Rumored Changes to G+

[SL6827]

Based on some of the TikToks out there about people giving tips to get DAS, bathroom issues seem to be a top one. There was a thread in the DISabilities group as well addressing this, and that Disneyland has recently started denying some people with bathroom issues, and are instead giving them a bathroom pass. Havent seen the follow up yet on what that truly looks like or if that was just a one off situation, but this would be a pretty easy one to just say...I get the runs and can't control it or when I have to go, so I can't stand in a line.

I hear ya. Im almost 50, and my bladder is gone!

 

[Philsfan77]

I’m not necessarily talking about abuse.

The current DAS pre-booking system came out around the same time that paid Genie plus was introduced. As mentioned somewhere upthread, there are people who have always qualified for DAS but never bothered to stand in line at Guest Services to get it in the past because they made do with fp.

Now, they’re getting DAS because Disney has made it easier to access, there are ride incentives to do it ahead of time, and they can avoid purchasing Genie+ if they wish.

I think this is really what is happening more so than abuse. People who previously wouldn't have applied because fastpass+ was good enough (maybe even better) to meet their needs than DAS simply didn't. Now that Genie+ is a paid service, and depending on park/day could run a family of 6 well over $100 extra a day to get it, and DAS now has better features for pre-planning, some of those families who would have made due without DAS previously are now getting it.

 

[SL6827]

I just wonder if DAS could be limiting how many Genie + passes Disney could sell? I bet if it is, it may only be during the busiest times of the year?

 

[dreamer17555]

I agree with you. In fact, I specifically mentioned exceptions for kids because I understand that a lot of families can have 3+.

What I can't understand is 5 neurotypical adults getting in with a DAS user, no matter the age of the DAS user. And I say this as someone who has gone exclusively with adults since there are no kids in the fam past my generation.

If something needs to give to reduce DAS abuse, cutting 1-2 adults (actual adults, not Disney's 13yo "adults") per DAS user seems to me like it might help. But I can't say that for sure, only Disney can.

It's just a thought too, I'm sure there would be other exceptions just like with current DAS.

Considering families come in very different shapes and sizes (I know one family where divorced parents and their new spouses take the child together- 4 adults, 1 child, fantastic co parenting IMO) I think a hard age limit is unfair. Why should they not be able to tour the parks together, enjoying the same attractions together as group without a disability?


Under that proposal as soon as my son turns 18 (he is currently 16) my daughter and I would be unable to tour together with him... His father doesn't come but if the limit was even 2 adults plus DAS holder a father in that setting won't be able to join in... It's basically punishing the family for having a person that requires DAS.

I think Disney personally really messed up with Genie+. I think the old FP+ system kept the occupancy higher at their resorts (where they set the prices) and by monetizing FP they have unleashed this can of worms and they don't know how to clean it up

 

[juxtapose]

I think this is really what is happening more so than abuse. People who previously wouldn't have applied because fastpass+ was good enough (maybe even better) to meet their needs than DAS simply didn't. Now that Genie+ is a paid service, and depending on park/day could run a family of 6 well over $100 extra a day to get it, and DAS now has better features for pre-planning, some of those families who would have made due without DAS previously are now getting it.

We are in this position. My son would benefit from DAS, we've never bothered getting it in the past because when he abandoned a line because it was too overwhelming, we lost time and one adult riding it but not money (either ILL$ or the single Genie+ they allow per day of that ride). We usually had the option to get a FP later in the day and try again or at least let the other adult ride at that time. Now that we will be losing money and can't get another Genie+ for the same ride, I'm thinking about if we should get DAS for him.

 

[juxtapose]

With that said, any rumors on when they are going to announce these January changes? We're a few weeks away from January! I don't feel like I can finish planning our spring trip until they announce what these changes are actually going to be as if we purchase Genie+ or not impacts the amount of time we spend in the parks.

 

[starlite_]

Considering families come in very different shapes and sizes (I know one family where divorced parents and their new spouses take the child together- 4 adults, 1 child, fantastic co parenting IMO) I think a hard age limit is unfair. Why should they not be able to tour the parks together, enjoying the same attractions together as group without a disability?


