WDW Summary of NEW DAS changes and Disney Genie - Post ONE is an updated summary

[jlundeen]

For those who have been successful getting through on the video chat, (CONGRATULATIONS and THANK YOU for being our DAS guinea pigs!), can you answer these questions for me?

I have read that:

1) only the G+LL rides can be booked with the Advanced reservations, and not the ILL$​

2) that only the parks you have a park pass in (in essence, the first park of the day) can be booked for rides in advance.​

​

Can anyone confirm these - I've seen so many offer opinions one way or the other and would like to make my plans before I can call in.

Thank you so much.

 

[Evita_W]

Which brings up an interesting question, if resort guest get to start making their genie+ picks at 7am, isn’t there a chance that time slots will be all filled up by the time a DAS user wants to make selections? I hope they have allotted some time slots for the DAS users.

DAS is different than Genie+, but even with Genie+, remember each guest can only make one selection at a time, this will ensure that they are spread out throughout the day, just as the original paper FPs worked. Basically, this works like Maxpass did at DL, which rarely sold out, except the absolute most popular attractions and even then they often lasted until 3 to 4 hours before park closing.

 

[Evita_W]

For those who have been successful getting through on the video chat, (CONGRATULATIONS and THANK YOU for being our DAS guinea pigs!), can you answer these questions for me?

I have read that:

1) only the G+LL rides can be booked with the Advanced reservations, and not the ILL$​

2) that only the parks you have a park pass in (in essence, the first park of the day) can be booked for rides in advance.​

​

Can anyone confirm these - I've seen so many offer opinions one way or the other and would like to make my plans before I can call in.

Thank you so much.

There is a list on Disney Worlds website of which attractions are eligible for the advance selections.

And yes, advance selections are only in the park for which you have reservations.

 

[Evita_W]

We are looking into using DAS for our 3 adopted children with FASD. I don't have time to read all 13 pages here, but could someone tell me: what attractions are the advanced selections available for? All attractions, or are the "big two" for Individual lightning lane left off of this list?

What about same day DAS - again, is it for all rides, or are the big ones left off?

Thanks!

Same day DAS works with anything with a Standby queue. There are reports that some are being told that for the attractions that use individual lightning lanes, you may have to go to the attraction to get a return time, that those may not work from the app, but a return time is still an option.

 

[mamaofsix]

Same day DAS works with anything with a Standby queue. There are reports that some are being told that for the attractions that use individual lightning lanes, you may have to go to the attraction to get a return time, that those may not work from the app, but a return time is still an option.

Okay, thank you very much!

 

[jlundeen]

There is a list on Disney Worlds website of which attractions are eligible for the advance selections.

And yes, advance selections are only in the park for which you have reservations.

Thank you. I didn't see any reference to the park pass on the website but that really has be in a state of flux and I may have missed it, so I wasn't sure it was official.... can you point me to where it says that, or did someone who made the call confirm it?

Thanks again.

 

[mamaofsix]

There is a list on Disney Worlds website of which attractions are eligible for the advance selections.

And yes, advance selections are only in the park for which you have reservations.

Do you mind linking to that list on their website?

 

[SueM in MN]

For those who have been successful getting through on the video chat, (CONGRATULATIONS and THANK YOU for being our DAS guinea pigs!), can you answer these questions for me?

I have read that:

1) only the G+LL rides can be booked with the Advanced reservations, and not the ILL$​

2) that only the parks you have a park pass in (in essence, the first park of the day) can be booked for rides in advance.​

​

Can anyone confirm these - I've seen so many offer opinions one way or the other and would like to make my plans before I can call in.

Thank you so much.

This link to the WDW website DAS info should help clarify things. That link doesn’t have a list of the attractions available for DAS Advance Selections, but they are basically the Genie+ attractions. Just be aware with any list you see, all the items on the list may not be available at the time of your call.

Question 1:
Individual Lightning Lane attractions can’t be booked with DAS Advance Selection.
They will either have a Standby queue or a Virtual queue (also called Boarding Group).
If there is a Standby queue, guests using DAS will be able to get a DAS Return Time based on the current Standby wait at the park. It’s not clear if these will be available for DAS booking on the My Disney Experience app or if guests will need to actually go to the attraction (once DAS booking in the app is live).
Curently, only Ratatouille has a virtual queue, but Disney has said Virtual queues will be used as needed due to crowds. If there is a virtual queue, guests using DAS will need to get a Virtual queue spot/Boarding Group the same as other guests. When the Virtual queue/Boarding Group is called, guests using DAS talk to a CM and will go in with a short wait.

Question 2:
The DAS Advance Selections can only be made for a park you have park reservations for. They have a start time and a 1 hour window for use.
Guests do NOT need to use any DAS Advance Selections before making or using DAS Return Times.

