GAC to Become DAS

[arko]

....exactly what I thought while I got on ....and off the ride. It was a more arduous task than on other rides, with the 'vehicle not always facing the correct direction for boarding and off-loading.

....another observation, the "trigger" on the gun/cannon ......doesn't seem overly user friendly to ME ...how would it be so to someone that's very young, very old, disabled, or just a complete klutz?

....and ...come to mention it ...even with a short wait .....there were some persons still complaining about the approx 12 - 15 minute time it took us to get through the FP line (my SIL ...with her GAC used for her son was one of them). And ....while I had no desire to ever go on there again (neither did my wife who felt dizzy from all the spinning) ...my SIL had no problem 'looping' around for another ride.

...FYI ...I had NO idea that the adjacent building was actually Disney office space. Is that the space that everyone mentions that should be used for expansion of TSM?

It suffers from quite a few flaws

1. passenger loading an unloading is as you stated very slow
2.Handicap ramp requires rerouting cars and stopping of cars coming off the ride
3.Simply not enough capacity
4. The ride is very jerky
5.The screens sometimes flake out and you can lose a whole section of the ride experience
6.A very weird wait line that has you going up and down stairs ( thus requiring the whole separate wheelchair area).

Not sure what is next door though

 

[arko]

Disney is already providing "justice". Although based on age, children's prices are lower because they typically can't ride as many attractions due to height restrictions.

Funny my 6 year old's AP costs the same as mine

 

[flynnibus]

It suffers from quite a few flaws

1. passenger loading an unloading is as you stated very slow
2.Handicap ramp requires rerouting cars and stopping of cars coming off the ride
3.Simply not enough capacity
4. The ride is very jerky
5.The screens sometimes flake out and you can lose a whole section of the ride experience
6.A very weird wait line that has you going up and down stairs ( thus requiring the whole separate wheelchair area).

Not sure what is next door though

Sure.. it would have been much better to just say SCREW it to the handicap accessible vehicles and force those who can't transfer to live without

The ride is jerky because it's its in the theme/setting of CARNIVAL

I never understand how when a company goes out of their way to make something MORE accessible to people.. they that the accessible stuff isn't the same.

 

[arko]

Sure.. it would have been much better to just say SCREW it to the handicap accessible vehicles and force those who can't transfer to live without

The ride is jerky because it's its in the theme/setting of CARNIVAL

I never understand how when a company goes out of their way to make something MORE accessible to people.. they that the accessible stuff isn't the same.

Its the way the system is designed that requires the cars to be re routed that make it slower than other rides that have dedicated wheelchair cars that can be loaded from the same loading/unloading area. It slows down loading and unloading for everyone including those waiting on the handicap ramp. which causes longer lines.

Also because the lines goes up and down steps, those who can transfer and would otherwise be able to board a regular car with a short stop, now have to wait on the handicap ramp while the operators pull a car from the regular line.

Here is the layout right at the bottom the fact that the ramp requires cars to be separated onto a different track for both transfer and wheelchair bound guests is what slows it down

Uderstand I am not criticizing the fact that they have added this, I am simply pointing out that the entire ride design that required this setup actually slows down the ride even more

 

[JerseyDad]

It suffers from quite a few flaws

1. passenger loading an unloading is as you stated very slow
2.Handicap ramp requires rerouting cars and stopping of cars coming off the ride
3.Simply not enough capacity
4. The ride is very jerky
5.The screens sometimes flake out and you can lose a whole section of the ride experience
6.A very weird wait line that has you going up and down stairs ( thus requiring the whole separate wheelchair area).

Not sure what is next door though

....the "jerky" nature is what was part of my wife feeling "ill" after she exited (along with the spinning).

....I wasn't aware that the h'capped access actually goes away from the main / or crosses the 'track" ...guess I wasn't paying much attention.

....the wait line surprised the hell out of me too with the stairs ....immediate thoughts regarding a h'capped person traversing the route came to mind.

