The Disney Parks have a stellar reputation for catering to guests with special needs. A program that they provided for years was called the Guest Assistance Card or GAC. This program was designed to provide easier access to attraction queues for guests with disabilities. Unfortunately, due to heavily published abuse of the system, Disney has decided to revamp the program.
The new program is called the Disability Access Service Card or DAS Card. With this new program, Disney still aims to provide an easier attraction wait time experience for guests with disabilities, both apparent and non-apparent. They are implementing a few changes that they hope will result in providing this service for guests who truly need it.
If you have used the GAC program in the past or think that this new DAS Card program will help a disabled member of your traveling party, please visit the Guest Relations main entrance location at any Disney World or Disneyland park. There, the special needs guest will go through a registration process and be issued a photo id card that is valid for up to 14 days.
Once a guest has a DAS card, they have the ability to choose a specific attraction time for one ride at a time, in a manner very similar to the Fast Pass program. The time is chosen at a Guest Relations kiosk in the Disneyland parks. Guests of the Disney World parks should proceed directly to the chosen attraction to receive a return time. The guest will be allowed access to the attraction, even if the chosen time has passed.
After a guest has completed a ride, any member of the traveling party can return to a Guest Relations kiosk or attraction to choose the next attraction and preferred time. However, the DAS cardholder must be present with the traveling party when entering the attraction.
The DAS Card can be used in addition to the Fast Pass program and once the DAS Card is issued, it is valid at all parks during the guest’s length of ticketed stay, up to 14 days.
It’s important to note that guests whose disability is based on needing to use a wheelchair or scooter do not need to obtain a DAS Card. Accommodations for those guests are already in place, but if a guest has special needs beyond this, they should visit Guest Relations for additional assistance.
For additional information about this new program, please click here.
Angie has been a Travel Specialist with Wishing Well Travel since 2013, you can contact her at Angie at wishingwelltravel.com, find her on Facebook or Request a Quote from her online. You can also follow her personal blog at www.beyondthewishingwell.com.
