New DAS System at Walt Disney World 2024

[Splash4eva]

It's never been about reducing standby waits. It's about making more availability for Genie+. Disney does share a lot of the blame for allowing the amount of guests in a group.

Genie rarely sells out… so they are looking to sell more imo. And if they really wanted to make more available they literally could have eliminated the 2 pre books years ago. It was NOT rocket science.

 

[KaitlinGrace1990]

One thing we can probably all agree on is that Disney has not been great about the communication on this. Where did all their PR/communication people go? I feel like so many of their moves in recent years have been so hamfisted. I mean, no company wants to be portrayed as heartless to people with disabilities. They definitely could have rolled it out better.

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It does seem as though this is a really chaotic roll out for a change that can seriously impact people’s lives…

I sort of wonder if perhaps it would have been better if they announced the entire program was changing? Like if they just announced DAS was going away… and then tell people they will work them individually to address their needs.

What they have done by keeping DAS in place has created the implication that they are “down grading” some people’s accommodations.. and obviously when people have already used this service and it worked for them… they are not going to want to hear the program will still be there … but they can no longer use it.

If they said they were designing an entirely new system of accommodations for all guests who need them, it would have put everyone in the same “level” (for lack of a better word) and everyone would have to adjust to a new program .

Now they are going to have people that know the program still exists and that seems to be creating this divide of disabilities still covered and those that are not. It just seems like a lot of unneeded drama.

 

[Angel Ariel]

One thing we can probably all agree on is that Disney has not been great about the communication on this. Where did all their PR/communication people go? I feel like so many of their moves in recent years have been so hamfisted. I mean, no company wants to be portrayed as heartless to people with disabilities. They definitely could have rolled it out better.

Woman with Eye Disorder No Longer Feels 'Welcomed' at Disney After Disability Guidelines Change (Exclusive)

Natasha Caudill tells PEOPLE more about her experience using Disney's Disability Access Services.

people.com

The communication about the roll out was just as bad for the change from GAC to DAS years ago. TBH, given that they had 10+ years to learn from that cluster, this seems like it was the plan, not an accident.

 

[Chip Chipperson]

She's the perfect example of someone who doesn't need DAS. She functions just fine everywhere else BUT at Disney. I would have kept my mouth shut if I was her - though it is amusing how all these Gen Z "content creators" think their whining is going to change anything. Let them keep outing themselves...

She really didn't help her case at all. Saying she needs DAS because the sun in outdoor queues is too painful on her eyes even when wearing sunglasses and then sharing a photo of herself in MK in daylight without sunglasses is a bad look. Following that up by saying, "I can endure the sun if I have to," shows that she doesn't really need DAS, it was just a nice thing to have. Disney is now realizing that cases like that are overwhelming their system. Add in liars and it is unsustainable.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

What a customer feels they “need” is not the exact accommodation that a company must provide. It only needs to be a reasonable accommodation for that person’s type of disability, and even then, one that doesn’t fundamentally alter the company’s business.

But back to your point, “I need DAS because I always got it and the parks will be miserable to me without it” isn’t going to win the day.

A nonverbal child that has reams of IEP documentation with their school? Absolutely, enjoy DAS.

The childless millennial who suddenly got anxious over the pandemic and convinced their HR to let them telework indefinitely yet goes to a half dozen EDM shows a year across the country? Welcome to standby with the rest of us.

There’s a lot of gray area between those two examples, I know someone who‘s a veteran who has (had) DAS because of PTSD and severe panic attacks, honorable discharge and full disability from the army… should they get it? 99% of the time they'd probably be fine without it but I’d hate to be in line next to them the 1% of the time they freak out, chances are very high they’re going to barrel over half the line to get out of that situation. The same is probably true of the IBS people and others who technically don’t need DAS until the exact second they do.

The changes are bound to reduce abuse but I also expect more stories coming out of the parks about people pushing their way out of lines in a panic, people fainting in lines, people throwing up in lines… guess that’s just the price that has to be paid to prevent abuse.

 

[Sparksfly]

Remember: Disney must only make reasonable accommodations.

Nothing about the current iteration is reasonable, and nothing about the move to a third-party verification service is unreasonable.

That's easy to say for those who don't have to trust a third party with a not so great reputation with their personal medical documentation... especially that of children who even in the court system, their medical information is typically kept under seal to protect them, but if they want to go to Disney and be accommodated through obsenely long/hot/sensory impairing/restrictive lines so they can actually enjoy their time there...they have to give this third party their medical information? Something about it doesn't sit right tbh....

