New DAS rules

Ran into the length of ticket issue a while back at DLR - never realized that was a thing before that trip.

We are out of state APs for WdW so always got the 60 day- yet it never worked out our trips were running every 3-4 months.

Does the new extended period applicable to people already approved? They said I would expire in early Nov and I just booked thanksgiving in palm beach lol I am not opposed to stopping over on the way home…

Reports on this from disboards are that it will not apply to those people until their next approval. But all things DAS seem a bit fluid these days. . .

Personally I do take anything the dis boards say with a tablespoon of salt- it’s my experience that they get things kinda half right…

The difference between this forum and theirs is IMO is rumor is generally treated as such…this thread is the perfect example. When the changes were announced I gotta say the rumor mill over there had me pretty panicked especially at the time with a trip on the books. Len hopped on to give us information straight away- what might be changing, why it was happening and who it would possibly effect…He was well informed and pretty much nailed it as far as what to expect with the changes.

4 Likes

I understand what you are saying, which is partly why I qualified my answer the way I did and noted the source of the information. At the same time, the disability board moderators over there are quite knowledgeable, and I think they do a decent job of trying to separate the reality from the rumor. .

2 Likes

As many of your know, my son has neurogenic bladder/bowel and we’ve used DAS in the past to help us manage our days in the park (hes on a very set schedule for catheters and needs 1+ hour for bowel management during the day). Using the DAS for 2-3 rides a day has been critical for us feeling like we got our fair share of experiences.

But when they announced the changes to eligibility, I pretty much figured DAS was not an option for us anymore. I’m thinking about a trip for next fall and wondering if anything has changed in the last 3-4 months since I was last in the loop on anything Disney (besides thinking about buying DVC which finally got the nail in the coffin this past week).

2 Likes

A lot has IMO changed. Especially with room/package cancellation polices& lighting lane access.

I gotta say though I had gotten nervous about applying - I am obviously not a child and a big part of my issue is physical restrictions. I got so worked up I almost chickened out. Planned a week filled with other things to do like tours etc, but called the day before we left to drive down. Told the CM my tail of woe and she approved DAS.

If DAS is 100 % your only option I would avoid any type of package that isn’t fully refundable in less than 30 days.

The good news is advance selection is back - if those rides you guys like are eligible for lighting lane you can potentially schedule them before leaving home. I haven’t tried it yet personally as it started after my last trip. Not even bringing up the premier option - not because of cost but I honestly think its to early to tell how it will affect the queues.

2 Likes

You can make advance selections with DAS again? I didn’t realize that.

1 Like

No!

Advance selection is for the purchased lighting lane access.

7 days for onsite reservations and 3 days off site.

  • I only brought it up because if @NoBellePrizeWinner or anyone else planning a trip that feels that a trip might be DAS dependent booking a package deal will might still have an option to travel vs cancellation fees.
2 Likes

Ahh, I misunderstood you.

1 Like

Small change but maybe a positive one for the possibility of expansion to the DAS program.

2 Likes

I wouldn’t expect the exclusion of one word to change much. It will give a small amount of flexibility to those that approve or disapprove (mostly disapprove over the past year) those applying for DAS.

As often stated on the Disney Dish, it was estimated that 75% of lightning lane capacity was going to DAS for free. Disney doesn’t like giving away things for free.

1 Like

I had read another article today that this is the first step to Disney changing the language so DAS isn’t just for developmental issues. I can’t ever see it going back to what it was. But there is a lot of speculation that this is just one revision that we will see this year.
I don’t think it will change much right now but I do hope that there are future revisions that make the policy more inclusive than it is now.

3 Likes

They added the word “only” last year a while after the changes went into effect. So now they’re going back to that original wording. IMO I think they’ve only removed it so they can deny more people with autism, because guests were under the assumption that autism automatically qualifies. I also think it might be a CYA move so they can still claim it’s not based on a diagnosis.

3 Likes

The registration period has been extended to 60 days, instead of 30 days.

5 Likes

Good. Not letting people apply until the final payment date was borderline scammy.

6 Likes

https://wdwnt.com/2025/02/breaking-class-action-lawsuit-filed-against-disney-inspire-health-over-changes-to-theme-park-disability-access-service

5 Likes

Interesting. Looks like it is California laws that give them the most exposure in this suit.

5 Likes

Yes, I glanced through the complaint itself, and the allegations and causes of action are limited to CA and DLR/DCA. It’s interesting that one of them seems to suggest that the in-person interviews are problematic, which is something not offered at WDW any more. I imagine Disney made that distinction in its offering based on their conclusions about legality in CA. (who is correct should be borne out in time. . . )

One other small observation–I personally have followed DAS and the changes more closely than most because they affect my family. I’m not sure that complaint does a good job of explaining it to the court, where the reader might not be as familiar with the system and its changes. We’ll see what happens.

4 Likes