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

[notatallmagic]

It has literally only been a couple of years that anybody was able to pre-register for DAS. Before then, it was always done on-site. So while I understand the frustrations a few posters have mentioned with the unknown in planning -- I really don't think it will sway Disney. Even now, pre-registration for DAS is within the 30-day.


Those with multiple needs or complicating factors really need to do a video chat (within 30 days of your visit) to discuss your specific concerns. If you are a single parent with young children, if you use a mobility device but have other needs, if you are an adult who needs assistance from a caregiver, etc. I still firmly believe that Disney will be working with individuals based on individual needs, just as they have for many years.

I so hope you are right. This has been so overwhelming and the Trip Planning Joy that our family has shared is currently Trip Terror. So hoping for some better news soon.

 

[RamblinWreck]

I don’t know, but it would not surprise me at all if they decided to make an example of a few people to ensure that the “lifetime ban” threat is taken seriously. Like if someone asks for a DAS claiming “I can’t do long lines”, is turned down, and nevertheless ends up waiting in multiple long lines that day with seemingly no ill-effects.

That would probably be the worst way to try to catch someone, IMO.

 

[Angel Ariel]

The post from the person who mentioned 14+ as the expected "caregiver/supervising role" age. That's right from Disneyland.

If they think a 14 year old can be a caregiver, they obviously think they can also wait in a line (aka, a lesser task).

View attachment 850877

14+ has always been the age Disney will allow to ride with a younger guest - that isn't new to this DAS update. I don't think it can be assumed this means that teens with developmental disabilities will be prevented access to DAS.

 

[notatallmagic]

I have been thinking about this- I guess the question is at the end of the day if you or your family were denied DAS would you still go to Disney?

I can say for my family, even with 6 months left on our out of state APs that we would not. It is already difficult enough even with DAS that the cons would outweigh the positives. We have a trip planned later this month before a DCL trip. We would still go on the cruise but if my son did not have the DAS part we would have skipped the parks (and onsite stay) to stay home and only get a hotel for the night before at the port.

Curious for others- would you still attend WDW or DL without a DAS pass?

This is exactly what we are trying to figure. Out of state Incredipass holders as well.

Our wrinkle is that this was perhaps our final hoorah...kids are 18 and 21, one out of state already, and and both headed to far away places soon. It was meant to spend time as a family and create memories. We have a total of 6 trips booked and paid, we're planning an early June pop up trip; 5 of those are with the DAS holder.

So at this point, we have arrives at (worst case scenario) still going as airfare is certainly non refundable; and all hotels but one also are non refundable. I'd guess we would just ride things with very short shaded waits and hope for the best.

It's very sad.

 

[RamblinWreck]

Has anyone posted the expanded rider switch on here? At Disneyland it’s available on all rides. https://cdn1.parksmedia.wdprapps.di...AlzXNHXwVbNw1zvSWQz_dyn9RrAXJmi6Xk7K7yfWGKF_8
They’re (possibly lightly) starting to implement it now. In one of my social media groups someone was denied DAS and told to use rider switch. Disneyland’s disability guide specifically mentions cannot wait the duration of the queue, needs access to restrooms, queue may trigger anxiety or claustrophobia, mobility concerns and prefers not to use a mobility device. This is a screenshot from the above link.
Here’s the WDW link and it doesn’t have the same language. https://cdn1.parksmedia.wdprapps.di...ge/WDW-Access-Planning-Guide-FINAL-4-5-24.pdf

View attachment 850912

It’s not terrible, but I’m not sure it’s going to feel very good for families that are constantly having to ride things separately.

It should take a lot of pressure off the LL’s though.

 

[ClaraOswald]

They are often off or covered up. Are you usually there at a busy time? They tend to be unused during non peak times.

We went in January. I guess I only used/noticed them on the more popular rides where they wanted to make sure people weren't switching lines.

