New DAS System at Walt Disney World 2024

[C33Mom]

But the people that are solo or a parent with child/children, will not be given a return time to come back. So people will be free to go do whatever they want. This is basically DAS with you waiting in the standby line for 10 minutes first. You don't think that people are absolutely going to go that route? It is not about saving time, it is about being able to go do whatever you want because you scored that return time. Even those that are not solo will lie and say that they are to be able to bypass the standby queue.

I forgot to address this in my earlier post— Disney absolutely already has the technology to see who is lying about party size to get a return time instead of meeting up with family in line, and they can check to see how many times a day each guest is using it as well—if they pull a 75m return time for Peter Pan, and then request a Big Thunder 85m later, the CM would be able to see the abuse (not sure if Disney is doing it off the bat, but they certainly could).

They actually have a lot of big data resources to catch cheaters/abusers and folks who try to use it to get DAS level accommodations Disney doesn’t think they need…I think Disney hopes it won’t come to that, but they could choose to make examples of abusers if they wanted.

 

[jaklgreen]

It seems like there are a number of people complaining “the fakers will abuse AQR” and also the same people complaining “AQR isn’t as much better than pure standby for me as DAS is.” Just to belabor the obvious one more time: the best hope of preserving sufficient capacity for accommodations for people who actually need it is to make them way less attractive for people who don’t. Saying “oh, but how dare Disney expect me to spend 15-30min in lines most times [but not the full 60-180 wait in line], and then I’ll have to do short wait rides, shows, or return to my hotel to rest while the much longer virtual wait runs down from the beginning” feels as tone deaf as the folks two months ago who said “it’s not a sufficient accommodation of my IBS if I can’t have all of my adult children and their spouses and children on my DAS rider group at once.”
I also don’t understand the outrage about having to start a less than hour wait over again virtually if you have a flare— or need to leave the line… isn’t the whole idea that you’re going to need time to rest, decompress, use the bathroom, etc? Allowing no time at all to be lost is far more useful to fakers than people with genuine needs that prevent them from being in line.
Finally, if you hate longer virtual waits for leaving the queue as a solo traveler, you can find friends, family, or groups of fellow Disney parks enthusiasts to visit with— then you can use AQR and return to the line with even less waiting than DAS.

WOW, this post is completely insensitive to those with disabilities. Saying that they should be happy to have to wait longer than everyone else is going too far.

 

[C33Mom]

WOW, this post is completely insensitive to those with disabilities. Saying that they should be happy to have to wait longer than everyone else is going too far.

You’re making a lot of incorrect assumptions. I have a major physical disability that limits my life (and my kids’ life) in significant ways every day…I expected to lose DAS in the overhaul because there’s simply too many disabled Americans to let us all (and our loved ones) be able to avoid lines at a theme park all the time, and frankly DAS failed us a lot and I regularly had to make my kids sacrifice a return because the LL was too long. I’m choosing to be grateful that Disney set up AQR so I can do rides with my kids from time to time that way— on the rare occasions that we visit a park without my husband, I will make a judgment call about letting my elementary aged kids stay in line with a device that allows them to reach me or I will be grateful to get any return to queue time a CM chooses to give us, even if it’s longer than current standby wait.

I want every park guest (disabled or able bodied) to be able to ride with their loved ones—but I also recognize DAS and endless RTQ options aren’t sustainable beyond small fraction of park guests, and shift a significant burden to other families. Pointing out unreasonable entitlement does not make me “completely insensitive” to people like myself, even if it makes people feel better to attack me instead of grapple with the facts I pointed out.

 

[jaklgreen]

You’re making a lot of incorrect assumptions. I have a major physical disability that limits my life (and my kids’ life) in significant ways every day…I expected to lose DAS in the overhaul because there’s simply too many disabled Americans to let us all (and our loved ones) be able to avoid lines at a theme park all the time, and frankly DAS failed us a lot and I regularly had to make my kids sacrifice a return because the LL was too long. I’m choosing to be grateful that Disney set up AQR so I can do rides with my kids from time to time that way— on the rare occasions that we visit a park without my husband, I will make a judgment call about letting my elementary aged kids stay in line with a device that allows them to reach me or I will be grateful to get any return to queue time a CM chooses to give us, even if it’s longer than current standby wait.

I want every park guest (disabled or able bodied) to be able to ride with their loved ones—but I also recognize DAS and endless RTQ options aren’t sustainable beyond small fraction of park guests, and shift a significant burden to other families. Pointing out unreasonable entitlement does not make me “completely insensitive” to people like myself, even if it makes people feel better to attack me instead of grapple with the facts I pointed out.

