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

[Grim Grinning Ghostie]

Logically they’d be setting themselves up for an absolute **** show if they held everyone to the 20th, but who knows what or why they do things.

I had happened to start a trip the day DAS went live. Needless to say I actually did not get DAS that trip (which was only a single day visit) because the city hall line went to the firehouse and I could not wait in that.

The mental image of loads of people waiting in a long line for the chance to berate cast members about their inability to wait in long lines is, admittedly, an entertaining one.

 

[tramps’lady]

I know this isn’t ideal but as a hedge you could just purchase day tickets for the duration of your June trip and then depending on the outcome of DAS, you could apply that money and upgrade to your annual pass?

Then we lose the 15% discount and the AP would cost more money. Plus I have the AP discount on the resort stay and with out the AP I’m breaking the Disney rules which would not help. I’ve actually had issues with Disney since 2020 on various things so this is like the straw that broke the camels back for us. Time will tell

It’s a good idea though, thanks

 

[LSUmiss]

Bottom line, Disney has to find a way to reduce the number of people utilizing the LL. Cutting from 6 to 4 will help (assuming the chat PMs are empowered to actually stand firm in the face of upset guests who want their entire extended family added), and reducing the number of guests who get a DAS to begin with will help.

Will it be enough? Who knows.

Here’s an idea sell fewer genie plus! Increase the price so they make the same amount of $.

 

[Karin1984]

I just had a call back from the UK WDW team. The interesting part is that theoretically, I cannot do the video call process over here in advance. I can use a VPN (and have done my past two visits), but Disney cannot endorse that.

She said therefore I’d have to try when I arrive. I stated that I do not want to fly 9 hours and arrive to be turned down and not offered a suitable accommodation.

She understood but stated she could not share the list of conditions eligible for DAS and I’d have to just try the process. A) I don’t think there should be a list of conditions, it should be needs but B) I suspect therefore there are going to be more conditions that they will consider than they are making out right now.

It’s incredibly unfair that as an international guest, I have no way of even finding out if I can still get DAS without using a VPN (is that even allowed under the ToS?)

It also makes me think - are they going to be more lenient when looking at international guests who have already made journeys, have no cancellation rights and are stood there in front of them?

In the meantime there are over 30 more pages since yesterday. So no idea if someone else already answered this.

But why wouldn't you use a VPN? I'm from the Netherlands and I have used it to do my DAS call when visiting WDW and I will use my VPN again tomorrow when calling to get a DAS pass for my upcoming DL visit.

They do not ask you if you are using a VPN or where you are located. For all they know you are already in the US. They have no say in this. A VPN is a legal tool to protect your privacy. That it also geoblocks, that's an additional benefit, but still not illegal.

Yes, it is unfair that they don't put all the DAS information on the international websites, that you have to pay for a VPN, and take the time difference into account. But we do have to deal wwith it.

Just use a VPN, there are often offers or monthly subscriptions available.

 

[elvispursley]

Always take down the name and place (info on their CM tag) before leaving the queue. We have been able to leave but sometimes the CMs switch places and then they ask for proof (although they can see we never reached the second scan in lines like SDMT, but not on others) and who said you can return. They ask for the CM’s name routinely (happened to us several times).

Great tip! Thank you!

 

[Disturbia]

Maybe look into a larger special needs stroller. We had to switch to one for DD; it went up to I think 110 lbs. The exact model we used to have is no longer made but there are many choices. Insurance may cover part of the cost, especially if your PED or PT/OT can make a case that it's for the child's safety.

I didn’t even bring her convertible diaper/booster bag that has a 3 point harness to the parks because I’ve read of people being told to throw them out at security check because they’re banned as a foldable seat. The booster with harness made a huge difference in our dining on the cruise. Does security accept a speech therapist’s note (or pediatrician) or would they just deny as banned? If would help immensely at TS ADRs as we’ve either had to force her into a tight high chair (unsafe) or hold her on our lap (dangerous with steak knives and glass).

 

[Gentry2004]

The most frustrating part is this is neither going to reduce LL wait times (Disney will sell the slots as G+) nor will it reduce abuse. So it will achieve neither of the stated goals. But hey, at least people can feel happy that they stuck it to the "tiktok fakers."

 

[dreamer17555]

More pure conjecture…I wonder if small changes in the DAS application process could help catch the true fakers.

If I get on the video chat and request a DAS for IBS, and get turned down then call back and request a DAS for a developmental disability…shouldn’t I be banned?

Again, pure conjecture.

I was told via chat the other day the reason they don't want medical detail in the chat and only in the video is that the chat logs are stored and the videos are not as they contain private medical information.

 

[OurBigTrip]

The most frustrating part is this is neither going to reduce LL wait times (Disney will sell the slots as G+) nor will it reduce abuse. So it will achieve neither of the stated goals. But hey, at least people can feel happy that they stuck it to the "tiktok fakers."

Just like the rest of us, you don’t know what Disney is going to do.

 

[Gentry2004]

Just like the rest of us, you don’t know what Disney is going to do.

Its clear you believe this is going to benefit you somehow, but I think you are going to be disappointed.

 

[nighttowll]

The most frustrating part is this is neither going to reduce LL wait times (Disney will sell the slots as G+) nor will it reduce abuse. So it will achieve neither of the stated goals. But hey, at least people can feel happy that they stuck it to the "tiktok fakers."

