New DAS System at Walt Disney World 2024

[easyrowrdw]

This is honestly the first time I heard of this. Not doubting it. Maybe it's just because I was raised in a generation that locked us outside of our house all day from the minute the sun came up as soon as we were out of diapers .

I had a similar thought. On our last summer family trip, the kids seemed less impacted by the heat than the adults. Or maybe the kids just complained less.

 

[ditzee]

I suspect this is part of an effort to add some accountability by forcing people to confirm their need for an accommodation in person.

It's clear it's far too easy for people to do that one off request and lie through their teeth in many cases.

Perhaps the people who were willing to lie that one time to get DAS will not be so willing to lie to a cast member's face on a frequent basis.

It will be awkward for some people who actually need the accommodation but it could be one more tool to discourage the fraud.

Cheaters are liars. IMO, they will delight in acting their way through Disney parks. Then, they can laugh at the CMs they fooled.

 

[ConfettiCupcake]

Cheaters are liars. IMO, they will delight in acting their way through Disney parks. Then, they can laugh at the CMs they fooled.

I think this is a very black and white way to look at it, while the reality is likely much more grey.

Motivated people will always find a way. This is human nature and I’m sure Disney realizes it too. Their changes make it less convenient and more uncomfortable to lie, with less of a payoff as well. And not for nothing, I still believe this has just as much if not more to do with cutting legitimate usage (not liars) as it does with preventing people from completely lying.

 

[Purduevian]

Not so with standby. You don’t tap in. So the people who were getting a return time for ToT then going to wait 60 minutes for MFSR were going undetected

Disney can track people via shoe prints, magic bands, and phones that connect up for pictures. Disney could track this if they want to, but the data and computer power is probably not worth it. https://www.industryleadersmagazine...an track theme-park guests through their feet.

 

[Grantwil93]

Wait, can you get the wheelchair tag for a stroller/wagon just because you can’t carry your baby in line? I thought you had to have a medical reason, but is that a reason that is accepted?

It's been accepted in my experience, and sometimes its probably a legitimate reason. Similar to DAS previously, GR cast aren't really told to question anything cause that opens up legal issues. It used to be that the person in the stroller needs it as much as someone with a wheelchair needs their chair. For most people, that definition of the tag has become incredibly blurred if not outright not a thing anymore.

And GR can't really stop it. As others said,updating tags at least limits them to your party for your trip. You can't transfer it, sell it, give your stroller to someone else for their trip(locals absolutely do all these things), or keep it on their for 6 years even if your kid you got it for is now walking and isnt using that stroller(maybe they have a chair now) and you have your baby in old tagged stroller.

All those things are happening and Disney is fully within their rights to look at these things.

The proliferation of park advice online post covid definitely heavily contributed to the spike in DAS and Tags. So many of these systems used to be unknown or things you really had to research to use. Now you go on Facebook and you see, "want to know how to KEEP your stroller with you at disney?!"


Disney is almost being forced to look at these things now.

 

[Grantwil93]

It basically marks your stroller as a wheelchair. It lets you bring it in line with you and forces the CM to bring it around to the ride exit for when you get off. There are a small number of people who really need this service and for that, and likely a much larger number of jerks who are either totally lying about having a disability, or are exaggerating it to get an accommodation they don't need. The whole thing is very similar to the larger DAS issue.

I think I said a long time ago in this thread that I was curious if Disney was gonna look at the tags, because to me it seemed apparent that the 2 accommodations went hand in hand in terms of having only tremendous upside for the ones using it with no downside. Coupled with a near 100% granting of requests due to the legal slog of questioning disability in the setting that is GR. I'm honestly not surprised, and I won't be shocked if they make you interview online for this too soon. If nothing else, to get the semi truck wagons being used as play pens mostly gone(outside of those who could articulate why they need it)

 

[Disstevefan1]

Disney can track people via shoe prints, magic bands, and phones that connect up for pictures. Disney could track this if they want to, but the data and computer power is probably not worth it. https://www.industryleadersmagazine.com/walt-disney-granted-patent-foot-tracking-technology/#:~:text=Walt Disney Company, the owner of the Disney,that can track theme-park guests through their feet.

Too much computer power to track each and every DAS user but a hand full of random users daily may catch a cheater.

How great would it be to catch a cheater in real time, show them the surveillance video and immediately escort them off properly and trespass them!!

Hopefully, word would get out and make future cheaters think twice maybe.

