DAS changes coming WDW May 20/ DL June 18, 2024

[jo-jo]

My understanding is (and please note the info I’m getter comes from a Disney CM -( not not one who works directly with this issues) so I am getting info on changes second hand.

But what I’ve heard from him is that Disney's stance on party size is 4 is a hard limit… UNLESS the other people beyond the 4 person limit are additional minor children.

So for example, let’s say two parents have a child that qualify’s for the DAS…
If they have 3 other minor children in the family that makes them a party of 6 but they would all be allowed to be on the DAS.

Disney has decided the immediate family will be included, but they are capping it at 4.

While I support the party size limit because they simply don’t have the capacity to sustain large parties repeatedly using the LL on a spontaneous schedule…

Where I think this will be most frustrating, is for families of 4 who bring grandparents, or adult groups of friends going together over the number of 4.

However, they are also aware that the larger groups are one of the central reasons they need to cap it. It was the larger groups that were masquerading as “friends” and “family” that were actually the “independent” tour groups using the “guides” access to a DAS.

I wonder what if the grandparents, one has DAS, brought three grandkids along. All booked into same room.

Just thinking, not a case for us.

 

[lanejudy]

How does the DAS day count (30 days out) handle pop-up trips?

I believe it is "within 30 days" so pre-registration can be done anytime up to the first park day; and apparently you can still register onsite but it will be via tablet not face-to-face. You may need to have theme park reservations to show plans to visit a theme park within that 30-day window to do pre-registration.

DAS for APs will be valid for 120 days once the new system starts, presumably on 5/20 for WDW. Until then it is only valid for 30 days.

 

[lanejudy]

I wonder what if the grandparents, one has DAS, brought three grandkids along. All booked into same room.

Just thinking, not a case for us.

Assuming the grandparents are acting in the role of parents/guardians for the trip, the full party of 5 would presumably be allowed just as it would if 2 parents plus 3 minor children.

 

[SarahC97]

Assuming the grandparents are acting in the role of parents/guardians for the trip, the full party of 5 would presumably be allowed just as it would if 2 parents plus 3 minor children.

And when you say minor children do you mean kids under 18?

 

[SueM in MN]

Assuming the grandparents are acting in the role of parents/guardians for the trip, the full party of 5 would presumably be allowed just as it would if 2 parents plus 3 minor children.

I agree with lanejudy.
If you grandparents are the caregivers for the children for this trip, you should be treated the same as parents

Question for Annual Passholders who need DAS..

How does the DAS day count (30 days out) handle pop-up trips? Thinking maybe last week of May, so 30 day out "call clock" would be next week.

We have several trips (airfare, paid Disney hotels) hard core scheduled for summer. But we also have done/were hoping to do several 1-2 day pop ups (yay $39 airfare).

So I generally make park pass reservations just to be safe. We've generally "used" about 75% of these...no shows would be health issues and just life.

We've always just renewed the DAS just in case...will that still work? Any advice or experiences would be great! Thanks!!

After the changes have begun after May 20, it has been announced that DAS for AP holders will be authorized for 120 days (or presumably less if the AP expires in less than 120 days).
So, that would cover some of your Pop up trips. You would still need to make park reservations according to the AP park reservation policy

 

[lanejudy]

And when you say minor children do you mean kids under 18?

Yes. However we don't really have anything firm from Disney other than the limit of 4. The assumption is Disney will not leave a minor child "excluded" from the family grouping. If everyone are older teens/adults it's possible an exception may be treated differently than a family with 3 young kids.

ETA: I believe exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis. So there may not be any "blanket" rule that can be applied here.

 

[jlundeen]

Once again, I would like to thank our MODS on this thread.

People here have many concerns, and sometimes go a bit off kilter in some statements, and @lanejudy and @SueM in MN patiently bring us back to what we know and comment on what is being offered as first hand reports, while at the same time remind us about the many rumors and speculations out there.

It's pretty unsettling for some of us thinking of future trips - so many "what ifs", and I'm so thankful we can all talk about this here.

Thanks again @lanejudy and @SueM in MN for your hard work herding "us cats!"

Jeanne

 

[MsNewsradio]

Just to clarify (since I'm still very confused on this) - my mother, my sister, me, and my son are supposed to go next year, and I would be the one requesting DAS. Are they all covered under immediate family with me (our travel party is a group of six)?

