New DAS System at Walt Disney World 2024

[TheMaxRebo]

I think what's off putting the most to some folks is that this really is a two-fold change. Yes, it's to weed out rampant abuse. But they are also absolutely restricting access to a different class of disabled people, so to speak. As in, there are absolutely legitimately disabled people who used the service for many years who no longer will be able to. And I totally can appreciate the frustration with that fact. However, I'm optimistic that the accommodations offered at each attraction will be sufficient.

I was hoping with this change they would have more formal and structured accomodations - maybe even retiring the DAS name and instead having accomodations A, B, C, etc and informing people that based one what they have said the accomodations most suited is B (or whatever) which will directly address you concern via X, Y, and Z .... Now, some may still have not been satisfied as it might not be as beneficial as what DAS gave them, but I think at least if would feel that their concerns were taken seriously and attempted to be addressed. Vs now it is just "we have a program, you no longer qualify, instead talk to CM at each attraction to see if/how they can address" (at least in some cases)

Now, maybe that variability and level of customization will in practice work and be even better, but at a time people are feeling a lot of uncertainty I think it only increases that vas making them feel heard and confident in how their trip will go

 

[lazyboy97o]

I’m not sure if not wanting your family split up is going to be a valid reason the new system won’t work, ONLY because Disney already splits up families with little ones all the time with their rider switch process. If a child is not tall enough for a ride, that child is not even allowed in the line. Disney has been splitting up families for decades now, and people have dealt with it. I know there have certainly been complaints about it, because I was on the receiving end of those complaints an an attractions CM for many years. Now I get it - please don’t get me wrong - I’m a parent of many littles and it can be a pain. And I assume it would be a pain when you add in the variable of a disability. But it would seem like the precedent has been set for ages, and regardless of the hassle, I would imagine in every family both parents have experience being the sole caretaker of their own child/children from time to time. Again, not saying it’s ideal, but…I don’t know if any court would agree it’s unreasonable.

Rider switch is entirely optional and ultimately rooted in safety. That’s a lot different than splitting up families where the root reason is a disability. A family using rider switch made that choice, but a family being told to split up in order to receive an accommodation is not being provided with a choice. Even with rider switch now being opened up for just personal choice, it is personal choice that the split revolves around, not a disability.

 

[Disney Glimpses]

FWIW, I am hearing that Disney has already made additional changes internally to it's qualifications for DAS. So, I think things will continue to evolve over the coming months and we just have to go through these growing pains together.

Rider switch is entirely optional and ultimately rooted in safety. That’s a lot different than splitting up families where the root reason is a disability. A family using rider switch made that choice, but a family being told to split up in order to receive an accommodation is not being provided with a choice. Even with rider switch now being opened up for just personal choice, it is personal choice that the split revolves around, not a disability.

True, but I'm not sure it would be considered unreasonable as it pertains to ADA.

 

[natatomic]

Rider switch is entirely optional and ultimately rooted in safety. That’s a lot different than splitting up families where the root reason is a disability. A family using rider switch made that choice, but a family being told to split up in order to receive an accommodation is not being provided with a choice. Even with rider switch now being opened up for just personal choice, it is personal choice that the split revolves around, not a disability.

I don’t know, Disney literally will not let you in the line with a child that is too small. I get that it’s for safety, but you either split up or don’t ride at all. The child didn’t choose to be too small, so it’s not really a choice. Even a family with a disability could still - in theory, depending on the line and severity of the disability - choose to wait in the standby together.
(I can see it being a choice for a kid who just doesn’t want to ride but is otherwise tall enough, but I think in that situation most of the time the family sticks together and then the kid just waits 90 seconds at the exit by himself. That was always my experience anyway.)

Fwiw, I can see your point too, but I’m just trying to imagine what can be considered “reasonable.” I know this is a grey area and I’m not at all trying to argue with you.

 

[Chip Chipperson]

Rider switch is entirely optional and ultimately rooted in safety. That’s a lot different than splitting up families where the root reason is a disability. A family using rider switch made that choice, but a family being told to split up in order to receive an accommodation is not being provided with a choice. Even with rider switch now being opened up for just personal choice, it is personal choice that the split revolves around, not a disability.

