Disney with a pet

[Cerridwen]

So this question is involved. I would really like to one day plan a Disney vacation for my roommate and I. I haven't been to Disney since my sister quit her position at Epcot over 20 years ago (she wanted to get married and raise children here in ohio where she grew up) and my roommate has never been anywhere or done anything but work minimum wage jobs (she was "raised" by an abusive, negligent alcoholic and has been raising her siblings since she was seven; we call her "Cinderella" because her childhood is so similar). Well now that she's free I'd like to take her to Disney one day when we can afford it. There are complications however. She has a dog, a chihuahua to be exact. This dog has never left my roommates side. My roommate has never been on a vacation; has few friends outside the internet therefore has had no reason to leave the house other than for work. My roommate is terrified of boarding her dog and even seriously limits her dogs interaction with other dogs for fear of the possibility her dog may be mauled to death. I've tested her dog and she's fine and friendly with other dogs her size and only a bit uneasy but curious with bigger dogs. The real problem is the dogs medical history. Her dog has a history of seizures and has only and always had her owner, my roommate, to help her recover from an episode. Therefore, boarding is out of the question. We have to take the dog with us on any vacation regardless of where it is. I have researched our options for a Disney vacation. I know none of the Disney resorts allow pets. I know there are boarding/daycare options for pets affiliated with Disney. My roommate seems impressed with the description of the Disney affiliated boarding facility and she is interested in the doggy daycare option as long as there is vet care on site. This leads to my first question. Does the "Best Friends Pet Care" affiliated with Disney World have veterinary capabilities on site or very nearby? My next question deals with dining options. I am a member of AAA and I know many of the Downtown Disney resort hotels which many are pet friendly are equipped to give room discounts to AAA members. My question is if I book a Downtown Disney resort hotel am I able to also purchase one of the dining plans as per a "Magic Your Way" vacation option? Or are the Downtown Disney hotels not affiliated with the "Magic Your Way" vacation packaging option? And my third question is, do the Downtown Disney hotels also have the benefit of any purchased Disney World merchandise being delivered to their rooms? The complimentary shuttle option at these hotels is a big help, but these other options would really seal the deal for us having any hope of one day booking a trip to Disney. Any information is greatly appreciated! I know I wrote a lot. Thank you for reading the whole thing!

 

[wilkeliza]

So this question is involved. I would really like to one day plan a Disney vacation for my roommate and I. I haven't been to Disney since my sister quit her position at Epcot over 20 years ago (she wanted to get married and raise children here in ohio where she grew up) and my roommate has never been anywhere or done anything but work minimum wage jobs (she was "raised" by an abusive, negligent alcoholic and has been raising her siblings since she was seven; we call her "Cinderella" because her childhood is so similar). Well now that she's free I'd like to take her to Disney one day when we can afford it. There are complications however. She has a dog, a chihuahua to be exact. This dog has never left my roommates side. My roommate has never been on a vacation; has few friends outside the internet therefore has had no reason to leave the house other than for work. My roommate is terrified of boarding her dog and even seriously limits her dogs interaction with other dogs for fear of the possibility her dog may be mauled to death. I've tested her dog and she's fine and friendly with other dogs her size and only a bit uneasy but curious with bigger dogs. The real problem is the dogs medical history. Her dog has a history of seizures and has only and always had her owner, my roommate, to help her recover from an episode. Therefore, boarding is out of the question. We have to take the dog with us on any vacation regardless of where it is. I have researched our options for a Disney vacation. I know none of the Disney resorts allow pets. I know there are boarding/daycare options for pets affiliated with Disney. My roommate seems impressed with the description of the Disney affiliated boarding facility and she is interested in the doggy daycare option as long as there is vet care on site. This leads to my first question. Does the "Best Friends Pet Care" affiliated with Disney World have veterinary capabilities on site or very nearby? My next question deals with dining options. I am a member of AAA and I know many of the Downtown Disney resort hotels which many are pet friendly are equipped to give room discounts to AAA members. My question is if I book a Downtown Disney resort hotel am I able to also purchase one of the dining plans as per a "Magic Your Way" vacation option? Or are the Downtown Disney hotels not affiliated with the "Magic Your Way" vacation packaging option? And my third question is, do the Downtown Disney hotels also have the benefit of any purchased Disney World merchandise being delivered to their rooms? The complimentary shuttle option at these hotels is a big help, but these other options would really seal the deal for us having any hope of one day booking a trip to Disney. Any information is greatly appreciated! I know I wrote a lot. Thank you for reading the whole thing!