I've read though this thread. The one thing that concerns me was the HIPPA discussion. Many people on here have divulged way, way too much personal info. A very bad person can find that "suzysnowflake" has conditon X and lives in Happyville, through your profile that person can find out many things (depending upon what you posted there). Just be careful with your personal info! That is all for my PSA. We now continue with our DAS speculation.

I quoted you but this is just a comment to a lot of people...it's HIPAA, with 2 A's and what people keep describing is not what HIPAA actually is at all.

Point is. An autistic person with DAS could be fine in a particular standby line. They don’t know. Same as a person with a bowel disease. And yet one is now disqualified and the other remains. Both are dealing with potential or speculative issues.

It is NOT speculative issues for many people. Typically people have applied for DAS after trying the parks without it and realizing it didn't work.

Yes, I was. I do remember a couple of times, my grandchild scanned their bands before I did. I mean they did scan quickly and I was right behind them. I really never noticed a CM taking note. This was in mid November 2023.

I'm not sure what triggers if the non-DAS holder doesn't scan first. Maybe the system doesn't actually care? I don't know. But we were always told our son (DAS) had to scan his first. Then they have to basically check the picture and approve before we scanned it. Some CMs didn't seem to really look much and did it so quickly. Others I could tell really looked and some would even say his name and tell him to have fun.

The real issue here is that the parks are very hard to do without das/genie/ill so people just grab whatever diagnosis they have and get a das. Like i don’t know a single adult that does not have anxiety. What Disney meeds to fix is how to make the park enjoyable without DAS then less people will get it.

I'm curious what they'll do when it comes to anxiety. I definitely think there are people with severe anxiety that would benefit for DAS. But people with anxiety that is mostly managed shouldn't automatically qualify. In the same way someone being autistic shouldn't automatically qualify. It really should be needs-based.

I have been thinking about this- I guess the question is at the end of the day if you or your family were denied DAS would you still go to Disney?

I can say for my family, even with 6 months left on our out of state APs that we would not. It is already difficult enough even with DAS that the cons would outweigh the positives. We have a trip planned later this month before a DCL trip. We would still go on the cruise but if my son did not have the DAS part we would have skipped the parks (and onsite stay) to stay home and only get a hotel for the night before at the port.

Curious for others- would you still attend WDW or DL without a DAS pass?

We are DVC members now so I can't see us completely stopping Disney-related trips. If my son no longer qualified, we'd probably try to only go in slower times and just do rides with short waits. As it is, we already have to adjust our touring style for him (IE: we are unable to do shows/fireworks/parades since there aren't accommodations for that.) We really enjoy just being in the parks and would still have fun. But it would be really hard to miss out on some of our son's favorites that always have too long of waits/no G+ option like Peter Pan at Disneyland.

 

[Unity]

It should take a lot of pressure off the LL’s though.

Until they sell them again instead - because I don't doubt for a second that is the end game plan.

But I can see the rider swap working for certain people. Definitely not all though and I do hope accomodations are made for those it doesn't work for.

 

[Tatebeck]

This would only work if the DAS passes are purely electronic (do they have paper DAS passes anymore?)

But they could allow the 1-2 people who cannot wait in the standby line or solo/duo groups to wander the park and return after a wait like the current DAS system, but not allow them to enter any other attraction queues. If using the app, it could require GPS use like the map section. If you wander into a ride queue area, it could warn you to return to the approved spaces within 5 or so minutes, or your DAS reservation would be cancelled. This would allow use of restrooms, shops, quick service, etc to those who cannot wait in long lines while waiting their turn, but would reduce the appeal of applying for DAS for those looking to abuse it just for rides.

They could even do this for the entirety of the groups, but that may put too many people out in the park and increase congestion.

 

[taradelao]

It’s not terrible, but I’m not sure it’s going to feel very good for families that are constantly having to ride things separately.

It should take a lot of pressure off the LL’s though.

So households/immediate family will have to spend money on G+ and ILL if they want to truly vacation together...

And will drive up demand (and price) for G+ and ILL?

 

[Baytothemax]

That would probably be the worst way to try to catch someone, IMO.

