Anatomy of the Magic Kingdom

[dekraut]

Hello all,

Quick question:

Is the guest relations window at the entrance to the MK accessible before you go through the gate that would charge you one day off your ticket?

Explanation: We are coming in next Sunday and staying at Ft. Wilderness. There are seven of us in total, counting my sister and my parents who are camping next to us. Our son is autistic and we are planning to seek a DAS for him. Since we are arriving Sunday afternoon, we don't want to use one of our five days for Sunday evening, but we thought we could take a boat ride to the MK and get our DAS to have something to do, and save some time the next morning.

Is it possible to go to the MK, and get our DAS from guest relations WITHOUT going through the admission gates that would charge us a day of our tickets? I saw the map, but I haven't been to WDW since 1996, and I can't tell at which point your ticket is used.

I am aware that we all need to be there, and that special permission would be needed in order to get seven people on the DAS. Thinking it might take a little time, we figured it might be smart to get it out of the way on Sunday if possible.

Thanks very much for any help.

 

[WantToGoNow]

There have been a few reports of people being able to get the DAS from the outside window but generally you need to go to the inside guest services.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Hello all,

Quick question:

Is the guest relations window at the entrance to the MK accessible before you go through the gate that would charge you one day off your ticket?

Explanation: We are coming in next Sunday and staying at Ft. Wilderness. There are seven of us in total, counting my sister and my parents who are camping next to us. Our son is autistic and we are planning to seek a DAS for him. Since we are arriving Sunday afternoon, we don't want to use one of our five days for Sunday evening, but we thought we could take a boat ride to the MK and get our DAS to have something to do, and save some time the next morning.

Is it possible to go to the MK, and get our DAS from guest relations WITHOUT going through the admission gates that would charge us a day of our tickets? I saw the map, but I haven't been to WDW since 1996, and I can't tell at which pint your ticket is used.

I am aware that we all need to be there, and that special permission would be needed in order to get seven people on the DAS. Thinking it might take a little time, we figured it might be smart to get it out of the way on Sunday if possible.

Thanks very much for any help.

There is a Guest Services location outside of the gates, but it isn't guaranteed that you can get a DAS issued there. Some people have been able to get one at that location, but plenty more people have been told they have to go to the GS location inside the park. It can depend on which CM you get and how busy they are.

We arrived at the MK for rope drop on our first day. We lined up near the tunnel on the left (as you are facing the park) since City Hall is on that side of Town Square. We immediately went to GS, were the second family through the doors, were able to immediately speak to a CM and he took the information he needed for the card. We had a little bit of a wait because the printer apparently wasn't working correctly, but even with the wait, we had the DAS card and were out the door in about 5 minutes.

 

[lanejudy]

Yes, there is a Guest Relations window outside if MK. It is to the far right after going through the bag check but before the turnstiles.

However, no guarantee they can/will give a DAS at the outside location. It is possible. But if it is busy, or they are dealing with a lot if ticket issues, or don't have the iPad available -- they'll direct requests for DAS to the City Hall location. You can take the chance.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[Betty Rohrer]

not sure of your sons age but he has to be with you to get DAS. how is he going to handle getting to MK and not going in the park? I just know my grandsons, granted without issues, would pitch a fit to be that close and not go in. just something to think about

 

[SueM in MN]

I agree with the other posters -
Yes, there is a Guest Relations outside the park.
He may or may not be able to get a DAS issued there. So, you could get all the way there and discover it's not possible to get it there at that time.

The other thing to think about is how he might react to being able to see the park, but not go in. On the boat, you will be able to see the top of Space Mountain and some of the other higher points in the park.
After passing thru the bag check, Guest Relations will be to your right, but the park entrance and train station will be directly in front of you.
So, whether to try it or not depends on whether you think he could handle being that close without going in and whether you are OK with going there and possibly not bring able to get one.

 

[Aristomommy]

Yes, the outside MK guest services helped us obtain a DAS.You could also get it first thing in the morning, arrive a bit early and try the outside guest services. If for some reason that person can't help you, then stop inside the park before going on any rides.

