overuse

[redberyl]

I know a lot of people arent happy about das, thought i might share what just happened at our local amusement park and maybe change some minds. The park gives the diabled guest and upto 3 additional people instant ride access, via the rides exit, no questions asked. The disbaled guest is given a bracelet and a paper pass. At one ride tonight there were 8 groups ahead of us in the handicapped "line." the first group had the pass but no bracelet, they were very nasty to the ride operator, who let them on to shut them up. Second and third groups got into a fight over who was there first. Ride operator intervened, threatened to call security. Fourth group had six people, got mad they would only allow 4(it clearly states only 4 on thepass. You can request an exception, and they will print it on the pass if approved). The operator explained this, loaded 4 on. When they got back, the mom slid the bracelet off one childs hand and put it on another, and they got on too. Operator didnt notice, becausenow groups 5 and 6 are complaining the line is taking too long, while people in the standby line are starting to yell at everyone in line "what makes you so special" "how do i get the pass" etc. it was for the racecars, in all this time not a single person in the regular line got to go. After group 5 went on, the operator let someone from regular line go, and groyps 6 and 7, plus the group now behind me, went crazy. We left at that point because it was gettinf sonasty. There were 5 more groups behind us as we left. Figure the instant access to allhandicapped meant the guy at the front of the regular line had to wait at least 14 extra turns, assuming no one else showed up after we left. My daughter needs some extra help to make it through the park, really glad the program exists, but after that mob scene i wouldnt blame them for doing away with the system

 

[gap2368]

I am so happy with the way disney dose the DAS ( yes there could be some small changes to it) but I do not think I should get anything that a guest with out a disability ( I am fine waiting somewhere else my turn to ride something). there is a much smaller park about 2 hours from me at the busiest times you will wait about 20 minutes to ride a ride with the top 3 rides maybe 45 minutes they do not have any thing for people who can not wait in lines I have gone a few times but have always been very limited in what I can do and have to spend a great deal of time taking very long breaks to decompress that I just drive the 4 hours to disney instead because I know that there is a system that will let me enjoy the parks like any other guess ( or close to it)

 

[mamabunny]

I know a lot of people arent happy about das, thought i might share what just happened at our local amusement park and maybe change some minds. The park gives the diabled guest and upto 3 additional people instant ride access, via the rides exit, no questions asked. The disbaled guest is given a bracelet and a paper pass. At one ride tonight there were 8 groups ahead of us in the handicapped "line." the first group had the pass but no bracelet, they were very nasty to the ride operator, who let them on to shut them up. Second and third groups got into a fight over who was there first. Ride operator intervened, threatened to call security. Fourth group had six people, got mad they would only allow 4(it clearly states only 4 on thepass. You can request an exception, and they will print it on the pass if approved). The operator explained this, loaded 4 on. When they got back, the mom slid the bracelet off one childs hand and put it on another, and they got on too. Operator didnt notice, becausenow groups 5 and 6 are complaining the line is taking too long, while people in the standby line are starting to yell at everyone in line "what makes you so special" "how do i get the pass" etc. it was for the racecars, in all this time not a single person in the regular line got to go. After group 5 went on, the operator let someone from regular line go, and groyps 6 and 7, plus the group now behind me, went crazy. We left at that point because it was gettinf sonasty. There were 5 more groups behind us as we left. Figure the instant access to allhandicapped meant the guy at the front of the regular line had to wait at least 14 extra turns, assuming no one else showed up after we left. My daughter needs some extra help to make it through the park, really glad the program exists, but after that mob scene i wouldnt blame them for doing away with the system

I'm sure that experience was an eye-opener. Even though no one in our family uses the DAS system, I am certainly glad that it is there for the guests who can benefit from it. After what you saw, @redberyl, we don't really have to wonder much why the CMs at GR sometimes are a bit careful about just handing over a DAS. The potential for abuse is enormous.

I personally believe that Disney (as a whole) strikes a solid balance when it comes to accommodations for guests with issues covered by the ADA. I do not envy the CMs who work at GR - I have long believed that they have one of the most stressful jobs at Disney, a job that calls for the greatest amount of diplomacy and empathy.

Bless their hearts, every one.

