Walt Disney World’s Disability Access Service: FAQ

Beginning May 20, 2024, new policies affect who qualifies for the DAS and how to apply. Please visit this article for more information.

Understanding Disney World’s Disability Access Service, DAS, can be a lot. There are many small details that aren’t covered in the policy description, so we decided to compile the questions we see and help you better understand the whole system. If the policy is new to you, I recommend you check out a couple of our original articles (linked below) first, then come back.

What You Need to Know about Disability Access Service (DAS) at Disney World
What You Need to Know about DAS Advance

We’re staying at a Disney World Resort. Can I use the DAS to make return times during Early Entry or Deluxe Resort Extended Hours?

Unfortunately not, return times are available only during regular operating hours and hard ticket events like parties or After Hours.

Can I make a DAS return time before I enter the park?

If you’ve registered for Disability Access Service using DAS Advance, you’ll be able to make two selections in advance for each day that you’ll be in the parks. But for regular DAS return times you need to have entered the park before you make a return time, and so does each guest you bring with you. Caution: When you are on the monorail, in the parking lot, or on a ferry, it will look like you successfully made a return time, but as soon as you enter the park, it will be deleted.

We’re going to park hop. Can we make a DAS return time for our second park while we are in the first one?

Unfortunately no. You have to be in the park where the attraction is to schedule a return time.

My DAS return time is at 11:20. Do I have to be there on time?

You can not arrive early for a DAS return time, but as long as you arrive before the park closes, it will stay active. You can even make a return time, leave the park for a nap or pool time, and come back later, and it will be ready for you. However, you can only have one DAS return time at a time, so you’ll need to use this one before you can get another.

How late in the day can I make a DAS return time?

If the standby wait time extends past operating hours, you will not be able to schedule a return time. For example, if it’s 6:30 in the evening and Flight of Passage has a wait time of 160 minutes, adding the 160 minutes to 6:30 would give you a return time of 9:10 p.m. If closing time is at 8:00 pm, neither the app nor the Guest Services team can make a return time.

My husband will be joining us a little later today. Can I add him to a DAS return time?

All of the guests you want to ride with need to be in the park when you make the return time. However, if you’re making it at the ride entrance or with the Guest Experience team, not everyone needs to be with you while you are getting it.

Does DAS allow us to bring a wagon into the parks? 

No, the Disability Access Service is separate from the accommodations for using a stroller as a wheelchair and the wagon accommodations. A Guest Services team member will assist you directly with that. See: What to Know When You Need Wheels at Walt Disney World.

I’m traveling from the UK. Can I schedule a DAS Advance reservation?

Unfortunately, international guests cannot register to use the system before you arrive. However, once you are here and have set up your DAS, Guest Services can assist you in setting up DAS Advance for the rest of your vacation past the first two days.

I don’t like spending all day on my phone. Is there a paper card we can use to manage our DAS return times?

While there isn’t a paper card, any Guest Services member at the blue umbrellas or a Cast Member at the attraction can help you make a return time. Having said that, I promise you it is faster to make the return time on your phone rather than walk to Guest Services or the attraction and wait for them to assist you.

Can I combine DAS, Genie+, Individual Lightning Lane (ILL), and DAS Advance?

Yes, and I highly recommend it. These programs all fit together easily on the app. The ILL is especially helpful if you don’t have a Virtual Queue for the attractions that use them. (Currently, that is Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in Epcot and Tron: Lightcycle Run in Magic Kingdom.)

Can we register for Disability Access Service at our resort or Disney Springs?

Unless you register for the Disability Access Service using DAS Advance, you can only set up DAS access at Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. If you have time when you arrive at Walt Disney World, visit a Guest Services window outside the park gates to set up your DAS. Then, when you have your first park day, you don’t have to take time to do it. But, you will need everyone traveling with you to be there, and if the guest that needs the DAS will be upset that they can’t go in, it may not be worth it. Also, you must pay for parking unless you stay at a Disney resort.

Can I ask for DAS approval before I arrive at Walt Disney World?

Yes, an online interview program allows you to explain the accommodations you need from home. They will also help you make two extra return times a day for a select group of attractions at that time. You need the guest who will use the Disability Access Service with you for the interview, and the wait times can be significant. We have more information about that here.

My son broke his leg, and we leave for vacation in a week. Can he use the DAS? 

The DAS is specifically for guests who can’t tolerate a traditional queue due to a disability or specific medical issue. Wheelchairs and ECVs are able to go through most lines, and therefore mobility challenges do not qualify for Disability Access Service.

If I have a DAS, will I still need to get a Virtual Queue for Tron and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind?

Yes, unless you are purchasing an Individual Lightning Lane (ILL). HOWEVER, if you have a Boarding Group, when your return time is called, visit a cast member near the attraction’s entrance. They will convert your Virtual Queue Boarding Group to a Lightning Lane; that line will be easier for you to manage.

We would like to meet Jack Skellington and the Seven Dwarves this year. Can I make a return time for MNSSHP and  MVMCP?

Yes, Disability Access Service can be used for some character Meet & Greets at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. But, not all of them.

A return time can be made for any character at a party who is meeting in a location with a Lightning Lane queue. For example, Mickey Mouse is a character greeting that you can schedule a return time for; he’s in the same location at Town Hall during parties as he is during regular hours, so the DAS system works. Jack Skellington, Fairytale Princesses, Minnie, and Friends in the Storybook Circus area, including the Seven Dwarves, are all available for DAS return times. Unfortunately, characters like Winnie the Pooh and Friends, Stitch, and Aladdin, which are not in areas that have the technology to scan in with a DAS, only have a standby wait.

I see an area for handicapped viewing for parades and fireworks, is that included in the Disability Access Service?

The space reserved for handicapped viewing for parades and fireworks is only for guests with wheelchairs and their families. You can’t get access to this area just by having a DAS.

Did I answer all of your questions? If you’re wondering about something, I’m sure others are too. I’m happy to answer questions in the comments.