New DAS System at Walt Disney World 2024

[Trauma]

Let me ask a simple question to those posters who think this is a great change.

If the change instead was to apply for DAS you needed to provide medical documentation that would then be reviewed for eligibility.

Would that system be agreeable to you ?

At least that way, even if DAS is taking a spot in front of you, you would know it was to a deserving guest.

This hodge podge approach to trying to customize accommodations to specific needs is an operational nightmare.

Wouldn’t it be much simpler to ensure each guest with DAS was deserving, and leave it at that ?

 

[DryerLintFan]

Like I said, the cast member may be requesting DAS for a child, spouse, or other relative or acquaintance.

The majority of cast members do not work attractions.

Whatever medical diagnosis Disneys health services department may be aware of for a particular cast member.. that Information would not and should not be available to other employees in the company.

That’s not how DAS works. That’s really really really not how DAS works.

The individual who needs the DAS both has to be the one to apply AND has to be present on the call. A CM grabbing DAS for a family member breaks so many more rules than a CM getting a DAS for themselves falsely

 

[DryerLintFan]

Let me ask a simple question to those posters who think this is a great change.

If the change instead was to apply for DAS you needed to provide medical documentation that would then be reviewed for eligibility.

Would that system be agreeable to you ?

At least that way, even if DAS is taking a spot in front of you, you would know it was to a deserving guest.

This hodge podge approach to trying to customize accommodations to specific needs is an operational nightmare.

Wouldn’t it be much simpler to ensure each guest with DAS was deserving and leave it at that ?

Lol we’ve all been saying this whole thread we’d love to provide documentation

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

the average guests does 5-7 total attractions in a day.

I can’t remember the last time we managed a full day in the parks, usually by 2pm we’re back at the hotel, some days we make it back to the parks at 6, other days we never make it back. A good day for us is 10 rides, a bad day is 2-3, an average day is probably 6-8, I’d be surprised if that’s more than the average guest.

I’m not sure if your numbers are accurate but they are in line with what we currently are able to do with DAS, maybe this is the solution… rather than eliminating DAS for guests that may need it just limit it to 3-5 rides per day, or whatever number they determine will result in DAS guests getting the same number of rides as the non-DAS guest.

They’ll never be able to eliminate abuse, without also eliminating a lot of valid users, maybe the better option is to just limit it.

 

[DryerLintFan]

I can’t imagine how nerve-racking it would be if I had a trip booked before this is all figured out - I’d probably end up cancelling.

We’re planning on going in September so we do have time between when we Go and When personal accounts of how this works roll out. But it just sucks not knowing. Not being able to plan.

Everything about being disabled is easier when you know how to plan

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

That’s not how DAS works. That’s really really really not how DAS works.

The individual who needs the DAS both has to be the one to apply AND has to be present on the call. A CM grabbing DAS for a family member breaks so many more rules than a CM getting a DAS for themselves falsely

Employees doing that should be perp walked

Seriously

 

[Jcf8037]

DAS hasn’t really changed, but the guest experience has. They’ve taken some really key things away from the typical guest, and haven’t done the same for DAS.

This is a huge factor I think. Someone could get really good at working within the parameters of FP+ (like I did) and never have to wait for anything. I essentially had the same thing DAS users have now, or maybe even better in some cases. Now you can’t even get close to what DAS offers, even paying for G+. While not the same, the only way a non-DAS user could get a similar experience would be to pay for a vip tour.

 

[Splash4eva]

They can easily identify cast members who utilize DAS. However it’s no easier to determine if they are abusing the system than it is with any other guest.

Depending on the reason they are using and them being employees of the company it can be “easier” to tell. We have CMs on here stating there is abuse among cast how do they know?

 

[peter11435]

Depending on the reason they are using and them being employees of the company it can be “easier” to tell. We have CMs on here stating there is abuse among cast how do they know?

No. It’s really not.

Again, the cast member may not be getting DAS for themselves. And information about that cast members specific disability could not be shared with people outside of Disney health services and specific individuals related to that cast members specific job function.

 

[wdwjmp239]

Eventually Disney is going to see the backlash from this. That is...if they're not already seeing it now. The only thing I'm sitting here thinking is that maybe they're going to roll it out to autism and developmentally challenged first, monitor the situation, and then roll out in phases. So, for those of you who are planning a Disney trip after May 19th - how will this affect you?

 

[DryerLintFan]

No. It’s really not.

Again, the cast member may not be getting DAS for themselves. And information about that cast members specific disability could not be shared with people outside of Disney health services and specific individuals related to that cast members specific job function.

Again: THAT IS NOT ALLOWED

 

[Tha Realest]

Let me ask a simple question to those posters who think this is a great change.

If the change instead was to apply for DAS you needed to provide medical documentation that would then be reviewed for eligibility.

Would that system be agreeable to you ?

At least that way, even if DAS is taking a spot in front of you, you would know it was to a deserving guest.

This hodge podge approach to trying to customize accommodations to specific needs is an operational nightmare.

