DAS for Heat issues?

[Dis703]

Would they issue a DAS for someone who has a high risk of heat stroke? DH did have the GAC a couple years ago but we didn't find we needed it more than 2 or 3 times that trip. Temps weren't too bad and we tried to work it out to get into the AC enough and use various cooling off methods. Last trip I didn't inquire about using the new system and he had some issues but we try our best to work around them. He has no sweat glands so overheating is a big danger for him.

I've been so focused on all the prep for my kids and their allergies I didn't think to start looking into this as well. Attractions where the lines are mostly indoors with AC aren't really an issue, but I'm thinking maybe better safe than sorry if we can get it for him to use at some of the attractions where the lines can get longer and out in the heat.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Would they issue a DAS for someone who has a high risk of heat stroke? . . .

1) Seldom.
2) If ever.
3) An ECV would probably overcome the issue.
4) If not, EVERY SINGLE OLD GUY would be eligible for a DAS.

 

[Yoshiandi]

Use the FP+ for those long line rides.
or try to do them early or very late in the day when it's the hottest.

 

[Dis703]

Use the FP+ for those long line rides.
or try to do them early or very late in the day when it's the hottest.

Thanks. I think many of our FP cover those things but some of the rides are ones I've never been on so I'm not familiar with the queue setup. If it's bad we tend to skip it go somewhere cooler and come back around another time hoping for a shorter line.

He's very reluctantly returning to Disney so anything I can do to make his trip easier on him I'd like to try. Not sure we'd manage the 3 kids with an ECV or that it would help tremendously. The walking can definitely add to it, but it's just heat in general with not being able to sweat.

If not, we are armed with our Frogg Toggs and spray bottles and a heavy duty cooler full of cold water.

 

[aaarcher86]

You will be in the heat more outside the lines than you will inside.

 

[SueM in MN]

There are no conditions that are automatically "yes" or "no" for DAS, so there is no "DAS is always or DAS is never given for risk of heat stroke."

In your husband's case, his lack of sweat glands is a medical condition, that causes a disability (inability to sweat).
This is not just a little 'oh, he might get too hot. People without sweat glands are not able to sweat, which is one of the largest ways humans have of releasing heat from the body.
If you want to request DAS, you need to explain what his needs related to the disability are and how those needs make waiting in the regular lines impossible for him in some cases.

I don't agree with the previous poster who suggested an ECV would meet the needs - this is not a mobility related condition; an ECV would not allow him to avoid heat or keep him any cooler.
I also disagree with the statement "if not EVERY SINGLE OLD GUY would be eligible for DAS". The DH of the original poster has no sweat glands. EVERY SINGLE OLD GUY may not sweat as effectively as he did when he was younger, but this poster's husband is still at much higher risk of heat stroke.

 

[SueM in MN]

Even if you had DAS, as you already know, there are still a lot of lines that are in air conditioning or are inside.

You will be exposed to heat more as you are walking around outside of attractions than while waiting in line. So, you still will need to make arrangements for heat relief outside of lines. AK is probably the worst IMHO. Many of the attractions are actually outside and the park itself feels very hot. So, that park is probably the one you need to take the most care with.
Going early in the day, leaving the park by 10 (or the heat of the day) and coming back later in the evening will help you to avoid the worst of the heat.

Also, you don't need to drag around a large cooler of cold water. You can get ice water free, on request from any restaurant.

 

[Dis703]

Even if you had DAS, as you already know, there are still a lot of lines that are in air conditioning or are inside.

You will be exposed to heat more as you are walking around outside of attractions than while waiting in line. So, you still will need to make arrangements for heat relief outside of lines. AK is probably the worst IMHO. Many of the attractions are actually outside and the park itself feels very hot. So, that park is probably the one you need to take the most care with.
Going early in the day, leaving the park by 10 (or the heat of the day) and coming back later in the evening will help you to avoid the worst of the heat.

Also, you don't need to drag around a large cooler of cold water. You can get ice water free, on request from any restaurant.

Thanks. Yes AK does always seem to be the hottest park. We try to plan for the shows during the hotter parts of the day. It's definitely hotter in the sun but in the crowded lines sometimes we lose the air flow and can't use the spray bottles. Unless we want to shower everyone, lol. We have a stroller for the cooler and it's mainly for my kids food because of their allergies. It's not huge but big enough we can keep some cold water bottles in addition to the kids stuff. Easy enough to keep under the stroller.

