Anxiety and DAS

[John Hillin]

I suffer from anxiety with some panic. I'm wondering about anyone else who has used DAS with anxiety. I get panicked if I'm in a large line and feel like there are too many people around. (I know, I know, almost everywhere at Disney) I'm fine if the queue is single file but if the queue has a bunch of switch backs where there are a lot of people in every direction I get panicked. I've been to Disney World before and didn't know about DAS. In the past I would watch a youtube video of the queue and it was like this I would just skip it. Now I've heard about DAS. First, I don't know if I qualify. Secondly, I read on the website there is a video chat you have to do to see if you qualify. Just thinking about getting grilled about my anxiety makes me so nervous. I just envision them laughing at me and telling me that DAS isn't meant for people with your condition. Can anyone else who has anxiety speak to this? I'm really hoping to be able to do all the attractions with my kids this time.

Thanks in advance

 

[RamblinWreck]

I wouldn't worry about chatting with someone about it. No one is going to laugh at you.

Just be honest, tell them what you struggle with, and they'll let you know if you qualify.

It sounds like you most likely will qualify, based on what I know and have heard from other people who have gone through this process. But don't worry about that part. Just be honest.

 

[jo-jo]

I'm no expert, but there may still be rides that even while using DAS, you will encounter the switchback lines you mention. Perhaps someone here will have a better memory than I on the lines.

You also don't have to do the video, you can wait until you get to the parks to request it. I know the video part (my DH had DAS last trip) doesn't bother me, but if they said I need to ok this or that and I can't find the link or that I might hangup on them., I guess very nervous....Not everyone finds computers easy peasy.

 

[Genie+]

I suffer from anxiety with some panic. I'm wondering about anyone else who has used DAS with anxiety. I get panicked if I'm in a large line and feel like there are too many people around. (I know, I know, almost everywhere at Disney) I'm fine if the queue is single file but if the queue has a bunch of switch backs where there are a lot of people in every direction I get panicked. I've been to Disney World before and didn't know about DAS. In the past I would watch a youtube video of the queue and it was like this I would just skip it. Now I've heard about DAS. First, I don't know if I qualify. Secondly, I read on the website there is a video chat you have to do to see if you qualify. Just thinking about getting grilled about my anxiety makes me so nervous. I just envision them laughing at me and telling me that DAS isn't meant for people with your condition. Can anyone else who has anxiety speak to this? I'm really hoping to be able to do all the attractions with my kids this time.

Thanks in advance

You don’t have to register with the video chat method (2-30 days before trip). You can still do the old method of showing up in person at Guest Services.

 

[SueM in MN]

I'm no expert, but there may still be rides that even while using DAS, you will encounter the switchback lines you mention. Perhaps someone here will have a better memory than I on the lines.

True - there are lines that still have switchbacks with using DAS and in some places, the Lightning Lane, which is used for DAS access, is parallel to the Standby Line.

For registering for DAS, no one can tell you whether or not you will qualify - that is up to the Cast Members who register guests for DAS.
IF you prefer to request it in person, you don’t have to the video registration- that is just an option.
Whether in phone or in person, the CM won’t ‘grill’ you. They will ask what concerns with waiting in the regular lines, so you need to be able to briefly describe your concerns. They may ask one or more follow-up questions - not to grill you or make you uncomfortable, but just to understand your situation and concerns. I guarantee no one will laugh at you.

The first post in this thread discusses how requesting DAS works, how DAS works and how to use it in the parks. Only the first post is important- the rest is discussion from before and after the process changed to include video registration and making DAS Return Times on the My Disney Experience app

 

[yaddo121]

I have also been nervous about asking for a DAS (different issue than anxiety) but I have never had a cast member be anything but polite and professional with me. I find it difficult to talk with strangers and often fear I will be ridiculed but I can’t express enough how kind and patient cast members have always been about my DAS. I explain to the best of my ability why I believe a DAS would assist me and I’ve thankfully had that assistance for awhile now. Sometimes when I renew I have to explain again but it’s easy-peasy.

