DAS changes coming WDW May 20/ DL June 18, 2024

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

But once you wait in the regular line is done, it's done. With DAS once it's your "turn" you still have to go wait, sometimes 30+ minutes. There are multiple times that we have went to our DAS ride just to find the LL lane so long that we either cancel (in which we just wasted 60+ minutes waiting) or decide to keep it and come back later (which means we cannot get another in the meantime). We are lucky to get more than 5 rides a day (total, not just DAS rides) because of this.

I think this is actually the crux of the issue and why Disney is changing/limiting DAS access…there are so many people using DAS (especially on popular rides) that it isn’t working for the folks who need it most and can’t wait more than 20 minutes (whether for physical or psychological conditions).

As has been illustrated in this thread, probably 10-20% of park guests (perhaps more!) legitimately have one person in their party who would benefit from DAS, and they may have 4-8 people with them in their ride group…meanwhile the numbers of DAS users keep swelling as people learn they qualify, and that’s before you take into account the people who lie to defraud the system. If Disney didn’t tighten eligibility and shrink DAS groups, the return waits would keep getting longer. Another option would be to limit total DAS entries (for example each DAS holder gets 16 entries, and they can do 4 rides with 4 people or 8 rides with 2, etc).

 

[The Renegade]

I know Genie+ doesn't always sell out but when it does (a few times already this year), what then for the folks who are told to "Just buy Genie+"?

Consider that if folks who would normally qualify for DAS are now all going to have to purchase Genie+ to accommodate their respective disabilities going forward, it means Genie+ is even more likely to sell out daily once these changes are implemented.

-and what if your little one with a disability that makes waiting in lines difficult wants to ride a certain attraction over and over again? Genie+ can't help you there. You'd be SOL either way because you're either dealing with the fallout of them not being able to handle the queue or them being upset about not being able to have the day that they want.

Maybe what's coming won't be as limiting as some fear but we won't really know until it rolls out and we hear reports from people who've gone. Waiting to see before speaking or worrying about it seems like a fair assessment of the situation but it can be tricky when you consider that a trip to the parks is something most visitors have to plan for/book in advance. Anyone with a legitimate disability that would've qualified them for DAS in the past is taking a gamble booking a trip post-roll out of the new system at the moment.

I'm of the mindset that something certainly needed to be done to address the DAS system abuse. Though what I've heard and understand thus far sounds like their grip might be tightening a little too much. In any case, it's a real shame there are so many bad eggs out there whose actions have now made life so much harder for Guests who needed this.

 

[koszmok]

No you can`t starting 20th of May. You can only do it online in advance during preregistration.

I received an answer for my email within a couple of hours.

FYI for International guest:

"
International Guests visiting May 19, 2024 or earlier may request to register for Disability Access Service (DAS) directly with Guest Relations Cast Members. For International Guests arriving May 20, 2024 or later, Guest Relations Cast Members will have devices available to lend to our Guests so they may chat with DAS Cast Members on-site should they be necessary.

Please note that if a DAS is provided, Guests only need to do this on the first day of their visit, not every day. The DAS will be valid for the duration of your visit. No documentation is needed. "

 

[TikiTikiFan]

Remember folks, the ignore button is your friend. Some folks are just here to do their armchair speculation of the week, like another poster mentioned. Ignore the ableism.

For folks that are worried about upcoming trips, I feel the same way. My date to apply will be April 9th so very stressed about how it will go.

 

[LuvinTheWorld]

I think this is actually the crux of the issue and why Disney is changing/limiting DAS access…there are so many people using DAS (especially on popular rides) that it isn’t working for the folks who need it most and can’t wait more than 20 minutes (whether for physical or psychological conditions).

As has been illustrated in this thread, probably 10-20% of park guests (perhaps more!) legitimately have one person in their party who would benefit from DAS, and they may have 4-8 people with them in their ride group…meanwhile the numbers of DAS users keep swelling as people learn they qualify, and that’s before you take into account the people who lie to defraud the system. If Disney didn’t tighten eligibility and shrink DAS groups, the return waits would keep getting longer and nearly all guests would use it.

