New DAS System at Walt Disney World 2024

[Grantwil93]

You can only bring one person with you to use that service. That's it. I don't know why you keep speculating that it's going to become this overrun circus. If you're a family of 5, 3 of you must stay in line while two leave.

Literally exactly this was said to cast during the training on this new system. And if it's a party of 3 with 1 adult and 2 kids, it's probably going to get what it already is, talk to the CM's. If that hypothetical party of 2 or 3 need to go, either the CM will probably figure out how to get them back into at least the lightning lane upon their return or if they need to leave at the exit before getting on then probably just back door them. Those things already happen for parties like that most of the time. It's not a guarantee, but its already a reasonable thing to ask for in an emergency. Just communicate nicely. And if the CM says no in that situation, go complain nicely to guest relations and probably get a LL out of it.

Disney isn't stupid. People will figure out how to cheat. But the new systems aren't a free for all. Every single one is at best designed to be equivalent to stand by waits, and it usually would end up marginally longer. I.e. only for legitimate use and not nearly as attractive to try to abuse as DAS

 

[Chi84]

The same way they did for decades?

Do you not see that you’re now doing exactly what you lament others doing? Now that it’s the virtual queue system you use to visit the parks you don’t see any way things could work without it.

We were there during all-standby for many years. Is that what you’re proposing?

Maybe I’m misunderstanding. Are you saying everyone should stand in line for every attraction? What would the disability accommodation look like?

By the way, I’m not lamenting anything.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

If someone leaves after the merge, they should have a way to return after it as well. Having to repeat the same wait would be ridiculous.

You’re talking about extreme edge cases. The LL waits are/should be negligible and the post-merge waits are/should be negligible. In the rare occasion that someone needs to leave post-merge, having to wait another 10 minutes in the lightning lane is not the end of the world.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

There's nothing about AQR that requires an emergency though. They are recommending this as the accommodation, for ex, for autistic people who do not qualify for DAS. Say an autistic child is denied (it's happened in this new system). The caregivers aren't likely to wait until their child is in crisis before leaving a queue, especially if sensory issues are a trigger for their child. Some may try and see how far they can push it. Others will leave as soon as they can to not risk a crisis.

No family wants to experience their child in crisis at Disney world. Or really anywhere any time, let's be honest. They do whatever they can to prevent it. The idea people will wait until a crisis happens to use AQR defeats the purpose of AQR being used as a disability accommodation. It isn't just intended for those with bathroom needs.

Nobody in this scenario is going to use RTQ, they’re going to use rider swap, which would be far superior than RTQ in this situation anyway. Everyone is really struggling to find unlikely edge cases to try to catastrophize about this system being unworkable. It’s not unworkable. It’ll work just fine.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Nobody in this scenario is going to use RTQ, they’re going to use rider swap, which would be far superior than RTQ in this scenario anyway. Everyone is really struggling to find unlikely edge cases to try to catastrophize about this system being unworkable. It’s not unworkable. It’ll work fine.

We are a party of 3. If we don't qualify for DAS, AQR allows us to ride together as a family. Rider Swap does not. I'm not struggling to catastrophize anything.

Superior is in the eye of the beholder, so perhaps let's keep the massive generalizations that no one is going to do this to a minimum. Our situation is hardly unique.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

We are a party of 3. If we don't qualify for DAS, AQR allows us to ride together as a family. Rider Swap does not. I'm not struggling to catastrophize anything.

Superior is in the eye of the beholder, so perhaps let's keep the massive generalizations that no one is going to do this to a minimum. Our situation is hardly unique.

Ok. Most people aren’t going to do this. Certainly not some critical mass that will cause it to become an issue.

 

[TrojanUSC]

We were there during all-standby for many years. Is that what you’re proposing?

Maybe I’m misunderstanding. Are you saying everyone should stand in line for every attraction? What would the disability accommodation look like?

By the way, I’m not lamenting anything.

Everyone should wait in line for every attraction, unless you buy G+ or have a disability which makes it impossible for you to wait in a traditional queue, which is very very few people. Disney, I think, is rightfully saying "we're no longer going to have a one size fits all" solution. Some people have more severe needs which need to be accommodated via DAS and those with such needs are not being accommodated as well as they should be because of so many people using and abusing the service.

Consequently they're offering a few different options to ensure people are able to have their specific disability needs met, without having the fundamentally better experience that DAS users can get during a day in the parks (which is why it's so ripe for abuse). Can't stand in line? Have a complimentary wheelchair to use. Have IBS that requires you to frequently leave queues? We'll make it much easier for you to visit the restroom and meet up with your family. Have a physical issues that makes some attractions impossible to wait in the queue for whatever reason? We'll offer a rider swap function. Can't stand in direct sunlight? Wait over in the shade then join your family at merge.

Sometimes I have a really bad knee that makes stairs tough. I've never thought about asking for DAS. I just asked at the attractions which have stairs if there's an elevator or alternate option. They're always happy to accommodate my specific need.

