Autism and DAS

[sharadoc]

Just also added, the change in routine from the old GAC to the new DAS was the amount of downtime. When we got off something and had to wait for our next FP+ or get a new time on the DAS, we had nothing to do. In the old days, we would go to another attraction.

But, the MDE app made it easy to find the attractions that had short wait times and kind of bop around, rather than getting a new wait time. That way, we could use the DAS and get into the FP line if the wait time was less than 15 minutes.

That was really the best use of the DAS for us. Fill in the time between FP+ with the shorter wait times that allowed us to get right in line.

 

[finny1981]

I have a 10 year old daughter with severe anxiety disorder of childhood and we previously had used the GAC card, this will be our first trip using the new DAS system at WDW. Can someone tell me how strict they are about return times? Is it a return after this time or return at this time? I am only wondering because it makes a difference on what we will get return times for. Most rides she thinks she wants to ride, but then by the time we get through the FP line she has freaked out and will only cry so we leave and try again later, this can happen several times per ride even after she has ridden them already...so if it is a return after I will not worry so much because she can change her mind several times before we go on it, but if it is a strict return time we will not get them for rides she will likely have a hard time making it on. Also what happens if we get a return time on a ride that she decides she will not ride? Can we have a CM cross it out and get one for something else?

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I have a 10 year old daughter with severe anxiety disorder of childhood and we previously had used the GAC card, this will be our first trip using the new DAS system at WDW. Can someone tell me how strict they are about return times? Is it a return after this time or return at this time? I am only wondering because it makes a difference on what we will get return times for. Most rides she thinks she wants to ride, but then by the time we get through the FP line she has freaked out and will only cry so we leave and try again later, this can happen several times per ride even after she has ridden them already...so if it is a return after I will not worry so much because she can change her mind several times before we go on it, but if it is a strict return time we will not get them for rides she will likely have a hard time making it on. Also what happens if we get a return time on a ride that she decides she will not ride? Can we have a CM cross it out and get one for something else?

It is a "return after this time" return time, which works out well if you take an afternoon break like we do. We always made sure to get a return time before our break to use when we returned to the park later in the day. DD does best with an afternoon swim break to decompress.

You can always have the return time crossed out and get a new time for a different ride. The only drawback being that you will have lost out on that wait time since return time for the new ride will be the standby time less 10 minutes from when you get the return time for the new ride.

 

[lanejudy]

Return times for DAS are "return after" and can be used at any point that day after the stated time.

If you get a return time and she decides not to do that ride, you can ask a CM to cross it off and then get a new return time. However, you cannot apply one return time to a different ride (say, get a return time for Space Mountain but then decide to ride Buzz Lightyear instead). You will still have to wait the designated time for the next choice.

DAS works quite well with FP+, however note that FP+ is a 1-hour window of time and do expire. If you know you won't make it, you can reschedule, subject to availability.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[finny1981]

Thanks so much guys!! I figured that you would have to wait the set time again if you had them cross it out, I was more concerned with being "stuck" with a return time on something she is not going to ride. It's hard to tell minute to minute how things might go. One year we rode splash mountain 4 times and then later she wanted to ride again, but freaked out and hasn't rode it since...

 

[Cuppie]

my family is most likely one of the ones whom people complained about with the previous GAC card. My son has apergers, ODD and ADD. He also has fixations. And at MK that is space mountain. and we would ride that ride back to back to back. With him literally dragging me through the line. Our last trip in 2013 we were at the world for 2 weeks. His goal was to ride space mountain 50 times. We accomplished that goal! But as many times as I have been to the world I have missed most of the rest of the park. My mom will take my daughter off to do other things as I stayed with my son.

We did NOT go last year because my son even after explaining to him that things were different, he just didnt understand how the new system worked.. And i just didnt want to deal with the major meltdowns that would have transpired.

We are going back this year, and i am optimistic and hopeful. And told him that we wont be able to ride back to back expect during the Halloween party.

I personally am glad that I will get to see the other side of MK...LOL

My question is do we have to ride other rides in between space mountain? or can our whole card be filled with this one ride?

 

[SirDuff]

My question is do we have to ride other rides in between space mountain? or can our whole card be filled with this one ride?

Your whole card can be filled with the one ride - you just have to wait between the rides (unlike what happened with the GAC).

 

[Cuppie]

Your whole card can be filled with the one ride - you just have to wait between the rides (unlike what happened with the GAC).

Thank you! I told him that Grumpy (his favorite character, whom he relates to cause he is so grumpy all the time and doesnt know why either!!) Said he has to wait 2 hours between his rides and he has to visit the other areas of the park...

we are going in October this year specifically so he can do a meet and greet with grumpy!!!

 

[Goddesstree]

No, because my DS would see the ride and would want to continue to walk there and go on, rather than be told to wait a distance away while Mom goes to the ride. He wouldn't understand.

If you know this, then have the rest of the family stop even a little further away?

 

[tinkerpea]

If you know this, then have the rest of the family stop even a little further away?

Sometimes it just does not work that way.
I know that there is no way at certain times.especially my son would even let me leave his side.
Also you have to take into consideration the single parents, and that's something disney has not considered when bringing out the Das at disney world.