Can't you say that about just about everything in an amusement park? No rides are required - it is entirely a choice to ride or not if the rider meets the safety requirements. From a safety standpoint, if someone argues that they absolutely cannot wait in the queue then it is not unreasonable to say, "OK, if you wait - and have the option of doing something else like eat, use the restroom, ride something else, shop, etc. - then you and 1 other member of your party can use the LL when the other members of your party return." There is no logical reason why a party of 8, for example, needs to all be granted LL access to 7DMT because 1 person might have to use the bathroom or needs to use a wheelchair (assuming we're not talking about a situation such as a single parent with several children, of course). If it is a reasonable accommodation to provide DAS with a limit on the number of people granted LL access then the same would logically any to situations where Rider Swap is an otherwise reasonable accommodation. Splitting a party is sitting a party any way you slice it.

 

[Touchdown]

It’s a light day at every park that is not DHS. These are the only waits over 60 min on property. Rise is down, but that’s no excuse for multiple rides to be over 2 hours

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Disney literally will not let you in the line with a child that is too small.

Really? Being a childless Disney adult I didn’t realize this was the case.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

For what it is worth, I agree with you; I think many in this thread do. If the new accommodations are not enough to make someone comfortable, then they will remove themselves from the scenario.

I agree. I have a good friend who asked me if her 53 y/o daughter (who is at a 4 or 5 y/o level emotionally) and can't stand crowds and being close to people, loud noises, would be okay to go to disney. I told her that there is a lot of exposure to loud noises, crowds and crowding, close contact with people and it's a constant thing that we even find difficult to take after a while. We just have to get out of the parks for a while. She decided that her daughter could not tolerate that situation at all, but she takes her to other places and experiences that she can tolerate. The constant noise, crowds bother me after about 4 days, and I am ready to stay at the resort or even leave by then, but that's just me. I don't have any medical conditions that would cause that, just the extent of the confusion and being at a theme park.

 

[natatomic]

Really? Being a childless Disney adult I didn’t realize this was the case.

Yes, that way it’s harder for kids who are too short to be snuck on the ride. It helps the loading stations be more efficient too since they don’t have to measure EVERY little kid who comes through the line. Just the ones who look super close (because once in a blue moon a little one sneaks in).

 

[jennab55]

Everyone but the DAS abuser was having a bad experience. The standby queue guest, the Genie+ guest, the legitimate DAS guest. A huge number of local APs and even Cast Members took a system designed for the disabled and exploited it so they didn't have to wait in long lines or pay for LL access. These people knew what they were doing and knew the laws that prevented Disney from actually verifying their needs as legitimate and they used those laws to gain an advantage over the disabled. The number of people who engaged in this behavior is downright shocking. Disgraceful.

Yes I feel like the last time we went to Disney (about 2yrs ago) I was shocked at how long the LL lines had gotten. Sometimes we got to the attraction, saw how long the LL line was, and left for something else because it just wasn’t going to work out for us.

 

[ditzee]

I think that many have forgotten that Disney themselves have built a reputation of being very friendly to those with disabilities. Everyone knew that Disney would make your day as great as possible. For many, WDW is the ONE place that they could go and feel somewhat "normal". Disney cultivated this and has profited greatly by it. They still charge everyone full price and don't do what they do in Europe, letting the caretake in for free, so everyone pays full price.
So yeah, WDW attracts more with disabilities than any other theme park. That should be taken into consideration when looking at the numbers. That is just the reality of the US Disney parks.

Things changed when Iger took over.
Today's visit to AK was my last at Disney. When we get home, I will write and tell Disney what I think of their new DAS accommodations and why my family will no longer patronize their parks. I say this and realize that Disney likely won't care but it will make me feel better.
Best wishes to those still fighting the good fight. I hope you get the accommodations you need!

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

It’s a light day at every park that is not DHS. These are the only waits over 60 min on property. Rise is down, but that’s no excuse for multiple rides to be over 2 hours

View attachment 788634

Thank you for continuing to do this.

 

[Dranth]

Things changed when Iger took over.
Today's visit to AK was my last at Disney. When we get home, I will write and tell Disney what I think of their new DAS accommodations and why my family will no longer patronize their parks. I say this and realize that Disney likely won't care but it will make me feel better.
Best wishes to those still fighting the good fight. I hope you get the accommodations you need!

Just curious, have you used the new accommodations? I was under the impression that your current visit was under the old or am I misremembering?

 

[MintCity]

It’s a light day at every park that is not DHS. These are the only waits over 60 min on property. Rise is down, but that’s no excuse for multiple rides to be over 2 hours

View attachment 788634

Do you think DAS is driving these wait times?

 

[Disstevefan1]

Do you think DAS is driving these wait times?

