Idea to improve DAS

[mistysue]

People with the DAS have to go to the ride get a time, then walk away do something else then walk back to the same ride!
That's a lot of back and fourth that people without a DAS need don't do,

Also the wait time in the summer can easily be 20 mins in FP line.
And right now waits have been longer then normal as they have DAS return times plus MB FP+ and normal FP.

This system does work because loads of parks use it.

You don't have to walk away. You could browse a shop nearby, ride something across the walkway, grab a snack, take your potty break or just people watch in the shade. You have options. Those without a DAS have only one option, to stare at the person ahead of them for an hour. Even though its not as generous as the GAC was, it still lets you get more done in the same time as others in the same park without one. The main idea of this thread, while nice for those who would have the card, is similar to the GAC in that the benefit is so generous it is not anything like fair.

 

[Disfanx4]

I will be in DW 12 days from know, I will be the first to admit I did freak out when I first heard about the changes, the I was invited to do FP+. As it goes right now it looks like booking your first FP ride before hand would be similar to approaching first ride and getting right on, now I know and expect this to have snags because of meltdowns or bad starts, but on a perfect day lol I would hit the park with a ride time already, grab a return time with DAS before riding FP ride and then go to second FP ride but grab next DAS, rinse and repeat. Could also be picking up regular FP times as well. Should be an almost continuous ride to ride experience. I have 2 daughter on the spectrum so basically can double the amount of return times if I wanted except one doesn't ride rides. I am going with very little expectations of my plans working and hoping to be pleasantly surprised. Sounds like a pretty full day with very little waits

 

[cmwade77]

Are we talking about WDW or DL? I really have only followed the DAS for WDW, as that is where my family travels to. I haven't experienced DAS yet, but isn't it the case that the CM at the attraction assigns the return time? If so, we both walked the same distance to the attraction? If my wait in standby is 60 mins, I ride at 1pm, aren't you getting a return time of 1250? Or have I miss read? I don't think I have ever waited 30 mins on any FP return line, so how do you come up with and hour and a half wait for you?
Other posters have also expressed disbelief of your estimation of a 30 min wait if you are let right in, so I know it's not just me who has never waited 30 min in a FP return line.
I'm sorry OP, I'm just not seeing your logic on the fairness if your method.

This example is at Disneyland, the wait for the accessible queue is often 30+ minutes.

If the wait is less, obviously you would be off the ride sooner. I think people are getting too bogged down with the exact times. 30 minutes in the accessible queue would be short. I have seen the wheelchair queue there have a two hour wait with the standby line only having a 30 minute wait. I can't do stairs, which you have to do when exciting from anywhere but the accessible queue. So the standby queue is not an option for me. I specifically cougar space Mountain to demonstrate the issue with the current system. I did unfortunately forget to mention it was at Disneyland.

Under my system between the time you wait in line before the attraction and the time you wait before your next ride is available would work out to the exact same total as the standby line. It's just that the wait is broken into two.

Waiting until you get off the ride to determine the next time wouldn't be fair, I you already waited a certain amount of time for that attraction and you shouldn't have to wait that amount of time again.

If you want to make sure it is perfectly equal, factor in the length of the ride. Disney knows how long each ride lasts, so this wouldn't be hard to do.

 

[cmwade77]

You don't have to walk away. You could browse a shop nearby, ride something across the walkway, grab a snack, take your potty break or just people watch in the shade. You have options. Those without a DAS have only one option, to stare at the person ahead of them for an hour. Even though its not as generous as the GAC was, it still lets you get more done in the same time as others in the same park without one. The main idea of this thread, while nice for those who would have the card, is similar to the GAC in that the benefit is so generous it is not anything like fair.

Huh? No, the point of my suggestion is to make wait times 100% equal. Right now, they are unequal at almost every attraction. Additionally, let's say I want to ride Splash Mountain and Winnie the Pooh, which are right next to each other. Under the current system I have to get a Return Time for Splash Mountain, then walkfrom thekiosk to Splash, ride it, then go back up the extremely steep Hill to get a Return Time for Winnie the pooh, assuming it's got a line at the time, then go back down the hill to ride it, then go back up the hill. how can I simply avoid walking away when I have to go to kiosks to get return times? Any other guest can go ride Splash Mountain, with a FP (not an option for me since I can't do stairs, I can only do a Return Time according to the CMs there) and the go on Winnie the pooh and then walk up that steep Hill once.