 

[Goddesstree]

Single parents do have it harder, but that's true just about everywhere. My suggestion would be to travel with another adult if at all possible. That way, if one adult gets sick, or gets hurt, there's another adult there for the kids. At WDW this really helps with queues, although there are very few outside/switchback style ones where joining in is practical.

For the DAS, if your son doesn't want to leave your side, then have the other parent go over, or even an older sibling. Practice separating for short amounts of time, at home and at the parks. Pretend to be headed to a bathroom, but go and get a DAS time instead. Get a DAS while he's in the bathroom with the other parent. Use the kiosks to get a 4th FP+. Also, check with his teachers to see what techniques they use to help him with this type of issue at school.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Sometimes it just does not work that way.
I know that there is no way at certain times.especially my son would even let me leave his side.
Also you have to take into consideration the single parents, and that's something disney has not considered when bringing out the Das at disney world.

I'm sure Disney did consider solo parents. Reasonably, no entity can be all things to all people at all times.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I'm sure Disney did consider solo parents. Reasonably, no entity can be all things to all people at all times.

No, nothing can work for all people at all times. But single parents aren't a small group and, although I haven't been to Disneyland yet, it would seem that the ability to receive a return time at a kiosk rather than at the ride entrance would greatly help those of us who travel alone with our children. I keep hoping that WDW will adopt the kiosk part of the DL system.

 

[Goddesstree]

Single parents in general are not a small group, but single parents traveling with a child using a DAS are, potentially. I do wonder why Disneyland has the kiosks - although the main reason they switched to DAS over GAC was the incredibly large number of people using the GAC there. Maybe somehow the kiosks prevent the abuse they were dealing with before?

 

[SMD]

Single parents in general are not a small group, but single parents traveling with a child using a DAS are, potentially. I do wonder why Disneyland has the kiosks - although the main reason they switched to DAS over GAC was the incredibly large number of people using the GAC there. Maybe somehow the kiosks prevent the abuse they were dealing with before?

Very few attractions have accessible queues, most don't have FP and there isn't enough space to have people walk up to get the return time at the attractions without blocking access for other guests trying to enter or exit.

 

[Goddesstree]

Thank you SMD! I didn't think of it that way.

 

[lovethattink]

I often take my son by myself. We've got it down to a science what works with him. We haven't had to use DAS at DHS or Epcot the last half dozen times at those parks. But have needed it at AK and MK.

He knows our FP+ schedule. He'll take his own card to get the return time when we are on our way to another attraction or have somewhere else to be.

My biggest obstacle right now with him is his anxiety that he'll miss the FP+ time. He wants to arrive early, too early. And he gets himself worked up over it. He's fine with DAS because he knows he can arrive a little late and it's not going to matter one bit.

 

[PatMcDuck]

Its a good question, as to why DL uses the kiosks, and not WDW. The kiosks are MUCH easier for single parent like myself. (I am not a single parent, but DH no longer come along on our Disney trips, it is usually just me and DS).

I think it had to do with staffing, and the smaller parks, and the rides being so close together at DL? I love the kiosk system at DL. And you can get a return time for any ride, in either park! Sweet. I guess the trade off is not FP+, and you must approach each ride for a FP, but that seems easier, because some of those are not right at the ride entrance. So DS seems less aware and less upset when we approach, and leave to return later.

DS loves using the Magic bands, though.

 

[Goddesstree]

Does your son know that the FP has an hour window? Does he know how long an hour is? You could show him - tell him when an hour starts, go do a bunch of stuff, and then tell him when the hour is up. Sometimes the concept of time is hard for kids.

OK - this post was for two PP above - the quoted part disappeared, sorry

 

[SueM in MN]

I agree with the need to go somewhere else for the return time. We use it for our DS who was VERY accustomed to the old GAC but has been okay as long as we don't go to the front door of something he wants to ride. Having a return time is good so we can give him the schedule for the day.

I wish there was a way to code our Magic Bands and give us an app for reservations. The bands that belong to the family members would be paired with the DAS holder, and the DAS holder's account would make the reservation.

Because we need to go the front door, we have had to split up the family so one of us gets the reservation and misses something that the rest of the family is doing. Hate that!

DL went to the system of attaching the DAS to tickets a few months ago.
WDW will very likely be gong that same way in the future - just not known when. Because WDW already has Magicbands and many attractions with Fastpass Plus, they already have the basic structure to do it.
The reasons I have heard for doing it first at DL were that there was much more abuse at DL and that doing it with DAS there was sort of a way to start Fastpass Plus there. At WDW, because there are do many visitors staying at the WDW resorts, they had an easy way to gradually start with Magicbands and Fastpass Plus - they added resort by resort in order to expand slowly.
For DL, with so many more local visitors, they will need to come up with other ways to add.

The wait away from the family if you split for getting a DAS return at the attraction is very short, do not much to miss.

Very few attractions have accessible queues, most don't have FP and there isn't enough space to have people walk up to get the return time at the attractions without blocking access for other guests trying to enter or exit.

Yes.
The reasons they did not do kiosks at WDW are kind of the opposite - they already had a mechanism set up for getting Fastpass Return times and since many attractions had Fastpass, setting up a kiosk system would be a duplicate of what was already happening. It could also be confusing to people - were you supposed to go to the attraction where you got Fastpasses or to another place?