GAC to Become DAS

[NowInc]

How many attractions can you get a return time for? Just the ones with FastPass+?

Pretty sure at this point, everything has fastpass+

 

[JerseyDad]

Pretty sure at this point, everything has fastpass+

....yes ...even Spaceship Earth.

 

[RSoxNo1]

That woman is an outrage. I love how she's perfectly fine and then as soon as she starts talking to the CM she's in tears. Disgusting.

She never even tried. She worked her son up into a frenzy by making him wait while she talked to 3 managers about how the system she never used would not work for her. She even told Disney that sometimes he gets so violent she has to call the police! They shouldn't even be allowed in the park. She is putting the safety of other guests at risk.



I hope Disney took down her name and bans her for this.

I commented elsewhere on this woman, her method of delivering her message is self serving and has little to nothing to do with her son. What's important is that her son's needs are being met under the new system. They're going to accommodate her and yet she's complaining.

While my brother has perseverating tendencies, they don't manifest themselves in the same ways as her son. I suspect we will be able to work with the DAS system as it applies to the larger scope of people. If not, I'm sure we will be able to discuss his specific needs at Guest Services. I speculate that the only issues we may face would be on the first day, he'll want to get right onto Jungle Cruise (his favorite) ride, and if he has to wait an hour to do so we could have problems. Everything beyond the first attraction can probably be done with the rest of the family running to get Fastpasses and running to get a time marked off on the DAS card. It will be more of an inconvenience than GAC, but it's not likely that my brother will actually notice the difference.

 

[RSoxNo1]

That woman is trash, and I laughed out loud at "Universal here we come." I guess she doesn't realize that Universal is using the same policy and is probably stricter about it than Disney will be.

Also I read a post from "the forum that must not be named" that said Disney is giving out special passes that allow autistic people to ride attractions over and over without getting back in line. Probably why they are asking if the person has autism before they issue the new DAS's. I knew this "new system" wouldn't change a thing. All smoke and mirrors to appease the general public after the Today Show exposed them.

Universal's system is a little different (and at first glance appears more favorable). If you have their disability card and the wait is 30 minutes or less, you go in the Express lane, otherwise you get a return time that's the posted wait time. Disney's is 10 minutes or less you go in the Fastpass lane, otherwise you get a return time that's 10 minutes less than the posted wait time.

 

[misterID]

I commented elsewhere on this woman, her method of delivering her message is self serving and has little to nothing to do with her son. What's important is that her son's needs are being met under the new system. They're going to accommodate her and yet she's complaining.

While my brother has perseverating tendencies, they don't manifest themselves in the same ways as her son. I suspect we will be able to work with the DAS system as it applies to the larger scope of people. If not, I'm sure we will be able to discuss his specific needs at Guest Services. I speculate that the only issues we may face would be on the first day, he'll want to get right onto Jungle Cruise (his favorite) ride, and if he has to wait an hour to do so we could have problems. Everything beyond the first attraction can probably be done with the rest of the family running to get Fastpasses and running to get a time marked off on the DAS card. It will be more of an inconvenience than GAC, but it's not likely that my brother will actually notice the difference.

What you're describing for your trip is not going to be easy. The running around will catch up to you and your family. And I hope it works out for you and your brother.

The 30 minute or less rule makes much more sense. When is a ride at WDW listed under ten minutes, even when it isn't? The only place i've ever seen it listed under ten was M:S Orange, which was five minutes, and even that wasn't true. It was more like, 15 seconds?

Seeing the crap I went through at MK with my father in a wheelchair, I don't have a lot of faith in this system.

 

[RSoxNo1]

What you're describing for your trip is not going to be easy. The running around will catch up to you and your family. And I hope it works out for you and your brother.

The 30 minute or less rule makes much more sense. When is a ride at WDW listed under ten minutes, even when it isn't? The only place i've ever seen it listed under ten was M:S Orange, which was five minutes, and even that wasn't true. It was more like, 15 seconds?

Seeing the crap I went through at MK with my father in a wheelchair, I don't have a lot of faith in this system.

Little do you know, I'm insane. I would actually collect Fastpasses so I've had trips where I was running around getting them and not using them. We were also supplementing the GAC with Fastpass on attractions before because our group was over 6. It was made easier when return times weren't enforced, now it's going to be much more difficult.

