Trial Run for Dogs in Resort Rooms

[dansdad]

2. There have been multiple reports that dog friendly rooms will NOT be limited to specific sections of these resorts but rather certain booking categories. As we all know, it is possible to have a garden view room beside a pool view room etc.

That was the original plan until the huge backlash that took them by surprise. Now they will be in one area of each resort.

 

[robinb]

Do you think 20 dogs in a DOG FRIENDLY RESORT out of 3000 guests at said Resort is a large number?!

The “20” is ridiculously low, don’t you think? I should have written 100 to make it a tad more realistic? I’m not trying to make fun of these numbers here either.

By the way, my kids love dogs. LOVE! But that doesn’t mean, I want my two year old passing a Doberman I don’t know, to reach a restaurant, pathway, etc.

I don't know how many rooms will be dog friendly, but I do know that the probability of TWENTY of them congregating in one place and blocking the entrance to a food court so your family has to might come too close enough to be licked is ridiculously LOW.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

That was the original plan until the huge backlash that took them by surprise. Now they will be in one area of each resort.

There was a report from a guest that spoke to someone at the Yacht Club or the executive team just this morning. They clearly stated that dogs friendly rooms will be bookable in Garden, Pool, Water etc....the only category no included was Standard. It was not a specific block or area of rooms.

 

[dansdad]

There was a report from a guest that spoke to someone at the Yacht Club or the executive team just this morning. They clearly stated that dogs friendly rooms will be bookable in Garden, Pool, Water etc....the only category no included was Standard. It was not a specific block or area of rooms.

They were given incorrect information.

 

[robinb]

There was a report from a guest that spoke to someone at the Yacht Club or the executive team just this morning. They clearly stated that dogs friendly rooms will be bookable in Garden, Pool, Water etc....the only category no included was Standard. It was not a specific block or area of rooms.

That doesn't mean that they don't have a dog friendly sub-block within those booking categories.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

They were given incorrect information.

According to you. So now we've entered a he said/she said situation. I will believe that dogs are limited to specific blocks when Disney officially confirms that in their policies.

 

[MellyBeans]

What about Mousekeeping staff? I have a pretty well behaved dog, but no way would I want to leave him alone in a room and let mousekeeping wander in. Too much liablility. What if they let him lose accidentally? What if he jumped up on them and did something stupid? (I mean, he wouldn't... that's not his temperament, but he's an animal and you just never know.) I sort of hate this for the staff too. The people that do this for a living, day in and out, their daily grind.

 

[Dis703]

That was the original plan until the huge backlash that took them by surprise. Now they will be in one area of each resort.

I really hope this will be the case. I've been in touch with a guest services rep over the past few days over concerns at POR and they haven't shared that info with me as of yet. Last I spoke with her the only dog free buildings were preferred and Royal. It will be a huge relief if that has changed.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I know, it sounds like a lot, but it really isn’t, given the size of the resorts and the number of guests, and everyone showing up with the same 1-2 hours for meals...

I understand, that as a responsible dog owner, you wouldn’t want your dog next to other unknown dogs, and away from you for extended periods of time, but not every dog owner has your same concerns I think.

I really don't have experience as my resort stay was just different than I think is the norm so I'm just asking but is it really that everyone shows up for every meal within a 1-2hrs time period at the resorts?

I could concede the possibility that every dog owner who has a dog with them due to this new policy could show up at the same exact time frame and I understand the concern over that but I'm thinking that, respectfully, that's probably a low chance but heck we're both just expressing our opinions.

I realize that for some one dog is one too many but as we were speaking in regards to a decent amount of them at once blocking access that's where I was coming from.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Does anyone know if Disney plans to make dog friendly rooms a bookable category with a set limit, just as they do for their other room categories?

 

[Dis703]

Exactly. I wouldn't doubt this would be in the works given the response they have received but until it's in black and white print somewhere

What about Mousekeeping staff? I have a pretty well behaved dog, but no way would I want to leave him alone in a room and let mousekeeping wander in. Too much liablility. What if they let him lose accidentally? What if he jumped up on them and did something stupid? (I mean, he wouldn't... that's not his temperament, but he's an animal and you just never know.) I sort of hate this for the staff too. The people that do this for a living, day in and out, their daily grind.

