It’s summertime and California is open. Disneyland Park and Disney’s California Adventure opened at 25% capacity in May to state residents only. Limited reservations were available at first, and luckily, planning ahead a couple of months, my boyfriend and I reserved 4th of July weekend to drive down from the Bay Area. We spent one day in each park.
As of June 15th, a few weeks before our visit, the state officially opened post-COVID, and Disneyland was able to increase capacity to 100%. It didn’t feel like it was at 100% though, not yet, and speaking with several “cast” members throughout the parks, it is not as full as years pre-COVID.
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“You can see the pavement now, compared to this time in 2019,” one cast member told us on the 4th at the kiosk by the Haunted Mansion in New Orleans Square. “It’s a historic time now.”
Several other staff members told us it was slowly back to business but not nearly as busy. Everyone working there seemed happy and honestly, relaxed! I’m sure they were happy to be back to work (full timers have stock options and pretty good benefits, we learned), for one thing, after a rocky year last year.
Lines were long in some cases, but not that long. 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes for the general line.
This summer could be a great time for you to go. Here I’ll compare the first day in California Adventure without a DAS pass, and why I decided to ask for one the second day to control risks with my blood sugar (and I needed it).
The DAS (Disability Access Service) pass, also known as the Disney disability pass – now fully digitalized and linked to your ticket – is available to Disney’s guests with a disability (including non-apparent disabilities) who may be endangered or not able to enjoy the park to the fullest without the ability to reserve a time for rides, avoiding long lines.
It also allows anyone in the same party to use DAS access as long as the primary person with the disability (you or your child for example) is present, up to 6 people total per group.
I read discussions in my Type 1 Diabetes groups about DAS, and also heard some debate about the ethics. Most T1D’s understand conceptually why a pass would help reduce anxiety and reduce risk of hyperglycemia/unstable blood sugar – but if you don’t take insulin daily (or are newly diagnosed) and don’t fully understand how it works in your body, combined with lots of walking (we walked 32,000 steps/day), heat you may not be used to, and the inability to get out of some lines if you needed to in an emergency (even with snacks, supplies), you may get a surprise low blood sugar. Or, you may decide to reduce your insulin to avoid going low, but then, like me the first day in California Adventure, stay high for several hours (200-300) and have other related issues.
Day 1: No DAS. California Adventure – July 3, 2021
We stood in the general lines for all rides: Grizzly River Run (reminder you can get soaked by the geyser!), Soarin’ Around the World (so much fun, had to go twice – replaced Soarin’ Over California), Guardians of the Galaxy (old Twilight Zone Tower of Terror), and my favorite, Toy Story Mania (also had to go twice).
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For breakfast, I took fewer short acting insulin units than I normally would, anticipating the amount of walking we’d do. However, I underestimated too much and shot above 200, where I hovered between 200-300 for the afternoon and had to take a couple of breaks to wait for it to come down. Not a bad way to spend the day, relaxing in the Spanish Mission Lounge (full bar and nice small plates menu) and the Sonoma Terrace Beer Garden, but also not great for my energy levels and mood at times.
Reminder: California Adventure serves alcohol everywhere, where Disneyland does not. Alcohol might have contributed to my blood sugar fluctuation as well (one beer and two Moscow Mules), but hey, that is part of the package on vacation.
In the afternoon my Dexcom gave the “Expiring in 6 hours” warning. Yikes. I knew it would likely end sometime over the weekend, but did not anticipate it was expiring at that exact moment. At least I’d make it most of the day.
The longest line in California Adventure was around 40 minutes for Radiator Springs Racers car racing in the red rocks at the end of the night. My Dexcom sensor expired while I was in line around 8:15 pm. I was at 150 when it expired. I had some insulin on board without a way to check my blood sugar but at least I had snacks with me (applesauce packets and a Kind bar).
Back in the hotel, after checking with my manual meter, I put a new Dexcom sensor on for the next day.