Yes, limiting DAS may help (or may not if they decide to just open up more G+ spots), but this didn't seem to be such an issue before G+.

 

[The Renegade]

As others have also pointed out, Genie+ is not always comparable because not every attraction is a part of it. What if you have someone in your party with a non-neurological disability that legitimately prevents them from waiting in the queue for Peter Pan's Flight at Disneyland? "Just buy Genie+" can't help them because Peter Pan's Flight isn't even an option.

 

[Becky Mouse]

We’ve gone over this so many times now. Genie+ is not comparable. It can sell out. It limits to 1 ride a day on a particular attraction. It is time-windowed. It also does not even include most big ticket attractions. Do some disabled people just have to skip these? Or would you suggest they buy a further product for a ride that would be free for you? Genie+ is designed to supplement main queueing, be it DAS or standby.

If the leave/rejoin is not a reasonable accommodation for someone and Genie+ is sold out, that’s their day a write off. How do you explain that to someone?

I'm just not sure if you're trying to argue with me here or with Disney. Disney is the company that said DAS is an accommodation that is to be for a small percentage of people with severe developmental disabilities and autism. Period. Full stop.

Disney is the company that said they will be providing other accommodations to meet other disabilities and medical needs. Period. Full stop.

Now, there are people commenting here saying, "Oh, but I really need it because I can't wait in long lines." To those people, I've said, "Well, I guess you can buy Genie+." Then others are jumping on to say IT'S NOT THE SAME. I didn't say it's the same. I simply said you can buy Genie+ to avoid waiting in long lines. People keeping yelling at me saying I don't get it. I don't get them. I don't get their disabilities. I'm just telling them what Disney said: DAS is for people with severe developmental disabilities and autism.

People keep jumping on here to remind me Genie+ and DAS are not the same. Once again, I didn't say they are. However, to all of the people commenting that they have a medical condition that makes it difficult to wait in long lines, the point stands that they CAN buy Genie+ to avoid those long lines. Those people are only mentioning the difficulty with standing in long lines, and Genie+ addresses that particular issue. Further, there are dozens of people in these comments saying they never applied for Genie+ back when Disney had the old, free FastPass+ system. They said the old FastPass+ system worked for them. So, those people clearly don't need all of the extra benefits of DAS, just the shortened lines, and so those people will have their needs met with Genie+. So, look, I'm not the one ending the current DAS system. I'm just the one reminding people they will receive other accommodations from Disney while at Disney World, and, if they still think they would benefit from shorter lines, they can still purchase Genie+.

 

[MichelleD23]

Please correct me if I’m wrong… with the new rules it doesn’t matter if you have a medical condition that affects waiting in line for hour(s), such as Crohn’s….its just too bad for you now?

 

[OurBigTrip]

No you can`t starting 20th of May. You can only do it online in advance during preregistration.

Nope, you can do it at both parks, per Disney’s website. In person at Disneyland and via virtual chat at Disney World.

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

Yes, limiting DAS may help (or may not if they decide to just open up more G+ spots), but this didn't seem to be such an issue before G+.

I believe there is less FP space (per attraction) allocated for G+ than there was for the old FP system, based on the fact that top tier attractions sell out at/before park opening most days. It definitely takes up some of the availability, but it’s DAS use that has tripled (per Disney) not paid LLs.

Editing to note that shortened park hours are probably causing FP returns to go more quickly also, as well as the ease of doing it from your phone…but since you can only do one G+ visit per ride per day, they still shouldn’t be selling out so quickly if capacity was the same.

 

[koszmok]

We’ve gone over this so many times now. Genie+ is not comparable. It can sell out. It limits to 1 ride a day on a particular attraction. It is time-windowed. It also does not even include most big ticket attractions. Do some disabled people just have to skip these? Or would you suggest they buy a further product for a ride that would be free for you? Genie+ is designed to supplement main queueing, be it DAS or standby.

