Experiences at Dog-Friendly Disney Resorts

[natebenma]

I was not staying at the Yacht & Beach Club resort but paid a brief visit on Wednesday Oct 25. On my way into the back entrance of the Beach Club we spotted this member of a wedding party with a leash that matched the bridesmaid dresses

 

[sjs314]

Just returned from a stay at the YC 11/14-11/17 and only saw 1 small dog being walked near the back exit of the YC and our room over looked the quiet pool and we never heard any barking while out on the balcony.
Saw numerous service dogs at the parks.

 

[skyp4WDW]

Stopped in at WDW for a couple of days to check out the dog situation. I went to Ft Wilderness first and what I saw was so off-putting, I didn't go to see the others. There were dogs everywhere including the tent loops. I heard a lot of non-stop barking. The were numerous dog poops left in the grass and on the sidewalks (several with human steps on them and one with bike treads through the middle of it). Ft Wilderness has been ruined by this dog policy from what I have seen; I won't return while it remains a kennel instead of a resort.

 

[AngiTN]

Stopped in at WDW for a couple of days to check out the dog situation. I went to Ft Wilderness first and what I saw was so off-putting, I didn't go to see the others. There were dogs everywhere including the tent loops. I heard a lot of non-stop barking. The were numerous dog poops left in the grass and on the sidewalks (several with human steps on them and one with bike treads through the middle of it). Ft Wilderness has been ruined by this dog policy from what I have seen; I won't return while it remains a kennel instead of a resort.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but haven't there been dog friendly tent and camper loops since way before they opened up dog friendly resorts? So what you went to see is not new. Not to say what you saw wasn't accurate just it hasn't changed recently, it's been that way at FW. Or at least that's what I've always understood. Camping at FW has been dog friendly for a long time.

 

[skyp4WDW]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but haven't there been dog friendly tent and camper loops since way before they opened up dog friendly resorts? So what you went to see is not new. Not to say what you saw wasn't accurate just it hasn't changed recently, it's been that way at FW. Or at least that's what I've always understood. Camping at FW has been dog friendly for a long time.

I'll correct you. Dogs have NEVER been allowed in tent loops until now. (Imagine putting your tent up on the exact place where someone else let their dog pee and poop right before you arrived! Now if that doesn't give you pause...)

 

[Melissa Perez]

Stayed at BWV 11/14 - 11/19 saw 1 small dog being held at Screendoor General Store. Little pup didnt have a service jacket on so I assume spillover from YC but who knows. Agreed with others lots of service dogs in the parks this time around

 

[DavidHobart]

I'll correct you. Dogs have NEVER been allowed in tent loops until now. (Imagine putting your tent up on the exact place where someone else let their dog pee and poop right before you arrived! Now if that doesn't give you pause...)

Yup, until recently the two "tent or pop-up" loops were excluded from the dog friendly set of loops. However, all of the loops that were dog friendly (excluding many of the premium loops) had tent pads, so on the issue of "no dogs on tent pads," that was not the case in those loops--the "full hook up," "preferred," and a few of the premium sites.

 

[Lynne M]

Please see the first post for an update to the ground rules for this thread.

This thread is for posting your own experiences. Posts that are copied and pasted from social media will be removed.

 

[southjerseymom]

Here now. Told by Castmember at check in dogs allowed all resorts now. My jaw dropped. First day listened to dog bark in one of the Copper Ridge cabins for an hour before I left for park. No telling when the poor thing stopped.

 

[Nlfm432010]

I just returned from a stay at POR. I saw a person walking 2 medium sized dogs. As long as the dogs are well cared for I think it's a vey Disney inclusive practice.

 

[caliope]

We are at YC now. Checked in yesterday. We are staying CL and have a lagoon view. I’ve seen one service dog (wearing vest and tag that said “do not pet”) by the elevators on the CL floor. I’ve seen only one other very very small dog being walked on a leash on the brick patio area abutting the walkway to the boat dock. I couldn’t tell if this was a service dog. We’ve heard no barking. We are here until Wednesday. I’ll report back if I see (or hear) any others. So far, it’s been a non-issue for us.

 

[Stuarotra]

Well I witnessed something this evening at Yacht Club that was one of my concerns.

We have a lagoon view room and we were getting ready to watch the fireworks when we saw a lady with her dog on the front lawn without a leash.

When the fireworks started, the dog got stressed and took off running and barking after other guests walking on the walkway out front.

The owner was calling for the dog and chasing the dog but was unable to get control of her dog. They disappeared around the corner.

My only hope is this dog didn’t bite anyone as it was so stressed from the fireworks.

Had this dog been on a leash like the “contract” says, this would not have happened.

Disney can have all the rules in place but if someone is not a responsible owner they will think they are above those rules.

This was my concern from the beginning. I did call guest services and reported what we witnessed. Our neighbors were on their balcony and witnessed this as well. I am not sure if they called guest services or not.

Just imagine if that dog bit a small child because it was so stressed from the noise of the fireworks....

 

[caliope]

Well I witnessed something this evening at Yacht Club that was one of my concerns.

