Controversial DAS thoughts
 

Is anyone else concerned that the current DAS system in place is as open to abuse as its previous incarnation?

As someone with a disability it seems odd that the need for the pass is granted on say so (due to the discrimination laws), without evidence.

Maybe I’m just used to the beurocracy of the UK, but I’m surprised that some form of written evidence isn’t needed.

This is a controversial subject so please keep any personal attacks away from here.

I think the new system works well. I guess it is open for people to abuse, but due to you now having to wait with a return time similar to the queueing time there is no real benefit to abusing the system. But for those with special needs (including my DD) its a great help.

I had a DAS issued in Feb and it was a life saver for me.

I actually would have been more comfortable if I’d had to give evidence- which I could have done- because I’m well aware I look like a perfectly fine and healthy young woman. I was very nervous going to ask for one that I would be turned down but I wasn’t and I’m very grateful for the CM who I talked to for really understanding why I needed the DAS.

That being said I saw it being abused several times over the week we were there.

The most frequent abuse we saw was people using a magic band that had a DAS return time on it that wasn’t their own. It must have belonged to a member of their party who was sitting a ride out, and they would just pull the magic band out of a pocket and use the DAS return time from it. One time a guy was even trying to use his own magic band but was refused by the cast member, then remembered he needed the other magic band and found it in his bag. Nothing was said though the CM did roll her eyes.

We also saw a couple asking a CM about why they had given us return times. When they found out it was a disability thing they asked where they could get a DAS issued. Obviously I don’t know for sure that they didn’t need one but I do think if you had a disability that effects you all the time there’s a good chance you would have researched into the DAS before arriving at the parks. But I could be wrong I suppose.

And even though you are technically waiting for your return time to come up sometimes we did feel a bit guilty. After all sitting in the shade sipping frozen rosé waiting for your return time to come up is very different from waiting in a standby queue for an hour or more. Even though I knew I needed it I felt the need to constantly mentally reassure myself that I wasn’t taking advantage.

I just personally feel that if everyone did have to give medical evidence then I wouldn’t feel that way, because I would know that the CMs know I’m not lying, and that all the other people with DASes aren’t lying. I would know that I definitely did need one and that would be that.

I also would have liked to see CMs pull up the people using someone else’s magic band to use the DAS, considering DASes are actually linked to a photo of the person with the disability, I assume so CMs can identify the disabled member of the party.

That all being said I understand Disney cannot ask for evidence so I can’t really see a better policy then the one they currently have.

I do think the current DAS is still abused, because it sure is better then queuing, but if they got rid of it so many people would not be able to enjoy the parks. If it wasn’t for the DAS there are so many rides we just couldn’t have waited for, as I can’t stand for that long in one position.

We will just have to hope that people understand that it’s not for them if they are able bodied.

Because you are waiting same amount of time as everyone else who has to physically stand and queue you’d think it was equal but i suppose everything is open to being abused, personally my moral compass wouldn’t allow us to abuse something that’s set up for benefitting others. I have only known this set up not the one before, and I understand due to their laws why proof isn’t needed but personally because to get anything remotely similar here I have to show proof for my daughter I wouldn’t be bothered showing them either, if I’m honest I’d prefer to show proof.

This is my hope also. I only posed the question as I know of someone (not sure if they use the Dibb, so wont go into detail), and they used it as a way to get on a few rides they couldn’t get fast pass for and couldn’t be bothered to wait in standby.
They found out about DAS, claimed one of the party had a condition and actually recommend it to people going.
It makes me feel ill that people can abuse the system in this way as the end result is likely to be some form of criteria being put in place to control it.

We used it to get on to flight of passage which we didn’t have a fast pass for. Obviously that wasn’t the reason I went for it, I do have a genuine disability, but it was getting a return time for FOP which really made me realise how much it can be abused. Waiting whilst riding other rides you have FPs for or eating lunch is way preferable to waiting in a 3 hour queue. I need a DAS and even I felt a bit guilty when we got to walk through the FP line past all those people waiting.

I also saw someone else saying they’d seen a disabled man saying if a family paid for him to take him on a trip he would be able to get them on to any ride without a standby wait with his DAS. I believe that was on a post here on the dibb. With galaxys edge opening up soon- with no FPs as well- I’m sure it will be abused even more in the next year.

My son is autistic so we'll be asking for DAS. I'll be taking his diagnosis letter anyway.

I hope it will help him - he wasn't diagnosed on our previous trips and we spent a lot of time in the hotel room.

I can see how it could be abused like all systems.

Although I can see the point about abuse its definitely not as bad as it used to be. US law does not allow Disney to ask for proof. At other Disney sites (Hong Kong for sure and I believe Japan as well) they do ask for evidence.

The old system allowed people to simply walk on to rides and that was definitely more advantageous than the new system. The new only gives you one wait time at a time so is pretty much the equivalent of an extra fastpass. As its not prebookable you'd have to be pretty desperate and sad in my opinion to abuse the system. That being said I'm sure people do although I have never been privy to this.

In terms of using someone elses magic band, this isn't actually possible. It must have been theirs in their pocket as it flashes up the disability pass members photo on the screen for CMs to check. This is why if using DAS the band machine shows blue not green so that the CM can check that it is valid. Unless the CM just wasn't checking it would have been the persons band and therefore their DAS or someone in the party with them that was visible. Perhaps the DAS member didn't like wearing their band? I sometimes take mine off if its too hot as it causes a rash

It was almost definitely not their magic band the three times we saw it happen. Each time they had their own magic band on and used a magic band they were carrying or was in their bag, and scurried through as quickly as possible to stop the CM saying anything.

One time we were even behind a family who had this conversation with a cast member-

*they had tried their magic band and it hadn’t worked*

CM: do you have fast passes?

Guest: no the disabled thing

CM: which one of you has the DAS?

Guest: oh!

*pulls the magic band from his pocket despite having one on his wrist that hadn’t worked*

Guest: it’s this one.

*scans and goes green, CM let’s them in but does look like she is about to stop them but ultimately decides to let them go*

I can say with 100% certainty that the DAS belonged to someone in their group who was sitting a ride out. The way the CM even blanched at them and was about to say something when someone else approached her for something, I know that they were just carrying the extra magic band around with them.

The other times we saw it happen it was also people carrying extra magic bands when their party all had theirs on. There was no discussion with a CM though so I can’t be as sure.

Personally I think as wait times go up having a DAS is more and more advantageous. I know not as much as the old system but no one wants to stand in a 5 hour queue- I’m forseeing what galaxys edge will be like- and getting a return time is wayyy preferable to that. I can definitely see why the system is still abused. But like I said before I can’t see how they can change it.