PatMcDuck
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 12, 2000
- Messages
- 9,655
We have been at DL resort this week. We went to City Hall on Day 1, and received a DAS after some discussion. (adult Son with autism, down syndrome, non-verbal, balance and vision challenges, personal space touching problems, rare meltdowns, and the WORST-- occasional immediate toileting disasters, and I do not mean #1). I felt like they tried to talk me out of it, but I insisted that I thought he needed it. He uses a Convaid type wheelchair, which helps with some of these issues of course.
It is going very well with the DAS. At DL, we have mostly used regular FP and wheelchair access. Used the DAS for a few rides like the Matterhorn and Star Tours. At City Hall, they pointed out that for rides with WC access entrances, it would be better NOT to use the DAS, to avoid the double wait that might occur. But this is much improved, they said, since they now give WC access guests return times. I admit, I did not really understand this at first. They explained that the DAS would be more helpful at Cal Adv, vs. DL for this reason, because more of their lines are WC accessible.
One Guest relations CM said that if you have the DAS, you should only be using the DAS, and not using it in conjunction with the WC entrances. She was at one of the kiosks. I was asking her a question about where the WC entrance was on a ride, and when she saw the DAS, she told me this. She said, you use one or the other, not both. I joked, oh, I should not have shown the DAS card to you I guess.
I have trouble spotting the Guest relations stations in the parks, is it just me? Tomorrow will be our 4th day in the parks, and I will still be searching them out with the map. It might be easier for AP holders who go often, of course. I wish they stood out more. I think having them out all over the park is wonderful though, because I saw them fielding questions from MANY guests about all sorts of things, not just helping with DAS cards.
I found the Disability park maps to be VERY helpful. I am not a regular at DL, so I don't know the particular way each ride can be accessed. Because even if I have a ride on the DAS, I still do not know where to go to get on it.
I really wanted to meet Anna and Elsa this trip. My son saw the movie a few times,and would have enjoyed this too. I went to get on the line (ok, I lost my mind for a moment !) They said no WC on the line. And it was 2 hours, AFTER they came out at 11 am (it was about 10:30 am). Oh, I said. They told me to delegate a family member to wait, I said, I can't, it is just the 2 of us. The CM told me to get a card at City Hall, I said I have the DAS already. She said there might be another kind of card to help with character meet/greets? I thought that was interesting. I did not pursue it, because it is not like my son was BEGGING to meet Anna/Elsa. He would have enjoyed it, but I do not think he understood that they were even there. It is nice that they might be able to help special needs guests who are begging to see them, though. This was not really my situation, so we left that area.
I would love to see the fireworks, or WoC but I think it is just too much with the crowds and the WC. And he goes to sleep by 9:30 pm anyway.
I have to say, I think the DAS system here at DL is much better than at WDW (not that we have tried that yet). It seems much easier to have the 4 stations in each park, that can give return times to any ride, vs. having to go to each ride to get the return times. I know my son would be confused by approaching a ride, only to turn and not ride it (until later). (of course we would use FP+ there as much as possible).
I wish there were more family companion restrooms here. I do not like taking my adult son into the ladies room, and sometimes we have a "situation".
In conclusion, we are using standby, FP, WC entrances, and the DAS. The weather has been fantastic, and we get to the parks at opening, either EE or regular entry. We tour from 8 or 9 until about 3 pm. We did go into Cal Adv on 2 nights midweek, from 6-8 pm, to ride Racers after dark and some other rides. (We got Racers put on our DAS card, when we left the park for a break in the afternoon.)
It is going very well with the DAS. At DL, we have mostly used regular FP and wheelchair access. Used the DAS for a few rides like the Matterhorn and Star Tours. At City Hall, they pointed out that for rides with WC access entrances, it would be better NOT to use the DAS, to avoid the double wait that might occur. But this is much improved, they said, since they now give WC access guests return times. I admit, I did not really understand this at first. They explained that the DAS would be more helpful at Cal Adv, vs. DL for this reason, because more of their lines are WC accessible.
One Guest relations CM said that if you have the DAS, you should only be using the DAS, and not using it in conjunction with the WC entrances. She was at one of the kiosks. I was asking her a question about where the WC entrance was on a ride, and when she saw the DAS, she told me this. She said, you use one or the other, not both. I joked, oh, I should not have shown the DAS card to you I guess.
I have trouble spotting the Guest relations stations in the parks, is it just me? Tomorrow will be our 4th day in the parks, and I will still be searching them out with the map. It might be easier for AP holders who go often, of course. I wish they stood out more. I think having them out all over the park is wonderful though, because I saw them fielding questions from MANY guests about all sorts of things, not just helping with DAS cards.
I found the Disability park maps to be VERY helpful. I am not a regular at DL, so I don't know the particular way each ride can be accessed. Because even if I have a ride on the DAS, I still do not know where to go to get on it.
I really wanted to meet Anna and Elsa this trip. My son saw the movie a few times,and would have enjoyed this too. I went to get on the line (ok, I lost my mind for a moment !) They said no WC on the line. And it was 2 hours, AFTER they came out at 11 am (it was about 10:30 am). Oh, I said. They told me to delegate a family member to wait, I said, I can't, it is just the 2 of us. The CM told me to get a card at City Hall, I said I have the DAS already. She said there might be another kind of card to help with character meet/greets? I thought that was interesting. I did not pursue it, because it is not like my son was BEGGING to meet Anna/Elsa. He would have enjoyed it, but I do not think he understood that they were even there. It is nice that they might be able to help special needs guests who are begging to see them, though. This was not really my situation, so we left that area.
I would love to see the fireworks, or WoC but I think it is just too much with the crowds and the WC. And he goes to sleep by 9:30 pm anyway.
I have to say, I think the DAS system here at DL is much better than at WDW (not that we have tried that yet). It seems much easier to have the 4 stations in each park, that can give return times to any ride, vs. having to go to each ride to get the return times. I know my son would be confused by approaching a ride, only to turn and not ride it (until later). (of course we would use FP+ there as much as possible).
I wish there were more family companion restrooms here. I do not like taking my adult son into the ladies room, and sometimes we have a "situation".
In conclusion, we are using standby, FP, WC entrances, and the DAS. The weather has been fantastic, and we get to the parks at opening, either EE or regular entry. We tour from 8 or 9 until about 3 pm. We did go into Cal Adv on 2 nights midweek, from 6-8 pm, to ride Racers after dark and some other rides. (We got Racers put on our DAS card, when we left the park for a break in the afternoon.)
