PrincessV
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2006
My teen son was diagnosed as mildly autistic not long ago and has a hard time with crowds and lines. We've been going to WDW his whole life but never utilized the DAS program because I didn't think he needed it: we used FP/FP+, skipped attractions with long standby waits, and avoid getting stuck in crowded conditions. It all worked fine for a long time, when overall crowd levels were lower and wait times shorter. But it really fell apart on us last trip and my son had a major meltdown one night. It upset him enough that he's taken a break away from WDW.
We're going back soon, and I'm realizing I probably should have explored DAS sooner, instead of short-changing my son's enjoyment by skipping things he likes to do just to avoid a long wait in line. I've read up and feel like I understand how DAS works. I'm a little unsure on what we need to explain to GR about my son's needs, though. He struggles with the physical closeness of so many people in a line, and with the overall din of a lot of people in a confined space talking. He can handle it for the 15-20 minutes usually takes to get through a FP line, but more than that and he starts feeling overwhelmed. A "virtual" wait somewhere else would be a much healthier option. Is that sufficient information for GR, or do we need to get into the particulars of what "struggle" and "overwhelmed" mean? My son has a very hard time expressing how he feels with folks he's close to: to do so with a stranger may be stressful enough that he'd rather skip it altogether.
I also want to confirm I understand how the DAS works as an AP-holder - the DAS will be in effect for 60 days, yes? So if we get it on Day 1 of a 3-day trip, he can use it all 3 days without checking in at GR each day? And if our next visit is 40 days later, would he still be able to use that first DAS? I assume after 60 days pass, he'll need to request a renewal of the DAS, correct?
We're going back soon, and I'm realizing I probably should have explored DAS sooner, instead of short-changing my son's enjoyment by skipping things he likes to do just to avoid a long wait in line. I've read up and feel like I understand how DAS works. I'm a little unsure on what we need to explain to GR about my son's needs, though. He struggles with the physical closeness of so many people in a line, and with the overall din of a lot of people in a confined space talking. He can handle it for the 15-20 minutes usually takes to get through a FP line, but more than that and he starts feeling overwhelmed. A "virtual" wait somewhere else would be a much healthier option. Is that sufficient information for GR, or do we need to get into the particulars of what "struggle" and "overwhelmed" mean? My son has a very hard time expressing how he feels with folks he's close to: to do so with a stranger may be stressful enough that he'd rather skip it altogether.
I also want to confirm I understand how the DAS works as an AP-holder - the DAS will be in effect for 60 days, yes? So if we get it on Day 1 of a 3-day trip, he can use it all 3 days without checking in at GR each day? And if our next visit is 40 days later, would he still be able to use that first DAS? I assume after 60 days pass, he'll need to request a renewal of the DAS, correct?