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

[nalababybear]

Some things to keep in mind:
Guests are able to do Advance Video Registration 30 to 2 days before their visit.
This means that some guests registering now have trips that:

• begin and end before the new program starts (May 20 for WDW and June 18 for DL). They would be under the 'old rules'
• begin before before the new program starts, but end after the new program starts. From what people have reported, their entire trip was under the 'old rules' - this makes sense; it would be very confusing to have a change in the middle of a trip
• begin after the new program starts. Some whose trip starts a few days before the start have apparently are under the old rules. I would expect there might be some 'overlap' for a while

The first dates ALL people doing Advance Video Registration would be May 18 for WDW and June 20 for DL (assuming I counted correctly).
If you are doing video registration and want to report here, please include:

• Does your trip start before or after the 'new rules' date? If before, are all the days of your trip before?
• What kind of tickets? Did your ticket type require park reservations? Only date based tickets don't require reservations
• Does the person you did registration for fit into the category of developmental disability (autism or similar) that is listed on the website or some other issues/concerns with waiting in the regular lines? REMINDER: don't post specific diagnosis, symptoms or conditions, just 'yes' or 'other'
• Did the person end up registered for DAS or other accommodations? If other accommodations, do they sound like they will meet the needs?

Disney has indicated they will be doing individual assessments and accommodations based on needs/concerns related to waiting in the regular lines. Pretty much every condition/diagnosis has a spectrum - some have many needs. Some have very few needs.
This means MAY NOT give everyone with the same condition/concern the same accommodations.
Disney MAY NOT publish exactly how other accommodations will work or what exact accommodations will be given for which needs. They MAY (hopefully will) have kind of a 'cookbook' of accommodations they can pull additional from to meet individual needs.

I guess we will see.

Pin this to first post!

 

[SueM in MN]

Great post. But swap the Disneyland dates to 6/16 for this part. You went forward 2 days instead of back.
The first dates ALL people doing Advance Video Registration would be May 18 for WDW and June 20 for DL (assuming I counted correctly).

Thanks.
I changed it. I was mentally just thinking 30 days - it should have been 28

 

[smartlabelprint]

I feel like I’m late to the discussion - mostly because just thinking about this is triggering

I suggest you delete symptoms of your issues so that scammers can’t gain a script for accessing DAS.

 

[gypsy_at_heart]

I suggest you delete symptoms of your issues so that scammers can’t gain a script for accessing DAS.

Thank you. I didn’t think of that I went ahead and edited them.

 

[prettypatchesmsu]

Post from someone who registered this morning on Facebook. Take it for what it is, so just what they were told. Just reposting this here, not my experience.

“Just registered this morning exactly at 7am (took 27 minutes start to finish) for my trip arriving on May 20th (Walt Disney World).

Cast member was great, let me know the “new registration” rules won’t take effect until registering on May 20th! Meaning anyone with a registration date of May 20th and on will be “new rules”. As of now, everyone registering (until May 20th) is still under the old registration process and old rules. However, my DAS will be valid for the length of my stay ONLY; not 30 days. They still allowed for DAS holder plus 5 guests and was allowed pre-selects.

Once my DAS expires on last park day of my trip, at that point if I need to re-register again for any future trip, or if i need to extend a day or two, I would need to start over and it would be under the new rules.

One change I did confirm, was it will be a 10 minute wait to book your next attraction after tapping in your current DAS selection. This does start on May 20th in the park (WDW).

Hope this info helps!”

 

[greeneyedchick]

Post from someone who registered this morning on Facebook. Take it for what it is, so just what they were told. Just reposting this here, not my experience.

“Just registered this morning exactly at 7am (took 27 minutes start to finish) for my trip arriving on May 20th (Walt Disney World).

Cast member was great, let me know the “new registration” rules won’t take effect until registering on May 20th! Meaning anyone with a registration date of May 20th and on will be “new rules”. As of now, everyone registering (until May 20th) is still under the old registration process and old rules. However, my DAS will be valid for the length of my stay ONLY; not 30 days. They still allowed for DAS holder plus 5 guests and was allowed pre-selects.

Once my DAS expires on last park day of my trip, at that point if I need to re-register again for any future trip, or if i need to extend a day or two, I would need to start over and it would be under the new rules.

One change I did confirm, was it will be a 10 minute wait to book your next attraction after tapping in your current DAS selection. This does start on May 20th in the park (WDW).

Hope this info helps!”

So you mean we have 30 more days to speculate on how this will all work?!

 

[prettypatchesmsu]

So you mean we have 30 more days to speculate on how this will all work?!

I know, I was really hoping for answers today. Hopefully they’re wrong.

 

[leiaorgana]

I'm also kind of late to the party and apologise for being "that person" but I really don't have the time to read through all 174 pages of this thread so just wanted to quickly ask how this new system will impact international visitors like myself?

 

[Grim Grinning Ghostie]

I'm also kind of late to the party and apologise for being "that person" but I really don't have the time to read through all 174 pages of this thread so just wanted to quickly ask how this new system will impact international visitors like myself?

To condense all 174 pages down into one sentence: Disney hasn't said yet, so nobody knows yet.

 

[Disneychick75]

So you mean we have 30 more days to speculate on how this will all work?!

This might explain why when I went to the Disney Disability page, I saw no updates. It still states that things remain the same for those going through May 19th.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/disability-access-service/

Honestly, if what the FB poster this this holds true, i.e., the new rules do not go into effect for calls until May 20th it will be a HUGE relief for me. I'll find out next week. Meanwhile

 

[leiaorgana]

To condense all 174 pages down into one sentence: Disney hasn't said yet, so nobody knows yet.