I am honestly so stressed about the changes. My trip next year is also including my son's godparents - my best friend, and my roommate, neither of whom are blood relations. Under the new guidelines, they wouldn't be able to be added to my DAS since they aren't considered immediate family, correct? So how does that work? I get a DAS slot return time, they have to wait in standby, and we never get to ride together and have to try to coordinating meetups post-rides? My anxiety is going to skyrocket from the logistics of that.

 

[Scott R. Scherr]

Just to clarify (since I'm still very confused on this) - my mother, my sister, me, and my son are supposed to go next year, and I would be the one requesting DAS. Are they all covered under immediate family with me (our travel party is a group of six)?

I am honestly so stressed about the changes. My trip next year is also including my son's godparents - my best friend, and my roommate, neither of whom are blood relations. Under the new guidelines, they wouldn't be able to be added to my DAS since they aren't considered immediate family, correct? So how does that work? I get a DAS slot return time, they have to wait in standby, and we never get to ride together and have to try to coordinating meetups post-rides? My anxiety is going to skyrocket from the logistics of that.

You would be limited to 4 (including you) under the new rules since your best friend and roommate are not immediate family. In addition, immediate family may only include spouse and minor children and not other relatives, but that is unclear. You could possibly alternate the four that can ride or try to coordinate with Genie+.

If you do not have autism or a developmental disability, you may be provided other accommodations such as leave and return to line or rider switch. Disney has indicated that DAS will only be available for those with autism or a developmental disability and other accommodations will be made available for those with other disabilities.

 

[lanejudy]

Just to clarify (since I'm still very confused on this) - my mother, my sister, me, and my son are supposed to go next year, and I would be the one requesting DAS. Are they all covered under immediate family with me (our travel party is a group of six)?

I would think the 4 of you are a party of 4 regardless of familial relationship. However since you don't mention the relationship of the rest it's hard to say. It's possible all 6 can be listed but only 4 ride together, so you can alternate a bit. You'll really just have to ask once you are within your 30-day window to pre-register.

 

[sprem96]

Just to clarify (since I'm still very confused on this) - my mother, my sister, me, and my son are supposed to go next year, and I would be the one requesting DAS. Are they all covered under immediate family with me (our travel party is a group of six)?

I am honestly so stressed about the changes. My trip next year is also including my son's godparents - my best friend, and my roommate, neither of whom are blood relations. Under the new guidelines, they wouldn't be able to be added to my DAS since they aren't considered immediate family, correct? So how does that work? I get a DAS slot return time, they have to wait in standby, and we never get to ride together and have to try to coordinating meetups post-rides? My anxiety is going to skyrocket from the logistics of that.

I am under the same issue where I usually bring my mother, or in-laws, but this year in particular we changed it up and booked with my sister, her spouse and my niece, so we'll be 7. First crisis to deal with is to see if I am even given DAS and if yes, then we'll see how they handle the rule of 4. I'll know by mid-July if you want to PM me then to find out what happened specifically in my case. I'm sure the rule of 4 will have exceptions, but how much, we will start to hear stories in 26 short days.

 

[MsNewsradio]

The trip is with my mother, sister, my son, and my son's two godparents (one of whom is my roommate, and the other my best friend). My mother, son, and roommate all live with me in the same household.

DAS was a lifesaver to me last year when I finally bit the bullet and requested it (I'm autistic and have anxiety, and because of that, lots of fun perseveration around said anxiety). It was the first of my many trips to Disney where I didn't end up having a meltdown or a shutdown during the course of the trip. It was so helpful, and I was so excited to be able to come back next year knowing that it would be available to me.

We probably would try to use Genie+ to try to mitigate the issue, but those return times don't always manage to line up, and when you factor in the lack of ability to use G+ on the same ride more than once, or trying to also align them with dining reservations, etc. ...it just gets so much more complicated and stressful. And aside from my son not meeting height requirements, we all ride everything (e.g. no one sits out for roller-coasters, etc.), so...yay, more logistics to have to sort through.

