How is the DAS working?

[Jonell]

I'm just curious to see how the DAS is working for everyone since there are some negative stories on other threads about FP+. There are reports of very long fp+ lines snaking outside of the attraction buildings. I don't see how the DAS is helpful if you have to wait 30 mins or more in a very crowded fp+ line. Any experience with this? Thanks

 

[Mrsjvb]

it's working differently for everyone. some people are saying DAS and FP+ is the new next best thing since sliced bread.

others are saying that it completely negates any possibility of ever returning to WDW in the future.

most are in between.

the DAS and its prior incarnation the GAC was never designed to be a FOTL pass, but that is what it evolved into over the years. the people who are griping the most seems to be those who need/want to ride the same ride over and over again with no wait or felt that they should not have to wait in a line at all because it was wasting valuable attraction and park time. to compromise they said fine, you can wait the same amount of time( less ten minutes even)while doing something else instead.

objectively, as a matter of fairness, this was never very fair at all to everyone else who also wanted to to ride that ride. It's still not fair to a point.. everyone would rather spend 30( or more) minutes doing something else other than wait in a line

Personally I don't get all the whinging about ONLY getting FP+ for three rides a day. if a line is more than 30 minutes long I either get a FP, or I don't ride that ride at that point. there is always another attraction or ride that has no wait that I can do instead. nor do I understand why people insist on riding the same ride 12 times in one day. I am a sucker for Soarin' but even I limit myself to one standby and one FP ride a day.

I DO understand the gripe about only being able to get them for one park per day. kinda negates the whole Park Hopper option.

If I ran Disney.. I'd keep it that you can reserve 3 per day ahead of time before arriving. once you arrive at a park you can reserve more ( even if you park hop) up to a reasonable number.. having never used the old FP system to its breaking point I have no idea how many you could theoretically get in one day.

but say that number was ten.

upon arrival you may reserve up to another 7 that day across as many parks as you want. the Park hoppers could park hop, the multiple timers could spend all day on ToT or RRC if they wanted.

 

[ratlenhum]

Even if you had the old GAC, the longer FP+ lines were seeing would still be there, and you'd still have to wait on that. The GAC didn't get you to the front of the line, just in the FP line

 

[SashaFarce]

My partner and I could both use a DAS for very different issues. I contemplated trying to get one but would be horribly humiliated if I were denied. My partner went up before I arrived the other day and got one for herself easily. Using it was just as easy. We had no issues with using it and found it remedied our line-related issues without a problem.

 

[Nifferg]

There are folks with autism that fixate on specific rides and will only ride that one ride. They can't help it it's just the way they are wired.

 

[aaarcher86]

There are folks with autism that fixate on specific rides and will only ride that one ride. They can't help it it's just the way they are wired.

Very true. But that's not something that WDW is required to accommodate specially. With planning it's possible to ride the same ride with minimal waits with the DAS, FP+, and getting to the parks when the crowds are lower.

 

[JillyBean1899]

If I ran Disney.. I'd keep it that you can reserve 3 per day ahead of time before arriving. once you arrive at a park you can reserve more ( even if you park hop) up to a reasonable number.. having never used the old FP system to its breaking point I have no idea how many you could theoretically get in one day.

This. This *SOOOO MUCH*!! If they decided how many FP they would release per day, and allowed on-site guests first crack at their 3, then the morning of (when the park opened), the rest would be available on a first come, first served basis, either through the MDE app, the website, or in the park. And allow them to be at multiple parks in the same day.

 

[KathyRN137]

Hello!

We've been discussing the DAS a lot on the podcast. I have a brief TR from someone who just used the DAS with FP+ ressies this past weekend if you'd care to listen!

Hope it helps,

Kathy

Beta Testing the DAS with FastPass+ at WDW

/

 

[Dad2PrincessesPirate]

We went to MK, EP and AK last month. We didn't have any problems using the DAS with FP+. We changed a few FP+ times during the day when our schedule changed. The longest wait was 20 minutes for Peter Pan and Ariel's Grotto.

 

[AmyBWV99]

We were there in December of Xmas and New Years; waits were heinous everywhere but we expected that to be the case. We use the DAS for our 2 sons with very different needs. My oldest has low tone on his right side so walking & standing especially are hard on him. Our 3 yr old wa recently dx with autism. Standing in lines for him is brutal. We used his stroller as a wheel chair and that helped immensely he could play his iPad while waiting which was a huge blessing.