The easiest is probably be to watch the bigger influencers who DO get the DAS and see if they basically tell on themselves. The scammers always trip up somewhere and tell on themselves

 

[ryang25]

Couldn't get on right away this morning - life interferes with Internet. There are already like 6 pages since I closed it last night.

Anyway, I wanted to post some 'ground rules' based on what I've read on this thread, other forums, Facebook, etc.
OK to say: I think the new accommodations will work for me.
NOT OK to say: I think the new accommodations will work for me, so it will work for everyone.

OK to say: My (non disabled) child used return to line to leave and go to the bathroom.
NOT OK to say: It worked for me/my child, so it will work for anyone with a disability.

OK to say: I/my child has a developmental disability, so we think we will still be covered.
NOT OK to say: I/my child has a developmental disability, I think other people should be happy with whatever accommodations they get.
NOT OK to say: Developmental Disabilities are the only ones that deserve accommodations.
NOT OK to say: You are lucky you/your child has a developmental disability.

OK to say: I'm worried because the accommodations for my disability are changing.
OK to say: Things are too unclear and unsettled for me to feel safe
NOT OK to say: Anyone who is upset because accommodations are changing for them is just upset they won't get 'free Fastpasses'
NOT OK to say: Anyone who is upset is faking/didn't really need DAS

OK to say: I wouldn't mind providing proof of disability/I think proof of disability should be required
NOT OK to say: Anyone who is against documentation or doesn't want to provide it feels that way because they are faking a disability or don't have proof

NEVER OK:
Saying someone else's disability doesn't matter
Dismissing, minimizing or making fun of anyone's disability or concerns
Telling anyone what to say to try to obtain DAS

You’d think most of this would be second nature to people. Thanks for sharing and I hope this makes the thread a little more pleasant.

On an unrelated note, I just saw you have been around on here since 1999 when I was only just born! Crazy to think this forum has been around that long and even more crazy to see how dedicated you must be to still be around on here and moderating - kudos to you.

 

[Disneychick75]

I'm much happier that my next trip is a few months off because the implementation of this is gonna be a total nightmare it seems. Hopefully there will be a good consensus on what to expect by September...

Wish ours was. It starts on May 26th. Will Disney have a method to fast track the phone interviews for those whose trips will be impacted most because the trips are so close to implementation? I mean we have to cancel 5 days before our trip. That means I and others in my position have to speak to someone about DAS eligibility ASAP on May 20- May 21 to give us time if we must cancel our trip.

 

[MandaMouse91]

I do think there may be some misunderstanding of Disney's wording:
...intended to accommodate those Guests who, due to a developmental disability like autism or similar, are unable to wait in a conventional queue for an extended period of time.I read this sentence with a PAUSE between the words autism and similar - as if there was a comma. "Developmental disability like autism" is one potential target group, "or similar" is other diagnoses/needs requiring similar accommodations.

It really blows my mind that one single comma could have really altered this discussion. If Disney had either written “Guests who, due to a developmental disability, like autism or similar,” or “Guests who, due to a developmental disability like autism, or similar” we would have more clarification on what they’re actually pairing the “or similar” with.

 

[elvispursley]

I have been thinking about this- I guess the question is at the end of the day if you or your family were denied DAS would you still go to Disney?

I can say for my family, even with 6 months left on our out of state APs that we would not. It is already difficult enough even with DAS that the cons would outweigh the positives. We have a trip planned later this month before a DCL trip. We would still go on the cruise but if my son did not have the DAS part we would have skipped the parks (and onsite stay) to stay home and only get a hotel for the night before at the port.

Curious for others- would you still attend WDW or DL without a DAS pass?

If I'm unable to receive DAS for our trip in August, I will still go as we've already paid for very expensive airfare (I fly from Hawaii with a long layover in Seattle). I will not, however, be renewing my AP. At this point, I am glad we never bought into DVC, despite years of trying to get DH backt on board with it. WDW is a place where it (use to be) an easy trip that accommodate my needs and made a good destination for my mother and me to vacation at. But I don't see us taking many trips, if any, in the future. Keeping my fingers crossed for August...

