Worried about taking advantage of the system

[5disneymama]

How do I know if we REALLY need DAS? We have been to WDW several times with our family and have never used it. Although, we didn’t really know about it.

I am considering asking for one for my oldest daughter. She gets overwhelmed very easily. Sensory issues, like noise, lights, and crowds. But even having to make decisions or plans changing upset her. I do the ink having a DAS would be beneficial to her. But she COULD and has done WDW without it.

FWIW, probably several of us qualify. I have Crohn’s and one year at WDW I was in a horrible flare. DAS would have been a lifesaver. I also have a child with ADHD who has a lot of sensory issues as well. He could probably use one and a few years ago it would have made a big difference for him. The fact that several of us could most likely get a pass makes me feel a bit less guilty.

I really do think my DD (and others of us) qualifies. But I can’t shake this guilt that I’m taking advantage of the system. We have done WDW without it. However it would certainly make our trip much less stressful and overwhelming. I guess my question is how to know whether our difficult is “enough?”

 

[OurBigTrip]

Everyone has different ideas about this, no question. My personal opinion, and this is not meant to try to induce guilt in anyone,..to me, the DAS should be used to make a day in the parks possible and as much like non - DAS users experience, not to make a trip easier. But again, that’s just my opinion. I’m sure you’ll hear from people who say if you qualify, you should get the DAS whether you really need it or not.

 

[5disneymama]

I guess that’s what I don’t even know- how do I evaluate whether our trips are like those of other families who don’t need/use DAS? I mean, I suppose everyone has some times they have panic attacks in crowds, become overwhelmed or overstimulated or need to step away, whether for a short or very long time. So maybe it doesn’t make sense for us if we fall within “normal”. I guess I just don’t know what normal is and how to compare our family.

 

[5disneymama]

I guess part of my worry is the lack of free fast passes. I spent countless hours in the past planning our trips to allow us to experience what we wanted to without waiting in lines, using Rope Drop and fast passes, and just knowing when to hit what rides. It also allowed to have a good morning at the park and get out when the heat and crowds were just too much. With the old system, it was easier for us to accommodate what my kids needed (and myself when I wasn’t well!). Without that option, it seems much more daunting.

But, again, maybe that’s the case for everyone and we don’t qualify any more than the next person?

 

[Brett Wyman]

How do I know if we REALLY need DAS? We have been to WDW several times with our family and have never used it. Although, we didn’t really know about it.

I am considering asking for one for my oldest daughter. She gets overwhelmed very easily. Sensory issues, like noise, lights, and crowds. But even having to make decisions or plans changing upset her. I do the ink having a DAS would be beneficial to her. But she COULD and has done WDW without it.

FWIW, probably several of us qualify. I have Crohn’s and one year at WDW I was in a horrible flare. DAS would have been a lifesaver. I also have a child with ADHD who has a lot of sensory issues as well. He could probably use one and a few years ago it would have made a big difference for him. The fact that several of us could most likely get a pass makes me feel a bit less guilty.

I really do think my DD (and others of us) qualifies. But I can’t shake this guilt that I’m taking advantage of the system. We have done WDW without it. However it would certainly make our trip much less stressful and overwhelming. I guess my question is how to know whether our difficult is “enough?”

We use DAS because both of our kids have sensory issues. To another parent Im SURE it looks like we are cheating the system as they seem completely normal if you watch us walk by. We just tell the Disney DAS CMs the honest truth and let them make the decision(always been a yes so far).

 

[DisSurfer878]

I'm not trying to armchair doctor. All I am going to say is your description of your daughter is very similar to how I would describe my husband who has ADHD, and all of those things are facets of his ADHD specifically. You should also know if one of your children has ADHD it's very likely more of them will.

We don't use DAS for any of those things. But I had to mention something.

 

[5disneymama]

I'm not trying to armchair doctor. All I am going to say is your description of your daughter is very similar to how I would describe my husband who has ADHD, and all of those things are facets of his ADHD specifically. You should also know if one of your children has ADHD it's very likely more of them will.

We don't use DAS for any of those things. But I had to mention something.

She actually has Autism, which is similar in a lot of ways. But not ADHD. I have ADHD and so does my son. It’s interesting what ADHD and Autism have in common and what things are very, very different.

 

[5disneymama]

We use DAS because both of our kids have sensory issues. To another parent Im SURE it looks like we are cheating the systems as the seem completely normal if you watch us walk by. We just tell the Disney DAS CMs the honest truth and let them make the decision(always been a yes so far).

