Conflicted about DAS

[delyrium]

Thanks everyone! Your advice has been really helpful and I appreciate it.

 

[PatMcDuck]

Tough call, you could try just using Genie+ and avoiding longer lines and see how it goes. If it doesn't go well, switch stratedgy and go for the DAS, explaining to them lots of people use it for lots of reasons.

 

[delyrium]

We were completely prepared to use Genie+, and then I started thinking about it more deeply when I saw people talking about what DAS is for. I'm not as worried about DD this trip I guess. She has been talking about testing herself with Space Mountain, which was a completely traumatic experience for her when DH took her on it at 5, and contributed to her fear of roller coasters over time. But I've started to have flashbacks to queuing experiences with POTC, Mine Train, and other dark rides- how DS reacted last time and the time before. I am really, really hoping that we can keep him from being scared and miserable as we inch forward through the line. I've asked him about it, and he is hesitant to answer.

 

[delyrium]

Tough call, you could try just using Genie+ and avoiding longer lines and see how it goes. If it doesn't go well, switch stratedgy and go for the DAS, explaining to them lots of people use it for lots of reasons.

Yeah, that's true. I always forget I can pivot and change plans once we're there! Not everything has to be decided beforehand. I am similarly wired to my kids, so I like to know the plan well in advance.

 

[delyrium]

Come to think of it, we'll need Genie+ either way. Both kids have clearly expressed they won't be going on Tower of Terror, Everest, or Rockin Rollercoaster. DH and I both want to go on those, and don't want to leave the kids for the time it would take to wait the full period, so yeah.

 

[Lisa_lvspplmvr]

I would call and get DAS ahead of time . Disney is stressful . Why have a problem when you can prevent it . Even with DAS you will sometimes have up to a 20 minute wait . I think it would be harder to recover from an anxiety attack than be a little uncomfortable talking to a cast member on zoom . They really are kind and don’t make the kids feel awkward . Have a great trip !

Btw you talk to the cast member first then they will talk to the child and take their picture . It’s really not uncomfortable.

 

[Weedy]

Please sign up for it.
DAS is designed to help families like yours.
It’s much easier to use now that you can book on the app when your in the park. So as you are waiting for the next ride you can get a snack or go on a nearby ride that doesn’t have a long line.
Your family will still have to wait to ride just not in the line. So this will quickly let you know if it’s the anticipation of the ride or the line itself.
Depending on how tec savy (or knowing what you’re doing) you could book the next ride without them knowing.

 

[TwoMisfits]

If you feel their therapy has made them able to wait in the lines, you won't need DAS. So, I would go without the DAS and only seek it out if the situation is still too much for your children.

Not all ADHD and generalized anxiety kids need DAS, especially as they get older. That said, some will always need it b/c of the severity of their conditions. It's why DAS is not diagnosis-based, but need based.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

I would get the DAS nothing says you have to use it. try doing lines without if does not work you can then start using.

 

[delyrium]

Thanks everyone- I looked at what it takes to book it before going, and it might not be easy between work and the kids being at school. I have a few weeks to decide- we are 41 days out.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Thanks everyone- I looked at what it takes to book it before going, and it might not be easy between work and the kids being at school. I have a few weeks to decide- we are 41 days out.

you can still get after you get there also

 

[DLgal]

Since your teens are familiar with therapy, explain how the DAS is just another tool in the toolkit. It's nothing to be ashamed of at all, and if they really can't, YOU can explain their needs for them, since they are still kids.

I suggest asking about the DAS. If you think the online sign up will be easier, do that, but it's also super easy to get it day of in the parks.

I'd recommend pairing DAS with Genie+ for maximum flexibility.

 

[Anna131517]

Do they get anxiety because of the line experience or because you’re forcing them to ride a thrill ride and they don’t like thrill rides? Some people don’t like thrill rides. That’s OK. Don’t force them to ride anything they don’t want to ride. There are plenty of non-thrill rides at WDW that are lots of fun too!

If your kids want to go on scary rides and the line / wait itself is causing the anxiety then definitely request DAS. Why not? It’s actually really convenient and will allow your kids to enjoy the vacation.

Have fun!

 

[redberyl]

We are here now with my 6 year old who has GAD. We have a DAS and haven't had to wait more than 10 minutes for anything. Even so there have been a few rides she enters the line happily but by the time we get to the front she has herself so worked up she can't ride. Every single ride you can see her anxiety mounting as we move through the line, even the tame stuff like small world and Dumbo (Dumbo was one she got too worked up over to ride). I can't imagine putting her through an hour or more of that for some rides, even if I were willing to allow her that much anxiety, she'd never make it through a single line. Das is the only reason she's been able to ride anything. If it will help relieve your kids anxiety I would get it

 

[danceintherain]

It's your call. You can absolutely get it after you're there and see if they have the coping skills necessary to accommodate themselves. It didn't occur to me to suggest it for my Mom until about 24 hours before she arrived. She said the process was super simple in person. She just told them why she needed to wait somewhere else, and they signed her up.
I'm pretty sure it was less embarrassing for her to tell one person about the accommodation she needs, than it would have been to have to leave the line and pass hundreds of people to do so, even though they probably wouldn't know why she was leaving.