....the ride in general ....seems like an afterthought of design ....trying to fit 10 lbs of $#!% in a 5 lb bag.

 

[Belowthesurface]

You're still not getting it. You're assuming GAC was always used as the cheater used it... unlimited FP entry for 12-14 hours a day that let them on a ride in the amount of time it took to walk thru the FP queue. What I'm saying is that for the people who genuinely needed the GAC that was never HOW it was used.

You need to step outside yourself and consider what limitations a disabled person has and how that affects how they experience Disney.

Consider that for someone like me with a wheelchair and boarding issues (i.e. needs wheelchair vehicles), I always waited to board a ride and was subject to limited availability. I have been turned away from theater seating because there were no spots left for my wheelchair while they still had plenty of room left for the ambulatory folks. I always wait for the wheelchair car to cycle through the ride to a place I can board it, regardless of whether there's another wheelchair user waiting in line before me. If it's a ride vehicle I need to transfer into, then I have to wait for a ride stoppage to give me time to board. GAC never allowed me to just get on a ride without waiting. What it did allow was for me to not have to depend on someone to help me get a FP from a machine, or stick me in a crowded queue with careless people who inadvertently hurt me, or have to skip a ride because the wait of Standby + wheelchair car was beyond my stamina limit.

Now consider someone who has stamina issues and can only manage a few hours a day in a park. They'll have half the time to do what a person without stamina issues can do. Pretty much everyone with a disability (physical or cognitive) has a limit to what they can handle in a day that is less than a non-disabled person. Less time equals less opportunity to do things.

DAS does not properly address all these concerns. What it does do is prohibit the cheaters and abuse from mucking up the system. Yeah Disney! But what about that person who now deals with a less than equal experience?

If going to the theme park is this much work for you, then don't go. Disney doesn't owe you anything.

DAS cards offer you the same thing, except you wait like everyone else does before riding. I'm not saying everyone cheats who uses this system, because in my day, I dealt with plenty of people with legitimate disabilities who were just as snotty as the "cheaters."

I've traveled with people with major disabilities and experience what they do, so don't dare accuse me of not thinking outside myself. I used to work with Guests with disabilities, so don't you dare think I've never had to assist someone like you.

I've spoken to those Guests you deem as "needing" this card and they complain because they can't enter as quickly as they used to.

 

[JerseyDad]

Its the way the system is designed that requires the cars to be re routed that make it slower than other rides that have dedicated wheelchair cars that can be loaded from the same loading/unloading area. It slows down loading and unloading for everyone including those waiting on the handicap ramp. which causes longer lines.

Also because the lines goes up and down steps, those who can transfer and would otherwise be able to board a regular car with a short stop, now have to wait on the handicap ramp while the operators pull a car from the regular line.

Here is the layout right at the bottom the fact that the ramp requires cars to be separated onto a different track for both transfer and wheelchair bound guests is what slows it down

Uderstand I am not criticizing the fact that they have added this, I am simply pointing out that the entire ride design that required this setup actually slows down the ride even more

....thanks for the diagram ....now I understand how convoluted it is. I usually scope out every aspect of a ride ...because I'm fascinated by the design & construction aspects (that's my profession). But I suppose that I was so elated just to get on the darn thing after 3 yrs that it blew right past me.

 

[duchess1]

http://networkedblogs.com/Q0nLv

Here is another one who claims that it was a complete disaster because they no longer have immediate access to rides. I read her entire entry and it didn't seem like such a bad day . I love the scooter hate it seems like the disabled community may be turning on each other all over immediate ride access at Disney. I really hope Disney doesn't cave on this.

I read this one too and I love at how she was "aghast" at her son waiting 10 minutes on HM while the scooters got to immediately board and then didn't correct herself when it was pointed out that the wheelchair guests actually have to wait longer. Then, she goes to POTC and proceeds to get herself into a 25 minute line? Wasn't this the same person that was just complaining that her child had a problem waiting in a 10 minute line? Why on earth would you do that?

