Applying for DAS pass

[Lewis17]

Hi there I am a single parent with 2 kids going to Florida Disney world and Universal in a weeks time and would like to apply for the das pass as my son has ADHD and several other conditions, has anyone on here applied for the DAS pass before? and if so what type of questions will I get asked? I am not a great speaker and not very good at answering questions or getting my point across tbh so I'm a little bit worried I will not get out what I want to say, if I have an idea of the questions I will hopefully be more prepared.

Also I have heard that if you use a VPN you can apply for the pass before we get to the USA, has anyone done this before and if so do they not ask where your calling from ?

Thanks all

 

[Tigger&Pooh]

DAS is not diagnosis-based so be prepared to explain his needs while waiting in a standard queue environment. Also be prepared to explain some accommodations he receives in regular daily life at home/school/etc. The rules changed last year and many who previously qualified for DAS no longer do, so be prepared for them to deny the DAS and offer an alternative accommodation.

Disney doesn't really care from where you call. The issue about international is due to privacy laws. I know some have used a VPN to get around that. If you are unable to connect ahead, you can do it once you arrive -- either from your hotel room or at your first park where they'll give you an iPad with a direct connection.

 

[Purduevian]

I have never applied for DAS, but my understanding is be ready to explain the following:

• What symptoms does he have the makes DAS needed
• What specifically about waiting in lines causes these symptoms to get worse.
• Why certain other accommodations (such as rider swap) will not work for your situation

Other notes:

• Be prepared for them to say no... you will still have a great trip if denied
• Be prepared for the internet to be quite mean... a lot of people have resentment over DAS and how it used to get abused pretty bad.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

It’s worth calling but I wouldn’t get your hopes up, most people who previously qualified don’t under the new program, the good news is many can still have a great trip using virtual queues, individual lightning lane, and the multi pass lightning lane. It’s not ideal spending an extra $50 per person per day to avoid line problems but if you do get denied DAS there are workarounds, you just have to pay for them.

My GF who previously qualified for DAS (for a heart condition) was denied our last trip but we still managed to have a good time, you just have to plan a bit more, pay a bit more, and go in with realistic expectations of what you’ll be able to accomplish. We weren’t able to do as much as we used to but we still had a great time.

 

[Lewis17]

I have never applied for DAS, but my understanding is be ready to explain the following:

• What symptoms does he have the makes DAS needed
• What specifically about waiting in lines causes these symptoms to get worse.
• Why certain other accommodations (such as rider swap) will not work for your situation

Other notes:

• Be prepared for them to say no... you will still have a great trip if denied
• Be prepared for the internet to be quite mean... a lot of people have resentment over DAS and how it used to get abused pretty bad.

Hi thank you for the information

 

[Lewis17]

It’s worth calling but I wouldn’t get your hopes up, most people who previously qualified don’t under the new program, the good news is many can still have a great trip using virtual queues, individual lightning lane, and the multi pass lightning lane. It’s not ideal spending an extra $50 per person per day to avoid line problems but if you do get denied DAS there are workarounds, you just have to pay for them.

My GF who previously qualified for DAS (for a heart condition) was denied our last trip but we still managed to have a good time, you just have to plan a bit more, pay a bit more, and go in with realistic expectations of what you’ll be able to accomplish. We weren’t able to do as much as we used to but we still had a great time.

Thank you for the tips

 

[Disney4family]

My friend tried to get this for her child last night, who was approved through last year.
She shared her concerns with the CM. She said the CM was quite unemotional this year, unlike previous years.
The CM invited someone from AdventHealth to the call. My friend had to repeat everything to her.
The AdventHealth person immediately said that they were not recommending DAS.
When my friend told the CM that she was confused, the CM's manager took over the call and asked my friend to repeat what she had already shared twice.
That CM invited a different AdventHealth person to the call. My friend had to repeat everything to her.
The new AdventHealth person immediately said that they were not recommending DAS.
She also said (and this is a direct quote) - "We are looking for children who do not even know what a line is."
The CM manager said that my friend could have Attraction Queue Re-entry.
However, it did not seem like it would be easy to use since the manager explained that when my friend approached every attraction CM, she would be expected to explain, "What is wrong with the line? What concerns do you have with the line specifically?"

