used both universals new gac and disney`s during the worst crowd week ever

[4DisneyNUTS]

Well we have been to both parks this week and a half from Dec 22nd to Jan 3rd ( we are still here). Universals accommodations are so much better than the way disney is doing it. I will post more depending on how detailed you guys want me to get. I just need to say that if disney doesn't adopt the one small change that universal does I will not be going back to the disney parks any time soon. My son was pretty much miserable with nothing to do at 2 out of 3 parks we went to.

 

[Piper]

I would like to hear your experiences.

 

[4DisneyNUTS]

Ok well first off both track for abuse which is fabulous. You have to give your license at universal and disney takes a picture of the disabled person. Universals are barcoded so the cast member can scan it as if it were an express pass. Both write return times and it can only have one attraction at a time on it. Here is the HUGE difference in my experience. Universal lets you go in the express line if the attraction is 30 min or less. This is in addition to whatever attraction you have written down. So say there is a 2 hour wait for Harry potter? You approach the cast member and he writes down the return time. Go find other attractions that have a 30min or less wait and ride them while you wait. At disney you get 10 min written off the posted wait time. Since you can only do one attraction at a time if you have a 2 hour wait for space mountain you can't do anything else for those two hours. How do you explain this to a child who.melts down at the wait?

Also when using fast-pass as a supplement you are only allowed here a day if you are staying on site. For all parks, only three and what's worse all three have to be used in the same park. So park hopping is useless because if you use all your fast passes at Epcot IF you go to NO lLter then you have nothing left to help offset the huge waits. Also we went to see Buzz and woody in Hollywood studios. Even after speaking to management there was no other option for my son other than to wait 75minutes on line. The das isn't valid for all character meets...some but not all is what the manager explained. So we waited and luckily it was 60 min but the people around us (who were awesome..) had to accommodate us. My son tends to kiss people he wants to say hi too or touches their back or grabs their arms. He is partially verbal so to say hi is harder than to physically reach out. While everyone was amazing and we were able to prevent 90% of the appropriateness they still had to `deal` with us online with them.

 

[4DisneyNUTS]

Off to universal I'll post more later.

 

[lanejudy]

... At disney you get 10 min written off the posted wait time. Since you can only do one attraction at a time if you have a 2 hour wait for space mountain you can't do anything else for those two hours. ...

I'm a little confused by this...while waiting for the Space Mountain return time, were all other lines 2 hours long? Or why weren't you able to do standby for other rides/shows while waiting? I've never been during the week between Christmas and New Years, which I understand is THE most crowded time of year, so possibly all the lines were that long. But I don't see how that can be blamed on the DAS. It sounds to be similar to Universal, but if you managed to find shorter lines at Universal then the advantage would be attributed to crowd levels, not differences in the DAS/Express Pass policies.

I agree that it seems the FP+ limitation to 1 park could be a challenge for those wishing to park hop. But that is a the same for non-disabled, not specific to DAS. And the DAS should be available for any park while hopping unless you are carrying a time from an attraction at the first park, in which case you decide whether to cancel that time for a new one or deal with the 2nd park without using DAS.

GAC was not used at most character meets, either, so there is no change there with the DAS. In fact, with the new FP+ lines being put in, there seems to be more character greets allowing DAS than in previous years.

Sorry, I'm just trying to understand your comparison and it seemed some info maybe was either misunderstood or not clear in your post. I'm glad you are enjoying your vacation at Universal!

 

[PatMcDuck]

Interesting info on Universal, I have not taken my special needs son there in a long time. (last time I took him there, we stayed onsite and had the FOTL pass from the hotel anyway- it is the only way we tour Universal).

While I understand that the 30 minutes no wait option is useful, Disney allows 3 FP+ done in advance, standby lines, and the usual FP- to be obtained while waiting for the return time to come around, which Universal does not offer.

 

[Gracie09]

I'm a little confused by this...while waiting for the Space Mountain return time, were all other lines 2 hours long? Or why weren't you able to do standby for other rides/shows while waiting? I've never been during the week between Christmas and New Years, which I understand is THE most crowded time of year, so possibly all the lines were that long. But I don't see how that can be blamed on the DAS. It sounds to be similar to Universal, but if you managed to find shorter lines at Universal then the advantage would be attributed to crowd levels, not differences in the DAS/Express Pass policies. I agree that it seems the FP+ limitation to 1 park could be a challenge for those wishing to park hop. But that is a the same for non-disabled, not specific to DAS. And the DAS should be available for any park while hopping unless you are carrying a time from an attraction at the first park, in which case you decide whether to cancel that time for a new one or deal with the 2nd park without using DAS. GAC was not used at most character meets, either, so there is no change there with the DAS. In fact, with the new FP+ lines being put in, there seems to be more character greets allowing DAS than in previous years. Sorry, I'm just trying to understand your comparison and it seemed some info maybe was either misunderstood or not clear in your post. I'm glad you are enjoying your vacation at Universal!