 

[dekraut]

Thanks to everyone for the feedback. This is such a resourceful place.

My son is nine, and he is pretty reasonable as far as being okay with any plan, as long as he knows what to expect up front, but my wife and I will consider whether it is worth it or not.

The main reason we were thinking about doing it then is because my parents and my sister will be with us so we can get it for seven people.

It is a little confusing, but my parents and my sister are camping with us at Ft. Wilderness. Monday morning my parents and my sister are headed to Epcot, while we meet my wife's parents for the day in the MK. My wife's parents are Florida residents and are driving up just for the day. So Monday morning, there will only be six of us (myself, my wife, DD, and DS, plus my wife's parents). But for Tuesday and Wednesday, we are touring the parks with the four of us, plus MY mom, dad and sister, so there will be seven (in-laws won't be there).

If we get the DAS Monday morning, there will only be six of us physically there. But on Tuesday and Wednesday, there will be seven of us. I was trying to avoid having to get two different passes. I am wondering if they would issue it for seven people, even though there would only be six of us there Monday morning, assuming we explained the situation and that they could see my parents and sister's tickets linked on the family and friends. Hopefully they won't make us get a six-person DAS for Monday and then Tuesday go back to guest relations to get a seven person DAS.

If we went over Sunday night, all seven of us staying at the campground could ride the boat over and be present to try for the DAS.

Either way, thanks for your thoughts and your suggestions. We haven't been since '96, and we can't wait to let our kiddos experience the magic!

Thanks again for the help.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks to everyone for the feedback. This is such a resourceful place.

My son is nine, and he is pretty reasonable as far as being okay with any plan, as long as he knows what to expect up front, but my wife and I will consider whether it is worth it or not.

The main reason we were thinking about doing it then is because my parents and my sister will be with us so we can get it for seven people.

It is a little confusing, but my parents and my sister are camping with us at Ft. Wilderness. Monday morning my parents and my sister are headed to Epcot, while we meet my wife's parents for the day in the MK. My wife's parents are Florida residents and are driving up just for the day. So Monday morning, there will only be six of us (myself, my wife, DD, and DS, plus my wife's parents). But for Tuesday and Wednesday, we are touring the parks with the four of us, plus MY mom, dad and sister, so there will be seven (in-laws won't be there).

If we get the DAS Monday morning, there will only be six of us physically there. But on Tuesday and Wednesday, there will be seven of us. I was trying to avoid having to get two different passes. I am wondering if they would issue it for seven people, even though there would only be six of us there Monday morning, assuming we explained the situation and that they could see my parents and sister's tickets linked on the family and friends. Hopefully they won't make us get a six-person DAS for Monday and then Tuesday go back to guest relations to get a seven person DAS.

If we went over Sunday night, all seven of us staying at the campground could ride the boat over and be present to try for the DAS.

Either way, thanks for your thoughts and your suggestions. We haven't been since '96, and we can't wait to let our kiddos experience the magic!

Thanks again for the help.

I have no idea whether or not they would issue a DAS for 7 if all 7 are not there. It's possible they would, but can't be sure.
Given the situation you describe, I guess I would try going over to MK on Sunday. Best case scenarios, you get the DAS outside the park.
Worst case scenario, you are not able yo get the DAS, but do get a nice boat ride to MK. If you want to make more of your trip, it is an easy walk from the boat landing to the Contemporary or to the monorail station. You could spend some time looking around the Contemporary or riding the monorail.

If you need go go back to get the DAS re-issued for 7, it will be quicker than getting it issued in the first place.

When you first request it, they will ask some questions about your child's needs, take his picture, explain how to use the DAS, and have you sign on the back of the DAS.

To get a DAS reissued, is a much quicker process as long as you have the original DAS with you. There is a QR code on the back of the card (it looks like a square with an irregular pattern of squiggly lines). The QR code links to that person's file on Disney's computer.
So to get it reissued, you explain why you need it re-issued, the CM will take the DAS to a scanner to read the QR code, print a Ne card and have you ding it. So, quite a bit faster.

 

[dekraut]

Awesome information. Thank you very much!