Hi Sarah! Welcome back to planDisney!
Are you SO excited to visit the Walt Disney World Resort soon?! You should be! I just returned from a visit to my happy place and the magic was very much alive. You will have the BEST time!
I have traveled with friends that used a
Disability Access Service (DAS) pass and am happy to help answer your questions! You will want to stop by a Guest Relations location when you arrive at the first theme park you are visiting and it will be valid for your whole vacation, so you only need to set it up once. As you mentioned, everyone in your party needs to be present so you can be added to the pass. You do not all need to ride attractions together, but the main person with the
disability will need to ride to use the return time. When you return to the attraction at your designated return time, the person with the DAS Pass will scan in first, followed by the rest of your party that is riding. Visit the link I included above for DAS pass which includes even more details about how it all works!
I hope this helps clear up the process a bit, Sarah! Please let us know if you have any other questions.
Tabitha