New DAS System at Walt Disney World 2024

[jennab55]

I think this is a good summary of using LL as a replacement for DAS, we just got back from our first WDW trip without DAS and we made it work also, LL replaced FP+, which allowed us to book 3-4 longer line rides we knew would be a struggle to wait for, we did rope drop every day to get another “long line” knocked out, and with manageable crowds and chilly weather we had no issues at all related to my GFs health issues.

It worked for us in January, that doesn’t mean it will in July, but at least we now know we can still enjoy the parks in certain conditions.

Glad it worked out! We often plan our trips for less busy times and rope drop for the reasons you listed.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

False

It’s not false. The window is now 2hours outside of the 1 hour stated return time. Source: Me. I was there two weeks ago and did this multiple times at multiple parks. This has also been reported by others including All Ears and Disney Food Blog.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

I have no proof but I suspect it’s up to the CM on duty.

It is not up to the CM on duty. It was happening automatically. Mine scanned in green before the CM could even look at their screens.

 

[Disstevefan1]

It is not up to the CM on duty. It was happening automatically. Mine scanned in green before the CM could even look at their screens.

Yes, I understand that now. it seems there is a 2 hour grace period.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Is it a fixed 2hr grace

It is definitely a fixed 2 hour grace period.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Why is this back in the DAS thread? Move the LL grace discussion to the LL thread: https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/lightning-lane-at-walt-disney-world.974530/page-1343

Mostly because people who are upset they no longer have DAS keep incorrectly pointing out “the LLMP return times are too strict to possibly work for us” and keep having to be corrected when they incorrectly post the misinformation that the return window grace period is still only 15 minutes. The people who are posting this misinformation are doing a disservice to their fellow persons with disabilities who might be reading this thread hoping to get useful information.

The return time grace period is 2 hours after your initial hour expires, for a total window of 3 hours. This has been reported all over the place including by reputable bloggers who have posted videos about it. Anyone who is posting otherwise at this point has an ulterior motive.

 

[Disstevefan1]

I am very happy to now know there is the 2 hour grace period! This could help folks who have real limitations who previously qualified for the old DAS system and now do not qualify for the new DAS system.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

I am very happy to now know there is the 2 hour grace period! This could help folks who have real limitations who previously qualified for the old DAS system and now do not qualify for the new DAS system.

And the fact that this rolled out around the same time as the DAS changes is likely not a coincidence. The idea that someone who previously relied on DAS “cannot possibly make LLMP work as substitution“ just doesn’t mesh with reality for the vast majority of parkgoers.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Another thing I forgot to mention is the LL/DAS lines were substantially shorter than they were the last couple years, one of our major complaints when we tried Genie+ was we felt ripped off having to often wait 30 minutes after paying extra for a “short” line, our other major complaint as DAS users is we’d often have to leave the DAS lines because they were so long we couldn’t physically stand in them for that long.

The new system is far from perfect but the old system was far from perfect also, hopefully Disney will continue to make adjustments because it feels like they’ve gone from being too lenient to too restrictive, hopefully they’ll find a nice middle ground that accommodates more disabilities without being overran with abuse again.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

The original Fastpass had an indefinite grace period, which was changed because people abused it.

People would stack or save them for the evening and Fastpass return lines would end up the same as standby.

Which is to say, the flexibility is there for guest benefit, but can change again as warranted. Just something to remember when planning a trip, that rules can change.

 

[Disstevefan1]

And the fact that this rolled out around the same time as the DAS changes is likely not a coincidence. The idea that someone who previously relied on DAS “cannot possibly make LLMP work as substitution“ just doesn’t mesh with reality for the vast majority of parkgoers.

And the best part..... Di$ney Make$ Ca$h

 

[Chi84]

Mostly because people who are upset they no longer have DAS keep incorrectly pointing out “the LLMP return times are too strict to possibly work for us” and keep having to be corrected when they incorrectly post the misinformation that the return window grace period is still only 15 minutes. The people who are posting this misinformation are doing a disservice to their fellow persons with disabilities who might be reading this thread hoping to get useful information.

The return time grace period is 2 hours after your initial hour expires, for a total window of 3 hours. This has been reported all over the place including by reputable bloggers who have posted videos about it. Anyone who is posting otherwise at this point has an ulterior motive.

