KPeveler said:I totally agree, and I think there should be a kiosk in Toontown AND critter country. Both require going under the train tracks, which means a non ADA hill - they are too steep. Yes, there is an attempt made for toontown but it is most often used for stroller parking. If nothing else, attractions in this area should be allowed to give times at the attraction. Because there is no way I can go back and forth from Splash to the kiosk and back just for Winnie the Pooh. What ends up happening is we skip things.
I am working on a very long letter to Disneyland with my experiences. I am going to DCA tomorrow or the day after, since all my experience has been in DL so far, not in DCA. I have heard plenty of stories, but I want personal experience before writing to them.
I am also hoping to get a better email to write to as opposed to just filling out the form online.
The DAS is less the problem I have - it is the fact there are two new system colliding at attractions and they are just plain overwhelmed.
There are several ways to work on this (end times for wheelchair return tickets, so there is a steadier flow, something special for people needing wheelchair vehicles so the attractions people know what is coming, etc)
I would like, eventually, to be able to get a second DAS time after the first DAS time has arrived. This means I will have waited the whole first time, but then I can get a new Return Time if I happen to be passing a cart, rather than doubling back. I would get my return time for Winnie the Pooh AND Splash before going up and down hills in my manual chair. That would allow people who still need to wait for their own reasons (recovering from heat, meltdown, etc) to keep the time they waited on the card.
There are times that I get a time for Space Mountain, but something happens that when my time arrives, I am not able to ride right then. Maybe my stomach is giving me problems, but I cannot get a time to go on a tamer ride, like Buzz Lightyear without losing all the time I waited for Space Mountain. It is very frustrating.
I know this is off topic, I was just hoping to get some DL goer reaction to this idea. WDW and DL are so different, the system will have to be changed a little to accommodate each park.
No.I am almost sure of the answer to this is no but just in case I missed something. Is there anyway to pre apply for the DAS? With the temporary disabled parking permit I get for Orlando ( I am from the UK and they kindly issue a US one after seeing my UK one which is great ) I can apply for this ahead of time to save going to the office and a drive ( and the time it takes ) . Nothing like this?
You posted on the Disneyland thread - a Epcot has a back entrance with a Guest Relations kiosk. No one has reported getting one there so I am not sure if they are issuing them.So sorry if this question was asked already but I can't find the answer. We are arriving in one week and staying in Epcot area hotel. I would like to request a gac the first night of arrived at the back entrance of Epcot so that the first day we can eliminate this process. If not perhaps I can go to mk entrance. This will be around 7:00pm. Thx !
thank you for your reply.No. You can't apply ahead of time. DAS cards are only given at the theme parks and the person applying for DAS has to be with you. You posted on the Disneyland thread - a Epcot has a back entrance with a Guest Relations kiosk. No one has reported getting one there so I am not sure if they are issuing them. The written information provided by Disney says "main entrance" ;it is unclear if that is considered a main entrance or not.
In case you missed it....
Carol and Michael Bowling discuss their experience in the Parks after the implementation of DAS on this week's DIS Unplugged: Disneyland Edition podcast.
Download:
10/24/13 DIS Unplugged: Disneyland Edition
Listen directly:
Disability Access Service
I listened and thought it was interesting.Thanks Tom for the link did we forget bought jack burgin was also on the show.
I listened and thought it was interesting.
It sounded like mAny of the issues had to do with DL not having accessible lines. I believe one of the issues mentioned, people storing up attraction return times cards was being addressed now with those get ing a one hour window of time like Fastpass. (The report was from Halloween party first weekend of roll out).
We went to the parks yesterday and I thought I should post some updates, as there have been some improvements.
First off, I had to renew my DAS, so I asked about some concerns that I had come up.
The person that was helping was very nice and explained everything very well.
There are tweaks being made, some are behind the scenes that you won't really know what they are doing, you will just see the results. Such as fixing long waits when you return to an attraction.
Here is the official policy for return times near closing: they ask that you leave enough time to get from the kiosk to the attraction with 5 minutes to spare before closing and they will make the return time for 5 minutes before closing.
For attractions like Pirates that end up with a long accessible queue, the official policy is that the DAS works like a FP for the accessible queue. You may have other DAS holders in front of you, but you are supposed to go ahead of others, as you have already waited.
They are trying to figure out how to fix the extra traveling. They know they need more kiosks, but don't even currently have the manpower they need for the ones they have now, let alone more. Apparently the GR CMs are all working about 13 hour days and at least 6 days a week at that. Which I am sure is great for their wallets, but I have done that before and it is exhausting. So, please keep this in mind when you might get a CM who is a little less than enthusiastic.
Somehow they have managed to fix the issue of waiting when returning. Even on racers we only had one wheelchair party in front of us and the queue was still a 90 minute wait. So, as far as wait times, it seems things are getting to be closer to equal.
That being said, there were a couple of times that I looked at queues that were visible and did question if the posted wait times were accurate. One I thought the actual wait would have been longer than posted, most I think would have been shorter. So getting more accurate wait times is something that needs to happen. But that is something that affects all guests.
Overall, I would say this system has been an improvement so far, especially with the shorter lines when returning. But then again, I generally waited the length of the standby line before going to the next attraction with the old system anyway due to my needs, so what's really the difference if Disney is telling me I must wait or if it's my body telling me this? Either way, it amounts it the same thing. So, this system means that given my needs and the shorter waits when returning, I can potentially do more attractions than with the GAC. But that is given my circumstances that I was waiting between attractions anyway, not because I wanted to, but because I had to. The new system just adds in Disney telling me I have to wait in addition to my body doing so. In my case the new system, aside from the extra traveling works better, especially now that they have found ways to fix the other issues that I had.
