The DAS Card is designed for guests who are unable to wait in a traditional line due to disabilities. This includes both visible and invisible disabilities.
There are 2 ways to set up the DAS:
1 – The DAS is issued at the park’s Main Entrance Guest Relations locations and any of the blue (WDW) or green (DL) umbrellas scattered in the parks. You will participate in a registration process which includes have a photo taken of the DAS holder by a cast member.
OR
2 – you can preregister online via chat with a cast member 30-2 days prior to your first day in the parks Here is the link for the chat for Walt Disney World . Here is the link for the chat at Disneyland. If you decide to complete the registration via chat, guests will be able to preset 2 return times per day of their park tickets. These preset return times are a 1 hour window of time that guests can go to that attraction. These do expired and typically cannot be modified at the parks. These run on a separate internal system from the DAS so they DO NOT conflict with any return times set up at the parks via the DAS on the app. Guests DO NOT have to use these before they can set a DAS return time at the parks. Since the DAS return times and these preset return times run on different systems in the app, they do not conflict with each other.
When requesting the DAS you will need to focus on discussing with them how the card will benefit your child by means of safety and health, not by diagnosis.
Some examples:
- Some children need alternative access to a ride due to needing an easy exit out of the ride.
- To protect themselves or others during the course of a meltdown.
- The child is extremely touchy with others.
- The child is incapable of waiting in line – shorter wait times would be necessary.
- A medical reason for needing a shorter wait time such as: endurance, blood sugar control, low muscle tone, lack of perspiration, easily overheated, asthma, etc.
A doctor’s note or proof of disability is not required by Disney. The cast members have been trained not to read a doctor’s note since there are legal restrictions around asking for proof of disability. They will politely turn your note away. Also know that several disabilities have been removed from the approval list; therefore, a note may hurt more than help your chances at receiving the DAS. If your loved one will not tolerate having their picture taken by a cast member, someone else in your group may stand in for the photo. The photos are verification of who the DAS holder is when you approach the attractions.
If you use a wheelchair or scooter, you will not need the DAS unless your needs go beyond what an EVC or wheelchair can provide for you. Depending on the attraction, guests using a wheelchair or scooter will either wait in the stand-by line, receive a return time at the attraction comparable to the current wait time or be redirected to an alternate entrance.. The majority of the attractions at Walt Disney World offer queues that can accommodate an EVC or wheelchair. For some attractions at Disneyland, not all queues can accommodate an EVC or wheelchair; therefore, these guests will go to an alternate entrance. Guests with additional needs should discuss them with Guest Relations.
The return times for the DAS do not expire! If you cannot make it back by the return time, don’t worry. Just get there when you can and enjoy the ride at that time.
You may use the DAS in conjunction with the new Genie+ system. The 2 systems work separately in your account and do not interfere with each other. However, you may only receive one DAS return time at a time. You will not be able to receive another return time for a different ride until the first one is redeemed.
No. You only need to request the DAS one time during your stay. It will cover all the parks with the exception of the water parks at Walt Disney World. And it covers both parks at Disneyland.
The DAS accommodation will remain active for 60 days.
At Walt Disney World and Disneyland:
The accommodation will go into your My Disney Experience account – a button will appear in the app in your account. This button does not appear until you activate your park ticket for the day and will fall off at midnight. The button will reappear the next time you activate your park ticket for the day. Sometimes it takes a couple minutes after you enter the park for it to appear.
To set up a return time, look on welcome page of your account in the app – you will see the DAS button at the bottom on the left. When you click on the DAS button, the next screen will show you the list of attractions that you can set up the DAS return time for and the standby wait time. If the wait time for the ride exceeds 10 minutes, the app will give you a return time that is the stand-by line wait time minus 10 minutes. For example, if you are at Space Mountain at 11:00 am and the standby time is 45 minutes. Your return time will be 11:35 am. You will select the attraction that you want the return time for. Then on the next screen you will select who all in your group that will be going to the attraction with the DAS holder. When you return at your designated time, the person who is the holder of the DAS needs to be with your group and must be the first person to redeem the return time. Also, if you need special accommodations (i.e. access to an immediate exit), you need to mention these needs at this time to the cast member. This way they can direct you to the best entrance for you.
