DAS Question

[crystalanne79]

I'm trying to read up on the DAS system for my son who has some special needs. I saw that it gets attached to your Disney ticket and is a "sort of" Fastpass. Does that mean it is only a help on rides that have Fastpasses? What about the rides that do not have Fastpass machines?

 

[Indiana Scott]

It really depends on what kind of assistance your son needs. With common mobility problems (being in a wheelchair) he just needs to use the handicap entrances. The DAS is really meant for people who can't wait in line for some reason.
FWIW, Our son is developmentally disabled and would have behavior issues when waiting long lines. We used Disney's generous services back then (called "Happy hearts") to bypass lines. But the next years we just scheduled out trips during slower times and that not only worked better but also felt better to me.

 

[Malcon10t]

I'm trying to read up on the DAS system for my son who has some special needs. I saw that it gets attached to your Disney ticket and is a "sort of" Fastpass. Does that mean it is only a help on rides that have Fastpasses? What about the rides that do not have Fastpass machines?

It is fairly simple. First you go to City Hall or the Chamber of Commerce. They will determine what is available to you. Once it is loaded on your son's ticket, they will also load your first ride. You will tell them what you want the first ride to be. They will load the time on everyone's tickets. (Let's say you want to ride Jungle Cruise, they will use a hand held to determine the wait time, they then load the ride for 10 mins less than the wait.) Let's say you have a 930a ride time on Jungle Cruise. After you ride, you will go to a kiosk (there are several in each park.) At the kiosk, they can load your next ride. Again, they will add the ride to everyone's tickets. Again, it will be 10 mins less than standby time. You can also use Fast Passes to increase your ride times.

 

[crystalanne79]

Thank you! We really aren't sure how my son will do with lines (crowds/close people really stress him which is why we picked the 3 out of 10 crowd predictor days)

 

[VictoriaAndMatt]

I'm not sure about your son's specific needs, but FWIW we recently went to WDW with our Autistic son. More than anything the stroller as a wheelchair pass helped us immensely. He was able to stay in his own space and play on his iPad. Otherwise he was twisting our arms, spinning, jumping, throwing himself on the floor, etc. With the DAS pass you will still have to wait in the FP line when you return and for us even a 15 min wait was too much with DS. If your child is older you can rent a wheelchair if that would help. You might just try a couple shorter lines and see how he does, then reassess your options from there.

ETA: I'm not sure if it's the same at DLR, but at WDW you could only use the DAS pass for FP attractions.

 

[Aladora]

ETA: I'm not sure if it's the same at DLR, but at WDW you could only use the DAS pass for FP attractions.

We have used the DAS at both WDW and DL and this is not correct for DL. You can use the DAS for all of the rides but where you enter the ride is different for those that do not have FP. The CM at the attraction will be able to tell you where to enter.

OP, if you want to send me a pm with any questions, I am more than happy to help. We have used the DAS at DL a number of times now.

 

[VictoriaAndMatt]

We'll be at DLR in August so this is good to know. Thanks.

 

[bumbershoot]

ETA: I'm not sure if it's the same at DLR, but at WDW you could only use the DAS pass for FP attractions.

Well, everything is a FP+ attraction at WDW now, isn't it? I can't think of an attraction that isn't.