We have a lagoon view room and we were getting ready to watch the fireworks when we saw a lady with her dog on the front lawn without a leash.

When the fireworks started, the dog got stressed and took off running and barking after other guests walking on the walkway out front.

The owner was calling for the dog and chasing the dog but was unable to get control of her dog. They disappeared around the corner.

My only hope is this dog didn’t bite anyone as it was so stressed from the fireworks.

Had this dog been on a leash like the “contract” says, this would not have happened.

Disney can have all the rules in place but if someone is not a responsible owner they will think they are above those rules.

This was my concern from the beginning. I did call guest services and reported what we witnessed. Our neighbors were on their balcony and witnessed this as well. I am not sure if they called guest services or not.

Just imagine if that dog bit a small child because it was so stressed from the noise of the fireworks....

We’re also at YC in a lagoon view room but we were at Epcot last night so not watching fireworks from our room. Was this a relatively young (30ish) woman with long brown hair and a small dog? I’m asking because since my previous post on Sunday, I’ve seen a woman with a small dog in the lobby several times (not the same dog I saw before). However, she has had the dog on a leash when I’ve seen her. I noticed her because she walked right through a group of people in the lobby, oblivious to the fact that she was crossing through a conversation those folks were having. She seemed rather clueless. Her dog brings my total to 2 seen here at YC, plus the service dog which I’m not really counting because they were always allowed. What you observed is totally unacceptable and I definitely would have also reported it had I seen it. I hope others did as you did.

 

[Stuarotra]

We’re also at YC in a lagoon view room but we were at Epcot last night so not watching fireworks from our room. Was this a relatively young (30ish) woman with long brown hair and a small dog? I’m asking because since my previous post on Sunday, I’ve seen a woman with a small dog in the lobby several times (not the same dog I saw before). However, she has had the dog on a leash when I’ve seen her. I noticed her because she walked right through a group of people in the lobby, oblivious to the fact that she was crossing through a conversation those folks were having. She seemed rather clueless. Her dog brings my total to 2 seen here at YC, plus the service dog which I’m not really counting because they were always allowed. What you observed is totally unacceptable and I definitely would have also reported it had I seen it. I hope others did as you did.

Yes, it was a younger lady with long dark hair. The dog was not on a leash last night for sure, since we saw the dog chase after other guests. The fireworks spooked the dog and it took off. It was a small dog but it still went after people. They just told me they would address the situation. Who knows what that means...... oh well, I just hope the owner learned her lesson last night , but most irresponsible owners never learn their lesson........

 

[caliope]

Yes, it was a younger lady with long dark hair. The dog was not on a leash last night for sure, since we saw the dog chase after other guests. The fireworks spooked the dog and it took off. It was a small dog but it still went after people. They just told me they would address the situation. Who knows what that means...... oh well, I just hope the owner learned her lesson last night , but most irresponsible owners never learn their lesson........

I’m guessing it’s the same woman and dog since I really haven’t seen any others around. Perhaps she leashes inside (I’ve only seen her inside) and unleashes outside? Though that’s very careless and thoughtless considering what you observed and the fact that there are so many unpredictable variables outside (though one could argue she should’ve known about the impending fireworks...).

 

[china mom]

At Art of Animation on Sunday, eating off the table.

 

[duketennisgal]

Just back from 4 days at Yacht Club. I didn't see a single dog or hear any barking, to be honest, until I saw this thread I forgot that dogs were even allowed. I saw one service dog at Disney Springs and there was a giant pile of dog poop outside the World of Disney store, we weren't looking and almost stepped in it but a security guard stopped us from walking in it thankfully!

 

[MomtothreeEs]

I just spent the weekend at Art of Animation. We didn’t spend much time at the resort, but I didn’t notice any dogs. I did comment when I checked in that I didn’t want to be near any dogs, and the cast member who checked us in pointed out the specific building in each character section where she said were dog friendly. I only remember the Lightning McQueen section since that’s where we stayed. She told me the dog building is the one at the end with Sally and McQueen in front of it. She also encouraged me to contact customer relations with my concerns.

 

[bellefan7757]

I've been at POR since Saturday, (5 days), and have not seen any dogs. I was super upset about the new policy, but have had a good experience so far. At least for my next trip I will know, before making my reservation, which resorts are dog friendly. I have noticed way more dogs at the parks.

 

[mickeystoontown]

We were in a Little Mermaid room at Art of Animation November 17th through November 26th. We saw four or five dogs of all sizes during our stay. Most guests were walking their dogs along the pathway around the lake. All of the guests that we encountered with dogs had them on a leash and they were very well behaved (guest and their dog ). Building 9 must be one of the dog friendly buildings as I saw two different guests coming from their rooms with their dogs. We never saw any of the dogs in the check-in area, the food court, store, etc.

**Edited to add: I'm not sure if this had anything to do with the fact that Art of Animation is now a dog friendly resort or if it was just because it was a very busy time that we visited, but there were quite a few groundskeepers and maintenance/castmembers on the resort grounds during our stay. Not just trimming of the hedges, grass, etc. but actually pushing or carrying around containers/garbage cans around the resort grounds.