1. Not sure about vet care at Best Friends. My friend sends her dog to doggy daycare and watches his on their webcam when she is bored and has a minute at work (not often since she's a nurse).

2. Downtown Disney resorts are not affiliated with Disney so have no perks such as dinning plan, booking fast passes early or extra magic hours.

3. Disney does not send packages to DTD area hotels. The service is only available to Disney owned hotels.

Final note before a dog can stay at Best Friends it has to go through a temperament test given by their handlers. It is possible since the little dog is constantly attached to the owner it may get turned down. Be prepared for that if it isn't often around other dogs and is fearful of strangers or anything like that. It could ruin the plans if the dog isn't accepted by best friends.

 

[HopperFan]

- PP covered the DTD hotels, no benefits.
- Which DTD hotels are you finding are pet friendly?
- Best Friends FAQ states if the animal becomes sick they will call you then direct you to a nearby animal hospital.
- I understand the boarding issue, took us a few bad places, years of one family member always staying home until we found a great pet resort. Since you have time to plan, maybe you can find a resort by your home or someone trusted who will come in and dog sit.

 

[wilkeliza]

If the dog has serzuries it must have a vet. Does your friend not trust her vet to board? It isn't the best option but would probably be the safest since they would know the dog's medicinal issues.

We have a dog sitter come to our place but we are thinking of boarding the puppy since he can be a handful.

 

[Cerridwen]

Thank you for all the responses so far! We love our vet but they don't offer boarding. My roommate isn't interested in trying boarding. She's too scared Sissy will die while she's away from her. What can I say. She's a worrier and tends to let the worst case scenario go from 0 to 180 in her head. I've seen Sissy around other dogs as well as my own cat and cockatiel. She's a chihuahua so she's a bit territorial with food and her owner, but otherwise very loveable and attaches easily to other people who give her positive attention. She has abuse history with men so she warms up to women faster. Basically as long as she's out of the house off her property she's an absolute sweetheart and in her territory she barks but she's never bitten. She's had very little training though. My roommates family refused to be consistent with her attempts to train her. Despite that my roommate has done remarkably well with her. Honestly I think my roommate just tends to be scared of anything she doesn't have experience with (understandable) and/or has always been surrounded by abusive types making all her experiences bad ones. "Operation Rescue Cinderella And Her Little Dog Too" commenced only a year ago where I moved her from upstate New York to Ohio far away from her abusers. She's slowly realizing not everyone is an a**hole and she's calmed down quite a bit since then. My hope is by the time we can afford this vacation she'll have had enough better experiences that she'll be open to other options. Right now she doesn't trust my family enough to watch Sissy let alone a pet resort and her social anxiety disorder isn't allowing her to make friends outside her close knit internet circle other than me. Her internet friends have been with her for 20 years so they're good friends but they're all very long distance. So it's either Sissy comes with us (with or without doggy day care) or we don't go on any vacations ever.

Oh and in my hunt, I found Best Western Resort in Downtown Disney has shuttle service to the parks and allows pets...among others. Best Western also gives a discount to AAA members.

 

[livndisney]

Lake buena Vista Best Western does not accept pets per their home page. Certified service animals only.

 

[Cerridwen]

Ah! That's where I was confused! In hotels.com I clicked lake Buena vista downtown disney area and filtered for pet friendly and non-smoking. Listed was best western premier Saratoga villas, but that is in Kissimee not downtown disney...hence my confusion. However, this hotel does still offer complimentary shuttle service to Epcot and surrounding areas. As long as I can get complimentary shuttle service to one of the parks I'm fine. I don't want to drive once I'm there. All this info is so confusing and everything is more complicated with a dog involved. I'm not used to compensating for a dog on all vacations, but she refuses to consider even vet boarding. If it's not her helicopter parenting Sissy it's not good enough at this point and I can't really blame her given both their history with abuse and Sissy's medical history. Sissy just recently got her hysterectomy and as far as I know has not had a seizure since making me wonder if going into heat was her trigger. That said, if the lack of seizure threat persists long enough boarding may yet return as a viable option. Still, someone mentioned watching their pet on webcam. Can someone please explain the webcam specifics? My roommate is a techy type, spying on sissy 24/7 may open up the boarding option and sway her opinion a bit more.