Under that proposal as soon as my son turns 18 (he is currently 17) my daughter and I would be unable to tour together with him... His father doesn't come but if the limit was even 2 adults plus DAS holder a father in that setting won't be able to join in... It's basically punishing the family for having a person that requires DAS.

I think Disney personally really messed up with Genie+. I think the old FP+ system kept the occupancy higher at their resorts (where they set the prices) and by monetizing FP they have unleashed this can of worms and they don't know how to clean it up

I didn't say limit it to 2 adults. I said cutting 1 or 2. Which means 3 or 4 adults + DAS user.

 

[dreamer17555]

I didn't say limit it to 2 adults. I said cutting 1 or 2. Which means 3 or 4 adults + DAS user.

Still doesn't that mean a larger adult family with someone with disabilities is being prevented from touring together? I am sure some people come to Disney for the attractions but I know many of us come to make memories together with our loved ones and part of that is being at attractions together- like everyone working together on Smugglers Run or being in the same Safari vehicle so you might see a certain animal behavior together. I get the system might have issues with abuse but I also know many people would be unable to vacation at Disney without it.

Adults are just as valid as needing DAS if they qualify and touring with their loved ones as children are.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

With that said, any rumors on when they are going to announce these January changes? We're a few weeks away from January! I don't feel like I can finish planning our spring trip until they announce what these changes are actually going to be as if we purchase Genie+ or not impacts the amount of time we spend in the parks.

Has there been any info that indicates the changes are planned for January? If so, I missed it (which is very possible!). I've only seen 2024 as an indicator of changes. I know January will bring park hopping and park reservation changes - not sure about Genie+.

 

[starlite_]

Still doesn't that mean a larger adult family with someone with disabilities is being prevented from touring together? I am sure some people come to Disney for the attractions but I know many of us come to make memories together with our loved ones and part of that is being at attractions together- like everyone working together on Smugglers Run or being in the same Safari vehicle so you might see a certain animal behavior together. I get the system might have issues with abuse but I also know many people would be unable to vacation at Disney without it.

Adults are just as valid as needing DAS if they qualify and touring with their loved ones as children are.

The same can be said about that 7th or 8th person people ask for. What do those ppl do? They split certain experiences and everything is ok. I would assume, neurotypical adults would be mature enough to understand that.

IMO something has to give, but this is just me thinking out loud about something that might help, even if just a lil bit, you don't need to come for my throat

 

[mamaofsix]

Has there been any info that indicates the changes are planned for January? If so, I missed it (which is very possible!). I've only seen 2024 as an indicator of changes. I know January will bring park hopping and park reservation changes - not sure about Genie+.

I think there is an assumption that it will change in January because of all the other parks changes at that time. Disney needs data of attendees to staff their parks. If they don't have park reservations, advanced G+ selections will tell them how many are attending a park on a particular day.

I would like to know what the plan is soon, too! For many of us planning spring trips, it would be helpful to know what's coming.

 

[mamaofsix]

The same can be said about that 7th or 8th person people ask for. What do those ppl do? They split certain experiences and everything is ok. I would assume, neurotypical adults would be mature enough to understand that.

IMO something has to give, but this is just me thinking out loud about something that might help, even if just a lil bit, you don't need to come for my throat

We are one of those big families and it does get very tricky to ride together.

If something needs to give, maybe it should be on Disney's end. Stop the pay-to-play, build more attractions in general so that lines aren't so long.

In the end, I would like some evidence of someone like touring plans actually counting the blue scan-ins for DAS instead of estimating the number. We're all getting upset over something that may be inaccurate. As many of us with family members who use DAS have said already: we see almost no one else using DAS in line with us (blue scan-ins) and almost all are green scans (G+) for LL. Yes, this is anecdotal. But so are the DAS abuse rumors.

As someone said upthread, those living with disabilities have a hard enough time in their day to day life that Disney is the one bright spot. I'm not sure that using DAS as the scapegoat for G+ problems is a good idea - especially when it may not be an accurate picture of what's going on.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

I think there is an assumption that it will change in January because of all the other parks changes at that time. Disney needs data of attendees to staff their parks. If they don't have park reservations, advanced G+ selections will tell them how many are attending a park on a particular day.

I would like to know what the plan is soon, too! For many of us planning spring trips, it would be helpful to know what's coming.

