New DAS System at Walt Disney World 2024

[pdude81]

So logistics... if we take this at face value, seems like a natural part of Disney's expectations is to direct more people to wheelchairs / scooters and use the regular line. And they also expect that people (some of them who may be using these scooters and wheelchairs) to quickly, and easily exit the regular line, get their return to line pass sorted, and make it to the bathroom in time, or out of the zone before their PTSD kicks in, etc. How is that even going to work given the setup of a lot of Disney's queues?

This is the most confusing part about all of it. Because some of these lines are rough. How are you going to get out of the SDD line to pee and then get back with your party? It's not like there is one in queue close by.

 

[nickys]

I prefer pink and yellow but if my blood sugar is low enough I’m eating all of them mixed together, possibly with scraps of the paper still on. I wouldn’t be aware of it.

Severely low blood sugar is something else.

That reminds me of a kinda funny story.

I helped a child at school from her first day with her diabetes, first with injections and then with a pump.

When she was 8 her family went to WDW in the summer. The heat played havoc with her BG levels and for the first couple of days she was doing finger pricks every 30-60 minutes to try and monitor it. She had a multiple hypo in a switchback line and the family called for medical assistance. The entire queue had to be disrupted as they brought a gurney through to her. After she recovered and was checked out, they were given DAS. Presumably to avoid that situation again lol!

Of course after that they simply adjusted how much insulin she had and got her BG levels under control. The next time they went she had a pump and things went a lot better.

 

[Purduevian]

And as far as entering a LL, anyone with DAS should also be able to use G+ IMO because people who wait in standby lines can also use G+. They can get some leeway with DAS times just like if a meal ran up against your Remy LL.

I have no problem with DAS being allowed to use G+ and ILL. The issue I have is the advantage DAS has regarding Standby/LL over a non-DAS guess which further promotes abuse. DAS return times should be a substitute for standby.

For instance If the line for 7D is 90 minutes and a non-Das user gets in line. For those ~90 minutes they are not able to enter another attraction queue via standby or LL.

A DAS user is able to get a DAS return time for 80 minutes from now. Then walk directly over to Peter Pan and redeem a LL, then pick up a small world LL and ride that, then maybe pick up a tea cups LL and ride that. Finally after 80 minutes they hop in the ILL for 7D.

The DAS user may legitimately not be able to wait in a long line, but they were able to experience 4 attractions in the same a non-DAS user experienced 1.

Also of note, I do not blame legitimate DAS users for doing this. This is a flaw in the system, not with the user.

 

[nickys]

I would have a hard time eating red just to save my life...

What??? You are expelled from the Starburst fan club with immediate effect.

 

[pdude81]

I have no problem with DAS being allowed to use G+ and ILL. The issue I have is the advantage DAS has regarding Standby/LL over a non-DAS guess which further promotes abuse. DAS return times should be a substitute for standby.

For instance If the line for 7D is 90 minutes and a non-Das user gets in line. For those ~90 minutes they are not able to enter another attraction queue via standby or LL.

A DAS user is able to get a DAS return time for 80 minutes from now. Then walk directly over to Peter Pan and redeem a LL, then pick up a small world LL and ride that, then maybe pick up a tea cups LL and ride that. Finally after 80 minutes they hop in the ILL for 7D.

The DAS user may legitimately not be able to wait in a long line, but they were able to experience 4 attractions in the same a non-DAS user experienced 1.

Also of note, I do not blame legitimate DAS users for doing this. This is a flaw in the system, not with the user.

I get what you're saying. From their perspective also, when you get that 7D at 90 minutes and then pull a G+ for IASW, it may expire before you could get back in line. On busy days there are able bodies guests running around the park pulling things that someone with a developmental disability wouldn't necessarily be able to. At that point they can have that minor advantage IMO.

 

[DeadyRoosevelt]

This is gonna make things difficult for my son. He has a few lingering issues from a brain tumor surgery and radiation treatment. Considering his brain trauma, his developmental difficulties have been minor (ADHD/difficulty concentrating, a few special accommodations at school, etc). One of the biggest issues he has is difficulty regulating fluids and dealing with dehydration. He has medication, but issues are always exacerbated in WDW because he has to drink so much more in the hot weather. We've used DAS service for years since it allows us to return to queues at given times and reduces waits to 10 - 30 minutes (for the most part). But there are times between medication doses when he going to the bathroom very frequently. I don't know how this new return to queue service will work, but I'm not feeling optimistic. How disruptive will this be if he has to leave a queue 4-5 times? I know people abuse the system, but we've been very thankful for the DAS service in the past.

 

[CastAStone]

That reminds me of a kinda funny story.

I helped a child at school from her first day all the way through to the end of primary 7 with her diabetes, first with injections and then with a pump.

When she was 8 her family went to WDW in the summer. The heat played havoc with her BG levels and for the first couple of days she was doing finger pricks every 30-60 minutes to try and monitor it. She had a multiple hypo in a switchback line and the family called for medical assistance. The entire queue had to be disrupted as they brought a gurney through to her. After she recovered and was checked out, they were given DAS. Presumably to avoid that situation again lol!

Of course after that they simply adjusted how much insulin she had and got her BG levels under control. The next time they went she had a pump and things went a lot better.

That first trip was rough for me too. I didn’t have a CGM or a pump yet. I had a LOT of lows and ate a LOT of candy. Next time I was better prepared.

I do feel like Disney could be better with warning people about potential pitfalls and what to bring if you have XYZ condition. Universal actually has a decent resource for this.

 

[Joel]

You go tell someone with autism that they can't ride with their whole family. That can be your job since you don't seem to want to accept why Disney would want to accommodate more than 1 companion.

