a relatively better time and I was highly disappointed on how little we were able to accomplish at the parks. It just doesn't seem worth it to us for the high cost to go to Disney World. I am very experienced at Disney and savvy and I know how to plan a day at Disney. Even with my skills this just didn't work out. We still had the advantage of legacy fastpass on our trip and it still wasn't a good experience; because, we were not on a level playing field with those already using fastpass plus. Fastpass plus is not as effective for offsite guests. Even as an onsite guest 3 fastpass plus passes is well below what we were able to get before with legacy fastpass. We averaged 5 to 8 fastpasses per day under the legacy fastpass program. Also, now you have to contend with so much pre-planning that it really takes the fun out of it. At least with legacy fastpass you could somewhat free lance it in the park that day. Now, it's totally too rigid. If you try to change your mind and rearrange it's highly likely that you won't be able to make changes easily. Sorry, I just don't feel the same anymore about Disney World. I recently heard some statistics that for the population who is over 65 years old that only 40% use Internet on a regular basis. Smart phones and iPads and such are quite foreign to this age group overall especially as the age gets higher. For this age group to use My Disney Experience is highly unlikely. Disney is hurting this age group big time. Florida is filled with this age group and it's sad that Disney is treating this age group this way. Besides, many seniors can't afford these technologies and they are behind the times for that reason. Shame on Disney for this reason alone. My mother has passed, but we took her to Disney even at 90 and she was wheelchair bound and had other issues. GAC worked well for us. I can tell DAC would not have done us as good. Then add to it all the above and I would be mortified. I will be patient to see how all of this will turn out, but for now I'll be going elsewhere for vacation.

Uh, well, thanks for the quote? I was just informing someone about WHAT it was, not whether it is a good thing or a bad thing. Obviously, for you it's bad. For me, I'm looking forward to it because for US it works with the way we do the parks. I don't think FP+ is meant to be as luxurious for offsite guests, so it's unsurprising you'd feel that way. I think it's too early to tell for certain how difficult or easy it will be for offsiters.

The poster I was answering can figure out if it will work for them. But whether choosing FP+ selections 'cuts it' or not, that's what is available and how it works.

 

[Bete]

Uh, well, thanks for the quote? I was just informing someone about WHAT it was, not whether it is a good thing or a bad thing. Obviously, for you it's bad. For me, I'm looking forward to it because for US it works with the way we do the parks. I don't think FP+ is meant to be as luxurious for offsite guests, so it's unsurprising you'd feel that way. I think it's too early to tell for certain how difficult or easy it will be for offsiters. The poster I was answering can figure out if it will work for them. But whether choosing FP+ selections 'cuts it' or not, that's what is available and how it works.

If you have been following other people experiences whether it's an onsite guest or offsite guest there are many in both groups that are not happy with fastpass plus vs. legacy fastpass or DAC vs. GAC. Yes, there are some who like fastpass plus who stay onsite, but there are some who don't. The onsite guests have stated they do not want to be this regimented and that they were able to get more fastpass legacy passes than the current three offered with fastpass plus. I'm not saying it's totally bad. I haven't heard a single offsite guest liking it. I'm sharing it doesn't work for us.

We will find out how all of this will pan out. I've been a loyal Disney World fan, but this last trip changed my mind in a hurry.

I've been onsite and offsite at Universal and there are better options for offsite guests than what Disney World is offering right now. I know Disney is going full speed ahead with fastpass plus; I'm just hoping that it gets better than it is now.

I hope you have a great trip and let us know how it works for you when you get back. Maybe, you will learn some tricks that will benefit us all.

 

[sharadoc]

I've been a loyal Disney World fan, but this last trip changed my mind in a hurry.

Exactly how I feel too. It breaks my heart that I don't look forward to planning another trip. It's too exhausting to think about, I'll wait and see what happens in a couple of years.

 

[SueM in MN]

We don't really know how Fastpass Plus is going to turn out - especially for off-site guests.
We were part of the trial in late October - early November 2013. We made all of our Fastpass Plus times day of visit and were also able to change times on the fly.
Other people, even in December during the holidays were reporting doing the same. So, I think it's a bit early to be saying Fastpass Plus will not work.