Disability Access Service (DAS) Changes at Disney World FAQ
We’ve received over 200 questions about the overhaul of Disability Access Service (DAS) at Walt Disney World and Disneyland that will roll out in the next couple of months. This FAQ answers common inquiries about eligibility changes, mechanics of how DAS will (and won’t) work, reasons for new policies, how they should cut down on Lightning Lane abuse and misuse, and much more.
This comes as a follow-up to the long-awaited news that Disney is once again redoing DAS at Walt Disney World and Disneyland due in large part to abuse and proliferation of the program’s use. That article covers a lot of ground about the specifics of the new-look Disability Access Service, plus our commentary about winners & losers, as well as collateral damage and more.
Unfortunately, that article is also nearly 4,500 words long. Brevity is hardly this site’s strong suit, so a lengthy post is fairly unsurprising. Except in this case, I had another 1,500+ words that were lost left on the chopping block–and I could’ve dedicated another 2,000 words to answering reader questions. Instead, I thought I’d put together an FAQ that would attempt to be as concise as possible–and also be easier to navigate so you can skim and bypass questions that don’t apply to you.
This combines public information that Walt Disney World has released, questions we’ve been able to get answered during discussions with Disney’s team working on the DAS overhaul, informed speculation based on reading between the lines of the policies, practical realities of ADA compliance, and more.
This is still going to be a long one, so let’s dig right into the FAQ…
How do you register for DAS?
Registration is available via live video chat.
Speak with a Cast Member via live video chat to determine eligibility no more than 30 days in advance of a park visit.
Is in-person same-day registration available at Walt Disney World?
No and yes. Same day registration is still available by visiting Guest Relations, but it will not be in-person in the sense that you’ll be speaking face-to-face with a Cast Member inside the park. You’ll be directed to a location and given a device to conduct the live video chat. It’ll work exactly like it would from outside the park, except you’ll be wasting precious vacation time to do so.
Given that alone–and the possibility of this taking extra time based on demand–we highly recommend going the pre-arrival route at Walt Disney World. Nothing is going to change, outcome-wise, with getting or not getting DAS. It’s just where you take the time to go through the process.
Guests visiting now through May 19 may visit a theme park Guest Relation location to speak with a Cast Member. In-person registration will no longer be available at theme park Guest Relations locations starting May 20, 2024.
What’s the maximum DAS party size?
DAS registration maximum party size is the registered DAS guest and all members of their immediate family (parents and siblings), but otherwise up to 3 additional party members, for a total of 4 people.
This means that if the DAS guest brings both of their parents, three sisters, and two brothers (total party size of 8)–that’s fine. But if a DAS guest brings both parents and one sibling (total party size of 4), they would NOT also be able to bring their two grandparents who footed the bill for the trip.
Once outside the nuclear family, the party size cap is 4 people, and that includes the DAS guest. (This is not speculative–I confirmed with Disney since it was a question we were getting a lot.)
How long is DAS valid?
DAS is valid for the length of the ticket or up to 120 days, whichever is shorter. Once the DAS period has elapsed, guests need to re-register for the program.
For guests visiting from April 9 through May 19, 2024, DAS is valid for up to 30 days, or when a new ticket is required.
For which disabilities is DAS intended?
According to Walt Disney World, “DAS is intended to accommodate a small percentage of 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.”
This line (or a variation thereof) can be found repeatedly throughout Walt Disney World’s new DAS resources. From that, it is clear that they’re trying to recalibrate expectations about the intended recipients of DAS.
Does that mean that DAS has been narrowed in scope to only guests with developmental disabilities?
Not entirely. During the video chat, Inspire Health Alliance’s health professionals will work with Disney Cast Members to determine eligibility for appropriate accommodations and ensure that these accommodations are provided only for the guests for whom they are intended.
This will mean having a personalized conversation about each guest’s unique needs and the services they might require to determine whether DAS is appropriate or whether the guest should be directed to other types of services available, including but not limited to a line-return option for guests who may need to visit the restroom with greater frequency, ASL interpreting services, and wheelchair or other mobility device access.
