New DAS System at Walt Disney World 2024

[Dranth]

Even if they cut this % in half the usage in theory will be the same and still take up more than it should. Until they change HOW the system works NOT who is allowed this will be an ongoing issue. Again get rid of the pre bookings. Cut down party size maybe even more and on re rides say allow only 1 other guest everyone else needs to wait in line and can meet at the front or something along those lines. Way better than having a ton of people in and out if lines etc raising their hands like we are in grade school. As a DAS user i would not be upset if they only allowed say 1 re ride or something “limiting” me.

If they can't get the overall usage down then I am sure we will see changes/tweaks until they get it to where it is sustainable including some that you mention. If not, they will eventually be forced to go to a system that does require proof.

There is a part of me that wonders if they made the choice not to go that route to begin with because they want to see how the various lawsuits play out over the Six Flags/Universal system. If those are allowed I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Disney switch.

 

[HauntedPirate]

I think it'll be both VQ and ILL, no standby.

Undoubtedly. They are going to milk it for all its worth until they can't.

 

[Splash4eva]

I was referring specifically to the option to leave a line and come back if one needs to use the bathroom due to a medical condition.

This meets the need while taking away the front of the line access that attracts more cheaters.

But again it does not seem like the amount of “abusers” are the issue its the system and what disney allows guest to do with DAS. My family needs DAS no questions asked but i also fully admit there are attractions we will ride 3 times in a day fully within Disneys rules and guidelines we are 3 people in total. Im sure im not the only one. Am i abusing/wrong for this? Disney should limit re rides imo

 

[Ayla]

I don't think Disney is required to allow unlimited repeat rides as an accommodation.

The expectation for most guests would be doing a given attraction once per day. DAS provides the equivalent opportunity to users.

DAS should only allow one ride per day using DAS, just like Genie+.

 

[Disney Glimpses]

People really do understand this; not participating is always an option. The entire point of the ADA is to make life more pleasant and normal for people who have disabilities.

In this case, it's an accommodation to provide the "opportunity" to ride an attraction that they would otherwise not be able to ride. And I think that line has been blurred beyond oblivion over the last 10+ years.

 

[jaklgreen]

I think a big part of this could be trying to curtail use and abuse by requiring people to confirm their need in person.

It's one thing to lie once during an online process and then having that DAS access for the day or week. It's another thing to have to look a cast member in the eye throughout the day and lie about not being able to stay in line.

It's also less convenient that a standard DAS. This process could meet needs but lesson the advantage of front of the line access. It will discourage cheaters.

Yeah, I said this before, but I think that Disney actually feels that most are lying about their bathroom issues. Many don't comprehend how serious they are. I think that Disney thinks that hardly anyone is going to ask to leave the line. They will be in for a surprise.

 

[Splash4eva]

This is always a fascinating conversation about going to an amusement park. This is not a daily need or critical use we are discussing, but a completely voluntary recreational activity.

If one can’t wait in line, be in crowds, or handle loud noises, perhaps consider entertainment options that are more suited to what you can enjoy vs expecting a theme park operator to fundamentally redesign the entire concept of a day at an amusement park to address your specific needs?

My wife is deathly scared of heights - so she doesn’t go skiing nor require the ski resort to drive her up the slopes on a snowmobile so she can avoid the chairlift

There is a point where “demanding accommodation” crosses over to “unrealistic narcissism”.

I agree and i remember when GAC was changed to DAS and everyone was in an uproar. I was like okay great. It still provides me what i need. Granted forcing someone with a disability depending on what theirs was to go from ride to ride to book that attraction was ridiculous but at the time it was the only way.

 

[Disney Glimpses]

DAS should only allow one ride per day using DAS, just like Genie+.

Obviously this is not possible because there are folks who require it for literally every single attraction. However, I do wonder if there is a middle ground for those who have these more transient/unpredictable issues; not full DAS but 1 pass to provide added flexibility.

 

[Ayla]

Obviously this is not possible because there are folks who require it for literally every single attraction. However, I do wonder if there is a middle ground for those who have these more transient/unpredictable issues; not full DAS but 1 pass to provide added flexibility.

Sorry, that wasn't very clear ~ what I meant was you should only be able to ride each ride once (no re-rides), just like Genie+.

 

[Disney Glimpses]

Sorry, that wasn't very clear ~ what I meant was you should only be able to ride each ride once (no re-rides), just like Genie+.

Ah! Got it, my bad.

 

[Splash4eva]

DAS should only allow one ride per day using DAS, just like Genie+.

As a DAS user to me this is the biggest issue imo that is causing this. As ive stated im guilty of re rides but i would not be upset if they changed it to say only 1 ride per day and say a 2nd must only be yourself and 1 other and cap it there. I know in theory its not the same as a regular guest BUT its more than a fair and reasonable accommodation

 

[Gomer]

DAS should only allow one ride per day using DAS, just like Genie+.

But DAS isn't an alternative to Genie+. It is an alternative method of waiting for your standby time. If standby guests can queue over and over again for Small World, telling DAS they cannot would be restricting DAS guests to different services than what is available to standby.

 

[Ayla]

Ah! Got it, my bad.

Sorry, that was my mistake for the poor wording.

 

[SamusAranX]

DAS should only allow one ride per day using DAS, just like Genie+.