I understand trying to crack down on larger groups, especially since there were reported instances where someone with DAS would hire themselves out to a group they didn't know. But I wish there was a way for them to still accommodate reasonably sized travel parties (I'm not talking like a 25 member family reunion, but even up to 8 on a case by case basis would account for a family of four and two sets of grandparents, you know?), even if it meant providng some form of proof (and obviously I know that's easier said than done). My roommate has lived with me for fifteen years. I've been best friends with my son's godfather for twenty-five years. Both of them have been listed in my Disney Friends & Family profiles on my account for years, and we'll be sharing hotel rooms. It just seems such an unnecessary extra hurdle to add in for disabled folks where trying to plan a vacation that we can do/enjoy is already difficult enough at times. And since we don't even know yet if grandparents will be considered immediate family or not, which is not an uncommon configuration for a travel party to WDW or DLR...it just seems like such an extreme swing of the pendulum.

It's just deeply frustrating (and none of that frustration is directed at you fine people who have taken the time to answer my questions - just venting in general). It's just a bummer that abuse of the system has caused them to take measures like this.

Definitely will be following along to see how things ultimately shake out once the new regulations are in place.

 

[PrincessV]

Question for Annual Passholders who need DAS..

How does the DAS day count (30 days out) handle pop-up trips? Thinking maybe last week of May, so 30 day out "call clock" would be next week.

We have several trips (airfare, paid Disney hotels) hard core scheduled for summer. But we also have done/were hoping to do several 1-2 day pop ups (yay $39 airfare).

So I generally make park pass reservations just to be safe. We've generally "used" about 75% of these...no shows would be health issues and just life.

We've always just renewed the DAS just in case...will that still work? Any advice or experiences would be great! Thanks!!

I’m an AP and just renewed, though in person at a park. Up until May 20, the renewal lasts 30 days - so the couple days I was just there were included, but also any additional days I feel like visiting up to that 30-day point.

But with your last week of May plan, you’d need to do the virtual call ahead of time. If renewed, it will then be good for 120 days under the new rules, so any pop-up trips over most of summer would be covered, too, whether you book park reservations or not. And then at the end of that 120 days, you’d need to do the virtual call to renew again.

What hasn’t been explicitly said is whether an AP who’s renewing DAS will need a park reservation in place to do so… I think probably not - because what seems to be required is ticket media, and you already have that in the form of an AP… which allows you to visit any non-blockout day.

 

[DoryGirl1963]

The problem is, once they make an exception for one party, everyone else will want/expect the same & everyone thinks their exception is special/should be the granted. The "extra" folks accompanying the DAS users are obviously out of control - that's apparent just from all the people on this & similar threads/forums voicing "we always had 1 extra" - or "2 extra" or "3 extra" or "each of our 3 kids is bringing a friend they'll be able to be added, right?" No wonder they've had to reduce it! Hopefully - with the exception of minor child sibling(s) or grandparents acting in lieu of parents - they truly keep it to a hard 4, otherwise there will be no improvement. The line needs to be drawn & held fast.

 

[CT Disney]

…when you factor in the lack of ability to use G+ on the same ride more than once, or trying to also align them with dining reservations, etc. ...it just gets so much more complicated and stressful.

These are things that all Disney guests who purchase Genie+ have to deal with.

 

[ForWhomTheMouseTolls]

These are things that all Disney guests who purchase Genie+ have to deal with.

Yeah and they have the capability of waiting in lines without accommodation. If they want to ride twice, wait in line. I can have an MS episode triggered by waiting in the heat, so if I use Genie+, I am only able to ride:

Each ride once
Only if it’s available

Or I can risk having irreversible damage to my brain or spine.

 

[notatallmagic]

I’m an AP and just renewed, though in person at a park. Up until May 20, the renewal lasts 30 days - so the couple days I was just there were included, but also any additional days I feel like visiting up to that 30-day point.

But with your last week of May plan, you’d need to do the virtual call ahead of time. If renewed, it will then be good for 120 days under the new rules, so any pop-up trips over most of summer would be covered, too, whether you book park reservations or not. And then at the end of that 120 days, you’d need to do the virtual call to renew again.

What hasn’t been explicitly said is whether an AP who’s renewing DAS will need a park reservation in place to do so… I think probably not - because what seems to be required is ticket media, and you already have that in the form of an AP… which allows you to visit any non-blockout day.