 

[Liquidice]

I'm not sure what triggers if the non-DAS holder doesn't scan first. Maybe the system doesn't actually care? I don't know. But we were always told our son (DAS) had to scan his first. Then they have to basically check the picture and approve before we scanned it. Some CMs didn't seem to really look much and did it so quickly. Others I could tell really looked and some would even say his name and tell him to have fun.



I'm curious what they'll do when it comes to anxiety. I definitely think there are people with severe anxiety that would benefit for DAS. But people with anxiety that is mostly managed shouldn't automatically qualify. In the same way someone being autistic shouldn't automatically qualify. It really should be needs-based.



We are DVC members now so I can't see us completely stopping Disney-related trips. If my son no longer qualified, we'd probably try to only go in slower times and just do rides with short waits. As it is, we already have to adjust our touring style for him (IE: we are unable to do shows/fireworks/parades since there aren't accommodations for that.) We really enjoy just being in the parks and would still have fun. But it would be really hard to miss out on some of our son's favorites that always have too long of waits/no G+ option like Peter Pan at Disneyland.

If a Non-DAS holder scans in first, they also get a blue light but the CM does not approve it - they say that <Insert DAS holder's name here> must be the first one to scan in.

For anxiety and claustraphobia they already have said in that Disneyland Accessibility Planning guide that Rider Switch will be their solution. There maybe some exceptions (maybe for smaller parties) but it sounds like Rider Switch is their answer. The person with anxiety waits outside of the line while the rest of the family uses the standby queue and then when they finish their ride, the person with anxiety maybe plus the another person get to ride using the Lightning Lane.

I'm also DVC - agree here it is hard to entirely stop going, unless you maybe sell your DVC contracts.

For Disneyland, I know we usually try to rope drop and can get most of the fantasyland rides done within the first hour of park opening. I know that may not work for everyone, but its an option if it can work for you. We tried not to use DAS on rides w/o a lightning lane.

I'm still curious what the Genie+ changes will be, maybe they will be enough to make it work for some people. I again will say I wish there was an option to pay for DAS for those that feel it works better for them as an accommodation but may no longer qualify for it. That seems like it could be legal - you offer a free accommodation, but then offer a paid accommodation that works better? Obviously you could buy Genie+ but we know there are some issues with that such as only being able to ride a ride 1 time with Genie+ and the 1-hour return time.

 

[PrincessV]

A few general thoughts after digesting a dozen or so new pages…

Re: the chat about G+… G+ is a hard pass for me. The whole reason I have an AP is that I’m local and visit the parks often and don’t have the expense of hotels and travel. G+ for every one of my park days over a year would be prohibitively expensive, AND it doesn’t work all that well for my needs on top of it. It might be helpful for some who have used DAS in the past, or it might not: it’s definitely not a clear replacement for a number of reasons.

Rider Switch: I’m solo most of the time - clearly Rider Switch isn’t a solution for me.

Return to Line: I’ve seen some mention this as a solution to anxiety… my condition is more than anxiety, but I guess could be considered anxiety-adjacent. I’m familiar with some pretty basic, fairly manageable anxiety and could see for myself if that was all I was experiencing (which isn’t meant to minimize - anxiety is a blanket word that can range from mild and manageable to crippling!), maybe leaving the line for 10 minutes would be okay. But I’ve had my PTSD triggered in a line and needed to leave and IDK how to say this other than it was a big honking deal and the physical act of getting out of there was pretty traumatic. I won’t go into particulars because I don’t want to accidentally provide details that abusers could use in procuring DAS. But it was not something that could be solved with a Return to Line - I wouldn't be retuning to anything for a long time after an experience like that.