When you return for your DAS return time, you will be directed to the “lightning lane” line or handicap access line, you will still have a line to wait in, it is just a much shorter line than the stand-by line. You can only have 1 DAS return time at a time. Another return time cannot be selected until the current one is used. TIP – several attractions have 1 touch point that the guest must touch when returning to the attraction to redeem the DAS – this one is at the entrance to the attraction. Many of the attractions will have 2 touch points – the second one is about 3/4 of the way through the line. Guests can set up another DAS return time (while standing in line) after ALL touch points have been touched.
The DAS covers everyone in your travel party, for the 4 main parks in Florida and the 2 parks in California, for the entire length of your stay. The policy used to state that only 6 were allowed on 1 DAS – however, that statement seems to have been removed from any print. Some cast members may still only put up to 6 on your loved one’s DAS but many will do the entire party. Disney understands all the planning that goes into planning these trips and usually doesn’t want to split up a group. So if your group is larger than 6, the cast member usually include everyone. When requesting the DAS, the cast member will need to see everyone in your group no matter the size of the group.
**Please remember that in order to use the DAS, the holder of the card must accompany the group on the attraction.
Yes, you may have multiple DAS holders in your group. You will still only get 1 return time at a time assigned to the guests in your group. Since the system is electronic now, you cannot receive 2 return times linked to 1 DAS holder or any member of the group. Each member of your group can be placed on each DAS and you can choose who in your party is riding with which DAS holder.
Note – I only recommend more than 1 DAS if you know that your DAS holders will want to ride different rides or one might need a break while the other is still wanting to ride rides.
Please read this
**This article was written for the old Fastpass system but the tips and strategies still apply**
How to use both the DAS and FP systems together
from Autism at the Parks
(Thank you Maureen Deal for allowing this link)
Attraction Assistance Pass (AAP) – Universal Orlando Resort
Thank you Maureen Rowe Deal
Like Disney’s DAS, Universal Orlando Resort provides a paper pass, called Attraction Assistance Pass (AAP). The AAP is not a “front of the line” accommodation. You will still have to wait in a line.
The AAP covers everyone in your travel party (up to 6 people), for both parks – Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Once you get the AAP it remains active for the length of your visit or two weeks for annual passholders. If your group is larger than 6, the Team Member may write the card for more. All park tickets must be scanned when assigning the AAP.
To get the AAP, go to guest relations on the right hand side immediately after you pass through the entry turnstiles at either Universal Studios Florida or Islands of Adventure. Note: there is a Guest Relations area before you enter the parks but this location is usually much more crowded than the one inside the park and doesn’t always give the AAP.
Like with the DAS, when requesting the AAP at Universal, focus on your loved one’s symptoms and discuss why the card will keep them safe and healthy. A diagnosis is not needed in order to qualify for the AAP. Universal Orlando does not require a doctor’s note to get the AAP and Team Members most likely won’t read it if you present it.
The AAP is presented to the attendant at the entrance to each attraction. You can use the AAP for all attractions including those attractions that do not accept the Express Pass (including Harry Potter attractions). If the posted wait time is less than 30 minutes, you will be directed to an alternative entrance/line usually the Express Pass line. If the posted wait time is 30 minutes or more, the attendant will write on the pass what time to return to ride that attraction. When you return at the designated time, you will then be directed to the alternative entrance/Express Pass line to enter the attraction.
With the AAP you can only have one future attraction listed on your AAP at a time. However, you can still use it for attractions that have less than a 30 minute posted wait while you wait for your return time. For example: The wait time for Spiderman is 45 minutes and it is 2:00 pm. The ride attendant will write on your AAP for you to return at 2:45 pm. For the next 45 minutes, you can ride another attraction (if the wait time for the next ride is less than 30 minutes), or rest, shop, or enjoy a show for 45 minutes. When you return to Spiderman at 2:45 pm, the attendant will escort you to an alternative entrance bypassing much of the regular line.