I've also tried really hard to work our ADRs and FP so we aren't going to have to do a ton of back and forth walking. Even tried to preplan which QS restaurant we'll go to based on where we are going to be. We'll see how well it works out.

 

[Yoshiandi]

Ak is the hottest park. It's a design issue:

Found in a past Disboard post: According to this CM this issue was raised very quickly both by CMs that work at Animal Kingdom and by guests very shortly after the park opened. This CM said he was asked to be on a team to research the issue and they ran thermometers and hydrometers (to measure humidity levels) and found, as others have already said, that the air temperature was essentially identical to the other parks but the humidity was much higher. This CM went on to say that Disney was working on various ideas to improve the situation but had not come up with much as of that time. (This was just one or two years after Animal Kingdom opened.) When someone suggested they add more misters over walkways as has been done in some places he said that only offered relief while the person was directly under it and only added to the overall humidity level in the park in areas away from the misters. What he said they were working on was finding ways to set up very large fans to move the air better but still have the fans hidden from the view of the guests.

And a response from our very own TheRustyScupper:
We asked a CM about this last year. They said yes it is hotter because of all of the tropical plants they have there. The plants make it hotter.

1) Tropical plants.
2) Very narrow aisles/walkways.
3) Tall plants obstructing low-to-medium breezes.
4) Buildings close together, restricting air flow.
5) High buildings-to-walkway ratio.


So there ya go. It's not all in your head

Thanks. Yes AK does always seem to be the hottest park. We try to plan for the shows during the hotter parts of the day. It's definitely hotter in the sun but in the crowded lines sometimes we lose the air flow and can't use the spray bottles. Unless we want to shower everyone, lol. We have a stroller for the cooler and it's mainly for my kids food because of their allergies. It's not huge but big enough we can keep some cold water bottles in addition to the kids stuff. Easy enough to keep under the stroller.

I've also tried really hard to work our ADRs and FP so we aren't going to have to do a ton of back and forth walking. Even tried to preplan which QS restaurant we'll go to based on where we are going to be. We'll see how well it works out.

 

[the guardian]

You will be in the heat more outside the lines than you will inside.

Not if the OP and her family utilize DAS in conjunction with FP+, now will they? OP, don’t get discouraged by the naysayers on here because Disney originally created these special passes for the likes of your husband who are physically incapable of being in the parks for more than a few hours at a time.

What you need to do is to hang out around this sub-forum for a while and learn from those who have mastered the DAS/FP+ tag team pass. You will learn that through extensive advance planning and proper FP+ selections, your husband will never be waiting for an attraction but rather will always be on an attraction and that way you can get out of the park before your husband’s health is compromised. Best of luck!

 

[aaarcher86]

Not if the OP and her family utilize DAS in conjunction with FP+, now will they? OP, don’t get discouraged by the naysayers on here because Disney originally created these special passes for the likes of your husband who are physically incapable of being in the parks for more than a few hours at a time.

What you need to do is to hang out around this sub-forum for a while and learn from those who have mastered the DAS/FP+ tag team pass. You will learn that by extensive advance planning and proper FP+ selections, your husband will never be waiting for an attraction but rather will always be on an attraction and that way you can get out of the park before your husband’s health is compromised. Best of luck!

Uh, yes actually. Time spent going from thing to thing, watching parades, and being in the park in general will be spent in the heat. And using the DAS, that's where the majority of the persons time is spent.

It's not really a secret. Anyone that's used the DAS will tell you that waiting for their times, traveling, and trying to find the minimal shaded sitting areas were came out to being much more time in the heat vs when they were in line for an attraction.

As someone who had to stand in stores with my oldest to cool off or wait for parades and stuff, that only goes so far and is incredibly unenjoyable.

 

[kaytieeldr]

You will be in the heat more outside the lines than you will inside.

Not if the OP and her family utilize DAS in conjunction with FP+, now will they? OP, don’t get discouraged by the naysayers on here because Disney originally created these special passes for the likes of your husband who are physically incapable of being in the parks for more than a few hours at a time.

Using the DAS, or FP +, or the DAS in conjunction with FP+ has absolutely ZERO effect on the distance between attractions or how long a party needs to beout in the heat to get from one attraction to another.
Disney did not create the DAS for people physically - or mentally or emotionally - unable to be in the parks for more than two few hours...". The DAS is the accommodation for guests with disabilities other than mobility who are unable to wait in a standard queue.

