AmerLisa

I appreciate your personal knowledge and concern for profound disabilities, I too have that knowledge and concern.

While I think it does, on the whole, look pretty sad and deceitful, I also know there are many, many disabled adults who would look on this as a day of fun. Money isn't the issue to them, because most have very little concept of money. However, what they do have the concept of are no family and plenty of days with nothing to do. My hope would be that while it does sound and look deceitful, these disabled individuals had a very good day out.

Hiro11

I go to WDW about once every two years and went last year with my entire extended family for a week. I'm a somewhat closeted WDW fan. My thoughts on this:

1. WDW's policy towards people with "disabilities" is far too loose. I saw many, many clearly non-disabled teenagers flashing the "disabled" cards Disney issues and jumping hours-long lines. This is maddening. Clearly, giving truly disabled people the ability to cut lines at Disney is probably the least they are due, but the abuse of the policy is rampant at WDW.

2. On the other hand, only chumps wait in line at Disney. Disney rewards people who know what they're doing and spend the time to get organized. If you plan your day prior to going, examine a map of the park and are willing to split up, you can leverage the FastPass system to its full effect. This is easier with a large group, but we essentially went from ride to ride every day all week even though it was peak season and packed. Add in single rider lines and it's really only obstinant people who wait in those really long lines. If you can't be bothered to make this effort, expect to wait in lines, it's really your choice. Given the outrageous expense of going to WDW, you're going to be wasting your time.

3. There's lots to do at Disney parks outside of the main attractions. I think people are too focused on rides, ignoring the huge amount of detail and interest packed into the rest of the park. This is their loss. It's particularly true in places like Animal Kingdom where there's lots of great stuff to see and do that doesn't require a ticket or waiting in a line. If all you're interested in is the attractions, WDW probably isn't the place for you, go to a true amusement park. Getting a FastPass and spending the time wandering around or exploring the non-ticketed attractions is a ton of fun, especially if you like Disney stuff.

4. There's already a legitimate way to do what these enterprising "disabled" people are proposing: Disney does offer ridiculously expensive "VIP tours" ( https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/ev...-tour-services ). For ~$400/hour you get a guided tour and get to cut lines with impunity. I'm not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, it may be the most efficient and fairest way to decide wait time: he who pays more waits less. Also, if you're extremely busy and have the bucks, it might be worth it to you to splurge for one day with your kids at the park. Many other theme parks have variations on this system already (Six Flags FlashPass, for example). On the other hand, I'm not sure that paying ~$2,000 for a single day at WDW is something as a species that we want to encourage.

5. If you're not a fan of Disney stuff, don't go to Disney. I hear people say "God, I hate Disney World, I'll never go back" and I want to ask them why they went in the first place. After all, a week long trip to WDW can easily cost the equivalent of going to Europe for a week. This may be an obvious point, but if you suspect you're going to hate WDW, don't go. You probably will hate it.

GeoffM

Don't forget not all disabilities are visible. That said, I remember a friend at Legoland in the UK who had an autistic son who got fast access to rides and, knowing the son, there was absolutely no need to do so.

Good points on the rest.

Hiro11

I hear what your saying, but I'm confident in my view here. Mostly commonly, the passes are given to obese grandmothers in wheelchairs who have no intention of going on rides anyway. She'll end up sitting in the loading area while her grandkids use her pass to cut the line. I don't think this was Disney's intent.

One group of kids with a pass asked my brother and I umprompted if we wanted to tag along with them and cut the line. Trust me, these kids were not autistic.

We took them up on the offer and were on Tower of Terror within seconds...

GeoffM

That is certainly abuse of the system!

Well, that is my point exactly. You simply cannot say for sure that they were not autistic because that's an umbrella term that covers a whole multitude of issues, many of which are not at all visible. Unfortunately I have had to learn a lot about this in the last couple of years. One example is somebody who is absolutely normal, perfectly fine until a trigger happens - then it's meltdown time, regression time. Just because you don't see the meltdown doesn't mean to say it isn't there.

That said, autism as a broad term shouldn't be a line-jumping excuse. Maybe certain flavours but not as a whole.