I will say our trip ion May I will get notes from their drs, I was fine with them asking but was surprised, they never asked before and in my mind I was thinking are we crossing a HIPPA line, but whatever. I was given the once over on DS#1 because to the naked eye he looks 'typical' he has severe hydrocephalus.

My 3yr old (2 then turned 3 in January) however was with me at the counter at the MGM GS and was in line waiting form. Hand flapping, removing and throwing his shoe, climbed out of the belted stroller, was jumping and running in circles then attempted to climb the counter to get the things in my hand the CM was giving me the entire time I'm thinking are you serious????? Common sense and maybe some sensitivity training may be in order. I just looked at the guy and said well -this-this is why he needs his stroller cocoon for lines unless you want to try to hold his busy 38lbs of pure muscle without getting in other peoples space go gettem tiger. Aye yi yi.

 

[Mrsjvb]

My 3yr old (2 then turned 3 in January) however was with me at the counter at the MGM GS and was in line waiting form. Hand flapping, removing and throwing his shoe, climbed out of the belted stroller, was jumping and running in circles then attempted to climb the counter to get the things in my hand the CM was giving me the entire time I'm thinking are you serious????? Common sense and maybe some sensitivity training may be in order. I just looked at the guy and said well -this-this is why he needs his stroller cocoon for lines unless you want to try to hold his busy 38lbs of pure muscle without getting in other peoples space go gettem tiger. Aye yi yi.

umm NORMAL 3 year olds are like this. hell normal 8 year olds are like this. being antsy and fidgety and generally whirling dervish-y is not a behavior limited Spectrum individuals.

 

[aaarcher86]

We were there in December of Xmas and New Years; waits were heinous everywhere but we expected that to be the case. We use the DAS for our 2 sons with very different needs. My oldest has low tone on his right side so walking & standing especially are hard on him. Our 3 yr old wa recently dx with autism. Standing in lines for him is brutal. We used his stroller as a wheel chair and that helped immensely he could play his iPad while waiting which was a huge blessing. I will say our trip ion May I will get notes from their drs, I was fine with them asking but was surprised, they never asked before and in my mind I was thinking are we crossing a HIPPA line, but whatever. I was given the once over on DS#1 because to the naked eye he looks 'typical' he has severe hydrocephalus. My 3yr old (2 then turned 3 in January) however was with me at the counter at the MGM GS and was in line waiting form. Hand flapping, removing and throwing his shoe, climbed out of the belted stroller, was jumping and running in circles then attempted to climb the counter to get the things in my hand the CM was giving me the entire time I'm thinking are you serious????? Common sense and maybe some sensitivity training may be in order. I just looked at the guy and said well -this-this is why he needs his stroller cocoon for lines unless you want to try to hold his busy 38lbs of pure muscle without getting in other peoples space go gettem tiger. Aye yi yi.

I wouldn't waste time with Dr. notes. They won't look at them. You'll need to be able to explain your NEEDS to the CM at guest relations. You could write those down to give to a CM if you are t comfortable talking about them.

 

[OurBigTrip]

umm NORMAL 3 year olds are like this. hell normal 8 year olds are like this. being antsy and fidgety and generally whirling dervish-y is not a behavior limited Spectrum individuals.

Exactly. I have to admit, I'm somewhat confused by people that want accommodations, but don't want to explain why they need them.

 

[Dad2PrincessesPirate]

I was surprised with our experience getting the DAS given the info I've seen on this board. The only thing the CM asked was "What are your concerns with your child while in the park?" I barely had the first sentence completed when he began explaining how the DAS worked.
Granted, DD9 is obviously disabled and in a wheelchair.
I only had one issue with a CM (Aladdin's Carpet Ride) who obviously didn't understand the DAS return time and gave us the same return time as FP. Not a big deal.

 

[OurBigTrip]

This. This *SOOOO MUCH*!! If they decided how many FP they would release per day, and allowed on-site guests first crack at their 3, then the morning of (when the park opened), the rest would be available on a first come, first served basis, either through the MDE app, the website, or in the park. And allow them to be at multiple parks in the same day.

Agree 100%!

 

[SueM in MN]

We were there in December of Xmas and New Years; waits were heinous everywhere but we expected that to be the case. We use the DAS for our 2 sons with very different needs. My oldest has low tone on his right side so walking & standing especially are hard on him. Our 3 yr old wa recently dx with autism. Standing in lines for him is brutal. We used his stroller as a wheel chair and that helped immensely he could play his iPad while waiting which was a huge blessing.

