New DAS System at Walt Disney World 2024

[Florida Man]

Let’s take my grandfather. Has a laundry list of medical problems due to agent orange exposure in Vietnam.

He has severe pain in his lower extremities do to poor blood flow. ( At some point his legs may need to be amputated )

When we used das we would usually sit somewhere comfortable with some snacks and wait for the return time. He had to get up every couple of minutes to walk around and then he sits back down again. This is how he deals with the extreme pain in his legs.

You clearly don’t have anyone In your family with severe disabilities or you wouldn’t be asking such a ridiculous question.

Doing anything for him in life is a nightmare, but DAS gave him a way to have some enjoyment with his great grand daughter with the short time he has left on this earth.

Sorry for being naive here, but are you able to bring wheelchairs through queues? So that he could possibly sit down and stand up, and then have the wheelchair waiting at the exit?

 

[Florida Man]

Sorry for doing this, but can someone explain what the differences are between these new proposed rules and the previous ones? I have tried reading articles on it, but none of them compare what is different. Are guests needing this assistance now required to show proof of the disability?

 

[Vclguy90]

The solution is just to require documentation.

It’s better than excluding some disabilities while
accommodating others.

Especially when the disabilities they are accommodating are largely invisible and will encourage abuse.

I think most ( not all ) cheaters will stop short of asking their doctors to give them fake diagnoses’s.

DLP does this and it's amazing and extremely efficient. Also, it would avoid having to redo it every visit, which can sometimes be stressful.

 

[DisneyFanatic12]

Sorry for doing this, but can someone explain what the differences are between these new proposed rules and the previous ones? I have tried reading articles on it, but none of them compare what is different. Are guests needing this assistance now required to show proof of the disability?

On a very surface level, it is now specifically limited to guests with a “developmental disability like autism or similar, are unable to wait in a conventional queue for an extended period of time”. The change also limits the party size to 4 members of your immediate family. And finally, perhaps the most controversial change, they now require a little more “proof” of your developmental disability (through a third party).

 

[Vclguy90]

One a slightly different note, how much of the DAS abuse was “fueled” by Genie+?

Not that DAS abuse is ok to any extent, but if you charge a substantial amount for a service and offer what some people view as a “free” alternative, many people are going to abuse what they see as a loophole. Was the same issue at Universal.

I was disgusted by how many “trip planning” videos there were on YouTube telling people to get DAS because it was “pretty much the same as Fastpass”.

This is probably the main reason it is being abused. In a quasi-rebellious way. Disney took away something that was free for decades and I guess alot of people are trying to get what they feel they deserved.

 

[Vclguy90]

On a very surface level, it is now specifically limited to guests with a “developmental disability like autism or similar, are unable to wait in a conventional queue for an extended period of time”. The change also limits the party size to 4 members of ONLY your immediate family. And finally, perhaps the most controversial change, they now require proof of your developmental disability.

So realistically nothing has changed besides having to show proof? Just getting more serious about it not being abused?

 

[DisneyFanatic12]

So realistically nothing has changed? Just getting more serious about it not being abused?

Pretty much. Mostly just a slightly smaller group size, and you supposedly can’t go on rides with someone not immediately related, like someone you’re dating or one of your friends (granted, I don’t think they’ll be very strict on that part of the rule, and I may have just misinterpreted this part because the wording is poor for a Disney release).

 

[Florida Man]

On a very surface level, it is now specifically limited to guests with a “developmental disability like autism or similar, are unable to wait in a conventional queue for an extended period of time”. The change also limits the party size to 4 members of ONLY your immediate family. And finally, perhaps the most controversial change, they now require proof of your developmental disability.

Thank you. What was DAS limited to before if it's now limited to what you stated above? What was the limit of the party size before, and I'm guessing it was not just immediate family members but anyone in your party? And finally, I saw they were partnering with a 3rd party. Is that who guests will be providing proof to? I just saw a post that said "the easy thing for them to do is just require proof". So that's why I thought they weren't.