Wouldn’t it be much simpler to ensure each guest with DAS was deserving, and leave it at that ?

No. The standard should be a reasonable accommodation for that class of disability.

Disney does not need to “customize” accommodations to specific needs. It can decouple and provide accommodations based on type of disability.

 

[Splash4eva]

No. It’s really not.

Again, the cast member may not be getting DAS for themselves. And information about that cast members specific disability could not be shared with people outside of Disney health services and specific individuals related to that cast members specific job function.

If i lied to my employer about a certain condition and my actions and lifestyle contradicts what i claimed. I assure you they would eventually find out…

 

[peter11435]

Again: THAT IS NOT ALLOWED

I’m well aware of how DAS works.

I’m not implying that cast members can call and get DAS for others without them being present. I’m saying that cast members can be using/abusing the DAS system as part of a travel party while not being the individual the DAS was issued to.

 

[peter11435]

If i lied to my employer about a certain condition and my actions and lifestyle contradicts what i claimed. I assure you they would eventually find out…

What you are referring to here is essentially the opposite of what’s going on.

 

[Angel Ariel]

What you are referring to here is essentially the opposite of what’s going on.

We have had a cast member in this thread indicate that it is an "open secret" among cast members and there are CMs abusing DAS.

 

[UK Disney]

Eventually Disney is going to see the backlash from this. That is...if they're not already seeing it now. The only thing I'm sitting here thinking is that maybe they're going to roll it out to autism and developmentally challenged first, monitor the situation, and then roll out in phases. So, for those of you who are planning a Disney trip after May 19th - how will this affect you?

I'll be there from the 18th, I don't use DAS but as a Genie + user I'll be interested to see if there's any difference in availability, for example will Slinky be easier to book with most of the DAS pre selects been removed.

 

[Ayla]

Can I offer up a potential "solution" in this thread that might help?

Why can't Disney invest in a "create your own experience" type feature where in your My Disney Experience app, you can select what rides you want to go on and what times. So, it'd be like a reservation system similar to the DAS as it stands now that way you can do what you want to do and go back to the ride at the time you reserved. It would a "virtual queue", but not the virtual queue with boarding groups. So, an example would be:

You have a family with an autistic child and a grandparent with an oxygen tank. Let's say that the child has to have medication between 1pm and 3pm and the grandparent has to charge the oxygen tank between 5 and 6pm. You can block your experiences around those times so you're not shoehorned into waiting in line.

Another example would be:

A family of four is just going up for the day and wants to hit a couple of rides in the morning and then have lunch/dinner later. They can go into their app, create their experience and select up to 3 rides and then go make reservations later on based on the times they selected for their rides.

Disney is probably already doing this with Lightning Lane, but instead of charging $$$ per person per day for LL passes, this would be rolled into the cost of admission (day pass, park hopper pass, annual pass) because when I saw how much a day pass was per park - I about lost my friggin' mind. I had ZERO idea it was that much (almost $200 for a day pass for one park?).

I don't want this thread to go off-topic, but I'm interested in hearing the feedback to this type of "solution" that Disney could look into.

Appreciate the sounding board, folks!

We already had that. It was called Fastpass +.

 

[Joel]

I don’t think that’s fair. I think the lack of information is causing the anxiety about the new system, and (outside of autism families) knows where they stand. We’re not theme park operators. It’s hard to predict what’s coming next from Disney.

I think what you’re seeing is just unsettled people waiting for the other shoe to drop. and because life has dumped on them so much already, i think a lot of posters are expecting the other shoe to be a giant turd.

Disney should have rolled out more complete messaging

I agree that Disney should have had all the info ready to go before announcing anything, but the overwhelming sentiment from DAS users in this thread (and elsewhere) is that none of the discussed alternative accommodations is likely to work for them. And in some cases, I'm sure they're right. But I doubt that they all are.

I just don't see that sentiment changing anytime soon even after Disney releases the full details if it becomes clear that the only option for many people is going to be less generous than DAS. That's what I think everyone should be realistically expecting (and be pleasantly surprised if it turns out not to be the case).

 

[Tha Realest]

I agree that Disney should have had all the info ready to go before announcing anything, but the overwhelming sentiment from DAS users in this thread (and elsewhere) is that none of the discussed alternative accommodations is likely to work for them. And in some cases, I'm sure they're right. But I doubt that they all are.

I just don't see that sentiment changing anytime soon even after Disney releases the full details if it becomes clear that the only option for many people is going to be less generous than DAS. That's what I think everyone should be realistically expecting (and be pleasantly surprised if it turns out not to be the case).

Again, “that’s not going to work for me” isn’t necessarily the standard they have to operate by. The standard is, is this a reasonable accommodation to those with disabilities (or subcategories of disabilities) that does not fundamentally alter the business’s ability to provide goods and services to all its customers?

The realistic fact is some will no longer be entitled to DAS. Perhaps some will. But Disney appears to have staked out a position they feel balances the needs of other guests and is defensible if challenged.