I think a lot of the problem is the GAC allowed parents to not have to plan like the rest of us. It was easy for this mother to take her kid to Disney once a week, hop on a few rides using her GAC and then leave the park. Sorry, that's not how it works for everyone else and it's rather selfish to cut in front of everyone else in line, but from the tone of her blog, she doesn't care much about the needs of other guests.

Here's the thing - we have all encountered our not-so-magical days at Disney. Things don't always go according to plan due to factors beyond our control. The difference is how you choose to react to it. You can either regroup and figure out how to avoid this from happening again or you can throw your hands in the air and think Disney is the worst place in the world. Somehow, I think this particular mother will figure out a way to make it work.

 

[flynnibus]

Its the way the system is designed that requires the cars to be re routed that make it slower than other rides that have dedicated wheelchair cars that can be loaded from the same loading/unloading area.

No it doesn't make it slower. It makes the ride wait at fixed times... vs making the ride wait the ENTIRE time the handicap vehicle is being loaded/unloaded.

By doing so it allows the handicap to load and unload at a different pace than the main carts. It's what allows having a non-transfer vehicle from the start.

Also because the lines goes up and down steps, those who can transfer and would otherwise be able to board a regular car with a short stop, now have to wait on the handicap ramp while the operators pull a car from the regular line.

The stairs are unfortunate - but a consequence of shoehorning the attraction in and maintaining the queue space they needed.

The real complaint under these picks on TSMM is that it's slow for the handicap ... and people complaining about who is in the handicap line further slowing their loading. It's really nothing more than that... people complaining about THEIR line

 

[duchess1]

No it doesn't make it slower. It makes the ride wait at fixed times... vs making the ride wait the ENTIRE time the handicap vehicle is being loaded/unloaded.

By doing so it allows the handicap to load and unload at a different pace than the main carts. It's what allows having a non-transfer vehicle from the start.



The stairs are unfortunate - but a consequence of shoehorning the attraction in and maintaining the queue space they needed.

The real complaint under these picks on TSMM is that it's slow for the handicap ... and people complaining about who is in the handicap line further slowing their loading. It's really nothing more than that... people complaining about THEIR line

I thought it was a good way to get the transfer vehicle on the track without having to slow down the entire ride as well. This allows the handicapped person to take their time and get fully situated without feeling pressured. I think someone said earlier that the new system was actually speeding up the wheelchair line wait because the demand was a little more spaced out due to those with pure mobility issues having to wait in the standby line or use FP or FPP instead of immediately being ushered through the FP line.

 

[luv]

The reason I posted it was because she, alongside Autism Hippie, is the poster child of GAC youtube rants. I felt the posting was warranted to show that she posts a lot of other anti-Disney rants aside from GAC.

I see. I don't actually watch the YouTube stuff. I don't read the blogs. I'm very unfamiliar with all of that. But I do know some people are very into that! I'm sure they'll appreciate it.

 

[arko]

I thought it was a good way to get the transfer vehicle on the track without having to slow down the entire ride as well. This allows the handicapped person to take their time and get fully situated without feeling pressured. I think someone said earlier that the new system was actually speeding up the wheelchair line wait because the demand was a little more spaced out due to those with pure mobility issues having to wait in the standby line or use FP or FPP instead of immediately being ushered through the FP line.

In this respect yes it does offer that advantage, its the track switching that stops the cars behind it for a longer period than if they had just sent the car to the regular line.

The biggest difference is those who can transfer have to go there as well because of the stairs, this means that its not just the wheelchair only cars that get switched but regular cars.

The system does have 2 advantages though, it doesn't stop the riders in progress, and the load is not rushed

 

[BroganMc]

....thanks for the diagram ....now I understand how convoluted it is. I usually scope out every aspect of a ride ...because I'm fascinated by the design & construction aspects (that's my profession). But I suppose that I was so elated just to get on the darn thing after 3 yrs that it blew right past me.

