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Planning a Walt Disney World Resort vacation can be so overwhelming that professional travel agents call the process “insane”, even for the average Disney Park visitor — but for some Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort Guests, being approved or denied for Disney’s Disability Access Services can make or break their Disney vacation. One Disney Guest was recently denied access to Disney’s disability services, and almost paid a serious price for it!’
Disney’s Disability Access Services supposedly do not require proof of disability or doctor’s notes, et cetera, for Disney Park Guests to be approved for the service — but regardless of this fact, one unhappy Disney Guest has explained in a post online that they ended up facing a medical emergency because Disney Guest Services was allegedly lax in attending to their medical needs.
Disabled Disney Guests can contact Guest Services and Disney’s Disability Access Services in advance to pre-register for their Disability Access Services Pass before their Disney vacation in Disneyland or in the four Disney World theme parks (the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, EPCOT, and Hollywood Studios). Credit: Disney
While visiting Disneyland Resort, a guest who goes by “DisneyAddict2021” on Reddit revealed that they were denied the DAS Pass and actually passed out in a Disney ride line.
The Guest had apparently tried to pre-register for the Disability Access Services Pass beforehand, but “the cast member was so rude and condescending and denied [them] the DAS”.
The Guest was forced to head to their Disneyland vacation without any DAS assistance, and reportedly “ended up passing out in line to Soarin’ and [being] just generally miserable while standing and waiting in lines because [they were] afraid [that they would] pass out again.”
“I get nauseous, dizzy, sweaty, and then start to lose my vision, and eventually pass out if I don’t lay down in time,” the Guest explained. “It can happen after standing for 5 minutes, 15 minutes, or even 60 minutes…there is no set time. I just never know when it’ll happen”.
“Sometimes the heat will make it worse,” the Guest added. “Sometimes I have to lay down for less than a minute or sometimes 10-15 minutes for the whole dizzy spell to go away and for my eyesight to return. I was close to passing out again while standing in the haunted mansion line”.
The Haunted Mansion can be found in the Magic Kingdom. Credit: Disney
On this particular Haunted Mansion occasion, the Guest was apparently “dizzy, but managed to get out of line and lay down.”
“A cast member who saw me laying down by the train station in New Orleans Square came to check on me, got my water bottle from my bag for me and made sure I was okay,” the Guest continued. “She told me I should definitely qualify and she’s sorry I was feeling so queasy and nauseated and that they rejected me.”
Disney staff have often been praised for their diligence in this department and their consideration of Guests’ feelings — for example, during this epilepsy emergency that was brought on by the Magic Kingdom fireworks that entertain viewers during the nighttime spectacular — so hearing about this Disney DAS situation is certainly unusual!
Judging by this Disneyland Guest’s Reddit post, however, it sounds like at least one Cast Member did demonstrate empathy and apologize on behalf of Disneyland.
Curiously enough, it seems like the struggle to preregister for DAS was not repeated at Walt Disney World Resort. The same Guest “had no problem getting it for Disney World” and Disney World’s DAS employees were “so nice and kind”, allowing the Disney Guest to explore the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, EPCOT, and Hollywood Studios safely.
Have you ever gotten a DAS Pass in Disneyland or Disney World? Did you notice a difference in the way that you were treated in terms of Guest Services and guest relations?
