Questions About DAS

[AC7179]

My husband is a disabled veteran. We have always been able to work around his disabilities, but on our last trip he was brought to tears in pain do we decided to look into some alternate arrangements this time.

My husband has a bad hip, limited lung capacity, and some panic issues in crowds (but sometimes it's fine. It is worse when he is in pain.) We decided to pay for the nighttime extra hours at the Magic Kingdom to try to eliminate some issues, but we have one day at Hollywood Studios which makes me concerned. He is a huge Star Wars fan, so that's a must. We plan on getting to Hollywood Studios early to get a boarding group. My concern is for the rest of the day/rides.

First, would he qualify for a DAS? He does have a disabled veteran ID, but he doesn't want to use anything he's not entitled to.

Secondly, my oldest daughter lives in Orlando. We will stay with her for the most part. We had planned on staying at a Disney hotel the night before so we could get fp at 60 days out. Is that necessary with a DAS? I'm not trying to get anything for free I just want to make sure I understand correctly.

 

[Lilsia]

They will not look at any card or note about your disabilities. You will need to explain his issues to them and why he can not wait in line. Any physical issues will not qualify for a DAS as a general rule. They will most likely say to rent a wheelchair. As for crowds, there is really no good way of avoiding them in line. Most people use the method of having family make a "wall" around them by having other families behind them and leaving space to keep others from standing too close. The lines that go back and forth through the queue, like the buzz lightyear ride, are the hardest to keep a distance since you are closed in on all sides. Getting a DAS would put you in the FP line, but the waits can be anywhere from 5-30 minutes, depending on how busy it is. You will only be able to book FP for the days that you are staying at the resort, so staying one night will give you those 2 days of FPs.

 

[SueM in MN]

My husband is a disabled veteran. We have always been able to work around his disabilities, but on our last trip he was brought to tears in pain do we decided to look into some alternate arrangements this time.

My husband has a bad hip, limited lung capacity, and some panic issues in crowds (but sometimes it's fine. It is worse when he is in pain.)
We decided to pay for the nighttime extra hours at the Magic Kingdom to try to eliminate some issues, but we have one day at Hollywood Studios which makes me concerned. He is a huge Star Wars fan, so that's a must. We plan on getting to Hollywood Studios early to get a boarding group. My concern is for the rest of the day/rides.

First, would he qualify for a DAS? He does have a disabled veteran ID, but he doesn't want to use anything he's not entitled to.

No one can say for sure whether DAS would be issued to him; that is decided at a Guest Relations at one of the Theme Parks when you request DAS. He will not need to show his disabled veteran ID.
The accommodation provided by DAS is ability to wait outside of the regular lines, so he should be prepared to discuss briefly how his disability prevents him from waiting in the regular lines.
DAS will NOT probably do much to address his bad hip and limited lung capacity. A mobility device like an ECV would do more to help with those and also his pain because a WDW trip involves a lot of walking and standing outside of lines. DAS is not usually issued for mobility/stamina issues alone because lines are accessible and DAS is not needed to use a mobility device in lines. Guests with additional issues besides mobility should be be ready to discuss their additional needs.

DAS may help with panic issues in lines, especially tight lines or those with a lot of switchbacks in the regular line. When using DAS, guests are given a Return Time approximately equal to the wait in the Standby (regular) Libe. When the time has passed, you would enter the Fastpass line. The wait there is usually going to be short, but can be as long as 15-20 minutes or even longer if the attraction has been down for any reason.

Secondly, my oldest daughter lives in Orlando. We will stay with her for the most part. We had planned on staying at a Disney hotel the night before so we could get fp at 60 days out. Is that necessary with a DAS? I'm not trying to get anything for free I just want to make sure I understand correctly.

DAS works best when used together with Fastpass. Guests can only have one active DAS Return Time at a time. While waiting for the time to pass, you can do other things with shorter waits or do a Fastpass attraction

 

[Sandisw]

I have a DAS for severe back issues. Standing or siting for extended periods of times cause me to have issues,

Given your situation, I am sure he would qualify. Just explain why being in line extended times is difficult for him

I know when they had the old kind, I hated having to explain because I always felt that someone might think I was trying for something. But now, the system works perfectly for me as I get my return time and am able to walk and rest based on how much or little pain I am in.

 

[gypsy_at_heart]

I have a DAS for severe back issues. Standing or siting for extended periods of times cause me to have issues,

Given your situation, I am sure he would qualify. Just explain why being in line extended times is difficult for him

I know when they had the old kind, I hated having to explain because I always felt that someone might think I was trying for something. But now, the system works perfectly for me as I get my return time and am able to walk and rest based on how much or little pain I am in.

This was the same for my Dad when I took him to Disneyland last year. The DAS staff were amazing and we used his DAS as well as the maxpass I'd purchased for everyone - it was perfect. I'd suggest fastpasses as well if you can.

