First Time Vacationing with Dogs

[Aerodyne78]

We have a 100lb dog & we board him at Camp Bow Wow when needed. He gets doggie daycare during the day with other dogs his size, and then he gets his own private sleeping quarters. They also give the dogs a break or two during the day so they're not constantly worked up playing. Years ago with our other dogs (that have since passed away), we used Pet Paradise. We have also used the vet when one of our other dogs had a heart condition, and we wanted him to be monitored more closely. Just my two-cents, but I would feel more comfortable leaving him at a facility that they're already familiar with, with employees that are also familiar with them rather than with the folks at the Disney Kennel. Nothing against the Disney Kennel, but I don't trust the other vacationers that are bringing in their dogs that may not have the proper vaccinations.

 

[gillep]

We are totally not social butterflies, to put it lightly. =oP I work from home, so I'm basically half hermit. My husband and I aren't very normal, to say the least, since we do keep to ourselves. And my husband doesn't hate the boarding place, he just hates the fact that we aren't home with our dogs, and are instead out of town. The place is wonderful, and know our dogs by name and are super friendly.

I'm surprised there hasn't been even one comment of someone saying they actually take their dog to Disney World. I almost feel bad now for even thinking of it, to be honest. I just thought it would be nice to have the doggies with us. I also didn't realize the dog-friendlyness was a trial run (although I did read it in another post, I didn't really grasp it). I didn't find the initial dog FAQs in my first quick-look on the forums, but will keep looking.

I understand how you feel, I hate leaving my dog, it is the worst part of any trip by far. We live thousands of miles from any of our family, and I work from home, so my dog is very used to just hanging out with me all day. That said, DH and I love to travel so we have no choice but to figure out a solution. For years we boarded our dog and loved the facilities we have used over the years. This is also one of the reasons I wouldn't bring my dog to Disney and use Best Friends even though they get great reviews, I don't know them and they don't know my dog, I always felt it was better for him to be somewhere familiar with people who knew him and his crazy ways.

This year we actually switched from boarding to a pet sitter. I did a lot of leg work and interviewed many people. I found a husband-wife team who do this as their job, so not something that they do on the side, this is their business that they take very seriously. They use and app that alerts me once they complete a service and I can see if he ate, went potty, got to play, etc. they can also send me personalized notes and pictures. I was terrified the first time we left him with them, I almost canceled the trip about 15 times. We have now used them about a half a dozen times and both DH and I agree that he seems to be so much more comfortable when we come back.

Don't feel bad about considering this, even though my husband is comfortable with our pet sitting situation he still sometimes suggests bringing our dog places, but we both agree that not bringing him is the safest and most comfortable situation for him that we can provide. Some people travel extensively with their dogs and enjoy it, it just sounds like you have no idea what all goes into traveling with dogs which is something that you need to be fully prepared for before you commit to 16 days, especially some place like WDW.

If you are still concerned about leaving them, may I suggest a shorter trip? We LOVE WDW and vacation there multiple times a year, but I personally could not do 16 days, I know that others love it, but that just would not work for me.

 

[Mom loves Disney]

I guess I'm one of the few who has brought their dog to Disney. We stayed at the Yacht Club, last December, with our beagle. We were a party of 5 and we adjusted our vacation patterns to allow for the dog to be alone only 3 hours at a time. He has never been boarded and we also don't have family willing to watch him.

We have a trip planned this December with him at Fort Wilderness Cabins. I feel this will be a better fit for both of us. He will not have people walking right past the door and can be walked more places than at the Yacht Club.

I will say, it will be hard for a person who hasn't been to Disney before, to understand the travel logistics of going back and forth to the kennel. So keep that in mind.

Good luck with your decision. The right answer will be different for every family.

 

[Sue M]

As someone who has had to travel with my dog (multiple multi state moves) and stay in hotels, I have found nothing about it that is pleasurable or relaxing. I don't know how far you have to drive, but make sure your dogs are good with that, mine thankfully is great and just sleeps, but he can still only go for so long. Plus, you have to pick places to eat where you can either eat in the car with the dog or in shifts, and you have to go to the bathroom in shifts so that you aren't leaving the dogs alone in the car which makes trips take, or at least feel, considerably longer.