Heck, now that I think about it, they can stage fake ones, you know folks will have their phones out recording it, no risk to WDW, and again, word would get out and make future cheaters think twice maybe and staging fake ones costs a lot less than trying to use technology.

 

[natatomic]

It's been accepted in my experience, and sometimes its probably a legitimate reason. Similar to DAS previously, GR cast aren't really told to question anything cause that opens up legal issues. It used to be that the person in the stroller needs it as much as someone with a wheelchair needs their chair. For most people, that definition of the tag has become incredibly blurred if not outright not a thing anymore.

And GR can't really stop it. As others said,updating tags at least limits them to your party for your trip. You can't transfer it, sell it, give your stroller to someone else for their trip(locals absolutely do all these things), or keep it on their for 6 years even if your kid you got it for is now walking and isnt using that stroller(maybe they have a chair now) and you have your baby in old tagged stroller.

All those things are happening and Disney is fully within their rights to look at these things.

The proliferation of park advice online post covid definitely heavily contributed to the spike in DAS and Tags. So many of these systems used to be unknown or things you really had to research to use. Now you go on Facebook and you see, "want to know how to KEEP your stroller with you at disney?!"


Disney is almost being forced to look at these things now.

So interesting. I almost always visit the parks as the lone parent with two littlest kids (1.5 and 5 - my husband is at work, and my older kid is the only one who's public schooled, so he's usually either there or at his dad's), and I manage fine. BUT...I'm also expecting another, and I have wondered how I was going to manage the lines with TWO babies who need/want to be held. I'll obviously have to hold the youngest at all times when the time comes, but my nearly two year old won't be able to stand in long lines all day. I never would have thought the stroller=wheelchair tag would apply for my situation though. It would certainly be helpful, but would my situation be a legitimate reason to ask for one? I don't want to be pushing the rules or be "that" guest...

 

[rk3668]

So interesting. I almost always visit the parks as the lone parent with two littlest kids (1.5 and 5 - my husband is at work, and my older kid is the only one who's public schooled, so he's usually either there or at his dad's), and I manage fine. BUT...I'm also expecting another, and I have wondered how I was going to manage the lines with TWO babies who need/want to be held. I'll obviously have to hold the youngest at all times when the time comes, but my nearly two year old won't be able to stand in long lines all day. I never would have thought the stroller=wheelchair tag would apply for my situation though. It would certainly be helpful, but would my situation be a legitimate reason to ask for one? I don't want to be pushing the rules or be "that" guest...

Do your children have disabilities that require them to use a wheelchair or carry around medical equipment? If not, it would not be a legitimate reason.

 

[Figgy1]

Too much computer power to track each and every DAS user but a hand full of random users daily may catch a cheater.

How great would it be to catch a cheater in real time, show them the surveillance video and immediately escort them off properly and trespass them!!

Hopefully, word would get out and make future cheaters think twice maybe.

Heck, now that I think about it, they can stage fake ones, you know folks will have their phones out recording it, no risk to WDW, and again, word would get out and make future cheaters think twice maybe and staging fake ones costs a lot less than trying to use technology.

how would tracking catch cheaters.

 

[natatomic]

Do your children have disabilities that require them to use a wheelchair or carry around medical equipment? If not, it would not be a legitimate reason.

That's what I thought as well, but the other poster made it sound like Disney DID give them out in situations like mine. That surprised me, but that's why I was asking for clarification, because I may have misunderstood.

 

[Purduevian]

how would tracking catch cheaters.

If the cheaters are doing things while waiting for a DAS time that directly go against the reason the user was given DAS it would seem pretty obvious.

For example, let's say the user was given DAS because they are unable to wait more than 30 minutes in any line. Then go wait in a 60-minute line somewhere while waiting for a 90 minute DAS return for a different ride.

 

[Angel Ariel]

It's been accepted in my experience, and sometimes its probably a legitimate reason. Similar to DAS previously, GR cast aren't really told to question anything cause that opens up legal issues. It used to be that the person in the stroller needs it as much as someone with a wheelchair needs their chair. For most people, that definition of the tag has become incredibly blurred if not outright not a thing anymore.

And GR can't really stop it. As others said,updating tags at least limits them to your party for your trip. You can't transfer it, sell it, give your stroller to someone else for their trip(locals absolutely do all these things), or keep it on their for 6 years even if your kid you got it for is now walking and isnt using that stroller(maybe they have a chair now) and you have your baby in old tagged stroller.

All those things are happening and Disney is fully within their rights to look at these things.