I will say our trip ion May I will get notes from their drs, I was fine with them asking but was surprised, they never asked before and in my mind I was thinking are we crossing a HIPPA line, but whatever. I was given the once over on DS#1 because to the naked eye he looks 'typical' he has severe hydrocephalus.

My 3yr old (2 then turned 3 in January) however was with me at the counter at the MGM GS and was in line waiting form. Hand flapping, removing and throwing his shoe, climbed out of the belted stroller, was jumping and running in circles then attempted to climb the counter to get the things in my hand the CM was giving me the entire time I'm thinking are you serious????? Common sense and maybe some sensitivity training may be in order. I just looked at the guy and said well -this-this is why he needs his stroller cocoon for lines unless you want to try to hold his busy 38lbs of pure muscle without getting in other peoples space go gettem tiger. Aye yi yi.

You don't need a doctor's letter and if you bring one, be prepared that they are very likely to refuse to look at it.
This has nothing to do with HIPAA - which stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accontability Act. Many people assume it means no one can ask any questions or have any information about you, but that is not true.

HIPAA covers health care providers, insurance companies and how information is shared between them. It does not cover businesses like Disney that are not health care related companies:
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/summary/index.html

The patient can voluntarily share whatever information they want with anyone. So, if you choose, you can tell Disney (or anyone else) your diagnosis and details of your health.
But, Disney doesn't want or need diagnosis. They questions they ask are about the needs related to a disability. Not everyone with the same diagnosis has the same needs (and some don't even have a disability related to that diagnosis).
They are allowed to ask questions about the needs, so they can figure out how to meet the needs. That is what they are asking for during the DAS request.
The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) allows questions to be asked about the needs so they can be met. In fact, if someone refuses to answer questions about their needs, the business is not obligated to meet the needs.

 

[AmyBWV99]

I work in health care I understand HIPPA I was just surprised I guess after the changes I wasn't prepared to get into it. Part may have been he was newly dx before Xmas so we were still raw from that in itself. I don't mind talking about it I've been at the special needs/medically fragile parenting gig 9 years now. I tho feel like not having abused it that it's crappy that kids that do need it have to justify it to a non medical person. I have 2 other totally typical boys I know 3 is busy; Ali is past busy, past loud of 3 years old and we are working on all of it but we have LOTS of stimming behaviors that aren't being 3.

 

[OurBigTrip]

I work in health care I understand HIPPA I was just surprised I guess after the changes I wasn't prepared to get into it. Part may have been he was newly dx before Xmas so we were still raw from that in itself. I don't mind talking about it I've been at the special needs/medically fragile parenting gig 9 years now. I tho feel like not having abused it that it's crappy that kids that do need it have to justify it to a non medical person. I have 2 other totally typical boys I know 3 is busy; Ali is past busy, past loud of 3 years old and we are working on all of it but we have LOTS of stimming behaviors that aren't being 3.

Abuse potential aside (not saying you were trying to abuse it), I personally don't find it reasonable to expect that accommodations should be granted without explaining why they are needed.

I do believe though that the DAS provides far less incentive for abuse than did the GAC, which is a good thing, IMO.

 

[RubySlippers]

I work in health care I understand HIPPA

HIPAA covers health care providers, insurance companies and how information is shared between them. It does not cover businesses like Disney that are not health care related companies:
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa...ary/index.html

Abuse potential aside (not saying you were trying to abuse it), I personally don't find it reasonable to expect that accommodations should be granted without explaining why they are needed

 

[PatMcDuck]

My (adult) son has autism, and down syndrome, non-verbal….. but since he was in his Convaid chair when I went into City Hall (at DL), they resisted issuing the DAS. They said using the WC access would be enough for him. I had to get really specific about his toileting issues, it was pretty graphic, and they STILL hesitated. (he is generally fine at home but on trips he gets all messed up, accidents happen, and they can be beyond awful. It happens every trip, I am working on it, but ugh). In his case, he does not understand what I am saying, so it does not embarrass him.

It was a brief discussion, not an argument, but I finally just said I thought he needed it, even though they said it would not really benefit him. They later explained that it would help him more at Cal Adv vs. DL, which might have been true. We were at DL, with the old type Fast Passes, which we used quite often as well.