How is that fair?

At DW, things are so spread out that there are many attractions that don't have anything else near them, so the suggestion isn't really viable there. Perhaps, if there was the option to use kiosks or go to the attraction AND they accounted for the time you wait when returning, return times can work. But ultimately, the wait times need to be exactly the same to prevent abuse, whenever there is inequality, there is potential for abuse.

 

[Tozzie]

This example is at Disneyland, the wait for the accessible queue is often 30+ minutes.

If the wait is less, obviously you would be off the ride sooner. I think people are getting too bogged down with the exact times. 30 minutes in the accessible queue would be short. I have seen the wheelchair queue there have a two hour wait with the standby line only having a 30 minute wait. I can't do stairs, which you have to do when exciting from anywhere but the accessible queue. So the standby queue is not an option for me. I specifically cougar space Mountain to demonstrate the issue with the current system. I did unfortunately forget to mention it was at Disneyland.

Under my system between the time you wait in line before the attraction and the time you wait before your next ride is available would work out to the exact same total as the standby line. It's just that the wait is broken into two.

Waiting until you get off the ride to determine the next time wouldn't be fair, I you already waited a certain amount of time for that attraction and you shouldn't have to wait that amount of time again.

If you want to make sure it is perfectly equal, factor in the length of the ride. Disney knows how long each ride lasts, so this wouldn't be hard to do.

Now I understand what you are saying, but I have a question, now that they are giving return times to all people who need the alternate entrance is the wait time still 2 hours.

 

[cmwade77]

Now I understand what you are saying, but I have a question, now that they are giving return times to all people who need the alternate entrance is the wait time still 2 hours.

By all accounts it had dropped to about double the length of the standby line, but this is still not equal. Because this essentially means waiting 3x what everyone else does.

 

[mistysue]

Huh? No, the point of my suggestion is to make wait times 100% equal. Right now, they are unequal at almost every attraction. Additionally, let's say I want to ride Splash Mountain and Winnie the Pooh, which are right next to each other. Under the current system I have to get a Return Time for Splash Mountain, then walkfrom thekiosk to Splash, ride it, then go back up the extremely steep Hill to get a Return Time for Winnie the pooh, assuming it's got a line at the time, then go back down the hill to ride it, then go back up the hill. how can I simply avoid walking away when I have to go to kiosks to get return times? Any other guest can go ride Splash Mountain, with a FP (not an option for me since I can't do stairs, I can only do a Return Time according to the CMs there) and the go on Winnie the pooh and then walk up that steep Hill once.

How is that fair?

At DW, things are so spread out that there are many attractions that don't have anything else near them, so the suggestion isn't really viable there. Perhaps, if there was the option to use kiosks or go to the attraction AND they accounted for the time you wait when returning, return times can work. But ultimately, the wait times need to be exactly the same to prevent abuse, whenever there is inequality, there is potential for abuse.

Sorry, it really does completely change the issue if you are talking about DL, not world. I dont know enough about Disneyland. At Disney world I can not imagine any way the proposed idea is not a huge advantage. The only way for it to not be an advantage at WDW would be if they literally marked you and you were not allowed to use a restroom, buy food, shop, or ride anything else until after your wait time. That time that other people are spending in line you now have free to do as you please. The people stuck in line have to come up with more time later to do all you could accomplish while they were in line. They have to wait until after they ride to even walk to their next ride. You get to use your "line time" to accomplish extra and walk to your next ride.
Maybe distance yourself for a minute and think of it this way- they are going to initiate this policy you propose, but you don't get to use it. No matter how difficult your regular life is, pretend the criteria excludes you... Is it fair? Is the person with the pass now on equal ground, or at an advantage?

 

[OurBigTrip]

One of the biggest complaints I've heard regarding the DAS is that it only allows a guest to have one "active" attraction at a time. This interferes with the ability of families whose children have cognitive difficulties to even attempt to explain to the child what the sequence of events will be.

Disney could fix this fairly easily while still retaining the wait requirement by simply starting the next wait time at return time of the previous attraction on the list.

Say you want to ride Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Current time is 10:00 AM, and the current wait for the rides are 45, 35, 60 and 75 minutes, respectively. Your DAS would have return times of 10:45(HM), 11:20 (POTC), 12:20 (SM) and 1:35 (BTMRR) (Assuming my math is right). The DAS guest would still have to wait for each ride, which is as it should be, but it would cut down on the running around between rides to get return times.

