Rumor New DAS System at Walt Disney World 2024

[Purduevian]

No one who uses DAS and enters a standby queue is taking advantage or abusing anything. From Disney's DAS site, screenshot just now:

View attachment 778205
Someone can have difficulties waiting 45+ mins, but be ok at 15-20. Or be OK with outdoor queues (where sound dissipates more easily), and have more trouble with indoor queues..etc, etc. Disney explicitly allows this - if not encourages, since this is their FAQ.

Please do not put words in my mouth. I never said the DAS users were abusing the system by doing this. I think Disney has a broken system and this would be one step towards fixing it.

Isn’t that what Disney says DAS guests should do while they wait for their return time? I know when we have an hour+ wait, we’ll take the kids to a shorter ride, or get food, or go to the bathroom, or take a breather, or go to a store, etc. Are you suggesting that DAS users should still have to wait, but just wait somewhere else?

Yes, they should cut down on DAS abuse. But in general, doesn’t Disney want DAS guests doing other things for capacity and monetary reasons?

Again, Disney specifically says this is allowed in their FAQ for DAS, even after the changes yesterday.

Disney 100% allows and even encourages it. However, as a non-DAS user I am a little frustrated with the idea that a DAS user can get on more attractions that I can throughout the day (thus encouraging abuse, making standby lines longer, and reducing LL inventory). In my opinion people waiting for a DAS rides should be allowed to experience any aspect of the park that does not have a line (parades, shops, restaurants, any attraction that has no wait time), otherwise DAS will negativity affect non-DAS users.

Daily ride capacity is basically a fixed number. Every time someone gains an advantage, an equal disadvantage is felt by those that lost out on that advantage.

I have no problem with DAS being allowed to use G+ and ILL. The issue I have is the advantage DAS has regarding Standby/LL over a non-DAS guess which further promotes abuse. DAS return times should be a substitute for standby.

For instance If the line for 7D is 90 minutes and a non-Das user gets in line. For those ~90 minutes they are not able to enter another attraction queue via standby or LL.

A DAS user is able to get a DAS return time for 80 minutes from now. Then walk directly over to Peter Pan and redeem a LL, then pick up a small world LL and ride that, then maybe pick up a tea cups LL and ride that. Finally after 80 minutes they hop in the ILL for 7D.

The DAS user may legitimately not be able to wait in a long line, but they were able to experience 4 attractions in the same a non-DAS user experienced 1.

Also of note, I do not blame legitimate DAS users for doing this. This is a flaw in the system, not with the user.

 

[Splash4eva]

No disrespect, but the standard for DAS isn’t “does this make my trip more enjoyable than it would otherwise be,” it’s whether their accommodation is reasonable without fundamentally altering the nature of the business’s services.

I understand what DAS is & what GAC is. The trip would be impossible for my Mom and would be almost the same for myself. So if the new rules deny us. Then i would have no real option than to cancel. No way am i spending 10k all in to do something that will be basically 100% Genie determined i am a gambling man but its not worth it. I will simply go
Elsewhere. Disney is one of multiple trips we make a year. Its been a tradition to go annually if they make it where we cant so be it. Im speaking for myself. Noone else.

 

[DeadyRoosevelt]

Daily ride capacity is basically a fixed number. Every time someone gains an advantage, an equal disadvantage is felt by those that lost out on that advantage.

I hear what you are saying but also, is it so bad that someone with a disability gets to experience more attractions during their trip? My son's brain tumor and treatment will affect the rest of his life. I know you are primarily concerned about abusers of the system, but it's very upsetting to me to hear someone complaining about his advantages at a theme park.

 

[pdude81]

I understand what DAS is & what GAC is. The trip would be impossible for my Mom and would be almost the same for myself. So if the new rules deny us. Then i would have no real option than to cancel. No way am i spending 10k all in to do something that will be basically 100% Genie determined i am a gambling man but its not worth it. I will simply go
Elsewhere. Disney is one of multiple trips we make a year. Its been a tradition to go annually if they make it where we cant so be it. Im speaking for myself. Noone else.

They give you the option to interview and set this up ahead of your trip though. So you would know beforehand whether or not both of you were able to have DAS on the trip, and could cancel at that point.

 

[Disstevefan1]

Serious question, not trying to be rude or snarky. For people who are saying if they are denied DAS they will not go anymore, why not just purchase Genie+ and ILL? Wouldn’t that be a better solution than just choosing not to go?

This is exactly Disney's plan. These folks will purchase Genie+ and ILLs and the queues will be THE SAME the only difference, DISNEY WILL BE MAKING BIGGER BUCKS!

 

[Splash4eva]

Leaving the country is a pretty extreme example, since that's such a huge financial upheaval and has many logistics involved. But it will affect habits for some people.

For example, as Disney removed certain perks (Magical Express, EMH, etc) and increased their prices, we've gone from making Disney our big yearly family vacation to making it a once every three years trip. Will an overhaul of DAS and/or the addition of needing to buy G+ make us never go to a Disney park again? I can't say for sure, but it will continue to affect how often we go. Especially as we compare prices and disability accommodations of other vacation options.

As a DAS user and someone who does purchase Genie/ILL it would not be worth it to solely rely on Genie attractions being on top of inventory drops and hoping for shorter lines we would be able to handle

 

[Angel Ariel]

And these are the people that necessitated the change.
There is not one person in a Disney park that is not experiencing anxiety.

Can't speak for anyone else, but any anxiety I experience in the park is typically caused by traveling companions (adults not child), not Disney

 

[Disstevefan1]

Yea, I see lawsuit after lawsuit if this starts to get out of hand. Disney should've left this alone.