This may sound vague and unclear, and that’s partly by (Disney’s) design. Just keep in mind that the ADA requires businesses that are open to the public to make reasonable modifications to policies, practices, and procedures where needed. If your individual circumstances are such that a different accommodation is not suitable and only DAS will work for you, for whatever reason, it is likely to be the accommodation you’re granted, developmental disability or not.
The basis of my conclusion is not necessarily anything Walt Disney World has said, although there are several wiggle words (personalized conversations, each guests unique needs, etc.) that suggest requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Moreover, there’s the matter of federal law, which Disney obviously has the good sense (and legal team!) to know not to violate.
So DAS won’t be issued to fewer guests with actual disabilities?
This is where things get tricky. It is a near-certainty that fewer actually disabled guests will be deemed eligible for DAS. While Disney won’t outright say as much, that is clearly one goal of these changes.
However, this has less to do with a changing of who qualifies for accommodations and more to do with the process for evaluating DAS requests. In the past, it was not very rigorous and was more or less a rubber stamping once certain words were said.
This also was by design, especially in-park where Guest Relations Cast Members were given the unenviable task of evaluating DAS requests. It was better for them to err on the side of asking too little and issuing DAS too often, both as a matter of law and the Four Keys.
As a result, DAS was issued to legitimately disabled guests in many scenarios where other accommodations were available. These guests were not abusers (we dubbed them “unwitting misusers” in our previous post about DAS) as their requests were genuine, and they were simply following established procedure. If reevaluated once the new policies take effect, many of them would not receive DAS. So in short, the anticipated outcome is reducing the frequency with which DAS is issued.
Will these changes totally eliminate abuse?
Definitely not. There’s no perfect DAS system, and reform cannot be narrowly tailored in such a way that it only hurts the abusers. That just isn’t realistic. The sad reality is that some scammers are incredibly clever and will always find a way to exploit a loophole and outfox a system. The more Disney clamps down to try to stop them, the more disabled guests become unintended casualties, and the more likely it is that the system runs afoul of the ADA.
There’s no flawless means of eliminating abuse. The best I can think of is actually stigmatizing the losers who abuse DAS so they’re not as loud and proud of their awful actions. But in a world where reality television and social media fame seemingly reward the worst of society, that too seems unrealistic.
Why isn’t Disney using IBCCES?
Walt Disney World is not using the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) Attractions Assistance Pass that has become somewhat of an industry standard. Many other parks have switched to this, including Universal Orlando.
With IBCCES, guests must sign up before their visit and upload documentation for review. Upon qualifying via IBCCES for the Attractions Assistance Pass, the theme park operators then contact them about accommodations they may need. It is almost certainly a more rigorous system that decreases the likelihood of abuse.
It is also more controversial. There has already been litigation in California involving IBCCES, with one lawsuit focusing on the pre-planning requirement. There are also concerns about the use of an intermediary with regard to medical privacy and more. I would not be the least bit surprised if there’s more litigation involving IBCCES. I won’t pretend to know how that will all be decided.
Not wanting to be on the losing side of ADA cases, my strong suspicion is that Disney Legal performed litigation risk assessments on IBCCES and steered DAS in a different direction as a result. I also wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if the next DAS overhaul does involve IBCCES, should they prevail in pending and future litigation. All of this is purely speculative on my part.
Why isn’t Disney requiring medical paperwork?
Many disabled guests have welcomed Walt Disney World requiring medical paperwork or proof of a disability as a means of reducing abuse. Some say this is hardly burdensome, as they need this for many aspects of their day-to-day lives. A few indicated they have even brought this to Guest Relations in the past, and Cast Members actually refused to look at it.
This is also all by design. Just as Walt Disney World doesn’t want to run afoul of the ADA, they don’t want to violate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA, not HIPPA). Based on my admittedly limited understanding of public health and administrative law, I think concerns about HIPAA and its limiting factor are probably overblown. It’s not a blanket prohibition on disclosures (especially voluntary ones) or requests to provide documentation for substantiation or to provide the bases for a request for accommodations.