Maybe if you go over some talking points in your head or jot a few notes about what you want to say (nothing official diagnosis wise or anything) but I don’t think any cast member will laugh at you. Hope you are able to find a solution!

Sorry - I forgot I wanted to add that you might want to think about the lightning lane queues as you will have to go through some form of the queue although it may not be as long. For instance, I find Buzz Lightyear *very* overwhelming with the low ceiling and switchbacks and noise level (even with the LL merge point) so I avoid it but other people can handle it better so fair play Another one is after the lightning lane scan in points at BTMRR you still end up heading ‘down to the trains’ which can feel a bit tight and isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but ymmv. Just something to keep in mind

 

[gap2368]

I suffer from anxiety with some panic. I'm wondering about anyone else who has used DAS with anxiety. I get panicked if I'm in a large line and feel like there are too many people around. (I know, I know, almost everywhere at Disney) I'm fine if the queue is single file but if the queue has a bunch of switch backs where there are a lot of people in every direction I get panicked. I've been to Disney World before and didn't know about DAS. In the past I would watch a youtube video of the queue and it was like this I would just skip it. Now I've heard about DAS. First, I don't know if I qualify. Secondly, I read on the website there is a video chat you have to do to see if you qualify. Just thinking about getting grilled about my anxiety makes me so nervous. I just envision them laughing at me and telling me that DAS isn't meant for people with your condition. Can anyone else who has anxiety speak to this? I'm really hoping to be able to do all the attractions with my kids this time.

Thanks in advance

They do not care about your DX just how the line effects you. They will ask something like what are your concerns as it has to do with waiting in line? they will not laugh at you at all they are very nice about it and want to help you make your trip the best it can be if with the DAS or without the DAS

 

[Debbie Jean]

It is perfectly natural to feel nervous especially the first time you do it. Since the initial question is likely to be something like “what are your concerns about waiting in line”, it may be helpful to write something out that you can either read or at least refer to.

If you write it out, you can tweek it so it says exactly what you want to say in the way you want to say it. It doesn’t have to be long or include a diagnosis. Just a short description of your concerns.

I’m sending you good thoughts! Please let us know how you make out… many of us have been there!

 

[John Hillin]

Thank you for all the responses. They have all been very helpful. @yaddo121 I couldn't agree more on that one. I almost had a full on panic attack in that line. Between the low ceilings and the lighting, and the way the sounds bounces and echoes it was all I could take.

I feel better about the process now. I'm just going to tell them what I struggle with and if that qualifies me for DAS, that's great and if it doesn't I'll just try Genie+ to get a ride or just skip some. I'll try to come back and post about the process. It's still going to be about 6 weeks.

 

[GinnyBear's_mom]

Even when I use my DAS there are still switchbacks at several rides. I feel the same about Buzz. Minetrain has them but thankfully you are usually only in them for 2 minutes or so unless there is a problem with a ride and it is easy to back out of the switchbacks into the open air if there is a problem. Runaway Railway is a nightmare for anxiety in switchbacks and for that reason I avoid it. I've tried it 2x and each time we were in the switchbacks for 10-15 minutes and it is really rough for me. I told my family after this trip I was done with that ride.

 

[KPeterso]

As others have said, think about what issues you have in the actual line itself. I completely know about the closed in feeling and the switchbacks (the higher ones during Covid - addition of the plexiglass) was horrible to me. I had a few lines that it really made me panic too.

 

[DisneyOma]

Even with DAS we had to wait in some LL queues for over 15 minutes (Soarin', FOP) and Buzz did me in as well - barely made it out and to a bathroom. I need to remember to take my medication with me into the parks next trip. I hate how it makes me sleepy, but that's better than how I felt in the Buzz LL queue.

 

[jo-jo]

Haven't been on it for years, but the line for TT, one spot is so tight, like going through a hallway. Just before you get to the open room where you board the cars. I normally don't have any issues, but that spot just seems so closed in.

 

[a1tinkfans]

And the closed elevator at haunted mansion followed by the crazy pushing crowds that gets one to the actual ride vehicle. Typing it brings on anxiety.

