As somebody who both loves theme parks and writes about them for a living, getting banned from Disney World or Disneyland is literally the worst thing I can imagine. A banning requires a pretty significant step out of bounds, like being drunk in the park, abusing a Cast Member or going where you’re not supposed to go. But a lot of people have likely committed an act that is grounds for permanent trespass from a Disney Park. The resorts have made a major change to their Disability Access Service, and those who lie in order to gain access will be banned.
The Disability Access Service (DAS) was designed for guests who, for a variety of reasons, habe difficulty waiting in long lines for Disney World attractions. The new system, which will begin at Walt Disney World on May 18 and at Disneyland Resort on June 20, will only be available to guests who are unable to wait in lines specifically “due to a developmental disability like autism or similar.” Previously, access to the service was more broad. In addition, a new system for verifying DAS eligibility is being put in place at Disney World, which allows guests to do a video chat with a Cast Member before a visit or on the day of the visit.
How Disney Parks Guests Could Be Banned
Disney Parks makes it very clear on the DAS website that if any statements made during the registration process are found to be false, the guest will be permanently banned from the Resort. In addition, any annual passes held by the guest will be canceled and not refunded. The threat of a ban isn’t new, but it seems likely that the possibility of a ban may increase because abuse of the system is a big reason it's changing.
This is the latest in a significant crackdown that Disney Parks has been making to try and prevent abuse of the DAS system. Anecdotally, there have been a significant number of guests who have requested DAS access as a way to avoid lines without having to pay for the Genie+ service. Recently, Disney World banned many third-party tour guides who made their living helping guests navigate the parks. At the time, a Disney spokesman claimed that part of the reason for the move was that a number of the companies were suspected of coaching guests so that they could obtain DAS access.
How DAS Works At The Parks
DAS doesn’t simply allow guests to hop the line for the best rides at Disneyland. Instead, guests are given a return time equal to an attraction’s current wait time, so they still have to wait the same amount of time to get on the ride, they simply don’t need to wait in the line. Still, such a system allows for abuse, as guests using it can get in line for other attractions or do other things instead of standing in a queue.
There’s reportedly been a significant increase in the use of DAS over the last few years, which may simply be a case of more people becoming aware it exists, but could certainly also be due to people abusing the system. The new system certainly requires a bit more work from those who actually qualify for it, but hopefully it will help. The fewer people who try to abuse the system, the easier it will be for those who actually need it to use it.