Yep, that is my main complaint as well. Everyone was supposed to be happy with the change to DAS because it was going to fix the fakers, when in reality, nothing about it would.

Now, it's the same all over again.

I agree with everyone who thinks they just want to make more room to sell more Genie passes. I hope I am wrong, but that seems more logical to me than any other reason.

 

[lanejudy]

I didn’t even bring her convertible diaper/booster bag that has a 3 point harness to the parks because I’ve read of people being told to throw them out at security check because they’re banned as a foldable seat. The booster with harness made a huge difference in our dining on the cruise. Does security accept a speech therapist’s note (or pediatrician) or would they just deny as banned? If would help immensely at TS ADRs as we’ve either had to force her into a tight high chair (unsafe) or hold her on our lap (dangerous with steak knives and glass).

I've seen that post -- but I honestly think it was more of a 1-off with a security guard on a power trip. Others have had no problem taking in a portable booster seat.

 

[OurBigTrip]

It’s clear you believe this is going to benefit you somehow, but I think you are going to be disappointed.

Reducing the number of people in the LL benefits everyone.

 

[GoingSince1990]

The most frustrating part is this is neither going to reduce LL wait times (Disney will sell the slots as G+) nor will it reduce abuse. So it will achieve neither of the stated goals. But hey, at least people can feel happy that they stuck it to the "tiktok fakers."

Curious why you don’t think it will reduce abuse? Imagine a group of 6 healthy young people who have seen on TikTok that if one of them pretends to have IBS they can get LL return times for all 6 of them for the whole day. Don’t you think they would be much less tempted to do this if the accommodation was a rider swap system where 4 of them had to do the standby line for each ride after which the fake IBS person and one other could use the LL?

 

[smartlabelprint]

Right this was in response to ryang25 saying that to make Rider Switch "equal" to a standby wait, it would make sense to make the return time for the Lightning Lane 10 minutes shorter than the standby line time.

So in his example, if you were waiting outside by yourself for the rest of your party to finish riding and the ride time was accurate, if a Rider Switch Lightning Lane has a "start" time like DAS does (I don't believe this to be the case though) - the person waiting outside for the ride by themselves could get into the Lightning Lane 10 minutes before their party returns which would mean they would have to ride by themselves.

If the person wanted to ride with someone else, they would have to wait until the party completed their ride, which would mean the person waiting outside had waited the amount of the standby line plus however long it takes to get through the Lightning Lane.

Its all hypothetical and in practice I don't believe this is how the Rider Switch actually works because IIRC the Lightning Lane pass you receive is like a recovery pass and works immediately and does not expire even though the intention is for you to use it within 1 hour.

This actually seems ideal from a flexibility perspective for disabilities.

How they do rider switch now is equal to standby time. The idea is that your group gets off and one of them can go on with you.

 

[Disturbia]

new thread please

 

[CarouselofColor]

Reducing the number of people in the LL benefits everyone.

Yeah, and even if they do turn around and start selling more Genie+, them being able to control exactly when people return for their lightning lane will also have a pretty big operational impact.

Like, this sucks for everyone who's gonna be negatively effected by the change, my husband is one of them, but it's also horrible that there are plenty of times the LL/Standby ratio is 90/10, causing standby to halt entirely while tons and tons of LL are pushed through because they are getting overwhelmed.

This whole thing sucks, but I genuinely believe Disney is stuck between a rock and a hard place, and I don't begrudge them trying to fix this operational issue in a way that hopefully still legally and effectively helps the people that need help

 

[Unity]

More pure conjecture…I wonder if small changes in the DAS application process could help catch the true fakers.

If I get on the video chat and request a DAS for IBS, and get turned down then call back and request a DAS for a developmental disability…shouldn’t I be banned?

Again, pure conjecture.

I mean, assumedly a real person with such issues would present all of their potential issues out front [without saying what their own diagnosis is]. I'd think anyone would give an odd glance if someone called for one set of issues, got rejected, and then called back for another different set of issues altogether. Since they take your picture etc. it's easy to track.

Though I would say such cases should be limited to calls taken within the same time period for a trip. After all, there are also times when something may develop a disorder [PTSD, etc.] or the brain changes from an injury and such.

 

[Unity]

Like, this sucks for everyone who's gonna be negatively effected by the change, my husband is one of them, but it's also horrible that there are plenty of times the LL/Standby ratio is 90/10, causing standby to halt entirely while tons and tons of LL are pushed through because they are getting overwhelmed.

Honestly? Not convinced this will change very much, even with their ability to control things.

I wonder how much of this is on DAS and how much of this is on 'Disney wants to sell more Genie+ than anything else.'

It's mind-boggingly how even when paying for such an experience, the overall system is just worse than FastPass+. Were there times that a lot of FP+ people got to go ahead of others? Yeah most definitely!

But it also wasn't at this level. And I think that's on Disney more than anything for being bad at balancing.

 

[CarouselofColor]

Honestly? Not convinced this will change very much, even with their ability to control things.

Being able to control when people return would absolutely help control this, unless they move to a model where standby is ALWAYS expected to be getting pulled at a 90/10 ratio, and as greedy as Disney can be, I don't see them going to that as their default lol