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

[razlime]

Try liquid IV+C. Most of what you’re describing is dehydration that happens quickly. If you can’t tolerate the sugar cut it in half and use before you start walking in the heat (so you know you’ll be sweating and using up the sugar).

I'd appreciate you reading my entire post and not just the first 3.4 sentences, but as usual I'm immediately seeing a clear example of why I rarely talk about my own disability on this forum. I've deleted the post.

Can able bodied people in this thread please stop delivering advice when it is not asked for? It's unbelievably condescending to assume that I don't know how hydration works, never mind ignoring the other several paragraphs I typed to explain why CGMs aren't some magical diabetes cure. I've had to use ignore on about 7 users now and I'm a bit tired of it!

 

[snoopboop]

Yes, but it's up to Disney to decide, and apparently that's their decision, too. I'm glad, because DAS is being overused and abused.

My condition does make things difficult sometimes. For example, I recently had an episode flare up as I was literally waiting to have my boarding pass scanned to board the plane. I had to leave for the bathroom, come back, leave AGAIN and come back again. I was so nervous they would board without me and I'd miss my flight! I choose a seat at the very back of the plane and always in the aisle for quick access to the restroom. Most of the time, it isn't needed. However, if it ever is needed, I'm so glad I'm seated where I am. Further more, my dad has Crohn's as well as a type of prostate cancer that makes it urgent when he needs to pee, too. So, I completely understand medical needs that require quick access to the bathroom. On road trips, we pack a pop-up shower tent in case we can't make it to the next exit for bathroom use. So, again, I understand urgent needs to use the bathroom.

DAS is not the accommodation we need! If you're having a flare up, it does NOT help to wait 20 minutes in a LL. You can't go 20 minutes without access to the bathroom during a flare like that. DAS is not the proper accommodation for bathroom needs like IBS-D, Crohn's, and prostate cancer. Instead, the ability to leave and return to the line is a much more appropriate accommodation. If you're having a flare, standing in a shorter line doesn't help. If you're not having a flare, then you don't need to be skipping the line all day every day. You can wait in lines. Getting DAS for medical needs like this is absolutely part of the DAS abuse, in my opinion. I'm so glad Disney sees it that way too and is offering a different accommodation. Good for them. You can still buy LL if you want it.

Again, if DAS is not the right accommodation for you, more power to you!

Shame on you for telling me that I’m abusing the system by using it as it’s designed. You have NO idea what my daily life is like and how my condition impacts every facet of it. I urge you to take a step back and consider the real people on whom you’re passing sweeping judgment.

 

[RamblinWreck]

I am very happy about these changes. I have IBS-D. Like many people with medical conditions like this, sometimes I am just fine and have no issues for hours or days. Other times, I have an episode, and it lasts like 2 hours where I need constant access to a bathroom. It can hit me with very little warning.

I haven't ever tried to get DAS for this condition because I think it's overkill. I don't need to skip the lines all day every day. I think it's DAS abuse to get it for conditions like this and use it every day. HOWEVER, I have had episodes in line before where I just needed to leave. It happened to me once at the loading area of a ride! I couldn't ride and had to leave. Thankfully, they had a door right there. I left and used the restroom. The cast members let me right back into the loading area. It was wonderful.

I'm glad Disney is going to offer a line return option for people who have conditions like mine. That is the type of accommodation we need! We don't need to go in a LL for every ride. That's ridiculous. We just need to be able to leave sometimes and then return later, when our symptoms have improved again (sometimes a couple of hours later).

I look forward to hearing more details on this. I'm so happy for this change because I felt like DAS was not a good accommodation for my needs, but the ability to leave and return to the line absolutely is! Will it apply to anyone who needs to leave to use the restroom? Or, is this an accommodation I need to pre-plan for?

I'm so, so glad Disney is cracking down on the abuse and people using DAS when it's not the accommodation they really need for their disability.

I’m glad that it will work out well for you.

I think there are a lot of conditions people suffer from that won’t be accommodated for in a way that allows them to feel safe getting in line for many attractions at Disney.

 

[nalababybear]

My son has used DAS and it's precursors for 10+ years. I have heard the rhetoric blaming DAS for increased wait times, but I have seen no evidence of this. 90% of the time, the families immediately in front and behind us are NOT DAS, but VIP, rider swap, or LL/G+. (Easy to tell bc they scan differently.) I am sure some abuse is happening, but DAS is not the reason for 20+ minute LL waits, and whether we wait in the standby line, bathroom, or bench outside the LL entrance does not lengthen the standby wait time. They are making DAS the scapegoat for financially motivated decisions.

