All About the DAS Pass
The DAS Pass is one way that Walt Disney World accommodates guests with certain disabilities. Due to recent changes in the DAS Pass program, it's also been a point of discussion lately.
In this article, we'll tell you what the DAS Pass is, who it's designed for (and who it's not designed for), how to get one, and what the rules are.
What Is the DAS Pass?
DAS stands for "Disability Access Service". According to Disney's website, "DAS is one of the programs offered at Walt Disney World Resort theme parks intended to accommodate only those Guests who, due to a developmental disability like autism or similar, are unable to wait in a conventional queue for an extended period of time."
Contrary to popular belief, guests using the DAS Pass are not "skipping the line". The DAS Pass is fairly similar to a Lightning Lane in that, while it doesn't allow immediate access to a ride, it offers a return time based on current wait times for the ride. The person receiving the return time doesn't have to wait in the queue, but still has to wait for the return time before riding.
Who Can Get a DAS Pass?
Let's be honest, while there are some straight-forward This-does-NOT-qualify situations, what does qualify is more of a gray area. That's because autism and other developmental disabilities present on a spectrum. Some common reasons for requesting a DAS Pass include ADHD, autism, anxiety, and other conditions that make it difficult to wait in a conventional queue.
Access to this service is confirmed through an interview with a Cast Member up to 30 days before arrival at the parks. During this interview, the Cast Member will confirm the person's identity, and ask two basic questions: "What is the problem with standing in lines?" and "How will having a DAS Pass help with that problem?". They may also ask follow up questions to better understand the answers to the first two questions. A doctor's note confirming the condition may also be requested.
I broke my foot/ ride an ECV or wheelchair/ use crutches. Can I get a DAS Pass?
No. Mobility issues are accommodated, but not through a formalized DAS process, which can be a good thing, especially since it's unpredictable when you might have an injury that changes how you ride rides.
If you have a mobility issue, use your MyDisneyExperience app and look at the accessibility details for each ride. Most ride queues can accommodate your wheelchair or ECV up until the loading point. For many rides, at the loading point, a guest is required to transfer from the ECV or wheelchair to the ride vehicle. Cast Members are not medically trained and can't help with this transfer, so the guest must either self-transfer or have a family member help. Some rides can hold your ECV or wheelchair during the experience as well. In some rare cases, an ECV can't fit through the queue, so a guest can either transfer to a wheelchair or speak to a Cast Member who can give a return time similar to the wait. Sometimes ECVs and wheelchairs will go through an alternate queue to a merge point to avoid stairs or tight spaces.
One gray area is for guests not in a wheelchair or ECV but who use crutches, braces, or just have pain after being on their feet for a long time due to an injury. This typically does not qualify for DAS, and our advice would be to go with the ECV or wheelchair at Disney World anyway because ride queues will be the least of your problems when trying to get around with a mobility issue, and Disney World is large.
Lines make me anxious because they ruin my vacation by taking too much time. Does that mean I can get a DAS Pass?
No. You can't get a DAS Pass just because you don't like lines. Nobody likes lines. Again, you do not save time with a DAS Pass. You still wait the same amount of time to ride, so if the time spent waiting to ride is what you want to avoid, a DAS Pass won't help you with that anyway.
Anxiety, autism, ADHD, and other behavioral or developmental disabilities are real, diagnosable, conditions. Everybody experiences stress or feelings of anxiety from time to time, but they are not the same thing as having a diagnosable condition of anxiety. Aside from which, the system can't work if anyone who doesn't like standing in a line can use it.
Hollywood Studios at sunset, because it's pretty.
How to Get One
The most important step in obtaining a DAS Pass is to set up an interview with a Cast Member. You can do this anytime within 30 days prior to your visit, such as when purchasing tickets or making a reservation. Or you can go online to Disney's Disability Access Service site any other time to request the interview.
If approved, DAS options will appear in the MyDisneyEpxerience app on the first day of your visit. If someone other than the guest who needs the DAS Pass is doing the planning, they will still be able to see and book DAS return times in the MyDisneyExperience app. The guest who needs the DAS Pass, though, must be present when redeeming a DAS Pass return time, and must be riding.
Other Rules
If both DAS Pass and Lightning Lanes give return times, what is the difference?
One MAJOR difference, of course, is that the DAS Pass is something guests must qualify for through an interview with a Cast Member, whereas any guests who purchases Genie+ for the day can book a Lightning Lane.
Another major difference is that the DAS Pass does not involve additional cost, whereas Lightning Lane does because guests must purchase Genie+ to book Lightning Lanes.
With a DAS Pass, a guest can only hold ONE DAS Pass at a time, whereas with Lightning Lanes, it is possible to "stack" them and hold several at once by booking once every two hours without redeeming one.
But, with a DAS Pass, the return "window" doesn't ever expire. Guests are given a return time which is at LEAST how long they must wait before returning to ride, but nothing stops a guest from waiting all day to return to ride. Once the DAS window opens, it doesn't close until the ride or the park closes. Lightning Lanes, on the other hand, are valid for 1 hour from the time the window opens, and if not redeemed in that time, they will expire.
Finally, a DAS Pass can be issued for the same ride several times throughout the day (just like a guest can go in the standby line for the same ride several times throughout the day). Lightning Lanes can only be used once per ride per day.
The Tron canopy, Tomorrowland Speedway, and Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover
What has changed that's causing all the fuss?
Effective May 20th, Disney has changed some rules about who can ride and how to ride with the DAS Pass.
Prior to May 20th, return windows used to be only an hour long, but a guest could make two of these prior to arrival at the parks. Now, the guest must wait to make their first selection upon arrival at the parks, but that selection has no end time. This aligns with the experience of other guests. Nobody can book Lightning Lanes in advance anymore.
Prior to May 20th, DAS access was valid for 30 days. It is now valid for the length of ticket, or 120-days, whichever is shorter. This means guests with annual passes or similar need to register only once every 4 months rather than once every 30 days.
Prior to May 20th, guests requesting DAS access could walk into Guest Relations the day of their visit for an interview. This will no longer be offered, but guests can do the interview online 2-30 days before their visit. The guest needing DAS assistance must be present.
Prior to May 20th, the number of people who could ride with the DAS user, including family and friends, was larger. Starting May 20th, the limit, including the DAS user, will be 4 people. The exception to this rule is immediate family. If the DAS user's IMMEDIATE family is larger than 4 people, all immediate family members can still use the DAS return time. The change impacts friends and extended family. It's worth noting that if a family has more than one DAS user, other family members can only be registered with one of the DAS users. In this case, if you all want to ride together, just book your DAS under both users around the same time, and wait until the later of the two return windows opens so you can all ride together.
If private corporations can't request medical records, what's to stop me from lying?
If Disney finds any statements during the registration process to be untrue, the guest will be barred permanently from even entering a Disney Park. If they have an annual pass or some other ticket, that ticket will not be refunded.
Basically, this is guest misconduct, so lying is at your own risk, and a hefty risk it is.
We hope this article not only helps guests who may need a DAS Pass, but also helps other guests understand how the DAS Pass really works, and why it's reserved for certain guests needing accommodations.
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