N1cky

Disney have a policy where they don't ask for any proof of whatever condition you say you are suffering from. There are many things on the list that will get you a pass, including such things as claustrophobia.

They did recently announce a plan to tighten up their policy, but I don't know when it comes into affect.

I do know that for kids who are extremelly disabled, they really go all out to give them a magical experience, way above just being able to cut lines

GeoffM

I guess they're probably not allowed to ask!

Good example of something that's not visible - and some of those queuing areas can be pretty enclosed and full of people.

Excellent - just hope the abusers don't spoil it for the genuine ones!

Uncle_Bob

I usually go to Disneyland (the original) in CA about once every two years. I'm impressed at how much effort Disney go through to accommodate people with disabilities. The rides like space mountain and grizzly river run which are designed to have the rafts/cars that can be taken aside for passenger loading without holding everything up. I've not really noticed any abuse and to be honest if the lines are hours long then then odd group of 6 people are hardly going to make a difference to my wait. I've seen able adults with kids just cut in line at certain points which to me is more annoying.

But the most annoying aspect of Disneyland for me is the discount residents season tickets that provide a local childcare service. At around 3pm every weekday the park is flooded with Anehiem school kids and they overcrowd the park.

N1cky

The people with season tickets rarely create the lines. People who go so often, are often happy enough just to go on 1 or 2 rides during their visit.

Often for special sesons, such as Halloween, we would go down just to do Haunted Mansion, we'd get some food, watch the fireworks, and enjoy the atmosphere. We'd do other rides if there was no line when we walked by, but otherwise we'd pass.

Uncle_Bob

Absolute bollocks, if you were happy for just 1 or 2 rides you wouldn't notice the difference as much as the guy who saved up thousands to take the trip and stay in a Disney hotel etc. You want proof then download any of the Disney wait time apps to your smart phone and see the difference around mid afternoon, there is no other explanation other than the influx of local school kids, are you a school kid? NO, maybe a school kids wants more than 2 rides? People talk about it here and on Disney blogs. That's why they have black out dates because of locals overcrowding the park too much, yes they do much more than show up for 1 or 2 rides.

N1cky

No, I'm not a school kid. However, I do go to Disney more than once every 2 years (which is how often you say you go), and also have access to quite a lot of inside info. You also live in Arizona, how many people do you actually know with season tickets? I know plenty of people who do exactly what I described above.

They have block out dates so they can make more money. Supply and Demand and all that. Season ticket block outs during busy Christmas and Halloween periods also often apply on a weekend, not on a weekday, which kind of takes away from your school kid theory. They have to block out during the weekend in peak seasons, otherwise parks would run the risk of reaching maximum capacity, and they would be in danger of having to turn people away who are there on a 2 week vacation, as opposed to someone who has come from 30 minutes up the road.

Uncle_Bob

Obviously the school kids reference was just to that of what a school kid would want and not the 1 or 2 visits that you are happy with. Yes they are not at school at the weekend but with a pass to Disney at the weekend then i'm sure they would want to be in Disneyland too?

There should be no season passes, or a very limited use of them. One visit a month etc. Disney daycare spoils it for once in a lifetime guests who pay through the nose is all I'm saying. Much more of an issue that than a few extra guests in line with a disabled person.

N1cky

We'll have to agree to disagree.

I've probably been to Disney around 100 times now I've never had my day spoilt by anyone, disabled, teen or otherwise. The biggest nuisance to me is the people pushing their 6 year old kids around in strollers. They should ban strollers for anyone over 3 years old.

joto

"But the most annoying aspect of Disneyland for me is the discount residents season tickets that provide a local childcare service. At around 3pm every weekday the park is flooded with Anehiem school kids and they overcrowd the park."

They should ban kids under 18 without a parent or guardian to accompany them at all times. Not saying all teens and pre-teens cause havoc, but put them in a group of their peers, and they seem to forget whatever manners and behaviour their parents taught them.

scrubbedexpat099

I have never been to Disney, but I could certainly envisage Macrophobia if I did.

Nice to know queuing would not be an issue, and no need to hire someone.