Is there a way to use a DAS pass with a personalized Touring Plan that you can optimize? This is our first time using DAS so I wanted to make sure I understand how it works on the TP side. Thanks for any advice.
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Hey Welcome to the forum. I want to hear from the experts on this too so I’m tagging in 
I’ve never found a way to do it. I just put it in the notes on the rides themselves.
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Not really. To be totally honest while I find so much value in the TP content here the actual touring plans have not been useful at all since getting DAS. Your das wait times will be based off posted waits while TPs follow expected waits. Lately posted waits have been very inflated, especially at certain rides (looking at you BTMRR). So while a touring plan might have you doing some of those rides mid day because it’s a actually a short standby wait, you’ll still have to wait most of the posted wait time which will throw off your touring plan.
It would be cool if TP could add an option to make plans based on posted wait times since they definitely track that data too.
Some extra DAS facts since you said this was your first time, maybe some of these you won’t know:
-return times are generally 10 minutes less than the posted wait
-the guest experience CMs at the blue umbrellas around the parks can issue return times. Can be super helpful to save you some steps going to each ride
-if you are there near park closing and the posted wait time is longer than the park is open, 9 times out of 10 the CMs will let you go immediately, no return time.
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I do that too. Just note the rides with the longest wait times, get DAS for them and re-optimize during the day.
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I’ve been curious about this to. We are going end of May with my brother in law who will require a DAS pass.
Are we better off not using DAS for the early morning rides since we will likely wait less and use them mid day so we can rest in AC vs in queue lines?
I don’t want to abuse the DAS pass but it seems like it would be a hindrance if you are able to go through the queue line early in the day with a lower wait.
That may not be an option for some but is based upon my brother in laws disability.
Thoughts?
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My rule of thumb is that if the wait is 15-20 minutes or less, we just go in the line as long as DS is handling well. Truthfully, if the line is 20 minutes or less and you ask for DAS, they just wave you in. The DAS time is whatever the wait is minus 10 minutes, so it’s stupid for them to bother setting it up. I only use that when DS is having a bad day though.
What I usually do is, I know there are some rides that have long waits even at rope drop, like SDMT at MK. So first thing we do is set up that DAS, then we go around riding the other stuff that has low waits. And as soon as we ride that, we optimize and see what waits are now like and DAS the ride with the longest wait and do other things.
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As a rule of thumb, I recommend learning about the available accommodations and keeping an open mind about what it is that your party will need.
I thought that we’d need the DAS pass for DS, but it turned out that he did surprisingly well with the lines. It was the general fatigue of being in the parks that got to him - just being in such a loud, bustling, busy place was draining. What helped him the most was having a space to retreat to and getting pushed around rather than having to walk himself.
When we go hiking, he is expected to use his own legs. At WDW, we help him conserve energy where we can!
I’m not sure how we’ll handle it for the next trip, tbh. His younger sister will be old enough to walk rather than use her stroller. I’m going to have to think about how to approach that one without making anyone feel less capable or stigmatized or left out. (DD included!)
ETA - I digressed and then forgot to finish my thought! Sorry. You might find that DAS pass is really needed the whole day, or maybe it’s just necessary in the afternoon when your BIL is starting to get tired, or maybe it’s not needed at all but a different accommodation is helpful.
As long as the need for the accommodation is real, I don’t think it’s abuse to use it on an as needed basis.
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What about one shared stroller “for anyone that needs it” and “to conserve energy”? Not make a big deal of allocating times, but you can try to subtly encourage DS to use it more often?
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Thanks for the input! It’s not a bad idea. The danger is that both kids will want to use it all. the. time. DD is perfectly capable of walking all day, but she’d rather be pushed or carried! I may go that route, but set limits on when it’s available for use and enforce turn taking - and try to set it up so that DS gets longer turns.
I have plenty of time to figure it out, though. We won’t be back in WDW until at least 2022.
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