Question about return time

[Angel Dockendorf]

We haven't been to Disney World since the pass changes. I've read when you come back for your ride time the person holding the disability pass must scan in first. My question is what if my son balks at the last minute (which he has been known to do) is the rest of the family allowed on to ride? (Minus a parent to stay with my son of course). I know I'd have some very unhappy little siblings if this happened. :/

 

[Aladora]

We haven't been to Disney World since the pass changes. I've read when you come back for your ride time the person holding the disability pass must scan in first. My question is what if my son balks at the last minute (which he has been known to do) is the rest of the family allowed on to ride? (Minus a parent to stay with my son of course). I know I'd have some very unhappy little siblings if this happened. :/

The DAS holder must ride.

 

[Angel Dockendorf]

That's what I was afraid of. Seems we might have a rude awakening on this visit, as our last visit was a make-a-wish pass.

 

[DisneyOma]

That's what I was afraid of. Seems we might have a rude awakening on this visit, as our last visit was a make-a-wish pass.

A few things you can do to work around a balk - plan those FP+ wisely, booking the attractions your younger siblings really want to ride. Watch the attractions on YouTube before you go. Use the DAS on attractions that you have already ridden in the past. Bring things in the queue to distract/calm your son if you think that will help.

If the balk happens after the second tap in, there's a chance the others may be able to ride. The balking child would go across the ride vehicle if it's that kind of exit, or out another way, as they don't want you going back up the incoming queues for most attractions. The others would have been assigned/sitting in seats at that time, and what CM is going to keep track of all the people coming through? While I see the need for the DAS owner to ride the attraction to prevent fraud, I hope a CM seeing a child with a DAS panic and back out at the last minute can tell the difference between that panic and someone who has planned not to ride from the very start.

 

[Angel Dockendorf]

I hope you're right! Great ideas to try. It's so hard, even rides he LOVES and has been on before (previous trips or during same day), he has refused to get on once we are up there. He's pretty unpredictable when it comes to stuff like that! Totally get the fraud thing, but hopefully we will have CM's with soft hearts if this happens to us. Thanks for the chime in!

 

[disneydeegs]

Does he sometimes balk and then change his mind again? One thing to consider is that DAS times don't expire like fastpass times do, so if you want to wait it out and try again later you could... just you can't get additional DAS times until the one is used.

It could also depend on when he decides he doesn't want to ride. If it's at the first tapstyle you may have more potential issues than if it is at the second tapstyle right before the ride. Some rides don't even have second tapstyles. I may be incorrect, but at that point I don't know if the castmember could differentiate DAS from regular fastpasses, so they may allow the rest of the party to ride.

 

[Angel Dockendorf]

It's usually JUST before we step onto the ride. So yep, I'm guessing the rest of the family could just step on since we'd be all checked in anyways. Thank you, I feel a little better about that. My 7 year old would NOT be a fan of waiting for a ride, his big brother deciding he didn't want to get on, then we all have to walk away.

 

[shellyj]

There's a lot of following your conscience here. Because honestly, if he refuses right as you are getting on the ride, they are probably going to let your group go and one adult and your son can leave and wait at the exit. Unless you skipped the entire queue due to a wheelchair, they won't know at the other end that you had a DAS time. So you have to be honest and have a plan of how you will handle it. My son has done the same thing and refused to get on a previously LOVED ride and, generally, if we've walked right through and there's a long line, we will leave b/c the other guests have been waiting their turn. If we waited for awhile in the fast pass line and it doesn't feel like cheating and they OFFER to let us get on, we'll get on. If we try a second time and he refuses again, we don't go on and we don't get any more DAS times for that ride.

Cast members will bend over backwards for us but we try really hard to follow the spirit of the rules because we don't want the benefit to decrease. I actually like this new system better because I think it's more fair to other guests.

Last trip it wasn't much of a problem because he just wanted to get on the people mover over and over and over... lol

Your DAS time won't expire like a fast pass, but you can only have one DAS entry at a time, so if he refuses you need to decide if you're going to try it again or scratch that entry and get one for a different ride.

Make fast passes your priority and use the DAS card for the others. And don't be afraid to ask questions anywhere through the line! We've always been treated very well and very fairly

 

[Angel Dockendorf]

Yep. Totally get trying to follow the rules. I think it's hard to weigh being fair to our child with special needs vs our other two children. Cutting 10 mins off a fast pass wait (with a disability card) and being able to walk around while we wait, but then possibly not getting on, then having to wait again (with a regular fast pass or in the lines) for the other 2 kids to ride doesn't seem doable for anyone. I guess we will just have to see how he cards fall. Honestly I know I will very much miss the old system. For a child wth Down syndrome and Crohn's disease (a potty break can turn into an hour long fiasco) this is definitely going to be a harsh learning curve.