I agree the people who have been abusing the system are gross, but I'm almost positive the Genie+ $30 per person per day was the catalyst to people abusing it recently. Not excusing those people by any means....but Disney just keeps going further down the rabbit hole of greed and mistreating and possibly compromising guests (via this third party)...all for the sake of money. Disney keeps making the choice to not update their parks in a way that would combat the lines while also increasing costs. It was a no brainer people would get desperate and start abusing the system...and it's people with disabilities who truly need the accomodations that will suffer the most if this 3rd party has a data breech and its those with disabilities whove been dealing with those abusing the system the most. This is yet another example showing Disney doesn't know what it's doing nor does it care about its guests. And for those who want to try and give input in this....make sure you are disabled before speaking about it, because unless this directly effects you, you don't have a valid opinion on it.

And the arguments about providing documentation to schools/government offices etc. Yes people with disabilities have piles of documentation...yes we as parents of disabled children are typically asked for it for school and other offices (typically government). However, Disney is neither of those...they're an amusement park (who has proven to have very poor crowd control management and instead places their focus on revenue), and those schools and government offices are very good at keeping medical information protected and confidential....this rumored third party site is not. It is not the same.

 

[Sparksfly]

Again, this is true - and a much broader scope of discussion. That said - it all depends on how a third party handles it, as they can do much more than the CM's at Disney ever could. Example, they could easily track doctors - if suddenly there is one rogue doctor who is writing a huge amount of these, to people who live in other states, etc. - they can see those red flags and investigate more.

In the end, this is no perfect solution - and true scammers will always find a way to scam. But it doesn't mean that this won't enormously help the issue of people "fibbing" or exaggerating because normally rule-abiding folks that just can't resist the urge to do something to enhance their experience by just saying a few words aren't going to go the extra mile to actually get fake doctors notes.

I'm sorry, but this sounds insane. A third party tracking a child's medical history/Drs just so Disney doesn't lose some money? It's like HIPAA rights just went out the window all in the name of amusement park lines. I promise this change will not change a thing for typical park goes...those lines are still going to be unmanageable after filtering out the handful of people who might have been wrongfully getting DAS. I say this as a parent of a child with a rare genetic disorder who 1000% needs DAS to be able to enjoy the park (which he LOVES and really helps him through the hard days he has at home...the excitement of getting ready/planning fir the trip, the trip itself, and the memories after are so incredibly special to him and yes beneficial to him overall) and has been getting it for years. Do the people who abuse the system irritate me? Absolutely. My child and I typically deal with these people first hand so yes...it can be upsetting to see people abuse it while knowing DAS is the only way your child could even go in a ride at all. With that said....in my experience, it's not nearly as much as you'd think. Granted, I don't know everyone's medical situation in line... And tbf neither does Disney to even assume people are infact abusing the system rather than we are seeing an influx in medical issues lately due to a plethora of reasons. With that said... Asking my child to allow a third party site (which has shown to not be fully secured in the past mind you) to "track" his medical history and treatment etc is not only extremely violating...all for money btw....but raises HIPAA concerns as well.

 

[Sparksfly]

I remember they had to change the GAC program when people started increasingly gaming the system.

Also, while there is now a monetary incentive for those willing to lie to get DAS, they waited a long time to make this change after G+ came about. Since FP+ went away in early 2020 we've seen a major rise in influencers and "life hacks" showing people how to get things for free or greatly reduced cost. And as the SB lines get worse while the abuse gets worse, more and more seem willing to make the jump. It truly sucks that people who need line accomodations will have a higher burden, but if this reduces the abuse it should also help overall wait times, which will be far better for the DAS users who do qualify moving forward.

The parks were literally shut down in 2020 due to Covid...and after that capacity was significantly limited. The metric has to be based on when Genie+ was fully integrated and capacity was at normal levels to be able to have a valid statistic. Based on when Disney is deciding to implement this... this is definitely driven by Genie+ l.

 

[Tha Realest]

That's easy to say for those who don't have to trust a third party with a not so great reputation with their personal medical documentation... especially that of children who even in the court system, their medical information is typically kept under seal to protect them, but if they want to go to Disney and be accommodated through obsenely long/hot/sensory impairing/restrictive lines so they can actually enjoy their time there...they have to give this third party their medical information? Something about it doesn't sit right tbh....

