I wish Disney had dog friendly accommodations!

[jade1]

I haven't got a problem with Disney building a separate, totally pet-accommodating hotel. That means there is a choice for those who don't want to stay at one, which would not be the case if they made sections of the current resorts pet-accommodating. However, if it gets overrun with pet owners clamoring to stay there - they might just have to build another one.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

If my dad had been able to bring his dog on vacation he would have been so worried about the dog being lonely that he would have stayed in the room with the dog all day. Kind of defeating the purpose of a family vacation.

I haven't got a problem with Disney building a separate, totally pet-accommodating hotel. That means there is a choice for those who don't want to stay at one, which would not be the case if they made sections of the current resorts pet-accommodating. However, if it gets overrun with pet owners clamoring to stay there - they might just have to build another one.

I think that's the only way Disney could ever allow pets. I don't think it would work to have part of a resort pet-friendly. I think it would be too easy for guests to skirt the rules (or flat-out ignore them), not declaring the pets at check-in, and the like. Then they could pretend to be in the pet-friendly section, using the pet areas, but not paying the fees associated with them. Then the next family comes into the room and there's a mystery stain on the carpet and Disney can't prove the previous occupants had an unauthorized pet and are stuck paying the bill for the clean-up. Even though I know there are plenty of responsible pet-owners, there are plenty of irresponsible ones, too.

I can't imagine it would be much fun for an animal to be cooped up in a 260-400 sf room for hours on end, in unfamiliar surroundings, with lots of noise going on around them all day. However, I'm a cat person and my cats prefer to be left alone in the peace and quiet!

 

[jade1]

I can't imagine it would be much fun for an animal to be cooped up in a 260-400 sf room for hours on end, in unfamiliar surroundings, with lots of noise going on around them all day. !

Pretty sure the kennel at WDW is closer to 4 by 6 feet and much noisier.

 

[Mikey'swife]

As someone with allergies I would hope that if this ever happens it is a separate resort. Staying in a room that had previously had a dog would ruin my entire trip, I usually do not need allergy medication so I do not always have some on me.

I do have to agree that it seems like the dog would be miserable if the owner was in the parks most of the day and I really do not see the point of going to disney to sit in the room to entertain a pet.

 

[c3363]

[/QUOTE] I can't imagine it would be much fun for an animal to be cooped up in a 260-400 sf room for hours on end, in unfamiliar surroundings, with lots of noise going on around them all day. However, I'm a cat person and my cats prefer to be left alone in the peace and quiet![/QUOTE]

Here is the dilemma: There are many places where people can stay on property and not have to deal with pets but there is nowhere for guests to stay who have pets with them. Pets are forced to stay in a kennel which has substandard employees and grossly misrepresents their accommodations. Many people would not be satisfied to leave their pet in a tiny wire and steel cage with 2 minutes of stepping outside the door to pee per day. If you want to see some miserable pets, go visit the standard suites at Best Friends Pet Care.

Like others have said, some people don't have family or friends to care for their pets while they are away. Dogs need several walks per day. In rural areas, you will not find people willing to travel 30 minutes to your home 3-4 times per day. Plus, some people don't want strangers (dog walkers) in their house while they aren't home and/or aren't comfortable leaving their pet for long lengths of time. When you adopt or purchase a pet, you take responsibility for that animal. The responsibility doesn't end just because you decide to go on vacation. For a dog owner, taking time out of the day to visit and walk the dog is a way of life, not an inconvenience.

I guess I just don't see what the big deal is about having a pet in a designated pet room at one resort. If people don't want to be around dogs, that's fine, don't book that building or request a different room if they place you there. Nobody is forcing you to pet them or approach them. Most dog owners are not going to barge into your room with their dog, barge into a restaurant, let their dog jump into the pool or charge you on the sidewalk. If they do, confront the person or put in a complaint like you would with any other issue.

Hotels can easily cut costs on damage and cleanup by using vinyl or laminate flooring in the designated rooms. They can require that dogs be crated when guests are not in the room. They can provide alarm clocks with white noise options for guests staying in the pet friendly area in case a dog is barking.

