Trial Run for Dogs in Resort Rooms

[LSUmiss]

Agreed. Which is why the new policy itself falls apart as a solution for people’s happiness. The pet owners now can have happiness at the expense of the non. Which goes back to my hope, and that is that they will rescind this policy and create a new entirely separate pet-friendly resort. EVERYONE wins.

A new pet friendly hotel would be great. I think dog owners would have preferred this too. And that's what I expected WDW to do, honestly. But, I can see from a business stand point they can't invest that kind of $ w/o a test run.

 

[oceanscape]

I've only read through a small number of the posts but I repeatedly see people referring to dogs left alone in rooms over long time periods. No, that's not how it works, or at least that's not how it works at most dog-friendly hotels. Every hotel we've visited with our dogs has posted that pets are not to be left unattended in the room.

Disney is POSITIVELY ALLOWING, heck, some way would say even encouraging, guests to leave dogs unattended in rooms for UP TO 7 HOURS.

 

[Best_Vacation_EVER!]

Exactly. I have been miserable & anxious on trip when I had to board my blind, 16 y/o dog w/ a bad back & bad heart. I worried about him the WHOLE time. Was terrified he would die alone in a kennel while were selfishly on vacation (that's how I saw it). That dog did eventually die recently of pancreatitis. While he didn't die there, the episode that killed him started when he was boarding b/c they didn't feed him the right food. I know many ppl w/ similar experinces w/ boarding old and/or sick dogs. If you have a young & healthy dog, it's no big deal. I have 2 young & healthy dogs so I plan to board them b/c I don't want to deal w/ the hassle of bringing them. But, I can completely understand why someone would need to bring their dog. Like I have said many times, I am happy that we have options now. And those that don't like it (excluding those who are already booked) also still have options.

I'm not quite sure it is a binary choice though --- make WDW resorts dog friendly or put your dog(s) in a kennel.

When our dogs were much older we'd hire an in-house dog sitting service (where they come to your house and your dog doesn't have the stress of travel or being in kennel.) In 2016 I think we paid $25 per day per dog to have someone come around dinner time and feed them, then take for them for walks and play and then sleep over and feed/walk/play with them in the morning. A neighbour came at lunch to let them our and play a bit also. We have also had dog sitters that would dog-sit in their own house rather than a kennel. There are many kennels that offer things like video streaming so you can see what your dog is doing. Family, friends, etc... are options as well.

In most cases people want to bring their dogs just because they want to -- and they really don't care if others are allergic, have extreme dog phobias, don't like the barking noise, or just don't like sharing space with dogs for cultural reasons or cleanliness reasons. With the rates that Disney charges for their resorts (particularly YC), I don't think it is unreasonable for people to expect that their vacations should be free of the disturbance of other guests pets. (Legitimate service dogs are different as they have been properly trained and they won't be left for hours alone in the hotel room.)

 

[Sarahraegraham]

But how is it at your expense? I really don't understand. I have said in pp that I am not talking about ppl who are b/c affected b/c WDW just implemented this w/ no warning. But, otherwise, how is it?

Depends on the individual person, and the reasons against have been listed ad nauseum in this thread.

 

[TheFloatingBear]

I wonder what would change if Disney opened up the pet policy to include other animals, such as cats, birds, snakes, ferrets, bunnies, etc. Would dog owners object to guests bringing their cats? Would bird owners not want to be placed near cat owners?

This post was made tongue-in-cheek, but I could see how owners of pets that aren't dogs are wondering why they can't bring their loved ones along...

I think that just Snow White and perhaps Sleeping Beauty are afforded these kinds of considerations...

 

[LSUmiss]

Depends on the individual person, and the reasons against have been listed as nauseum in this thread.

I agree about the ad nausea! But I don't feel like anyone has adequately explained how it is at their expense (excluding those already booked). That's why I was asking you Thought maybe your were thinking of something specfic.