DAS abuse is part of the issue; not the sole issue. Addressing the abuse is needed.

We see a dramatic increase of DAS for sure. It's not 80% of time at tap-ins, but it is at least 10% of the time we have a DAS adjacent party --that's not insignificant.

 

[Gentry2004]

I haven't heard exact numbers from Disney, but some cast members are reporting that about 75% of people standing in LLs are there with a DAS pass. If that's anywhere close to actual numbers, that is insanity. That's affecting the park experience of everyone. DAS should be for a small percentage of guests. Other guests should be offered other accommodations, like the ability to leave and return to lines. If people want to use the LL for more convenience, then they should pay for it.

I hope these changes fix the abuse. It will lead to the LL lines not being so overwhelmed and a better balance between standby and LL. That will be a better experience for all.

It won’t help LL. Disney will just sell the slots previously used by DAS to paying G+ guests. LL is not getting shorter - Disney already determined that people will still buy G+ with the LL wait as it is.

 

[starlite_]

There is a lot of catastrophizing going on here and a lot of negative assumptions being made like "If they don't give me a DAS I might go in the line" and "Well X disability isn't being mentioned, that must mean they won't accommodate X at all!".

I get everyone is stressed, but until we know more there is no point on catastrophizing.

I've seen so many folks talk about what certain disabilities "deserve"... It's not about deserving, it's about needs. And for some of these needs DAS goes above and beyond, and for some needs it might not be enough. I agree with all previous posters mentioning that all folks deserve accommodations, even if that accommodation is not what they would prefer.

For those who were asking about how DAS even affects stand by lines: The ratio of how many LL guests and how many stand by guests go into the ride. The longer LL is the less stand by guests go thru the merge and the longer stand by takes (even if stand by is short). If some of those guests are in stand by instead the line might get longer but it will go quicker. Like how even a long LL can go quicker.

I am glad that the 6 allowed guests went down to 4 tbh. I mentioned it a while ago but having 2 less guests per DAS user will help a lot with the long lines imo, that's 33%! I've seen guests ask how they can add this whole other family to their DAS to have like 10 people with them on a ride. I've also seen people ask how to get DAS for their baby so they can ride quickly while the baby naps elsewhere.....

Having said that I would bet that DAS users will still be able to have extra guests like they do now, just that instead of being able to ride with 5 of them, they will only be able to ride with 3. Which I find reasonable since most ride cars will only fit 4 guests (notice I said most, don't come at me with "well Y ride sits 6 blah blah", I know there are exceptions).

For what it's worth I do think that DAS specifically won't be restricted to "autism" but that they used "developmental disabilities" as a catch all for mental disabilities. I would bet they won't turn folks that suffer PTSD away for example.

I am super curious about the leaving the line accommodation, I would assume that it will be checkpoint based, maybe colored lanyards or something, and you come back to that same checkpoint. We shall have to wait for more info on how they plan on moving these guests thru the line. Ideally it works really well since it sounds like anyone would be able to ask for one it might be nice for families with little kids.

 

[Princesca]

I still wish it was as straightforward as getting a dr's statement that you have a disability that would make waiting in line a problem, which cannot be alleviated by aides or ability to leave the line and come back. Then you'd need CMs or a third party to verify that said doctor is actually practicing. That alone would probably dissuade a number of people who get the DAS fraudulently, and would not require any statement of what disorder or disability the person actually has. I know there'd still be some people who managed to get access that didn't deserve it, but it would surely give a number of people pause. We have to provide a dr's note when our son misses school. It doesn't say why or for what diagnosis. But if that's allowed by HIPAA, why wouldn't this be?

 

[Disturbia]

Deleted

 

[mercuryvenus]

There is a lot of catastrophizing going on here and a lot of negative assumptions being made like "If they don't give me a DAS I might go in the line" and "Well X disability isn't being mentioned, that must mean they won't accommodate X at all!".

I get everyone is stressed, but until we know more there is no point on catastrophizing.

I've seen so many folks talk about what certain disabilities "deserve"... It's not about deserving, it's about needs. And for some of these needs DAS goes above and beyond, and for some needs it might not be enough. I agree with all previous posters mentioning that all folks deserve accommodations, even if that accommodation is not what they would prefer.

For those who were asking about how DAS even affects stand by lines: The ratio of how many LL guests and how many stand by guests go into the ride. The longer LL is the less stand by guests go thru the merge and the longer stand by takes (even if stand by is short). If some of those guests are in stand by instead the line might get longer but it will go quicker. Like how even a long LL can go quicker.