A dog staying in a room that isn't pet friendly would be easily discovered. It would only take one visit from housekeeping or one bark. I doubt that many owners would take that risk if there was a fine in place for breaking the rule. People with allergies would definitely want to request a non-pet-friendly room. I have severe allergies to certain common foods. Can I be guaranteed that no one ever ate or spilled these foods in the room? Can I be guaranteed that any remnants have been thoroughly cleaned so as not to cross-contaminate? No. I have to take that risk when booking a room.

I personally don't see how a dog is more bothersome than a screaming infant or a rowdy adult. How is the room any messier or more stain covered than one which was previously occupied by a family with young children who often spill drinks and food and have accidents all over? As for the flea issue, most owners treat their dogs or use a preventative. Very few don't. If this is an issue, dogs could be checked for fleas upon check in and one dose of preventative would eliminate them before they even enter the room. IMHO saying that most dogs will bring in fleas is like saying most humans will bring lice into the room. Should hotels check for that too LOL.

I'm sure many of us have already stayed in a room that was previously occupied by a pet and never knew it. Guide dogs are allowed on property and do stay in the resorts with their owners.

 

[Deb & Bill]

People complain now if they get a handicap accessible room that they did not request. If some of the rooms at a resort were pet accessible, how could you guarantee that someone who did not request the pet accessible room would not get it?

Lots of people don't think the rules apply to them and, therefore, do not need to follow them.

 

[Sammie]

Some of these comments are just ridiculous.

I am neither for or against a pet friendly hotel at Disney World.

As to fleas, oh please. No one that travels with their pet is going to have one that has fleas. You are more likely to get bed bugs.

As to allergens etc. Most pet owners carry the fur and such on them whether they have the pet with them or not, so that comment is again, ridiculous. Most people are allergic to the actual pet not leftover hair.

I have no desire to bring my pet with me to WDW, due to time constaints but I can assure you she is better behaved than most children I see lately and most adults.

It is one thing to not be in favor of something, it's something totally different to be ridiculous in the reason

 

[Lillian Gracey]

I don't see how this would work at WDW because of these reasons:

The dog needs to go to the bathroom. Are you going to keep it cooped up in the room for hours and hours and let it pee and poop all over the room? It is just unsanitary. I surely wouldn't want to clean that up when I don't have to. The dog doesn't have a set bathroom schedule, no one does, so it's not like you can go back to the hotel at noon to let them out and then again at like six.

The dog needs to eat/drink. Do you just leave a bowl of food and water for it to drink or do you give it food at a certain time of day?

How well your dog behaves. Is your dog known for chewing on pillows/furniture, scratching furniture, being hyper, barking uncontrollably, etc. I would hate to be sleeping/going to sleep and then hear a dog barking because they are happy to see their family return from a long day at the park, they see something outside that causes them to bark or they hear a knock on a door. Do they try to run up to people? That could definitely pose as a problem. People have allergies or have a fear of dogs. It also depends on how well the owner can control their dog. What if they see another dog and try to run up to it or try to fight another dog?

I think it would be very inconvenient to bring a pet because if you are going to be out at the parks all day, they are going to be cooped up in the room all day. It's also inconvenient to have to keep checking in on them. Which means taking time out of being at the parks, DTD, BB/TL, Mini golf, etc. to go back to the hotel to make sure the dog is doing ok. I love my dog and want to make sure she is ok, but I'm going to WDW to be at WDW, not to be a dog sitter. An option is having someone in the room at all times to keep an eye on the dog to make sure they get their food/water, take them out to go to the bathroom, give them some exercise by playing outside and making sure they don't ruin anything in the room. I'm sure that would be tons of fun.

There is also mousekeeping. How are they going to clean the room if they have a dog in the way? What if they open the door and the dog just runs on out the door? I'm sure it would be difficult to clean rooms if a pet is there.

Honestly, I do not see this working at WDW. This also goes for cats as well. As much as I love my dog, I would feel like I'm torturing her if she is alone in the room for 10+ hours a day while my family and I are out having fun at the parks. I have never been to a pet-friendly hotel so I can't say I have had positive or negative experiences, but this is just my two cents.

