DAS for one child within a family

[EssLEBee]

Hi all, we are visiting in Summer 2023 and I'm trying to get my head around the DAS... i've read heaps of posts and have a good understanding now (I think!) but still have one main question - if the DAS is for a child (11yr old son) what happens with the rest of the family members? Does the DAS only apply to rides that my son goes on? Even if there is a ride that we want to go on and he doesn't, we still have to wait in line regardless. He has an intellectual disability so can't be left alone while we wait in line for our ride... we have a 6 yr old as well, so I'm just trying to work out how families manage the waiting with only one child on a DAS pass.

 

[ttintagel]

The person with the DAS must ride for the rest of the group to be able to use it. But I think you should be able to use rider switch.

 

[SueM in MN]

As @ttintagel posted, DAS can only be used on attractions the DAS user will be going on.

The first post in this thread is a summary of DAS. Only the first post is important- the rest of the thread is questions mostly discussion from before and soon after the 2021 changes to DAS.
This is a link to the WDW DAS webpage, which you might also want to check out.

Some attractions offer Rider Switch, which allows part of your group to wait outside of the line with a person who won’t or can’t ride. After the first group rides, one of the people who already rode stays with the non-rider while the person who hasn’t ridden goes on the ride thru a shorter line. Your 6 yr old would be able to ride a second time with the person who had waited.
This page from the WDW website details how Rider Swap works. Not all attractions are available for Rider Swap - it’s mostly thrill rides or those with height restrictions. The link includes a list of attractions that offer it.

Some people choose to purchase Genie+ to go on attractions their DAS user won’t go on. Rider Switch can be used with Genie+ for the attractions that offer it (everyone riding would need to have Genie+ from what I understand).
Some guests also use the free planning parts of Genie to plan when to go to attractions with the shortest wait.

 

[AmyMac1109]

We use DAS for my almost 5 year old. Obviously, he is height restricted on a lot of things. Or was the first time we went, now he's good for most, but still isn't interested in things like Space Mountain, Rock N Roller Coaster, etc. However, I also have teenagers who love the thrill rides. We ended up buying Genie + for MK and HS (I don't think it's worth it for EPCOT or AK) and using that in conjunction with DAS, particularly on the rides where my little guy wouldn't/couldn't ride. In these instances, we used Rider Swap when available. If it was at the beginning of our return window, we sent the teenagers ahead to ride first, and hung out nearby entertaining the little one (usually with ice cream or popcorn), then swapped when they were done. If it was near the end of our return window or it was a particularly long LL line and we weren't certain we could all ride before the expiration, we approached the blue umbrella as a family to notify them of intention to use Rider Swap, they did something on their screens with our magic bands, and then we sent the teenagers through and we rode when they were done. Very easy.

In the rare instance where we didn't have either a Genie+ or DAS return time for a ride and my little guy didn't intend to ride it, we had to make a judgment call on whether to have him wait in line with us. If you're doing standby, I think everyone is supposed to wait in line the first time, and the swap occurs (or return time is issued) at or near boarding. When our guy was not capable of waiting in the standby line, we approached the blue umbrella in advance, explained the issue, and like 4 out of 5 times, they issued us a return time without making him or the second riders physically wait in line. We didn't try this often, so I'm not sure whether that is standard or we were just lucky. We felt lucky and didn't question the few times we were told we had to wait, because we try not to take advantage. We are the type who don't request a DAS return time unless we really think our guy is going to need it (like, standby waits over 25-30 minutes). So we had him wait in standby lines for Rider Swap when lines were estimated at 30 minutes or less.

 

[gap2368]

that was nice the CM gave you a rider swap when your little one could not handle the line but was tell enough to wait in it

 

[AmyMac1109]

that was nice the CM gave you a rider swap when your little one could not handle the line but was tell enough to wait in it

I don't know that they could always tell how tall he is. He's a very tall 4 year old. But he's 4, so he's often in a stroller. And we use his stroller as wheelchair, so it comes right in the line with us.

 

[lanejudy]

If you're doing standby, I think everyone is supposed to wait in line the first time, and the swap occurs (or return time is issued) at or near boarding.

Actually, no, if there is a height requirement the non-rider will not be allowed into the queue at all.

If there is a height limit, the party will need to request the Rider Swap at the entrance before anyone enters the queue; the whole party should be present. The Rider Swap will be added to the MB/card of "party 2" (one adult waiting with the little one plus one more rider), and "party 1" enters either the standby queue or LL while party 2 goes to wait somewhere else. There is no official Rider Swap at attractions without a height requirement. The CM may require everyone to enter the queue (standby or LL) and do a swap at/near boarding. This may also be true at attractions with a height requirement if the non-rider is tall enough but otherwise chooses not to ride; the whole party may need to enter the queue and do a swap at/near boarding. This can be very challenging for a DAS-holder if the queue is longer because they simply cannot manage the queue; many of us with taller kids or adult DAS-holders often end up splitting up or even someone skipping such attractions.

OP - for attractions your 11-yr-old won't ride, you can try requesting a Rider Swap at the entrance. Sometimes the CM will allow it. But be prepared with a "plan B" in case Rider Swap isn't granted and your party is told to split up instead.

 

[AmyMac1109]

Actually, no, if there is a height requirement the non-rider will not be allowed into the queue at all.

Good to know. Thanks. My DAS rider is only 4 and is often in a stroller, but he's VERY TALL. I suspect our different treatment by CMs at blue umbrellas might have been a result of him standing versus sitting in his stroller. I didn't realize that made a difference, so I didn't pay attention.

 

[lanejudy]

I suspect our different treatment by CMs at blue umbrellas might have been a result of him standing versus sitting in his stroller.

Generally speaking, it's up to the CMs at each attraction to manage Rider Swap for that attraction and the blue umbrellas are not typically involved with Rider Swap. I'm not sure what they did for you, but it was outside the usual procedure.

 

[DisneyOma]

Hi all, we are visiting in Summer 2023 and I'm trying to get my head around the DAS... i've read heaps of posts and have a good understanding now (I think!) but still have one main question - if the DAS is for a child (11yr old son) what happens with the rest of the family members? Does the DAS only apply to rides that my son goes on? Even if there is a ride that we want to go on and he doesn't, we still have to wait in line regardless. He has an intellectual disability so can't be left alone while we wait in line for our ride... we have a 6 yr old as well, so I'm just trying to work out how families manage the waiting with only one child on a DAS pass.

If the DAS holder will not be riding, then purchase Genie+ for faster access to the attractions. The group can split in two so your son won't be left alone. Or if you don't want to buy Genie+ then one group can go wait in the queue while the other does something with your son, and then reverse the groups. I (the DAS holder) can't/don't ride the larger coasters at WDW, so my daughter and the rest of our group wait in the queue, do single rider, etc. There are lots of ways to get this done - just remember that DAS is for the benefit of the holder. If he doesn't want to ride then he has to wait for the rest or go do something else, or the group can decide to skip the attraction.