New DAS System at Walt Disney World 2024

[ConfettiCupcake]

That's what I find so sad about the idea of using the rider switch as a "viable replacement for DAS." Families are coming to be together.

There are very few scenarios in which Rider Switch would actually work for people. Yes, it may work for those able bodied families who are truly abusing the system, but anyone with a real disability who needs DAS, I truly cannot see it working for.

It doesn’t sound like a replacement for DAS (as to me that implies everyone will be assigned this alternative), it sounds to be an alternate accommodation for people who are currently using DAS who may not qualify under whatever their new guidelines are.

I wonder if their thought is that these people can enter with their whole party, and if they need to leave the line their LL entry is already assigned to them, addressing the concerns that people would need to find a CM, the CM would have to know where they were, etc. I’d hope they still have flexibility in this case if someone had to exit the line post merge point to bring them back to the loading area, for example.

 

[Angel Ariel]

No. It seems that what is being offered is the main group waits in standby. When they come off the ride then the person with the disability plus one care-giver then go through the LL line.

For a group of 3, as my party is, it would be as described. DAS user is a minor child, so she and parent #1 would be waiting outside the line while parent #2 waits in standby.

If the standby line is an hour, DAS user and parent #1 can go do attractions with a shorter line (or eat, shop, bathroom). Parent #2 gets off the attraction and then parent #1 and DAS user can go on through LL. The only difference this makes to the strain on LL for a party if 3 is 1 person. And it doesn't change that the DAS user and parent #1 can go do other attractions while they wait, which is what so many have said is part of the abuse/overuse of DAS.

 

[DryerLintFan]

The e mail I got back said & I quote. This is the standard e mail being sent regarding DAS ( I'm guessing to avoid questions) please be sure to sign up for the call up to 30 days before y our vacation. I did see that was changing to 120 days

Ooooh i thought you spoke to the cast member about the disability and they told you no. That’s kinda what your wording made it sound like

 

[dothebrdwalk]

For a group of 3, as my party is, it would be as described. DAS user is a minor child, so she and parent #1 would be waiting outside the line while parent #2 waits in standby.

If the standby line is an hour, DAS user and parent #1 can go do attractions with a shorter line (or eat, shop, bathroom). Parent #2 gets off the attraction and then parent #1 and DAS user can go on through LL. The only difference this makes to the strain on LL for a party if 3 is 1 person. And it doesn't change that the DAS user and parent #1 can go do other attractions while they wait, which is what so many have said is part of the abuse/overuse of DAS.

Is that how you and your party want to travel though? One parent essentially spending the day on their own? Is the other parent ok with being the sole caregiver the entire day? Even if you switch on and off, I can't imagine it being easy being the sole caregiver for any child who qualifies for the DAS. (No offense intended, I am genuinely curious as this is type of situation I don't see being realistic for rider switch)

 

[Angel Ariel]

The e mail I got back said & I quote. This is the standard e mail being sent regarding DAS ( I'm guessing to avoid questions) please be sure to sign up for the call up to 30 days before y our vacation. I did see that was changing to 120 days

If someone is found eligible for DAS, the DAS will remain valid for 120 days now (instead of the current 60). It is still a 30 day prior call window to determine eligibility, even once these changes take effect.

 

[BalooChicago]

Is that how you and your party want to travel though? One parent essentially spending the day on their own?

This is my concern - we’re also a family of three. The return to queue option sounds like Disney no longer a family vacation. It’s my wife and son together, and me by myself.

 

[DryerLintFan]

For a group of 3, as my party is, it would be as described. DAS user is a minor child, so she and parent #1 would be waiting outside the line while parent #2 waits in standby.

If the standby line is an hour, DAS user and parent #1 can go do attractions with a shorter line (or eat, shop, bathroom). Parent #2 gets off the attraction and then parent #1 and DAS user can go on through LL. The only difference this makes to the strain on LL for a party if 3 is 1 person. And it doesn't change that the DAS user and parent #1 can go do other attractions while they wait, which is what so many have said is part of the abuse/overuse of DAS.

Yes but it *would * make a difference if it was a party of six

 

[Angel Ariel]

Is that how you and your party want to travel though? One parent essentially spending the day on their own? Is the other parent ok with being the sole caregiver the entire day? Even if you switch on and off, I can't imagine it being easy being the sole caregiver for any child who qualifies for the DAS. (No offense intended, I am genuinely curious as this is type of situation I don't see being realistic for rider switch)

No, it's not. For multiple reasons this would make our day very difficult, as DD requires both of us for various reasons (that I don't want to go into so as not to give people ideas for exploitation).