If we're doing a full family trip, there's 9 of us. That means if we average one attraction every 45 minutes we're moving quickly. The DAS card will accommodate all 9 of us which will help in some situations as well. I'm not exaggerating when I say that when it's just my wife and I traveling, we can accomplish far more than we can when it's the 9 of us traveling with a GAC. Ironically, it's also rarely my brother's fault that the group is moving slow.

My hope is that one of two things change for my families needs:

• The requirement for a return time moves from 10 minutes to 30 minutes
• Enforcement of Fastpass return times is stopped, or the windows are expanded

We don't currently have a family trip scheduled, and I don't know when the next one will be. I suspect that the DAS system will have been tweaked by then. We're less than a week into the new program and I expect them to see how it works operationally and from a guest satisfaction standpoint.

 

[BroganMc]

Now I am wondering how it is going? I really do not want to hear about this one experience, but others who are experiencing it. We have a wheel chair, but never used a card and just got in the regular que unless we were directed otherwise or had fastpass. I am more wondering is this speeding up those lines any with out the abuse or does it seem more like business as before?

Hard to say but the TSM wheelie queue seems faster. CMs I talked to there said it was spacing out demand for that better. They're getting fewer clumps of guests. I did clock it in half the time it was just before DAS started.

I didn't get a chance to test out Kilamanjaro Safari, which I know is another wheelie queue issue. And I didn't go near IASW. (Getting stuck in the wheelie line there on a Saturday last March has scared me away. I simply must remember to avoid Magic Kingdom on Saturdays. Any time of year is bad.)

I did think they ruined Star Tours wheelie queue with the silly Return Time tickets. But if they go to 30 mins like Universal then it'll get fixed to what it was.

 

[jencor]

Hard to say but the TSM wheelie queue seems faster. CMs I talked to there said it was spacing out demand for that better. They're getting fewer clumps of guests. I did clock it in half the time it was just before DAS started.

I didn't get a chance to test out Kilamanjaro Safari, which I know is another wheelie queue issue. And I didn't go near IASW. (Getting stuck in the wheelie line there on a Saturday last March has scared me away. I simply must remember to avoid Magic Kingdom on Saturdays. Any time of year is bad.)

I did think they ruined Star Tours wheelie queue with the silly Return Time tickets. But if they go to 30 mins like Universal then it'll get fixed to what it was.

thanks, that helps. I am not expecting to big a change as to the way we do it, but I just do not want big surprises.

 

[awoogala]

Yeah, I was referring more to full area loops and such. I know alot of those have copyrighted music, but why not offer up the new BATB area music on Itunes for 2.99. Or the full Main Street loop, or innoventions plaza. We get them anyway as long as you know where to look. Disney could be making money off them and we could be getting higher quality versions.

NOt to veer off topic too much. But it does tie in. If there is one thing theme park lovers and people with autism have in common, its obsession with details like the music.

try d-cot.. online . You can listen to audio from imagination, spaceship earth, and other rides, the loops of background music, etc. Some excellent free stuff on there http://www.d-cot.com/ I can literally listen to hours of ride and background music on there.

 

[awoogala]

not that it was perfect, but the old Virtual Magic Kingdom MMORPG they had was an excellent immersive world.. I wish they would bring it back!

 

[BaconPancakes]

Universal's system is a little different (and at first glance appears more favorable). If you have their disability card and the wait is 30 minutes or less, you go in the Express lane, otherwise you get a return time that's the posted wait time. Disney's is 10 minutes or less you go in the Fastpass lane, otherwise you get a return time that's 10 minutes less than the posted wait time.

But they don't offer unlimited and instant access like Autism Hippie is expecting. Let's all pray that she sticks to her word and never visits Disney again.

 

[JerseyDad]

But they don't offer unlimited and instant access like Autism Hippie is expecting. Let's all pray that she sticks to her word and never visits Disney again.

.....we can only hope! And though I suspect that Autism Hippie is on the extreme edge of the issue ...her message is pretty much echoed throughout her "community" .....which is "nope, it's not gonna' work for me" as expressed in this video

 

[BaconPancakes]

There's also a woman who calls herself "Aunesty" who is going around telling people they should demand "ReAp" passes which allows people to bypass lines and ride multiple times in a row.

 

[unkadug]

.....we can only hope! And though I suspect that Autism Hippie is on the extreme edge of the issue ...her message is pretty much echoed throughout her "community" .....which is "nope, it's not gonna' work for me" as expressed in this video

She makes a good argument.