 

[tobikaye]

Kings Island had something similar to the OP up until about 3 years ago. The first year they changed it up, they did not word everything quite the way they should have. There were people complaining at one attraction because they had to wait and did not get on right away. They updated it the next year.

When I heard WDW was changing their program, I was hoping it would be something similar to KI. When you get to KI, you go to GS and let them know you need a rider's pass. In my sister's case, she has a rollator or wheelchair that does not fit in the lines at KI. If she has a prior pass, she hands that to them so they know she knows the spill. They then get the new pass that indicates what she is wearing that day and off we go.

 

[nikkislaght]

lord sounds like a fun day.. (not). I have never understood why people at D/L B##$ and moan about the access lines, We have it pretty good there.. I sometimes tell people to go to different parks to see just how wonderful Disney help us...

 

[01spirit750]

The front line cast members at Disneyland still get so much grief. I was at the hub GS location at the end of July and a guest was giving the cast member a bad time about not getting a DAS. It went something like this:
G: When did you change, was there a meeting or something?
G: I have had a DAS 4-5 times before, why won't you just give me one?
G: I just want to get my pass and go on with my day.

There was no yelling, but it seemed obvious that the guest was "shopping" the DAS locations to find one that would give them a DAS. I could only guess that the main street GS location had turned them down.

 

[bumbershoot]

it was for the racecars, in all this time not a single person in the regular line got to go.

And IMO that's where the problem is. That's where the problem was, from my perspective, in the old program. It got abused because the CMs allowed it to be abused. They didn't follow the program in the way it was supposed to be followed. Even now under DAS I have friends who have gone with their disabled mom and state quite firmly that they got FOTL. And this is a mom in a scooter, who doesn't even get the actual card, but they are absolute on how with EVERY line they went to the very front and got on immediately. So again there are CMs who aren't running it right, unless my friends have amazing timing and luck.

I wish they would just fix that, instead of revamping everything. But...I'm just an observer in all of this. My family members who could benefit from the DAS program or using a wheelchair or scooter REFUSE to do it, because they don't want to do anything different even though it would make their days better.

 

[OurBigTrip]

So again there are CMs who aren't running it right, unless my friends have amazing timing and luck.

More likely than either of these options is that your friends are lying.

 

[tinkerpea]

More likely than either of these options is that your friends are lying.

Actually my moms experience in July was of exactly as described, she had an ecv and when she had my twins with her she was escorted through and let on,with very little wait. It was unexpected as I had told her she would be waiting in the normal lines.
I wasn't with them to say whether in those situations is was wrong or right,but on 4 occasions in mk when I was with her they did the same,
I just know that it did happen,and we was there 3 wks so they wasn't one off's.
Now she is in her early 80s and so maybe they felt bad for her.when she was alone with the kids ( my 9yr old twins)
But non the less it happened

 

[Toffeewoffy]

In all the years we used the GAC we only went in via the FP return entrance and even if we were the first people at the gate we were never let straight on. On average we would wait between 5 and 25 minutes to gain entrance to the actual ride itself, depending on how many people were ahead of us. It was still far preferable to queuing up for up to 1½ hours, though.

 

[seashoreCM]

... So again there are CMs who aren't running it right, ...

This is the problem. With the old Guest Assistance Card there were many icons and rules and permutations so it was not easy for the ride CMs to quickly select the correct thing for each guest. Also, the ride CMs are not short order cooks; they don't have amazing timing or alternatively a clock dial big enough for lots of Post It Notes, such as 1 minute for this egg, 2 minutes for that piece of ham, er, this wheelchair guest waits ten minutes, that guest on a scooter waits 23 minutes, etc.

So Disney simplified things to come up with today's DAS; there is just one functionality, to allow the guest to come back to the front of the line after a predetermined wait time, now automatically timed using the Magic Band. It is left up to the guest to get out of the sun, go to the rest room just before riding, pace back and forth, etc.

 

[OurBigTrip]

One quick correction - DAS users don't go to the front of the line when they return, they enter the FP+ line.

 

[Toffeewoffy]

One quick correction - DAS users don't go to the front of the line when they return, they enter the FP+ line.

Yes, and unfortunately if you've timed it wrong, you can still wait half an hour if you've arrived after a load of others. We keep getting there after huge groups of wheelchairs/scooters and, as you know, they only load one every 4 or 5 minutes so it can take a while.