Disney threatens lifetime bans for parkgoers who lie about disabilities after boom in guests claiming fake medical conditions to skip long lines

Walt Disney World has announced a crackdown on sneaky guests who claim fake medical conditions to skip the park's notoriously long lines.

Both Disney resorts in California and Florida will issue lifetime bans on parkgoers who lie about disabilities, as the park updated its Disability Access Service (DAS) program on Tuesday.

On its official website, one of the frequently asked questions reads: 'What happens if any of the statements made by a Guest in the process of registering for DAS are found to be not true?'

“If it is determined that any of the statements a guest made in the process of obtaining DAS are not true, the guest will be permanently barred from entering the Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Resort,' the answer reads. 

Those guests will also be permanently banned from using previously purchased Annual Passes, Magic Key passes, tickets, and other park products, officials said, adding that services will be forfeited and not refunded.

Walt Disney World has announced a crackdown on sneaky guests who claim fake medical conditions to skip the park's notoriously long lines

Both Disney resorts in California and Florida will issue lifetime bans on parkgoers who lie about disabilities, as the park updated its Disability Access Service (DAS) program on Tuesday

The new rule is part of the policy change announced on Tuesday for Disney's DAS program, which aims “to assist guests who have difficulty tolerating extended waits in a conventional queue environment due to a disability.

The changes will go into effect on June 18 at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, and May 20 at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, according to KTLA. 

Under the updated DAS program, guests with developmental disabilities like autism would not be able to cut in lines. 

Instead, guests will be assigned a spot in the queue and instructed to return at a designated time for an experience comparable to the current standby wait. 

DAS usage in the parks has tripled over the past five years, according to Scott Gustin with Nexstar. 

Gustin wrote after the updated policy announcement: 'I hope these changes will help reduce misuse of the system that has negatively impacted the experience for guests who truly need the service.' 

But park officials did not specify how Disneyland would detect disability fraud, as reported by the Orange County Register. 

According to Disney's website, guests are required to communicate with a cast member either through a live video chat or in person at the park before registration for DSA.  

The DSA registration is valid for the length of the ticket or up to 120 days, and the existing DAS pass holders will be required to re-apply. 

The new rule is part of the policy change announced on Tuesday for Disney's DAS program, which aims “to assist guests who have difficulty tolerating extended waits in a conventional queue environment due to a disability

Under the updated DAS program, guests with developmental disability like autism or similar would not be able to cut in lines. Instead, guests will be assigned a spot in the queue and instructed to return at a designated time for an experience comparable to the current standby wait

Tips for exploiting and cheating the DAS program have been rampant on social media in recent years, with some users sharing their experiences of claiming false medical conditions to acquire the DAS pass. 

An X user wrote: 'Obviously not a large sample size, but of the four people I know who have a DAS pass, 3 of them claim it's because they have IBS — which they told me personally they don't, they just don't want to wait in line. ' 

Another user chimed in as they wrote: 'I won’t pretend to be an expert on this and what’s right or wrong but the abuse of this service at WDW is off the charts. 

The added: 'I was told a ridiculously high proportion of LL scans are DAS; way higher than any national trends would lead you to expect.' 

Disney fans and parkgoers have applauded the policy since its announcement, expressing the hope that it will assist guests who truly need the service.  

'The abuse is honestly really, really disrespectful to the folks who actually need it,' a user wrote. 

They added:' There are children in our families with disabilities whose doctors say they “qualify” for it and the parents refuse to do it because despite the disabilities, they can wait in line just fine. I wish the rest of society conducted themselves this way.'