 

[Elevationist]

I know this may seem like a ridiculous idea, but I'm going to throw it out there anyhow.

How about renting an RV and driving down, and staying at Disney's Ft. Wilderness campground? She could bring Sissy, anywhere on the Disney property your roommate would be just a quick bus ride away from the RV, and you'd be able to do the Dining Plan and package delivery.

 

[Cerridwen]

I had considered that but my roommate has no drivers license so I'd be the only one driving. I have no experience with RVs. How expensive would that be to rent a nice RV and a spot to put it? Is hook up difficult? Would we have to cook all our meals or would we get complimentary breakfast at the lodge? Are the showers any good in RVs? Are there RVs with baths? My house is really old and the pipes do weird things. One thing I look forward to on vacations is a bathroom where I know everything is going to work properly. Plus both of us are, sorry for the TMI, IBS people. We need to know that bathroom is going to hold up. We've had our fair share of roughing it. I've hiked the Appalachian Mountains. Her family's last house was officially declared condemned after they moved in. But we're over 35 now and she has hip and sciatic issues (I call it her little old lady body). Will we still be able to be comfortable and feel Disney pampered/relaxed at the Wilderness campsite? I would consider renting an RV if people think it's a comfortable and affordable option.

 

[Cerridwen]

I just did some research and that is a viable though potentially more expensive option. The reason for the more expensive is that my roommate and I are not a couple and are not comfortable sharing a bed. We prefer our space. My roommate also snores like a trucker. On top of that due to abuse in the past she has a tendency toward insomnia so the slightest sound wakes her up. As such, she sleeps with ear plugs. She also sleeps with her eyes open, so she wears an eye mask. She also has a medical issue where she has to go to the bathroom often and her dog was never potty trained properly (we're working on that right now). The potty training wasn't my roommate's fault, she did her best. Her family refused to take the dog out when she was at work and would just give the dog treats whenever they felt like, so any training my roommate tried to do was rendered moot. Because of all these factors, the type of RV we'd need would have to be big enough to accommodate our space needs, my roommate would need a bathroom very close by with few obstructions (she pinballs her way to the bathroom most nights) and we would need to have a door between whatever space my roommate is sleeping in and the rest of the RV. The door limits the dog's unsupervised travel area while still giving her freedom to sleep with her mommy ("mommy" doesn't like the idea of a crate/kennel) and the door will muffle my roommate's snoring so I can get a decent night's sleep. Her snore is so loud ear plugs barely work for me and my roommate says she can't sleep on her side because it hurts her hip and sciatic. Needless to say the RVs that look to be the best bet for us at most places I looked at seem to be at least $2000 for a week with a $1000 deposit. It's up in the air whether this would be about even or more expensive than a pet friendly hotel in Kissimmee. My sister does have an RV, but I've never seen it to know if it has what we need. My sister also just recently parked the RV at a permanent site up in Michigan and in any case I doubt she would trust me with it even if it does meet our specifications. My sister still thinks I'm 4. The children (my nieces and nephews) get more respect than I do. For example, I was always taught never to interrupt an adult conversation. Well, the childrens conversation automatically takes precedence over any conversation I'm trying to have with a fellow adult within the family. My sister would be far more likely to allow the 8 year old to borrow her RV than me any day. Any suggestions? Is there perhaps a way to "jimmy rig" a temporary door between the "master suite" area of an RV and the rest?

 

[SimbaLover]

You can rent an RV from a place in Orlando and they will bring it and set it up for you. Many have a master bedroom, the living/kitchen area separate and then a bunkhouse or another sleeping area in the back. Our master bedroom has a regular door and the back room has a sliding glass door although most have regular doors. Bathrooms are smaller than regular ones of course but they're fine. There's comfort stations too that has showers and toilets. Check out the camping board here and they can give you tons of advice on rvs and fort wilderness.