I guess that’s why the process is there. When/if we talk to the DAS CMs, we will just be honest and let them decide if it makes sense for us.

 

[DisneyOma]

I guess part of my worry is the lack of free fast passes. I spent countless hours in the past planning our trips to allow us to experience what we wanted to without waiting in lines, using Rope Drop and fast passes, and just knowing when to hit what rides. It also allowed to have a good morning at the park and get out when the heat and crowds were just too much. With the old system, it was easier for us to accommodate what my kids needed (and myself when I wasn’t well!). Without that option, it seems much more daunting.

But, again, maybe that’s the case for everyone and we don’t qualify any more than the next person?

You can purchase genie+ and individual LL access, and use those while you wait for your DAS return time. If you really feel guilty about using DAS then just don't go on any other attractions while you wait for your return time. DAS does nothing but have you wait outside of the standby queue. Some people have reported the the wait times are inflated so that guests using DAS are waiting (outside of standing in the queue) much longer than guests in the actual standby queue.

I rarely go on anything while I wait. I might get something to eat, or go to first aid and lie down and do some PT exercises. I try not to shop

 

[mcall12]

No one here can really tell you what to do, but it comes down to what makes sense for your family. I have a very common, prevalent, chronic condition that I need to monitor closely, especially when I travel. Because it can be affected by heat, stress, exercises, what I eat, if I get a cold, etc. Some people with my condition have requested and received a DAS because the side effects make it necessary. For me, at least right now, I can manage without. I take more breaks. I make sure I eat when I need to and hydrate. I bring my own snacks and don’t rely on park food as much. There is nothing about a DAS that would help me, personally. But I can’t make that judgement for others with the same condition.

So think about, specifically, how it would help with the lines. There may be other ways to mitigate some of your concerns that are actually more effective than the DAS. I will say on our trip in Oct/Nov, we bought Genie+ for two days and did the rest without. We really didn’t struggle with the lines when we didn’t have it. Better, in my opinion, than in the fastpass+ era. We don’t like to go at the super busy holiday times, so YMMV if you do.

 

[karen4546]

There are many conditions that can benefit from DAS. We have been going since 2012 2-4 times a year. Only recently did we check into DAS. Once I told them my diagnosis, it was relatively seamless.

My issue on our last trip was I had bought (well my daughter bought for us) Genie+ and had a DAS and I really don’t know how to use either one. I had to have the blue umbrella CM help and I felt bad that I had to miss a couple of the options they helped me book but my condition makes planning (well sticking to plans) very difficult.

 

[ttintagel]

My feeling is that if you actually qualify for the system, you are the person the system is intended for.

 

[Lilsia]

The way that I look at it is to ask yourself if you are able to handle being in lines that are long. Or will you need to skip those rides that have long lines. If you get into a line and get to the point where you have to leave the line mid way, then you probably are a good candidate for DAS. There is a huge difference between not liking being in line and feeling a bit anxious, because I think that a lot of people feel that way just as human nature, and actually not being able to spend that time in the line because of a medical issue.
If you are at the parks and noticing that your family skips certain rides because of issues, then getting a DAS is not taking advantage, that is what it is there for. It evens it up so that you can have a semi normal experience that others have that don't have your medical issues.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

How do I know if we REALLY need DAS? We have been to WDW several times with our family and have never used it. Although, we didn’t really know about it.

I am considering asking for one for my oldest daughter. She gets overwhelmed very easily. Sensory issues, like noise, lights, and crowds. But even having to make decisions or plans changing upset her. I do the ink having a DAS would be beneficial to her. But she COULD and has done WDW without it.

FWIW, probably several of us qualify. I have Crohn’s and one year at WDW I was in a horrible flare. DAS would have been a lifesaver. I also have a child with ADHD who has a lot of sensory issues as well. He could probably use one and a few years ago it would have made a big difference for him. The fact that several of us could most likely get a pass makes me feel a bit less guilty.

I really do think my DD (and others of us) qualifies. But I can’t shake this guilt that I’m taking advantage of the system. We have done WDW without it. However it would certainly make our trip much less stressful and overwhelming. I guess my question is how to know whether our difficult is “enough?”

even if you get one and I would only for the person that would ride the most things as anyone else with a DAS can not be listed on anothers DAS return time. even if you have one you might not need it all the time for every ride. and that would not be taking advantage that would be using as needed

 

[RoseGold]

There's no medal for suffering through it. Just get DAS and use it when you need to.

