Service animal in Disney parks?

[ChristineL38]

I have a service dog, and I'm curious of other peoples experience of bringing them into the parks. Are there attractions that might not be as suitable to bring a service animal?

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

Yes there are attractions that are not suitable for service animals.
Here is a link to the Service Animals section on the WDW website.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/g...als/?msockid=2092e6079bda64652863f2bf9ab56576

 

[ChristineL38]

Thank you so much for that! I'm also very interested in peoples personal experiences of what worked well or didn't work so well with a service animal, not necessarily that they weren't allowed but maybe was not ideal. Thanks in advance for any thoughts!

 

[elvispursley]

I have a service dog but have never brought her to WDW. My main reason is that it’s about a 5.5hr flight and I’m worried about the heat. If we ever drive, I’d be more apt to bring her.

 

[Team Wendy and Nana]

Thank you so much for that! I'm also very interested in peoples personal experiences of what worked well or didn't work so well with a service animal, not necessarily that they weren't allowed but maybe was not ideal. Thanks in advance for any thoughts!

Hi! I use a service dog and have been to WDW with him 3 times, and go to Disneyland Resort parks every week. Although in California the heat is drier and not usually as hot as Florida, I don't take him to the parks until the evening if it's summer due to the heat. We've done WDW with him in summer, but even with all his cooling gear (cooling coats are ineffective in the humidity) he always looked miserable when it was too hot. So, I would recommend going at a somewhat more temperate time of year (if possible) or skipping the hottest parts of the day. Make use of that wonderful hotel air conditioning!

I would also say to learn ahead of time where the potty spots are. You don't want to be searching for one when it's urgent and find out it's far from you. So it's good to visit them ahead of time for emergencies or locate them on the map!

As far as rides and things go, we've never really had any issues, so I'm not sure what to add. For most rides (except Peter Pan) that don't have a height requirement, they offer a kennel in a separate room from the ride, where you can leave your SD and a cast member stays nearby with them until you are off the ride. Your dog should not have separation anxiety, or of course, you can always use rider switch if you will have another person(s) with you. (Peter Pan does not have a height requirement, but does not allow service dogs for safety reasons. Peter Pan at Disneyland in CA, does allow them.)

It's important of course, to be really clued in to your animal and make sure you are monitoring their energy and comfort levels as you go. Give many water and potty breaks! I would also suggest bringing hearty treats or food (I bring dehydrated chicken jerky) to give as snacks through the day to keep his/her energy up. How you do that just depends on the needs and preferences of your unique service dog. High value treats to encourage/reinforce desired behavior would be a good idea as well.

Depending on your disability needs, you might also want to look out for quiet places you can take breaks for you/your dog and take care of yourself if you need to through your days at the parks. I'm most familiar with those places in CA, so unfortunately, I don't have many ideas for WDW. I guess the exception to that is that I know some of the countries in Epcot (like Canada and England) seem to be quiet and you might find quiet spots there. I'm sure there are many others -- maybe someone else can give you some other ideas!

Well, this is all I can think of for now, but if you have any specific questions I can answer, I would be happy to! I wish you a wonderful vacation!

 

[ChristineL38]

I think the heat in the parks is definitely a concern during the summer. In the winter it shouldn't be too bad. If it's helpful, I have flown with my service dog with no trouble because she is in the cabin with me. We have gone on longer flights as well but every dog is different and you know yours best!

 

[ChristineL38]

Thank you so much, great tips! I read about the kennels for the first time yesterday. Are they already in place or do you have to request them?

Hi! I use a service dog and have been to WDW with him 3 times, and go to Disneyland Resort parks every week. Although in California the heat is drier and not usually as hot as Florida, I don't take him to the parks until the evening if it's summer due to the heat. We've done WDW with him in summer, but even with all his cooling gear (cooling coats are ineffective in the humidity) he always looked miserable when it was too hot. So, I would recommend going at a somewhat more temperate time of year (if possible) or skipping the hottest parts of the day. Make use of that wonderful hotel air conditioning!

I would also say to learn ahead of time where the potty spots are. You don't want to be searching for one when it's urgent and find out it's far from you. So it's good to visit them ahead of time for emergencies or locate them on the map!

As far as rides and things go, we've never really had any issues, so I'm not sure what to add. For most rides (except Peter Pan) that don't have a height requirement, they offer a kennel in a separate room from the ride, where you can leave your SD and a cast member stays nearby with them until you are off the ride. Your dog should not have separation anxiety, or of course, you can always use rider switch if you will have another person(s) with you. (Peter Pan does not have a height requirement, but does not allow service dogs for safety reasons. Peter Pan at Disneyland in CA, does allow them.)