Ahhh okay! Thank you, I appreciate that.

 

[Tatebeck]

To condense all 174 pages down into one sentence: Disney hasn't said yet, so nobody knows yet.

To condense further:

 

[Genie+]

I think it is good news that this is looking more like a transition than hard cut off with scrambling to catch up the gap in pre-registrations and all these new measures being implemented on the ground at once.

Hopefully is successful in meeting people’s needs and I’m leaning toward that being the case. After all there are 2 sides to the monetary impacts. On one side Genie+ might not be living up to its profit potential due to overuse/misuse of DAS, and also causing the product not to function well. But there’s also the big picture of visitors and spending, where profits could take a hit if less guests are able to make the parks work for their party (including those who need assistance). Somewhere in between they need to balance protecting guest experience with pursuit of increased profits. So it’s not enough to just push Genie+ spending, they need to also keep the parks a place we can ALL enjoy and find value.

 

[Calee]

So just to clarify, if my trip starts hypothetically on June 10th, my 30 days in advance to register my son would be May 10th, so we could go on an apply? And would be under old rules? I don't even mind new rules, I just didn't want to have to wait until after May 20th to apply/know anything.

 

[smartlabelprint]

Thank you. I didn’t think of that I went ahead and edited them.

I hadn’t thought of it either until someone told me that.

 

[Disneychick75]

So just to clarify, if my trip starts hypothetically on June 10th, my 30 days in advance to register my son would be May 10th, so we could go on an apply? And would be under old rules? I don't even mind new rules, I just didn't want to have to wait until after May 20th to apply/know anything.

Len Testa posted this today so as usual, we're getting differing info:

"Some WDW CMs got briefed today on the new rules. The take-aways that I heard (which could be wrong, so grain of salt) (Just thought it was important to highlight this)

• DAS Advance is going away
• There'll be a 10-minutes-between-rides enforced break before signing up for a new ride
• Guest Relations will no longer have the ability to register or modify anything DAS-related. That's being taken away.
• It's going to be restricted to developmental needs like autism and Down's. Mild cases may not qualify.
• Guests claiming IBS/gastrointestinal issues, or diabetes, will be instructed on how to use the new exit-and-return lines.
• A doctor's note saying you can't wait in lines will not be an automatic yes. Instead, you'll be transferred to speak to a registered healthcare professional about why you can't wait in line. Disney may not even read your documentation.
• The party-size limits will be strictly enforced.

Guest-facing CMs were also told:

• The job is going to suck for a while
• You can remind guests:
  • It's well-known that theme park vacations involve long waits in line
  • The new policy is designed for the small percent of the population that has developmental disabilities; it's not for everyone with any medical condition.
  • Disney provided ample notification of the policy change.

In talking about this, I got the sense that Disney was already overwhelmed with questions along the lines of "Why does this qualify now but not after May 20?" And their point is that if everything that counted now counted on May 20, we'd have the same system and the same problems."


My takeaways:

Doctor's note????
Also, ample time has not been given to those whose triups fall w/in days of the rule implementation. IMO, Disney should have given people at least a 3 months heads up.

 

[Kgrace1989]

I saw that post as well… and I agree, it is interesting that they are accepting Dr notes, but not requiring them (I’m not saying they should or shouldn’t) just that it’s interesting that they seem to be allowing them to be submitted.
I am glad though that they are going to have a hard limit on the party size… I know Disney is a family vacation, but when you have 6 or 8 people coming through the LL entrance at any given time (I know they wait the standby time…but they can use the DAS hours later if they decide) … it just seems like that isn’t sustainable .
Oh, and I meant to add I agree with you about the heads up. Disney is an expensive vacation, and if people really can’t make this new system work for them I do think it is unfair to not refund them.

 

[lentesta]

Doctor's note????

I'm told some guests obtain and offer them proactively. So it would be helpful to train CMs about how to deal with guests who don't qualify under the new policy and respond with "But I have a note from my doctor."

 

[Disneychick75]

I saw that post as well… and I agree, it is interesting that they are accepting Dr notes, but not requiring them (I’m not saying they should or shouldn’t) just that it’s interesting that they seem to be allowing them to be submitted.
I am glad though that they are going to have a hard limit on the party size… I know Disney is a family vacation, but when you have 6 or 8 people coming through the LL entrance at any given time (I know they wait the standby time…but they can use the DAS hours later if they decide) … it just seems like that isn’t sustainable .
Oh, and I meant to add I agree with you about the heads up. Disney is an expensive vacation, and if people really can’t make this new system work for them I do think it is unfair to not refund them.

I'm calling my doc's office on Monday for an appt to get a note because my DAS call is next Saturday by first day in the park.
Things with Disney, as we all know, can be fluid. What they say one day is not necessarily what they will say the next. I'm just dotting my i's and crossing my t's. If I get DAS, yippee, if I don't, I'll have my mac and I can read in the room while my crew goes to the parks. Won't be ideal but it is what it is until it isn't, lol.

 

[lanejudy]

I'm told some guests obtain and offer them proactively. So it would be helpful to train CMs about how to deal with guests who don't qualify under the new policy and respond with "But I have a note from my doctor."

Yes some guests bring one and offer it, but unless it’s new procedure — CMs will refuse to look at notes.