I agree the people who have been abusing the system are gross, but I'm almost positive the Genie+ $30 per person per day was the catalyst to people abusing it recently. Not excusing those people by any means....but Disney just keeps going further down the rabbit hole of greed and mistreating and possibly compromising guests (via this third party)...all for the sake of money. Disney keeps making the choice to not update their parks in a way that would combat the lines while also increasing costs. It was a no brainer people would get desperate and start abusing the system...and it's people with disabilities who truly need the accomodations that will suffer the most if this 3rd party has a data breech and its those with disabilities whove been dealing with those abusing the system the most. This is yet another example showing Disney doesn't know what it's doing nor does it care about its guests. And for those who want to try and give input in this....make sure you are disabled before speaking about it, because unless this directly effects you, you don't have a valid opinion on it.

And the arguments about providing documentation to schools/government offices etc. Yes people with disabilities have piles of documentation...yes we as parents of disabled children are typically asked for it for school and other offices (typically government). However, Disney is neither of those...they're an amusement park (who has proven to have very poor crowd control management and instead places their focus on revenue), and those schools and government offices are very good at keeping medical information protected and confidential....this rumored third party site is not. It is not the same.

Where does it say Disney requires medical documentation? There are plenty of things I as a consumer opt out of because I don’t want my information out there; Venmo and Apple, for instance, are not getting a copy of my driver’s license no matter how many times they ask and prompt me. Am I deprived of their services as a result? Sure. But I choose not to share that information.

 

[Ayla]

That's easy to say for those who don't have to trust a third party with a not so great reputation with their personal medical documentation... especially that of children who even in the court system, their medical information is typically kept under seal to protect them, but if they want to go to Disney and be accommodated through obsenely long/hot/sensory impairing/restrictive lines so they can actually enjoy their time there...they have to give this third party their medical information? Something about it doesn't sit right tbh....

I agree the people who have been abusing the system are gross, but I'm almost positive the Genie+ $30 per person per day was the catalyst to people abusing it recently. Not excusing those people by any means....but Disney just keeps going further down the rabbit hole of greed and mistreating and possibly compromising guests (via this third party)...all for the sake of money. Disney keeps making the choice to not update their parks in a way that would combat the lines while also increasing costs. It was a no brainer people would get desperate and start abusing the system...and it's people with disabilities who truly need the accomodations that will suffer the most if this 3rd party has a data breech and its those with disabilities whove been dealing with those abusing the system the most. This is yet another example showing Disney doesn't know what it's doing nor does it care about its guests. And for those who want to try and give input in this....make sure you are disabled before speaking about it, because unless this directly effects you, you don't have a valid opinion on it.

And the arguments about providing documentation to schools/government offices etc. Yes people with disabilities have piles of documentation...yes we as parents of disabled children are typically asked for it for school and other offices (typically government). However, Disney is neither of those...they're an amusement park (who has proven to have very poor crowd control management and instead places their focus on revenue), and those schools and government offices are very good at keeping medical information protected and confidential....this rumored third party site is not. It is not the same.

It directly effects every single Disney visitor that stands in any line.

 

[Sallie]

Just my opinion on this. I know a lot of people are freaking out about these das changes. I’m wondering if the wording of it is disneys way of trying to deter the people that know they don’t really need it. Honestly I don’t think there are as many people abusing it as they are making people think. I think it’s a lot to do with the size of the parties they are letting through, and I do think it’s a huge money grab! The genie+ system is the problem. They know people will buy it. They also know those lines are going to be quite long already, so to send the das through with them is going to back it up even more. But to blame das to me is dumb. Does Disney need to do something about it? Yes! But to make people feel like their disability doesn’t count? That’s a dumb move. They should require some proof if they really want to keep so called abusers from taking advantage. And come up with a better fastpass system than genie+. Thanks for letting me rant!

 

[Angel Ariel]

That's easy to say for those who don't have to trust a third party with a not so great reputation with their personal medical documentation

From what little has been shared, it does not appear that Disney will be requiring documentation of any kind.

My understanding of the partnership with Inspire Health Alliance is that they will be training CMs on how to do the pre visit questions, and only if there is an escalation (either due to CM needing assistance or guest asking) will they be directly involved in a determination of accommodations.

Everything that's been shared so far has still focused on the need to explain why an accommodation is needed, and no mention of required documentation.