The rides without G+ just use exits or other access points in lieu of LL, but at WDW these are far between.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Ok. Most people aren’t going to do this.

Number of people was never my point. My point was simply responding to the assertion that people would be in emergent need to use this. That's an assumption, not a requirement of the accommodation.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Number of people was never my point. My point was simply responding to the assertion that people would be in emergent need to use this. That's an assumption, not a requirement of the accommodation.

I mean, sure, anyone can abuse any accommodation. Right now anyone could turn Rider Swap into a backdoor DAS for two members of their party at any given time by just having party 1 bounce instead of actually waiting in the line. It’s actually been that way for a while, and before they tightened up rider swap a few years ago by limiting party members it could be abused even worse. Life finds a way and cheaters are going to cheat. All that matters is that it’s non-obvious enough and unappealing enough that not too many will cheat. One of the reasons why Disney is keeping this opaque is to keep it that way.

This clearly isn’t designed so that people immediately bounce from every line and use RTQ when there’s no emergency. Will Disney take action against people who are found to be abusing it in this manner? Probably not based upon their past actions, but you never know. I still think it’ll be so rare it won’t matter, because really, you’re probably not going to end up doing this either, you’re probably just going to buy Genie+ like everyone else so you can actually enjoy your park experience, because that will be far superior to this.

 

[Chi84]

Everyone should wait in line for every attraction, unless you buy G+ or have a disability which makes it impossible for you to wait in a traditional queue, which is very very few people. Disney, I think, is rightfully saying "we're no longer going to have a one size fits all" solution. Some people have more severe needs which need to be accommodated via DAS and those with such needs are not being accommodated as well as they should be because of so many people using and abusing the service.

Consequently they're offering a few different options to ensure people are able to have their specific disability needs met, without having the fundamentally better experience that DAS users can get during a day in the parks (which is why it's so ripe for abuse). Can't stand in line? Have a complimentary wheelchair to use. Have IBS that requires you to frequently leave queues? We'll make it much easier for you to visit the restroom and meet up with your family. Have a physical issues that makes some attractions impossible to wait in the queue for whatever reason? We'll offer a rider swap function. Can't stand in direct sunlight? Wait over in the shade then join your family at merge.

Sometimes I have a really bad knee that makes stairs tough. I've never thought about asking for DAS. I just asked at the attractions which have stairs if there's an elevator or alternate option. They're always happy to accommodate my specific need.

The rides without G+ just use exits or other access points in lieu of LL, but at WDW these are far between.

But I was asking a poster who said there should be no Genie+ or any type of virtual queue.

 

[DisneyHead123]

It's trivial though. No one said you had to wait 30mins in line before you could leave (for Example). Literally under the system as described so far, get in line, then get back out.

I welcome anyone to see how many times they can get away with that.

I feel like we should all place our wagers now so we can come back in a year and see who owes who a beer.

I don't actually see why it would be difficult for people to get away with fake "bathroom skips" multiple times. Or whatever - fake anxiety skips, fake sensory overwhelm skips, etc. It might be inconvenient for large parties - but even there, people surprise me. But for a party of two or three friends who came to the parks together? Disney has no record of when they entered the line. Is the harried CM overseeing a steady stream of people going to recall two or three random faces? If they're planning on leaving the line, they could easily stagger themselves vs. entering together. Furthermore, if questioned, they could easily say they have IBS / anxiety / etc. and they are doing exactly what Disney wants people with those conditions to do - utilize the RTQ option.

Or, alternately, maybe they don't plan it that way. But this system becomes fairly normalized, and a husband and wife or two or three friends are standing in line and go "Ugh. This line is taking forever. Does that special effect look scary to you? Yeah me too. I think maybe my "anxiety" is flaring up". Nudge nudge giggle giggle. Again, they stagger their exits. If anyone asks (which why would they,) they met and bonded online specifically because they both have the same medical issue.

DAS users are tracked in Disney's system. RTQ users, as I understand it, will not be. That gives them a great deal of leeway. They can say they have whatever medical condition, assume the CMs will not remember them (which they probably won't), and so on. The TikTokers will have a field day with this because it's a new "hack" that will drive tons of new views.

I may be totally wrong of course. I totally accept that at this point, none of us know for sure. But if we're placing bets and want to check back a year from now - my bet is that abuse of this system will be as bad or worse as abuse of DAS has been, and will be more disruptive because it involves people shoving their way out of lines.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

I don't actually see why it would be difficult for people to get away with fake "bathroom skips" multiple times.

The issue isn’t that it’s difficult, it’s that it’s stupid. You’re legitimately not getting much if any advantage and you’re splitting up your group, which you presumably don’t want to do. Hence the only people using it will probably be people that actually need to use it. Otherwise, why would you? Just so that 2 of your party can go sit on a bench while the third waits in line? Ok I guess… This is going to be really minimally disruptive, which is why it’s great as a reasonable accommodation for most.