I agree I'm confused. With the das you are allowed to hold a das return time and go on other rides standby. So are you saying the carousel was a 2 hour wait like space mountain? From what you wrote the assistance and universal and Disney is essentially the same. Except Disney doesn't let you right on if the wait is less than thirty minutes. I think they do if the wait is less than 20 but I'm not 100% sure.

 

[BillSears]

I'm pretty sure what the OP means is that at Universal you can have a return time for a ride and then still skip the line for other rides if the standby line is less than 30 minutes. So you approach Ride A and get a return time for the amount of the standby line of 2 hours. Then you go to Ride B and ride immediately since the standby line is less than 30 mnutes. Head over to Ride C and ride immediately since the standby is less than 30 minutes. Repeat this until your 2 hours is up and then go back to Ride A.

At WDW the OP is saying that once you have your return time on your DAS you cannot then use the DAS for other rides until the return time has passed. So Ride B, C, D, etc... would all have to be done through the standby line and no immediate access.

 

[aaarcher86]

I'm pretty sure what the OP means is that at Universal you can have a return time for a ride and then still skip the line for other rides if the standby line is less than 30 minutes. So you approach Ride A and get a return time for the amount of the standby line of 2 hours. Then you go to Ride B and ride immediately since the standby line is less than 30 mnutes. Head over to Ride C and ride immediately since the standby is less than 30 minutes. Repeat this until your 2 hours is up and then go back to Ride A.

At WDW the OP is saying that once you have your return time on your DAS you cannot then use the DAS for other rides until the return time has passed. So Ride B, C, D, etc... would all have to be done through the standby line and no immediate access.

I see what you're saying. At Universal you can flash the pass and still go right on if it's 30 minutes or less even though you already have a return time you're waiting for. Disney you'd have to go through the standby lines.

That seems to be the only real difference between the two. This is THE most crowded time of the year to visit Disney. There wouldn't be anything less than 30 minutes either from the times I saw on the posted wait times everywhere so it wouldn't have helped during this choice of week anyway.

The FP+ limitations are for everyone. But I could see it being really useful for someone with the DAS when planned properly. ESPECIALLY during this past week. And it's free. Whereas Universal isn't unless you stay onsite. So I guess the pros and cons vary by person.

 

[Talking Hands]

I actually did see a few rides with return times under 30 minutes at Epcot and Animal Kingdom. Even in MK there was one that was only 20 minutes.

 

[4DisneyNUTS]

No at disney you are only allowed one ride at a time no
matter what the wait . at universal you can pick a long wait attraction plus under 30 min ones and ride those while you wait for the longer attraction. Disney only allows one attraction at a time and three fast passes.

 

[Mrsjvb]

No at disney you are only allowed one ride at a time no
matter what the wait . at universal you can pick a long wait attraction plus under 30 min ones and ride those while you wait for the longer attraction. Disney only allows one attraction at a time and three fast passes.

no disney just doesn't let you skip the line to ride other rides while you are waiting for your return time on the one ride you choose. and I think that is perfectly fair. there are plenty of things to do in the meantime. plus nobody says you cannot ride standby.

 

[4DisneyNUTS]

I actually did see a few rides with return times under 30 minutes at Epcot and Animal Kingdom. Even in MK there was one that was only 20 minutes.

I'm sorry I'm not explaining myself clearly. Disney only allows one ride per das at a time and three fast passes that everyone is entitled too. Disney takes 10 minutes off the posted wait time and writes that on the card.so if it's a 30 minute wait they give you a 20minute return. If it's a 180minute wait they put 170minutes return time.only one ride at a time is allowed. You can not go on anything else with the das until you ride the ride listed. They cross it out and them you go to the next ride and get a new time for the new ride.

The under 30 minute ride allowance is ONLY at universal. So if we go to Harry potter and get that written on our card we CAN ride under thirty minute rides while we wait. They allow you through the express line.

