DAS Park Access Has Changed
When Disney implemented its new virtual assistant, My Disney Experience added another update. You may not have heard much about this one, but Disability Service Access (DAS) works differently at the parks now. Here’s what you need to know about the changes.
What Is DAS?
Here’s the official description from Disney’s website:
“Disney Parks have an unwavering commitment to providing a welcoming, inclusive environment and accessible experiences for our Guests.
As part of this commitment, Disability Access Service (DAS) is a program offered at Walt Disney World theme parks to assist Guests who have difficulty tolerating extended waits in a conventional queue environment due to a disability.”
In other words, Disney wants to make park visits easier for guests with disabilities.
So, Disney sets up ways for DAS qualifiers to experience attractions quickly and conveniently.
Guests may schedule a DAS video chat up to 30 days in advance. During this conversation, a cast member will aid you in booking up to two DAS attractions per day of your trip.
Once you arrive on the day of your park visit, you may schedule even more. These first two attractions come from DAS Advance to ensure you have a smooth first day.
You’ll have a one-hour window for each attraction, giving you plenty of time to enjoy it on your own terms.
The only caveats here are that you cannot book within 48 hours of your arrival. So, your window exists from 30 days to 2 days before your visit.
Also,
You may remember a scandal about this from 2013, proving the adage about a few bad apples. Since then, Disney has tightened the program rules some.
Now, thanks to improved technology, DAS is back and legitimately better than it has been in many years.
How the New DAS Works
Previously, DAS guests and their families grew familiar with unintentional but unavoidable aggravations.
DAS participants visited Guest Relations or headed to Guest Experience kiosks to craft an itinerary.
Guests would schedule one attraction at a time with a planned return time. So, the process required frequent trips to speak with cast members.
As a frequent Disney visitor, you’ve spent enough time in lines to know how long those waits are at times. Unfortunately, it…wasn’t the best process.
Now, technological innovations have fundamentally changed the system. You’ll find a DAS logo on My Disney Experience that you may click to use.
Those two video chat DAS bookings per day will have some exclusions, but you’ve already got the equivalent of two stress-free attraction experiences.
Once you arrive, you can use the DAS Services button in the app to schedule additional return times.
You’ll have this option for all attractions that utilize Lightning Lane in some way. Yes, that’s Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane attractions alike.
You can use DAS for any attraction that includes a standby queue.
Remember that you’re not really skipping the line inasmuch as you’re making the process easier.
So, you could feasibly schedule DAS for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train for free even though it’s a Lightning Lane attraction that costs $10-$12 now.
Something else important stems from the limitations of Disney Genie+. You may only schedule up to eight selections on this service, and you cannot repeat any of them.
These rules have caused some confusion with DAS. You CAN schedule the same attraction as much as you want with the DAS Return Time service.
Please think of it in terms of standing in a regular line. Disney lets you do that as much as you want. So, you can book DAS Return Times repeatedly as well.
There’s no eight-attraction limit, either. Those things only apply to Disney Genie+, which you may not even buy.
Also, the one-hour time window applies only to DAS Advance reservations, the ones you make via video chat.
All the DAS Return Time reservations remain active until the park closes. You can use them whenever is most convenient for your party.
Other Things to Know
The lone caveat with the new DAS is that Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure requires you to acquire a Boarding Group.
So, you’ll still be part of the twice-daily lottery. But, presuming that you snag a Boarding Group, you’ll use the Lightning Lane when you arrive at the attraction, dramatically reducing your wait-time.
Here’s a pro tip. Make sure to have your entire party linked in My Disney Experience and Disney Genie to ensure that you stay together.
Otherwise, only the linked people may participate in DAS Return Times.
Also, please note that the DAS button will only appear when you’re physically in the park.
The way the system works, you could feasibly hold both of your DAS Advance reservations plus another DAS Return Time and a Lightning Lane simultaneously.
We’re all still learning here, but the opportunity to schedule four attractions easily is a game-changer.
Finally, you should understand that DAS Return Times are only available when you’re inside a park. As such, Park Hopping can cause minor problems.
You cannot schedule a DAS Return Time at your second park until you’ve checked in there via MagicBand or MagicMobile or Key to the World card.
So, once your entire party has arrived at the new park, the first thing you should do is schedule DAS Return Times.
To book your next Disney DVC Villa vacation visit our DVC Confirmed Reservations. Or use our DVC availability tool to see if the dates for your vacation are available in DVC’s inventory. From there, you can start the booking process and one of our team members will reach out to assist!
