New DAS System at Walt Disney World 2024

[TrojanUSC]

Whelp. Just got banned from a DAS FB group for trying to tell people the new accommodations, what has worked for some people (trying those then going back to Disney and getting approved based on evidence), that people need to explain the “why” instead of the disability, and my opinion that medical documentation is not the answer. It seems like some groups don’t want to look at what to do next and possible solutions. I guess giving people information I’ve read and seen from others is “mean”.

There is very much a subset of aggressive social media women (mostly FB but also TikTok) who seem very hellbent on denying that anything short of DAS is unacceptable to them. Any evidence or options to the contrary is fully unwelcome.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

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.

Return to Queue means you ask for a return time from the cast member at the entrance. AQR is when you leave a queue. You were told to get return times. You may find this still works for you.

 

[jennab55]

It’s not mean but it could lead to people trying to scam the system. What would be wrong with just letting people honestly answer the questions instead of telling them what “worked” for others?

This group was not worried about scammers. They said that is disneys problem when I brought it up…. People were welcome to share whatever they wanted.

 

[aprilibeth]

Return to Queue means you ask for a return time from the cast member at the entrance. AQR is when you leave a queue. You were told to get return times. You may find this still works for you.

I'm hopeful. Again I don't like the idea of drawing attention to my son's issue. We do our best to make him feel that he is no different than anyone else. This definitely points out a difference.

 

[jennab55]

There is very much a subset of aggressive social media women (mostly FB but also TikTok) who seem very hellbent on denying that anything short of DAS is unacceptable to them. Any evidence or options to the contrary is fully unwelcome.

Yes. This was my experience. I honestly was just trying to help people understand the new rules or what they could try to do if accommodations didn’t work for them, but somehow was a bad guy because it got twisted into I’m telling people they can stand in line

 

[Chi84]

This group was not worried about scammers. They said that is disneys problem when I brought it up…. People were welcome to share whatever they wanted.

Apparently not, if you were banned for it.

 

[jennab55]

Apparently not, if you were banned for it.

I should have said allowed to share their disability, what worked for them on the call, what didn’t, denied, approved, etc. I guess people are not able to have opinions other than DAS is the only true option for every single person who wants it

 

[Angel Ariel]

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.

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).

 

[Angel Ariel]

I'm hopeful. Again I don't like the idea of drawing attention to my son's issue. We do our best to make him feel that he is no different than anyone else. This definitely points out a difference.

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.

 

[aprilibeth]

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).

This sounds similar to universal which also worked well. He and we are all able bodied and coming and going is not the issue. I am relieved if this is how it works. At universal they issue a card which is presented and a time written down. Explaining at every attraction nis not needed.

 

[TrojanUSC]

This sounds similar to universal which also worked well. He and we are all able bodied and coming and going is not the issue. I am relieved if this is how it works. At universal they issue a card which is presented and a time written down. Explaining at every attraction nis not needed.

At Universal do you use the Express lane or some other avenue?

 

[RSoxNo1]

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).

Do we not have enough different ways to experience an attraction? Was the complaint about navigating a Disney trip that it was too easy?

Now we have Standby, Lightning Lane, Individual Lightning Lane, Virtual Queue, DAS, RTQ and AQR?

 

[aprilibeth]

At Universal do you use the Express lane or some other avenue?

Express. You are issued a card for the duration of your trip. At each ride if the wait is less than 30 min you go straight into the express lane. If the wait is longer than 30 min you'll present the card and the staff at the ride write in the return time (same as standby wait time). You can do anything during that time but cannot use the pass to by pass another line. They use the outside company to approve our deny based on documentation.

 

[ditzee]

So what will?

A return time
In my case, I can't stand too long nor can I sit too long- even in my own home, I have an adjustable bed because I cannot sit on our furniture for too long without getting excruciating pain.

 

[ConfettiCupcake]

Do we not have enough different ways to experience an attraction? Was the complaint about navigating a Disney trip that it was too easy?