I think not since they fixed DAS. I think its simply the totally broken Genie+ system
@Sirwalterraleigh , I wish the lower attendance did something to help the wait times!

 

[ditzee]

It’s a light day at every park that is not DHS. These are the only waits over 60 min on property. Rise is down, but that’s no excuse for multiple rides to be over 2 hours

View attachment 788634

We were at AK today & I thought it was pretty crowded - not Spring Break crowded but still lots of people - more like Thanksgiving Week crowded.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I don’t know, Disney literally will not let you in the line with a child that is too small. I get that it’s for safety, but you either split up or don’t ride at all. The child didn’t choose to be too small, so it’s not really a choice. Even a family with a disability could still - in theory, depending on the line and severity of the disability - choose to wait in the standby together.
(I can see it being a choice for a kid who just doesn’t want to ride but is otherwise tall enough, but I think in that situation most of the time the family sticks together and then the kid just waits 90 seconds at the exit by himself. That was always my experience anyway.)

Fwiw, I can see your point too, but I’m just trying to imagine what can be considered “reasonable.” I know this is a grey area and I’m not at all trying to argue with you.

The other major difference is families using RS because a child is too short are still able to experience all of the non-height requirement attractions with their full family (and it's not like that's a small number of attractions). Whereas a family using RS due to disability accommodation may be needed on any/all attractions depending on line lengths, not just a small number of height required rides.

 

[Indy_UK]

My son has level 1 and got denied today. We have used das in the past. We are passholders who are typically in the park for only a.few hours then leave to head back and relax at the resort. It worked for my son who if the wait is too long will vocally stim by singing. We don't want to bother others and will try to distract him by talking about other things, playing games etc but he will inevitably go back to singing. Now I'm the lady in line quieting my kid constantly to not disturb others with 2 younger kids. I was told we should use return to queue. I guarantee we will not be returning to most rides if we leave the line. Also we will now be bringing constant attention to my son who is sensitive about autism in the first place. I'm pretty disgusted with the whole situation. We will go early and leave around lunch. Probably be done for the day. Maybe next year we do universal instead and just stay in the premier hotels for unlimited express. Vacation shouldn't be stressful but Disney seems to be making it that way.

Sorry to hear you got denied. Im now certain that our son will get denied too for Disneyland this August

if you were told return to queue nd not attraction queue rentry, it is a different process.

Return to Queue (RTQ) is similar to what DAS was pre-Covid. You go to the attraction, tell the CM you need a return time, they give you one based off the standby wait and you return later - as is done with DAS. The difference with RTQ is that it has to be done individually at each ride, and you will need to explain your child's needs at each ride.

Attraction Queue Reentey (AQR) is where the party enters standby, and when the disabled guest needs to leave they tell the CM and exit the line, while the majority of their party remains in standby - you then go through LL to meet up at the merge point (either by your party calling you, or the disabled guests is able to return to the line through the LL and wait there for the standby party to meet them).

So how are they doing the RTQ? They are writing the return time on a piece of card and that's done at each attraction. That sounds similar to what we have done previously in Disneyland Paris. If im honest, I am not against this as I hate having to constantly use my phone in the parks.

Totally hear that. A suggestion on another forum we will be prepared for if this is recommended to us is to have DD's needs written on a card she or we can present to reduce the amount of verbal explanation needed. Privacy matters when sharing disability information, as does teaching our kids that from early on, and queue entrances aren't the same environment as guest relations or pre registration from home.

Im going to look into this actually. I do not want to spend every attraction explaining to the CM. I have a generic UK DiD card it's called and to get one, I had to prove that we receive state benefits for our sons Autism and needs but that's going to be completely lost on US cast members

 

[Todd H]

Things changed when Iger took over.
Today's visit to AK was my last at Disney. When we get home, I will write and tell Disney what I think of their new DAS accommodations and why my family will no longer patronize their parks. I say this and realize that Disney likely won't care but it will make me feel better.
Best wishes to those still fighting the good fight. I hope you get the accommodations you need!

Prepare to receive a form letter as a response. That’s what I got. In the old days someone would have contacted me personally to discuss my issues but it appears those days are long gone.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Things changed when Iger took over.
Today's visit to AK was my last at Disney. When we get home, I will write and tell Disney what I think of their new DAS accommodations and why my family will no longer patronize their parks. I say this and realize that Disney likely won't care but it will make me feel better.
Best wishes to those still fighting the good fight. I hope you get the accommodations you need!

What do other parks do for accommodation. I am curious how they handle it vs Disney.