 

[Sarahraegraham]

In most cases people want to bring their dogs just because they want to -- and they really don't care if others are allergic, have extreme dog phobias, don't like the barking noise, or just don't like sharing space with dogs for cultural reasons or cleanliness reasons. With the rates that Disney charges for their resorts (particularly YC), I don't think it is unreasonable for people to expect that their vacations should be free of the disturbance of other guests pets. (Legitimate service dogs are different as they have been properly trained and they won't be left for hours alone in the hotel room.)

Precisely. And this is why, when you go to a public place where numerous types of people come together the individual person must conform their wants for the good of the whole, ie, not bringing an animal that is not medically necessary to WDW resorts.

 

[John Marecek]

Curious to know how many rooms will be taken out of circulation to accommodate dogs?

 

[Sarahraegraham]

I agree about the ad nausea! But I don't feel like anyone has adequately explained how it is at their expense (excluding those already booked). That's why I was asking you Thought maybe your were thinking of something specfic.

Without going into details regarding other people whose privacy it is my duty to protect, I unfortunately cannot answer your question about my specific personal reasons.

 

[oceanscape]

I had someone from the "exec office" call me back just now. The call DID NOT go well. She confirmed that the room categories eligible for dogs at Yacht Club are garden view and lagoon view. I said fine, presumably SPECIFIC ROOMS in those categories. She said NO, ALL ROOMS will take dogs; yes there will be a quota on number of dogs in resort at any time but there are NOT designated "dog" and "non-dog" rooms so ANY room CAN AND WILL have dogs (dogs here talking about regular dogs under this policy, not service dogs).

When I asked WHY aren't certain rooms/a specific part of the resort being used for this policy you know what her answer was???? "Because lots of guests would want to avoid it" !!!!

 

[Sarahraegraham]

Curious to know how many rooms will be taken out of circulation to accommodate dogs?

No on knows yet. Which is part of the problem.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Agreed. Which is why the new policy itself falls apart as a solution for people’s happiness. The pet owners now can have happiness at the expense of the non. Which goes back to my hope, and that is that they will rescind this policy and create a new entirely separate pet-friendly resort. EVERYONE wins.

Why would creating a new resort be better? Because then people wouldn't have memories of staying there before there were dogs allowed?

They have 25+ resorts (more if you count all of the DVCs which are available to anyone through Disney) It's perfectly reasonable for them to take a few of them and apply this policy.

 

[LSUmiss]

I'm not quite sure it is a binary choice though --- make WDW resorts dog friendly or put your dog(s) in a kennel.

When our dogs were much older we'd hire an in-house dog sitting service (where they come to your house and your dog doesn't have the stress of travel or being in kennel.) In 2016 I think we paid $25 per day per dog to have someone come around dinner time and feed them, then take for them for walks and play and then sleep over and feed/walk/play with them in the morning. A neighbour came at lunch to let them our and play a bit also. We have also had dog sitters that would dog-sit in their own house rather than a kennel. There are many kennels that offer things like video streaming so you can see what your dog is doing. Family, friends, etc... are options as well.

In most cases people want to bring their dogs just because they want to -- and they really don't care if others are allergic, have extreme dog phobias, don't like the barking noise, or just don't like sharing space with dogs for cultural reasons or cleanliness reasons. With the rates that Disney charges for their resorts (particularly YC), I don't think it is unreasonable for people to expect that their vacations should be free of the disturbance of other guests pets. (Legitimate service dogs are different as they have been properly trained and they won't be left for hours alone in the hotel room.)

No I know there are other choices. But, I am personally not keen on a stranger coming into my house while I am away. Also, I was speaking of a time when I had a dog that had a lot needs. It would have been a lot to entrust anyone to be as vigilant as they needed to be (e.g. having to watch bling dog doesn't fall down the stairs, etc). I'm sure that some just want to bring their dogs for fun, you may be right. But, my point was more to the idea that there is no other reason. There are plenty of reasons that someone might want/need to bring their dog. Mine was just one of many examples. I've said before, it would be a giant hassle. I would only do it if I felt I needed to. And since I had these experiences when taking the dog was not an option, now that it is, I can appreciate why someone would want to.