Thanks for the input. Definitely gives us more info when deciding our day and how we will plan it out.

 

[disneydeegs]

My son has done the same thing and refused to get on a previously LOVED ride and, generally, if we've walked right through and there's a long line, we will leave b/c the other guests have been waiting their turn. If we waited for awhile in the fast pass line and it doesn't feel like cheating and they OFFER to let us get on, we'll get on. If we try a second time and he refuses again, we don't go on and we don't get any more DAS times for that ride.

I wouldn't consider this scenario to be "cheating." You still wait for the ride with DAS, just not in a queue environment. If a castmember allows DAS to walk on through without getting a return time then the line is likely very short anyway, and I'd consider that pixie dust, not cheating. I imagine this same scenario happens with fastpasses too, one child gets scared at the very end and one adult leaves with the child while the rest of the family rides. It happens in regular queues as well (chicken exits).

It would, however, be "cheating" if it is known the person with DAS will not ride the ride just to get others in the party onto the ride, but that is not happening here (and not in your scenario either). I know that you want to avoid being perceived as someone who is abusing the system, but I would not consider you to be doing so! If anyone in the standby lines turns their nose up at you that's on them. Hopefully the cast members would be understanding.

 

[gap2368]

We haven't been to Disney World since the pass changes. I've read when you come back for your ride time the person holding the disability pass must scan in first. My question is what if my son balks at the last minute (which he has been known to do) is the rest of the family allowed on to ride? (Minus a parent to stay with my son of course). I know I'd have some very unhappy little siblings if this happened. :/

if your child decides he will not ride when he can see the ride then there is no way to know at this point if he was a DAS holder someone standing in the regular line or a FP so if it is this I would just ask the CM if one parent and him can wait at the exit for the rest of your family for when they get off. if he decides not to ride when he walks up to the line to touch the Mickey head to go in then this might be a little bit of a problem you can talk to the CM at the line and se if they will let the rest of your group in ( they may but it says the DAS holder must ride)

I would try to pick FP that your other children will want to do that you are unsure if the DAS holder will do or balk at.

and also if something comes up talk to a CM about it I am not saying they will to can do something but most of the CM will go way out of there ways to make your vacation magical but they have to know there is a problem and the CM are good but they are not mind readers and some times the answer will be no but some times they can do something for you.

 

[wilkeliza]

It's usually JUST before we step onto the ride. So yep, I'm guessing the rest of the family could just step on since we'd be all checked in anyways. Thank you, I feel a little better about that. My 7 year old would NOT be a fan of waiting for a ride, his big brother deciding he didn't want to get on, then we all have to walk away.

Since it is as you a stepping into the ride vehicle there is no way they would know you were on a DAS. If you have already scanned the MB at both check points and he balks at the ride vehicle itself don't bring any attention to the situation just have the adult that is responsible for your older son on that ride ask for the exit. They will not make the 7 year old and other adult exit and not ride at that point. They will only request everyone leave if he changes his mind before the MB check point (which is before you see the ride vehicles). So if you can get your son to wait that small moment in the line and tell him you will exit when you get to the end you should be okay.

 

[SMD]

The DAS isn't there to make things fair for the non-DAS users in your party. The purpose is for the DAS user to access the attraction. If there's a chance that the DAS rider won't ride, then they have the option of waiting in the standby queue and not getting a DAS return at all. Since the other members of your party are capable of accessing the ride through the queue, it is abusing it if they skip the queue when the DAS holder doesn't ride.

 

[Angel Dockendorf]

Yep. And this is why I have such a conflict about it. Because we certainly don't want to abuse the system. But then again I don't see it as fair that we NEED the DAS for our son, so will try to use it, but if it doesn't work our other kids have to, in essence, wait twice for a ride. That is not fair either. Or to have to split up our day and FP all the rides for half the family and DAS the rides for the other half. Kinda ruins the idea of a family vacation. So I guess I'm just going with we will make an 'in good faith' effort to use DAS on rides he is likely to ride, and let the fam go on ahead if he balks at the last minute. Thanks for input everyone! And honestly, we even had 'looks' and comments when we skipped the line with a make-a-wish pass. Can't please everyone and everyone will have their own idea of what is right and fair.

 

[DisneyOma]

Oops - thought I had an idea around this, but it won't work now that DAS is on magic band/ticket.

 

[Angel Dockendorf]

We have 5 in our immediate family. Will be 7 total with extended family along.

 

[gap2368]

The DAS isn't there to make things fair for the non-DAS users in your party. The purpose is for the DAS user to access the attraction. If there's a chance that the DAS rider won't ride, then they have the option of waiting in the standby queue and not getting a DAS return at all. Since the other members of your party are capable of accessing the ride through the queue, it is abusing it if they skip the queue when the DAS holder doesn't ride.