Nevertheless, HIPAA acts as a powerful incentive for businesses to treat medical information with great care. It’s also important to remember that Disney policies have to be implemented by Cast Members, presenting the opportunity for human error or oversight. On top of that, Disney is conservative and risk-averse with its policies, which is probably fair–the company has a bullseye on its back when it comes to litigation.
How will the new defined “return to queue” process for guests who need to exit the standby line and re-enter work?
Honestly, I don’t know. It’s unclear whether this will be a digital system, a physical flip card or something of that sort, involve better Cast Member training and guest communications or what.
It’s possible that Walt Disney World hasn’t even fully figured out the mechanics of how the “return to queue” process will work, or aren’t ready to discuss it for whatever reason. This was the first I had even heard of this being in the pipeline, whereas a DAS overhaul has been in development for a while. I’d be surprised if it’s digital or is anything all that elaborate, but could be wrong.
How will video calls work for international visitors?
In the past, international visitors have reported having issues connecting with the video chats necessary to complete the pre-arrival DAS process. There are workarounds for this (VPN, etc.) that could and should still work, although that’s not Walt Disney World’s official advice.
Disney’s recommendation is to complete the process via video chat upon arriving in the United States but before coming to the parks. Failing that, there will be an in-park option as discussed above (iPads at Guest Relations). So really, you want to figure out a way to do this before getting to Walt Disney World and there’s no guarantee that the video chat will work abroad without employing a workaround.
Is DAS issued at Walt Disney World valid at Disneyland, or vice-versa?
DAS is valid only on the coast where it was issued. DAS issued at Walt Disney World is not valid at the Disneyland Resort, and vice versa.
What happens if statements made by guests during the DAS registration process are found to be false?
If it is determined that any of the statements a Guest made in the process of obtaining DAS are not true, the Guest will be permanently barred from entering Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Resort, and any previously purchased Annual Passes, Magic Key passes, tickets and other park products and services will be forfeited and not refunded.
Note that this is not a new policy, and has been in place since (at least) the changes introduced alongside Lightning Lanes. It’s probably unenforceable (absent a guest outright stating that they lied to a Cast Member), but I nevertheless wish that Disney were publicizing this more.
Where do guests receive DAS return times?
Guests utilizing DAS (and their party members) can make return time selections right from the My Disney Experience app during the day of their park visit. Registered guests using DAS and members of their party will be able to book, redeem, change or cancel DAS return times using the My Disney Experience app via a smart phone or other smart device.
If additional assistance is required, guests can also obtain return times directly from a Cast Member at any Guest Relations or Guest Experience Team location (the blue umbrella stands, pictured above).
Can guests still pre-register for ride return times prior to their visit?
No. Only after you’ve registered and entered the theme park, can you request your first return time.
What can guests do during their virtual wait?
Guests utilizing DAS can enjoy many other experiences throughout Walt Disney World Resort during a DAS virtual wait, such as other rides, shows, entertainment, parades and character meet & greets. They can also take a rest in a break area, get something to eat or go shopping.
Does DAS give guests an advantage?
Yes. There’s been a lot of debate about this, but the answer is yes, statistically speaking.
This has come out during past litigation about the system, during which Walt Disney World indicated that guests using DAS experience 45% more attractions than those without DAS. On one of the days, the non-DAS testers waited in queues on average a total of 255 minutes, whereas the DAS testers only waited in line on average total of 107 minutes, or just under two hours.
Notably, this was during the FastPass+ era, back when even the non-DAS group would’ve had access to a version of line-skipping. If that test were redone today, the gap between standby guests and DAS guests would almost certainly be greater.
Some Walt Disney World fans assume this is not the case because DAS involves a virtual wait in line. But a virtual line allows guests to be in two places at once, whereas someone standing in a standby line is only in that line. Obviously, actual results are going to differ from person to person and many disabled guests will accomplish far less for a variety of reasons.
This is likely why some disabled guests justifiably believe DAS is simply leveling the playing field, rather than offering an advantage. The problem, again, likely lies with the abusers who are using DAS to maximize their efficiency and aren’t disabled in the first place.
