New DAS System at Walt Disney World 2024

[Splash4eva]

No, not free. I suspect they are hoping more people with disabilities will choose to buy it instead of waiting in line.

Oh well yes. Ive said this is another money grab for them for sure while trying to weed out the small percent of people abusing it. Listen. The reduction of party size and eliminating pre books will help for sure even if they changed no rules…

 

[Splash4eva]

Yes, this is how I understood it will work, from the brief explanation that was shared with me. Frustration along the lines of: “How are *we* (attraction host) supposed to evaluate people, when Disney doesn’t want Guest Relations people doing it anymore?”

My example of a guest who may be dealing with this kind of uncertainty, is someone with temperature regulation issues. Not developmental, so still unclear if they will be given DAS. Can’t be solved with wheelchair + standby. So leaving it up to attractions who may have different outcomes depending on if the queue is inside with good A/C or outside.

Can you imagine the bottle neck at rides entry points when 10-15 different groups come at once…

 

[lazyboy97o]

The accommodations you’re mentioning are in the regulations. This is different.

The underlying philosophy is still the same. The goal is for access and accommodations to just be readily available. Keeping it secret is the opposite of that goal.

 

[el_super]

Well that's why I think Disney is being intentionally opaque with how exactly this will work, and I agree with that decision.

Why? Whatever they have planned will be posted all over the internet on May 20th. Anyone who wants to exploit it will be able to do so as soon as the information is available. Keeping it a secret until then accomplishes nothing.

 

[lazyboy97o]

IMO, for what that's worth, return to line DAS will work if Disney allows people to enter through the exit to meet up with their group, otherwise, chaos in the line will ensue. I'm basing this anecdotally on my experience with the old GAC when it was being changed.

The problem though is that queues were not designed for that use case. They tend to only be about four feet wide, designed for a loosely single file line. They were not designed for people to be waiting and walking past (and Disney and Universal have erected physical barriers where that occurs because of behavior issues). They definitely weren’t design to accommodate a mobility device waiting while other go past.

 

[Happyday]

I have an online CM friend who has received training on this. They didn’t elaborate too much, but they expect this to be even worse than people have speculated. Despite this looking like taking decisions out of Guest Relations staff hands, because “they aren’t truly qualified to judge who needs what,” what is being setup is putting a lot of the determination into the hands of attraction hosts! Basically it sounds like developmental disabilities, gets the pass and everyone else is at the discretion of person working the attraction. It sounded like everyone should expect tears and confrontations. CM friend is really worried, and very upset that this has been decided by leaders who have no clue how the parks function.

I’ve been reading this thread to see if anyone else had heard anything about what CMs were being told in their training. If others were coming away with the same horror of what they are about to be subjected to. My information is very thin, so I was hoping there would be more leaking.

I am confused. What capacity does this CM working in?

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

What was said about everyone getting DAS and then CMs having discretion to deny them doesn’t make sense.

If you get DAS CM’s can’t deny you. If you don’t get DAS, apparently CM’s have discretion about return to line and other options.

So long as this is coupled with an actual trespassing of people who are found to abuse it (say people who wait for 10 minutes in the FOP line and then "return to the fastpass line" and do this more than once)

That’s not an abuse though, if you cant wait in the line for 2 hours when are you supposed to leave and come back? That’s the question I guess. Will the return to lines have time limits based on wait time?

 

[hopemax]

I am confused. What capacity does this CM working in?

Attractions host.

 

[ditzee]

The problem though is that queues were not designed for that use case. They tend to only be about four feet wide, designed for a loosely single file line. They were not designed for people to be waiting and walking past (and Disney and Universal have erected physical barriers where that occurs because of behavior issues). They definitely weren’t design to accommodate a mobility device waiting while other go past.

I posted they should rejoin their group through the exit.
A while back, I posted about my experience when GAC was changing. People with GAC were put into the line wherever the CMs felt like placing them. We were put in line in front of a man who was indignant. We allowed him to go ahead of us because I was afraid he might strike us. He was a loon and not a nice one. This is type of behavior that might be avoided if DAS holders are allowed to rejoin their group using the exit.

