New DAS System at Walt Disney World 2024

[monothingie]

They were given away like candy, and there was little consistency to who would be granted DAS and who wouldn't. Someone could go to GR at one park and say they have a certain condition and get DAS while another person could go to GR at a different park, say they have the same condition, and be denied.

The new procedures will help a lot with consistency.


Yes, the new scheme will allow for same-day consultation. The 30 to 2 days thing is still up on the website because that's the current policy.

So more stringent and consistent verification based on pre-determined criteria, with potential escalation or consultation with a third party to determine non-standard condition.

 

[BaconPancakes]

They were given away like candy

This was certainly my experience on all of my last trips. The amount of DAS use was insane. It’s no wonder the standby lines never moved.

 

[Angel Ariel]

This is my concern. I have waited upwards of 3 hours at times

The irony of ridiculously long waits to qualify for an accommodation needed due to issues with long waits...

(to be clear this is intended as humor only. There are huge differences between online waiting and in park waiting, I'm well aware

 

[Comped]

The Disney wording mentions Autism first and then directly provides a vague "and developmental disabilities" in the same point, so it's still open to interpretation.

If you were previously accommodated at WDW, I'd imagine they'll work with you

Not qualifying via a visual impairment that profoundly impacts my life (though I really only ever have my cane out at Disney dud to crowds) but qualifying based on cerebral palsy that barely impacts my life is hilarious. (It is at best a secondary disability to my primary disability, and it's always been a secondary reason at best to qualify, most CMs would never say anything once they saw my cane.)

I will note that I have also mostly stuck to getting approval through MK guest relations because they tend to be the most understanding and willing to approve without spending 20 minutes defining my disabilities and explaining why I need it, despite having renewed on a consistent basis for the past decade, even throughout the post pandemic opeing, and even earlier than that back when GAC came on a plastic card.+I still have mine from all my trips when I was a kid, and apparently the records do show that amount of renewals, at least according to one CM.) I've only ever really had problems at DHS, but Epcot and AK are both serviceable if I have to renew and I forgot to time my MK visits to renewing.

It absolutely sucks, but luckily I should be able to qualify assuming they stick to what the CDC calls the developmental disability and don't just claim it only means autism. But it really sucks for everyone who isn't classified within that rather wide-ranging but also oddly specific category, who actually needs it and now may or may not get it.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Unfortunately more humans is not the current operating plan. Hope you like AI chatbots!

The current pre registration may have an ai chatbot while waiting and while doing preselects , but the video portion to actually qualify has been actual humans, and that's the part that creates long waits.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

So more stringent and consistent verification based on pre-determined criteria, with potential escalation or consultation with a third party to determine non-standard condition.

…they finally did something right…

…besides the $17,000,000,000 in new rides Bob is gonna build us…hopefully before we’re all dead

 

[Comped]

It absolutely does NOT

I’ll die on this hill

Qualifies you for a return time in Paris and possibly Tokyo. Not sure about Shanghai or Hong Kong because English language resources for those are rather iffy. But at least in Paris it is specifically called out as a diagnosis you can use to get one.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Not qualifying via a visual impairment that profoundly impacts my life (though I really only ever have my cane out at Disney dud to crowds) but qualifying based on cerebral palsy that barely impacts my life is hilarious. (It is at best a secondary disability to my primary disability, and it's always been a secondary reason at best to qualify, most CMs would never say anything once they saw my cane.)

I will note that I have also mostly stuck to getting approval through MK guest relations because they tend to be the most understanding and willing to approve without spending 20 minutes defining my disabilities and explaining why I need it, despite having renewed on a consistent basis for the past decade, even throughout the post pandemic opeing, and even earlier than that back when GAC came on a plastic card.+I still have mine from all my trips when I was a kid, and apparently the records do show that amount of renewals, at least according to one CM.) I've only ever really had problems at DHS, but Epcot and AK are both serviceable if I have to renew and I forgot to time my MK visits to renewing.

It absolutely sucks, but luckily I should be able to qualify assuming they stick to what the CDC calls the developmental disability and don't just claim it only means autism. But it really sucks for everyone who isn't classified within that rather wide-ranging but also oddly specific category, who actually needs it and now may or may not get it.