It is so sweet of you to want to do this for her.

 

[chartle]

Just note the campground is not attached to Wilderness Lodge. Also no Disney property has complemtery breakfast.

Also renting an RV and booking a site at Fort Wliderness is not cheap. Its more than a room at a moderate.

And depending on the RV, the cost approches the cost of a cabin. But note no pets in a cabin.

 

[Carirae]

Just a suggestion since there seems to be so many moving pieces with this vacation and I think you said she has never been on vacation -- maybe try a more local mini vacation first? It sounds like she could have a hard time enjoying herself if she has the pup at a daycare and is fretting about her all day. I know it would use up some of your long term funds for a Disney vacation, but what if being away from her dog for a long day causes so much stress that she decides she can't do it after a day, despite already purchasing tickets etc? Or maybe not an actual vacation, but find a local dog daycare for her to practice leaving the pup at for a few hours here and there so it's not such a big deal when it happens in Disney? Best Friends is a chain and you might have a local one nearby (of course, the Disney one is about the cutest I've ever seen! ). Or look for reviews of local day cares on Yelp and Facebook and then ask to tour the facility before using for the dog. It's so nice of you to want to plan a magical trip with your roommate, but there seem to be so many little complications that I'm worried one or both of you will come out of the trip feeling disappointed.

 

[kwdw]

Just a suggestion since there seems to be so many moving pieces with this vacation and I think you said she has never been on vacation -- maybe try a more local mini vacation first? It sounds like she could have a hard time enjoying herself if she has the pup at a daycare and is fretting about her all day. I know it would use up some of your long term funds for a Disney vacation, but what if being away from her dog for a long day causes so much stress that she decides she can't do it after a day, despite already purchasing tickets etc? Or maybe not an actual vacation, but find a local dog daycare for her to practice leaving the pup at for a few hours here and there so it's not such a big deal when it happens in Disney? Best Friends is a chain and you might have a local one nearby (of course, the Disney one is about the cutest I've ever seen! ). Or look for reviews of local day cares on Yelp and Facebook and then ask to tour the facility before using for the dog. It's so nice of you to want to plan a magical trip with your roommate, but there seem to be so many little complications that I'm worried one or both of you will come out of the trip feeling disappointed.

OP - I really like this idea. Maybe try a one night adventure close to home first. Pick a pet friendly hotel, but arrange doggy day care at your destination for during the day. You might pick a "suite style" hotel room so each of you can have your own bedroom (Residence Inn comes to mind, but there are likely other options). You've got ALOT of pieces to deal with - the dog, your friend's issues, and just experiencing traveling together at all. Give it a try. If it goes WELL - maybe have phase two that for one week at home - the dog goes to doggy care day close to home while you to have your normal lives - just dropping off and picking up the dog from day care. WORK UP to a Disney trip in little pieces.

I had a dog and I hated boarding him. But as the owner - I personally had to learn what I was comfortable with for dog care in my absence. But I also knew I had to live my life and the world isn't totally dog friendly. I wasn't going to not travel for the life of my dog. So - on some trips - he went along and they were pet-friendly adventures. Other trips I boarded him. Some trips I could leave him with family (sounds like not an option for you). Couple of trips he could be left in a hotel room for a few hours and that's all I needed (I had checked with hotel first!). This was long enough ago that doggy day cares weren't common - or I probably would have opted for that a few times. So - your friend needs to figure this out, too. And she isn't going to unless she tries something.

 

[chartle]

Dup

 

[GPC0321]