The proliferation of park advice online post covid definitely heavily contributed to the spike in DAS and Tags. So many of these systems used to be unknown or things you really had to research to use. Now you go on Facebook and you see, "want to know how to KEEP your stroller with you at disney?!"


Disney is almost being forced to look at these things now.

And for those that need it, it's incredibly frustrating as the crack downs will inevitably lead to people that actually need these accommodations being denied.

 

[Figgy1]

If the cheaters are doing things while waiting for a DAS time that directly go against the reason the user was given DAS it would seem pretty obvious.

For example, let's say the user was given DAS because they are unable to wait more than 30 minutes in any line. Then go wait in a 60-minute line somewhere while waiting for a 90 minute DAS return for a different ride.

that doesn't prove cheating as one 30 minute que can send somebody into a meltdown while in another que setup they can do 40 - 45 minutes on a good day. no we've never gotten in a 60 minute que while waiting to use das, not even close and have only very, very, very, very ...................................... rarely done another ride if ever, thinking back maybe never while waiting. that said different ques can cause different responses

 

[Disstevefan1]

how would tracking catch cheaters.

If I understood the thread, a DAS user would use DAS to get a return time to an attraction, then the secret Disney surveillance would track the DAS user (I am sure they actually do have this tech) to catch them actually standing in the queue of another attraction using the time before the return time that got from DAS - cheater found!

Then my thought is that Disney does not actually have to do that, they can stage a DAS cheater getting caught, everyone will be videoing on their phones, word would get around that they caught and trespassed the cheater and this may future real cheaters think twice about using DAS to cheat,

 

[Kingoglow]

that doesn't prove cheating as one 30 minute que can send somebody into a meltdown while in another que setup they can do 40 - 45 minutes on a good day. no we've never gotten in a 60 minute que while waiting to use das, not even close and have only very, very, very, very ...................................... rarely done another ride if ever, thinking back maybe never while waiting. that said different ques can cause different responses

Using the tap [points at the ride entrances, Disney could track who is joining multiple ques and if they wanted to, prevent that from happening to some extent. They can't prevent someone getting into an alternate que and then join a standby, but they could prevent guests joining two alternative ques if Disney wanted to.

 

[Figgy1]

If I understood the thread, a DAS user would use DAS to get a return time to an attraction, then the secret Disney surveillance would track the DAS user (I am sure they actually do have this tech) to catch them actually standing in the queue of another attraction using the time before the return time that got from DAS - cheater found!

Then my thought is that Disney does not actually have to do that, they can stage a DAS cheater getting caught, everyone will be videoing on their phones, word would get around that they caught and trespassed the cheater and this may future real cheaters think twice about using DAS to cheat,

under the new das rules you can wait in another que while waiting to use your das

 

[Angel Ariel]

Using the tap [points at the ride entrances, Disney could track who is joining multiple ques and if they wanted to, prevent that from happening to some extent. They can't prevent someone getting into an alternate que and then join a standby, but they could prevent guests joining two alternative ques if Disney wanted to.

You can't hold two DAS return times at the same time as it is. As for riding something else via standby while waiting for a DAS return time - this continues to be not just allowed, but explicitly encouraged by Disney - so tracking this as "cheating" would not be in line with Disney's policy.

 

[Purduevian]

that doesn't prove cheating as one 30 minute que can send somebody into a meltdown while in another que setup they can do 40 - 45 minutes on a good day. no we've never gotten in a 60 minute que while waiting to use das, not even close and have only very, very, very, very ...................................... rarely done another ride if ever, thinking back maybe never while waiting. that said different ques can cause different responses

For example, let's say the user was given DAS because they are unable to wait more than 30 minutes in any line. Then go wait in a 60-minute line somewhere while waiting for a 90 minute DAS return for a different ride.

Wasn't calling anyone situation out specifically but a hypothetical DAS user.

 

[jaklgreen]

It's not just the nature of the disability of course. I suspect that a person will have an easier time explaining why they need a return time for a 90 minute FOP queue than they will for a 10 minute peoplemover queue.

Many people with disabilities have to take into consideration how long the actual ride is also. It is just not about how long that they can be in the physical queue, but also the time it takes for the ride. So many can wait in a bit longer queue for a shorter ride like Dumbo that is only 90 seconds long, but can't wait as long for a longer ride like People Mover, where you are on it for 10 minutes. Again, like many others have said, not all disabilities fit into this mold that you are trying to put them in.