Now we have Standby, Lightning Lane, Individual Lightning Lane, Virtual Queue, DAS, RTQ and AQR?

Maybe this isn’t their intention but it seems like RTQ and AQR aren’t really intended for guests to understand on the same level as the others (and DAS only for a small group).

They seem more like internal processes where the guest is told what to do at each attraction when they need to leave or can’t queue at all. I’m under the impression guests don’t need to pick and choose what method works or learn how to use it, they express their need when they have one and are told what can be done.

 

[Chi84]

Maybe this isn’t their intention but it seems like RTQ and AQR aren’t really intended for guests to understand on the same level as the others (and DAS only for a small group).

They seem more like internal processes where the guest is told what to do at each attraction when they need to leave or can’t queue at all. I’m under the impression guests don’t need to pick and choose what method works or learn how to use it, they express their need when they have one and are told what can be done.

It sounds to me like AQR is going to be the accommodation offered in all but a very small number of cases.

 

[ConfettiCupcake]

It sounds to me like AQR is going to be the accommodation offered in all but a very small number of cases.

Yeah definitely. And I’m not really sure any of this terminology will be used on a guest level. You’ll just be told how to return, no worries on learning.

 

[DisneyHead123]

I will be curious to hear about how RTQ works in reality. If there is an “acceptable answer” that gets people a RTQ time, presumably everyone will use it. If there is not, how will the CMs decide who gets a pass and who doesn’t? Are they supposed to just look people over and decide who seems to be having the hardest time? It sounds like there’s almost no logical way for that system to be applied in an equitable manner.

Also curious about AQR. What’s to stop smaller parties from staggering themselves and then saying they don’t have a party to re-join, because they’re riding alone? And that one is especially tricky because my understanding is that anyone can use it at any time.

As has been noted - it seems these policies only work if they’re used quite sparingly, but there’s no reason to think that will be the case.

 

[Chi84]

I will be curious to hear about how RTQ works in reality. If there is an “acceptable answer” that gets people a RTQ time, presumably everyone will use it. If there is not, how will the CMs decide who gets a pass and who doesn’t? Are they supposed to just look people over and decide who seems to be having the hardest time? It sounds like there’s almost no logical way for that system to be applied in an equitable manner.

Also curious about AQR. What’s to stop smaller parties from staggering themselves and then saying they don’t have a party to re-join, because they’re riding alone? And that one is especially tricky because my understanding is that anyone can use it at any time.

As has been noted - it seems these policies only work if they’re used quite sparingly, but there’s no reason to think that will be the case.

I think they are going to be used very sparingly.

It looks like Disney is planning on putting everyone but a very small number of people in the standby line with the AQR as the accommodation. I expect that the attraction CMs have definite criteria for RTQ - not just who looks the worst - and they’re going to be held to it.

From what I’ve been reading, they’re likely prepared for people who insist nothing will work for them except RTQ. If they relent too easily the changes won’t work.

A lot of former DAS users will probably decide to buy Genie+ rather than deal with the inconvenience or insufficiency (whether perceived or real) of the offered accommodation.

 

[jaklgreen]

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.

My main concern is being 20-30 minutes into a queue and having to leave. People keep focusing on how you will go back through the LL, but the actual act of trying to leave the standby queue is not going to be as easy as people are making it out to be. And I think that some are seeing it through their own situation, where they don't have urgent bathroom needs. It is one thing to be a healthy individual and leaving because you have to go pee, but it is completely a different ball game when you have medical bathroom issues. You really don't have that extra time to "excuse me, excuse me" through a 30 minute queue, then try to find and talk to a cast member about coming back, etc.
People with these medical conditions time things with the DAS so they are not put in this situation. There are rides that even with DAS, I can not do, like Soarin, because the wait after the merge is just too long.
I truly don't think that Disney did their due diligence on these medical issues and just think like how some that are posting think, that it is just a normal bathroom situation.