I think it's so great that you want to do this for your roommate.
I can relate in many ways to her situation. I'm single and have three horses and three dogs (and two cats, but they're pretty self-sufficient "barn cats"). I have a really hard time leaving my critters behind to go anywhere on vacation. I have to find someone I trust and is capable of taking care of the horses. These aren't typical horses either, they all have "special needs" in some respect, and I'm very particular about their feeding and care. The three dogs are an ancient 102 pound, grumpy doberman mix who is full of arthritis and pretty much impossible to load into a vehicle to take anywhere these days, a friendly 5-year old Aussie, and a mostly friendly 1-year old (though sometimes a bit shy) Boxer/Pit/Lab mix. This last dog has become like a "child" to me, I've raised him from a 4-week old pup, and I'm very attached to him (and he to me).
But you know what? It's been a LONG time since I've been on a real vacation. Between the money it takes to care for all these guys, and the difficulty in getting them cared for when I'm gone, I just haven't been able to swing it. But dang it! I'm GOING to WDW in March! I'm getting friends (with a horse-crazy teenage daughter) to look after the horses and the ancient grumpy dog, and I'm sending the other two dogs to be boarded at a local pet resort where a friend of mine works.
It'd be really great for your roomie to experience letting her sweet dog be boarded out, come home, and find out the dog did great and is just fine. That would be so liberating for her when she realizes that she doesn't have to worry so much.
If you could convince her to take the dog to a daycare or something similar so she could have a positive experience letting the dog be out from under her for the day, and then maybe board the dog out just one night so she could experience that and see that everything will be fine.
There are no guarantees with animals, that's just a fact, but odds are the dog will not only be just fine, she may actually enjoy her boarding experience.
What put my mind at ease was when I asked my friend that works at the pet resort about boarding and she said about my dogs: "Oh, they'll have FUN there!"
Hey, it's like their own little vacation!

Good luck to you. It'd be so wonderful for your roommate to get to go to Disney and leave her cares behind for awhile to experience the magic.

 

[littleblackegg]

I know this may seem like a ridiculous idea, but I'm going to throw it out there anyhow.

How about renting an RV and driving down, and staying at Disney's Ft. Wilderness campground? She could bring Sissy, anywhere on the Disney property your roommate would be just a quick bus ride away from the RV, and you'd be able to do the Dining Plan and package delivery.

My friends tried this. You can't leave a dog in the RV unless he/she is completely silent and doesn't alert anybody. If Disney catches you leaving an animal at the campsite they will call you back and insist the animal be supervised or boarded. I personally thought the dog would be fine in the RV with food and water and AC, but this is apparently a no go. I was surprised too!

 

[North of Mouse]

My friends tried this. You can't leave a dog in the RV unless he/she is completely silent and doesn't alert anybody. If Disney catches you leaving an animal at the campsite they will call you back and insist the animal be supervised or boarded. I personally thought the dog would be fine in the RV with food and water and AC, but this is apparently a no go. I was surprised too!

They 'are' fine left in an AC RV 'if' they are not a nuisance to others. They must be taught basic manners, and not be barking when left alone.

Why would you be surprised - no one wants to be camped next to a barking dog all day. Some people like to have a quiet day at their campsite in Fort Wilderness.

Saw on another thread that you were annoyed by loud voices at a Disney hotel, so surely you can understand why a dog cannot be allowed to remain in an RV barking and disturbing others.

 

[Bete]

I have a different idea. Change your destination to Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tn. First, it's one park and it's not a monster park. If you go in the summer you can enjoy the water park, too. They have a park kennel there and you can visit your dog any time you want to while you are there. Dollywood is much more reasonable in cost than Disney. There are plenty of pet friendly hotels near by; they are reasonable in cost. We like the La Quinta on Emert.

Then, you have the Smokies to enjoy, as well. Cade's Cove is a wonderful 13 mile car loop. You can take the dog with you to the Smokies. It's free to go to this National Park.

If this works out then you can plan for Disney in the future when your friend is more at ease after this experience.

 

[chartle]

Posting this just in case the OP comes back.

My sister does have an RV, but I've never seen it to know if it has what we need.

Borrowing and pulling an RV is whole other issue probably much bigger than whats been posted. When people here say "rent an RV at WDW" they mean rent from a company that delivers it directly to your site (that you also have to pay for), sets it up and then takes it back when your trip is over. They don't mean rent and pull an RV to WDW.

If its a trailer type RV you need a vehicle large enough to pull it (unlikely unless you drive a truck or larger SUV) , a proper trailer hitch and possibly trailer brake wiring. A motor home is a possibility but besides the greater cost in renting one, driving down will cost a ton in gas or diesel and you will need to be confident enough to drive a "big rig".

Good Luck