How's the pay?

 

[CJR]

I have no problem with DAS being allowed to use G+ and ILL. The issue I have is the advantage DAS has regarding Standby/LL over a non-DAS guess which further promotes abuse. DAS return times should be a substitute for standby.

For instance If the line for 7D is 90 minutes and a non-Das user gets in line. For those ~90 minutes they are not able to enter another attraction queue via standby or LL.

A DAS user is able to get a DAS return time for 80 minutes from now. Then walk directly over to Peter Pan and redeem a LL, then pick up a small world LL and ride that, then maybe pick up a tea cups LL and ride that. Finally after 80 minutes they hop in the ILL for 7D.

The DAS user may legitimately not be able to wait in a long line, but they were able to experience 4 attractions in the same a non-DAS user experienced 1.

Also of note, I do not blame legitimate DAS users for doing this. This is a flaw in the system, not with the user.

Another flaw that I know of, unless they have since changed it, is that you can immediately enter a virtual queue after scanning the second touch point (sometimes the first and only touch point).

So, if you're riding Space Mountain, you can enter the virtual queue for Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin after the merge point, but before you actually get on the Space Mountain ride. This means that you're essentially riding a ride while waiting in line for the next attraction, same with things like The Haunted Mansion, which you can do before you even enter the building.

I also don't blame the guest/user for this since it's something Disney makes rather public. Disney could easily stop this by creating a five to ten minute delay after the scan is made, before you can select another attraction.

 

[Tha Realest]

Let’s keep the eye on the ball here. While DAS abusers are detestable, the real villain is Disney and its monetization of wait times. The able bodied should extend empathy and understanding to the neurodivergent and differently-abled; it’s Disney’s desire to find new revenue streams and create multiple stratifications of the haves and have nots that have made these operational issues more acute.

 

[Doberge]

I think this is a first step toward an eventually expanded maybe third partu system. Disney may eventually use something like the DLP list to expand the diagnoses that make one eligible for DAS. Many diagnoses have an inherent waiting difficulty just from having the diagnosis, so an eventual reviewer could just confirm that a guest has in a medical record one of a defined list of diagnoses and recommend to Disney a guest be enrolled in DAS.

I don't think Disney intends to push others with needs aside but Disney is still figuring things out (existing litigation out there) but felt a need to do hit reset button and something now instead of continuing to let issues proliferate. Unfortunately, good apples have been swept up with bad ones.

So why only developmental disorders right now? Developmental disorders are difficult to evaluate just from medical records so they will likely always require a guest subjective component (interview) how the diagnosis effects the guest. For this reason, medical review may be insufficient for the segment with development disabilities, so limiting to an interview, just a continuation of what they've been doing but with better trained CMs in a different venue, may be the best Disney can do at this time. If if going to limit to an interview then development disorders are a good place to start.

 

[Brian]

Let’s keep the eye on the ball here. While DAS abusers are detestable, the real villain is Disney and its monetization of wait times. The able bodied should extend empathy and understanding to the neurodivergent and differently-abled; it’s Disney’s desire to find new revenue streams and create multiple stratifications of the haves and have nots that have made these operational issues more acute.

That, and as @peter11435 so aptly puts it, Disney has created a culture in which guests are made to feel as if waiting in line isn't acceptable in the first place.

 

[tissandtully]

Let’s keep the eye on the ball here. While DAS abusers are detestable, the real villain is Disney and its monetization of wait times. The able bodied should extend empathy and understanding to the neurodivergent and differently-abled; it’s Disney’s desire to find new revenue streams and create multiple stratifications of the haves and have nots that have made these operational issues more acute.

Eh, they are legally obligated to create new revenue streams per their shareholders. Growth at all costs is a key tenant of capitalism, it's just what it is and what the market demands. Calling it a "desire" makes it sound more sinister than just participating in capitalism.

 

[Tha Realest]

That, and as @peter11435 so aptly puts it, Disney has created a culture in which guests are made to feel as if waiting in line isn't acceptable in the first place.

It’s the FP+ problem but now tied to a valuable revenue stream and outsized (unrealistic?) customer expectations.

Our solution has been to drastically pare back our trips, and/or schedule them for expected low attendance times where a G+/ILL purchase isn’t required for a baseline tolerable experience.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

A lot of reports? Or a few reported multiple times?

Plus without any evidence that it was one single DAS user with 15 guests.

Maybe it wasn’t even a DAS group at all, but a VIP tour, or Club33 member plus guests.

Are you disputing that it’s being taken advantage of?

I’m assuming you never worked in a Disney park?

EVERYTHING is taken advantage of without question

 

[Andrew25]

I know DAS abuse is also prevalent at Disneyland... but does it impacts standby waits as much? Almost like having enough capacity will at least dampen the impacts a bit.

 

[tissandtully]

Are you disputing that it’s being taken advantage of?

I’m assuming you never worked in a Disney park?

EVERYTHING is taken advantage of without question

I asked for a straw from a QS the other day and already had a straw. So yes you are correct.

 

[tissandtully]

I know DAS abuse is also prevalent at Disneyland... but does it impacts standby waits as much? Almost like having enough capacity will at least dampen the impacts a bit.

I've heard it's even worse at DL.

 

[Andrew25]

I've heard it's even worse at DL.

More rampant I'm sure with all the "insider" knowledge from APs/locals, but does it impact standby waits as much as WDW?

 

[tissandtully]

More rampant I'm sure with all the "insider" knowledge from APs/locals, but does it impact standby waits as much as WDW?

Apparently the merge ratio is higher at DL so yes.