I was actually really worried an almost worked myself into a panic about the trip due to some responses I'd got when I was trying to figure DAS out, but the cast members were so amazing to my father when we got there. I gave them a clear explanation of why he couldn't wait in line and they were beyond helpful.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

As PP mentioned, you can only get a DAS return time for one ride at a time, so I would definitely recommend using FP+ in conjunction with DAS and make those FP+ reservations 60 days prior to your WDW resort stay (you will be able to make two days of FP+ at 60 days prior if you are staying one night. When you stay with your daughter, you can make those FP+ 30 days prior). With DAS in conjunction with FP+, we would typically get our first DAS return time as soon as we entered the park, begin our FP+ rides and then circle back to our DAS ride when the ride window opened. We would then get another DAS return time (if DS12 was up for it). On your DHS day, right after you get your boarding group for ROTR at park opening, I would suggest getting a return time for Smuggler's Run and then start doing your other FP+ rides from there.

 

[Sandisw]

This was the same for my Dad when I took him to Disneyland last year. The DAS staff were amazing and we used his DAS as well as the maxpass I'd purchased for everyone - it was perfect. I'd suggest fastpasses as well if you can.

I was actually really worried an almost worked myself into a panic about the trip due to some responses I'd got when I was trying to figure DAS out, but the cast members were so amazing to my father when we got there. I gave them a clear explanation of why he couldn't wait in line and they were beyond helpful.

Yes, I always book and use FP+ and really try to not use my DAS unless it’s for rides with really long lines. Of course, as I have gotten older, there are some rides I dont Attempt any longer because I am too worried I could walk off in too much pain.

 

[gap2368]

My husband is a disabled veteran. We have always been able to work around his disabilities, but on our last trip he was brought to tears in pain do we decided to look into some alternate arrangements this time.

My husband has a bad hip, limited lung capacity, and some panic issues in crowds (but sometimes it's fine. It is worse when he is in pain.) We decided to pay for the nighttime extra hours at the Magic Kingdom to try to eliminate some issues, but we have one day at Hollywood Studios which makes me concerned. He is a huge Star Wars fan, so that's a must. We plan on getting to Hollywood Studios early to get a boarding group. My concern is for the rest of the day/rides.

First, would he qualify for a DAS? He does have a disabled veteran ID, but he doesn't want to use anything he's not entitled to.

Secondly, my oldest daughter lives in Orlando. We will stay with her for the most part. We had planned on staying at a Disney hotel the night before so we could get fp at 60 days out. Is that necessary with a DAS? I'm not trying to get anything for free I just want to make sure I understand correctly.

Please think about your concern for your husband and what will help him.

from reading your post it sounds like he has a bad hip what would help him with his hip not walking a lot? walking slower? a place to sit? walking at a slow pace so he does not get stiff? so think or talk to him about his concerns and what he thinks will help. look at an option like tools just like if you can not see you would use glasses or if you could not spell you would use a spell checker and so on. I am saying this because a mobility device might if he can not be standing and or walking that long without being in pain if he cont not find a place to sit just because he has a mobility device he does not have to use it all the time he can park an ECV and walk about some someone else in your group 18+ can use the ECV when he does not need it. ( I did this a lot with my friend when she needed one and it was so nice for me to talk a break) a wheelchair can be pushed by him or others in your group

I would then look at your other needs like his lung capacity and what would help him with this

and then look at what would help him with his panic issue it sounds like when he is in pain this get a lot worst

a few other tips I often get into I am at Disney and do not realize when I am hitting my limit until it is way too late. One thing I do is just find a quiet place to sit for a minute and think of how am I doing and what do I need to do( it might be taking a break back at the hotel room it might be doing something very easy like a show. It might be a good idea for everyone to take a break every few hours and just make sure no one is dehydrated getting a sunburn or is not hungry and your husband hip is not hurting him too much and so on.

also, each park has a first aid with OTC meds, ice packs, and a place to lie down if he needs to take a break for a little so that he can go back out and have fun.

Please think of what your husband needs to have a good trip ( whether that is a DAS an ECV, Wheelchair or a combination of then)

and please tell your husband think you for his service.

and have a great time

 

[Belle1962]

I can’t think of many off the top of my head ( I did a full day at Studios yesterday ). But many rides can feed into the main line at certain points or crowd everyone together in a pre-show room. Even with a fastpass. Be sure to let the CM know if you need to skip the pre-show. The pre-show situation at Studios was Rock n Roller; Tower of Terror, Muppets, little Mermaid and if I recall that was it. At Magic Kingdom I know a pre-show is Haunted Mansion. At splash you wait in the regular line first and then are pulled out. Basically, if an attraction has a holding pen then that area will be packed so be sure to let the CM know. If he can walk a bit and the standby time is reasonable then go through the standby. You miss a lot of the “theming” by going through fastpass.

 

[SueM in MN]

Posts 22 and 27 in the disABILITIES FAQs thread have Information that might be helpful to you.
Post 22 has attractions where all guests must stand unless they have a mobility device.
Post 27 has attraction information for guests who have issues with claustrophobia/close places.

You can find that thread near the top of this board or follow the link in my signature.