First time taking dogs

[Cheers for ears]

Hello!
We have been to the fort many times, but this will be the first time taking our dogs. I know they used to have designated pet loops, but I read somewhere that’s no longer the case? Also, do we still get charged the extra fee for the dogs? How reliable is the power? We’ve never had a problem with the power there, but I also didn’t have to worry about keeping dogs cool. Thanks!

 

[proudmomof4]

Hello! There is an extra fee of $5 per night for campsites and $50 per night for cabins. That said, I have yet to be charged when I bring my dogs, and they know I have them as the folks at the drive through check in windows give snacks to the dogs when we check in. I had one lady say “I’m not gonna charge you the pet fee since your dogs haven’t barked at me at all.”

There have been power outages at the Fort before, I’ve just never been affected by them. For my coming trip, I decided to buy a cheap digital thermometer and use an old smart phone’s camera to pair it up with The Alfred Camera app. I should be able to use my current phone to check the old phone’s camera which will be aimed towards the thermometer. Then I’ll know if the temp is increasing inside the camper.

 

[Cheers for ears]

Thanks so much! I’ve been researching cameras and baby monitors so I can keep an eye on the pups from the parks.

 

[Cousin Ed C]

We spent a lot of the winter at the Fort. Last time we checked in they were going to charge for our dog ($450). I told the cast member that this was his tenth time there and never had we paid anything. He is always at the window greeting the check-in people. She had a manager come out and we were told next year we will have to pay. The dog before him paid the fee once out of nine years.
Our generator has an auto-start feature. I think they can be added to an existing set up for about $ 250.

 

[bama_ed]

We spent a lot of the winter at the Fort. Last time we checked in they were going to charge for our dog ($450). I told the cast member that this was his tenth time there and never had we paid anything. He is always at the window greeting the check-in people.

Cousin Ed C, does your dog have his own MagicBand? Put his name on your reservation and make sure he has a MB. That should solve the problem.

<jk>

Bama Ed

 

[friendofeeyore]

I don't think we have never paid for our dogs or cat. Of course the cat doesn't go outside ever.

 

[Stork]

...first time taking our dogs...used to have designated pet loops...no longer the case?
...still get charged the extra fee for the dogs?
...How reliable is the power?

...There is an extra fee of $5 per night for campsites and $50 per night for cabins. That said, I have yet to be charged when I bring my dogs....
There have been power outages at the Fort before, I’ve just never been affected by them....

Pet loops are history, although Disney could reinstate them I suppose. Might make collecting pet fees easier for them.

Apparently nightly charges are still on the books, but enforced arbitrarily. Never been charged before in the multiple times we've been. I can see Disney, being hard up for cash inflow, making a conscience effort to collect pet fees more earnestly to increase their income. Makes no sense for them to give away free money.

Never experienced a power outage at the Fort, but never been there when weather was severe enough to cause power failures.

Pet day care is available at Disney's Best Friends Pet Care on property and close by to FW.

If they must stay in your RV, check out TempStick remote temperature sensing. temperaturestick.com We use this on all our RV trips, including FL-AK. Needs wifi connection and then displays on a smartphone app.

Opinion alert...I'm not sure why ANY campground would charge for fur babies when there is NO added expense to the campground that I can see. I see it only as an attempt to deter and/or penalize owners for bringing them. (End of soapbox, apologies to the monitors.)

 

[Stork]

I don't think we have never paid for our dogs or cat. Of course the cat doesn't go outside ever.

Smart cat!

 

[KristinU]

For monitoring, if you happen to have an old Samsung Galaxy S4 or older lying around, you can use that for surveillance. For a few generations Samsung (and possibly others) had ambient temperature sensors - not super accurate because of the device's own temperature fluctuations, but good enough to be able to monitor RV temp after calibrating. We use a really basic app called Temperature Surveillance and it will text you if the power goes out or if the temp goes above or below your entered thresholds. You can also text it for a status and it will give you the current temp and power status. Super basic, but gets the job done!

Editing to add a link, since my response on this thread got me thinking about what my next step will be when my beloved little S4 solution bites the dust. I started googling around and found this review of a few options: https://blog.gopetfriendly.com/pet-...up-devices-that-keep-pets-safe-from-the-heat/

 

[StormyCA]

My 2 cents worth; I highly recommend Best Friends. I think their rates are reasonable and our Dachsie has always been happy to go off with the attendant and happy to see us at return. They open 1 hour before earliest park opening and close 1 hour after last park closing.

We can't leave our dog in the trailer cuz he's a yapper.

 

[5stljayhawks]

+ best friends. It does make you change closing time plans if you have to get pouch... but well worth it, great place, great staff.

 

[EeyoreJMH]

We're taking our dog, too, for his first visit in about two weeks! We can't wait! It's our first RV experience at the Fort (we've been in the cabins before). We'll be there for 13 days and originally we had planned to use the Doggy Day Camp at Best Friends for some of the days to give him some fun, but it appears that right now that is just for local residents (we're driving down from MA). They do have a day stay option for out-of-town visitors. This is what I was quoted for our stay:

Indoor - 4x8’ all indoor; 2 potty walks
$37/day or $44/night
Indoor/Outdoor - 4x4’ indoor + 4x8’ private outdoor cement patio; 1 potty walk
$40/day or $49/night
Vacation Villa - (8x9’ indoor bedroom + 3x8’ private outdoor cement patio; 1 potty walk & 1 playtime; flat screen TV and PetChatz)
$93/day or night
VIP Suites – (9x16’ indoor bedroom + 4x9’ private outdoor astroturf patio; 2 potty walks and 2 playtimes; flat screen TV and PetChatz)
$109/day or night

So now our plans are to use the pet trails and dog park and limit the time he's in his crate. We're also looking at some sort of camera to monitor him while we're out to ensure he's comfortable. We have an Arlo camera at the house and we were thinking of adding one for the trip that we can then use at home when we're back from vacation.