I frankly was skeptical that DAS would even help me, TBH, but I happened to get a CM when I inquired who understood exactly what I was talking about, felt strongly that DAS would almost certainly help me, and encouraged me to at least try it - and he was right. It’s not perfect, and it doesn’t solve everything, but it helps in ways the other options do not. I’d very much love to go back to not needing it, because my condition sucks, and also I used to genuinely enjoy so many of WDW’s queues! I miss all the little details and the storytelling, and I miss spending that time catching up with friends or family when they visit. Theoretically, we can catch up somewhere outside the queue, but it just doesn’t happen organically the way queue chats do.

I think others will have more info before then, but I’ll be in the parks a bit in a couple weeks and will need to renew my DAS - I’ll be doing it in-person then, but that should be about the time people with later trips would first need to start asking under the new rules, so I’ll see what I can learn while I’m there and report back.

 

[Princesca]

I'm nervous about the accommodation being 'wait outside of line' for the DAS holder who has claustrophobia. My wife has Autism and ADHD and does have panic attacks when 'trapped' in line for long periods of time, due to contact aversion, overstimulation, and claustrophobia. A rider swap situation could help her EXCEPT for the fact that we have a 3 year old who is also presupposed (pending diagnosis) to be on the spectrum and has his own challenges. It's nice for her to be able to 'peace out' but that leaves me as his sole caregiver while in the line, and she is significantly younger and stronger than me, and can wrangle him in a way that I cannot now that he's 40+ lbs. Even if she took him with her, that still leaves her as his sole caregiver during that time, and since we can't attest to what her mental state will be, and whether that could be more than she's capable of in those moments.

If we didn't have a kid, it might work for us to have her join me when we get to the front of the line, but with a kid, esp a neurodivergent one, I don't think that would work. I guess we'll see what we're told when we try to sign up later this year.

 

[Baytothemax]

Wish ours was. It starts on May 26th. Will Disney have a method to fast track the phone interviews for those whose trips will be impacted most because the trips are so close to implementation? I mean we have to cancel 5 days before our trip. That means I and others in my position have to speak to someone about DAS eligibility ASAP on May 20- May 21 to give us time if we must cancel our trip.

I don’t believe it’s a certainty that you need to wait until May 20 to call. We will know that for sure next week when the May 20 people are in their 30 day window. I can’t imagine their staff or phones will be able to handle what would be 30 days worth of people calling at once. They will need to be pushing same day people through first and that alone could take all resources. It’s not like we’re getting through immediately now

 

[Liquidice]

I'm nervous about the accommodation being 'wait outside of line' for the DAS holder who has claustrophobia. My wife has Autism and ADHD and does have panic attacks when 'trapped' in line for long periods of time, due to contact aversion, overstimulation, and claustrophobia. A rider swap situation could help her EXCEPT for the fact that we have a 3 year old who is also presupposed (pending diagnosis) to be on the spectrum and has his own challenges. It's nice for her to be able to 'peace out' but that leaves me as his sole caregiver while in the line, and she is significantly younger and stronger than me, and can wrangle him in a way that I cannot now that he's 40+ lbs. Even if she took him with her, that still leaves her as his sole caregiver during that time, and since we can't attest to what her mental state will be, and whether that could be more than she's capable of in those moments.

If we didn't have a kid, it might work for us to have her join me when we get to the front of the line, but with a kid, esp a neurodivergent one, I don't think that would work. I guess we'll see what we're told when we try to sign up later this year.

It sounds like your 3 year old may need DAS.

Also DAS is generally based on need, not on diagnosis.

It would be worth talking to the disability team about your concerns and see if they can find a solution for your family.

 

[smartlabelprint]

Anxiously awaiting the first reports of solo travellers virtual calls and how Disney deals with this. I’m a solo traveller and have got a variety of long-term health conditions that mean most of the options I’ve seen discussed don’t work for me and I’m really hoping they actually take a social model of disability approach still (aka needs based, not prescriptive).

Very much hoping that this won’t be my last visit to DL/WDW for a long time (going in a few weeks) but it just makes me appreciative that I spend most of my visits at Tokyo Disney now where the paid passes work well for my disability as you get nearly straight on the ride.

The Disneyland attraction guide I posted suggests single rider line. I wonder what they’ll do for the other rides.