For years, Disney Parks has provided unparalleled services to those with disabilities to ensure that each and every guest has an enjoyable experience. Unfortunately, the growing abuse of the Guest Assistance Card (GAC), the current program used by Disney Parks to provide special accommodations, has spurred the need for change.
Starting Wed. Oct. 9, 2013, the parks of the Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida and the Disneyland® Resort in California will replace the GAC with a new Disability Access Service (DAS) Card. This new program will allow Cast Members to better focus their attention and service to those guests that the program has always been intended.
Here are a few pointers on the new DAS system:
- The DAS Card will be used to better accommodate guests who aren’t able to wait in a standard attraction queue.
- DAS Cards will be issued at a Guest Relations location inside the main entrance of the Theme Parks. The registration process for receiving a DAS will include having your photo taken. Each DAS will be valid for the length of the guest’s current ticket (maximum 14 days). Once issued a DAS at one of the Theme Parks, it will be valid at all other parks within the issuing resort.
- DAS cards will provide guests with a return time based on the current wait time of the attraction. While guests may only have a single active return time at once, they may also utilize the legacy Disney’s FASTPASS® Service or Disney FastPass+ service.
- At the Walt Disney World® Resort, guests will obtain a return time by showing their DAS card to the Cast Member at the front of the attraction. At Disneyland® Resort, you will take your DAS card to one of the Guest Relations kiosks located throughout the park. The DAS Cardholder does not have to be present to obtain a return time, but they must board the attraction with their party upon redemption. The DAS doesn’t have to be redeemed at the exact return time listed – they will be valid until redeemed by the DAS Cardholder.
- Guests with a disability based on needing a wheelchair or scooter will not need a DAS card. These guests will be accommodated at the attraction by waiting in a standard wheelchair-accessible queue or given a return time (based on the attraction’s current wait time) when they will utilize an alternate entrance.
While Disney Parks feels the new DAS system will better serve those in need, they realize that each disability is different and may require additional assistance. While speaking to the Guest Services Cast Member regarding the DAS card, please make your individual needs knows so that they can better assist you.
In a recent memo from Meg Crofton, President of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Operations, United States and France, shared the following:
Our commitment to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all our Guests has not changed… As with any change, there will be a period of adjustment, particularly for those families who have developed and refined their preferred ways of enjoying our parks with their loved ones over the years. I thank you in advance for your patience as we fine-tune our new program to mitigate the current abuse, while still providing the special experience our Guests have come to expect from Disney.
For the past five years, Off to Neverland Travel® has played an integral role in assisting our families with disabilities have the most magical vacation possible. Planning is the first (and most important) step, so be sure to contact your Magic Maker® with your specific questions/needs.
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