 

[SueM in MN]

Do you mind linking to that list on their website?

lanejudy posted this from the WDW website a few days ago, so I copied it for you.
Experiences available for the Advanced Planning:

Q. What attractions are available for Guests using the Disability Access Service (DAS) Advance planning option?

A. After you’ve registered for DAS, a Cast Member will assist you in booking up to 2 one-hour return windows per day for select experiences. Experiences may include:

Magic Kingdom Park

• The Barnstormer
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Haunted Mansion
• "it's a small world"
• Jungle Cruise
• Mad Tea Party
• The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Mickey's PhilharMagic
• Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
• Peter Pan's Flight
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Splash Mountain
• Tomorrowland Speedway
• Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid

EPCOT

• Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
• Journey Into Imagination With Figment
• Living with the Land
• Mission: SPACE
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends
• Soarin' Around the World
• Spaceship Earth
• Test Track
• Turtle Talk With Crush

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• Alien Swirling Saucers
• Beauty & The Beast Live on Stage
• Disney Junior Play & Dance!
• For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• Muppet*Vision 3D
• Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
• Slinky Dog Dash
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™
• Toy Story Mania!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park

• The Animation Experience at Conservation Station
• DINOSAUR
• Feathered Friends in Flight!
• Festival of the Lion King
• It's Tough to be a Bug!
• Kali River Rapids
• Kilimanjaro Safaris
• Na'vi River Journey

If an experience is available, you’ll be given a one-hour return window to redeem during the day of your visit. Any selections you make will appear as plans on the My Disney Experience app or on this website.

*Please note that attractions are subject to change and may not be available at all on the day of visit or at the time that you request. Availability can change throughout the day. To learn about any closures or long-term refurbishments, please view details about the attraction on our website or mobile app.

 

[jlundeen]

This link to the WDW website DAS info should help clarify things. That link doesn’t have a list of the attractions available for DAS Advance Selections, but they are basically the Genie+ attractions. Just be aware with any list you see, all the items on the list may not be available at the time of your call.

Question 1:
Individual Lightning Lane attractions can’t be booked with DAS Advance Selection.
They will either have a Standby queue or a Virtual queue (also called Boarding Group).
If there is a Standby queue, guests using DAS will be able to get a DAS Return Time based on the current Standby wait at the park. It’s not clear if these will be available for DAS booking on the My Disney Experience app or if guests will need to actually go to the attraction (once DAS booking in the app is live).
Curently, only Ratatouille has a virtual queue, but Disney has said Virtual queues will be used as needed due to crowds. If there is a virtual queue, guests using DAS will need to get a Virtual queue spot/Boarding Group the same as other guests. When the Virtual queue/Boarding Group is called, guests using DAS talk to a CM and will go in with a short wait.

Question 2:
The DAS Advance Selections can only be made for a park you have park reservations for. They have a start time and a 1 hour window for use.
Guests do NOT need to use any DAS Advance Selections before making or using DAS Return Times.

Thank you, SueM, I appreciate the info. I can see on the website the info for Question 1, but, I'm just not seeing it for Question 2... I know others have mentioned it, but I'm a bit OCD and need to see it on their site. Every time I go out there, it seems to take me in circles, and I can't find a reference to Park Pass requirement....could you direct me to the link where it is addressed?

I can certainly work within that if that is what is required but planning ahead of the call would just be easier if I know for sure.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thank you, SueM, I appreciate the info. I can see on the website the info for Question 1, but, I'm just not seeing it for Question 2... I know others have mentioned it, but I'm a bit OCD and need to see it on their site. Every time I go out there, it seems to take me in circles, and I can't find a reference to Park Pass requirement....could you direct me to the link where it is addressed?

I can certainly work within that if that is what is required but planning ahead of the call would just be easier if I know for sure.

Sorry - there is not a link on their site that directly says that, so you will have to trust us on that.

Guests can’t enter a park without having a park reservation, so there Is nothing to ‘hook’ your DAS Advance Selection to unless you have a park reservation for that park.

 

[OurBigTrip]

The “big two” are not available for Advanced Selection.

 

[Liquidice]

Thank you, SueM, I appreciate the info. I can see on the website the info for Question 1, but, I'm just not seeing it for Question 2... I know others have mentioned it, but I'm a bit OCD and need to see it on their site. Every time I go out there, it seems to take me in circles, and I can't find a reference to Park Pass requirement....could you direct me to the link where it is addressed?

I can certainly work within that if that is what is required but planning ahead of the call would just be easier if I know for sure.

When I did the video chat, the CM basically looked up my reservation and then said "you have a park pass for Magic Kingdom, do you know what rides you would like to book?". They did not give me the option to book in a different park. Nothing is documented to specifically say you can't book at a different park, you can certainly try to ask if you can book at a different park, but I was just so happy to be able to book my 2 that I picked them for the park I was going to.

 

[HopperFan]

Thank you, SueM, I appreciate the info. I can see on the website the info for Question 1, but, I'm just not seeing it for Question 2... I know others have mentioned it, but I'm a bit OCD and need to see it on their site. Every time I go out there, it seems to take me in circles, and I can't find a reference to Park Pass requirement....could you direct me to the link where it is addressed?

I can certainly work within that if that is what is required but planning ahead of the call would just be easier if I know for sure.