I know what you're saying, but it seems like the date-based ticket process would provide that information - which is why I thought APs still require park reservations most days throughout the year.

Guess we'll see what changes will come. Some seem to think only a 3-day or maybe 7-day Genie+ pre-selection if you have a resort reservation. Some seem to want the FP+ system back! I'd be ok making certain selections 3-7 days in advance of our park visit with an on-site resort stay.....!

 

[mamaofsix]

I know what you're saying, but it seems like the date-based ticket process would provide that information - which is why I thought APs still require park reservations most days throughout the year.

Guess we'll see what changes will come. Some seem to think only a 3-day or maybe 7-day Genie+ pre-selection if you have a resort reservation. Some seem to want the FP+ system back! I'd be ok making certain selections 3-7 days in advance of our park visit with an on-site resort stay.....!

True. I guess I was thinking that even with date-based tickets, Disney would want to know how many are at a particular park each day (ie: should there be more staff at MK today or EP?)

 

[dreamer17555]

The same can be said about that 7th or 8th person people ask for. What do those ppl do? They split certain experiences and everything is ok. I would assume, neurotypical adults would be mature enough to understand that.

IMO something has to give, but this is just me thinking out loud about something that might help, even if just a lil bit, you don't need to come for my throat

Large families do struggle with this- occasionally a CM will allow more ppl added to a DAS but since so many rooms at Disney cater to 5 the least that should be allowed is 4 people plus the DAS holder regardless of age. I think they went with 6 because so many rides are a 2x2 seating and that way everyone has someone to ride with.

 

[VAtink]

Thank you!

Yeah, my initial thought was that that reservations-per-hour number was very low too. I'm pretty confident in the source. They determined that by looking at how many G+ reservations had to be made in any given 5-minute period, for the return-time window to shift ahead by 5 minutes. That number appears to be 24. So 24 * 12 (the number of 5-minute periods in an hour) = 288. Let's say 300/hour because round numbers are easier to work with.

But I could be wrong, so if anyone has a better way of figuring out G+ allocation per attraction, I'd love to hear it.

For now, it might be helpful to invert the way we're asking the question: What if DAS usage is limiting the number of Genie+ reservations Disney can sell?

Here are some starting assumptions:

• Disney wants to keep the same ratio of standby guests to Lightning Lane as it did with FP+
  • That means admitting to a ride 3 or 4 LL guests for every 1 standby guest
• Disney has a decent idea of how much DAS use happens in the Lightning Lanes
  • The 2020 DAS lawsuit is helpful here:
    • Disney says 3% of guests in the park used the old Guest Assistance Card
    • For at least one attraction, those 3% of guests (and their families) used 30% of ride capacity
• When Genie+ costs $37 per person per day and ILLs are $20 pppd, a family of four is going to be more likely to seek out a DAS accommodation than pay $250 for Genie+ and ILL.

So if Disney *knows* that Haunted Mansion will have 1,200 DAS users per hour, that ratio limits the number of Genie+ reservations it can sell, because otherwise the ratio would have to change.

Like I said - I could be wrong on all of this. Discussions like this are great for figuring things out.

Ohh, very interesting, and thank you for responding! That is a really good point about the cost factor being added in now, makes sense that would increase the DAS use. We are one of the families that used to get by without it back in the FP+ days, but use DAS now. Mostly because we don't want to spend the money on G+ for our Epcot/AK days, but we will buy it for our MK and HS days.

So basically it sounds like I'm going to need to get a job at Disney, work my up to management, and then *maybe* I'll get an answer to this question.

 

[SL6827]

If this is going down in January, I wish they would inform us already.

 

[lentesta]

In the end, I would like some evidence of someone like touring plans actually counting the blue scan-ins for DAS instead of estimating the number.

We started counting yesterday at the Studios. It brought up more questions(!). Trying to get some clarification on some tihngs before we continue.

 

[Minnie1222]

We always arrive a few minutes before the G+/iLL designated time. Just out of curiosity, I started looking at the tap points and haven't seen a single one turned blue. Epcot has been very busy the past few days, and MK was very busy on Monday.

 

[Disneychick13]

I feel like I read a post (not on this thread though) that the tap points aren’t always blue for DAS use. Don’t know if I’m remembering that wrong or if there’s any validity to that.