Disney with arthritis

We had an extended-family vacation to Disney World last week, and accessibility was a big point in our planning with three people with arthritis and one person with a cast. It turns out, Disney makes it super easy to figure everything out through their Disability Access Service!

Disney’s Disability Access Service (DAS) makes rides more accessible for those who can’t wait in the line for the full time. It allows guests to wait the length of the line, but not in the queue, so that they can have access to shade, seating, restrooms, or other necessary accommodations. In a nutshell, you go to a ride, receive a return time equivalent to the current standby wait time, and then come back at your return time to ride the ride. To use DAS, you first have to register with Guest Relations with the rest of your party.

Getting the pass

We were at Animal Kingdom, so we asked at the Guest Relations at the gate and were sent to a kiosk near the Tree of Life, in the middle of the park. All my sister had to do was tell them why she needed to get the pass, and they signed us up right away. Maybe if you have a disability that isn’t as common, you would need to explain more, but arthritis and fibromyalgia didn’t require any more than mentioning. My sister had a letter from her doctor, but they didn’t need it and refused to look at it, in fact. They can’t require proof from a doctor or health professional for legal reasons.

There doesn’t seem to be a problem with party size limits. We had a party of 9, and we just all had to be there to get our MagicBands scanned as part of the party. They also took my sister’s picture to be able to verify who is using the pass.

Using the pass

We got the pass at Animal Kingdom, but it was good for all the parks while we were there. When we registered for DAS, they gave us a return time to a ride of our choosing as a courtesy. We just had to return to the ride at any time after the time we were given.

All rides have someone you can talk to in order to set up a return time. For the really popular rides, like Slinky Dog Dash or Flight of Passage, there’s a separate kiosk a short distance away that’s specifically for DAS. Someone from the party (not necessarily the person with the disability) just has to go to the ride entrance or DAS kiosk and ask for a return time, which is comparable to the current wait time. The time shows up in plans for everyone in the party on the My Disney Experience app, too, in case you forget.

You can return anytime after the given return time (or a few minutes before, as we learned, similar to Fastpasses). When you return, they route you through the Fastpass line. The person with the disability taps their MagicBand or ticket first, and then everyone following can tap.

Unfortunately, since it’s the Fastpass lane, that means that there’s still some waiting sometimes and occasionally a sizable walk up and downhill or up and down stairs. That also means that when the Fastpass line is long, the disability wait is also long. It really depends on the ride and the crowd level at the park, but we got stuck waiting (and walking) awhile for Flight of Passage and Space Mountain despite DAS. Space Mountain is especially one to be careful of, since the queue can regularly be long even with a Fastpass.

If you use a scooter, wheelchair, or walker, you don’t even have to register with DAS. Depending on the ride, you can wait in the normal line or receive a return time. Using a mobility device also sometimes means being routed separately from the normal or Fastpass line, but it’s not something I’m very familiar with.

Other useful info

Fastpass can be used at the same time as DAS. They both show up in the My Disney Experience app. If a ride is closed that you have a DAS return time for, they give you a multi-experience Fastpass, just like they would if you had a Fastpass.

It’s also possible to get the return time while the DAS-holder isn’t yet in the park, as long as someone from the party is. Of course, the DAS-holder has to be there for the rest of the party to ride, or the return time is useless.

During Extra Magic Hours, DAS users enter some rides through the Fastpass line, which isn’t normally used during Extra Magic Hours. Return times aren’t needed, so you just go to the person at the Fastpass entrance and they’ll let you in. For other rides, DAS users use the line normally used by people with mobility devices. This was a bit of a problem, but luckily my sister was able to sit down on a bench while we waited a lengthy amount of time in the line.

Technical difficulties don’t stop DAS from working. The system for Pirates of the Caribbean was down at one point while we were there, so they gave us paper return tickets, like the old Fastpasses, that let us come back any time.

DAS made our trip to Disney World much more doable and enjoyable. I hope you find the same!

-Bri

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