 

[pdude81]

This is probably the main reason it is being abused. In a quasi-rebellious way. Disney took away something that was free for decades and I guess alot of people are trying to get what they feel they deserved.

It was paper when I went in 2011, and you had to run there to get the tickets before somebody else did. I don't know when FP+ started exactly but I think we're talking less than 8 years before it vanished.

 

[Splash4eva]

Sorry for doing this, but can someone explain what the differences are between these new proposed rules and the previous ones? I have tried reading articles on it, but none of them compare what is different. Are guests needing this assistance now required to show proof of the disability?

Nope still no proof. Seems like they have made an internal decision to limit who is eligible now and no longer can one show up at GS to get DAS….

 

[DisneyFanatic12]

What was DAS limited to before if it's now limited to what you stated above?

5 members.

I'm guessing it was not just immediate family members but anyone in your party?

Yea, pretty much any linked ticket.

I saw they were partnering with a 3rd party. Is that who guests will be providing proof to?

Yup, though I don’t know what that whole system will look like for sure. Nothing too crazy though, I don’t think.

 

[Vclguy90]

Proof or no proof?

 

[DisneyFanatic12]

Proof of no proof?

I don’t think that’s been confirmed yet. Proof in the since that the screening questions will likely be much more tailored, but probably just short of any real medical documents being shared. All I think we know at this time is that they’ll team up with Inspire Health Alliance professionals to help Cast determine eligibility for appropriate accommodations. No specific documentation will be shared to my knowledge.

 

[Florida Man]

Lol. Okay, I'm still so confused. One post above says they aren't requiring proof of the disability and the other says they are.

 

[Vclguy90]

I don’t think that’s been confirmed yet. Proof in the since that the screening questions will likely be much more tailored, but probably just short of any real medical documents being shared. All I think we know at this time is that they’ll team up with Inspire Health Alliance professionals to help Cast determine eligibility for appropriate accommodations.

Gotcha. And this is coming within the next 2 months?

 

[DisneyFanatic12]

Gotcha. And this is coming within the next 2 months?

Yup! May 20th for WDW

 

[Indy_UK]

Could the ‘leave and return’ of the line idea be done on the app?

I can’t figure out how they are going to implement it when I guess this will now be the alternative for those with toilet issues or mobility issues?

 

[jaklgreen]

Is it confirmed that they will deny you access to DAS with your specific condition? This is again why requiring documentation is the way to go. You would be 100% willing to supply it to gain access like you need.

Well since my issues are bathroom related, they have posted that they will have a way to get in and out of line. I will have to speak to them about it since I travel solo for the most part now and there would be no one to hold my spot in line. Plus at times, I can easily have to go every 15-20 minutes. That is a lot of getting in and out of line for the longer queues.
And frankly, with the reports of the fights and arguments about people leaving and coming back into the line, I am not very confident that this won't end in some kind of confrontation with other guests.

 

[jaklgreen]

Those two things aren't mutually exclusive.

If they think they aren't selling enough G+ and/or ILL because of DAS abuse, that's still significantly altering the experience for regular guests even if it also hurts Disney's pocketbook. If someone wants to buy G+ or an ILL and can't because DAS abuse has eliminated their potential spot, then their experience has been negatively altered and Disney has lost money.

Disney doesn't have to be doing this out of the goodness of their heart for it to have an effect on the average guest experience.

They were selling plenty and it caused an issue with the lines being too long. You all don't remember that they reduced how many that they are selling? Disney created this mess by getting rid of free FP and selling Genie+, and inferior service even to the old FP system. They created the problem and now are punishing the people with disabilities to try to fix it.

 

[jaklgreen]

I'm with you - but what is deemed a legitimate disability and not a G+ transferrable disability? A disability they choose not to recognize?

My issue is that I don't know why anyone is comparing DAS to Genie+. They are not the same service and Genie+ absolutely does not give the same opportunities in the park for people with disabilities that the average person gets. And Genie+ isn't even meant to keep you from waiting in any standby line, it was just supposed to give you those few extra return times. Not have your whole day only go on Genie+ rides.