 

[mikejs78]

I had someone from the "exec office" call me back just now. The call DID NOT go well. She confirmed that the room categories eligible for dogs at Yacht Club are garden view and lagoon view. I said fine, presumably SPECIFIC ROOMS in those categories. She said NO, ALL ROOMS will take dogs; yes there will be a quota on number of dogs in resort at any time but there are NOT designated "dog" and "non-dog" rooms so ANY room CAN AND WILL have dogs (dogs here talking about regular dogs under this policy, not service dogs).

This is one of the maddening parts of the whole thing - the lack of consistent information. I also spoke to someone from the "exec office", who told me that at the YC they would be in one specific section of the resort, on the first floor. I don't know what to believe as being the accurate story here. I also had one CM tell me that they would only be allowed in the relief areas outside or in the room, and another tell me they could go to any area on property except those designated as not allowed (like the pools, restaurants, etc.).

Those who are pro- this policy, surely you can at least appreciate that the lack of consistency in delivering information here is problematic...

 

[rollo]

NO!! NO!! NO!! NO!! Heck NO!!! I'm not a pet person, mainly because I don't have the time to care for one and I refuse to keep a pet such as a dog or cat in a cage for 10 - 12 hours a day or longer while I'm at work. But, aside from that I have allergies and have been in hotels where they allow pets. Not only do you have to worry about allergies, you have to worry about the smell, fleas, "accidents" if the owner doesn't walk the animal in time (and you know Disney won't replace the carpeting even after multiple accidents). The biggest issue is the hair. I was actually at a Disney hotel a few years ago and someone had snuck a family pet in the room for their stay. The towels we had in our room were covered in dog hair. When I complained to housekeeping they bought us new towels immediately and those were covered in dog hair. I took the towels to the front desk and it was there that they informed me that a family had been asked to leave when they found out that they had a dog in their room for almost a week. It was obvious to me and the front desk receptionist and the concierge that they had been washing and drying the dog daily with room towels and the hair had been transferred to all the other towels they were washed with. We finally got clean towels not long after but they had to get them from storage or another building. They actually went room to room collecting all the towels from the building we were in. So I say NO to any pets in the rooms! I don't even want a boarding kennel because someone will bring their pets in the room. Now if they built a boarding kennel with a play area so families could spend time with their pets but the pet couldn't leave the area until the family checked out I would definitely be in favor of.

 

[robinb]

Disney is POSITIVELY ALLOWING, heck, some way would say even encouraging, guests to leave dogs unattended in rooms for UP TO 7 HOURS.

You do know that working people leave their dogs for much longer, don't you.

 

[LSUmiss]

This is one of the maddening parts of the whole thing - the lack of consistent information. I also spoke to someone from the "exec office", who told me that at the YC they would be in one specific section of the resort, on the first floor. I don't know what to believe as being the accurate story here. I also had one CM tell me that they would only be allowed in the relief areas outside or in the room, and another tell me they could go to any area on property except those designated as not allowed (like the pools, restaurants, etc.).

Those who are pro- this policy, surely you can at least appreciate that the lack of consistency in delivering information here is problematic...

Absolutely as I feel it hurts our case too! Hard for me to argue it'll be no big deal (like I want to), if WDW won't tell ppl what to expect.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

You do know that working people leave their dogs for much longer, don't you.

In strange places?

Don't most simply leave them at home?

 

[ArwenMarie]

It seems as if they don't want to get into a situation where they are guaranteeing anything. Just like they won't guarantee connecting rooms.

I think in the long run people who don't want to stay in a dog-friendly hotel for whatever reason will just to avoid these four resorts.

 

[Sarahraegraham]

Why would creating a new resort be better?

A resort that is completely pet-friendly would allow pet owners to enjoy being on property while allowing those who want to stay away to do so completely. Completely being the key word as it takes care of every reason for this not to happen that people have brought up.