I feel 100% the abuse is due to the rising costs which have always outpaced inflation. We've been going to
disneyland annually since way before kids. We regularly went at least 3 days, sometimes 4-5, with just the 2 of us and used the FP system. Not only could we afford to go that many days, but there was no sense of urgency because we had plenty of time to do everything, and even took half days.
Once our first came, we started going 4-5 days because we needed to take more breaks and go at a slower pace. We could still afford it, even down to one income, and still got (most) things done. I say "most" because my son was diagnosed with autism at age 4. There were rides we had to do rider switch on or skipped altogether because of his issues prior to his dx. And we needed those 5 days so we keep all the breaks.
When I found out about GAC (at the time) after he was diagnosed, it felt like a miracle and we felt "normal" for the first time. We rode rides we hadn't been on in years or able to do as a family because GAC allowed us to avoid the queues that triggered him. We were also able to spend more time in the parks before his "tolerance bank account" ran dry. We still went 5 days because disney was the only place that made us feel like a normal family. Our son loved it, it was truly magical for him.
Fast forward to now. My son is 19 and still autistic. He's very high functioning, but the fact of the matter is his "tolerance bank account" still depletes at a faster rate than the rest of us. Every queue he has to stand in -- dealing with the smells and noises, holding himself together with adequate space around him when everything in his body just wants to crash around like a human bumper car -- is exhausting and makes multiple "withdraws" from his account. And once his account is empty, that's it. He's done for the day and it doesn't reset until the next morning.
DAS enables him to stay at the parks longer and enjoy multiple rides with us -- we feel like a "normal" family. Doing "nothing" between those rides would cause him to deplete just as fast, if not faster, because of the anxiety and boredom. This does nothing for those on the spectrum and their families. Think of it this way, if my son can only last 6 hours in the park, DAS helps us make the most of those 6 hours to feel like we had a "normal" disney day like other families with rides, food, and shows packed into that short span.
But now disney costs MUCH more, both tickets and food. We can't afford to go 5 days anymore. I paid twice as much for 3 day hoppers with
genie+ in December than I did for 5 day hoppers in 2019. The free FP services are gone and replaced with a horrible version limiting one ride per day, and not even every ride at that! You still have to pay extra for OLD rides like RSR! The DAS is far superior to genie+, saving $50+ a day. OF COURSE, there's going to be more abuse!
So personally, I would gladly welcome showing proof of disability. This is so much easier than fumbling to explain how certain lines still trigger my "normal-looking" 19 year old into 3 year old temper tantrums.
And disney needs to wake up and offer a genie+ product with more value than the DAS. Back when we had maxpass, I actually used that more than the DAS because we still had to run around to the stupid umbrellas.