 

[LilyWDW]

As to fleas, oh please. No one that travels with their pet is going to have one that has fleas. You are more likely to get bed bugs.

I will say it again... I KNOW someone who takes their dog everywhere, including when they travel and into pet hotels. Their dogs have HAD fleas multiple times, including while they have been traveling. So, that counter argument isn't 100% true.

 

[canadianmom2three]

I don't see how this would work at WDW because of these reasons:

The dog needs to go to the bathroom. Are you going to keep it cooped up in the room for hours and hours and let it pee and poop all over the room? It is just unsanitary. I surely wouldn't want to clean that up when I don't have to. The dog doesn't have a set bathroom schedule, no one does, so it's not like you can go back to the hotel at noon to let them out and then again at like six.

The dog needs to eat/drink. Do you just leave a bowl of food and water for it to drink or do you give it food at a certain time of day?

How well your dog behaves. Is your dog known for chewing on pillows/furniture, scratching furniture, being hyper, barking uncontrollably, etc. I would hate to be sleeping/going to sleep and then hear a dog barking because they are happy to see their family return from a long day at the park, they see something outside that causes them to bark or they hear a knock on a door. Do they try to run up to people? That could definitely pose as a problem. People have allergies or have a fear of dogs. It also depends on how well the owner can control their dog. What if they see another dog and try to run up to it or try to fight another dog?

I think it would be very inconvenient to bring a pet because if you are going to be out at the parks all day, they are going to be cooped up in the room all day. It's also inconvenient to have to keep checking in on them. Which means taking time out of being at the parks, DTD, BB/TL, Mini golf, etc. to go back to the hotel to make sure the dog is doing ok. I love my dog and want to make sure she is ok, but I'm going to WDW to be at WDW, not to be a dog sitter. An option is having someone in the room at all times to keep an eye on the dog to make sure they get their food/water, take them out to go to the bathroom, give them some exercise by playing outside and making sure they don't ruin anything in the room. I'm sure that would be tons of fun.

There is also mousekeeping. How are they going to clean the room if they have a dog in the way? What if they open the door and the dog just runs on out the door? I'm sure it would be difficult to clean rooms if a pet is there.

Honestly, I do not see this working at WDW. This also goes for cats as well. As much as I love my dog, I would feel like I'm torturing her if she is alone in the room for 10+ hours a day while my family and I are out having fun at the parks. I have never been to pet-friendly hotel so I can't say I have had positive or negative experience, but this is just my two cents.

Interesting post....do you really have a dog? Many dog owners successfully crate their dogs while they are out during the day, and as a result, a large number of dogs can be left for 6-8 hours without peeing or pooping anywhere, or ruining anything in the room. Additionally, not everyone who goes to Disney plans 10+ hour days at the parks. I certainly wouldn't choose to bring my dog to Disney, but should I feel differently, I could quite successfully feed my dog and give it water in the a.m., crate it for 7 hours, and return in the evening to give it food and water and take it for a walk. This is what many dog owners do every day, so I'm not sure why they couldn't do it at Disney, especially if there were certain sections of the resort, dedicated to guests with pets (which would help alleviate disruptions to other guests due to barking dogs). Would it be best for the dog and the owner, I'm not sure, only the owner could decide I guess, but right now, that's not even an option.....

 

[Lillian Gracey]

Interesting post....do you really have a dog? Many dog owners successfully crate their dogs while they are out during the day, and as a result, a large number of dogs can be left for 6-8 hours without peeing or pooping anywhere, or ruining anything in the room. Additionally, not everyone who goes to Disney plans 10+ hour days at the parks. I certainly wouldn't choose to bring my dog to Disney, but should I feel differently, I could quite successfully feed my dog and give it water in the a.m., crate it for 7 hours, and return in the evening to give it food and water and take it for a walk. This is what many dog owners do every day, so I'm not sure why they couldn't do it at Disney, especially if there were certain sections of the resort, dedicated to guests with pets (which would help alleviate disruptions to other guests due to barking dogs). Would it be best for the dog and the owner, I'm not sure, only the owner could decide I guess, but right now, that's not even an option.....