Careful…

I get what you’re saying…but don’t want to start giving thumbs up/thumbs down to specific impairments

 

[EricsBiscuit]

I’m not sure these changes adequately Reduce the possibility for abuse.

 

[CJR]

All this talk had me look at the parks today, a nice slow day with great weather! "13 minute wait" right now for Tower of Terror. If you're local, looks like a great day to visit.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Qualifies you for a return time in Paris and possibly Tokyo. Not sure about Shanghai or Hong Kong because English language resources for those are rather iffy. But at least in Paris it is specifically called out as a diagnosis you can use to get one.

Diabetes sucks…but we have controls

That’s the difference

 

[Brian]

i am happy to hear it will stay similar to the pre registration chat as it exists now, with some tweaks.

And.

With eliminating in park guest relations DAS, they need to seriously improve the online system. People are already waiting hours for these chats. To add volume, they need to add human support for the online system.

This is my concern. I have waited upwards of 3 hours at times

This should not be a problem most days once all is said and done. Factors such as staffing, exceptionally busy days, high numbers of guests needing to consult same day, and the time of day may lead to a long wait time on occasion, which is one of the reasons why Disney is really pushing for this to be handled pre-arrival.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

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.

That's the sucky thing about it. Like, the process is becoming more painful for us, but there were so many people who we could tell didn't actually need it. We also hated Genie+, but that's a separate issue.

We do prefer the DAS over the GAC. I know it's probably worse for a lot of people, but we wanted my brother to learn that sometimes he has to wait. He tends to get fixated on a specific ride, so we can tell him "Okay, at x time, we'll ride it, but you have to be patient until then." My dad referred to GAC as the "super dooper FP". Even though my brother absolutely needed it, we felt like it was too advantageous.

 

[Comped]

I get what you’re saying…but don’t want to start giving thumbs up/thumbs down to specific impairments

Exactly why I'm waiting for clarification on that. It should be fine, it's just something I would need to get something for because most of my paperwork is about vision for obvious reasons.

 

[The Mom]

So we oscillate between reasonable and extreme. IMHO, DAS should only extend from the holder to a single attendant/care assistant. That would limit the impact to a reasonable impact and accommodation. Relying on the individuals to determine what a reasonable accommodation for any condition has absolutely failed.

That would mean that a sibling(s) would have to be left alone if only one parent/caregiver is with them. I took many trips to WDW with my children without my husband, and many parents of multiple children do not have a spouse.

 

[-em]

So if they are going for the CDC “developmental” issues as baseline

I guess that means my 7 year old dyslexic /ADHD-I kiddo would qualify I mean she’ll be thrilled.. I never once figured she’d be the target market

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I’m not sure these changes adequately Reduce the possibility for abuse.

Probably not…but they are necessary to try to combat that abuse.

I think anyone exaggerating or making up an impairment should definitely get the gate
It’s theft against the operator and all the other patrons

And no…I don’t support Disney charging us for every second and step…but the consumer has a responsibility to accept what they’re paying for

 

[Andrew25]

Interested in how this "return to queue" feature works? Will they have to hire additional CMs per attraction to accommodate this feature/request? How will that work in smaller/difficult queues to get in and out of like Peter Pan?

 

[wdwmagic]

i am happy to hear it will stay similar to the pre registration chat as it exists now, with some tweaks.

And.

With eliminating in park guest relations DAS, they need to seriously improve the online system. People are already waiting hours for these chats. To add volume, they need to add human support for the online system.

They are adding a bigger CM team to handle it.

 

[Drdcm]

That's the sucky thing about it. Like, the process is becoming more painful for us, but there were so many people who we could tell didn't actually need it. We also hated Genie+, but that's a separate issue.

We do prefer the DAS over the GAC. I know it's probably worse for a lot of people, but we wanted my brother to learn that sometimes he has to wait. He tends to get fixated on a specific ride, so we can tell him "Okay, at x time, we'll ride it, but you have to be patient until then." My dad referred to GAC as the "super dooper FP". Even though my brother absolutely needed it, we felt like it was too advantageous.

This is a good take in my opinion. Many times the way to improve the behaviors associated with things like autism is to expose them to the situation. Avoidance doesn’t help.

Not that anyone wants to do that while on vacation…