New DAS System at Walt Disney World 2024

[SamusAranX]

Why did they switch from the former GAC system to the current DAS?

I wasn’t a passholder when that switch was made. My love for the parks grew from when I was younger.

I believe firmly that abuse was occurring, but I also don’t believe WDW for a second used “won’t someone please, think of the standby guest?!” as their primary motivation. As another poster said, it’s not mutually exclusive. Usually when any major corporation “does the right thing”, there is almost always a financial/profit benefit that just happens to come with said decision.

 

[Disney Analyst]

So Disney is clearly redefining what the DAS system is, and who it is intended for.

The real question is, for those outside this definition, will they find other ways to reasonably accommodate them?

 

[SamusAranX]

So Disney is clearly redefining what the DAS system is, and who it is intended for.

The real question is, for those outside this definition, will they find other ways to reasonably accommodate them?

Yes. I believe that it is reasonable to assume that the return to queue system will be an alternative accommodation. But practically speaking it will be interesting to see how it is implemented

 

[UNCgolf]

Do you really think Disney did this out of kindness of their heart(s) and empathy for the standby guest experience ? No. They saw the abuse, realized the missed revenue, and went to change it. The abuse definitely exists, but I also don’t believe for one millisecond this was done with good motives on Disney’s part.

I already explained this above, but they don't need good motives for it to have the same effect. Improving the standby experience makes them money too, if indirectly. They aren't mutually exclusive things.

 

[larryz]

As far as the ADA is concerned it is a place of public accommodation.

So the way to avoid ADA complications is to make everybody join a private club to experience the parks. D23, for example, with different levels gating specific perks and accesses.

You want to visit a WDW park? Fine. Basic D23 membership lets you buy tickets into Epcot or AK during non-festival seasons. Gold D23 gets you into DHS, AK and Epcot. Platinum D23 gets you into all four parks.

Some things would have to change. Not everybody could join D23 -- some affinity or common ground would have to be established, something like DVC ownership or similar. There would have to be substantial membership fees -- $99 a year isn't going to do it. Members would have to be allowed some say in the running of the organization -- some board like the Mom's Council might serve that purpose.

And at some point, Disney would have to go non-profit, but given current management style, that might not be as big a problem as it sounds.

 

[SamusAranX]

I already explained this above, but they don't need good motives for it to have the same effect. Improving the standby experience makes them money too, if indirectly. They aren't mutually exclusive things.

Aha, it was you! I couldn’t remember who made this statement earlier.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Yes there are some places that have them I have seen them at zoo's, aquariums and other venues. There is a group called Kulture city that helps with that.

Some nfl stadiums have them too - along with sensory rooms. I hope this becomes the norm

 

[Angel Ariel]

In case anyone was curious, Disney has posted an Accessibility Planning Guide &
Recommendations (you can see from the PDF file name it was finalized on 4/5/24)

https://cdn1.parksmedia.wdprapps.disney.com/vision-dam/digital/parks-platform/parks-global-assets/disney-world/guest-services/accessibility/page/WDW-Access-Planning-Guide-FINAL-4-5-24.pdf

This would seem to reaffirm that DAS is intended only for those with a “developmental disability like autism or similar.”

Physically navigating various queues is addressed in the Mobility Access Options at the bottom of the page.


View attachment 778529

They may have repackaged them and redone graphics and such, but guides like this have been there for multiple disabilities for Years. it isn't new info.

(Referencing the recommendations part. The wording re DAS is the same as what was posted on the official site yesterday.

 

[Splash4eva]

Unfortunately these are the busiest theme parks in the world and at some point someone is going to be unhappy with the wait times. If you let too many people have DAS, now the standby line is going even slower, what with that and Lightning Lane. If you let too few people have it, some legitimate DAS users are going to be upset. If you just have one free for all line, it slows to a crawl and is overwhelmed.

There is no real magic answer here. Unfortunately, DAS was abused rampantly for increasingly silly reasons and now those who truly need it pay the price. None of us want to stand in the hot sun in Florida in August in a queue, for example, but somebody has to at the end of the day. The rides only hold so many people. Heat exhaustion (for example) is IMO not a valid excuse in Florida as it can happen to quite literally anyone, and no one should really be given preference for something like that, especially as no one is forcing you to go to WDW at a given time.

Tell that to my Mom who literally passed out & fainted in MGM studios due to her condition & her initial stubbornness to not get a GAC at the time. I guess she shouldnt go & enjoy a vacation with her son & her granddaughter anymore. 3 bouts of cancer numerous other medical conditions but yea she shouldnt enjoy the rest of her life…. Comments like this just shows the ignorance of some. But hey. You do you.

 

[Splash4eva]

Do you really think Disney did this out of kindness of their heart(s) and empathy for the standby guest experience ? No. They saw the abuse, realized the missed revenue, and went to change it. The abuse definitely exists, but I also don’t believe for one millisecond this was done with good motives on Disney’s part.

Someone gets it

 

[Tha Realest]

They may have repackaged them and redone graphics and such, but guides like this have been there for multiple disabilities for Years. it isn't new info.

(Referencing the recommendations part. The wording re DAS is the same as what was posted on the official site yesterday.

Guides like this? Sure. But limiting DAS only to developmental disabilities? That seems very new.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Guides like this? Sure. But limiting DAS only to developmental disabilities? That seems very new.