I do understand your point. And yes I really do have a dog. I think that's rude to assume I don't have one because of my post. She is not caged anymore. She was when she was a puppy (currently 11 years old), but she freely roams the house. Someone is usually home to take her out, but she can be left alone for a while and not go to the bathroom in our house. She whines when she wants to go out so we don't have to worry about keeping an eye on her at all times. We don't feed her at certain times of the day because she doesn't eat a ton. It's not like she doesn't eat, but she doesn't eat a lot at one time. We could give her a full bowl of food and it could last roughly a few days. She also doesn't eat if she can see the bottom of the bowl for some reason. lol I could bring her to WDW, but I won't. There is no point in bringing her. We have gone on plenty of vacations without her and she has been just fine at home and a WDW vacation would be no different.

I guess it all depends on the owner and dog. Not everyone puts their dog in a cage and not every dog can go a long time without going to the bathroom. I understand not everyone is out for 10+ hours, but when you are gone for a long period of time, who knows what can happen. The owners know their dogs best, so it would be up to them to decide whether their dog would be good to bring with. There is still mousekeeping. They have to clean the room, unless the "Do Not Disturb" sign is on the doorknob, and how are they going to clean around the dog cage? Depending on size of course, but it also depends on how well the dog reacts to strangers. If the dog doesn't like strangers, then that could pose as a problem when it comes to mousekeeping as well as being outside in public. And as you may have read from previous posts, there have been plenty of dog owners who are not-so-good owners so it's not like every dog owner is perfect and has the perfect dog who can withstand being cooped up in a room for hours on end.

 

[Disneyadore]

Just another idea.
If Disney would decide to become pet friendly what would be the norm for a "pet"?

I'm sure there will be people that love there mini pony, pig,rabbit or you name it? Will they also be allowed to stat at the resort? What about snakes?

We had a poster here that told us her sister had taken her pet snake to a WDW resort.

Guess who freaked out and refused to do her work?
Mousekeeping.

 

[Mysteria]

One pet friendly resort would not impact anyone who wasn't pet friendly. If Disney were to build it and you weren't pet friendly you wouldn't stay there! That's it. I don't get what all the freakin' fuss is about.

 

[Disneyadore]

One pet friendly resort would not impact anyone who wasn't pet friendly. If Disney were to build it and you weren't pet friendly you wouldn't stay there! That's it. I don't get what all the freakin' fuss is about.

Fuss about a pet resort?
Ask the same question about a child free resort and than you will see "fuss"'

 

[moonpie85]

I think it's a good idea to have a small portion of rooms allocated as pet rooms at one or more of the resorts. That way if people don't want to stay in a pet room, they don't have to. With a proper warning and deposit system (at other hotels it's a hefty fine for sneaking in a pet to a non-pet room $500 or more) I think pet rooms could definitely work.

In my town, we have a very nice resort which is extremely extravagant in price and not a national chain. You would not expect this particular hotel to accept pets. The rooms are clean, it doesn't smell and there are strict rules about where dogs can be walked as well as a policy that owners pay 100% of damages caused upon checkout.

I agree that some people are not responsible when it comes to their pets. Those people should be held accountable for their actions financially for damages and legally if it involves an aggressive dog and/or injuries.

I don't agree that pets always create extra noise or that pet rooms equal dirty rooms. Babies and toddlers are also noisy, messy, sometimes wet the bed, and have "accidents" frequently. Should they be banned from Disney resorts?

In many years of travel to both pet friendly and non pet friendly resorts, I can honestly say that I have been awakened far more times from screaming/crying children and rowdy adults than dogs. If people really stop to think about all the things that go on in hotel rooms, they'd realize that any germs that come from a dog are the least of their worries.

THIS! All of this!

 

[LKMang]

For OP: have you considered staying off site and renting a house? We traveled down to Orlando a few years ago and found a beautiful, pet friendly house! When my dog was younger, we took him with us whenever we went on vacation.

I also second looking at Universal. Have stayed there numerous times and love it! Not with our dog, but DS loved seeing dogs walking around.