We do what we can to travel at low crowd times, but because DL/WDW play with staffing as they do, even "low crowd times" have decently long waits. Separating for rides over 30 mins would be a good portion of the day if not all day even at a low crowd time.Families who use RS now aren't doing it for every attraction all day long. that's a major difference.

 

[dothebrdwalk]

No, it's not. For multiple reasons this would make our day very difficult, as DD requires both of us for various reasons (that I don't want to go into so as not to give people ideas for exploitation).

Thanks for responding. No need for details. Appreciate the insight.

 

[wdisney9000]

Yeah, it seems that there are some that don't see those with disabilities as humans that just want to enjoy a vacation, just like they do. Some of these comments and "suggestions" are disturbing in their lack of basic human decency and sympathy.

I have a friend with a bladder issue. I didn't notice his very frequent restroom use whenever we would hang out since it was usually in a group.

On one of my trips to WDW he was there as well so we spent some time in the parks and boy oh boy did I get a first hand look at what some people have to deal with.

There were times when he would need to use the restroom 2-3 times while walking from one attraction to the next. And then again as soon as we would exit the attraction. He would apologize profusely no matter how many times I told him it was not a problem to stop. I could tell it caused him just as much emotional stress as it did physical.

 

[Jcf8037]

Tons of families use rider swap on a regular basis, and spend time separated from each other. It’s completely typical- and for the person who requires DAS, they’d be able to spend their time exactly as they do now, along with two other family members (unless they change it, rider swap has been for 3 people) while the rest of the party waits in the standby queue. Families with babies, kids who are afraid, or don’t meet height requirements spend many trips this way and it isn’t some ridiculous imposition. Whether intended or not, DAS-using guests have found themselves in a far superior situation regarding parks experience compared to the non-DAS guest.

Personally, it reminds me of the switch from FP+ to my post-pandemic park experiences. We are FP+ pros, were able to use all our experience and knowledge to leverage it to our best advantage, and never had to wait on a standby line longer than about 10 minutes. We went to the parks in the transitional, pre G+, standby only era, and that was great too. Once genie was implemented, our experience became much less enjoyable to us, who had learned to navigate the FP+ system in a way that seems VERY similar to how DAS users (and more importantly their extended parties) experience the parks now. I understand why those who currently have that experience (in a park where non DAS guests are increasingly disgruntled about their own experiences) are concerned -because their experience will be degraded- but we already experienced that same disappointment from degradation.

We changed our habit from going 2x a year (from NY) to every other year because it’s just not as enjoyable to us anymore. The new DAS guidelines may cause some people to make the same choice - but these new rules will also leave everyone with DAS in the same place they had been- just not their extended parties.

It appears that some guests got used to being “more equal” than others. Disney has gone above and beyond, creating a superior experience for those who qualify honestly as well as those who cheated it. This new system truly “levels the playing field” and allows those who need DAS equal access as opposed to superior access.

 

[Figgy1]

Question: A party of 4 will now be split up? Both coasts? DAS/autism

 

[Angel Ariel]

It doesn’t sound like a replacement for DAS (as to me that implies everyone will be assigned this alternative), it sounds to be an alternate accommodation for people who are currently using DAS who may not qualify under whatever their new guidelines are

The wording on Disneyland's side for RS is now:

The way it is written would apply to developmental disabilities as well. There won't be clarity on this until we have people with multiple types of disabilities sharing what they experience with the changes.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Tons of families use rider swap on a regular basis, and spend time separated from each other. It’s completely typical- and for the person who requires DAS, they’d be able to spend their time exactly as they do now, along with two other family members (unless they change it, rider swap has been for 3 people) while the rest of the party waits in the standby queue. Families with babies, kids who are afraid, or don’t meet height requirements spend many trips this way and it isn’t some ridiculous imposition. Whether intended or not, DAS-using guests have found themselves in a far superior situation regarding parks experience compared to the non-DAS guest.

Personally, it reminds me of the switch from FP+ to my post-pandemic park experiences. We are FP+ pros, were able to use all our experience and knowledge to leverage it to our best advantage, and never had to wait on a standby line longer than about 10 minutes. We went to the parks in the transitional, pre G+, standby only era, and that was great too. Once genie was implemented, our experience became much less enjoyable to us, who had learned to navigate the FP+ system in a way that seems VERY similar to how DAS users (and more importantly their extended parties) experience the parks now. I understand why those who currently have that experience (in a park where non DAS guests are increasingly disgruntled about their own experiences) are concerned -because their experience will be degraded- but we already experienced that same disappointment from degradation.

We changed our habit from going 2x a year (from NY) to every other year because it’s just not as enjoyable to us anymore. The new DAS guidelines may cause some people to make the same choice - but these new rules will also leave everyone with DAS in the same place they had been- just not their extended parties.