It's important of course, to be really clued in to your animal and make sure you are monitoring their energy and comfort levels as you go. Give many water and potty breaks! I would also suggest bringing hearty treats or food (I bring dehydrated chicken jerky) to give as snacks through the day to keep his/her energy up. How you do that just depends on the needs and preferences of your unique service dog. High value treats to encourage/reinforce desired behavior would be a good idea as well.

Depending on your disability needs, you might also want to look out for quiet places you can take breaks for you/your dog and take care of yourself if you need to through your days at the parks. I'm most familiar with those places in CA, so unfortunately, I don't have many ideas for WDW. I guess the exception to that is that I know some of the countries in Epcot (like Canada and England) seem to be quiet and you might find quiet spots there. I'm sure there are many others -- maybe someone else can give you some other ideas!

Well, this is all I can think of for now, but if you have any specific questions I can answer, I would be happy to! I wish you a wonderful vacation!

Hi! I use a service dog and have been to WDW with him 3 times, and go to Disneyland Resort parks every week. Although in California the heat is drier and not usually as hot as Florida, I don't take him to the parks until the evening if it's summer due to the heat. We've done WDW with him in summer, but even with all his cooling gear (cooling coats are ineffective in the humidity) he always looked miserable when it was too hot. So, I would recommend going at a somewhat more temperate time of year (if possible) or skipping the hottest parts of the day. Make use of that wonderful hotel air conditioning!

I would also say to learn ahead of time where the potty spots are. You don't want to be searching for one when it's urgent and find out it's far from you. So it's good to visit them ahead of time for emergencies or locate them on the map!

As far as rides and things go, we've never really had any issues, so I'm not sure what to add. For most rides (except Peter Pan) that don't have a height requirement, they offer a kennel in a separate room from the ride, where you can leave your SD and a cast member stays nearby with them until you are off the ride. Your dog should not have separation anxiety, or of course, you can always use rider switch if you will have another person(s) with you. (Peter Pan does not have a height requirement, but does not allow service dogs for safety reasons. Peter Pan at Disneyland in CA, does allow them.)

It's important of course, to be really clued in to your animal and make sure you are monitoring their energy and comfort levels as you go. Give many water and potty breaks! I would also suggest bringing hearty treats or food (I bring dehydrated chicken jerky) to give as snacks through the day to keep his/her energy up. How you do that just depends on the needs and preferences of your unique service dog. High value treats to encourage/reinforce desired behavior would be a good idea as well.

Depending on your disability needs, you might also want to look out for quiet places you can take breaks for you/your dog and take care of yourself if you need to through your days at the parks. I'm most familiar with those places in CA, so unfortunately, I don't have many ideas for WDW. I guess the exception to that is that I know some of the countries in Epcot (like Canada and England) seem to be quiet and you might find quiet spots there. I'm sure there are many others -- maybe someone else can give you some other ideas!

Well, this is all I can think of for now, but if you have any specific questions I can answer, I would be happy to! I wish you a wonderful vacation!

 

[Team Wendy and Nana]

Hi! Usually they are in place, but sometimes rides near each other share them and they might have to get it for you before you can ride. At those rides it seems like usually (but not always) a CM radios the people inside to let them know a service dog is coming. It probably depends on the ride though, I don't think all of them do this. <3

 

[only hope]

I think the heat in the parks is definitely a concern during the summer. In the winter it shouldn't be too bad. If it's helpful, I have flown with my service dog with no trouble because she is in the cabin with me. We have gone on longer flights as well but every dog is different and you know yours best!

The heat is very hard on the dogs. It’s awful to see them without any protection on their paws and panting very heavily while their handlers ignore their needs. The pavement can reach 100+ degrees in the sun. OP, not saying you would do this- just be aware that the heat is potentially dangerous for your dog a good portion of the day in September and plan accordingly.

 

[ChristineL38]

That's really good to know!

 

[Team Wendy and Nana]

I wanted to clarify what I was saying about the Peter Pan ride, because I think I really muddled it! I didn't mean to say they wouldn't have a crate at that ride, although I believe that one is shared between more than one ride, so make sure they know you're coming at the front of the line. What I was also saying was simply that service dogs are not allowed on WDW's Peter Pan ride, but they are on Disneyland's version. Honestly, it seems to be exactly the same ride, but the rules are different. I've done it with my SD in CA several times, but I can understand how it might be a bit risky for some SD's, especially as you are "flying" over London and Neverland. Sorry I made it so unclear before!

 

[ChristineL38]

Thank you so much! That makes total sense!

I wanted to clarify what I was saying about the Peter Pan ride, because I think I really muddled it! I didn't mean to say they wouldn't have a crate at that ride, although I believe that one is shared between more than one ride, so make sure they know you're coming at the front of the line. What I was also saying was simply that service dogs are not allowed on WDW's Peter Pan ride, but they are on Disneyland's version. Honestly, it seems to be exactly the same ride, but the rules are different. I've done it with my SD in CA several times, but I can understand how it might be a bit risky for some SD's, especially as you are "flying" over London and Neverland. Sorry I made it so unclear before!

