Planning a vacation to the happiest place on earth is terrific. But, the long lines at Disney parks can be annoying and challenging if you or a family member are disabled.
Fortunately, to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity, Disney has implemented the DAS, a service that makes it possible for visitors with disabilities to enjoy all that Disney theme parks have to offer.
In our detailed guide, we will cover all you need to know about the DAS, from who is eligible to how to apply for the program. So, let’s dive in!
What is a DAS pass?
The Walt Disney World disability pass is a program that accommodates visitors who cannot tolerate long queues, reducing the wait time for attractions and providing alternatives.
DAS is an acronym for “Disability Access Service,” which describes the initiative. Disney’s service aims to ensure that everyone who goes to a Disney park has the same access to all the attractions.
For example, if you want to fly with Dumbo, the flying elephant at Haunted Mansion, or set sail on Peter Pan’s Flight Pirates immediately, you can do both with the DAS Pass with a special entrance, leaving the standby line behind.
Both Disney World and Disneyland provide the disability access service DAS service.
Benefits of Disney DAS Pass
You might be wondering what the benefits of DAS are at the moment, so let’s review a few of them.
Return Time
Through the DAS program, guests with disabilities can get a return time to ride an attraction that is the same as the current standby wait time for that attraction without having to stay in an actual line.
Flexibility
Guests can use their DAS return time to visit other attractions, eat at restaurants, and relax in designated areas. Upon return, visitors can enter the attraction through an alternate entrance or gain access to a shorter queue, thereby minimizing their wait time in the queue line.
Ease for Rides
The DAS may be applied to rides, attractions, and Disney stars’ meet-and-greets that feature both a Genie+ queue and a standard Standby queue.
Alternative Entrances
If you have a DAS pass, you may skip the lines and enter attractions through additional entrances. These entrances are more user-friendly and welcoming, improving the customer service experience.
Pooh Mickey’s PhilharMagic Monsters is one such attraction. A Disney Cast Member can help you skip the wait even if there isn’t a Lightning Lane.
Variety
The DAS Pass can be used for various activities, attractions, and character meet-and-greets. You should only utilize it at attractions with a Lightning Lane queue and a regular standby line.
Companion Accessibility
The DAS pass is designed to let guests with disabilities enjoy the park with their companions without standing in line unnecessarily. It will protect the concerned visitor and up to five other companions.
What Disabilities Qualify for DAS at Disney World?
The DAS Pass is intended to aid people with real accommodations, such as those with impairments or medical problems that make standing in regular standby lines difficult or impossible.
While no specific or specified impairment can qualify anyone for a pass, a few may be more likely to get one.
Physical Impairments
Guests with any physical or mental disability that affects their ability to wait in the standard attraction line for an extended period and simply cannot be corrected with a wheelchair may qualify.
Sensory Disorders
Conditions include disabilities that produce crowd reactions, which worsen with sun exposure, heat, temperature, or other outdoor elements.
Cognitive Disorders
Cognitive disorders complicating waiting in line may also be eligible for DAS, such as ADHD, autism, or anxiety.
Chronic Health Conditions
Many people with severe musculoskeletal or autoimmune problems struggle to stand in line when they visit Disney World. These people can get a DAS Pass, too.
Keep in mind that not everyone has the same set of circumstances. Thus, the DAS pass application process is case-by-case approval only.
What Disabilities Do Not Qualify for DAS at Disney World?
Wheelchair accessibility is a breeze across Disney World’s major parks, so Disney will not provide DAS passes to guests with mobility issues that can be resolved by renting a wheelchair or electric scooter. Also, most attractions have instructions about how guests in wheelchairs or electric scooters may experience each attraction.
However, one may qualify for DAS if they have a mobility impairment or another limitation that makes it difficult to wait in line.
Any other minor injuries or temporary mobility impairments that do not significantly affect wait times or accessibility may not necessitate a DAS permit.