They say they will open your MDE to look at your plans, which would show them your tickets and park reservations to work from. But it is stated here you need tickets to link to.

Registration Process
There are 2 ways for eligible Guests to register for the DAS program—pre-arrival via live video chat or in person at Guest Relations during a park visit. Cast Members will work with Guests individually to discuss specific requests and offer assistance.

Before you register, make sure to:

• link valid theme park admission for each member of your party

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/disability-access-service/register/

 

[jlundeen]

Maybe that's why I'm a bit confused... to me "valid theme park admission" implies ticket media - 1-park-per-day ticket, park hopper ticket, annual pass.

If they can see your "ticket" in your MDE, they should be able to see your park pass for the first park, and also know if you can hop to a different park or not.

I just wish they would be more clear and not leave it up to us to stress test the system....If they only will make the advance reservations for first park of the day, then why not clearly state that? Maybe something like: "Advanced Selections may only be made for parks that have a valid Park Reservation."

But, I guess there are different interpretations, and we'll have to wait and see. I'll make plans for both interpretations....

Thanks everyone for your thoughts....

 

[SueM in MN]

Maybe that's why I'm a bit confused... to me "valid theme park admission" implies ticket media - 1-park-per-day ticket, park hopper ticket, annual pass.

If they can see your "ticket" in your MDE, they should be able to see your park pass for the first park, and also know if you can hop to a different park or not.

I just wish they would be more clear and not leave it up to us to stress test the system....If they only will make the advance reservations for first park of the day, then why not clearly state that? Maybe something like: "Advanced Selections may only be made for parks that have a valid Park Reservation."

But, I guess there are different interpretations, and we'll have to wait and see. I'll make plans for both interpretations....

Thanks everyone for your thoughts....

I can’t find right now where the WDW website or maybe My Disney Experience says it, but once they started requiring Park Reservations, having a Park Reservation became part of « valid theme park admission ».
Without an admission for the park you want to enter, you are not allowed into the park.
We we’re at WDW in June, 2021 and drove multiple times. We were asked at the parking booth every time whether or not we had a Park Reservation for that park.

 

[jlundeen]

OK, this has taken too much time and I know everyone has something better to do on their Saturday than talk about this ....

But .... (there's always a "but", right?), when you enter the second (or other) park of the day with an AP or PH ticket, you do not need a park pass for that park....you have to have used one for the first park of the day, and then hopped after 2 with a hopper or AP ticket. That's all I'm saying. If their intention is to have it ONLY for parks with a park pass, they could clearly state that it can only be used in a park with a park pass, and NOT used for park hopping parks....

I guess at the end of the day, we will find out as more people call in and we learn more about the process. I can call in on Nov 4, and if there are still any questions, I'll be sure to report back when I ask on my call.

Thanks again... didn't mean to go on and on, but I think it needs to be clarified by Disney....

 

[lanejudy]

Like many things, all the nitty-gritty details don’t get published. For one it allows them flexibility without “changing” the documentation, and for another it prevents the program from looking like it has a mile-long list of fine print. Details are often learned by experience.

 

[SueM in MN]

OK, this has taken too much time and I know everyone has something better to do on their Saturday than talk about this ....

But .... (there's always a "but", right?), when you enter the second (or other) park of the day with an AP or PH ticket, you do not need a park pass for that park....you have to have used one for the first park of the day, and then hopped after 2 with a hopper or AP ticket. That's all I'm saying. If their intention is to have it ONLY for parks with a park pass, they could clearly state that it can only be used in a park with a park pass, and NOT used for park hopping parks....

I guess at the end of the day, we will find out as more people call in and we learn more about the process. I can call in on Nov 4, and if there are still any questions, I'll be sure to report back when I ask on my call.

Thanks again... didn't mean to go on and on, but I think it needs to be clarified by Disney....

You can ask, but multiple people have reported being told the DAS Advance Selections can only be made at the park they have a Park Reservation for.
I don’t think they will clarify that on the website because it would be quite confusing for people who are just figuring out what a Park Reservation is.
They are really, really not likely going to make a DAS Advance Selection for a park the guest is possibly not going to be able to get into. Even for Dining Reservations, it says to make your Dining in the park you have a reservation for or plan to see if there is any walk-up availability.
One of the biggest reasons would be that even if you have tickets that can be used to park hop, that doesn’t mean park hopping will necessarily be available for that park. That is discussed on the WDW Parkhopper information page with a lot of qualifying statements:

• With the updated Park Hopper experience, Guests must make a Disney Park Pass reservation for the first park they plan to visit AND enter that first park prior to visiting another. At this time, a park reservation is not required after the first park, however, reservation requirements are subject to change.
• Reservations for dining experiences, Droid Depot, Savi's Workshop and other pre-booked experiences do not guarantee access to a park, and Park Hopper availability may change daily.

Please note that the ability to visit another park will be subject to the park’s capacity limitations. In the event that the Park Hopper option is unavailable at a theme park, Guests will be notified in real time via a push notification from the My Disney Experience app.

 

[HairyChest]

Switch your park reservation to the park you want advance DAS selections for, then switch it right back.