Here's her review - hope it's helpful!
My husband and I brought out 13 year old, 70lb dog to Port Orleans Riverside for 8 nights on a family trip in January, 2026. It was a last minute pivot since our dog is in her twilight years and we didn't feel comfortable leaving her.
Check-in: We arrived by car. My husband stayed in the car with the dog while I checked in. I paid the additional $50 dog fee while there - it was not charged in advance. We got a welcome bag with Pluto on it, with a food bowl, food mat, poo bags, as well as a special door sign. They didn't ask for vaccine records but we had copies if asked.
Room/Area: We got a first floor room, 8023, in Acadia House. While dogs are allowed on all the paths at the resort, we mostly kept her away from Ol' Man Island and the dining hall, yet there was still so much to explore. The lawn behind our room had a special can for dog poo and extra poo bags available. The room itself was a great size for her and there was no carpet which I appreciated. (We didn't have an accident but if we did, it'd be easier to clean!)
Daily service: We decided to keep the special "Room Occupied" sign on the door all the time. This meant no service for 8 nights. We did ask for clean towels from housekeeping twice. Other than having to make our own bed, I didn't miss service. The one time we needed trash taken, we left it outside the door (neatly in a closed bag). We could have arranged service during our afternoon walk but chose not to. We left a nice cash tip when we left because our dog sheds a lot.
Other guests: Lots of people at Riverside had dogs and everyone was very respectful during walks. We saw people walking their dogs mostly early morning and afternoon. The family in the room next to ours was friendly and enjoyed meeting our dog, but I would have kept our distance if asked! Every dog I saw was safely on leash and well supervised.
Room rules: Dogs are not allowed on the furniture. We brought her dog bed from home. We also brought a throw blanket for our bed, so in case she did jump on the bed she wouldn't dirty the sheets. However, the bed was quite high and this wasn't really a problem. Dogs also are not allowed to be alone for more than 7hrs. I'm not sure how they actually monitor this, but we adhered to it without trouble. They offer doggy daycare across the road if you wanna max park time. However, at 13yrs, our dog is not up to long hours of socializing with other dogs. If you do want to use daycare, I'd imagine you'd need a car for drop off/pick up.
Walks: We walked her in the morning before heading to the parks. My family took turns walking her in the afternoon. We got an extra room key card so my dad and brother could access the room. Her afternoon walk was usually 2pm. We scheduled our Lightning Lanes to max out mornings so afternoons were more flexible anyway. It wasn't too burdensome, as normally someone wanted to go back to the resort for a rest/the pool. Then we'd walk her again either once or twice in the evening, depending on if we had a late park night or not. For example, one evening we walked her before heading to Disney Springs, another day it was later after fireworks. The breaks in the day mostly happened naturally.
Overall: We've traveled everywhere with our dog, from the Grand Canyon to Boston to Vancouver. I commend Riverside for being truly dog-friendly. As the owners of a 50lb + dog, it can be hard to find hotels without weight restrictions. However, the resort is not dog friendly to the detriment of other guests or staff. Since we have an older, more "difficult" dog, I found the rules reasonable and helpful to create a safe environment for all guests/dogs. She loved chasing rabbits and squirrels, loved the lush grass, and friendly staff. We'd definitely stay there again with a pet.
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