 

[Chi84]

I feel like we should all place our wagers now so we can come back in a year and see who owes who a beer.

I don't actually see why it would be difficult for people to get away with fake "bathroom skips" multiple times. Or whatever - fake anxiety skips, fake sensory overwhelm skips, etc. It might be inconvenient for large parties - but even there, people surprise me. But for a party of two or three friends who came to the parks together? Disney has no record of when they entered the line. Is the harried CM overseeing a steady stream of people going to recall two or three random faces? If they're planning on leaving the line, they could easily stagger themselves vs. entering together. Furthermore, if questioned, they could easily say they have IBS / anxiety / etc. and they are doing exactly what Disney wants people with those conditions to do - utilize the RTQ option.

Or, alternately, maybe they don't plan it that way. But this system becomes fairly normalized, and a husband and wife or two or three friends are standing in line and go "Ugh. This line is taking forever. Does that special effect look scary to you? Yeah me too. I think maybe my "anxiety" is flaring up". Nudge nudge giggle giggle. Again, they stagger their exits. If anyone asks (which why would they,) they met and bonded online specifically because they both have the same medical issue.

DAS users are tracked in Disney's system. RTQ users, as I understand it, will not be. That gives them a great deal of leeway. They can say they have whatever medical condition, assume the CMs will not remember them (which they probably won't), and so on. The TikTokers will have a field day with this because it's a new "hack" that will drive tons of new views.

I may be totally wrong of course. I totally accept that at this point, none of us know for sure. But if we're placing bets and want to check back a year from now - my bet is that abuse of this system will be as bad or worse as abuse of DAS has been, and will be more disruptive because it involves people shoving their way out of lines.

I’ll take that bet.

 

[TrojanUSC]

DAS users are tracked in Disney's system. RTQ users, as I understand it, will not be. That gives them a great deal of leeway. They can say they have whatever medical condition, assume the CMs will not remember them (which they probably won't), and so on. The TikTokers will have a field day with this because it's a new "hack" that will drive tons of new views.

I may be totally wrong of course. I totally accept that at this point, none of us know for sure. But if we're placing bets and want to check back a year from now - my bet is that abuse of this system will be as bad or worse as abuse of DAS has been, and will be more disruptive because it involves people shoving their way out of lines.

The key difference is that RTQ makes abusing it a pain in the a*s. If you're a party of 4, two people in your group still have to wait. Then you + 1 other have to backtrack through the queue, go wait somewhere for an indefinite amount of time, then try to coordinate getting back to merge to meet them. It's not a free for all.

Yes technically a party of 2 someone could enter the line, then 10 minutes later leave and request a RTQ to enter the LL, but these feel like the fact you're now dealing with actual people and having to lie to them multiple times throughout the day would be enough of a deterrent, especially if there's some process they have to determine who is using it with regularity and/or not meeting up with their party.

 

[lazyboy97o]

But I was asking a poster who said there should be no Genie+ or any type of virtual queue.

No, I did not. I don’t know what you’re finding so hard to understand. The operational problems caused by DAS are because it is a virtual queue system. There are other virtual queue systems in use that could also be targeted for reduction instead of just the one intended for those with disabilities.

 

[DisneyHead123]

The issue isn’t that it’s difficult, it’s that it’s stupid. You’re legitimately not getting much if any advantage and you’re splitting up your group, which you presumably don’t want to do. Hence the only people using it will probably be people that actually need to use it. Otherwise, why would you? Just so that 2 of your party can go sit on a bench while the third waits in line? Ok I guess… This is going to be really minimally disruptive, which is why it’s great as a reasonable accommodation for most.

I think everyone is picturing a large family group though. Plenty of the people who go to the parks are couples and small friend groups. I don’t know that they’ll care about riding a handful of rides at similar times but not seated together.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I mean, sure, anyone can abuse any accommodation.

The point is it ISN'T an abuse of the accommodation when they are denying autistic people and telling them this is the accommodation they're supposed to use instead.

 

[DisneyHead123]

Yes technically a party of 2 someone could enter the line, then 10 minutes later leave and request a RTQ to enter the LL, but these feel like the fact you're now dealing with actual people and having to lie to them multiple times throughout the day would be enough of a deterrent, especially if there's some process they have to determine who is using it with regularity and/or not meeting up with their party.

I don’t know, I feel like if people are comfortable lying once, they’ll be equally comfortable lying multiple times. If discomfort is a deterrent it would probably be the biggest deterrent the first time.

 

[Chi84]

No, I did not. I don’t know what you’re finding so hard to understand. The operational problems caused by DAS are because it is a virtual queue system. There are other virtual queue systems in use that could also be targeted for reduction instead of just the one intended for those with disabilities.

So just to make it simple for me, what are you proposing for the parks?

Or maybe one of the other posters who finds it not difficult to understand can explain.

 

[ditzee]

No matter what system Disney comes up with, the cheaters will figure out a way to game it. The people who actually need it will be the losers. It happened with GAC. It's happening with DAS.