In addition to Disney World, there are many more accessible tourist destinations, such as beaches with wheelchair-friendly terrain. Learn more about them in our dedicated article.
What DAS Does Not Do For You
There are numerous myths and misunderstandings regarding DAS Passes. It’s important to understand that this is NOT a method to bypass the standby line. You will be required to wait, but not in line.
You will only wait as long as the people in the standby line. If the standing line is 100 minutes long, you must wait 100 minutes. It’s just a different way to wait.
Who Can Join Disney’s Disability Access Service?
The DAS holder and up to five more individuals (for a total of six) may share the benefits of the DAS Pass. Usually, membership is reserved for the qualifying person’s immediate family or closest friends with valid theme park tickets.
To avail, just inform the Disney Cast Member of the five additional people you want on the pass when registering. The Cast Member will link these visitors via My Disney Experience, allowing both the DAS Pass recipient and the five additional visitors to schedule DAS Return Times via the app.
Applying for the Walt Disney World DAS Pass
You may apply for a DAS card in one of two ways.
- Virtually register before your park visit.
- In-person registration at Guest Relations during your visit to the park
Virtual Registration
Virtual pre-registration might save you time and energy if you’re the plan-ahead type. It is a new feature the Walt Disney Company has applied since November 2021.
Pre-registration for DAS passes can be done up to 30 days in advance or two days before visiting Disney World and Disneyland. The process involves a live video call between the applicant and a cast member and requires a Disney account for participation. You’ll be asked to create one if you don’t have one.
Here is where you can sign up for a DAS Pass.
The live chat is currently in English and is accessible between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.
Please be patient, as Cast Members may have long wait times for live video chat, with a response time of approximately ten minutes.
If the DAS is accepted, the chat will be used to take a picture of the person who will get the Disability Access Pass for verification purposes.
Benefits of Online Registration
DAS holders can also choose up to two experiences per day in advance as part of the free DAS Advance Selections service. That is an additional perk of online registration. If you need help, select your preferred experiences via the Disney Experience app.
Visit Disney’s Advanced Planning Option website with the Experiences list here to discover available rides.
In-Person Registration
If you’re not into modern gadgets, sign up for Disney’s DAS system or program by visiting guest relations locations on the day of your trip.
A valid theme park entrance ticket and a confirmed booking are required. Go to Guest Services at any park and tell them you need help with wait times. The central locations of Guest Services are shown following.
- Magic Kingdom
- EPCOT
- Hollywood Studios
- Animal Kingdom
Just find the Blue Guest Experience Team umbrellas, and a cast member will be there to assist. Or check out the My Disney Experience app.
Benefits of In-person Registration
The nice thing about registering at one of the parks is that a Disney Cast Member will happily take you around and explain everything in detail. It can be beneficial for first-time users who aren’t familiar with My Disney Experience.
Requirements for Requesting DAS
There is no requirement for a doctor’s note or disclosure of any information on your or the individual’s disability. The cast member will only ask questions to ensure your eligibility for the Disney disability pass.
However, it would be best if you described the accommodations needed to enjoy the trip thoroughly.
In terms of what to say to obtain a DAS pass, begin by explaining why you would have difficulty staying in long lines. For instance:
“I experience _____, which makes it difficult to tolerate long lines.”
“When I’m in line for an extended period, the following occurs.
“I’d like to go on rides and attractions, but _____________ limits my ability to wait.”
The better DAS will work for you, the more information you provide about your needs.
Don’t be ashamed or embarrassed while answering the questions. The people who work in the Cast are not there to judge. So be honest and give the process 10–15 minutes.
When applying for DAS, communicate truthfully with a cast member. Guests risk having their Magic Keys and yearly passes canceled and being permanently barred from Disneyland and Walt Disney World if Disney discovers any of the representations they made to get DAS were untrue.
Once approved, a Cast Member will snap your picture and enter you into the database, and when you have your DAS pass in hand, you can finally go to the parks!