Oh can I jump into this discussion please. TSM is one of my favorites and the ride I was most concerned about being able to continue with the switch to DAS. Here are my reasons why and some other tidbits for you to understand.

1) The gun trigger for the wheelchair vehicle (just those two seats in the actual wheelchair car where I sit) has another disabled-friendly adaptation. A big ol' white button on top the gun you can press instead of the rope pull. You have the rope pull too, but that big button is soooo incredibly easy to use. Nothing like Buzz Lightyear where you have to press hard. I can rack up a score of 180,000 easily. Have yet to break 200k yet though. It's always a contest between my cousin and I. He's able-bodied so gets a huge advantage sitting in my wheelchair car and having the easy buttons. But he and I also steal each other's high point targets. If I take my dad, he never seems to grasp the idea of how to unlock the special high point targets so I have to do it myself. Very difficult when you get to the ring toss room. I've yet to get the jumping plates in the army room.

This much easier to use gun trigger is the main reason I prefer TSM over Buzz. In fact, while I would use a GAC for Buzz because the ride itself is so hard to play I most often skip it. Then I'll go when there's no crowd and I just go into Standby. (Reason for using a GAC at Buzz when there was any sort of a crowd is mostly because I know I won't board until I get to the exit and will then wait longer and be in the midst of the crowd. Going by way of FP gets me over to that wheelchair area faster where I wait the extra 10 mins or so. But if there's only Standby of 10-15 mins, I usually get to the wheelchair area in the same amount of time as I would with a GAC.)

2) The ride loading area design copies every water rafting ride (like Kali River Rapids) I've ever seen. You go up and over a flight of stairs to cross the track then board. Since wheelchairs and people who cannot do stairs obviously cannot follow this path, they are sent to a side area to wait. But unlike river rafting rides you have to use specialized vehicles. For TSM before this summer that meant TWO 6-seater vehicles that were deployed for all parties of wheelchair (non-transfer) and scooter (transfer) users. If the party was a transfer then they'd keep the seat in the wheelchair car. If it's a non-transfer, then the CMs have to take out the seat and put in tie-downs for the wheelchair as well as different adaptations for the gun arm. That adds another minute or two for every wheelchair boarding and a great deal more work for the CMs.

It's not like you're just waiting for the wheelchair boat to cycle around. It's more like the time a bus driver has to commit to ready a space for a wheelie.

3) Now they are alternating a regular 8-seater vehicle (for transfers) with a 6-seater. Though no CM confirmed it for me, I know as of last March they only used the two 6-seaters for ALL mobility-impaired parties. With this introduction of a higher capacity vehicle, the wheelchair line is getting a lot quicker. It was common to walk straight through the FP/Standby merge then wait another 40 minutes in the wheelchair line for boarding. (Hence my lack of guilt over using a GAC for this ride. I knew I never could just walk right on the ride. I was just getting an express ticket to wait in my wheelie line.)

I once tried to do a repeat trip through TSM so I could get all my 9 nieces and nephews a chance to ride it. A CM told me to do it that way, so please don't think me an abuser. It took me 2 hours to get everyone on and off. The wheelchair line was that backed up. In hindsight we should have all just gone in the 90 minute Standby. Most would have ridden without me and gone up over the stairs, but we all would have ridden at about the same time.

4) I actually like the herky jerky motion of the ride vehicle. Reminds me of the Boardwalk ride "Whiplash" I used to go on when I was a kid in Ocean City, MD. It is to provide that carnival feel. But for wheelchairs it also means they must make sure the vehicle is tied down tight. One of the last times I rode it a week ago they held me at boarding because there was a mechanical issue with the tie-downs. Had to call Maintenance for a replacement.

