At one point this week I read 30 days, but WDW has been playing with the website all week and I haven’t checked today.
I agree with you overall. For me it's not that I think they designed these programs to provide more "magic" but that their parks are by far more accommodating to a wider array of guests which makes it a very attractive vacation destination for all sorts of traveling parties from ones with mobility needs to cognitive disorder needs to height restriction issues and level of "thrill" to dietary needs and allergies. And with that comes an attempt to weigh that out with the general public who may not have any of those apply to them. I think because they have attracted so many for quite some time as some have alluded to it might be causing a strain on their balance to provide an experience for everyone (not the first time as has already been discussed).
Good point to clarify. I was posting 5 as an example scenario, not attempting to state Disney's rules on the matter (though providing an example that is consistent with the rule).
We have been decades long season passholders at our local cedar fair park.
Which is a decent point. You know how you get memories attached to smells? My memory of asphalt, hot paving asphalt to be exact, is directly tied to my local park going as a kid because that is most of what the pathways are made out of and while there is shade there are also quite exposed areas too.
I read it from a few sources, not Disney. I think the most reliable one was Undercover Tourist under disabilities for both
My Cedar Point memory smell is Happy Friar French fries (in 50+ years, still the world's best fries), Lake Erie water smell
, and fudge by the entrance.I'm not claiming to know how these changes will be implemented, just sharing my own experiences from past trips. I was always in standby lines so I can certainly see how it might be faster in a LL to just leave without flagging down a CM. In standby, I wasn't about to push my way through a huge line of people. I personally never had a problem finding a CM and felt it was actually beneficial as they could get me out of line the quickest and knew where the closest bathroom, drink stand, etc was if I specifically stated my need. Sometimes in terms of bathrooms, it was one I didn't know existed/wasn't on park maps, so definitely quicker than had I tried to exit the line on my own and find one.
As has been pointed out already, getting documentation isn't always the easiest here. Beyond that, getting documentation that meets the requirements can be even more difficult, which could entice those with valid disabilities into forgery. Many doctors here won't provide documentation- there are stories online of doctors not wanting to provide letters for Universal due to privacy concerns, being advised by dept heads not to, just not feeling comfortable doing so, etc. Many of those that do write letters have stated they won't verify if contacted due to privacy concerns or won't give direct phone numbers or emails. All of those things could encourage a legitimately disabled person to forge something in order to meet documentation reqs.
For Cedar Point, at least several years ago when I last went, they marked on the paper pass how many were in your party up to 4, with you included. I will say, their system needs some serious improvement. I needed to avoid stairs (no wheelchair, just can't step up) which are not in every queue, yet there was no info on which queues had stairs other than "ask at the entrance to the line." I was told you could not use the alternate entrance to avoid stairs without the pass, but the pass was technically good for all rides, regardless of whether they had stairs or not. Also, for two rides, the alternate entrance I was sent to with the pass had stairs, so I had to backtrack to ask specifically for the elevator access. It was honestly just a mess and very ripe for abuse/misuse.
One thing I don't understand is why the queues are so dark at WDW. My Father-in-Law had eye issues that had to do with switching from light to dark and seeing in dim light. Some of the lines were really hard for him. (I get Nemo and Little Mermaid are under the sea. But, does it have to be sooooo dark!
The website says this:
The ADA says businesses cannot demand medical diagnosis or proof thereof. It says nothing about someone volunteering this info. IMO, this would help. Some say it could be cheated and I'm sure it could but it might help those who really need DAS. Someone could figure a way to make it harder for cheaters.
I highly doubt they have that level of detail on any individual. Some of that may well be collected along with others’ info to arrive at daily/weekly/monthly averages or such, but it is like several layers deep within the analytics that they could accurately pull it out for a specific individual. Not impossible to dig out but not exactly easy.
Look at it this way though, is it fair where the information can be voluntarily provided and thereby guests gain a potential advantage by doing so compared to someone who is not willing (through many reasons) to provide such documentation?
But what you suggest is not “volunteering” unless there is a way to obtain accommodations without volunteering that info. And I don’t believe I would trust Disney IT with PHI — there are regulations about collecting and storing such data.
To deny a benefit to someone who does not disclose information but to grant the benefit to someone who does is the same as requiring disclosure to receive the benefit. This disclosure requirement is explicitly prohibited under the ADA.
DH and I have been told by those in the know that they actually have data about how much time you spend at each location in the park on a individual basis within about a 50 to 100 foot radius depending on the area of the park. This data is supposed to be used in an aggregated manner, but the data on the individual does exist, MagicBand+ can pinpoint to about 25 foot radius. If you have background location enabled on your phone and the app installed, then they can pinpoint you to about a 2 foot radius and yes, the data is recorded. Even if it were buried several layers deep, it would take less than 1 minute to dig out these days, of course that is assuming Disney's IT department was competent.