 

[StormyCA]

Indoor - 4x8’ all indoor; 2 potty walks
$37/day or $44/night

I'm pretty sure the rates you've quoted are the base daily fee. We're paying $38.00 total (includes tax) per day with the onsite rate + AAA discount. Of course we usually add a playtime and an extra potty so we'll end up paying more.

We're not going until next May but I like to book early.

 

[rajak73]

We've used Best Friends for ours the last 2 times down, very happy with them, he had a little trouble with some diarrhea the last time which they said isn't unusual, Best Friends called while we were in the park to okay a pumpkin treatment that they said helped. Very satisfied with Best Friends.

 

[friendofeeyore]

We love Best Friends & so do our pups. We have in our camper a camera called Canary. You can purchase them for Best Buy. It will alert you on your phone if the temp. is rising. Also a camera you can see inside the camper to check on who or what is in your camper. Also you can speak to your fur baby also.

 

[himandher818]

I've used Best Friends as well, and when we get another pup we plan to use them again.

Of course we usually add a playtime and an extra potty so we'll end up paying more.

Don't forget the Doggie Ice Cream

 

[KristinU]

For monitoring, if you happen to have an old Samsung Galaxy S4 or older lying around, you can use that for surveillance. For a few generations Samsung (and possibly others) had ambient temperature sensors - not super accurate because of the device's own temperature fluctuations, but good enough to be able to monitor RV temp after calibrating. We use a really basic app called Temperature Surveillance and it will text you if the power goes out or if the temp goes above or below your entered thresholds. You can also text it for a status and it will give you the current temp and power status. Super basic, but gets the job done!

Editing to add a link, since my response on this thread got me thinking about what my next step will be when my beloved little S4 solution bites the dust. I started googling around and found this review of a few options: https://blog.gopetfriendly.com/pet-...up-devices-that-keep-pets-safe-from-the-heat/

So, a follow up to my post about monitor solutions. I've been researching since that last post and I found a new setup that isn't on the list. I just tried it here at home (and walked down the block, LOL).

Again, this is good for anyone with a spare Android with service on it (or a couple/family where you're willing to leave one phone behind). We are a family of 3 but got a free 4th line several years ago, and we just keep it since we're grandfathered at a great rate plus that free line - so a cell phone solution is always my first choice.

Here's what I got:

• Ink Bird IBS-TH1 sensor off of Amazon for about $30
• Downloaded an app called Meazurem on my main phone
• Downloaded the companion Meazurem Gateway app on my spare phone

If you go to Meazurem.com there is a list of sensors that their app works with. I chose Ink Bird because of the price point and Amazon reviews. I got the one with the longer probe since it is a AAA battery instead of button batteries, just for convenience of replacement. The monitoring phone can be iOS or Android, but the Gateway phone has to be Android.

The Meazurem app does have a monthly fee, with a free trial so you can play with it...but you have to have a sensor to set up to play with. I decided $30 was worth the chance. Anyway, it looks like you can cancel and re-up at any time. The lowest level is $2.99 a month and checks your sensor as often as every 15 minutes. $4.99 a month to check every minute. You can set up alerts to email you, push through the app, or send you a text. Looks like you d need to buy "packs" of SMS messages, which is a lot like the Marcell setup.

So probably not a cheaper setup than the Marcell or Nimble if you don't have an Android phone to use as a Gateway already, but if you happen to have one like we do, this is a low-price way to keep tabs on the temperature, humidity, and power.

 

[nikkyluvsmickey]

We spent a lot of the winter at the Fort. Last time we checked in they were going to charge for our dog ($450). I told the cast member that this was his tenth time there and never had we paid anything. He is always at the window greeting the check-in people. She had a manager come out and we were told next year we will have to pay. The dog before him paid the fee once out of nine years.
Our generator has an auto-start feature. I think they can be added to an existing set up for about $ 250.

I am a little confused I thought when u check in you have to pay the fee upfront for your dog. If you do online check in then you wouldn’t have the pet occupied sign fir the door?

 

[loves to dive]

We didn't have any problems with the power but we do use a temp. monitor and camera if we leave the dog in the RV. We use these. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...d450a7e1663645b36250b164b5d4c2&language=en_US, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...507a1e4109f4fb49aeac5ba4a4ebca&language=en_US.
I noticed the camera is now unavailable but you could probably find another one like it. We just pull it up on our phone and can see the little devil (ummm darling) when we are away. The first time we used it, we found out she actually howls, we didn't even know she was capable. We never leave her alone for longer than 3 hours, usually around 2.

 

[sippican]

Our dogs love spending time at The Fort. Please be sure your pups are good camping neighbors before leaving them alone for extended times. Build return times into your schedule so the dogs get walks and meals. Or better yet, bring them to Best Friends for daycare so you don't need to worry about interrupting your park time. There is nothing worse than listening to poor pups barking or howling for hours on end, while their owners are enjoying the magic, blissfully unaware that their furbabies are miserable. For a couple of years, we left ours with a dogsitter, until we were confident they would be fine. We use Temp Stick to monitor internal RV temperatures. Be sure to bring plenty of potty bags, and clean up after them. To those who don't understand the extra charge, have you seen how many just leave the dog poop lying around? We love the dog walk path behind the 800 loop - you can actually walk from the 700 loop to 900. Have a great time!