 

[Gludfssr]

Don’t stress over it, and don’t think you are taking advantage of something that might help you enjoy your experience instead of worrying about it when you get there. That’s why it is being offered. Go through the on-line process and explain to them why getting the pass will help your situation from standing in long lines. Let them tell you if you qualify or not. Remember you are not taking anything away from anybody else in the park, so don’t even think about it in that way. A DAS pass is pretty much the same thing as Genie+ in regards to the amount of time you wait in lines, it’s the same entrance. The only difference is you can go on any ride more than once and can use it on all the rides with the exception of Guardians.

 

[DisneyOma]

Don’t stress over it, and don’t think you are taking advantage of something that might help you enjoy your experience instead of worrying about it when you get there. That’s why it is being offered. Go through the on-line process and explain to them why getting the pass will help your situation from standing in long lines. Let them tell you if you qualify or not. Remember you are not taking anything away from anybody else in the park, so don’t even think about it in that way. A DAS pass is pretty much the same thing as Genie+ in regards to the amount of time you wait in lines, it’s the same entrance. The only difference is you can go on any ride more than once and can use it on all the rides with the exception of Guardians.

You have to wait for a return time for DAS equal to the standby wait, which isn't what genie+ make you do, and you can stack genie+, but can only have one DAS return time at a time. So it's not exactly like genie+. I think the OP's issue is that the wait in the LL queue is like genie+, but you don't have to pay for DAS, so there's a sense of guilt. About taking away from anyone else - well, everyone with DAS is making the LL queue longer without paying for it, but that's a tricky situation to think about, as the DAS makes the standby queue shorter, but those people aren't paying for it, KWIM?

I get where the OP is coming from - I feel the same way sometimes when I use DAS, because for years I didn't need it. Then I developed major issues that were stress/anxiety related, and I ended up going by ambulance to the ER from WDW 3 trips ago. Suffered through the rest of that trip, got a diagnosis a year later, went back to WDW and felt it flare back up. A CM suggested going to guest relations, and I was offered DAS. It really made a huge difference, but I felt like I was cheating because I felt good the whole rest of the trip.

Now I'm not feeling like a cheater because this past summer the LL queue at Buzz was still really long and I had a nauseous panic attack halfway into the indoor queue and had to exit.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

Not DAS related, but on our most recent trip my 9 year old daughter hurt her knee in the hotel and couldn’t really walk without pain. We went to first aid to get it wrapped. We got her a stroller as wheelchair tag for one day and a wheelchair for the second (CM gave us a hard time about giving us the tag for an in park stroller, but we didn’t know any better and she is too old for a normal stroller). We had Genie+ but still needed to use the wheelchair options for rides. Waits ended up being much longer than the normal Genie+ times. I was grateful that she could still do some rides, but there was definitely no “advantage” to being in a wheelchair, despite what some might think.

FWIW Orlando airport was amazing. We got a free chair and I was able to wheel her to the gate quite easily. After waiting in Newark for about 20 minutes on the jet bridge for a chair on arrival the first officer found us something to get off the jet bridge. We waited another 45 minutes and the gate agent called 7 times for a chair, including paging the skycaps, before I put her on my back plus the 3 bags we had with us (I’m NOT large). I got her half way out to meet her dad, and then she limped the rest of the way. All those people who might have judged an otherwise healthy looking 9 year old getting pushed in a wheelchair to board early hopefully thought twice about it when they saw what we went through to get out of the airport.

Bottom line...there are always ways that to "take advantage" if someone wanted to. Perhaps they don't REALLY need the DAS, but then use it to book selections (in person or advance) on popular rides and then go ride a bunch of other rides while you wait. I know that isn't actually "cheating" as it is part of the rules, but it goes against the spirit of DAS by cutting out waits and doing a bunch of extra rides. But for everyone like that, there are probably at least as many people who truly NEED the accommodations and are dealing with health issues as they wait out their time. Only you will know in your heart what you need, but if you need it then you aren't "taking advantage,' only making use of accommodations that are there when needed.

 

[5disneymama]

Thanks everyone! It’s been really helpful to hear all of these different perspectives!

 

[nekonekoneko]

Your needing DAS is between 3 people: you, your daughter, and the person who works for Disney that you talk to about DAS.

It's really no one else's frigging business.