5) Once a transfer/non-transfer vehicle is loaded, they have to wait for an available opportunity to insert the vehicle into the ride cycle. The track flips around to accept the wheelchair line vehicle and sends it around to the regular boarding/exiting. You get another check here by CMs on duty to make sure you and your vehicle are secure. (Good thing too, because one time the CMs at the wheelchair boarding were so flustered they FORGOT to lower my gun arm so I could play. The CMs at the regular exit did that for me.)

Now they have changed things a bit so the wheelchair vehicles are supposed to cycle around every 6 minutes. But you do the math if you have a line of 3-4 wheelchair parties waiting. For each group in front of you add 6 minutes wait time. The boarding time from the Standby/FP merge up over those stairs is supposed to be 5-7 minutes. I counted how many people boarded over the stairs while I waiting last week. 203 non-wheelie passengers got on before I did. I had about 8 people in front of me in the wheelchair line. You can see just how frustrating this ride can be for wheelies.

6) In talking with the managers of TSM last week (CM Emily) I learned a ton about how this ride works and how they are trying to improve things for guests. She's the one who told me the space next door are offices for the Imagineers. It's marked with "Coming Soon for Your Enjoyment" signs on the marquee. It used to be home to the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire attraction. That's how we got onto the discussion of why they can't just expand TSM and give it a second loading bay/track.

Imagine how much better it would be if they could load 32 passengers every minute instead of the current 16. Or be able to load 3-4 vehicles at a time instead of the measly two?

By comparison SeaWorld's new Antarctica attraction loads 5 vehicles of 10 passengers (50 guests) every couple minutes. CM Emily lusted over the idea of being able to process that many guests that quickly. Waits at Antarctica fluctuate to 45 mins when there's a peak time/show let out and drops back to a comfy 10-20 mins afterwards.

7) For what you get at TSM it really isn't worth a longer than 40 min wait. Boggles my mind that so many people would put up with a 90-100 minute queue. But it's fairly easy for all ages and abilities to do and the competitive aspect of the game has people wanting to return. Regulars make bets over who gets the high score. I wish the Imagineers would input some of that Standby Guest Entertainment technology and put some more games in the queue as well. Then being stuck inside it for an hour would make sense.

8) With my DAS I just alter the way I do TSM to include a wait. I go there first and get a Return Time then go elsewhere to enjoy myself. As long as they can keep the wheelchair line short and I'm not tacking on another 40 minute wait, I'm content. My concern was that (a) they aren't tracking how many parties they send away so they can stagger their return and (b) they're pushing MORE people to use scooters & wheelchairs in the Standby queue because so many cannot stand for an hour there. I fear I'll return and find that wheelchair line overloaded because there are more wheelchair/scooter users in it from Standby. Once in the wheelie line you cannot just abort and roll out. There's not enough space to drive a chair past a scooter. When they jockey us around to fill the car with transfers, we're asked to squinch up to the side or exit to another holding area and get back in line. I'm dreading an experience like I had at IASW last March. Then I got trapped inside the wheelchair line for 40 minutes unable to exit because of the crowd and fences boxing me in. I never rode IASW that day. It just took that long to find a break in the fence and exit. I sent my able-bodied family out 20 minutes before me because they could crawl under the metal bars.

 

[BroganMc]

Oh and the rope pull trigger is the exact same thing used on the pirate ride/game in DisneyQuest. No easy white buttons at DQ though.

And for those of you wondering about GAC abuse, CM Emily told me about a wheelchair lady who comes 5 times a year and would spend all day cycling through the ride with her GAC. She is the person I think of when I talk about GAC abuse. She hogged the wheelchair vehicle all day long. That kind of stuff just isn't right or fair. She won't be able to do that now.

If I wanted to repeat TSM in a day I did it hours apart. Like once when I got there then again just before I left the park. There was at least 5-6 hours between my visits. Most often I just returned on a different day.