 

[LisaBi]

I like the basic concept...basically, you ride now, then wait the standby time for what you just rode before you can ride something else. It's ride then wait, instead of wait then ride. Sounds like it would solve the criss-crossing issue and more importantly, the issues for the kids that will totally melt down not understanding why they are at the attraction but can't go on it RIGHT NOW. Thankfully DS has matured to the point where he understands "we will get a ticket to ride in a little bit." But we spent some long hours in the past sitting near an attraction throwing a fit. NOTHING else was going to happen until we got on whatever the ride of the moment was. No snack, no going to a different attraction, nothing.

 

[DisneyNutMary]

One of the biggest complaints I've heard regarding the DAS is that it only allows a guest to have one "active" attraction at a time. This interferes with the ability of families whose children have cognitive difficulties to even attempt to explain to the child what the sequence of events will be. Disney could fix this fairly easily while still retaining the wait requirement by simply starting the next wait time at return time of the previous attraction on the list. Say you want to ride Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Current time is 10:00 AM, and the current wait for the rides are 45, 35, 60 and 75 minutes, respectively. Your DAS would have return times of 10:45(HM), 11:20 (POTC), 12:20 (SM) and 1:35 (BTMRR) (Assuming my math is right). The DAS guest would still have to wait for each ride, which is as it should be, but it would cut down on the running around between rides to get return times.

Again, fair to the DAS holder, but not fair to the non DAS holder. Fair would be if my wait times worked like that too. My child may not need a DAS, but that doesn't make it any easier to explain wait times and why we can't go on the ride right now to him. But, my child waits the wait time listed when we arrive at the attraction, not the wait time as of the moment we exited the prior attraction.
Just playing devils advocate here, as my child is far beyond the age of not understanding wait times. I have been in a group using a GAC for a niece with ASD, have been in a group with a wheelchair. So I've experienced it all. I'm just trying to step back and look at the picture as a whole. How everyone can be affected fairly.

I think the idea of a PP had merit. One time instant access to each attraction (like universals express pass) then any additional attractions at regular standby. Fair to everyone? No. Open to abuse? Absolutely! But it would cut down on the looping that slows down lines.... If the access is greater to the disabled, the rules could be set to reflect the greater access with tighter controls.

 

[cmwade77]

Sorry, it really does completely change the issue if you are talking about DL, not world. I dont know enough about Disneyland. At Disney world I can not imagine any way the proposed idea is not a huge advantage. The only way for it to not be an advantage at WDW would be if they literally marked you and you were not allowed to use a restroom, buy food, shop, or ride anything else until after your wait time. That time that other people are spending in line you now have free to do as you please. The people stuck in line have to come up with more time later to do all you could accomplish while they were in line. They have to wait until after they ride to even walk to their next ride. You get to use your "line time" to accomplish extra and walk to your next ride.
Maybe distance yourself for a minute and think of it this way- they are going to initiate this policy you propose, but you don't get to use it. No matter how difficult your regular life is, pretend the criteria excludes you... Is it fair? Is the person with the pass now on equal ground, or at an advantage?

I don't get how you don't see this as an issue with the current system. Under the current system, you can do all of these things while waiting, how is the advantage any different when waiting before vs. After riding.

 

[OurBigTrip]

Again, fair to the DAS holder, but not fair to the non DAS holder. Fair would be if my wait times worked like that too. My child may not need a DAS, but that doesn't make it any easier to explain wait times and why we can't go on the ride right now to him. But, my child waits the wait time listed when we arrive at the attraction, not the wait time as of the moment we exited the prior attraction.
Just playing devils advocate here, as my child is far beyond the age of not understanding wait times. I have been in a group using a GAC for a niece with ASD, have been in a group with a wheelchair. So I've experienced it all. I'm just trying to step back and look at the picture as a whole. How everyone can be affected fairly.

I think the idea of a PP had merit. One time instant access to each attraction (like universals express pass) then any additional attractions at regular standby. Fair to everyone? No. Open to abuse? Absolutely! But it would cut down on the looping that slows down lines.... If the access is greater to the disabled, the rules could be set to reflect the greater access with tighter controls.