 

[the guardian]

Uh, yes actually. Time spent going from thing to thing, watching parades, and being in the park in general will be spent in the heat. And using the DAS, that's where the majority of the persons time is spent.

It's not really a secret. Anyone that's used the DAS will tell you that waiting for their times, traveling, and trying to find the minimal shaded sitting areas were came out to being much more time in the heat vs when they were in line for an attraction.

As someone who had to stand in stores with my oldest to cool off or wait for parades and stuff, that only goes so far and is incredibly unenjoyable.

Are you saying that utilizing DAS in conjunction with FP+ will have no impact on their wait times? And, with DAS going digital and being integrated with Magic Bands and viewable on the My Disney Experience app, time spent waiting and traveling will be even less. DAS/FP+ should get that family in and out in 4 hours as it should for someone who is incapable of spending a full-day at a park yet had to pay for it.

 

[OurBigTrip]

Are you saying that utilizing DAS in conjunction with FP+ will have no impact on their wait times? And, with DAS going digital and being integrated with Magic Bands and viewable on the My Disney Experience app, time spent waiting and traveling will be even less. DAS/FP+ should get that family in and out in 4 hours as it should for someone who is incapable of spending a full-day at a park yet had to pay for it.

No, it won't have an impact on their wait times. It will impact where they wait, but not how long they wait. DAS doesn't shorten wait times.

Using the DAS with FP+ will mean less downtime between attractions, but a 1.5 hour wait for a ride isn't going to be shorter with the DAS.

And I agree with others that say the DAS wasn't meant to shorten wait times for those that can only be in the park for a short time. There are a thousand reasons unrelated to disabilities why a family might be able to be in the park for only three or four hours. I see no reason why a disabled person in the park for only four hours should be able to do any more than a non-disabled person would be able to do in four hours.

 

[the guardian]

No, it won't have an impact on their wait times. It will impact where they wait, but not how long they wait. DAS doesn't shorten wait times.

Using the DAS with FP+ will mean less downtime between attractions, but a 1.5 hour wait for a ride isn't going to be shorter with the DAS.

You know good and well that while waiting for a DAS return time, you can either hit up one or two no-wait rides or take in a pre-selected FP+ attraction. If this man is banished to the standard queue, he won't be able to take advantage of this strategy and will only be able to get in half the rides before his day is done.

 

[aaarcher86]

Are you saying that utilizing DAS in conjunction with FP+ will have no impact on their wait times? And, with DAS going digital and being integrated with Magic Bands and viewable on the My Disney Experience app, time spent waiting and traveling will be even less. DAS/FP+ should get that family in and out in 4 hours as it should for someone who is incapable of spending a full-day at a park yet had to pay for it.

No. That not how it works at all. With the DAS you wait the same amount if time as everyone else, you're just OUTSIDE the line... In the heat.

While FP and DAS combos help to keep things moving, there's still a significant portion of time outside in the heat. Much more than inside AC lines.

Someone with less time in a park needs to decide if paying the price of entry is worth the time. There's nothing that squishes a full day into half the time.

 

[OurBigTrip]

You know good and well that while waiting for a DAS return time, you can either hit up one or two no-wait rides or take in a pre-selected FP+ attraction. If this man is banished to the standard queue, he won't be able to take advantage of this strategy and will only be able to get in half the rides before his day is done.

Yes, you can hit other rides. But you said that it would reduce his wait times, which it won't.

And for the umpteenth time, how long someone is able to be in the park is irrelevant, disability or not.

 

[aaarcher86]

You know good and well that while waiting for a DAS return time, you can either hit up one or two no-wait rides or take in a pre-selected FP+ attraction. If this man is banished to the standard queue, he won't be able to take advantage of this strategy and will only be able to get in half the rides before his day is done.

It's not half the rides. It's the appropriate amount of rides for the time spent in the park.

But I think you know that, and I believe we've had these conversations with you before.

 

[the guardian]

Yes, you can hit other rides. But you said that it would reduce his wait times, which it won't.

LOL. And it only takes me 30 minutes to go 30 miles in Atlanta traffic too.

 

[OurBigTrip]

LOL. And it only takes me 30 minutes to go 30 miles in Atlanta traffic too.

Well there's a non-sequitur if ever I've seen one.