There was mention of a sign you can hang on the door to forewarn housekeeping that a dog is in the room, in which case I think they skip it? But considering how easy the Do Not Disturb signs can fall at most hotels I'm not sure it's the best way to warn them.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

Here is the quote from the other thread providing a very detailed account of a conversation that took place this morning.

Hi All. I wanted to share with you my experience speaking with a guest services Cast Member. We had a reservation for Yacht Club for three days at the end of an 8 day trip in early December. I sent an email to the Guest services Resort and reservation option. I expressed my concern with allergies, etc, in the email, and asked for it to be escalated to management at the Yacht Club for clarification of rules, rooms near dog, etc.

I received a call back later the same day, and was able to have my issues resolved fully and satisfactory. I was not pushy, and did not ask for anything except to be away from the dogs area, but the cast member offered to move our resort, so we excepted. When the Cast Member explained the situation at the Yacht Club that I was not going to be in anyway guaranteed a room away from dogs, it seemed logical to except the move, even though we were looking forward to being at Yacht Club for the location and Storm Along Bay. We had two dining reservations at Yachtsman and Cape May, two at Epcot Le Cellier and Tutto Italia and an Epcot tour in those three days, so it was impractical to move further away.

The reason the Cast Member could not guarantee me a room in the non dog section is because, according to her there is no non dog section of Yacht Club. This Cast Member told me that dogs can be assigned to any Garden View, Woods View, Water view or Pool view, so basically scattered around the resort. I was looking at the touring plans Yacht Club room finder map as she was explaining the categories to me, and I could pick a pool view room and look and see that it was a few doors down from a garden view. I asked her specifically about the rumor that rooms would be only on the first floor, and she stated that this was inaccurate. She also stated that the only rooms that were not pet friendly were the standard rooms, which she could have moved me to, but I would have the same issue with them being near by. So if I wanted an entirely dog free (except for service dogs) area, I would have to move resorts. The Cast Member offered to move me to Coronado Springs, since this is where my first 5 days were, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Wilderness Lodge, Beach Club or Boardwalk. We accepted Beach Club, when she reassured me that the dogs are not to be in the Beach Club side. Basically, the dogs need to be in the room or in the pet grass areas, and nowhere else. I asked about the pools, the walkways to Boardwalk, the Boardwalk itself, the beach area, the Beach Club side of the resort, restaurants, and she said that they were not to be in any of those areas, and guests who do bring their dogs there will be asked to leave, and guests can report this to a Cast Member if they see anything like this. This should also be explained explicitly at the resort to guests checking in with pets.

I cannot speak to the layouts at the other pet friendly resorts, because I was only inquiring about the Yacht Club and general area around this resort. The Cast Member I spoke to was very nice, and going out of her way to assist me. She suggested that anyone who had issues with this new policy to contact them, and reminded me that this was only a trial run, and that based on the feedback so far, many people are not happy about this policy. I hope this helps someone else. I never have complained formally to any Cast Member in the past three years we have been coming regularly. I've stayed over 40 nights at Disney resorts in three years, and have 20 more days planned for the next 8 months. I felt this issue warranted an explanation from Disney and I was pleased with the response.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Then don't stand that close to a leashed dog! It's really not that hard.

If it were only that easy.

Think about it, if a dog has jumped on me, or if I have been bit, then your assumption is that I was standing too close to a leashed dog? Because there is no such thing as an unleashed dog? Or an owner that just doesn't realize that people really don't want their dog jumping?

Sorry, but there are oblivious owners.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

What about Mousekeeping staff? I have a pretty well behaved dog, but no way would I want to leave him alone in a room and let mousekeeping wander in. Too much liablility. What if they let him lose accidentally? What if he jumped up on them and did something stupid? (I mean, he wouldn't... that's not his temperament, but he's an animal and you just never know.) I sort of hate this for the staff too. The people that do this for a living, day in and out, their daily grind.

It's been hard to keep up that's for sure but at least at one point I *think* it was that the dog owner would need to call for housekeeping themselves so they can be present (along with the door sign). I'm sorry if that's out of date information.