In my example, DAS holders might wait a short amount of time less than non-DAS, but it's not nearly the perk they had under GAC, which I agree was not really fair to others. My kids don't like to wait either, so I feel you there, but the difference in wait times this example would be nominal, or possibly non-existent, if you consider the wait once the DAS holder actually enters the Fast Pass line.

It also addresses the issue of helping parents plan out their child's day in a way that will help the child cope better.

 

[Tozzie]

By all accounts it had dropped to about double the length of the standby line, but this is still not equal. Because this essentially means waiting 3x what everyone else does.

I didn't mean to imply that it was fair, I just had the question. I also don't think you should have to wait 3x the standby line. If the wait time is 60 minutes then it should be 60 minutes for all.

 

[Talking Hands]

The biggest problem I see with all the cards is getting the castmembers to actually listen to your needs when you are using a wheelchair. They just automatically decide that the only accommodation needed is wheelchair seating. I have had that happen too many times to count. Power wheelchair. Ok, right over there. No I need the interpreter area. No wheelchairs go here. Even got ripped a new one at Tough to be a Bug when I requested captioning in addition to being in my wheelchair. ANd was mocked for using sign language

 

[cmwade77]

I didn't mean to imply that it was fair, I just had the question. I also don't think you should have to wait 3x the standby line. If the wait time is 60 minutes then it should be 60 minutes for all.

Which is exactly what my system accomplishes. It allows for a 60 minute wait and provides for the needs of people who need assistance in some form or another.

It makes all wait times equal in 99% of all cases, there will always be the odd something that will cause one to be different, but that can happen for anyone.

 

[cmwade77]

The biggest problem I see with all the cards is getting the castmembers to actually listen to your needs when you are using a wheelchair. They just automatically decide that the only accommodation needed is wheelchair seating. I have had that happen too many times to count. Power wheelchair. Ok, right over there. No I need the interpreter area. No wheelchairs go here. Even got ripped a new one at Tough to be a Bug when I requested captioning in addition to being in my wheelchair. ANd was mocked for using sign language

That is so not cool. I would ask for areas managers at that.

 

[tinkerpea]

You don't have to walk away. You could browse a shop nearby, ride something across the walkway, grab a snack, take your potty break or just people watch in the shade. You have options. Those without a DAS have only one option, to stare at the person ahead of them for an hour. Even though its not as generous as the GAC was, it still lets you get more done in the same time as others in the same park without one. The main idea of this thread, while nice for those who would have the card, is similar to the GAC in that the benefit is so generous it is not anything like fair.

I don't see what's not fair about it?
You would still be waiting the length of the standard Q?
And even if I do what you said I'm still doing more walking around just in a shop nr by.

 

[Talking Hands]

That is so not cool. I would ask for areas managers at that.

Not only did I ask for an area manager but was refused so I went to guest services to complain and wrote Disney as well. I was not taking that kind of treatment. You don't mock a person for using a different language. I was told to stop flapping my hands by this castmember.
I find that many of the general CM have no idea about working with guests with disabilities who have multiple needs. You are fine if you have 1 need that needs to be addressed but you add a second or third and they are at a loss.

 

[tinkerpea]

Not only did I ask for an area manager but was refused so I went to guest services to complain and wrote Disney as well. I was not taking that kind of treatment. You don't mock a person for using a different language. I was told to stop flapping my hands by this castmember.
I find that many of the general CM have no idea about working with guests with disabilities who have multiple needs. You are fine if you have 1 need that needs to be addressed but you add a second or third and they are at a loss.

That is utterly disgusting to be told to "stop flapping your hands" I'd have been livid,
I hope that CM gets some valuable teaching time.
This is why the stamps was so handy with the GAC they addressed the persons individual needs not just one size fits all need!!

 

[Tink575]

The biggest problem I see with all the cards is getting the castmembers to actually listen to your needs when you are using a wheelchair. They just automatically decide that the only accommodation needed is wheelchair seating. I have had that happen too many times to count. Power wheelchair. Ok, right over there. No I need the interpreter area. No wheelchairs go here. Even got ripped a new one at Tough to be a Bug when I requested captioning in addition to being in my wheelchair. ANd was mocked for using sign language

Wow that is awful, I certainly hope Disney gets back.to you! At the very least you are owed an apology and some attempt.to.remediate these difficulties.

I always thought Disney Guest Relations was so supportive and helpful, the past 1-2 weeks make me believe some CMs seriously need to take sensitivity training.