Anther reason I do not like Buzz is that hill the vehicle climbs in the first room. Makes it damn hard for me to maintain my balance and shoot. And in the last room where the vehicles return to their straight position? Well the wheelchair vehicle's straight position is backwards (to allow for the ramp loading). So you're taking away from the targets and have to turn back. I always turn the vehicle backwards before that room so I can regain time in turning it back.

Buzz has ONE wheelchair vehicle. It's a fire code rule that you only have 1-2 vehicles at a time in the track in the event of an emergency evacuation. You board it at the exit. So no matter if you go in by Standby or FP queues, you will go the entire length of the queue, get to the regular boarding THEN be sent down another hallway to wait at the exit. Wheelies NEVER got to just walk right on this ride with GAC. That's why I find the FOTL gripes so laughable. A GAC was just an express path to the wheelchair line for us mobility-impaired guests. Before GAC Disney used to just send us to those lines directly. But then people started faking the need for wheelchairs and it all got messed up. Spaceship Earth is the only ride that sticks to that old system. Works great here. You wait inside the exit in a comfy area and CMs take down your name and party size and needs (slide transfer car or just regular car, ride stoppage or just a track slow down). If the wait is over 15 mins, you could have time to go play one of the games inside the exit or go to the bathroom.

I really wish Disney had kept some of those wheelchair-boarding methods of old. At least for the non-transfer folks. Then they could space out the demand as it is needed. Many times those wheelchair vehicles go by empty because they are only used for wheelie guests. What's the point of making a wheelie wait longer when you're not going to use the vehicle for anyone else?

 

[BroganMc]

No it doesn't make it slower. It makes the ride wait at fixed times... vs making the ride wait the ENTIRE time the handicap vehicle is being loaded/unloaded.

By doing so it allows the handicap to load and unload at a different pace than the main carts. It's what allows having a non-transfer vehicle from the start.



The stairs are unfortunate - but a consequence of shoehorning the attraction in and maintaining the queue space they needed.

The real complaint under these picks on TSMM is that it's slow for the handicap ... and people complaining about who is in the handicap line further slowing their loading. It's really nothing more than that... people complaining about THEIR line

The flaw with TSM is that they lump transfer guests with non-transfer guests in the same loading area. That's what slows down the handicap line.

Add in the fact that you need specialized vehicles to take a wheelchair guest and it gets even longer. The river rafting rides that do the same sort of track and side boarding can use any vehicle for their guests. Wheelchair users are just carried onto the vehicle by their parties. That side loading bay gives them the extra time needed to do the transfer safely. And if there is more demand, CMs can call up more vehicles for the side loading bay to fill it. TSM is stuck with two vehicles only. Three if it gets exceptionally busy.

The best wheelchair car setup is like what you find at Finding Nemo. There you wait in a scooter/wheelchair parking area beside the entrance. Transfers are allowed to board ride away and just take a few extra seconds to park their vehicles to the side. Non-transfers wait for the wheelchair car. When it comes around, CMs slow the conveyor belt to allow time to deploy the vehicle ramp, load a wheelchair guest and their companion and put the ramp away. You're wait there is only a couple minutes... the time it takes a wheelchair car to cycle around.

Of course if there's a non-transfer wheelchair user before you, you'll wait for them to ride too. That's expected so usually not a problem.

The ones who benefited from a GAC/FOTL type situation were the transfer folks. I keep driving home that point in this thread because so many seem ignorant of the reality of time spent for wheelies. Things like knowing the wheelie gets loaded first on a bus but they are always the last ones off means there's no real advantage to using wheels.

 

[duchess1]

I never thought wheelchair non transfers were getting the FOTL access because of the vehicles required. That was hammered home by the fact that the people who are howling the loudest about these changes were the non transfers who were given FOTL (or as close as possible due to the FP waiting time) access in an unlimited capacity. It was furthered by the blogger mentioned above whose was "aghast" at the wheelchair guests loading onto the HM ride at the exit while her son had to wait a whole 10 minutes in line.

