cmwade77 said:
I don't blame you there. Oddly we have found that with the DAS, the only thing we have needed to explain is if we can do stairs or not and on RSR, DW and I need our own row and the friend we were with, her leg doesn't bend, so she needs the seat next to her leg to be empty. But we had to explain these with the GAC as well, because they were unique needs that are specific to certain attractions.
I expect that special circumstances need to be explained like my need to use the lower loading zone for RSR, or needing the transfer row of Screamin.
I do not expect when I try to access a queue such as at Aladdin to need to explain my medical condition all over again. I show them the DAS and say I cannot access your standard queue. I need to wait elsewhere and then when I come back, I am generally put to the side or in the VIP section. It is not fair for me to be unable to wait in the regular queue and be stuck in the very very back of the line. I will even get a DAS time for the next show so I am not "taking advantage."
But it is frustrating that I must explain my actual medical condition again. Having the DAS and explaining what I need (climate controlled wait, or somewhere where I will not be trapped in a mob or whatever) should be sufficient. I should not need to explain my diagnosis again. Otherwise what is the point of the DAS?
Also I have heard a disturbing number of reports of people who have a wc or
ECV and a DAS being spoken to unkindly or questioned by CMs - after they already have the DAS. It was even suggested to my friend that only people who were somehow "lesser" got the DAS and then went on to suggest some very offensive reasons why a person would get the card. Even I have had people make assumptions and comments. If this happens to you please report the person. It is unkind and unhelpful for this idea of either/or to keep going. There are people who need both a mobility device and a DAS.
Mostly I need disney to recognize that people with a DAS need alternate waiting options for shows as well as attractions, especially shows with limited times (Aladdin only happens 4 times a day). I have a friend who has a deaf daughter and a DAS and wanted to use an alternate waiting area for Magical Map (not the mob area but the accessible queue) for many reasons, one of which was so that her daughter could sit in front and see as much as possible. Supposedly needs like these are being handled at the shows on an individual basis but no one seems to know what to do, even when the person has a DAS. The DAS should have been sufficient to show the CM she had needs but again, no one was helpful.
I think it has more to do with confusion and a lack of communication and clarity than any type of maliciousness. Right now everyone seems to have been told something different and the CMs are as confused as the guests. For the most part they are trying their best to make things work but it is requiring far more effort on the part of the guest with the disability than it used to - and more effort than an AB guest. Other guests do not need to go a full show before and plan a half hour of their time to explain again why I have a DAS and why I will need a different waiting experience. I should just be able to wait elsewhere like I did before with my DAS. Like I said I would even get a time for the next Aladdin show on the DAS if that would help.
Also something happening now which I think will get better with time as opposed to how it is now - but something we guests with disabilities and a dAS need to plan for - the DAS is supposed to give priority upon return over other guests even if they had a wc return card. This is just not happening. In general those of us with a DAS go in whatever returnee line there is (if there is not an accessible FP queue). Most of the time this is because there is just not room or it is not logistically possible to separate people out. So if you have a DAS and return to find a long returnee queue at an attraction, I suggest asking a CM what happens because you have a DAS. They may pull you out and put you on as soon as they can. Or they may put you in the regular returnee line. There have been times I have not left again and come back later when the returnee line was shorter.
Unfortunately there is no consistency with regards to what attraction does what. Again I believe this will get better with time, but I know it may cause an issue at the moment for some people. Just wanted to give a heads up.
I love
Disneyland , but honestly I almost feel like I am being punished for other people being stupid. And that is very frustrating. I wait the length of the standby line and then I am sent through FP? That means I am waiting longer than everyone else every time. It is no longer just a once in a while thing, where I wait longer than the posted standby time due to my disability. It is happening every time. And it is worse with DCA because they know that FP lines take time - and definitely longer than 10 minutes!
I am interested to hear the experiences of others when it comes to posted wait times under 10 minutes. Are you being sent through the standard queue? Or just being redirected through the exit/FP/alternate entrance? If you cannot access the standard queue for whatever reason (especially if that is the reason you have the DAS) are the CMs working with you? Or are you being told that you are out of luck?