counting down to pet friendly trip

[millie]

We are going to Universal for the first time to celebrate our son's high school graduation. We have been to Disney a few times so I thought that he would want to go there again but he and his sister (20) want to take the dog (80 pound golden doodle) so we are driving from Philly on June 11.

We are taking our time with the drive - stopping 2 nights on both the way there and back. It has taken a lot of planning but it is amazing how many pet friendly venues there are out there.

Our first night will be in Charleston, SC where we will be taking a pet friendly walking ghost tour. Our next night will be in St. Augustine where our dog is welcome on a harbor cruise and all of the beaches are pet friendly as well.

Once we get to Universal (PBH - 4 nights) we will put the dog in doggie day care each morning and pick him up each evening so that he can spend the night with us and we can walk him in the morning. The staff at PBH was very helpful in recommending the day care and arranging an in room pet sitter for our first night there.

We will never leave the dog alone in the room so evening meals may be a challenge. We are planning a sit down lunch each day in the parks.

When I started planning Harry Potter World was not on my horizon so I am one of those people who think we may have lucked out big time - perhaps fewer crowds and a chance to see HPW. We are checking out June 17.

Everyone we know thinks that we are nuts but I see it as an interesting adventure. Plus we will be visiting places and doing things that we would have missed if we were not taking the dog.

Wish us luck!

 

[christophfam]

We stayed at RPR last December with our 80lb boxer and our border collie mix. They did great although the elevators totally freaked them out! I wish we would have taken the stairs!! We did leave them in the room by themselves at times and they were perfectly fine. All of our stuff and their stuff was there so they knew we weren't going anywhere long. We hung out in the hall to see if they would wine or bark when we left which they didn't. They are used to being left at home during the day and the different place didn't seem to bother them so maybe you can sneak away for a dinner or two.

I look forward to reading your trip report and I hope you enjoy my hometown on your way down.

 

[tink1957]

This should be good.

I did not realize they allowed big dogs, I thought it was only for small animals. I would take my dog, Chewy but he's too anti-social to anyone except family & would probably spend all day barking.

 

[millie]

Christophfam,

We are very excited to visit Charleston. We usually fly or drive straight through to Orlando so visiting new places is making this trip really different.

Our Disney trips have been very commando style so we are all looking forward to a slower pace that bringing the dog pretty much necesitates. I might not even have considered going to Universal if it wasn't for the fact that we could bring the dog but now we are all very excited about both parks. Some of the rides sound amazing.

I am very much concerned about not having the dog bother other guests which is why we have planned not to leave him alone but we will see how it goes.

 

[yakadi]

Your pet friendly trip sounds wonderful!! How great!! I have a little Simon and he would bark his head if I left him alone with people walking down hallways so I understand your fears ~ maybe your dogs will be good enough for you to have at least one evening dinner. Looking forward to reading your trip report and seeing pics of the fur babies!!

 

[disnic75]

What are your trip dates? I can't wait to hear about your experience.

I am planning a vacation to stay at the Royal Pacific in October and will be bringing my precious pup. DH and I could not bear a week away from her

There just isn't much info about pet friendly activities and areas from what I can see. I found one pic of the dog walk area. Can't really tell how big it is.

Any pictures and info you can share will be greatly appreciated.