 

[Purduevian]

Hi thank you for the information

I hope you get whatever accommodations you need. In case you are unfamiliar with the non-DAS options:

I don't have the answer, but what I do know is that they will tell you to go to the attraction entrance, explain your situation, and the CM there should help you. I'm guessing one of the following 4 things will happen at each attraction

1. Told to stand in standby and leave the line if needed (I know this isn't very practical for you, but this might be what you are told)
2. Your partner may be asked to stand in the standby line alone and if you need assistance, you can contact them to leave the line. Then both you and your partner enter the LL once done. If you do not need assistance, you will meet them at the LL merge (you going through the LL)
3. You and your partner may get a LL return time similar to a 1 time use DAS (this is rare)
4. You and your partner may get sent immediately through the LL with no delay (seems like this happens based on how backed up the LL is)

Personally, I hope you get 3 or 4 for most attractions, but I expect 1 and 2 will be more common for you. I know this isn't what you want to hear, but I would consider buying LLMP/LLSP on some of the days.

 

[Tigger&Pooh]

The CM manager said that my friend could have Attraction Queue Re-entry.
However, it did not seem like it would be easy to use since the manager explained that when my friend approached every attraction CM, she would be expected to explain, "What is wrong with the line? What concerns do you have with the line specifically?"

That's not how it works. All that needs to be mentioned is "I may need to leave the queue for a disability. What should I do?" The Attraction Queue Re-entry is actually available to any guests (with or without disability needs).

 

[Disney4family]

That's not how it works. All that needs to be mentioned is "I may need to leave the queue for a disability. What should I do?" The Attraction Queue Re-entry is actually available to any guests (with or without disability needs).

I know, and yet that is precisely what she was told. Actually, she said that the CM manager repeatedly stated the questions as if it were a challenge.

 

[Lewis17]

My friend tried to get this for her child last night, who was approved through last year.
She shared her concerns with the CM. She said the CM was quite unemotional this year, unlike previous years.
The CM invited someone from AdventHealth to the call. My friend had to repeat everything to her.
The AdventHealth person immediately said that they were not recommending DAS.
When my friend told the CM that she was confused, the CM's manager took over the call and asked my friend to repeat what she had already shared twice.
That CM invited a different AdventHealth person to the call. My friend had to repeat everything to her.
The new AdventHealth person immediately said that they were not recommending DAS.
She also said (and this is a direct quote) - "We are looking for children who do not even know what a line is."
The CM manager said that my friend could have Attraction Queue Re-entry.
However, it did not seem like it would be easy to use since the manager explained that when my friend approached every attraction CM, she would be expected to explain, "What is wrong with the line? What concerns do you have with the line specifically?"

thank you thats very interesting to know.

 

[mergatroid]

This is one of those things unfortunately that whenever anyone is turned down they're going to have a negative view on the system. Some people view it differently too. A few seem to view it as something that Disney could do if they wanted to because they used to do it for many people, some seem to think it should be done almost as a kindness to anyone who has any medical condition regardless of how it effects them. A few people have an entitlement attitude and feel that because they have a particular condition they feel should qualify, that Disney is somehow against them if they're turned down. Some people who may have a physical condition feel that they deserve it more so than a person who has a mental condition such as autism because they think "Well they have to wait at the airport or the supermarket don't they etc, so why do they get to do this and I don't".

I say this as a person who has a physical condition themselves but who doesn't qualify now. I have no issue as I find their work arounds are fine and don't go into things expecting to be treated differently. If there's a valid reason for DAS then Disney will probably try to accommodate it where they can but there's always some who probably deserve it and don't get it. In my opinion that's just life sadly, sometimes things are unfair. Personally I blame the people who abused the system originally and to an extent how easy Disney used to make it probably because they feared the bad publicity they thought they would get if they made it hard. The whole thing got out of hand with it being abused left, right and centre and so now they're having to be as strict as they can to stop that. So those who can't get it and probably need it can thank all those people rather than blame Disney, it's not a perfect system but unfortunately it's where we are now because of what went before.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

