New DAS System at Walt Disney World 2024

[lentesta]

It was distinctly unpopular here in the forum, though a few of us (myself included) were steadfast fans.

I’d be curious to know how the general guest population felt about it. Perhaps @lentesta has some relevant data.

I don't think we ever asked about FP itself, but let me check.

 

[phillip9698]

The point is the numbers were still way down…so we can’t translate that to now

If the point of comparison is how the standby lines move given similar starting points why does the overall attendance matter.

Who cares how many people are in the restaurants and walking paths if I’m comparing the time it takes me to move through the queue given the same starting point.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

It was distinctly unpopular here in the forum, though a few of us (myself included) were steadfast fans.

I’d be curious to know how the general guest population felt about it.

why would the general guest like the current genie and LL better?

I liked legacy FP the best, but FP+ was at least a free service. I’m 100% against the paid service and everyone should be.

 

[ditzee]

If the point of comparison is how the standby lines move given similar starting points why does the overall attendance matter.

Who cares how many people are in the restaurants and walking paths if I’m comparing the time it takes me to move through the queue given the same starting point.

What? I must be missing something.
Of course, overall attendance matters. If half the people are in the park, on the walkways, and in the restaurants, lines are shorter, it's easier to get to attractions, and ADRs are easier to get.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I'd like to know how many of the very popular roller coasters, action rides, DAS users ride. As a DAS holder, I can say that many of the thrill rides are a definite no go for me. Wondering if this is the same for others with DAS???

For us it depends on the ride. proprioceptive and vestibular feedback are amazing for her, so she loves things like tea party and TOT, but how the ride vehicles are made matters for the physical aspects of her delays.

 

[jaklgreen]

Who’s riding things “over and over again”?

I am talking about those who like certain rides and want to go on them more than once. So if someone loves Pirates, and they no longer "qualify for DAS and are told to just buy Genie+, you can only use Genie+ on each ride one time. DAS allows you to pick the same ride as many times as you want. So a person with a disability that doesn't fall under the new DAS guidelines because their issues are not neurological, they will no longer be able to do the parks as they like.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

If the point of comparison is how the standby lines move given similar starting points why does the overall attendance matter.

Who cares how many people are in the restaurants and walking paths if I’m comparing the time it takes me to move through the queue given the same starting point.

Because they don’t have enough capacity for a normal crowd so you’re proposing 90-120+ minute standby waits for all frontline rides would move “better”

That’s why they designed fastpass in the first place…they wanted people shopping and eating…not doing THAT.

Early 90’s parks were no picnic at busy times and it would be way worse now. Hard selling timeshares off that

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I am talking about those who like certain rides and want to go on them more than once. So if someone loves Pirates, and they no longer "qualify for DAS and are told to just buy Genie+, you can only use Genie+ on each ride one time. DAS allows you to pick the same ride as many times as you want. So a person with a disability that doesn't fall under the new DAS guidelines because their issues are not neurological, they will no longer be able to do the parks as they like.

You didn’t answer the question…who is riding things “over and over again” where lines/waits are not an obstacle?

 

[jaklgreen]

But the things people want to ride can have waits of 1 to 2 hours, so it’s self-limiting.

Not necessarily. It depends on when you go. I know that some of you are having a hard time believing this, but different people like different things in the parks. Not everyone just wants to do the thrill rides. You all have this idea in your heads that all DAS people do is ride the E tickets over and over every day and that is not true at all. Many people, especially that Autistic kids, have their favorites and they are not necessarily the big attractions.
And if someone is willing to wait out that time to go on what they want, so what? People are free to tour the parks as they wish.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I think there’s a misconception here among DAS users too…just like there certainly is from those who are unfamiliar with that accommodation

 

[Happyday]

I'd like to know how many of the very popular roller coasters, action rides, DAS users ride. As a DAS holder, I can say that many of the thrill rides are a definite no go for me. Wondering if this is the same for others with DAS???

We have to do rider swap/single rider or skip TOT, RRC, SR @HS: EE, FOP, KRR, Dinosaur at Animal K : SM, BTM, PPF, AO, TTA, TS, "teacups" and not sure about Tron @ MK: TT, MS and not sure about GoG @ EPCOT because the DAS individual isn't able to or can't handle them.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I don't think we ever asked about FP itself, but let me check.