That's why I added my edit, was trying to clarify that.

But the wording on that re developmental disabilities is the exact wording that was released on the DAS site yesterday, so I don't know what "new" that tells us.

 

[Tha Realest]

That's why I added my edit, was trying to clarify that.

But the wording on that re developmental disabilities is the exact wording that was released on the DAS site yesterday, so I don't know what "new" that tells us.

Not so much new as a reaffirmation.

 

[RamblinWreck]

In case anyone was curious, Disney has posted an Accessibility Planning Guide &
Recommendations (you can see from the PDF file name it was finalized on 4/5/24)

https://cdn1.parksmedia.wdprapps.disney.com/vision-dam/digital/parks-platform/parks-global-assets/disney-world/guest-services/accessibility/page/WDW-Access-Planning-Guide-FINAL-4-5-24.pdf

This would seem to reaffirm that DAS is intended only for those with a “developmental disability like autism or similar.”

Physically navigating various queues is addressed in the Mobility Access Options at the bottom of the page.


View attachment 778529

I find it so strange the wording they have chosen to use. “Like autism or similar”? And that specific verbiage is now in two places.

It looks like something you’d write in a draft and then leave yourself a note to come back and finish later.

 

[sedati]

Are there restrictions to what attractions you can use your specific DAS for based on your individual disabilities? Certainly once Disney is made aware of any triggering issues they should take responsibility and steer that guest away from experiences that would leave them open to any possible discomfort no matter the queue time.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Got it

Not so much new as a reaffirmation.

Got it

 

[AdventurersClub]

Including the concerts at Epcot. Just because I can sit and wait for Air Supply or Candlelight doesn't mean I can stand for 2 hours in line.

While this isn't aimed at you specifically, or anyone who legitimately needs the DAS; it doesn’t change the fact that there are many people who were able to obtain a DAS by embellishing a condition that may or may not exist or knew the proper code words to convince a cast member to grant them access to the program. In many of these cases of abuse, the sole purpose for wanting to be in the program is purely for the benefit of being able to use lightning lane at will without having to pay the fees associated with Genie+.

It is hard for me to sincerely believe the argument that people who claim they desperately need the DAS service because they cannot wait in a long line for an attraction but can wait in a long line when it is convenient for them and their needs. Whether it is waiting for a concert, waiting in line for merchandise, waiting on transportation, or waiting on food, there are many instances of abuse that have been noticed and documented by Disney to the point that they know there are contradictions in the claims coming from those people and know there is a problem with abuse.

I think it is an insult to the intelligence of all park goers to say that everyone in the DAS program legitimately has the disability they claim and needs the accommodation they request. It is also unrealistic to say all who apply for DAS all stay strictly within the parameters of their medical specific needs that they told Disney when they requested their DAS. Someone who legitimately needed the DAS would not be able to cherry-pick when their disability prohibits them from waiting in a line and when it doesn’t. People with serious medical conditions usually cannot turn it off when it becomes convenient.

If someone is able to wait in a long line for something where DAS accommodation is not offered and chooses to do so anyway despite telling Disney that it is not possible for them to wait in line for attraction queues citing medical reasons, then it is only fair and correct for others to question and challenge the validity of their need for the DAS pass.

Desperately needing DAS accommodation for theme park attractions but being able to miraculously recover from their condition when it comes time to do an activity where that accommodation did not apply is a big part on why this program needs revisions. Disney has admitted there is a large amount of people enrolled in the program who simply do not belong. They have also admitted they have evidence that there has been more than a small amount of documented abuse of the program. If the amount of abuse was insignificant, they wouldn't be changing the program and the requirements so radically. While I feel for the people who truly need this accommodation, it’s hard to ignore the blatant disregard for the rules. It is a shame that those who abuse the program are now causing hardships for the people who need the program for the reasons it was intended.

 

[jaklgreen]

DAS access is uniformly better. No repeat ride limitations, no 120-minute windows, gets free ILL, doesn’t cut off redemptions midday like G+ does.

So exactly like how people can wait in line and go on whatever ride the want. Which is what DAS is supposed to be the alternative for, not Genie+. Some seem to forget that DAS people still wait however long the standby wait time is to get on the ride. Not only that, they have to then wait however long the LL is.

 

[Markc2]

DAS results in somewhat unpredictable LL queue pressure which makes it challenging to determine how to size Genie+ LL inventory. And in turn, standby queue ratios decrease dramatically during these times.

The thing is - it doesn't create queue pressure. If the CM's are cycling the Genie+ LL folks and DAS holders properly, there should never be any queue pressure...unless of course Disney is overselling Genie+LL or a ride has downtime throughout a day. The only time where this to be an issue is when either you have a cast member who is poorly managing the line, or the guidance the CM's are given on the mix of LL vs standby queue is too generous to the standbyers.

 

[Markc2]

Tell that to my Mom who literally passed out & fainted in MGM studios due to her condition & her initial stubbornness to not get a GAC at the time. I guess she shouldnt go & enjoy a vacation with her son & her granddaughter anymore. 3 bouts of cancer numerous other medical conditions but yea she shouldnt enjoy the rest of her life…. Comments like this just shows the ignorance of some. But hey. You do you.

The reality is that most of us will never understand the struggles of other medical's conditions until we have a loved one who has these complications. That poster's comments highlight that ignorance perfectly.