As we previously reported, Disney has revamped the rules for its Disability Access Service (DAS). In particular, qualifying for DAS has become much harder:
DAS is intended to accommodate only those Guests who, due to a developmental disability like autism or similar disorder, are unable to wait in a conventional queue for an extended period of time.
Disney narrowed the criteria for qualifying due to widespread abuse by people with low morals. Previously, people with wide spectrum of invisible disabilities were granted DAS. However, because Disney does not require any sort of medical documentation, it was easy for people to claim they had condition X so that they can get the DAS accommodation. Now those people are being given other types of accommodations instead (more on that later).
Obviously, based upon this, and upon various anecdotal reports from people in the disability community, I was somewhat apprehensive about registering Little Banshee for our upcoming trip in August. She does have Phelan-McDermid Syndrome, a genetic disorder characterized by autism, global developmental delays, and other symptoms. However, there is always uncertainty about how any new process will play out. Read on to find out more about our experience.
What is DAS?
DAS stands for Disability Access Service. It gives individuals who cannot tolerate waiting in the regular standby line due to disability an option to wait outside the line. Basically, the person requests a return time based upon the current standby wait time. Then when it is their time to return, they enter the ride through the Lightning Lane. They are still waiting, but they are doing so outside the queue.
Our Registration Experience
Since it was within 30 days of our upcoming WDW visit, Little Banshee was eligible to apply. In order to apply, you need to make sure you do the following:
- You need to sign up for a My Disney Experience account on the WDW web page
- All of the people in your party who will potentially be riding with the DAS holder need to be linked via the “Friends and Family” feature. This essentially lets those people plan their trip together
- All of the people in your party need park tickets
- The person applying for DAS needs to be present
With that out of the way, I clicked on “Request Live Video Chat” and was entered into the queue.
Pre Screening
After about 5 minutes, I entered an online chat with the DAS Cast Member. I’ve heard horror stories about people waiting for “hours” for the process to begin, but I’ve never experienced waits like that. This was a Saturday afternoon for what it’s worth.
The Cast Member asked me via text chat for the name of the person applying, the date of our first park visit, the names of those who are traveling with the applicant (if approved, up to three people may join the DAS virtual line with the DAS holder), and confirmation that the applicant was present.
After a few more minutes, the Cast Member asked if I was ready to join the video chat. I said yes, so they provided me with a link to join the video chat with them.
The Interview
Disney uses Zoom to facilitate the video call. If you don’t have it installed on your phone, tablet, or computer, it will prompt you to download and install the software. I hadn’t previously used it on my laptop, so it took me a few minutes to get that installed and running. Once installed, I was able to join the video call.
After joining and exchanging pleasantries with the Cast Member, they asked whether I would be speaking for the applicant or if the applicant was going to represent themselves. I said that due to the nature of Little Banshee’s disability, I would be representing her.
Next, they went through some formalities. They explained that the process has changed. Disney does not look at any medical information, doctor’s notes, evaluations. I should just explain why the applicant couldn’t wait in the standby line.
I do not want to go into too many details about the conversation, as this type of information could allow others to obtain DAS under false pretenses. However, at a high level, I explained why I thought she would have trouble waiting in the standby line. The Cast Member followed up by asking how Little Banshee handles similar situations in our daily life, which I answered as well.
Based upon the information that I provided, Little Banshee was APPROVED for DAS.
Interview Wrap Up
At this point, they asked me to bring Little Banshee on camera so that they could take a photograph of her. This is to ensure that we don’t try to use her MagicBand to access DAS without her. Little Banshee, of course, didn’t understand what was going on, so she wasn’t the most cooperative applicant. However, the Cast Member was eventually able to get a good picture of her for their records.
The Cast Member explained that because we are Annual Pass holders, her DAS application expires 120 days from the start of our trip. Once it expires, we will have to reapply. They also provided information on some other accommodations that might be useful, based upon my description of her. She asked if I had any questions, and then it was all over.
The entire probably took about 20 minutes from the time I joined the chat until the time we were done.
Overall, the experience itself was very similar to the way to the way it was in the past. There were some additional questions, but otherwise it should be very familiar to those that have applied for DAS previously. The Cast Member was very friendly, professional, and patient. They gave me a chance to fully explain our situation without interrupting. When we had trouble getting Little Banshee on camera, they reassured us, telling us to take our time. Overall, I was very satisfied.
Now some of you might be thinking, “Of course you were satisfied… You got approved!” True. I fully admit that the fact that Little Banshee was approved may be coloring my opinion on the process. However, you have to keep in mind that Cast Members are just implementing the new criteria. They did not come up with it on their own. I’m sure their job would be a lot easier if they could approve everyone… give everyone good news. But they can’t. So in my opinion, the fact that the Cast Member that we dealt with was so friendly… so patient… highlights Disney customer service at its best.
Ways that Disney Can Improve Their “Return to Queue” Accomodations
All that said, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention some of the flaws that still exist with the new system.
Many of those who are being denied DAS are being told to use this new “Attraction Queue Re-Entry” accommodation. In theory, this makes sense. If you have a medical condition which might require you to leave the line on a moment’s notice, being able to return to the line at the point where you left seems logical.
Ensuring Privacy of Guests
According to some reports on the Internet, many guests have expressed dissatisfaction with this new accommodation. Since we have not used this option personally, I don’t feel qualified to speak about this issues in depth. However, the main issues that I have heard is that you need to explain to the Cast Member your personal situation every time you wish to use it. I know I would not feel comfortable explaining their personal medical situation to others in a public setting.
My suggestion is to have Disney pre-qualify those who need a return to queue accommodation. Have a process similar to the DAS registration process where you register and have this accommodation associated with your account. Then when you need to use it in the parks, you don’t have to explain to the Cast Member why you need to return to the line. They can just scan your ticket, see that you are qualified, and away you go!
This would also reduce abuse of the ability to return to queue. Today, it seems possible for anyone to claim that they need to return to their party, effectively letting them cut the line.
Reducing Guest Conflict
According to Walt Disney World park rules, cutting in line and saving places in line are against the rules. Additionally, these activities are generally frowned upon by guests. However, this is exactly what you are doing when you need to return to queue due to a disability. You can see where this could cause some amount of conflict among guests. While I haven’t heard of any specific instances of where guests got into a physical altercation because of this, the potential certainly exists. In addition, disabled guests might be dissuaded from experiencing an attraction for out of fear of confrontation.
Clearly, Disney needs to do something to reduce the chances of guest conflict. Here are some ideas:
- Allow guests to return through the Lightning Lane. You can give people a return time that approximates when they would reach the meet point between the LL and the standby line.
- Have a Cast Member escort guests through the line back to their party
- Give guests a pass to show other guests that they are legally returning to their original point in line.
- Station Cast Members throughout the queue to police line jumping and reduce potential confrontations
Implementing some of these suggestions will go a long way in making queue re-entry smoother.
Wrap Up
I fully understand that my personal experience only represents a single data point. However, I hope it gives people some reassurance that those for who qualify for DAS still will be able to get approved. Nevertheless, the new policies are still a work in progress. If you have issues, please keep speaking up, provide your feedback to Disney, so that they can continue to improve the system for everyone.
What has your experience been with the new DAS and accommodation policies? Leave us a comment and let us know!
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