Is there a way to prevent DAS guests from doing other attractions during their virtual wait?
Of course not. Walt Disney World is not going to scan park tickets at the standby entrances of attractions, restaurant and retail entrances (etc), to stop DAS guests from (effectively) being in two places at one time. That’s an unworkable (proposed) solution.
Does the Guest utilizing DAS have to be present to obtain a return time at a Guest Relations or Guest Experience Team location?
No. Any member of the DAS-eligible guest’s travel party may obtain a return time, but the guest registered for DAS must be present and experience the attraction with their party.
Does a Guest utilizing DAS have to ride the attraction at the exact return time listed?
No. DAS return times are not limited to a specific window and are valid until the park closes or an attraction closes for the day.
Can a Guest have more than one active DAS return time at one time?
No. A guest may only have one DAS return time at a time. Guests may obtain another return time for the same or a different attraction 10 minutes after they redeem their previous DAS selection.
Can a Guest with an active DAS return time receive a boarding group for one of the virtual queue attractions?
Yes. A guest can hold one active DAS return time and one virtual queue boarding group at the same time. When a guest utilizing DAS goes to the attraction with a virtual queue, they, along with their party, will speak to a Cast Member at the attraction about accessing the queue.
All guests in the party will need to have successfully joined the virtual queue for that access, not just the DAS guest.
Are these changes being made to sell more Lightning Lanes?
That’s a cynical assessment, but probably also an accurate one. Maybe not in the way you think, though.
One goal is undoubtedly to push DAS abusers into purchasing Lightning Lanes, rather than scamming a way of getting them for free. Similar to how Disney+ has started a crackdown on password sharing. (I’d argue they’re not equivalent offenses on an ethical level, but both are breaking rules.)
However, the assumption that this will free up inventory to sell more Lightning Lanes is mostly wrong. Genie+ selling out is fairly rare, so the ‘more inventory’ angle for selling more Lightning Lanes only applies to those dates. For most days, the limiting factor on Genie+ is demand–not supply. Individual Lightning Lanes are a somewhat different story in that they’re more frequently supply-constrained, so this could have a bigger impact on sales of those.
Will this improve Lightning Lane availability?
That’s a different question, and the answer to that should be yes. Lightning Lane inventory accounts for DAS users and, it follows that fewer DAS users means more ride reservations allocated to paid Lightning Lanes.
This is how we heard about DAS changes last fall in the first place. It’s our understanding that this is a necessary prerequisite before moving to pre-arrival Lightning Lane selections because there is so much DAS abuse or misuse.
So why are these changes actually happening?
The short answer is misuse and abuse.
Walt Disney World has publicly stated that DAS usage has tripled since 2019. Independent of that and prior to it, we received credible reports that the majority of Lightning Lane usage is actually not Genie+ guests, but rather, DAS. Just to put that into perspective for people who might be inclined to believe that DAS is still a low number in the grand scheme of things or relative to Lightning Lanes as a whole. It’s not.
Why has DAS usage exploded?
This is the more complicated question and the reasons are undoubtedly multifaceted. For one thing, the prevalence of diagnosed developmental disabilities in children have increased significantly in the U.S. population as a whole since 2019. That would account for a slight increase (~5%), but not a tripling. Other contributing factors would include pent-up demand and reputational awareness, as Disney has a sterling track record in treating guests with disabilities well.
All of that pales in comparison to the main culprit, which is free FastPass+ going away and being replaced by paid Lightning Lanes. This new system and each subsequent price increase thereof created a perverse incentive for cheating the system. At the same time, it also expanded the audience for social media “hacks” about how to skip the lines for free. This, in turn, created its own vicious cycle. As this DAS abuse content proliferated, it also became normalized by virtue of its ubiquity.
Abuse has always existed with DAS. The difference is that in the past, it was kept quiet as people recognized what they were doing was immoral and they’d be judged for it. Now, that stigma is largely gone. Instead of feeling (rightfully) ashamed of abusing a system intended for disabled guests, people openly boasted about it.
