My best (and only) speculative guess is that Disney doesn't feel like they need another Downtown Disney to cannibalize the first one.
From what I've gathered between the lines, the original DTD has never been quite as successful as they want it to be, and they're still constantly tinkering and...
If they're ever going to do a third gate (which I've always been a little skeptical of), this gives them the opportunity. Of course, even if they started drawing up the blueprints today we'd realistically be looking at around 2040 before the thing opened. So...
My favorite line of the day from the LA Times...
How refreshing that the mayor of Anaheim has come to the somehow unexpected realization that Disneyland investment benefits the city.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-04-16/disneylands-plan-to-expand-reimagine-park
A few well-respected and connected posters have hinted that Disney has a very clear idea - probably more detailed and specific than we think - about the whos, whats, and wheres of current DAS abuse.
I get the feeling the company is being intentionally vague in its language, but behind the...
I generally agree with the spirit of your post, but let's leave the specifics to the medical professionals.
Developmental disabilities can be complex things and many of them (not just autism) are spectrum disorders. An absolute, "No one with ______ should qualify," is not a practical or...
I mean, I'm simultaneously infuriated by DAS cheaters and surprised Disney didn't see this coming.
They turned "FastPass" access - a once-free perk - into an expensive commodity, while offering an easy backdoor way for anybody to get it for free.
In the modern day of social media and a growing...
This is why I'd be in favor of Disney getting even more strict. I think these changes will be helpful, but I'm not convinced they'll permanently curtail abuse. I am happy that they're at least trying to do something, though.
This is not a fair or accurate summary of my opinion. I'm not in favor of Disney breaking the law.
I'm really just in favor of them not being so nice and easy to take advantage of anymore.
It's probably impossible to track abuse on an individual basis, but it would be very easy to spot signs of it on a macro level.
Disney will have data on roughly how many people are claiming certain types of conditions. It would be fairly straight forward to compare that data to well-researched...
The relevant laws allow Disney to be much stricter than it currently is - even with the new changes. Disney has chosen to operate a looser policy than many other theme parks. Maybe there was a time when that made sense, but I don't think it does today.
I don't believe this is a case of "a few" people taking advantage of the current system. If it were, I probably wouldn't feel as strongly about it. I think the current system is rampant with dishonesty and abuse. That's a major detriment to everyone, but especially those who need accommodations...
I appreciate you sharing this perspective and I can definitely relate to it.
My personal view is that I'd prefer a program that is stricter and may occasionally exclude some odd cases that probably should qualify. To me, that's far, far preferable to one that is open and easy to take advantage...
I think we've probably just devolved into semantics at this point in the exchange.
I think I more or less understand your arguments and I appreciate you expressing them. I ultimately land at a different place on the spectrum of opinions on this, but big deal.