Das?

[bocaj1431]

Does anyone have any experience using the new DAS card? I have read how the card is supposed to work but when something is new it does not always work the way it is supposed to. Any info would greatly be appreciated.

I am not looking for info on how to get the card. I am not someone trying to get info on how to take advantage of the card. i am a parent of a child with a true medical condition and I am trying to prepare for our trip. So PLEASE, to those who tend to turn these type of questions into a heated debate please dont. Thank you.

 

[wdw4rfam]

Have you read the long thread about the DAS?

I would also like to know if its working the way its supposed to. We have used the GAC for 8 years, and would also like some insight from people who have used the new system. I'm pretty sure for the reason my son needs it , will work for us just fine, but that is IF it works like its supposed to.

 

[WantToGoNow]

We were there the week it switched to the DAS. You take your card and get a return time from the CM at the FP return line. Most time the time was 10 minutes less than the standby time. When you return you go through the FP line which was usually about 5-10 minute wait. The one exception we had was at LM where our wait time was 20 minutes longer than the standby. We only used it 5 times in 3 days but the procedure was easy and worked as it's meant to - you wait the same amount of time just not in the line.

 

[tinkerpea]

The card seems to have some variations, and people have reported different things that have happened to them and not to another poster,

Mainly you would explain your needs and if granted the DAS " no need to go into how you get it as like you said you have read the thread"

You would get a return time for a ride, some have reported that they have been able to get the first RT from GS so by the time you approach the ride the time is up, I am one of the people that have done this many times,
However its not greatly known about,

You will get the 10 mins taken off your wait time so if the wait time is 30min you will come bk in 20 and go straight into the FP line,
I have also have some variation on this with some CM letting me on if its under 15 mins through the FP and with some CMs marking my card with a 10 min wait when it was 30, not sure why, but I think its to do with the fact they know from working on the ride that the line time may not have changed and its now not at the correct time! A I have had them say to me its not say 20 mins its only 5?

Mainly the card works very well and the way it should, I do long trips of 3wks and its worked well every time!
To make the very most out of the DAS pair it well with the FP+!
That way you will ride with a FP time an by the time your off you could go onto the DAS ride!

I did this with 70 min waits and made it work really well, it was like never waiting more then 10 min in any ride Q,
Also what I found was due to the way the DAS now works, we made time for things we may not have done before, like playing in the water features,watching more shows and seeing more non ride things while waiting, we tried out the EPCOT pavilion attractions which we had never done before as my son likes to ride ride ride! Lol or we had fun in the imagination pavilion after figment while waiting for soaring.

Hope this has helped

 

[bocaj1431]

We were there the week it switched to the DAS. You take your card and get a return time from the CM at the FP return line. Most time the time was 10 minutes less than the standby time. When you return you go through the FP line which was usually about 5-10 minute wait. The one exception we had was at LM where our wait time was 20 minutes longer than the standby. We only used it 5 times in 3 days but the procedure was easy and worked as it's meant to - you wait the same amount of time just not in the line.

Thank you. It's good to know the card is working as they planned it to.

The card seems to have some variations, and people have reported different things that have happened to them and not to another poster,

Mainly you would explain your needs and if granted the DAS " no need to go into how you get it as like you said you have read the thread"

You would get a return time for a ride, some have reported that they have been able to get the first RT from GS so by the time you approach the ride the time is up, I am one of the people that have done this many times,
However its not greatly known about,

You will get the 10 mins taken off your wait time so if the wait time is 30min you will come bk in 20 and go straight into the FP line,
I have also have some variation on this with some CM letting me on if its under 15 mins through the FP and with some CMs marking my card with a 10 min wait when it was 30, not sure why, but I think its to do with the fact they know from working on the ride that the line time may not have changed and its now not at the correct time! A I have had them say to me its not say 20 mins its only 5?

Mainly the card works very well and the way it should, I do long trips of 3wks and its worked well every time!
To make the very most out of the DAS pair it well with the FP+!
That way you will ride with a FP time an by the time your off you could go onto the DAS ride!

I did this with 70 min waits and made it work really well, it was like never waiting more then 10 min in any ride Q,
Also what I found was due to the way the DAS now works, we made time for things we may not have done before, like playing in the water features,watching more shows and seeing more non ride things while waiting, we tried out the EPCOT pavilion attractions which we had never done before as my son likes to ride ride ride! Lol or we had fun in the imagination pavilion after figment while waiting for soaring.

Hope this has helped

Thank you so much for all the details. This was very helpful! It is just me traveling with my son, which can be difficult. Knowing that the card works as it was described makes me feel better about the trip.

 

[SueM in MN]

If your post was deleted or edited, it was either rude, being perceived as rude or led to other unhelpful responses.

From our experience & what people are posting here and on other sites, the DAS is working pretty much as outlined in post 1 of the DAS FAQs thread.
The long thread has many experiences, but about the first 1/3 of the thread is mostly the period from when information was received about the DAS to right before or after DAS came into use.
There are a lot of recent experiences on that thread, but it's a lot to sift thru.
I do intend to post a summary at some point, but my DD just got out of the hospital and time is an issue.
I guess the summary could be that it is working more or less as designed.