I’m not typically one to get preachy or virtue signal, but I’ll put this in no uncertain terms: people should be ashamed of abusing DAS, as what they’re doing is disgusting–it makes me hope karma is a thing. While this is a problem of Disney’s own doing and predictable consequence of moving to paid Lightning Lanes (making them hardly blameless in the whole affair), that does not make abusing DAS okay.
As we’ve said countless times before, queueing is a zero-sum game. Abusing DAS is not a victimless crime or “sticking it to the man” or whatever dumb justification the abusers might use. There’s literally no good excuse for the abhorrent behavior. Not only is it unethical, but it also comes at the expense of fellow guests, most notably those in legitimate need of DAS who have to wait longer in the Lightning Lane or now might be caught in the crossfire of this crackdown.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Thoughts on Walt Disney World overhauling Disability Access Service to reduce abuse and misuse? Do you think the new partnership with Inspire Health Alliance and other changes will better ensure DAS is only going to those who truly need it? If you’ve used Disability Access Service at Walt Disney World, what do you think of the experience? Any questions not answered by this FAQ?
I think a lot of people are forgetting that DAS users wait the same amount of time as those in the standby line (though -10 minutes of the psoted wait time), but just outside the queue itself, but THEN physically wait in the LL instead. It is NOT actually shorter than the standby line as it is the time for the standby line PLUS the time of the Lightning Lane.
(Sidebar: Many DAS users do not actually do that many attractions- for example, our last MK day was an Early Entry day and we stayed until after park close, but we did 5 attractions total, and that was with DAS (though we didn’t actually use DAS for every attraction- e.g. Enchanted Tiki Room). We did take a ~3-4 hour break in the middle of the day, but that was to go back to our cabin at Fort Wilderness because of sensory overload- there is no resort hopping or pool-going or anything like that during those times. )
You summarized it perfectly, thank you.
@carter. I couldn’t agree with you more . Our daughter gets DAS and she’s 36. So it’s just her , myself and my husband. We don’t do many of the popular rides as she just can’t tolerate it. We are only in the park for 2-3 hrs tops. We’re lucky to get 2-3 rides in maybe. Now taking away the two preselected rides which allowed us to be in one area of a park at a time, we will be lucky to get one or two rides in. Having to wait 10 minutes after checking in on a ride now also makes things difficult as obviously your in line for your ride. These changes with DAS are literally pushing us out of the parks .
Thank you Tom for your thorough research! This is my opinion on the matter – I agree that DAS is abused and wished they would go back to the free FastPass+. Hopefully, they will make some other announcements when it comes closer to rolling out the new system because as they have it stated right now, this is a detriment for a lot of people truly needing it.
As someone who would benefit and need the “return to line” option, the first problem I see with that is that Disney cast members already do nothing with line jumpers/cutting (having one person wait in line and 20 others join them later). They need to train cast members (no matter their age) to be able to say “no, that’s not ok and your whole group can go wait at the back of the line”. I saw one post last week with a photo where someone was waiting through the standby line and they said something to the group joining the one person as they were almost to the ride vehicle and the people that were “cutting” made such a scene, the CM let the whole group through and the group took up a whole Safari vehicle just to get them out of the way. This happens way to often at WDW & DL. If we could all afford VIP tours, wouldn’t we?
I do understand the hipaa and what it is intended for so people that don’t want to prove their medical diagnosis with documentation must not need DAS enough to verify, then that’s on them. As far as anxiety and people that are so rude to say “well, stay home or find something better to do”, they clearly have no idea what that feels like in a person’s daily life and hopefully they never have to find out.