 

[mergatroid]

I'm rather confused about these changes especially after being in the MK today. I have dystonia which makes my walking difficult and I tire easily. Anyhow this year with GAC going I haven't bothered wiith anything and just use normal queues and fast passes etc. Today a guy leaving saw my obvious walking difficulties (Imagine Michael J Fox without the good looks and that's me) and handed me some paper ticket fast passes with DAS written in red on them. His son was disabled and he said they wouldn't be returning to the MK and he wanted them to go to another disabled guest and hoped I wouldn't be offended.

They have no particular attraction on them and no time either other than an expiry date of 31st October. I've seen fast passes before with no attraction or time on them but thought after reading parts of this huge thread that all DAS passses were now for particular times?

 

[arko]

I'm rather confused about these changes especially after being in the MK today. I have dystonia which makes my walking difficult and I tire easily. Anyhow this year with GAC going I haven't bothered wiith anything and just use normal queues and fast passes etc. Today a guy leaving saw my obvious walking difficulties (Imagine Michael J Fox without the good looks and that's me) and handed me some paper ticket fast passes with DAS written in red on them. His son was disabled and he said they wouldn't be returning to the MK and he wanted them to go to another disabled guest and hoped I wouldn't be offended.

They have no particular attraction on them and no time either other than an expiry date of 31st October. I've seen fast passes before with no attraction or time on them but thought after reading parts of this huge thread that all DAS passses were now for particular times?

I am hearing some reports that during transition they are giving some FP tickets with the DAS to ease transition for some who have issues with change to use on the rides that are most important to them in case the waiting required by the DAS causes issues.

This would most likely apply to autistic kids, and those with severe disabilities who might have a severely limited time.

Change for autistic children can be very difficult, and for those kids who have been regular park guests this transition phase can be the most difficult until the new norm is established. Put simply the ability to walk on the ride with only the FP line wait has been the norm for every trip, and now its different. And this to be honest is probably what worries those parents the most, because that transition is not always easy or successful.

 

[arko]

I am hearing some reports that during transition they are giving some FP tickets with the DAS to ease transition for some who have issues with change to use on the rides that are most important to them in case the waiting required by the DAS causes issues.

This would most likely apply to autistic kids, and those with severe disabilities who might have a severely limited time.

Change for autistic children can be very difficult, and for those kids who have been regular park guests this transition phase can be the most difficult until the new norm is established. Put simply the ability to walk on the ride with only the FP line wait has been the norm for every trip, and now its different. And this to be honest is probably what worries those parents the most, because that transition is not always easy or successful.

Also just as an aside, if upon your return time, the ride is closed for any reason, the CM will cross out your return time on the DAS (to allow you to use it elsewhere) and issue you a FP ticket for any ride at any time, so that you can return later once the ride is operational, or if you can't wait use it elsewhere.

 

[mergatroid]

I am hearing some reports that during transition they are giving some FP tickets with the DAS to ease transition for some who have issues with change to use on the rides that are most important to them in case the waiting required by the DAS causes issues.

This would most likely apply to autistic kids, and those with severe disabilities who might have a severely limited time.

Change for autistic children can be very difficult, and for those kids who have been regular park guests this transition phase can be the most difficult until the new norm is established. Put simply the ability to walk on the ride with only the FP line wait has been the norm for every trip, and now its different. And this to be honest is probably what worries those parents the most, because that transition is not always easy or successful.

Thanks that could explain it. I didn't ask his sons disability as it was none of my business and being disabled myself I know some disabled people don't want to discuss it unless they broach the subject first. I used one on space mountain (he gave me 12!!!!) and have the rest in my waist bag still. Reading your explanation makes me feel guilty about using the remaining ones now as they were probably issued for reasons other than 'bad legs'. I'll probably ditch the rest to be honest.