 

[DisneyOma]

And the closed elevator at haunted mansion followed by the crazy pushing crowds that gets one to the actual ride vehicle. Typing it brings on anxiety.

It's not an elevator at WDW, only at Disneyland, BTW. But I hate the funnel from the stretching room to the doom buggies too. We had a friend with us with a mobility device so we were taken around the crowd after the stretching room (last to enter, then they had us go out of that room the way we came in) to the conveyor belt, and that was nice, except it was a narrow hallway and we could still see the crowd at one point. But I just closed my eyes and took a few breaths.

 

[KPeterso]

It's not an elevator at WDW, only at Disneyland, BTW. But I hate the funnel from the stretching room to the doom buggies too. We had a friend with us with a mobility device so we were taken around the crowd after the stretching room (last to enter, then they had us go out of that room the way we came in) to the conveyor belt, and that was nice, except it was a narrow hallway and we could still see the crowd at one point. But I just closed my eyes and took a few breaths.

For me it is the crush of people into a teeny space when you come out of the stretching room. It is bad at DL, but horrible at WDW. It is too much for me when I am solo or with friends who don't have mobility issues. With my Mom, we are pulled from that area to park the scooter and then lead to board in a different area.

 

[leebee]

We are at Disney now. DD has PTSD and anxiety, and qualified for a DAS. It has worked well for the most part, but crowds were lower so LL queues were shorter. Some things that helped her: Remembering that she is familiar with the queue and knows about how long it should take helped her to reinforce that it won't take that long, you can do it. She also wore her earplugs, which she says help a lot, especially in queues like Buzz. The DAS let her enter via LL, and when she got to the entry way she would simply tell the CM that she has a DAS for anxiety, being enclosed in rooms with many people will trigger her anxiety, and asked if there any way she could skip the pre-show. This did and didn't work, and I've been in contact with area coordinators and "higher-up" people. All assured me that there are cut-throughs to help with this kind of thing, but not all CMs on the floor know about this. For sure we know you can skip the pre-show at Haunted Mansion, Tower of Terror, Rock-n-Roller Coaster, Dinosaur (be insistent here, they CAN read you the safety disclaimer and not insist you do the pre-show... but that's not how it went this morning and one of the reasons we lost about 3 hours to a panic attack), Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, Star Tours. On the Safari, when we were about to board the vehicle, DD explained that the front row wouldn't work for her and they seated us in the 3rd row. You should also be able to go in the "back entrance" for attractions that aren't mobility-accessible (like Big Thunder Mountain). I also know from first-hand experience that they SHOULD be able to let you sit on the end of the front row of benches (well, on the first step, not ground level) at Festival of the Lion King (although that's not how it happened today so DD walked out but I stayed to see the show- at her insistence).

I wish we'd had some of this information before doing Disney this time around. It was really a nightmare at RnRC as well as today at AK (Dinosaur and Lion King). As you know, panic attacks can't be stopped by flipping a switch, and the after-affects last longer than just the amount of time it takes to stop the attack. I am pretty angry about the last 2 days we had, which is why I'm sharing so much here. Hope this helps someone.

 

[DisneyOma]

I wish we'd had some of this information before doing Disney this time around. It was really a nightmare at RnRC as well as today at AK (Dinosaur and Lion King). As you know, panic attacks can't be stopped by flipping a switch, and the after-affects last longer than just the amount of time it takes to stop the attack. I am pretty angry about the last 2 days we had, which is why I'm sharing so much here. Hope this helps someone.

It takes about 10 minutes for my lorazepam to kick in - has she tried that?

 

[leebee]

It takes about 10 minutes for my lorazepam to kick in - has she tried that?

She has daily medications but I'm not sure what she takes. It was just so disappointing. Felt like Disney is happy to help people with obvious limitations but even when she could specifically state what she needed, she was sometimes supported and sometimes met with a flat-out "no," which of course wasn't really the final answer as we learned from talking with supervisors/coordinators.

 

[tetera]

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