Right but you can't rely on something that isn't posted policy because it can change without warning. That's what a lot of people find so frustrating about Disney; they don't publish anything. If you call them three times, you'll get three different answers. And if you email, you'll get a standard "cast member discretion based on business needs" response. I don't know if there's even a way for them to be more specific - it's their business.

I don't disagree with anything you are saying; that was our experience too just recently and it's good to put that information out there. I do understand the frustration with having no information from the actual source of the policy, but it's always been that way and is not going to change.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Mostly because people who are upset they no longer have DAS keep incorrectly pointing out “the LLMP return times are too strict to possibly work for us” and keep having to be corrected when they incorrectly post the misinformation that the return window grace period is still only 15 minutes. The people who are posting this misinformation are doing a disservice to their fellow persons with disabilities who might be reading this thread hoping to get useful information.

The return time grace period is 2 hours after your initial hour expires, for a total window of 3 hours. This has been reported all over the place including by reputable bloggers who have posted videos about it. Anyone who is posting otherwise at this point has an ulterior motive.

Posting what people thought to be true is not posting disinformation. I truly did not know of the 2 hour grace before you mentioned it. I follow touting plans and all ears and had still missed these articles. There is no ulterior motive.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Right but you can't rely on something that isn't posted policy because it can change without warning. That's what a lot of people find so frustrating about Disney; they don't publish anything. If you call them three times, you'll get three different answers. And if you email, you'll get a standard "cast member discretion based on business needs" response. I don't know if there's even a way for them to be more specific - it's their business.

I don't disagree with anything you are saying; that was our experience too just recently and it's good to put that information out there. I do understand the frustration with having no information from the actual source of the policy, but it's always been that way and is not going to change.

I also agree with the bolded. That there's a 2 hour grace now is great. I still don't know that I'm confident in spending hundreds of dollars on a product when the aspect of the product we need to make it work for us can be changed at any point without notice. Again, not disinformation - just an individual family's decision about whether or not that is a risk worth taking.

 

[Disstevefan1]

Posting what people thought to be true is not posting disinformation. I truly did not know of the 2 hour grace before you mentioned it. I follow touting plans and all ears and had still missed these articles. There is no ulterior motive.

This is the first I heard of the hard coded 2 hour grace period for return times. I am very happy to know this and I wonder how long will it be before they lower it.

It’s probably one value in one line of a config. file someplace in the system.

 

[SamusAranX]

Lol, you must have been absent from the first 50,000 posts in this thread because many people iwould argue that it is their god-given right as an American under the ADA to ride one ride while waiting for their DAS time to be up for a second ride.

Not god given right, but a Disney encouraged policy.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Word on the street is that LL have a larger grace period now, beyond the 15 minutes like you experienced.

They do. I also think that if you explain to front line cast members why you're late and the explanation includes "disabled guest" they're not going to ask follow up questions. I believe this is 2 hours.

We returned a few days ago from our trip and a few comments:

• Our DAS was approved for 4 guests and we largely stuck with that number or fewer
• On 4 different occasions we asked at the entrance of the attraction if we could add an additional guest (your mileage may vary):
  • Peter Pan's Flight allowed an additional guest
  • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train allowed an additional guest
  • Slinky Dog Dash did not allow an additional guest
  • Ratatouille did not allow an additional guest
• Crowds were light and we paid for Lightning Lane (multi-pass and single pass). Disney absolutely got more money out of us than they previously did as a result of both the Lightning Lane changes and the DAS changes.
• We were able to get refunds (same day) for Cosmic Rewind and Rise of the Resistance Lightning Lanes that did not get used. There was 0 fight for this.
• Tiana's Bayou Adventure did not enforce the virtual queue return time, nor did they cap us at 4 guests for using the Lightning Lane entrance with the DAS. We simply stopped at the Rider Switch umbrellas, advised them that we had a member of our party that used DAS and they switched all 6 of us to Lightning Lanes. This process does take a few minutes for what its worth, especially if you're past your virtual queue time.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Disney absolutely got more money out of us than they previously

Welcome to the exact same experience that every other Disney guest has been having! Disney always getting more money out of you (even adjusting for inflation) on every subsequent trip to get the same experience is a Disney tradition.