I was hoping exactly this? So we would call 30 days before the pop up trip (so next week) and if approved, have the approval for 120 days from 1st park usage (best case scenario)? Does that sound right?

We do have park reservations for everthing just because I leave nothing to chance..
Lol.

My DAS kiddo's annual pass expires end of August, so if the new system doesn't work for her in whatever form, she would have the option not to renew.

 

[lanejudy]

I was hoping exactly this? So we would call 30 days before the pop up trip (so next week) and if approved, have the approval for 120 days from 1st park usage (best case scenario)? Does that sound right?

If you pre-register before May 20th, the DAS will only be good for 30 days. Regardless of whether the trip is after the 20th.

If/when you pre-register on or after May 20th, the DAS should be good for 120 days.

 

[sprem96]

The trip is with my mother, sister, my son, and my son's two godparents (one of whom is my roommate, and the other my best friend). My mother, son, and roommate all live with me in the same household.

DAS was a lifesaver to me last year when I finally bit the bullet and requested it (I'm autistic and have anxiety, and because of that, lots of fun perseveration around said anxiety). It was the first of my many trips to Disney where I didn't end up having a meltdown or a shutdown during the course of the trip. It was so helpful, and I was so excited to be able to come back next year knowing that it would be available to me.

We probably would try to use Genie+ to try to mitigate the issue, but those return times don't always manage to line up, and when you factor in the lack of ability to use G+ on the same ride more than once, or trying to also align them with dining reservations, etc. ...it just gets so much more complicated and stressful. And aside from my son not meeting height requirements, we all ride everything (e.g. no one sits out for roller-coasters, etc.), so...yay, more logistics to have to sort through.

I understand trying to crack down on larger groups, especially since there were reported instances where someone with DAS would hire themselves out to a group they didn't know. But I wish there was a way for them to still accommodate reasonably sized travel parties (I'm not talking like a 25 member family reunion, but even up to 8 on a case by case basis would account for a family of four and two sets of grandparents, you know?), even if it meant providng some form of proof (and obviously I know that's easier said than done). My roommate has lived with me for fifteen years. I've been best friends with my son's godfather for twenty-five years. Both of them have been listed in my Disney Friends & Family profiles on my account for years, and we'll be sharing hotel rooms. It just seems such an unnecessary extra hurdle to add in for disabled folks where trying to plan a vacation that we can do/enjoy is already difficult enough at times. And since we don't even know yet if grandparents will be considered immediate family or not, which is not an uncommon configuration for a travel party to WDW or DLR...it just seems like such an extreme swing of the pendulum.

The part of the rule of 4 that everyone argues back and forth against is, they need to keep it low to detract abusers, but it hurts the occasional visitor, who makes the trek to Disney maybe once a year, once every few years, or even once period; generally these are the people that make it a big family/friends trip because it's not a common thing you can just drive over any day you choose. I know people will say, well then just take turns and split the group up and ride attractions like that. The whole point of the trip in the beginning is to go TOGETHER, to experience it all as a group, a lot of grandparents wouldn't come if they had to ride alone. You wouldn't go to a restaurant and be told you need to split up and have 1 group eat first, then the second group eats right after, or a movie theatre, etc. etc. etc. Now, groups of 20 is overkill, half the time you couldn't even ride most rides at the same time regardless due to ride capacities. Let's just hope there is some flexibility in specific cases because a lot of DAS families have to do a lot of planning, and teamwork with family/friends to even make showing up to the park possible, nevermind riding the rides.

I do get the concept if you allow for 1, then you open the door for others. It's a hard problem for Disney to please because it's such a popular, large international theme park company that attracts large parties/groups.

 

[OurBigTrip]

Yeah and they have the capability of waiting in lines without accommodation. If they want to ride twice, wait in line. I can have an MS episode triggered by waiting in the heat, so if I use Genie+, I am only able to ride:

Each ride once
Only if it’s available

Or I can risk having irreversible damage to my brain or spine.

We still have no idea what accommodations for heat issues will be - if, for example, it is Rider Switch, then I would think it's unlikely that there would be any limit on party size, since all but one or two guests would be entering via the standby line v. the LL.

The assumption that DAS is the only accommodation that will be offered and that everyone who doesn't get a DAS will be told to get Genie+ has been debunked already.