 

[oceanscape]

Everyone, please can we STOP comparing Disney's "Dog-Friendly" policy with that of the VAST majority of other pet-friendly hotels and resorts. As has been mentioned previously on this thread, virtually all other resorts/hotels that allow dogs/pets do NOT allow them to be left UNATTENDED IN THE ROOM FOR 7 HOURS like Disney is allowing. Universal, for example, COMPLETELY prohibits dogs being left in rooms alone. That has 2 impacts: (i) most people don't bother with utilizing the policy because they aren't going to sit in the room all day when there are theme parks to explore; and (ii) dogs aren't left crying/barking/in distress because their owners are there with them.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

Everyone, please can we STOP comparing Disney's "Dog-Friendly" policy with that of the VAST majority of other pet-friendly hotels and resorts. As has been mentioned previously on this thread, virtually all other resorts/hotels that allow dogs/pets do NOT allow them to be left UNATTENDED IN THE ROOM FOR 7 HOURS like Disney is allowing. Universal, for example, COMPLETELY prohibits dogs being left in rooms alone. That has 2 impacts: (i) most people don't bother with utilizing the policy because they aren't going to sit in the room all day when there are theme parks to explore; and (ii) dogs aren't left crying/barking/in distress because their owners are there with them.

Can I like this a million times over?

 

[robinb]

I have a question for the group. We've talked all about the responsibilities of dog owners at the resorts. Those responsibilities have largely been dismissed as invalid because of the possibility of a small sub-group of irresponsible dog owners and lax CMs.

What is the responsibility of people who have physical and emotional problems with dogs? I believe that they also have personal responsibility to avoid the source of their discomfort as much as they can since they are now aware there may be dogs in the vicinity.

 

[dansdad]

I really hope this will be the case. I've been in touch with a guest services rep over the past few days over concerns at POR and they haven't shared that info with me as of yet. Last I spoke with her the only dog free buildings were preferred and Royal. It will be a huge relief if that has changed.

According to Andre who runs portorleans.org and both Port Orleans FAQ threads here, who has actual contacts at POR, the original plan changed. Now the dog friendly rooms are only in building 24.
My source confirmed the same for YC, one area only.

 

[mikejs78]

The reality is Disney is going to test out dog friendly resorts for the next year. They may even decide to keep it permanently. I totally understand being upset for maybe a couple of hours (not including those with severe allergies or fear of dogs) but at some point it's best to adapt to the change or just not go at all. 4 out of 20+ hotels is hardly "going to the dogs". I just feel like if such trivial things would "ruin" my vacation then it would be time to reevaluate my priorities. Again, you can choose to be right or you can choose to be happy. If you aren't going to be happy seeing dogs at a dog friendly resort then stay somewhere else. I seriously don't understand *willingly* putting yourself in a situation where you are expecting to be upset or mad.

First, they may not keep the trial going a full year. They've changed course before.

Second, it's 4 out of 20 but that doesn't tell the whole story.

Take AoA. It's the only value resort that has rooms for 5 people. It's also, arguably the nicest.

POR - shares facilities with FQ so I'm counting them as one. Also the only moderate that sleeps 5, and the only moderate resort not under construction at the current time. So if you have a large family, or just want to stay in a moderate resort not under construction, you're out of luck.

YC - shares facilities with BC, so count them as one. Best pool in WDW. Limited choices if you want to stay near Epcot.

20+ hotels technically, but if you combine shared facilities, and take out DVC, you end up with 16 (inclusive of Fort Wilderness cabins). So that's 25% of the options, and some of the best options IMO, off the table for people who don't want to be around dogs.

For me, my favorite hotels on property are AoA, POR/FQ, YC/BC, Poly, and GF. So that's 3 of my 5 favorites taken, and the only two remaining are pricier.

 

[oceanscape]

According to Andre who runs portorleans.org and both Port Orleans FAQ threads here, who has actual contacts at POR, the original plan changed. Now the dog friendly rooms are only in building 24.
My source confirmed the same for YC, one area only.

Can you ask your source to speak with Exec team etc. to start getting this communicated to CMs? Everyone is being told differently.