I am 50+ and don’t have immediate family that travel with me often so I don’t understand why they are changing it to immediate family instead of just changing the number of people to 4 even though I don’t have problem with 6. Disney has caused widespread “panic” with this announcement but do they even care, probably not. Disney is going to get their money one way or another, they’ve shown that time and time again. So much for their inclusiveness, diversity and equality. Let’s crackdown on DAS abuse …
I completely understand the need to update DAS to cut down on the misuse. However, I think Disney jumped into releasing this too quickly, and it’s left a very bad taste in my mouth. I seem to be one of the “unwitting DAS users”. I’ve had POTS for decades, but have been lucky that it’s usually well controlled. I’ve only needed DAS once, but it was a lifesaver. When Disney released this update it was obvious I wasn’t one of the individuals who would still qualify, but I was hopeful I might for other accommodations (e.g. line return). When I reached out to Disney about what “other accommodations” might entail, I got a wordy response that amounted to “We don’t know, check back in a month or two”. If they truly don’t know, or more likely do, but aren’t ready to share details yet, they should have waited for the announcement. I expect better from a company who leads the industry in customer service.
This is really well put. A well thought through process with examples would have been much better than a blanket “its going to change on these dates but we aren’t telling you how yet”
Expect TL;DR
As a “senior” and a doctor that for 30+ years has written disability forms for patients (work, school, parking permits, etc.) I have a different perspective than some of these comments. This behavior is not a “Disney” phenomenon and is abused wherever people think they can get away with it. I agree it is not as stigmatized now, but that may be just that instead of lying they are brazen about it. And social media has made “hacks” a thing. If you CAN sit, then theoretically an ECV or wheelchair would be enough to give equal access. The use of IBS has USUALLY been a cheat code and as someone who had IBS in the 90s, it can mean not being in a line CONFIDENTLY for more than 30-min or so. But it is a trash-can diagnosis and can’t be proven for guests at WDW. Anxiety disorders, developmental disorders (a way too general term) may make it difficult if not impossible to stand in a line – claustrophobia or enochlophobia (fear of crowds) can be crippling of course. (Why would someone with severe anxiety or fear of crowds WANT to be at MK on a Saturday anyway?). But….
When did being at WDW become a natural human right that if lost would mean a disastrous life? There is so much money involved going to WDW, and I am sure qualified psychologists/psychiatrists/mental health specialists would suggest there are MORE IMPORTANT and beneficial activities than WDW. As well, I have had with me moderately severe autistic children and developmentally disadvantaged children (Downs) who because they had been acclimated and received good counsel and care were able to navigate Disney with some (as expected) restriction but without pressure to ride the headliners, were not overly stimulated, anxious, or unhappy with waiting. But that means their caregivers needed to be the ones that missed some rides. I understand that this may be some of the issues with DAS going away, as WDW is extremely expensive (I won’t say “over-priced” because they still line up!) and caring for a disabled child or family member or senior is difficult and tiring at a place like MK. And DAS was a godsend for these families.
But abusers will always abuse. And disabled or disadvantaged will always struggle. It will never be “fair”. Except we can choose not to pay and find other sources of joy and entertainment that is more accessible.
As a note, since I undoubtably have ticked off most anyone taking the time to read my comment, I personally have enjoyed the DAS this last year – a family CM told me about it. Like some others posting here, I have lumbar disc problems (from an MVA and surgery), and standing is extremely painful. The last time I renewed I was asked if I could use an ECV. In my case, I have peripheral neuropathy associated with the spinal injury and standing still in 1 place is EXTREMELY painful, and sitting causes increased pain after 15-20 min. The new DAS may mean I will be out of luck. I need to have someone save a place in line for me – maybe that will still be done with the new system. As an AP, DVC, D23, moved-to-Florida-for-WDW guest, it will be tough to miss out – FOMO is real. But I will just have to adjust. I feel more sorry for families that cannot afford to come or sacrifice way too much for a company that is not really too concerned about them. Walt’s been gone a long time…
I sincerely hope those at Disney who created this new overhaul have trained their staff to be able to accurately ascertain who will receive a pass in the future. We have used one for each visit with our autistic daughter. I can assure you that with all of the needed visits to the quiet areas in between rides and experiences to keep her from feeling overwhelmed, we aren’t going on any more rides per day than any other ticket holder without a DAS pass.
Same with our autistic son. Those in charge definitely need correct training. This could be a good fit for a nurse or therapist who already is medically trained and wants a part time job. I just want Disney to do right by everyone.