So if you have a 2 hour wait at disney you have to wait out the 110 minutes, ride the ride then go to your next attraction. There is no accommodation provided in that wait to see other things.

You can use the fast passes in between BUT if you have fast pass+ It makes planning easier. It's impossible to plan the day with a regular fast pass and park hopping is a waste of money at this point.

 

[Gracie09]

But you CAN go on another ride while you wait your time for the das ride. You can get a das for space mountain and then walk on buzz. Or fp+ space mountain, get a das for buzz and go on laugh floor. At universal you can only have one ride you are waiting for at Disney you can only have one ride you are waiting for. At both you can go on other rides whole you wait except at Disney you can also take advantage of fp and fp+ for free if you qualify

 

[lanejudy]

....only one ride at a time is allowed. You can not go on anything else with the das until you ride the ride listed. They cross it out and them you go to the next ride and get a new time for the new ride. ....

Thanks for clarifying, sorry I wasn't interpreting what you said correctly. It sounds like in addition to the longer return time, you are allowed to continue using the Universal Express Pass for shorter lines.

With the DAS you can ride anything with a shorter standby line while waiting for the DAS return time, but you must enter the standby line and cannot use the FP entrance. I guess during this past week there might not have been much with a relatively short (<30 minutes or so) standby anyway due to crowds.

 

[aaarcher86]

I'm sorry I'm not explaining myself clearly. Disney only allows one ride per das at a time and three fast passes that everyone is entitled too. Disney takes 10 minutes off the posted wait time and writes that on the card.so if it's a 30 minute wait they give you a 20minute return. If it's a 180minute wait they put 170minutes return time.only one ride at a time is allowed. You can not go on anything else with the das until you ride the ride listed. They cross it out and them you go to the next ride and get a new time for the new ride. The under 30 minute ride allowance is ONLY at universal. So if we go to Harry potter and get that written on our card we CAN ride under thirty minute rides while we wait. They allow you through the express line. So if you have a 2 hour wait at disney you have to wait out the 110 minutes, ride the ride then go to your next attraction. There is no accommodation provided in that wait to see other things. You can use the fast passes in between BUT if you have fast pass+ It makes planning easier. It's impossible to plan the day with a regular fast pass and park hopping is a waste of money at this point.

People are understanding that you can not use the DAS for a ride while waiting for a return time. They're just saying if there is a ride or attraction that has a short wait you can go through the regular line. Example: if teacups had a 15 - 20 minute wait you could go through the regular line for that wait, which is about the same amount as the FP line you're going through with the DAS.

No. It's not as spontaneous as what Universal does.

I honestly don't see it as unreasonable since those waiting in line are just standing around. You still have the option of doing other things and/or use FP+. You're going at the busiest time of the year so naturally the waits are going to be longer. February would be a much different trip. Someone posted there was ONE ride in MK that would have benefited you with Universals method. Since all other things were 30+ minutes Universals method wouldn't have helped you either.

 

[Coonhound]

I still think it's good because if they didn't have DAS you would have to just stand in the line and do nothing at all but stand there waiting. With the DAS you can try to do something else or just wait somewhere else.

 

[4DisneyNUTS]

But you CAN go on another ride while you wait your time for the das ride. You can get a das for space mountain and then walk on buzz. Or fp+ space mountain, get a das for buzz and go on laugh floor. At universal you can only have one ride you are waiting for at Disney you can only have one ride you are waiting for. At both you can go on other rides whole you wait except at Disney you can also take advantage of fp and fp+ for free if you qualify

Ok again to clarify I am comparing accommodations here. Of course it is a given that you can wait standby which then has NOTHING to do with guest assistance. Also you can not use fast pass AND fast pass plus. It's either or. And you get three for the entire day even if you park hop and you cannot use the three in different parks. The three you get have to used in one park.

 

[OurBigTrip]

I honestly don't see it as unreasonable since those waiting in line are just standing around. You still have the option of doing other things and/or use FP+. You're going at the busiest time of the year so naturally the waits are going to be longer. February would be a much different trip. Someone posted there was ONE ride in MK that would have benefited you with Universals method. Since all other things were 30+ minutes Universals method wouldn't have helped you either.

As always, well said - I agree 100%.

 

[SueM in MN]

It's also important to keep in mind:

- Universal does not have as many visitors as WDW does

- Disney's Fastpass service is free to all guests

/ Universal's equivalent to Fastpass is their Express Pass, which they charge for