 

[JerseyDad]

She makes a good argument.

...her argument is ...."we're more special than anyone else ...and if we don't have FOTL passes ...we can't do Disney".

...then the answer to that is, "Don't". It's not a one-size-fits-all world, find something that fits ...then do THAT.

 

[unkadug]

...her argument is ...."we're more special than anyone else ...and if we don't have FOTL passes ...we can't do Disney".

...then the answer to that is, "Don't". It's not a one-size-fits-all world, find something that fits ...then do THAT.

But she is passionate and states her case to appeal to the emotions.

She made a good argument. Maybe not a valid one...but still.


edit: She was also calm and rational as opposed to that hippie chick

 

[JerseyDad]

There's also a woman who calls herself "Aunesty" who is going around telling people they should demand "ReAp" passes which allows people to bypass lines and ride multiple times in a row.

....yes ...allowing them to "loop" to their hearts content. Something that the new system was supposed to abolish....

 

[BroganMc]

But they don't offer unlimited and instant access like Autism Hippie is expecting. Let's all pray that she sticks to her word and never visits Disney again.

Gee, thanks for putting this thread back on it's favorite Straw Man debate. Meanwhile Standby Times in WDW are not changed a jot by this new program. I guess that's what you get for having at most 1% of total guests maybe possibly using a GAC. (Funny how everyone on a WDW forum completely missed that part of the Micechat article. You know the one that clearly proved the GAC abuse problem was at Disneyland and NOT Disney World.)

Meanwhile Disney is rolling out FP+ to even more resort guests this month. 1/3 of all TSM FP's go to FP+ resort guests. I can't wait for this to rollout completely and they do away with traditional FP. Then those evil rotten resort guests will get the 10 day advantage while the regular day schmucks get bypassed in Standby again. Will they ever figure out the reason for those long Standby waits is WDW execs are too cheap to spend money on extra attractions to disperse demand? Where's my Cars Land to offset TSM in DHS? Why won't the Imagineers relinquish their office space next to TSM so it can expand with a second loading bay/track?

 

[RandomPrincess]

Gee, thanks for putting this thread back on it's favorite Straw Man debate. Meanwhile Standby Times in WDW are not changed a jot by this new program. I guess that's what you get for having at most 1% of total guests maybe possibly using a GAC. (Funny how everyone on a WDW forum completely missed that part of the Micechat article. You know the one that clearly proved the GAC abuse problem was at Disneyland and NOT Disney World.)

Meanwhile Disney is rolling out FP+ to even more resort guests this month. 1/3 of all TSM FP's go to FP+ resort guests. I can't wait for this to rollout completely and they do away with traditional FP. Then those evil rotten resort guests will get the 10 day advantage while the regular day schmucks get bypassed in Standby again. Will they ever figure out the reason for those long Standby waits is WDW execs are too cheap to spend money on extra attractions to disperse demand? Where's my Cars Land to offset TSM in DHS? Why won't the Imagineers relinquish their office space next to TSM so it can expand with a second loading bay/track?

I don't think you can see a difference if any until you get to a busy time of the year. Let's see what happens at Thanksgiving hopefully it will be a change for the better.

 

[natatomic]

Gee, thanks for putting this thread back on it's favorite Straw Man debate. Meanwhile Standby Times in WDW are not changed a jot by this new program. I guess that's what you get for having at most 1% of total guests maybe possibly using a GAC. (Funny how everyone on a WDW forum completely missed that part of the Micechat article. You know the one that clearly proved the GAC abuse problem was at Disneyland and NOT Disney World.)

I used to work at an E-ticket attraction at WDW that tracked GAC usage, and I took a peek today at their file to see how the numbers compared. Most days over the summer, GAC usage averaged 10-12% with many days seeing nearly double that (maybe it's true only 1% of guests have GACs, but they accounted for at least 1/10th of the ridership). Now, the past month has seen an average of 4-5% of GAC users due to it being the slowest time of year (many hours went by without reaching their overall target capacity, so even standby and FP percentages were down as well). But on the first day of DAS, do you know what the usage percentage was? Barely 1%. Which, if 1% of people have DAS cards, I feel that that is the appropriate percentage of people who should be utilizing them, wouldn't you agree? Obviously, this was only one day of data, and I expect this percentage to raise slightly as the crowds increase. But this was the first day since they began tracking nearly a year ago to EVER have only 1%. I think this new system is at least on the right track.