I’m not sure which one we’re talking about here?

1.0 was pretty universally accepted and liked…you didn’t have to use it and the numbers work. No fee

2.0 was more decisive…you could use it and the numbers started not to work…but no fee

Genie is for sale and the numbers are working well at all

 

[jaklgreen]

You didn’t answer the question…who is riding things “over and over again” where lines/waits are not an obstacle?

I am sure that plenty of people are. Do you think that people just go on every ride one time each and then call it a day? You don't think that families go on Dumbo more than once or twice? Or that roller coaster lovers go on BTMRR several times a day?

 

[phillip9698]

Because they don’t have enough capacity for a normal crowd so you’re proposing 90-120+ minute standby waits for all frontline rides would move “better”

That’s why they designed fastpass in the first place…they wanted people shopping and eating…not doing THAT.

Early 90’s parks were no picnic at busy times and it would be way worse now. Hard selling timeshares off that

Seems to me you are saying if all FP systems were removed then the starting points for the standby queue would be drastically longer, therefore increasing the wait time.

Nothing at all similar to what I was referring to.

 

[LittleBuford]

why would the general guest like the current genie and LL better?

Because general guests don’t always agree with what passes for dogma here in the forum.

 

[LittleBuford]

I don't think we ever asked about FP itself, but let me check.

Thanks!

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Seems to me you are saying if all FP systems were removed then the starting points for the standby queue would be drastically longer, therefore increasing the wait time.

Nothing at all similar to what I was referring to.

Yeah…I’m also saying the logic behind fastpass and why there’s NO way they’d go back to what it was before.

They don’t have enough seats!

 

[Chi84]

Not necessarily. It depends on when you go. I know that some of you are having a hard time believing this, but different people like different things in the parks. Not everyone just wants to do the thrill rides. You all have this idea in your heads that all DAS people do is ride the E tickets over and over every day and that is not true at all. Many people, especially that Autistic kids, have their favorites and they are not necessarily the big attractions.
And if someone is willing to wait out that time to go on what they want, so what? People are free to tour the parks as they wish.

I don’t think that at all. I was referring to the discussion and statistics from A.L. v Walt Disney World Resorts and to the data collected by Len Testa. A.L. did look at what the average guest experienced. That case involved GAC so the statistics will be different but it’s very helpful to read it to understand how courts interpret ADA requirements.

People tend to look only at the part of the equation relating to guest experience and to forget about the part relating to the impact on the company’s business model. That second part includes how the operation makes its money (which now includes Genie+ and ILLs) as well as impact on non-disabled guests’ satisfaction.

Line accommodations are not mentioned in the ADA or DOJ regulations. Until we lose our corporal bodies or virtual queues replace all lines, standing in line is a customary way to gain access to many things besides theme parks. Court decisions on line accommodations may be a difficult way to handle these issues.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I am sure that plenty of people are. Do you think that people just go on every ride one time each and then call it a day? You don't think that families go on Dumbo more than once or twice? Or that roller coaster lovers go on BTMRR several times a day?.

Sure?

I must be visiting different parks 3-4 times a year…

The reality is it’s difficult to reride any rides in standby…if they have waits. Because you’d be sacrificing other rides in standard/moderate crowds

For rides without much of a wait? Like Dumbo…sure maybe

But that invalidates the idea that something would be taken away without DAS

 

[Angel Ariel]

You didn’t answer the question…who is riding things “over and over again” where lines/waits are not an obstacle?

I mean depending on various variables there's always been options. We've done trips pre-us qualifying for DAS where we rode BTMRR 6x in a row (w/nephew) basically back to back, getting there at rope drop (this was during fp+ time, not legacy).

Often during the time of year we visit we can do back to back rides on tea cups because there's no standby wait (limited to 2 only because DH and I can't do more than that in a row physically- DD is like the energizer bunny on that ride ). At the time of year we travel this is often an option for quite a few of the non-e ticket attractions.

Weather can also help make it possible. We rode Spider-Man 4 times in a row this past January, not because of DAS but because it was raining, arrived soon after rope drop, and the wait kept only being 5 mins.

These are just examples, not the only examples -, but on virtually every trip we've taken there's been options to ride back to back using standby line only (no DAS) with little waits for a variety of attractions.