As I said the new system has some issues, less now than when the system started, but there is still at least the issue of extra traveling, Disney definitely is working on fixing them. Again, This has been backed up by actions.
The biggest takeaway though was she did say that Disney is listening and that you should definitely use the website to provide feedback and be specific about what worked for you and what problems you may have encountered. And what she said has been backed up by actions, so it's not just lip service.
Well, that and if you live near the parks and are looking for a job, it would probably be pretty easy to get over in GR right now.
KPeveler said:I have found that if I plan carefully my Wheelchair Return Times (not DAS), I do not wait in long return lines. If I do not plan carefully, then I do end up waiting in quite long lines.
The biggest problem they are running into on some attractions are the Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles - there are two Wheelchair Return attractions with a WAV - Small World and Jungle Cruise. At about 1:45 yesterday, when I was leaving JC, the returnee line was backed up to the edge of the store. It was so long, that the person handing out return times had to move to give it room! It seemed a random time for such a long return line.
Part of the problem is that there were at least two parties waiting for the WAV, which I was already on. That meant a longer wait for those two parties.
I think there is a possibility that there will eventually be end-times for the WC Return Tickets, like FP (but perhaps with a longer window) so that way the queues do not get long at random times. Also, this allows them to space out the people returning for the WAVs.
This is going to be a major issue at Small World Holiday, when it is running at capacity from open to close. The wheelchair boat lifts run on batteries, which do not last 12+ hour days if they are used every time around. Usually they start with two boats, then alternate them as batteries start to die. There is always (barring complications) a boat on, but not always both. With the backups that always seem to happen, especially when you are loading and unloading the WAV every time, that means about a 20 minute cycle in Small World. So I may get a wheelchair return time, wait my 2 hours (standard small world holiday waiting time), then go back, only to find out I STILL need to wait in a long line for another hour for the wheelchair boat!
I am hoping this is something that, especially for the holiday attractions, they have end times. A long enough window to allow for people to wheel back, especially with parades and such, but short enough to help spread out crowds.
The last 6-12 months of the GAC at RSR, we did not get a "come back after" time - we got a 1 hour window. While that hour was very restricting, especially when dealing with multiple disabilities in our group, it DID help keep the wheelchair line from getting too long.
So yes, I have seen a marked improvement in the returnee wait times, but there is still much room for improvement.
The other thing that is true now that is frustrating is that to get a wheelchair return time, you must go to the wheelchair entrance. With the Pirates and Mansion overflow lines, this means I had to wheel all the way PAST French Market and around the back by the bathrooms and down the hill to even get a Return Time for Pirates. It would be nice if we could get WC times at attraction entrances as well - because I was wheeling a full 5-10 extra minutes up a steep hill and then up a gradual one, only to get a time for 60 minutes later - and the street was already full with other people in wheelchairs waiting for their time to arrive. I counted no less than 5 parties just sitting by the exit, making a line nearly as long as was there before, which was confusing for some and made it hard to get to the place to get the silly ticket.
Does anyone know if I can get a Wheelchair Return Time for Splash at the Splash entrance, or do I have to go all the way up and down those hills of doom to get a ticket at the exit? B/c those hills are NOT up to ADA standards, and it is unfair for me to be told to do it twice! (manual wheelchair user traveling solo)
"...Another time I stopped in to get a RT and the lady next to me was begging the CM to reconsider saying "You don't understand, I have to keep walking. I can't sit or stand so a wheelchair won't help me." I felt so bad for her - glad that I didn't have an issue getting it."
Oh no! My father is in the same position, sure it would be great if he could "just get a wheelchair" as per Disney mobility issues policy but he must walk during the day & can't stand in 1 place so general cues were a no-no. It used to confuse the CMs under the GAC, we were hoping this unique issue would be covered in the new DAS program but it doesn't sound like it was. Does anyone know if there is a place to write into Disney & ask about a specific issue like this with regards to the DAS or are they only looking for feedback from people who have utilized the program?
If you have a DAS, you can get a DAS Return Time for these attractions. According to GR, the DAS return times take priority over the WC return times.
But this could cause even further delays for WC return times. I wonder if the solution for WAV vehicles would be to put return times with a window of time, but not base the return times on the standby line time, instead base it on how many how many outstanding return times for WAVs are currently issued. With an expiration time on them, that would be workable. I'd course at that point, there might need to be a rule that if you need the WAV, you can't use a DAS on that attraction. Luckily, the WAVs are only an issue on a handful of attractions.
As for small world, I was surprised that when we got the new boats that they didn't change the WAVs to match WDW, as they don't require any power to run. It might mean some modifications to the gates and loading area, but not too much and the long term cost savings would be work it.
For Splash, if you have a DAS, I would recommend getting a return time. If you don't have a DAS, there is a kiosk for return times at the exit of Mansion, I would suggest asking there if they might at least be able to run down and get a return time if you are by yourself, explaining the situation to them. Although for the rest of winter, you most likely could go down and get a return time, ride Winnie the Pooh and have it be about time to return.
I just figured I would post this, as not everyone can wait in the standard queues, even if the wait is posted at 10 minutes. Not only can the times be wrong, but it may be the sensory experience of the queue or some other reason why a person cannot use the standard queue. I know people who use a DAS because of a mixture of disabilities that makes it unsafe for them to try to navigate the back-and-forth nature of the queue.
I have encountered more and more Guest Relations CMs who are "passing the buck" or flat out telling me there is nothing they can do. I tell them that I do not expect the system to be fixed right away, but that I was giving feedback of an issue I encountered.