 

[wdisney9000]

Looking at this as someone that would abuse the system (as in nothing mentally or physically is stopping them). You could walk into Magic kingdom right now 3:45pm. Put your DAS in from 7D (for a 4:55 return). Grab a 4:35 Space mountain, spend the next 50 mins doing short waits (Mermaid, Dumbo, Tea party are 10, then hit 2 heavy hitters back to back. So in the same time a non-DAS user can hit 7D (even if they bought G+). A DAS abuser could hit Mermaid, Dumbo, Tea party, Space, and 7D
View attachment 780732

A Genie+ power user could easily walk into MK at 3:45 and get a lot done compared to the same non genie+ user in your post.

Since they have purchased Genie+ earlier in the day they could have 3 or more possible attractions already stacked when they walk into MK. Even if they had been at another park and hopped to MK, they could have already booked a genie+ and had enough time to stack another one and then make another selection when they tap into their first attraction at MK.

They could still hit a few of those 10 minute wait attractions between their genie+ times.

The DAS user was able to add 7DMT which is one additional attraction. The Genie + user could have several rides already booked when they enter the park. Just an observation.

 

[wdisney9000]

Disney is now realizing that cases like that are overwhelming their system. Add in liars and it is unsustainable.

If a majority of the DAS crowd ends up purchasing genie+, how will that not overwhelm the same system and it make any more sustainable?

 

[Basil of Baker Street]

She really didn't help her case at all. Saying she needs DAS because the sun in outdoor queues is too painful on her eyes even when wearing sunglasses and then sharing a photo of herself in MK in daylight without sunglasses is a bad look. Following that up by saying, "I can endure the sun if I have to," shows that she doesn't really need DAS, it was just a nice thing to have. Disney is now realizing that cases like that are overwhelming their system. Add in liars and it is unsustainable.

And her boyfriend and 4 other college pals enjoyed it along with her. I think people are finally seeing why this is a huge problem.

 

[Sparksfly]

It directly effects every single Disney visitor that stands in any line.

No it doesn't. DAS holders wait in line just like everyone else, they just do it in a better accommodating location through a virtual que. It does not effect anyone else. It is not a line skip...it doesn't provide any extra benefit aside from allowing them to wait in a safer area until it's their turn to get on. I promise, if people with disabilities are in standby lines without accomodations the wait time would be much longer due to the issues and medical emergencies it would cause that would need to be taken care of.

 

[Basil of Baker Street]

No it doesn't. DAS holders wait in line just like everyone else, they just do it in a better accommodating location through a virtual que. It does not effect anyone else. It is not a line skip...it doesn't provide any extra benefit aside from allowing them to wait in a safer area until it's their turn to get on. I promise, if people with disabilities are in standby lines without accomodations the wait time would be much longer due to the issues and medical emergencies it would cause that would need to be taken care of.

Such as another standby line...

 

[Sparksfly]

From what little has been shared, it does not appear that Disney will be requiring documentation of any kind.

My understanding of the partnership with Inspire Health Alliance is that they will be training CMs on how to do the pre visit questions, and only if there is an escalation (either due to CM needing assistance or guest asking) will they be directly involved in a determination of accommodations.

Everything that's been shared so far has still focused on the need to explain why an accommodation is needed, and no mention of required documentation.

I hope thats correct although Ive seen some bits of information scattered around different forums. No idea whats fact or not yet as we don't know much about this 3rd party in general. With that said, I'm mostly responding to the people who keep
saying those with disabilities should provide documentation to prove disability.

 

[Andrew25]

No it doesn't. DAS holders wait in line just like everyone else, they just do it in a better accommodating location through a virtual que. It does not effect anyone else. It is not a line skip...it doesn't provide any extra benefit aside from allowing them to wait in a safer area until it's their turn to get on. I promise, if people with disabilities are in standby lines without accomodations the wait time would be much longer due to the issues and medical emergencies it would cause that would need to be taken care of.

You are correct... the issue is that not everyone using the system is actually who should be using it and will "double dip" by waiting in line for another attraction.

It's being utilized as a "strategy" to get more attractions done than other guests can, even with Genie.

 

[Sparksfly]

Such as another standby line...

It's based off of the same stanby line. That's how they get the callback time to begin with. DAS is more of a place holder. It would be the same if everyone got a number in line so people could leave and get back in line at a certain time. Everyone still gets in at the time they are given based on when the showed up to get their "number" or in the case of DAS, their call back time.