We have a birthday coming up. The boy will be turning 5 in February. Naturally, I wanted to take him to WDW for his birthday, but that week is crazy packed with holidays and special events. Instead, we booked a trip just before his birthday, during a non-peak time.
This is something we’ve always had to do when planning our trips. When is the slowest time that we can go? Why? Two reasons, really. First, crowds make me anxious. I get panicky and fidgety when there are too many people, when I’m standing in one place (line) for too long, when I can’t move freely. Second, the boy is the exact same way. Obviously I, as an adult, can handle it if necessary, but lines over 20 minutes are a no-go for him. And asking a preschooler to learn to deal with it is, let’s face it, impossible.
This trip, however, we may have an advantage. Lines should still be relatively short, but for those that aren’t we may have the option of using a Disability Access Service Card.
The DAS Card is Disney’s new system for guests with apparent and non-apparent disabilities that make it difficult or impossible to wait in a regular queue. You see, ADHD is actually considered a disability. I never knew that before his diagnosis.
In order to receive a DAS Card you have to go to Guest Services in the parks and apply for one. You cannot do this ahead of time and it is, more or less, up to the Cast Member’s discretion. We plan on bringing a copy of his diagnosis for proof, but it’s absolutely unnecessary and is, in fact illegal for anyone to ask you for proof of your disability.
The old system, the Guest Assistance Card Program, allowed people to “skip” to the front of the queue. We’ve obviously never used it, but apparently it was very easy to game the system and abuse the GAC. Disney recently revamped it to the DAS Card, which allows users to get a sort of Fast Pass. You approach the Cast Member at the entrance to the attraction, show them the DAS Card for the disabled member of your party (who does not need to be present at this time), and receive a return time equal to the current standby wait time. When you return you are sent through the Fast Pass line. Obviously, at that time the disabled member of your party must be present, or your party will not be admitted.
I, personally, think this is fantastic. Rather than skipping rides or enduring the teeth-grinding aggravation of trying to keep an ADHD boy entertained and relatively still for 30+ minutes, we might be able to enjoy a few more E-Ticket rides with the kids. The boy had to go through the tedium of the old Legacy Fast Pass system, so I’m hoping he’ll be ok with approaching a ride and then walking away. If not, Husband or I will take care of it while the kids are on another ride, or at a potty break, or otherwise engaged.
If you’d like more information on the DAS Card, you can check out the fact sheet on Disney’s website here:
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/disney-parks-disability-access-service-card-fact-sheet/
Likewise, if you have any experience with the program I’d love to know more about it.
I’m sincerely hoping we’re able to take advantage of this program in January. It’s a wonderful service for Disney to offer to people that might not be able to tolerate the regular setup. Anything to make this trip run as smoothly as possible to give the boy a magical 5th birthday celebration.
