New DAS System at Walt Disney World 2024

DisneyHead123

Well-Known Member
I honestly doubt it. People have been saying the same thing about other things they've instituted, But the reality is people eventually get used to the new world order. People will eventually get used to this as well.

I'm certain this wasn't done haphazardly. There is quite a bit of complexity to how this all fits together. Now they may well make some changes, and should if the program can work better.

Just my opinion, of course. But this is the Disney of today, not the Disney of 10 years ago. And the Disney of today has been stumbling on design and implementation in other areas recently. Given some of what we've seen recently, I really do think they just tossed RTQ and AQR out there because of the staggering potential profit loss that probably turned a lot of heads in executive meetings.
 

Brer Oswald

Well-Known Member
The other side of this are folks who can't stand for long periods of time but reject a wheelchair. Unfortunately, while I do sympathize with someone not wanting to be in a wheelchair unless absolutely necessary, it doesn't appear that Disney is going to budge on this one.
What about the cases where the queues can’t accommodate wheelchairs? Stuff like Big Thunder, Spaceship Earth, and very soon, Bayou Adventure. That’s what has me the most curious. In “ye olden days” they would just let you skip the standby line and go through the separate wheelchair entrance. In recent years, they would give you a return time (with or without the DAS interview) which I felt was the most fair.
 

DisneyHead123

Well-Known Member
It definitely wasn't. The service somewhat accidentally grew overtime to accommodate way more circumstances than it was originally intended to. This just brings it back to where it used to be. Which is, essentially, for folks who require caretakers (namely children or severely disabled adults) with developmental/cognitive disabilities. Adults with challenges waiting in line (who are otherwise able) can meet up with their party when it's time to ride.
To clarify, when I say 'haphazardly', I don't mean 'suddenly', or 'without discussion'. I mean 'without adequate logistical preparation'. Did they have CMs going through lines to test RTQ and AQR? In wheelchairs and ECVs as well as on foot? Did they have a solid plan for each ride regarding procedures, and make sure that CMs were fully trained, in addition to making sure that they have enough CMs to meet demand? Did they send out advance surveys to get a feel for what actual usage will probably be?

I have a feeling the answer to all of the above is 'no', which is what I mean by 'haphazard'. I also think that Disney is going to be caught off guard by actual usage levels and the logistical issues this will cause. I'm sure there was lots and lots of discussion because I'm betting the numbers regarding potential profit loss were eye popping. But I think Disney execs are sometimes a bit out of touch with the TikTok generation (as am I, lol, but I'm extrapolating based on what happened with DAS,) and did not adequately prepare for this change. We will see though, I could be 100% off base on that.
 

peter11435

Well-Known Member
What about the cases where the queues can’t accommodate wheelchairs? Stuff like Big Thunder, Spaceship Earth, and very soon, Bayou Adventure. That’s what has me the most curious. In “ye olden days” they would just let you skip the standby line and go through the separate wheelchair entrance. In recent years, they would give you a return time (with or without the DAS interview) which I felt was the most fair.
They would still issue a return time
 

Disney Glimpses

Well-Known Member
To clarify, when I say 'haphazardly', I don't mean 'suddenly', or 'without discussion'. I mean 'without adequate logistical preparation'. Did they have CMs going through lines to test RTQ and AQR? In wheelchairs and ECVs as well as on foot? Did they have a solid plan for each ride regarding procedures, and make sure that CMs were fully trained, in addition to making sure that they have enough CMs to meet demand? Did they send out advance surveys to get a feel for what actual usage will probably be?

I have a feeling the answer to all of the above is 'no', which is what I mean by 'haphazard'. I also think that Disney is going to be caught off guard by actual usage levels and the logistical issues this will cause. I'm sure there was lots and lots of discussion because I'm betting the numbers regarding potential profit loss were eye popping. But I think Disney execs are sometimes a bit out of touch with the TikTok generation (as am I, lol, but I'm extrapolating based on what happened with DAS,) and did not adequately prepare for this change. We will see though, I could be 100% off base on that.
I think you're overthinking this (and I also I think you are overestimating the number of people who were actually using DAS legitimately in the first place).

In reality, the folks who really need it will still continue to get it. People who can't stand for long periods of time are welcome to use a wheelchair. And people with other issues can meet up with their party when it's time to ride. It's actually much simpler/clear cut now IMO.
 

DisneyHead123

Well-Known Member
I think you're overthinking this (and I also I think you are overestimating the number of people who were actually using DAS legitimately in the first place).