Our experience and most of the ones I have read are similar to what tinkerpea described.
The "first return time from Guest Relations" is not a regular feature of the program. It is an adaptation that they can give on a one to one basis. Not everyone needs it and it is not offered to everyone.

DAS is meant to be used with Fastpass Plus and people who have been most successful have used it that way. We used our 3 Fastpass Plus times spread out during the day and then filled in between with DAS Return Times and shorter attractions.
Some people have used Fastpass Plus to schedule their most important attractions, even if those are not ones with typically long waits. Those may be ones most people feel would be a 'waste' of a Fastpass Plus, but it can be helpful for some people who are schedule driven or have certain attractions they feel very strongly about going on. Scheduling them ahead of time and knowing when they can go can be very helpful.

Many of the inconsistencies people have reported have been around attractions with posted waits of 10-20 minutes. I agree with the possible reasons tinkerpea posted, plus some others that I think have to do with shows or attractions that load in 'batches'.
Whether you arrive at 20 minutes or 5 minutes to the next show may not matter much - you still will be in the next show. Depending on your needs, how full the show will be, etc. the CM may have you go in right away because it will help speed loading the attraction.
I've also seen situations where the wait for a show was 5 minutes, but that would not be time for the particular guest to be 'loaded' so they are asked to wait for the next show (for example, getting up to the American Adventure theater includes hoping up either a flight of stairs or an escalator. There is an elevator for guests who need to avoid the stairs, but arriving less than 10 minutes before the show may not be enough time).

Another thing to be aware of is that the Fastpass lines have had some increased waits recently. These have seemed to be related to the Fastpass Plus roll out. It was in trials just for selected resort guests, but was recently rolled out in all parks for all guests. I think the last park was mid-January. That led to some glitches that led to backups in the Fastpass return line. That should improve and has from things I've read recently.

 

[bocaj1431]

If your post was deleted or edited, it was either rude, being perceived as rude or led to other unhelpful responses.

From our experience & what people are posting here and on other sites, the DAS is working pretty much as outlined in post 1 of the DAS FAQs thread.
The long thread has many experiences, but about the first 1/3 of the thread is mostly the period from when information was received about the DAS to right before or after DAS came into use.
There are a lot of recent experiences on that thread, but it's a lot to sift thru.
I do intend to post a summary at some point, but my DD just got out of the hospital and time is an issue.
I guess the summary could be that it is working more or less as designed.

Our experience and most of the ones I have read are similar to what tinkerpea described.
The "first return time from Guest Relations" is not a regular feature of the program. It is an adaptation that they can give on a one to one basis. Not everyone needs it and it is not offered to everyone.

DAS is meant to be used with Fastpass Plus and people who have been most successful have used it that way. We used our 3 Fastpass Plus times spread out during the day and then filled in between with DAS Return Times and shorter attractions.
Some people have used Fastpass Plus to schedule their most important attractions, even if those are not ones with typically long waits. Those may be ones most people feel would be a 'waste' of a Fastpass Plus, but it can be helpful for some people who are schedule driven or have certain attractions they feel very strongly about going on. Scheduling them ahead of time and knowing when they can go can be very helpful.

Many of the inconsistencies people have reported have been around attractions with posted waits of 10-20 minutes. I agree with the possible reasons tinkerpea posted, plus some others that I think have to do with shows or attractions that load in 'batches'.
Whether you arrive at 20 minutes or 5 minutes to the next show may not matter much - you still will be in the next show. Depending on your needs, how full the show will be, etc. the CM may have you go in right away because it will help speed loading the attraction.
I've also seen situations where the wait for a show was 5 minutes, but that would not be time for the particular guest to be 'loaded' so they are asked to wait for the next show (for example, getting up to the American Adventure theater includes hoping up either a flight of stairs or an escalator. There is an elevator for guests who need to avoid the stairs, but arriving less than 10 minutes before the show may not be enough time).

Another thing to be aware of is that the Fastpass lines have had some increased waits recently. These have seemed to be related to the Fastpass Plus roll out. It was in trials just for selected resort guests, but was recently rolled out in all parks for all guests. I think the last park was mid-January. That led to some glitches that led to backups in the Fastpass return line. That should improve and has from things I've read recently.

Thank you Sue for all the details! Let's hope they work out the glitches with the fast pass + soon!

I hope your dd is feeling better.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thank you Sue for all the details! Let's hope they work out the glitches with the fast pass + soon!

I hope your dd is feeling better.

Thanks.
For the next month, we have to live with a urinary catheter. Not fun and just learning how much longer stuff takes.

It seems Fastpass Plus is working better as people get used to it. There were some longer waits reported when Pastpass Plus just opened up for all guests.

2 things that might be helpful to keep in mind
- Fastpass Plus does have a window to return. Most people for Fastpass arrived just as or 10 minutes before the start of their window. So that is when there is a longer wait usually.
The other time would be if there was a ride breakdown. Fastpass Plus foes have a time window to return, but CMs might, emphasis might give a few minutes leeway to someone using Fastpass Plus who has a DAS card and explains shy they were not able to get there in time.

- DAS Return Times do have a return time and you can't return before, but they have no end time. That DAS Return Tme will be active until you use it.