Why? They are still waiting in a standby line, albeit “virtually”. So if standby guests can wait repeatedly for a a ride, why shouldn’t those with DAS not be allowed?

 

[SamusAranX]

But DAS isn't an alternative to Genie+. It is an alternative method of waiting for your standby time. If standby guests can queue over and over again for Small World, telling DAS they cannot would be restricting DAS guests to different services than what is available to standby.

This. We are almost 80 pages in and people are STILL misrepresenting what DAS does or allows users to do.

Changes were needed, but if you’re gonna criticize the program whole cloth, make sure you get your facts right.

 

[pdude81]

Am I misunderstanding the return to line accommodation? If the standby is an hour, you get 20 minutes in, and need to leave the line, you come back to the exact spot correct? Meaning you still need to come back and wait the 40 minutes? I can’t see people looking for a “hack” wanting to use this or “cheat” it

This would be the only way I can see this working without causing an entirely new issue to fix.

It allows someone who needs quick access to a bathroom to leave and return to still experience the attraction. They wouldn't gain any time advantage, and in fact would lose some of the time they would otherwise be waiting. This would cut down on abuse because there is no incentive for someone to leave the line unless they actually have to go, and not because they "might" have to.

I assume they would have to allow for this in the LL queue as well because those sometimes get backed up when an attraction goes down.

But how in the hell are they going to map where exactly someone left and came back? I assume this would be in place for everybody in the SB line and not just someone presenting with a disability, so it would be nuts in that case to issue LL return times to anybody whose kid drank too much Powerade.

The plan for "return to line" is really the lynchpin of the modification. If that hasn't been carefully reasoned, this will be an operational nightmare.

 

[SamusAranX]

The issue is that this DAS thing has grown to the point where people think if they have any personal nuance that makes it uncomfortable to stand in a long line (even if not associated with a medical diagnosis), that they are entitled to a disability pass.

1. This a reasonable take. There are different levels of disability hence why Disney is making more various options that affect operations less (with the added benefit of more money in their pocket)
2. Part of this is on Disney, as they allowed leeway for many conditions and didn’t have a more robust system in place to judge the level of disability and weed out the fakers; unfortunately some found ways to game the system. It’s similar to a manager who criticizes an employee for using too much PTO as part of an unlimited PTO system; yet the manager signed off on all those requests! So that’s on the manager for approving them, even if the employee was abusing the system technically

 

[DeadyRoosevelt]

Why not Acrophobia? All 3 of these things are real, but also easy to just say if you want to get a pass.

Acrophobia is a mental health condition that is considered an anxiety disorder. So yes, it could be viewed as a disability.

Sorry, I made they assumption that it wasn't at the level of acrophobia.

 

[Grantwil93]

This. We are almost 80 pages in and people are STILL misrepresenting what DAS does or allows users to do.

Changes were needed, but if you’re gonna criticize the program whole cloth, make sure you get your facts right.

What I would change is the shaving off time it does for waiting that standby time. If it's a 15 minute posted wait, you can't just walk in immediately or not even book it(you can just show the CM your pass if its 15min or less), wait the 15min if it's meant to replace stand-by

Or if it's a 35min wait, the pass isn't valid to be scanned for 35min. Not 20.

If the ride wait drops after you booked, it will modify to be sooner to match the time you would actually wait via the posted time.

Cause at least when my cousin(who does have low functioning autism) uses the pass, I noticed how the return times are generally not exactly the listed wait. Usually it's shorter by 5 to even 25min.

And as someone who has used both G+ and DAS when I'm with his family(I'm the Disney "pro" so I get put in charge of booking), I can get a much better day out of DAS than G+, by far. Which isn't a bad thing, for many of the reasons in this thread about how much ppl with different disabilities can handle, etc.

But you make it so easy to get and anyone who knows how to do Disney will find that the DAS is incredibly effective and less hassle than G+ to optimize your day.

Thats probably a great thing removed from the misuse/abuse and operational issues. It's a good system that needs some form of reform to curtail as much abuse as possible without denying it to ANYONE who needs it.

 

[ConfettiCupcake]

I’ve been reading along since the beginning, hopefully it’s okay to chime in with my two cents. It seems like a lot of blame is being put on abusers - as in straight up liars, but the changes they’re making have me assuming the problem is more complex than that. Unless this ends up being overblown and the system is largely unchanged, it seems like they’re making an effort to both make it less appealing for all but those who truly require a virtual wait outside the line for the majority of the time but they also seem to be excluding those who can manage without the virtual wait even if it’s not ideal or unpleasant. This does mean I’m giving Disney the benefit of the doubt that they will hear people out with individual scenarios, and those who truly can never wait in a line beyond a certain length but do not have a developmental disability will be heard out. I understand why that may be a naive POV when it comes to Disney, and I don’t blame those who are worried right now while this is in limbo. It sounds like they’re really trying to remove the people with conditions that can flare out of the current form of DAS, opting to assist them as issues arise but not preemptively.

This is such a emotionally charged subject and rightfully so, and it seems like Disney may be trying to draw a line between those who without question need DAS-like accommodations to visit, and those whose trips are more pleasant with DAS-like accommodations but can get by with less convenient methods. Again, all this assuming they will hear out specific cases like those who would need to leave a line multiple times predictably and regularly.

To the just require proof and be done with it crowd, beyond the obvious barriers this creates I think the sheer number of legitimate users it currently allows is just too high to properly function.