My dog is great in the hotel too, and will sleep through fireworks and such, but not all dogs do. Even with him being fantastic it still isn't a place he is used to and he would cry a little at night and generally be a bit more restless than usual due to all of the noises and scents, it is not relaxing for him and it is not relaxing for me. I also really worry about hotel rooms and have to keep my eye on him the whole time, people drop things and it takes just a second for my scent hound to find anything someone may have dropped, and he can get under beds, and I absolutely cannot unless in the most dire of circumstances.

If you do this I would do a lot of test runs, Disney for 16 days is 100% not the place to try traveling with your dogs for the first time.

Very true. I always do a once over when I get my room and one time found a pill on the bathroom floor by the sinks.

We are totally not social butterflies, to put it lightly. =oP I work from home, so I'm basically half hermit. My husband and I aren't very normal, to say the least, since we do keep to ourselves. And my husband doesn't hate the boarding place, he just hates the fact that we aren't home with our dogs, and are instead out of town. The place is wonderful, and know our dogs by name and are super friendly.

I'm surprised there hasn't been even one comment of someone saying they actually take their dog to Disney World. I almost feel bad now for even thinking of it, to be honest. I just thought it would be nice to have the doggies with us. I also didn't realize the dog-friendlyness was a trial run (although I did read it in another post, I didn't really grasp it). I didn't find the initial dog FAQs in my first quick-look on the forums, but will keep looking.

First welcome to Dis! Most people are just trying to explain how large WDW is, and for a first trip it may not be the ideal situation for your dogs going between unfamiliar hotel room and boarding kennel for day care. And as someone mentioned, hugely expensive. We aren’t trying to make you feel bad at all.
You really have no idea of the scope of WDW. You can’t walk from AoA to Best Friends, it’s nowhere near AoA.
Most of us don’t live anywhere near WDW and require a flight to get there, so not many people bring their dogs! We live on the west coast so I’m not flying my dogs in. Florida and WDW isn’t my husbands thing so he stays home with the dogs!
I would suggest doing more research about WDW, look at maps to get an idea of the shear size of it. And maybe making a shorter first trip without dogs to see if a long trip there with dogs is feasible. We’ve taken our dogs on vacay with us, but WDW isn’t really the type of trip I’d take dogs on.

 

[AnnaLuC]

I know it’s not the same as staying on property but have you considered an Airbnb? We stayed in a cute townhouse with a private yard about 3 miles away a few years ago. It might be worth it to keep hubby’s spirts up and save some worry. I know how hard it is to leave fur children behind. I hope you are able to find a perfect solution and enjoy your time.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I was thinking we could walk them to the facility, I guess.

Disney strongly discouraged walking between most locations. They don't provide sidewalks, for starters.

And neither of you have any friends? Or colleagues? Nobody you can trust other than a boarding facility which your husband apparently hates?

Fifteen months allows plenty of time to find the right pet sitter

How are your dogs with loud noises like fireworks, lightening ( fl has a lot of afternoon storms )

Far fewer lightning events in November than between June and September.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Are your dogs crate trained? How do they react to strange noises?

If you do bring your dogs, I would work on training.

We have two dogs - a 10.5 year old Cocker Spaniel & a 7 month old Rhodesian Ridgeback. As we got the Cocker Spaniel when we were much younger (21/23) and naive - we didn't train well enough to handle the separation anxiety well or curb random barking. He can never self settle in the car. He reacts badly to thunderstorms and fireworks. At this point we know we probably aren't going to fix those issues. I would never travel with him.

Our Rhodesian is another story. We've been working on training since we got him. Earned his AKC Star Puppy, Trick Novice so far and we are working on Canine Good Citizen and Trick Intermediate. (The Tricks are to mentally stimulate and tire the dog, especially on rainy Florida days where he can't go play outside) He also knows to go to his crate or bed if he wants to relax/nap without command and when we do command to crate/bed, he listens. We've also taken him out in strange environments to ensure that he knows how to behave in those strange settings. He doesn't react to fireworks or other loud surprises.

