Registering for a Disneyland DAS: What You Need to Know

We are traveling from Florida to California in June for our first family visit to Disneyland Resort! Our son Noah, who is 25 years old and profoundly autistic, already qualifies for the Disability Access Service (DAS) pass at Walt Disney World Resort. As Annual Passholders, we renew his DAS annually. While the criteria for Disneyland DAS are identical to Walt Disney World’s, the approvals do not automatically transfer between coasts.

In-person Disneyland DAS registration

While Disneyland’s DAS registration process is very similar to Florida’s, there is one major difference. Guests can request the pass either online or in person at the Accessibility Services Kiosk. The kiosk is located in the promenade between Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure. Walt Disney World only allows requests through a live video chat.

We chose not to wait until our vacation to register. First, we don’t want to lose valuable park time. We’ll only be in Anaheim for three days, so standing in line to complete something we can handle from Florida didn’t make much sense.

Second, registering from home can help reduce stress. Noah was able to interact with the Cast Member from the comfort of home instead of in an unfamiliar environment. There will already be plenty of firsts on this trip, so we didn’t want to add unnecessary pressure.

That said, we do appreciate Disneyland offering the in-person option, and we’d absolutely use it in a pinch. We’re just much happier being able to handle it ahead of time.

Registering Online

To register online, you’ll first need to download the Disneyland app. Guests familiar with My Disney Experience will feel very comfortable navigating it. After logging in, search for “Disability Access Service” or “DAS.” The resulting page walks you through the process.

Once you’re ready to connect, click the link labeled “Speak with a Cast Member,” which appears after step three. From there, you’ll enter the chat system and answer a series of prompts before joining a virtual queue.

That queue ended up being the most difficult part of the process. At one point, we were disconnected and had to rejoin at the back of the line. Overall, the process took about an hour, so it’s important to plan accordingly before starting. This probably won’t be a quick five-minute task.

Once the Cast Member joined the call, things moved quickly. She was able to access Noah’s Walt Disney World DAS records, which were all that was needed for approval. She asked to briefly see Noah so she could take a photo, then approved his Disneyland DAS for the dates tied to our park tickets.

If you haven’t previously registered for DAS, you’ll need to explain your or your loved one’s disability and how it impacts park visits. Cast Members will ask a series of questions, and they will also want to interact with the guest requesting the accommodation. In our case, we explained Noah’s autism and how it affects his ability to experience the parks.

For more details on the process, I’ve also written an article covering a recent DAS renewal call. Since renewals are handled similarly to first-time requests, that information applies to both situations.

Final Thoughts

Obtaining a DAS for Disneyland or Walt Disney World is fairly straightforward if you already have approval for the other resort. I’m incredibly excited for our first trip to Disneyland and feel very confident that Noah will be able to enjoy the experience with the support of DAS.