Large group - DAS? - So many questions!

[Sundancer UK]

Hiya,

I'm hoping to take my family to WDW in December, travelling from the UK, staying two weeks. We're a party of eight, and of that, two of the children and three adults are disabled.

1, It's mostly invisible disabilities though (mixtures of autism, adhd, anxiety, tourettes, psychosis, physical weakness), but I understand this isn't an issue when getting the DAS, correct? And I do not need a doctor's note? Would a doctor's note back me up at all? I've read reports of some people having issues when asking for the DAS and I'm anxious that we will be refused/not believed?

2, Should I get DAS for all five people entitled to it? I was thinking that we will likely be in one large group or two smaller groups most of the time. I suppose the benefit might be in case one person wants to ride a thing and others do not?

3, How long does it tend to take to get the DAS from Guest Services? I'm not going to attempt the video call, as all things WDW seem to be geo locked and I saw in the pinned post here that a VPN can make things tricky too.

4, Following from last Q - does it take a long time for each DAS application? As there are so many of us, I need to work out where everyone needs to be. I don't want the ironic situation of meltdowns because of the queue to get DAS!

5, An adult in our group may end up needing a wheelchair. They don't tend to need one so we don't have one at home, but physical activity is usually very limited for them. I don't particularly want to get a wheelchair in advance, but how difficult would it be to get while we are there?

6, Are there currently any provisions at Disney World for waiting areas for shows/parades?

I'm sure I will have more questions in the future, but will leave it there for now! Thank you so much for any help offered with this. I've been to WDW before and planned well, but never having to deal with disabilities before. (Well, I did, but I didn't know they were disabilities then and we just struggled along as best as we could manage! And they're all much bigger now...)

 

[lanejudy]

It's mostly invisible disabilities though (mixtures of autism, adhd, anxiety, tourettes, psychosis, physical weakness), but I understand this isn't an issue when getting the DAS, correct?

DAS is granted to individuals based on their needs, not the diagnosis. So if each of these individuals is unable to wait in a standard queue environment due to their disability, that is what should be discussed when requesting a DAS. If using a mobility device would be helpful, the DAS will be denied.

Should I get DAS for all five people entitled to it?

DAS is tied to the individual and granted to an individual. Multiple individuals in a party may have a DAS if they each qualify for one. The rest of the party may be linked to each DAS for the purpose of obtaining Return Times, but any one person may only have one DAS Return Time at a time. So your party may split up, but you can't have a Return Time with Sally for Splash that overlaps a Return Time with Joe for Space Mtn.

How long does it tend to take to get the DAS from Guest Services? ...
Following from last Q - does it take a long time for each DAS application?

That can really depend on how many other guests have reason to visit Guest Relations around the time you go. Requesting DAS and getting it assigned is a fairly short interaction, but with multiples in your party it will be that much longer.

how difficult would it be to get while we are there?

Wheelchairs are usually available, though it is possible in-park rentals could run out. If you know someone is likely to need one, I recommend renting from a third-party in advance. Otherwise you could be at the far end of the park when you realize someone needs the wheelchair, send a runner all the way back to the front to rent one, only to find out they don't have any available at that time.

Are there currently any provisions at Disney World for waiting areas for shows/parades?

There are some HA waiting areas. Generally these require the use of a mobility device for access, though sometimes the CMs will allow a DAS-holder access. But they tend to be crowded so depending on the person's needs, the HA areas may not be the best area.

More about DAS is available in the first post of this thread: https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...genie-post-one-is-an-updated-summary.3849395/

And some very helpful info about WDW with disabilities is here: https://www.disboards.com/threads/d...disabled-1st-trip-next-trip-wish-trip.595713/

 

[Sundancer UK]

Wheelchairs are usually available, though it is possible in-park rentals could run out. If you know someone is likely to need one, I recommend renting from a third-party in advance. Otherwise you could be at the far end of the park when you realize someone needs the wheelchair, send a runner all the way back to the front to rent one, only to find out they don't have any available at that time.


