Matthew’s March Trip Report – PREP208

I really struggled with this trip report. As a parent to a developmentally disabled teenager, I really felt like Matthew’s report did a disservice to the spirit and intent of the DAS. I had to take a break from listening for a bit because this was so off putting. Since then I have loved Jason and Kevin’s trip report, but with all of the requests you get, I wish you hadn’t aired this one .

I understand the concern about DAS abuse. I think Disney actually does a good job with curtailing abuse. The DAS is handed out at the discretion of guest services, there is a limit of 5 additional guests per DAS, the DAS recipient has to go through the ride queue with the party, the DAS and a photo of the person is linked to a specific magic band, you can only have 1 DAS fast pass at a time, and you still have to wait as long as the standby wait. We actually tried to use it as little as possible so as not to abuse the system. I think we averaged 1 use per day. If we really pushed it, we could have used it multiple times every day.

I didn't want to get into the medical issues on the podcast because it was irrelevant to the trip report. If you're wondering what types of conditions qualify someone for a DAS, one grandparent has a chronic, degenerative back condition that has required surgery in the past, as well as ligament damage in one knee. She needs a cane to walk, and she has difficulty with steps/stairs and getting in/out of low seats. The other grandparent has arthritis in his back and a herniated disc and can't stand up for more than 10 minutes. Both grandparents require prescription strength pain medication for their conditions. We brought medical documentation with us in case we needed it. There was a conversation with guest services about what the grandparents were able and not able to do, and guest services determined a DAS was the appropriate solution.

The benefit of avoiding a few lines with the DAS was offset by a number of inconveniences during our trip, such as having to take frequent breaks, figuring out mobility requirements/logistics at every attraction, requiring assistance to get in/out of ride vehicles, and dealing with all sorts of scooter logistics and costs. (If you think pushing a stroller is a pain, try pushing an adult in a motorized scooter with a dead battery!) I would rather have 2 able bodied grandparents instead of the DAS (and they feel the same way), but we ultimately made the most of our situation so that everyone could have the best possible experience.

I enjoy the trip reports, but this one turned me off a bit. It seemed like the family kind of abused DAS. It seemed like it was used for convenience to avoid lines rather than as a necessity.