How will this affect those of us who are local passholders and go over frequently? I have a back injury (5 spinal compression fractures) that preclude standing in line for any length of time (>than 5 minutes). Is there a provision for this type of situation?
How will this affect those of us who are local passholders and go over frequently? I have a back injury (5 spinal compression fractures) that preclude standing in line for any length of time (>than 5 minutes). Is there a provision for this tyoe of situation?
the other day I was reading case notes from a 2013 lawsuit when disney moved from the fastpass to DAS system brought on by an autistic adult- Disney ultimately won the case (his ask was a bit unreasonable, wanting 10 immediate fast passes) because it read as if they basically railroaded someone with a cognitive disability on how to go through the legal process and why they specifically named autism. and similar. The most interesting thing in the whole published case, however, was that in discovery information that Disney admitted to dragging all the fast pass issues into the new DAS system. It has obviously gotten worse and needed overhauling, but limiting access to those that need it will get hurt.
Very interesting. I remember last time we there all these huge groups of people (at least 20 per) kept getting let in while our line moved super slow. So, hopefully this will cut down on all that silliness.
I hope they don’t knock out baby holding as part of this. That was so nice with 4 tiny kids back in the day to get to ride right away after standing with the babies.
Tom, thank you for taking the time and effort to put all this together. This is an incredibly complex subject, and I really appreciate your researching and assembling the FAQs for us. We’re going to WDW in May; our trip begins a few days before the new rules take effect. I have stage 4 cancer and have been in chemo for a year, so I’m a little tired and shopworn. I hadn’t considered requesting DAS, to be honest, although there are days when my medical condition definitely limits my energy. When we went in October, we just skipped rides that had long lines, and we wound up leaving the parks after 4-5 hours because we ran out of easy things to do. My guess (we were discussing this yesterday) is that we’ll try Genie+ for our MK day and wing it for the rest of them. Again, thanks for your hard work.
My kiddo was hospitalized with pneumonia the week before our trip. Two days before we were scheduled to leave, we left the hospital and our doctor gave us the ok to go as long as we let her rest a lot and stay out of the sun as much as possible – so the opposite of a Disney trip. If not for DAS I do not know what we would have done, but we definitely wouldn’t qualify based on these guidelines. Very hopeful we never have to need it again, but curious about what accommodations will exist for a situation like ours.
I will be 75 by the time we hut Disneyworld. I have ankle issues and spinal scoliosis. Walking 10 miles a day or even 5 isn’t doable because of my advanced age and my issues. My husband and I discussed renting a wheelchair or scooter so I am actually able to more than just sit. Prolonged standing in line isn’t realistic. It will be just the two of us and he is younger than me but I don’t want him to have to wear himself out pushing me around. I wonder if my invisible disabilities and age would allow me to.rent a scooter and/or qualify for DAS.
Getting old sucks but I remind myself being dead is even less appealing…
I have an unpopular opinion, but would actually love to know if this was ever tried and tested, or why it wouldn’t work. Why can’t all guests essentially get times to rides? So if you get to Epcot, for instance, and ride Frozen first- let’s say it was a 25 minute wait time- and when you got out Remy was at 90 minutes, so you request a time for it, then move to a meet and greet or another ride, etc, then go back to do Remy, request a return time for Test Track… has Disney ever tried seeing if this was an effective way of allowing ALL guests to reasonably ride the rides they wish without exorbitant wait times? My thought is not all guests will go on all rides, and many will only want to ride a few, so could they not allow all guests the option of requesting return times on rides or doing VQ’s, and then waiting for other rides they personally deem reasonable? It seems that “overhauling” DAS is putting yet MORE pressure on the people who need it (they now have to sit through an interview and go through what their lives look like just to not wait in a line as long), which just feels wrong to me. Disney should be doing everything they can to make the experience easy for visitors, and yet it seems they are making it harder. I just wonder if this would make it a more pleasant experience, or if someone had already run numbers and that wouldn’t work for a reason I’m not thinking of.