There are some HA waiting areas. Generally these require the use of a mobility device for access, though sometimes the CMs will allow a DAS-holder access. But they tend to be crowded so depending on the person's needs, the HA areas may not be the best area.

Thank you. I am working my way through all the pinned posts, but people at home keep needing me!

Regarding the wheelchair, the person in question will be upset to book in advance, so I'm avoiding if possible. I was hoping that if half way through our stay they need it, we can take it much easier that day/head back to resort after a rest, and start renting from the next day.
Do you know how much Disney charges for rentals?
Also any idea how long it would take a third party to get a rental to our resort?

Thank you for the information on the waiting areas, it's good to be informed of the crowded in space to avoid.

 

[lanejudy]

Do you know how much Disney charges for rentals?
Also any idea how long it would take a third party to get a rental to our resort?

In-park rentals are $12/day.
I would expect off-site vendors could deliver by the next day, possibly even same-day; it all depends if they have chairs available or not. I haven't heard of off-site vendors running out of manual wheelchairs, but I won't say it can't happen. Only ScooterBug is allowed to deliver through Bell Services, any other vendor will meet you in person.

 

[Sundancer UK]

In-park rentals are $12/day.
I would expect off-site vendors could deliver by the next day, possibly even same-day; it all depends if they have chairs available or not. I haven't heard of off-site vendors running out of manual wheelchairs, but I won't say it can't happen. Only ScooterBug is allowed to deliver through Bell Services, any other vendor will meet you in person.

Thank you very much, this is a great help.

 

[DisneyOma]

One thing to consider - if you get DAS for each individual (5 in your group of 8) each one of those DAS holders would have to book a DAS return time for the attraction you want to go on. That would mean booking 5 of them for one attraction, tagging the other 3 members for a return time in there as well. Sounds like a huge hassle to me. I'd get the kids set up with DAS, and then see if the adults want to go on other attractions as well and have them go request DAS (or you take them) if that turns out to be the case.

 

[Sundancer UK]

One thing to consider - if you get DAS for each individual (5 in your group of 8) each one of those DAS holders would have to book a DAS return time for the attraction you want to go on. That would mean booking 5 of them for one attraction, tagging the other 3 members for a return time in there as well. Sounds like a huge hassle to me. I'd get the kids set up with DAS, and then see if the adults want to go on other attractions as well and have them go request DAS (or you take them) if that turns out to be the case.

Thanks for your response, but I admit I am confused reading it.
If all five of them have DAS, wouldn't that mean if we all wanted to go on a ride, only two of them would need to ask for the return time and tag in three people each?

Are you saying that because they have DAS, they can't be tagged on as a party member accompanying a disabled person?

Three of the DAS party members are adults, only two are children, but I think most of us want to try most attractions.

 

[mcall12]

Thanks for your response, but I admit I am confused reading it.
If all five of them have DAS, wouldn't that mean if we all wanted to go on a ride, only two of them would need to ask for the return time and tag in three people each?

Are you saying that because they have DAS, they can't be tagged on as a party member accompanying a disabled person?

Three of the DAS party members are adults, only two are children, but I think most of us want to try most attractions.

If you are a DAS-holder, you cannot be added to a return time requested by another DAS holder. You’d need to request your own return time.

 

[Sundancer UK]

If you are a DAS-holder, you cannot be added to a return time requested by another DAS holder. You’d need to request your own return time.

Ah I did not know this!
Right, so I do need to think carefully about how we are going to do things. Thank you for this valuable information.

Does it take long for each person with DAS to request a return time? I guess that’s the important factor.

 

[gap2368]

Ah I did not know this!
Right, so I do need to think carefully about how we are going to do things. Thank you for this valuable information.

Does it take long for each person with DAS to request a return time? I guess that’s the important factor.

It dose not take long to get a return tie on your phone I would say less then a minute