 

[SueM in MN]

The heat is very hard on the dogs. It’s awful to see them without any protection on their paws and panting very heavily while their handlers ignore their needs. The pavement can reach 100+ degrees in the sun. OP, not saying you would do this- just be aware that the heat is potentially dangerous for your dog a good portion of the day in September and plan accordingly.

I just want to point out that some Service Dog handlers use paw protection that is invisible. My daughter's Service Dog is deceased now (he was 14 yrs old), but he did not like booties/boots at all. His trainer suggested Musher's Wax for both heat and cold, which worked well for him. It needs to be reapplied periodically to continue protecting, but it is used by a lot of Service Dog teams.
I know personally it worked because when her dog had a choice of walking in grass or hard surfaces, he usually did choose to keep walking on the pavement.
That said, I have seen some dogs at WDW that are really suffering from the heat and their human doesn't seem to be paying attention to their needs at all.
We never brought DD's SD to WDW - the things he did for her were mostly picking up things she dropped and getting one of us when she was in a different room from DH and I. Since we were with her the whole time at WDW, the pros of bringing him didn't outweigh the cons.

I wanted to clarify what I was saying about the Peter Pan ride, because I think I really muddled it! I didn't mean to say they wouldn't have a crate at that ride, although I believe that one is shared between more than one ride, so make sure they know you're coming at the front of the line. What I was also saying was simply that service dogs are not allowed on WDW's Peter Pan ride, but they are on Disneyland's version. Honestly, it seems to be exactly the same ride, but the rules are different. I've done it with my SD in CA several times, but I can understand how it might be a bit risky for some SD's, especially as you are "flying" over London and Neverland. Sorry I made it so unclear before!

Even though the actual rides are the same, I think the big difference has to do with boarding and exiting.
Peter Pan at Disneyland comes to a complete stop for every guest to load and unload. Peter Pan at WDW is a continuously loading and unloading attraction with a moving walkway and a short distance/time for getting on and off. Per my conversations with Disability Services, the moving walkway is not supposed to be stopped for boarding - stopping it causes a big jolt to the riders inside and people panic.
The pirate ships in the DL version are placed much farther apart, so even though they stop for loading/unloading, it's not really noticeable to guests inside

 

[Team Wendy and Nana]

Thank you so much SueM! I had forgotten the fact about the moving walkway on Peter Pan.

I'm also glad to know more about using Musher's Wax for hot pavement. I know some people use it for that but I always wondered how effective it was. Good to know!

 

[SueM in MN]

Thank you so much SueM! I had forgotten the fact about the moving walkway on Peter Pan.

I'm also glad to know more about using Musher's Wax for hot pavement. I know some people use it for that but I always wondered how effective it was. Good to know!

Probably depends on the dog, but worked well for us. You do have to watch the dog's behavior to decide when to reapply

 

[JLTraveling]

Thank you so much SueM! I had forgotten the fact about the moving walkway on Peter Pan.

I'm also glad to know more about using Musher's Wax for hot pavement. I know some people use it for that but I always wondered how effective it was. Good to know!

I can confirm that the Musher's Wax works extremely well. We have a service dog in training and live in Orlando. We've been going out and about with her a lot this summer, including starting theme park training. She flatly refuses booties, so we tried the Musher's Wax on the recommendation of a theme park friend with a service dog. We just had the vet check her paws at her appointment last week, and they're in perfect shape.

 

[SueM in MN]

I can confirm that the Musher's Wax works extremely well. We have a service dog in training and live in Orlando. We've been going out and about with her a lot this summer, including starting theme park training. She flatly refuses booties, so we tried the Musher's Wax on the recommendation of a theme park friend with a service dog. We just had the vet check her paws at her appointment last week, and they're in perfect shape.

Thanks for posting your personal experience.

My daughter's dog loved having Musher's Wax put on too. He would lay on his back and be like, "oh, massage my feet more!"
Applying it also gave a perfect opportunity and position to examine his paws.

Here's a picture of our good boy, Niles. (He's holding his favorite chew toy)
We all miss him a lot.

 

[JLTraveling]

Thanks for posting your personal experience.

My daughter's dog loved having Musher's Wax put on too. He would lay on his back and be like, "oh, massage my feet more!"
Applying it also gave a perfect opportunity and position to examine his paws.

Here's a picture of our good boy, Niles. (He's holding his favorite chew toy)
We all miss him a lot.
View attachment 884674

What a beautiful boy! I can only imagine how much he is missed.

This is Lady Priscilla with her new Sandworm chew toy.

 

[Team Wendy and Nana]

Both are beautiful pups!!

 

[elvispursley]

Ok, now I have to post a pic of my girl...Minnie! She loves to people-watch at the beach here in Hawaii.