I do not think the OP is trying to abuse the system here I think the OP is just trying to think of the what ifs I know both my brother and I have disabilities and I have had to give up so much because of his disabilities that I really feel like a big part of my child/ adult life has been taken from me so what if someone get a return time for a ride the child says they want to go on and the family waits for the return time they go in the line with the ( DAS ) child thinking the whole time they are going to ride and the (DAS ) child see, hears, or what ever my be there triggers and decides not to ride when they are about to step in the ride so then the brother/ sister will need to go back in line to wait. I kind of feel this should be treated just like another family if they had waited and someone in the family decides at the last minute not to ride because of what ever and there are 2 parents 1 parent take the scare child out while the other parent goes on the ride with the other child. Now if the OP know that the child will not want to get wait and so they know they will not get on splash but they decide nowhere are going to get a DAS for this so the others in the family do not what to wait, Then I think this is wrong, but if they think/ the ( DAS ) child say they would like to go on XYZ then backs out right at the load platform then I think one parent could take the child while the other parent and other children ride.

 

[stitchlovestink]

We haven't been to Disney World since the pass changes. I've read when you come back for your ride time the person holding the disability pass must scan in first. My question is what if my son balks at the last minute (which he has been known to do) is the rest of the family allowed on to ride? (Minus a parent to stay with my son of course). I know I'd have some very unhappy little siblings if this happened. :/

Yes, the DAS holder needs to scan first. But almost all attractions (there are a very few exceptions) have done away with the second scan (which was usually where the FP and standy by lines were merged together). Even those attractions that utilize the second scan sometimes have it deactivated especially when it isn't as busy. So in many (if not most instances) after you get past the initial scan which is at the very beginning to even enter the FP ride, you would be "home free" at that point if the DAS holder decided not to ride.

Since it is as you a stepping into the ride vehicle there is no way they would know you were on a DAS. If you have already scanned the MB at both check points and he balks at the ride vehicle itself don't bring any attention to the situation just have the adult that is responsible for your older son on that ride ask for the exit. They will not make the 7 year old and other adult exit and not ride at that point. They will only request everyone leave if he changes his mind before the MB check point (which is before you see the ride vehicles). So if you can get your son to wait that small moment in the line and tell him you will exit when you get to the end you should be okay.

Most (not all) of the 2nd check points have been deactivated, remain covered during operation and a few have been completely removed. So once they are in the FP line, they are good to go in most instances.

 

[SMD]

Yep. And this is why I have such a conflict about it. Because we certainly don't want to abuse the system. But then again I don't see it as fair that we NEED the DAS for our son, so will try to use it, but if it doesn't work our other kids have to, in essence, wait twice for a ride. That is not fair either. Or to have to split up our day and FP all the rides for half the family and DAS the rides for the other half. Kinda ruins the idea of a family vacation. So I guess I'm just going with we will make an 'in good faith' effort to use DAS on rides he is likely to ride, and let the fam go on ahead if he balks at the last minute. Thanks for input everyone! And honestly, we even had 'looks' and comments when we skipped the line with a make-a-wish pass. Can't please everyone and everyone will have their own idea of what is right and fair.

Life isn't fair. Anyone who does anything with someone who has a disability or other challenge may make compromises. Sitting in certain seats because you go to a movie or event with someone in a wheelchair, for example. Having to compromise doesn't magically disappear because one chooses to enter a theme park. But if one goes into it with a chip on their shoulder about it, it will cloud the whole experience. Setting the precedent now that it is ok to cheat the system because their brother needs a DAS could come back in ways you're not anticipating later. Your younger children may be in a situation to care for their brother later, and you're not going to unteach them later that it's ok to cheat because they happen to have a brother with a disability. Or worse, to use their brother's disability to benefit themselves.

 

[stitchlovestink]

Life isn't fair. Anyone who does anything with someone who has a disability or other challenge may make compromises. Sitting in certain seats because you go to a movie or event with someone in a wheelchair, for example. Having to compromise doesn't magically disappear because one chooses to enter a theme park. But if one goes into it with a chip on their shoulder about it, it will cloud the whole experience. Setting the precedent now that it is ok to cheat the system because their brother needs a DAS could come back in ways you're not anticipating later. Your younger children may be in a situation to care for their brother later, and you're not going to unteach them later that it's ok to cheat because they happen to have a brother with a disability. Or worse, to use their brother's disability to benefit themselves.

Geez, it doesn't sound like the OP is the one with the chip on their shoulder!!!
It is your opinion and your opinion only that they are "cheating". Many of us agree it's not cheating if the DAS holder had planned to ride but then circumstances changed. So other than their 3 FPs the family should split up and the siblings and 1 parent should use stand by and the other parent and DAS holder should use the DAS.
Never mind that the siblings ALSO WAITED the same amount of time as though they were in the standby line before returning to use the DAS. SMH at your responses!