I know we could travel with our Rhodesian without issue. He would be fine in the crate while we were out of the room if we didn't have him at a daycare setting. After our Cocker Spaniel passes, our Rhodesian will probably join me on my short weekend trips to Disney as I know he can handle it and we are rarely out of the room for more than 4 to 5 hours.

 

[unrequited23]

We have no experience bringing our dog to Disney, but we have a dog and have gone to Disney. Our reliable pet sitters (both sets of grandparents) came with us on our last trip. We used rover.com to find a pet sitter who would watch our dog in THEIR house that had no young kids or other pets. Our dog is anxious around 'stranger dogs' and prefers grown ups. We had a very good experience and our pet sitter sent us pics and updates nearly every day. The cost was a little less than boarding and the situation was so much more enjoyable for our dog.

 

[FSU Girl]

I took my dog to Universal when I was a teenager with my family. He always went on trips with us and had a great time. I think it's totally doable and since you'll be seeing the dog during parts of your trip way nicer than boarding them at a local kennel for your length of stay. I'm not a fan of boarding and only doing it when absolutely necessary. I'd much rather travel with my pets. My dog went all over the country with us, he was a little dog, but loved all the adventures. I'm not sure if Art of Animation would be cheaper than Port Orleans Riverside, since I believe the dog friendly rooms are the suites. Have a fun trip!

 

[ssei7802]

Rover.com, take pet to an approved home for them to watch, they do daily walks and send you pictures. Have used them for several years, never a problem. Also, like other person said, cheaper than boarding where they place them in a cage.

 

[VAfamily1998]

I would recommend checking out the cabins at Fort Wilderness if you do decide to bring your dogs. Each cabin is it's own separate building, so you won't be sharing walls with other rooms. Also, the campground is very large and has a dog park, so more room for your dogs to actually run around.
Also, since you mentioned budget, the cabins have a kitchen, and a grill on the deck. You could save money by preparing a few meals/snacks in your room

 

[verleniahall]

chiming in as a military spouse who has moved several times - taking a pet out of its comfort zone like that can be stressful on the animal itself.

I would talk with you hubby and truely consider boarding your fur babies or getting a pet sitter.

We were on vacation to Disney for 2 weeks last year and my dad drove to our house every other day to check on our kitty and my mom would take picutres and send to us. We were able to enjoy our vacation knowing that she was safe, taken care of, and enjoying play time with grandpa (who spoils her rotten - gave her tons of treats, canned food, milk, etc...)

Talk with your vet since you said you were happy with them - maybe try weekend boarding for a bit- you do have time to get your Dh used to it a little better than to do it all at once.

You don't want your first disney trip to be running around back and forth the whole time - its alot larger than you realize.

Also -if you are planning to do a package with dining plan - you can only book a max of 14 nights if you are from the USA

 

[Hoodie]

You mention that you've been to Disneyland, but not the World. Disneyland is MUCH easier to get around as almost everything is walkable. Pretty much nothing is walkable at the World. To give you an idea of the scope: Best Friends is about 4-5 miles away from Art of Animation. Magic Kingdom and Animal kingdom are about 7 miles apart. You can't just walk from one park to the other like at Disneyland.

This jumped out to me: Their behavior at this time is 'super excite-able'. I know you are planning on training, but super excitable dogs should not be at Disney. Keep in mind that it is not only just the odd smells and people, but there are fireworks every night and you DO hear them in your room. At this time it just sounds like a miserable trip for them.