In reality, the folks who really need it will still continue to get it. People who can't stand for long periods of time are welcome to use a wheelchair. And people with other issues can meet up with their party when it's time to ride. It's actually much simpler/clear cut now IMO.
I don't know, I think it's hard for people over 38-ish to grok this younger generation. I think Disney is thinking they can change a few policies and things will more or less return to the way they were pre-Genie and pre social media. I'm looking around conspiratorially and going "Ooo, mark my words! The Tikkety Tokkers, they're crafty! They're sly! They're everywhere!!", lol.

Seriously, though, I'm mostly extrapolating from previous trends. The previous trend was that DAS use exceeded anything Disney anticipated, and it lit up social media influencer's pages. Why would the new accommodations be any different? Except these will likely be more disruptive, because it sounds like procedures for how they will work are still being worked out.
 

Chi84

Premium Member
I think you're overthinking this (and I also I think you are overestimating the number of people who were actually using DAS legitimately in the first place).

In reality, the folks who really need it will still continue to get it. People who can't stand for long periods of time are welcome to use a wheelchair. And people with other issues can meet up with their party when it's time to ride. It's actually much simpler/clear cut now IMO.
I think many of the guests who are denied DAS and offered alternate accommodations will choose to buy Genie+/ILLs instead of dealing with the inconvenience of those alternate accommodations.

I remember at one point Len said only 1 in 4 guests in the LL were paying for it. That's a pretty significant "financial impact." WDW parks don't have the capacity to charge for line-skips but Disney decided to do it anyway. Curtailing DAS is just the initial step in trying to make an unworkable system work.
 

natatomic

Well-Known Member
I think many of the guests who are denied DAS and offered alternate accommodations will choose to buy Genie+/ILLs instead of dealing with the inconvenience of those alternate accommodations.

I remember at one point Len said only 1 in 4 guests in the LL were paying for it. That's a pretty significant "financial impact." WDW parks don't have the capacity to charge for line-skips but Disney decided to do it anyway. Curtailing DAS is just the initial step in trying to make an unworkable system work.
Remember the days when 0 in 4 guests were paying for it? How did Disney ever survive?!

(I’m not attacking you, I just hate that Disney charges for yet another thing that used to be free, and I’ll never forgive them for it.)
 

Patcheslee

Well-Known Member
Yes. This

And Disney wants you to learn about these things by asking CM's in person. Not in a formal list with greater detail online or a video. To curtail the spread of strategies to abuse
I emailed specifically for a general idea of where the first CM is in line for GotG & Remy because the walk-throughs I found didn't show any until boarding. The response was they couldn't tell be about exit/reenter. Seems even trying to at least know where to find a CM is secret right now.
 

Chi84

Premium Member
Remember the days when 0 in 4 guests were paying for it? How did Disney ever survive?!

(I’m not attacking you, I just hate that Disney charges for yet another thing that used to be free, and I’ll never forgive them for it.)
I don't take it as an attack; the point of my post is that charging for this is never going to work. I save my "hate" for the Genie+ thread lol.
 

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
The other side of this are folks who can't stand for long periods of time but reject a wheelchair. Unfortunately, while I do sympathize with someone not wanting to be in a wheelchair unless absolutely necessary, it doesn't appear that Disney is going to budge on this one.
For some a wheelchair doesn’t actually offer any sort of relief or accommodation.
 

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
I know a couple of people who are in this situation. Will be interesting to see what their conversations with Disney are like.
Their position since the implementation of DAS has largely been to reject such notions and offer the wheelchair regardless of its applicability. It became more relaxed over the years and it seems we’re back to that position being more official.
 

WDWTrojan

Well-Known Member
What about the cases where the queues can’t accommodate wheelchairs? Stuff like Big Thunder, Spaceship Earth, and very soon, Bayou Adventure. That’s what has me the most curious. In “ye olden days” they would just let you skip the standby line and go through the separate wheelchair entrance. In recent years, they would give you a return time (with or without the DAS interview) which I felt was the most fair.

You don't need DAS for those situations. They either direct you to a wheelchair entrance or issue you a return time.
 

pdude81

Well-Known Member
I don't know, I think it's hard for people over 38-ish to grok this younger generation. I think Disney is thinking they can change a few policies and things will more or less return to the way they were pre-Genie and pre social media. I'm looking around conspiratorially and going "Ooo, mark my words! The Tikkety Tokkers, they're crafty! They're sly! They're everywhere!!", lol.

Seriously, though, I'm mostly extrapolating from previous trends. The previous trend was that DAS use exceeded anything Disney anticipated, and it lit up social media influencer's pages. Why would the new accommodations be any different? Except these will likely be more disruptive, because it sounds like procedures for how they will work are still being worked out.
The first time they came for the "life-hack"ers was Rider Switch. That had also exceeded their expectations so it had to be curtailed to enhance operations. And this is pre Genie+
 

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