I didn't assume anything. That is what you said, that people with medical issues should be happy with having to wait longer for a ride than everyone else does, just because they have to leave the line for their medical issues.
You might be fine with "starting an hour wait over again", but that doesn't mean that everyone should be happy about it. Many don't go a full day as it is and to have the rides that they do go on take twice as long, is not acceptable.

 

[DoubleSwitchback]

It seems like there are a number of people complaining “the fakers will abuse AQR” and also the same people complaining “AQR isn’t as much better than pure standby for me as DAS is.”

Your whole post is beautifully put. There is a lot of double talk around criticism of the changes, for sure.

 

[bwr827]

Any actual reports of how the new system is working?

 

[lentesta]

Sorry but, again, according to Disney DAS usage has "more than tripled" in the last 3 years alone. Prior to that the number they last confirmed was 3% of guests using GAC. It's impossible for it to be 8%.

Maybe @lentesta can clarify where he got the current 8% number, because from the ops people I know it's nearly double that.

I multiplied 3% by 3 to get 9%. Then hedged a bit. It’s a guess.

 

[NotTheOne]

So if 8% of guests need DAS (and can each bring 3 people with them), that means up to 32% of guests are using it. That sounds like "a high number all things considered" to me! Although it would help explain why the standby-to-ILL ratio is so horrifically high, and so dramatically detrmimental to standby guests...

8% needed the DAS or 8% were getting the DAS? Because those definitely aren't the same things.

 

[NotTheOne]

Seems a bit premature to decide Disney plans to discontinue DAS.

You've expressed this idea a few times in this thread, and it isn't helpful.

DAS not only helps the disabled DAS holder, but also helps Disney's image as an inclusive company, an image they are eager to have.

Remember this is a thread about children and adults with severe disabilities that impair their ability to wait in a queue.

A WDW without any accommodation for children with autism and other severe medical conditions is not a place I'd visit.

I'm not in favor of ending DAS, but ending DAS would not be the same thing as "a WDW without any accommodation for children with autism and other severe medical conditions"

 

[Kingoglow]

So how is a solo traveler or someone traveling with a minor being accommodated if they need to leave the line? Please answer that

Well, for most travelers we just get back in line, ride something else or buy Genie+. So whatever accommodation Disney provides, could reasonably be similar to those options.

 

[Weather_Lady]

8% needed the DAS or 8% were getting the DAS? Because those definitely aren't the same things.

I was quoting someone else: they said "needed." But yes, they are certainly not the same thing.

 

[networkpro]

8% needed the DAS or 8% were getting the DAS? Because those definitely aren't the same things.

We cant quibble about intent, just actual usage as that is what is impactful.

 

[NotTheOne]

We cant quibble about intent, just actual usage as that is what is impactful.

Agree, my point was that a poster was positing that 8% of the guest population needing DAS seemed about right; I'm assuming that's because more than 8% of the population can claim a disability of some sort. But not all disabled people need a DAS, including many who got one before.

 

[Jrb1979]

But the people that are solo or a parent with child/children, will not be given a return time to come back. So people will be free to go do whatever they want. This is basically DAS with you waiting in the standby line for 10 minutes first. You don't think that people are absolutely going to go that route? It is not about saving time, it is about being able to go do whatever you want because you scored that return time. Even those that are not solo will lie and say that they are to be able to bypass the standby queue.

They will be given a return time to come back. It will be equal to standby. There will absolutely be people that do that to avoid waiting in line. I'm sure Disney knows that will happen. Those people going into another standby line isn't a problem. The problem has always been LL usage.

 

[NotTheOne]

I didn't assume anything. That is what you said, that people with medical issues should be happy with having to wait longer for a ride than everyone else does, just because they have to leave the line for their medical issues.
You might be fine with "starting an hour wait over again", but that doesn't mean that everyone should be happy about it. Many don't go a full day as it is and to have the rides that they do go on take twice as long, is not acceptable.

The key is, what would happen if solo traveler or traveling with a child who isn't disabled had to leave the line? If I stand in line for 30 minutes of a 45 minute wait, and my toddler has to use the restroom, and we leave the line and get a return time for length of standby (45 minutes), then there is no issue with someone with a disability having to do the same thing.

 

[NotTheOne]

People don't out grow autism

No one said or implied that they do.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

I'm not in favor of ending DAS, but ending DAS would not be the same thing as "a WDW without any accommodation for children with autism and other severe medical conditions"

Stop misrepresenting my posts.

 

[NotTheOne]

Stop misrepresenting my posts.

Not sure how quoting part of your post is misrepresenting your post...

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Not sure your post is your post...

that's how.

 

[Vacationeer]

Some of the expectations posted here are exteme and I’m not sure which are meant legally, as business goodwill, or to take feasibility into account.