 

[Happyday]

I assume this is going to be the new "return to line" thing. A CM will (hopefully) see the individual or group leave the line for whatever reason. Then when they return to the attraction, that CM who may or may not have seen the person or group leave the line probably has 3 options:

1) Let them into the LL
2) Walk them to a spot further up in the standby line (if the queue allows this) hopefully to meet up with family
3) Say sorry and show them the back of the standby line

If that decision is being left to the attraction cast member, I pity them and also feel like the LL abuse will get even worse.

Exactly something is missing... Disney is really missing the mark if they don't have the new 'return to line' figured out. Unfortunately this is what I am getting from this CM statement. Fortunately the return to line won't be in full force till June 20 when most of the people going on for DAS starting Monday will be starting their trips 30 days out.

 

[Happyday]

Attractions host.

Okay that helps. Are there any more training sessions set up? It sounds like they haven't trained on how the return to line feature is going to work?

 

[hopemax]

Okay that helps. Are there any more training sessions set up? It sounds like they haven't trained on how the return to line feature is going to work?

They have had their training. Thus all the angst and frustration.

 

[Splash4eva]

If you get DAS CM’s can’t deny you. If you don’t get DAS, apparently CM’s have discretion about return to line and other options.

That’s not an abuse though, if you cant wait in the line for 2 hours when are you supposed to leave and come back? That’s the question I guess. Will the return to lines have time limits based on wait time?

What discretion can a Cm give to someone who NEEDS to use the bathroom becauSe of say IBS?!?

 

[lazyboy97o]

I posted they should rejoin their group through the exit.
A while back, I posted about my experience when GAC was changing. People with GAC were put into the line wherever the CMs felt like placing them. We were put in line in front of a man who was indignant. We allowed him to go ahead of us because I was afraid he might strike us. He was a loon and not a nice one. This is type of behavior that might be avoided if DAS holders are allowed to rejoin their group using the exit.

Exits though are not always adjacent to load and goes against current best practices. Unload areas are more open with less restricted access to the ride area.

Having people waiting at exit really wouldn’t avoid this behavior. If anything it might be worse because the jerks are now pulling from the entire ridership and not just those using the Lightning Lane.

 

[lazyboy97o]

What discretion can a Cm give to someone who NEEDS to use the bathroom becauSe of say IBS?!?

It was earlier reported that they’re being told to remind guests to use the facilities before joining the queue….

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

What discretion can a Cm give to someone who NEEDS to use the bathroom becauSe of say IBS?!?

I’m not sure - but I’m thinking the attraction CM’s are expected to decide who gets to use the different types of return to line options.

I feel like they’ve always allowed guests to leave and return for restrooms - at least I’ve seen many families do that.

But now guests can also potentially leave and return for other reasons - like not being able to physically stand in line for extended periods? I’m not sure.

 

[Happyday]

Can you imagine the bottle neck at rides entry points when 10-15 different groups come at once…

I am hoping that only the individual with the issue would leave and return

 

[Happyday]

They have had their training. Thus all the angst and frustration.

 

[Splash4eva]

It was earlier reported that they’re being told to remind guests to use the facilities before joining the queue….

They can remind guests all they want. But if they are telling people w say IBS they will accommodate which is what everyone is assuming the return to queue they talked about. So if someone needs to go. How are they telling them NO after saying they will be able to leave?

 

[Angel Ariel]

Ok. That doesn't change the fact that a return to line pass involving the lightning lanes is probably part of what's going to be in play here. Part of this needs to be intentionally opaque (including consequences for abuse and criteria for what constitutes abuse), because otherwise people will too easily find new ways to abuse it.

If it involves the lightning lanes then it doesn't solve the issue these changes were purportedly to address - lessening the # of people in lightning lanes.