How to Use DAS At Disney World
Here is how to use the pass,
Make Ride Reservations
The visitors can then select return times for attractions they wish to visit via the My Disney Experience app or ‘Guest Relations’ windows in the parks. The app is available for both Android and iOS.
Even the DAS Pass Holder, or any other six registered visitors, can schedule rides for everyone. You’ll be given a return time when you reserve a ride or attraction using the DAS system.
DAS Return Time
DAS Passes allow you to schedule a return visit to an attraction without waiting in the standby line, and you can use the DAS Pass Return Times Self-Selection Tool via the My Disney Experience app on the day of your visit.
Select an available attraction from the tool to receive a return time corresponding to the current standby wait time plus 10 minutes.
Your return timing will be determined by the current wait times for the attractions. For example, if you use your DAS pass to request a return time for the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Magic Kingdom and the current wait time is 60 minutes, you can visit the attraction anytime after that.
Scan your ticket or MagicBand at the Lightning Lane entrance when your return time arrives. The DAS-registered member of the group must scan first.
Rules For Requesting DAS Pass Return Time
The registered Guest utilizing DAS must be present when the DAS return time is redeemed, although any member of the DAS party can receive a return time for the entire party. There is no limit on return times. However, only one can be used at a time.
Also, you can still visit the attraction after the allocated return time has passed, as the return time does not expire.
You can select the return time for the same ride as often as you wish throughout the day.
The video above shows how to access and use time selection tools Via the Disney Experience App.
Changing or Canceling Return Times
You can use the My Disney Experience app or a Disney Cast Member at a Guest Experience tent to change return times at Disney.
Fee For DAS pass
There is no cost for the Disney disability pass, and the guests do not have to pay any additional amount to use the Disney DAS service.
Validity of the DAS Pass
So, if you take a trip to Disney World and sign up for DAS but then return to the parks six months later, you must re-register for DAS.
After sixty days, guests must re-register for the next trip. However, the process should be faster upon re-registration because your data will already be in the system.
Usability of DAS Pass
DAS is only acceptable at the park or resort where it was given out, so you can only use it there if it was given out at Disney World. It wouldn’t work at Disneyland. A guest would have to reapply in that case.
Real-Life Experiences of Das Holders
A user on the forum shared her experience getting a DAS pass. She said she had done it in person at Disneyland, not online. It was for her dad, and the interviewing cast member didn’t want to know his medical condition. Instead, he wanted to know why her father couldn’t wait in line. Like, “He can’t wait in line because when he does, _____ happens, and the other obvious solution isn’t good because _____.” The cast members were very friendly to them, and everything went smoothly.
A video in which Nasia, a girl who has type 1 diabetes, shows the process of her whole virtual registration process for DAS passes (due to hypoglycemic episodes) and her online video chat with the Walt Disney World authorities.
Another user shared that the DAS system was a fantastic tool for her autistic daughter. She was able to have a ride with her at once.
Anna shares her experience and tips for getting a Disney DAS pass for her memorable vacation.
Ashley, another user, said that in October 2022, she had used the DAS system to add five people to her group. They could wait outside the line as a group, and when it was their turn to go on the ride, they all did it together. Ashley says the DAS system significantly alleviated their concerns and increased their enjoyment.
The video above shows the experience of Jess, who has a ten-year-old autistic son, getting a pass. She used the online method and could enjoy herself without waiting in the standard queue when she went on a Disney vacation.
The IEP Mom shared her journey of using a DAS pass for herself and her epileptic baby; indeed, they had a good time.
Conclusion
Disney World is an excellent example of how a world-renowned attraction can prioritize diversity and inclusion. There is no limit to Disney’s enchantment, and every guest should have the chance to enjoy the park’s numerous attractions.
The DAS Pass will allow you to explore the ocean’s depths with Ariel and battle the wilds of Animal Kingdom.
So, pack your bags, bring your smiles, and prepare to create memories that will last a lifetime. While speaking of packing bags, what are the best wheelchair bags to take on vacation? Have a look at our article!