This is one of those things unfortunately that whenever anyone is turned down they're going to have a negative view on the system. Some people view it differently too. A few seem to view it as something that Disney could do if they wanted to because they used to do it for many people, some seem to think it should be done almost as a kindness to anyone who has any medical condition regardless of how it effects them. A few people have an entitlement attitude and feel that because they have a particular condition they feel should qualify, that Disney is somehow against them if they're turned down. Some people who may have a physical condition feel that they deserve it more so than a person who has a mental condition such as autism because they think "Well they have to wait at the airport or the supermarket don't they etc, so why do they get to do this and I don't".

I say this as a person who has a physical condition themselves but who doesn't qualify now. I have no issue as I find their work arounds are fine and don't go into things expecting to be treated differently. If there's a valid reason for DAS then Disney will probably try to accommodate it where they can but there's always some who probably deserve it and don't get it. In my opinion that's just life sadly, sometimes things are unfair. Personally I blame the people who abused the system originally and to an extent how easy Disney used to make it probably because they feared the bad publicity they thought they would get if they made it hard. The whole thing got out of hand with it being abused left, right and centre and so now they're having to be as strict as they can to stop that. So those who can't get it and probably need it can thank all those people rather than blame Disney, it's not a perfect system but unfortunately it's where we are now because of what went before.

This isn't really the thread to open a debate on the topic of why DAS changed.

It is very clear Disney decided monetizing Lightning Lane access to the tune of $130 to $450+ per person per day was the direction they wanted to take, which is far less noble goal than curbing abuse.

 

[Chi84]

This isn't really the thread to open a debate on the topic of why DAS changed.

It is very clear Disney decided monetizing Lightning Lane access to the tune of $130 to $450+ per person per day was the direction they wanted to take, which is far less noble goal than curbing abuse.

This is true. They established from the beginning that they wanted to reserve the LLs for the people paying for them - both non-disabled and disabled - and to accommodate those with disabilities in different ways.

 

[mergatroid]

This isn't really the thread to open a debate on the topic of why DAS changed.

It is very clear Disney decided monetizing Lightning Lane access to the tune of $130 to $450+ per person per day was the direction they wanted to take, which is far less noble goal than curbing abuse.

It changed before that. The card you used to be given where you would enter certain attractions in some cases straight away was replaced with a free come back time that matched the standby wait, at no cost. I know because we had a friend in a wheelchair use this option along with ourselves and we didn't pay any money for it. It may even have had a different name such as GAC at one stage?

So the system definitely changed from what it originally was at some point before lightening lane charges were brought in as I've never paid a penny extra to ride a Disney attraction and never will. I certainly wasn't trying to start a debate but rather explaining how it affected my party and I remember the big scandal of people advertising to take people on rides with them for money by abusing their DAS or GAC passes. It made tv and there was a big thread on here about it. Soon after changes came in and those changes didn't originally involve charging for it. I wasn't even aware that they were now charging people $130 to $450 a day to use DAS?

 

[Tigger&Pooh]

I wasn't even aware that they were now charging people $130 to $450 a day to use DAS?

No. DAS is free. However WDW does now have an optional paid service to access those LL queues -- actually a combination of LLMP, LLSP and the the high cost one noted above is the Lightning Lane Premier Pass (LLPP). These are the "paid fastpass" options.

 

[mergatroid]

No. DAS is free. However WDW does now have an optional paid service to access those LL queues -- actually a combination of LLMP, LLSP and the the high cost one noted above is the Lightning Lane Premier Pass (LLPP). These are the "paid fastpass" options.

Right so I wonder why was the other poster saying it was a paid service and Disney had no noble gesture of curbing abuse? Thanks for clarifying that it's still free though (if you qualify for it).

This isn't really the thread to open a debate on the topic of why DAS changed.

It is very clear Disney decided monetizing Lightning Lane access to the tune of $130 to $450+ per person per day was the direction they wanted to take, which is far less noble goal than curbing abuse.

So if DAS is still free why are you talking about LL access being $130 to $450+ per person per day on a thread about DAS which is still free, I'm a little confused?