I would not be surprised. APs in DLR WON their lawsuit so lets see what happens.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Something I haven't seen but may have missed is the current pre-booking 2 rides with DAS. Does this new setup eliminate that? It seems like an excessive accommodation to me, so I'm wondering if Disney realized that they don't need to offer it (and that offering it encourages abuse by those who don't actually need DAS).

Honestly, the in park DAS has always worked better for us than the preselects anyway. Trying to be someplace at a certain time, chosen a month before we arrive, just doesn't work with our DAS needs

 

[Splash4eva]

They give you the option to interview and set this up ahead of your trip though. So you would know beforehand whether or not both of you were able to have DAS on the trip, and could cancel at that point.

Yes i would have to cancel pay the penalty bc it be within the window then have to find another place to book last minute and pay top dollar most likely. Way to go Disney!!!

 

[Splash4eva]

This is exactly Disney's plan. These folks will purchase Genie+ and ILLs and the queues will be THE SAME the only difference, DISNEY WILL BE MAKING BIGGER BUCKS!

This is what i said way back when that Disney may be doing this and fooling guests they are cracking down but ultimately this is another way to make money. Hence why i would love to know how many others purchase Genie even tho they have DAS like i do

 

[Vclguy90]

Can someone explain what is changing from the current DAS protocol?

 

[Disstevefan1]

This is what i said way back when that Disney may be doing this and fooling guests they are cracking down but ultimately this is another way to make money. Hence why i would love to know how many others purchase Genie even tho they have DAS like i do

I think you are a very tiny subset. Disney is after folks who don’t purchase Genie+ or ILL and are entering through the lighting lane.

Disney wants everyone to pay the price.

 

[nickys]

They give you the option to interview and set this up ahead of your trip though. So you would know beforehand whether or not both of you were able to have DAS on the trip, and could cancel at that point.

I think you can only do it within 30 days of your trip? When can you cancel without penalty?

That 30 days could also be an issue for guests with school-age kids. You might have to keep them off school and hope you get through that day.

 

[Trauma]

Slept on it.

Still infuriated.

If I could buy a line skip that guaranteed I can get on the rides I want with my Mom I wouldn’t care.

Now I’m suppose to spend 10k to play the G+ lottery?

This is insane.

Disney was family and memories.

I guess it still is as long as your family is 100% healthy.

For anyone who thinks this is a great idea, I guess you assume that EVERYONE in your family will be in excellent health FOREVER.

 

[Splash4eva]

I know its impossible to do and obviously illegal im guessing as well but Disney has allll this data on hand. If someone has been getting disability access since forever when there was say no major advantage and then paid when Genie went live and still purchased and bought extra ILL to me with some certainty its legit. Now we have people who say have been going for years and now once Genie went live are getting DAS. Ding ding ding. Along with say people who are going allll the time with different “groups” basically my guess charging for that access. Its really not hard

 

[DisneyCane]

I hear what you are saying but also, is it so bad that someone with a disability gets to experience more attractions during their trip? My son's brain tumor and treatment will affect the rest of his life. I know you are primarily concerned about abusers of the system, but it's very upsetting to me to hear someone complaining about his advantages at a theme park.

For people with real disabilities, giving away a small perk is certainly not an issue in my mind. The issue for me is that those perks encourage the abusers of the system because there is another benefit to using it.

For the legitimate users, many people with disabilities aren't able to spend as much time in the park during the day. They may need to attend to medical needs, etc. Therefore, legitimate use of this "perk" is just allowing them to experience more in the time they are able to be in the park.

I'm sure a huge part of why this is allowed is that to prevent it, you'd have to scan passes at every standby entrance for everybody which would add to the workload of CMs and also require installing touch points at all entrances.

 

[Gomer]

This is what i said way back when that Disney may be doing this and fooling guests they are cracking down but ultimately this is another way to make money. Hence why i would love to know how many others purchase Genie even tho they have DAS like i do

I don't think its all that uncommon. I use both Genie+ and DAS. My son, who is the DAS recipient, doesn't do thrill rides (probably not uncommon among DAS users due to physical or sensory limitations) so we need other alternatives for the rest of the family.

That being said, the abusers that Disney is after here, are NOT using both. They are getting DAS to avoid paying for Genie+. My hope here is that Disney toughens the system just enough to scare off the abusers without making life significantly more difficult for those who actually need it. Only time will tell if that is what actually happens. Not overly optimistic myself, but hoping for the best.

 

[pdude81]

Yes i would have to cancel pay the penalty bc it be within the window then have to find another place to book last minute and pay top dollar most likely. Way to go Disney!!!

Technically you can set this up for DAS at 30 days out, and cancel without penalty at 30 days out, from the 2023 cancellation guidelines. From 2-29 days you'd only have to pay a $200 cancellation fee, which I suspect they would waive if the reason you are cancelling is because they refused giving you the accommodations you believe are needed. But as you know, this is the same cancellation policy there was before, and you could only do the interview between 2 and 30 days out before. It's just the uncertainty of whether you qualify for DAS under the revised guidelines.

I would suggest you write to inquire about this to see if they can put your mind at ease regarding the determination and any associated penalties. Perhaps they just need to tweak the policy a bit.

 

[Splash4eva]

I think you are a very tiny subset. Disney is after folks who don’t purchase Genie+ or ILL and are entering through the lighting lane.

Disney wants everyone to pay the price.

I totally agree and thats why this “crack down” and the timing to me is suspect. But again they should have enough data to be able to figure this out. There is no easy solution but imo they could have found a better way before it got this out of control like whats being reported altho i dont think the “abuse” is that bad. Seems like Disney is now redefining who is allowed to use DAS which is simply moving the goal posts not cracking down. So in April your disability is allowed but sorry come May its not?!?