Disney is known for their world-class guest service. Their primary mission is to help every guest have a magical time. The Disability Access Service (DAS) is one of the accommodations that may be offered at Disney World or Disneyland for guests who need a little more pixie dust to make the magic happen.

What is the Disability Access Service?

The Disability Access Service is a program that lets eligible guests who cannot wait in a conventional standby queue for long periods of time wait in a more comfortable setting. DAS users are given a return time for a ride that is about when they would reach the end of the current line if they waited in it. When their return time arrives, they go back to the ride and wait in a much shorter queue (typically the Lightning Lane) to experience the attraction.

Which Guests Qualify for DAS?

DAS is designed to help guests with developmental disabilities. If you have used DAS before, you may be surprised to realize you no longer qualify for DAS. Disney has narrowed the scope of guests who are given this accommodation. They have other suggestions for helping their guests with mobility challenges, medical conditions, and other disabilities navigate the parks.

Visit the main Disney World accessibility page to see what accommodations might be available for you. And if you’re unsure, the DAS application process will allow you to chat with a Cast Member about which accessibility features are available for your specific situation, even if DAS is not the answer.

How Do I Apply For DAS?

The Walt Disney World DAS team is entirely online. You will chat on Zoom with a Disney Cast Member to request a DAS. In Disneyland, a Cast Member is available to help you in person, but I suggest you apply on the Zoom call if possible. For a detailed overview of how to apply, see How to Apply for Disney’s Disability Access Service (DAS).

I was approved for DAS, Now What?

The My Disney Experience app is the tool for making a return time with the DAS. If you do not have a smartphone, visit Guest Services for assistance.

After you have been approved, you won’t see anything on the app until you enter the park on the morning of your first day. Check the hamburger menu on the bottom right of the app. There are tiles for different functions. At the bottom should be a tile with the DAS symbol and the words Disability Access Service. If you don’t see the tile, visit the Guest Experience team at one of the blue umbrellas, or Guest Services at the front of the park.

Tap the DAS tile, and a list of attractions available for DAS will appear. Almost every ride, show, or attraction that has a queue qualifies for DAS, including those with Virtual Queues.

• Select the attraction that you’d like to make a return time for.
• Follow the prompts, and you will have a return time for that attraction.
• The return time will be the posted standby time minus ten minutes.
• The return time is like a reservation, it gives you a time to arrive at the ride.
• There is no expiration time, so you do not need to rush to get to the attraction, and it’s OK if you need to leave the park and come back.
• You will not be able to make a new return time until you have used the one that you have.

Up to three people can join the DAS user when a return time is made, for a total of four who will ride using the return time. The only exceptions are when a group includes a DAS user’s siblings under the age of 18; they will be allowed to ride as a group even if the party size is more than 4. But every guest who will be included in the return time needs to be in the park when the return time is made.

When you arrive at the attraction, you will tap in to enter the Lightning Lane using either your MagicBand or ticket card. The DAS user needs to be the first in your group to tap in. The light on the tapstile will turn blue, and a Cast Member will check your photo. Once the Cast Member turns the light green, the rest of your group can tap in.

After you have tapped in at the ride, there is a 10-minute waiting period before you can make your next return time. For rides like Space Mountain that have two touchpoints, the ten-minute timer starts after you tap at the second touchpoint.

If you’re using MagicMobile, you’ll want to make sure the DAS user’s card is “on top”. See Everything You Need to Know About Disney’s MagicMobile.

How is DAS Different From Genie+ and Lightning Lanes?

DAS has return times. Lightning Lanes have return times. And almost all the time, when you come back to the attraction at your DAS return time, you’ll be sent through the Lightning Lane to ride. That leads to obvious questions (and a lot of confusion) about how DAS and Genie+ are different. So, here’s a rundown.

⭐ You can have multiple Lightning Lane reservations at a time, but you must use a DAS return time before you can make a new one.

⭐ With Lightning Lane, you need to ride within an hour of your return time. With DAS, you can ride any time after your return time up until the park or attraction closes.

⭐ You can make a Lightning Lane reservation for any park where you have purchased Genie+, at any time and from any place after 7 am. You can only make a DAS reservation for an attraction when you are in the same park as that attraction, and everyone who will be in the group must be in the park with you when you make the return time.

⭐ You can’t make more than one Lightning Lane reservation for the same ride in a day. You can make a new return time for an attraction with DAS, even if you have already used a DAS return time for that attraction.

⭐ The DAS return time is assigned based on the length of the standby line when you make it, minus 10 minutes. Lightning Lane return times are based on capacity and how many other users have scheduled return times. If you have bought Genie+, it’s possible that you can get a Lightning Lane return time that is earlier than your DAS return time would be.

⭐ You can make a Lightning Lane reservation for up to 10 people at a time. A DAS return time is generally limited to 4 people including the DAS user.

⭐ You can make a Lightning Lane reservation for anyone in your Family & Friends list, as long as they have purchased Genie+. To include someone in your DAS return time, they must be included in your DAS group during registration, or by contacting the DAS team to have them added later.

⭐ If everyone in your group doesn’t use their Lightning Lane reservation, it doesn’t cause problems. If everyone on a return time does not ride, it can cause problems making a new return time. And if the DAS user no longer wishes to ride, then nobody can use the return time.

Still have questions? Take a look at our Walt Disney World’s Disability Access Service: FAQ.

Do you or a family member use DAS when you visit the parks? Let us know how it works best for you.