Bottom line: I got through the day without a DAS pass and had a great time. I still did all the rides I wanted because capacity was lower than usual. I waited 15-30 minutes on average, up to 40 minutes for some rides. We relaxed at the beer garden and bar lounge for a few hours. But my diabetes was on my mind throughout the day. Between high blood sugar in the first half of the day, my Dexcom sensor expiring in the evening, and generally navigating the new concept of insulin on board, walking thousands of steps, in Disneyland for the first time since being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 2019, it was a little nerve wracking.
I also know that I deserve to advocate for myself to reduce risks like low blood sugar emergencies that are legitimate for people with insulin-dependence.
Day 2: Obtained DAS pass for Type 1 Diabetes. Disneyland Park – July 4, 2021
Why did I decide to inquire and ultimately get the DAS pass at Disneyland last weekend? I wanted to reduce my anxiety and risk of a low blood sugar emergency in an environment that may not have an easy exit (like the line tunnels of Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Indiana Jones, new Star Wars ride and the likes).
After utilizing my Type 1 Diabetes network and researching general information on Disneyland’s website, including calling Guest Relations a week ahead of our trip – here was my approach to getting a DAS card.
Spoiler: It worked in minutes and saved us stress, anxiety, and risk of a blood sugar emergency. It also saved energy, time and fatigue that otherwise would have been spent standing in line (potentially exacerbated by heat, blood sugar issues, etc).
1. Go to Guest Relations after you enter either park. Enter Disneyland Park on the left (two entrances, left or right tunnel under the railroad, once you’re past ticketing). Guest Relations is just before City Hall on the left. During our visit a kiosk was set up outside rather than inside. In California Adventure, Guest Relations is at the Chamber of Commerce on Buena Vista Street.
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2. Let anyone you speak to know you are inquiring about “DAS accommodations”. Using the lingo helps show you did some research and will help them understand what you need.
3. Prepare what you want to say about your need for DAS. Talking about health conditions and disability can be emotional for some people. I wanted to be succinct and state the problem I needed to solve with DAS due to my Type 1 Diabetes.
Disclose enough information for them to understand and assess DAS for you; however, you don’t need medical documentation or to overshare. In fact, I didn’t say I had Type 1 Diabetes at all because I wasn’t sure if the person I spoke with would understand what that means. Instead I simply said:
“I take insulin and can have unexpected low blood sugar.”
I also said I called ahead of time inquiring about DAS and on the phone; I was told medical documentation wouldn’t be required (true – illegal for them to ask).
The cast member who helped us didn’t ask any questions other than whether it was my first time with DAS (yes). I was prepared to show her my insulin pen if needed but it wasn’t necessary.
4. She approved DAS within a minute and added DAS status digitally to my ticket and my boyfriend’s ticket. Everyone in your party up to 5 additional guests (6 total) can be included in DAS as long as you are all there and ride together. Guest Relations will help you make your first reservation time at the ride of your choice. From there, you can make additional reservations at any information kiosk (one at a time). Ask for a map if they don’t give you one with the locations circled.
5. Go to your ride at the assigned time (Note: we did not have any trouble going earlier than the time given) and let them know you have a DAS reservation. They may ask you if taking steps are ok (steps were ok for me) and will direct you to the FastPass path. Note: FastPass is not open currently the way it was pre-COVID. Inquire separately about wheelchair access if needed.
6. Relax with less stress, anxiety, time and energy, and of course, enjoy your ride! Plan to make your next reservation after finishing the ride at any of the information kiosks (keep the map they give you). The cast members managing rides cannot make a reservation for you at another ride.
7. If you are tech-savvy, monitor the line times using the Disneyland app and maximize your day! In general I was slightly annoyed by the Disneyland app, such as requiring mobile food orders like the Dole whip frozen dessert at the Enchanted Tiki Room – we could not get ordering to work on the app and gave up – But it was worth downloading to research ride times and use some of the map features.
Even without the DAS pass, in the evening while everyone in Disneyland was waiting for fireworks to start, we were taking multiple rides on Splash Mountain (around 9:00 pm) and there was absolutely no one. And we got to see the fireworks. Pretty awesome. It wouldn’t have been that empty at 9:00 pm in years past.
This summer might be the perfect time for you and your family to visit Disneyland, with reduced capacity in the park and with the ability to have better blood sugar control via the DAS pass. Stay safe and cool, T1D’s.
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