I’ve been wondering the exact same thing. Essentially provide the same service for a return time to everyone – maybe even charge for it. Why not? Surely we spend more when we are not in lines.
Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I feel like this pretty much what fastpass was? If they gave it back to everyone now then they couldn’t keep charging for genie+
I think I read somewhere that there isn’t enough supply for demand. For example if there are 1000 guests at disney world each day (i know that is not actual number) and let’s say dumbo can only serve 750 people a day if operating at full capacity, there is not enough supply for everyone to ride all the rides. There is enough supply to ride a number of rides throughout the park but not enough for everyone to ride each ride once. If they gave everyone a return time there would still be those that would be shut out of riding popular rides.
I think the issue is the park capacity is designed so that a huge number of people are in lines at any given time. Take away those lines and there’s no where for all the people to go.
Funny how in Tokyo parks this is a complete non-issue.
Here’s a question I didn’t see you address. If an adult qualifies for DAS, do their parents and their kids count as their nuclear family? It sounds like a young child can count their parents but not sure about an adult counting their parents. And if they can, can they also bring their young children? My husband is the one who would qualify and I’m curious if we could include our kids and his mother.
I have panic disorder, and since the removal of FP+ I’ve experienced multiple attacks every trip. Except my last one. I was volunteering with an organization and my family had DAS. Attacks gone. I will try to see if I qualify on my next trip. But I never would have been looking for it if FP+ still existed. The day-of anxiety (even if I had cash for Genie+ which I don’t) is too great. I miss 2019.
If you suffer from panic attacks and anxiety maybe an overcrowded theme park isn’t a good place to spend your leisure time.
The problem I see continuing that has been a problem previously is groups having multiple people apply for das to accommodate their group size. If they had 22 people in their group they would have 4 people qualify for DAS (4 das people= 24 people when limit was 6 per pass), but now that the limit is 4 on a das they will just increase the number of people in the group applying for DAS (6 das users= 24 people). It will not stop the abuse because now people will lie and say they have a qualifying condition (autism, developmental disability). If Disney doesn’t require proof liars are going to still lie. I bet the number of people applying will go up not down. For example: Family of 4 (2 children, mom and dad) who previously applied for das for 1 child with “autism diagnosis” says she has two children with autism and applies for das for both and technically each child can have 3 others on their das pass resulting in family of 4 (mom, dad, 2 children with autism) being able to skirt the 4 person limit and bring grandma and grandpa after all! I applaud Disney for trying but this isn’t going to stop the cheaters.
It’s been a lot to digest. I was going to be a first time DAS user the week of June 1st. My bad luck that Disney changed their policy and my tickets, hotel, and flights are non refundable. I NEVER would have booked a trip in June without DAS. It sure would have been nice to get a little more advance notice from them. My granddaughter and I will make the best of it, but the experience will be much different than the dream trip I wanted to give her.
…did you qualify for DAS? I don’t understand why you’re automatically deciding you won’t be able to use it unless you don’t actually qualify.
I wish Americans were as invested in their neighbors as Japan is.
As an adult with autism that is not right out visible, this makes me sad. It makes me wonder if next time I am at WDW, I will be able to get DAS, since it is the only way I can experience certain attractions, since my condition prevents me from tolerating more than 30 minutes of queu without getting extreme anxiety. The thing is, when I am not having an anxiety attack, it is not obvious that I am autistic. The abusers have ruin the DAS system from those who really need it. I wasn’t always aware of DAS, and since I discovered it, my experience at WDW became 10x better since I was able to experience many things that I previously couldn’t.
I’m the DAS user and usually come yearly with my (adult) daughter and 2 youngest grandkids. However this year for the first time in years my oldest (adult) grandson is joining us for a party of 5. If I qualify this year will they be able to join me?
Hi Judy, did you get an answer? I have the same question.
Hi Ashley, the only thing that I’ve been told by Disability Services is that I can find out 30 days before my trip if I qualify for DAS, or what other measures will be done to help me. But I need to know something before my final payment is due because we will probably be canceling our trip if we’re just going to be split up on rides.