My husband should also qualify. He's going to be tougher to convince. He skipped our last trip largely because he didn't want to "ruin the trip" for the rest of us. I'm hoping that my Mom's first hand experience will convince him that it is worth it. If he can minimize his waits in actual lines, then I think he'll actually be able to enjoy the trip. He hasn't been able to enjoy a trip to Disney in a long time.

 

[delyrium]

Do they get anxiety because of the line experience or because you’re forcing them to ride a thrill ride and they don’t like thrill rides? Some people don’t like thrill rides. That’s OK. Don’t force them to ride anything they don’t want to ride. There are plenty of non-thrill rides at WDW that are lots of fun too!

If your kids want to go on scary rides and the line / wait itself is causing the anxiety then definitely request DAS. Why not? It’s actually really convenient and will allow your kids to enjoy the vacation.

Have fun!

We've made this mistake in the past and are done trying to get them to ride anything that's not tame. They have to come to us and ask to go on the Mountains, etc. The last meltdown I remember was in the Frozen line.

 

[delyrium]

We are here now with my 6 year old who has GAD. We have a DAS and haven't had to wait more than 10 minutes for anything. Even so there have been a few rides she enters the line happily but by the time we get to the front she has herself so worked up she can't ride. Every single ride you can see her anxiety mounting as we move through the line, even the tame stuff like small world and Dumbo (Dumbo was one she got too worked up over to ride). I can't imagine putting her through an hour or more of that for some rides, even if I were willing to allow her that much anxiety, she'd never make it through a single line. Das is the only reason she's been able to ride anything. If it will help relieve your kids anxiety I would get it

I've now talked about everyone else in my house about the possibility of seeking out DAS, and there is a palpable sense of relief that we may be able to have a much more relaxed trip this time, without the disappointment, frustration and embarrassment that comes from having to leave a line after having waited there for 45 minutes or an hour.

Really, DS has come so far, and I want to just not need to ask for help, but I think we should probably ask for help.

If I do it in advance, it might have to be at 7 am on a weekend.

 

[chaoslobster]

You can always get it at the parks if you need to, either cause you decided to wait or just because the pre-trip online chat experience is... difficult at best.

If you think it will help your family, then go for it. It's not about having a diagnosis, it's about having a legitimate medical reason why someone can't wait in a regular queue, and that includes mental health.

I'm leaving in a week and did not even think about it because my disability is mobility based and I use a scooter, so there's no need for DAS, I've never used one and never considered it. Then this morning one of my occasional nasty UT/bladder infections popped up at the worst time and I'll still be on antibiotics when I leave. Every time this happens it takes some time and a few different meds to knock it out, and if I need to pee and choose to hold it instead, it gets a lot worse and can develop into a kidney infection, which is a much worse thing.

I'm hoping by the time I get there it will have cleared up and be a non-issue, but if it doesn't, I may need to get DAS while I'm there because between the infection and me drinking water by the liter I'll have to pee every hour or so, even if it means leaving the queue I've been in for 75 minutes. It feels like an embarrassing reason to have to tell a CM about this, but if I have to, I'll do it.

 

[Lilsia]

I've now talked about everyone else in my house about the possibility of seeking out DAS, and there is a palpable sense of relief that we may be able to have a much more relaxed trip this time, without the disappointment, frustration and embarrassment that comes from having to leave a line after having waited there for 45 minutes or an hour.

Really, DS has come so far, and I want to just not need to ask for help, but I think we should probably ask for help.

If I do it in advance, it might have to be at 7 am on a weekend.

I say this with all love and respect, but does your family actually even want to go to WDW? It sounds as if from what you said, that they don't enjoy it at all and that it is just too much for them. There are other places to go on vacation that might not be so stressful for everyone. My niece loves WDW but acknowledges that it is just too much for her and looks for other places to go that she can enjoy. Sometimes we want something to work so badly that we fail to see that maybe it is better to skip it and find something else to do.

 

[delyrium]

I say this with all love and respect, but does your family actually even want to go to WDW? It sounds as if from what you said, that they don't enjoy it at all and that it is just too much for them. There are other places to go on vacation that might not be so stressful for everyone. My niece loves WDW but acknowledges that it is just too much for her and looks for other places to go that she can enjoy. Sometimes we want something to work so badly that we fail to see that maybe it is better to skip it and find something else to do.

This will be our fourth trip to Disney, so clearly we enjoy it. You’re hearing about the stressful bits because that’s what I’m concerned about.