 

[CoachBagFanatic]

I do understand your point. And yes I really do have a dog. I think that's rude to assume I don't have one because of my post. She is not caged anymore. She was when she was a puppy (currently 11 years old), but she freely roams the house. Someone is usually home to take her out, but she can be left alone for a while and not go to the bathroom in our house. She whines when she wants to go out so we don't have to worry about keeping an eye on her at all times. We don't feed her at certain times of the day because she doesn't eat a ton. It's not like she doesn't eat, but she doesn't eat a lot at one time. We could give her a full bowl of food and it could last roughly a few days. She also doesn't eat if she can see the bottom of the bowl for some reason. lol I could bring her to WDW, but I won't. There is no point in bringing her. We have gone on plenty of vacations without her and she has been just fine at home and a WDW vacation would be no different.

I guess it all depends on the owner and dog. Not everyone puts their dog in a cage and not every dog can go a long time without going to the bathroom. I understand not everyone is out for 10+ hours, but when you are gone for a long period of time, who knows what can happen. The owners know their dogs best, so it would be up to them to decide whether their dog would be good to bring with. There is still mousekeeping. They have to clean the room, unless the "Do Not Disturb" sign is on the doorknob, and how are they going to clean around the dog cage? Depending on size of course, but it also depends on how well the dog reacts to strangers. If the dog doesn't like strangers, then that could pose as a problem when it comes to mousekeeping as well as being outside in public. And as you may have read from previous posts, there have been plenty of dog owners who are not-so-good owners so it's not like every dog owner is perfect and has the perfect dog who can withstand being cooped up in a room for hours on end.

My two babies have not been crated since they were 6 months old and have free roam of the house all day long. My male is a very heavy chewer so we have those nylabones for him. My female, not a chewer at all. The only time that my female has had an accident in the house was this past March when my f-i-l had his heart transplant surgery and we were gone for 16 hours. Outside of that, my babies are great. But put them in different surroundings and who knows what can happen. Anything is possible even if they are very well behaved but that's a chance that I am not willing to take nor put them in that situation. As for the fleas, fleas can be picked up anywhere, sand fleas are the worst and I am very thankful that my babies have never had a flea. Something else that keeps me from taking them on vacation.

Just another idea.
If Disney would decide to become pet friendly what would be the norm for a "pet"?

I'm sure there will be people that love there mini pony, pig,rabbit or you name it? Will they also be allowed to stat at the resort? What about snakes?

We had a poster here that told us her sister had taken her pet snake to a WDW resort.

Guess who freaked out and refused to do her work?
Mousekeeping.

Fuss about a pet resort?
Ask the same question about a child free resort and than you will see "fuss"'

Disneyadore you just crack me up. But you do have some good points also.

 

[RMulieri]

Universal is great for Pet owners..They allow pets in all 3 of their resorts.They just restrict them to certain floors/wings

 

[Lillian Gracey]

My two babies have not been crated since they were 6 months old and have free roam of the house all day long. My male is a very heavy chewer so we have those nylabones for him. My female, not a chewer at all. The only time that my female has had an accident in the house was this past March when my f-i-l had his heart transplant surgery and we were gone for 16 hours. Outside of that, my babies are great. But put them in different surroundings and who knows what can happen. Anything is possible even if they are very well behaved but that's a chance that I am not willing to take nor put them in that situation. As for the fleas, fleas can be picked up anywhere, sand fleas are the worst and I am very thankful that my babies have never had a flea. Something else that keeps me from taking them on vacation.

I definitely agree with that. My dog hasn't really been to other houses besides my house and my grandparents' house in St. Louis. That is the only place we take her when we go on vacation for Thanksgiving and Christmas. She has gone to my grandparents' place in St. Louis since she was a puppy so she adapted pretty well with the new environment, but I don't know how she would be in a completely new environment. Especially one like WDW. She also hates the car. Always has and always will. I would hate to think how uncomfortable she would be on a plane or 14+ hour drive.

 

[Guyton dis lover]

Fort Wilderness camp ground. Dogs are everywhere