I am glad that the 6 allowed guests went down to 4 tbh. I mentioned it a while ago but having 2 less guests per DAS user will help a lot with the long lines imo, that's 33%! I've seen guests ask how they can add this whole other family to their DAS to have like 10 people with them on a ride. I've also seen people ask how to get DAS for their baby so they can ride quickly while the baby naps elsewhere.....

Having said that I would bet that DAS users will still be able to have extra guests like they do now, just that instead of being able to ride with 5 of them, they will only be able to ride with 3. Which I find reasonable since most ride cars will only fit 4 guests (notice I said most, don't come at me with "well Y ride sits 6 blah blah", I know there are exceptions).

For what it's worth I do think that DAS specifically won't be restricted to "autism" but that they used "developmental disabilities" as a catch all for mental disabilities. I would bet they won't turn folks that suffer PTSD away for example.

I am super curious about the leaving the line accommodation, I would assume that it will be checkpoint based, maybe colored lanyards or something, and you come back to that same checkpoint. We shall have to wait for more info on how they plan on moving these guests thru the line. Ideally it works really well since it sounds like anyone would be able to ask for one it might be nice for families with little kids.

The reason we think something like MS won’t be accommodated is because of how Disney words it on their website (emphasis is mine):

DAS is one of the programs offered at Walt Disney World Resort theme parks intended to accommodate only 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.

 

[Tatebeck]

Edit... Double posted

 

[Disturbia]

Deleted

 

[Tatebeck]

Try liquid IV+C. Most of what you’re describing is dehydration that happens quickly esp if you have insulin resistance. If you can’t tolerate the sugar cut it in half and use before you start walking in the heat (so you know you’ll be sweating and using up the sugar).

They also have a sugar free option that came out recently fyi

 

[Tatebeck]

Dang then that's no good

 

[Disturbia]

Deleted

 

[prettypatchesmsu]

I really just don’t understand why Disney puts out this half baked information but doesn’t put out all of the information and just causes this chaos and misunderstandings and stress when they probably already know what they’re going to do. When you announce something, announce all of it so that you don’t have all this speculation. It’s just a very bad way to roll things out. Especially something as important as disability access that can make or break a trip.

 

[Ursula J]

Y'all, if people here are describing their disability and expressing concern about DAS, that doesn't mean they're asking for medical advice. Just be supportive. Otherwise I'm going to go through and post HAVE YOU TRIED YOGA on every one of y'alls comments
EDIT: I'm talking about people who don't have the disability offering advice-- if you share a disability, a lot of times brainstorming can help! I got a lot of great help on my own journey from others in my situation!

 

[mercuryvenus]

I really just don’t understand why Disney puts out this half baked information but doesn’t put out all of the information and just causes this chaos and misunderstandings and stress when they probably already know what they’re going to do. When you announce something, announce all of it so that you don’t have all this speculation. It’s just a very bad way to roll things out. Especially something as important as disability access that can make or break a trip.

It’s honestly ridiculous, especially for a company this old and experienced in running theme parks.

 

[mercuryvenus]

Y'all, if people here are describing their disability and expressing concern about DAS, that doesn't mean they're asking for medical advice. Just be supportive.

We also aren’t asking people to tell us what accommodations are needed for our conditions or those of our family members.

 

[GoingSince1990]

This is probably not very practical at this point, but I was thinking about how a truly "equal access" system could be designed if you were starting from scratch, that would solve the problem of people needing to leave the line, especially if they were in a scooter or wheelchair. Imagine a large, indoor air-conditioned DAS waiting room that included plenty of benches and open space for mobility vehicles, and included its own accessible bathroom facilities and made free water available. Each DAS waiting room might be designated for one single ride or for multiple rides in the same area. Anyone who has been issued with a DAS and wishes to do a ride scans into the waiting room and waits in there for whatever the current standby wait time is, minus 15 minutes, at which point they can leave the waiting room and enter the ride via the LL. Anyone leaving the room early loses their place in the virtual line, but given that the room includes bathroom facilities and offers water, there should be no reason for anyone to need to do this. This would deter potential abusers as it would not give them time to do more rides than they would otherwise be able to do, while allowing DAS holders to wait for the ride in air-conditioned comfort, and would fully solve the logistical problem of people in mobility devices needing to leave the line to use the bathroom.

 

[Disturbia]

Y'all, if people here are describing their disability and expressing concern about DAS, that doesn't mean they're asking for medical advice. Just be supportive.

I’m just sharing what helped me not giving medical advice. This is a public forum and we were sharing individual experiences. You can chose to ignore as the person above did.

In any case I apologize if I sounded condescending or something.