Pet friendly DVC Resort

[Lorana]

This came up in a discussion elsewhere, but do you think Disney would ever consider building a pet-friendly DVC resort in WDW? I think they under estimate how many people would in fact love to bring their furbabies with them!

I know some WDW now allow for pets, and I do see how the current DVC POS is very clear that no pets are allowed, but I for one would welcome the opportunity to vacation with my pets instead of kenneling them.

 

[TheEpcotForEver]

They would probably need to up the maintenance fees quiet a bit to handle all the extra wear and cleaning. Maybe even having a shorter gap between refurbishments. Higher maintenance fees would not be appealing to a lot of people, but I guess maybe some pet owners think it would be worth the extra cost

 

[Deb & Bill]

I hope not. Use Best Friends for your pets.

 

[Sandisw]

I would not be a fan of one as I have a fear of dogs. I also think the cleaning costs would be much higher at a pet friendly DVC.

So, it’s not something I would ever want to see become part of existing resorts.

Having said that, if they built a new one that allows pets then I would simply cross it off my list of places to stay.

 

[Evita_W]

They would probably need to up the maintenance fees quiet a bit to handle all the extra wear and cleaning. Maybe even having a shorter gap between refurbishments. Higher maintenance fees would not be appealing to a lot of people, but I guess maybe some pet owners think it would be worth the extra cost

How about something akin to a DVC version of Fort Wilderness with Camp Site, RV Sites and Cabins, at carrying point levels of course and make it pet friendly? This should help minimize the maintenance costs while providing options for anyone's style for staying.

Of course for the cabins they should offer studios, one, two and three bedroom grand villas.

 

[MJ NH]

I love your idea. They could just change the Carousel section of Saratoga Springs to pet friendly.

 

[Sandisw]

I love your idea. They could just change the Carousel section of Saratoga Springs to pet friendly.

Actually, as an SSR owner, I’d have a problem with that since the POS prohibits pets.

 

[CarolMN]

Personally, I hope not. Sadly, there are just too many irresponsible pet owners out there and I wonder how it is in an animal's best interest to be left alone in a strange place.

 

[aoconnor]

I would love that! Many hotels (including several at Disney already) accept dogs without issue. Of course they are limtied to certain buildings or certain floors to keep separation from anyone who doesn't want pets around, and there is almost always an additional fee required to cover the costs of extra cleaning/ wear and tear over time.

Given the inevitable drama of trying to introduce at existing resorts I think it would make sense to have a small, separate resort that's dog friendly for members to use on occasion. Or at future resorts they could dedicate one building on the outskirts to be pet friendly with additional fees for each stay contributed to the MF bucket to make sure it's all fair.

 

[NoTime42]

On one hand, I think the cost issue is not significant, otherwise the tons of pet friendly hotels around the country would be significantly more expensive than others.
On the other hand, Disney parks are not pet friendly, which would mean pets abandoned in their rooms more hours a day vs other typical vacations where pets can stay with their owners most of the day...all of which could increase costs and annoyance factors (ie barking)
I also think the POS restrictions are significant, and think they would have to build and sell a separate pet DVC.

 

[justadreamaway77]

Personally, I hope not. Sadly, there are just too many irresponsible pet owners out there and I wonder how it is in an animal's best interest to be left alone in a strange place.

AMEN!!! Sounds like a complete nightmare!

 

[aoconnor]

Yacht Club, Port Orleans Riverside, Art of Animation, and the FW Cabins all allow dogs already without issue.

At Universal the Portofino, Hard Rock, Royal Pacific, and Sapphire Falls (i.e. all of their deluxe resorts) allow pets.

I think it could easily be included at future resorts as long as the pet rooms are segregated from the rest of the resort and pet owners bear 100% of the cost for additional maintenance, etc. Wouldn't work introducing to existing resorts.

I understand people saying you would be in the parks for hours at a time, but that's not different than going to work for the day or the pet sleeping at night and holding their business. It wouldn't be appropriate for all pets, but there are plenty that are fine traveling and being alone for a few hours, including mine

 

[supersnoop]

When I've travelled with my dog, the hotels have charged non-refundable pet deposits (or just an added fee) of up to $75 per night. That would seem reasonable to me, but I don't know how that could work with a timeshare. It seems like an administrative nightmare with potential legal problems and very little enforceability. It makes me lean towards "no."

 

[MJ NH]

Turn Reflections into Rufflections a lakeside DVC dog friendly resort. include doggy spa, puppy park, and daycare. The resort would sell out in no time! More people are having fur babies than regular kids now a days.

 

[Donna M]

No, please no. I don´t want to hear a dog barking on my vacation like at the hotel I stayed at. Not everyone loves furbabies.

 

[The Jackal]

I love your idea. They could just change the Carousel section of Saratoga Springs to pet friendly.

And the standard rooms at BLT and BWV, since those views are so bad no one wants to stay in them. I’m joking folks.

 

[Lorana]

How about something akin to a DVC version of Fort Wilderness with Camp Site, RV Sites and Cabins, at carrying point levels of course and make it pet friendly? This should help minimize the maintenance costs while providing options for anyone's style for staying.

Of course for the cabins they should offer studios, one, two and three bedroom grand villas.

I actually think this would work really well for a "campsite" style DVC, with small studio, 1BR, 2BR cabins with plenty of trails and what-not. Maybe they could build it as a special section in Reflections, should they ever build it -- having a bookable category for that location which is more points for the pet expense, or having an explicit add-on fee.

Or maybe if they had a kennel integrated INTO the resort, if they didn't want pets in the room, so it would be easy for owners to go see their pets and play with them. Not quite the same as staying with them, but might be a good compromise. The challenge with Best Friends is that there's no easy way to get there if you don't have a car rental, as Disney transportation doesn't go there.

I completely get people not wanting to deal with pets on their vacation, but that's why you'd build either a separate DVC, or create a separate section in the new DVC hotel.

Admittedly, we no longer spend "all day" in the parks and for longer trips where we're really doing a resort stay with some park time, having our pets with us would be nice on occasion.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

How would they handle housekeeping & security checks? The pet would need to be crated..??
If not, you’d be taking a real risk of them getting loose, or possibly even biting the CM.

 

[MJ NH]

How would they handle housekeeping & security checks? The pet would need to be crated..??
If not, you’d be taking a real risk of them getting loose, or possibly even biting the CM.

Disney does run a zoo with lions. I think they could figure it out.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Disney does run a zoo with lions. I think they could figure it out.

Okay. Any thoughts on how?