If the leave/rejoin is not a reasonable accommodation for someone and Genie+ is sold out, that’s their day a write off. How do you explain that to someone?

I think people who doesn`t s...l themselves on a regular basis will never understand what experience CAN be living with IDB. They just won`t. As I said before I`d be happy to pass over my IDB to anyone and be able to stand in a looong regular line. I wish! leave/rejoin just won`t work for everyone.

 

[OurBigTrip]

His cooling vest wouldn’t solve his particular issues.

Ok…but if he has a cooling vest, then why were you insisting (incorrectly) that Disney had to provide him one?

And you did say he would be happy with a cooling vest, thus my question.

 

[Becky Mouse]

Please correct me if I’m wrong… with the new rules it doesn’t matter if you have a medical condition that affects waiting in line for hour(s), such as Crohn’s….its just too bad for you now?

Disney is offering other accommodations to meet the medical needs of other guests who do not have developmental disabilities. It sounds like, for people with Crohn's, they may get a Return to Line privilege. None of us are sure how that will look yet. I'm wondering if those guests can leave a line to take care of their needs, and, when they're ready to return, perhaps they can re-enter via the LL. But that is just conjecture and more details will be released later.

 

[mercuryvenus]

Ok…but if he has a cooling vest, then why were you insisting (incorrectly) that Disney had to provide him one?

And you did say he would be happy with a cooling vest, thus my question.

I never said they had to provide him one. People were misinterpreting my post. I said Disney needs to accommodate people with qualifying disabilities. That could be a cooling vest, but doesn’t have to.

 

[koszmok]

Nope, you can do it at both parks, per Disney’s website. In person at Disneyland and via virtual chat at Disney World.

Yes, this info is now available in the UK website too. It wasn`t there before. I also received this info from guest relations just a couple of minutes ago. As I posted. But thanks for the info anyway!

 

[TikiTikiFan]

I love the Express Pass at Universal. We decide to buy that when we go even though I qualify for their AAP and have submitted documentation and had it approved. Like many others here said, it's that limited time frame of Genie that doesn't work for me.

Now for my unpopular opinion... Lightning Lanes too long? Raise the price of Genie+ then too otherwise like others have said we're just going to see the same issue as the prior DAS users (and abusers) may go to that instead. And we'll still have too many folks in the LL. It's too affordable (compared to other theme park skip the line programs) so too many people buy it.

 

[audrey2580]

Remember folks, the ignore button is your friend. Some folks are just here to do their armchair speculation of the week, like another poster mentioned. Ignore the ableism.

For folks that are worried about upcoming trips, I feel the same way. My date to apply will be April 9th so very stressed about how it will go.

Do you mean April 19th? If not, you better get on it! Seriously though. I hope it's an easy process for you.

 

[LuvinTheWorld]

Probably best to wait until all information is released and then folks can decide if Disney is still a place they want to go. We all have limitations and some things are just not doable.

Unfortunately, that option was too late for us by the time they released this information. We check in a week after this starts. We have no time after this begins to sit back and see how things play out. If our vacation wasn't until later, it would be easier to digest this info and make alternative plans if we can't get the DAS. They should have given more time between the release of this info and implementation.

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

There has been a lot of frustration with Disney for not providing more information about whom will get which accommodations, but I wonder if they maybe trying to keep everything as quiet as possible so that people don’t immediately start gaming the next system.

 

[mercuryvenus]

I love the Express Pass at Universal. We decide to buy that when we go even though I qualify for their AAP and have submitted documentation and had it approved. Like many others here said, it's that limited time frame of Genie that doesn't work for me.

Now for my unpopular opinion... Lightning Lanes too long? Raise the price of Genie+ then too otherwise like others have said we're just going to see the same issue as the prior DAS users (and abusers) may go to that instead. And we'll still have too many folks in the LL. It's too affordable (compared to other theme park skip the line programs) so too many people buy it.

We used express pass and routinely had 40 minute waits with it. It seemed like a total waste.