It appears that some guests got used to being “more equal” than others. Disney has gone above and beyond, creating a superior experience for those who qualify honestly as well as those who cheated it. This new system truly “levels the playing field” and allows those who need DAS equal access as opposed to superior access.

We used RS with DD when she was little. There's a HUGE difference between using it for a couple of rides where we are choosing to use it to do something for us because she wasn't able to go on, and having to use it for every ride all day because of her disability.

 

[Happyday]

No, it's not. For multiple reasons this would make our day very difficult, as DD requires both of us for various reasons (that I don't want to go into so as not to give people ideas for exploitation).

We do what we can to travel at low crowd times, but because DL/WDW play with staffing as they do, even "low crowd times" have decently long waits. Separating for rides over 30 mins would be a good portion of the day if not all day even at a low crowd time.Families who use RS now aren't doing it for every attraction all day long. that's a major difference.

This is almost exactly how our trips go as well. It sounds like we are in similar situations. I appreciate all of your input here! Also not giving details

 

[Trauma]

Rider switch won't work for my party. I have to pick up my wife from her wheelchair and place her into the ride car for those rides that don't have a wheelchair car. So she doesn't ride if I'm not there.

For the line leave/return "accomodation", I have to leave with her because she is legally blind and has slight dementia due to the periventricular lesions in her brain. She would get confused and lost if she had to leave a line and I had to stay.

Her limbic system is damaged affecting her emotions. Being in a line that she can't easily escape causes anxiety which then will set off a cascading chronic pain event. She has PTSD from the military and MS. She can't communicate effectively when she is upset which can lead to more trouble with those that don't know her.

This change is going to really affect our trips. We will abide by the new rules and we'll use G+ if we need to. I imagine we'll end up selling our DVC and finding other vacation options in the future.

And I drive because the TSA hurt her eight years ago when we were leaving Orlando.

This post right here is everything wrong with the new DAS. Absolutely disgusting if Disney is to turn away guests such as these that CLEARLY need DAS.

I to am in the process of getting ready to sell my DVC since these changes make my family visits impossible as well.

I know what my Grandfather sacrificed to serve this country, and it sounds like his wife has sacrificed even more.

Disney wouldn’t even have a free country to operate out of, without the hero’s that give everything to serve it.

I am now in wait and see mode about what the changes are going to look like, but I promise you as currently written they end the ability to go to Disney for many families.

 

[Happyday]

The wording on Disneyland's side for RS is now:

View attachment 779266

The way it is written would apply to developmental disabilities as well. There won't be clarity on this until we have people with multiple types of disabilities sharing what they experience with the changes.

You know what...now that I read this myself I am hopeful that they are just including this to clarify that it can be used how we use it now, when the DAS user doesn't want to or can't ride the ride at all. Thank you for posting this! Holding out hope that is the case.

 

[Jcf8037]

We used RS with DD when she was little. There's a HUGE difference between using it for a couple of rides where we are choosing to use it to do something for us because she wasn't able to go on, and having to use it for every ride all day because of her disability.

This is fair, but many families have to do it all day as well. I understand for a family of 3 that this wouldn’t be great- but it doesn’t seem like this will be the necessary accommodation for many guests. It does take aim at those large parties though, whose trip experience would not be degraded as much by a rider swap situation. In the likely rare situations where Disney does insist a small group of 3 needs to use rider swap, the standby parent would be allowed to ride again so they would experience rides with the family.

 

[Angel Ariel]

This is fair, but many families have to do it all day as well. I understand for a family of 3 that this wouldn’t be great- but it doesn’t seem like this will be the necessary accommodation for many guests. It does take aim at those large parties though, whose trip experience would not be degraded as much by a rider swap situation. In the likely rare situations where Disney does insist a small group of 3 needs to use rider swap, the standby parent would be allowed to ride again so they would experience rides with the family.

No, they would not. RS is limited to 2 people now. (See screenshot) This would separate a family of 3 for virtually every attraction every day (barring the occasional short line).

 

[Jcf8037]

No, they would not. RS is limited to 2 people now. (See screenshot) This would separate a family of 3 for virtually every attraction every day (barring the occasional short line).

View attachment 779268

i guess enforcement has been lax, or the rule language changed recently. We have always been able to go with the waiting party (two adults waiting with my youngest daughter who couldn’t ride) and my older daughter could ride with us again for a total of 3.

ETA: regarding DAS parties of 3 (or even 4) - even if Disney granted DAS at equal levels as they do now, and just strictly limit to 3/4, the line situation will still improve greatly. Parties can take turns going on the line or waiting with the DAS guest. It’s a vast improvement.