 

[SharonZ]

You are going to be spending a huge chunk of the day away from them, leaving them in a strange place. This could make the whole trip stressful for you and your dogs. I would board them at home (where they are used to the facility), and enjoy your trip

 

[LVSWL]

It probably would be more cost effective to leave our dogs in a local kennel. Where we do currently board if we need to, they get multiple play groups during the day with camera access. We are driving to Disney World, since I think it would just be easier. I guess one thing I didn't think of would be the travel from the resort to Best Friends, since I just assumed they were pretty much a part of Disney and super nearby (which I guess they kind of are, but still requires at least a ten minute car ride). I was thinking we could walk them to the facility, I guess. I don't really mind the driving and parking, but would mind if it took more than an hour to drive to Best Friends and then park in the morning, since I would rather be at the parks a little before or right as they open. I've only ever been to Disneyland (sans car and dog) and that was in 2012, so I really have no idea what I'm getting into once I actually get into the resort and Florida.

Sadly, we don't have any family that would be willing to house-sit (my parents aren't great pet owners), and I have major trust issues on letting a random stranger into my home as far as hiring someone to house-sit.

My most major obstacle is my husband. He hates putting our dogs in the kennel for even just two nights. And he's a giant butt-head, and could possibly greatly dampen my spirits to enjoy myself. I'm sure he doesn't mean to, but he still does it. Often. Haha.

But I do appreciate the feedback! I should have looked up the commute before-hand. This is coming from someone who booked a hotel 2 hours away from a destination in previous years.

Are you comfortable with the people at your veterinary practice? Many times the employees there pet sit/house sit to supplement their income. It is a win win because you already know them, they already know your pets and they would be more aware if your pet had a health issue. Hope you find the best solution for you.

 

[lanejudy]

I was thinking we could walk them to the facility, I guess.

Disneyland is very walk-able, everywhere; Walt Disney World not so much. It's 40 square miles. Of course, you aren't usually traveling 40 miles to get from one place to another, but still a distance of a few miles between locations. Very few sidewalks and along busy roadways. Best Friends is a few miles away from AoA; I believe you can walk to it from POR resort, though.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[pigletto]

Huge animal lover here, in fact, I fully intend to foster rescue dogs in a few years. I currently have two Labrador Retrievers. I work from home and I am with them all day. I am not comfortable with any old place to send them. My dogs are too social to be in a run for hours and hours at a boarding facility. My one dog hated it even though it was the most highly rated facility in the area.He was so stressed when I picked him up, and had worn the skin off a spot on his nose trying to get out of his run. They were lovely people, it had all five star reviews, but it just wasn't for us.
Ideally we could get someone to come stay here at home with them, but I don't have anyone who could come for over a week. We found a woman and her husband who are both vet techs and they take them in their home. I am telling you, these people are worth their weight in gold, and I will pay them whatever they charge because good care for my animals is a critical part of my vacation. If I brought them, nobody would be happy. They are absolute fools in new situations.. it's actually comical to think about how badly it would go. Just.. NO.
I highly recommend asking around at your vet. Guaranteed everyone who works there uses someone for their own dogs and will give you a solid recommendation.

 

[sponica]

I don't live close enough to WDW to bring my dog. And even if I did, I wouldn't because she's intensely anxious. But if I did have a mellow dog and lived closer and wanted to have dog on vacation with me in Orlando, I'd look at a pet friendly rental offsite or the cabins. I just think you'd need privacy and space. My concern as a dog owner is rarely about my own dog, it's other people's dogs...and more accurately the human at the end of the leash. The people who let their dog 10 feet ahead of them, while they're on the phone and whatnot.

The logistics of a first time WDW vacation are intimidating enough, I wouldn't want to add in planning dog logistics.

 

[jarestel]

OP, just so you know, most of the past threads on pets at WDW have been closed due to people arguing about whether one should bring pets to WDW. Since you already know that you'd like to try this and since Disney currently allows it, you should give it a try and see how it works out. If you do it, please report back here and let us know how it worked out for you. Have a great trip!

 

[stace1214]

You're going to have a great vacation, what ever you decide to do. If you begin to lean more towards vacationing without your dogs, I highly recommend looking into rover.com. I have found several wonderful people that I can leave my dog with when we go away. It's so much better than a typical boarding facility. Good luck!!