Trial Run for Dogs in Resort Rooms

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

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...

To be honest that is part of the problem is assuming that because you are for or neutral that you cannot possibly understand that lack of consistent information sucks. I know I've mentioned it multiple times and I know other posters have mentioned it multiple times that Disney didn't do it all the right way in how they chose to implement this. But TBH we don't have the whole "I bet a bus driver told you that" inside joke here on the DIS for no reason. I think just about everyone can agree lack of consistent information creates stress and I doubt anyone here has said anything opposite of that. Regardless of whatever policy or rule generally speaking people would like to be told the same thing as the next person and they would like the rules enforced on them as the next person. You don't have to be for or against something to understand that.

 

[BlueDog]

The current rule for Disney states that dogs may be left for up to 7 hours. So, yes, that is how it works. At least at Disney.

I assume you called for the rules? Is that what they told you? I expect that will be one of the first rules changed or at least they will allow only crated pets to be in the room unattended. That is a serious departure from the regulations of most pet-friendly hotels.

 

[ArwenMarie]

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 everything reason for this not to happen that people have brought up.

But people who don't want to be in a dog-friendly resort can just avoid the dog-friendly resorts. Same as they would avoid a new dog-friendly resort

 

[Wubar]

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" !!!!

Well, that's disappointing. But not surprising. But still, conflicting reports over policy continue to circulate...who is training CMs about the standard policy?????

 

[Sarahraegraham]

But people who don't want to be in a dog-friendly resort can just avoid the dog-friendly resorts. Same as they would avoid a new dog-friendly resort

If Disney changes the current 4 trial resorts to full time dog resorts after the year is up, I will. And during the next year, I will. But they didn’t need to do it this way.

 

[Nichols4]

Just received my call from Disney. I had written them regarding the allergies/phobias in my family and that we are 5 adults that like to stay together. We normally stay at AoA or Riverside and were considering the Cabins for our next trip but the new policy had an impact on where we could stay.

She stated that "the executives have received the message loud and clear". I don't believe that the policy will be rescinded before the trial is over from the tone of the conversation but have a feeling that it will be either reduced to one resort or completely done away with. We will wait and see.

 

[Sarahraegraham]

Just received my call from Disney. I had written them regarding the allergies/phobias in my family and that we are 5 adults that like to stay together. We normally stay at AoA or Riverside and were considering the Cabins for our next trip but the new policy had an impact on where we could stay.

She stated that "the executives have received the message loud and clear". I don't believe that the policy will be rescinded before the trial is over from the tone of the conversation but have a feeling that it will be either reduced to one resort or completely done away with. We will wait and see.

That is also what I think and honestly what I hope, too.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Well, that's disappointing. But not surprising. But still, conflicting reports over policy continue to circulate...who is training CMs about the standard policy?????

On any given day I know people get conflicting reports when they call Disney-unfortunately that part hasn't changed in at least the 2 years that I've been on the Boards. It sucks and it's unfortunate.

I really hated that when I worked in a call center for an insurance company. Sometimes you would even have the 3rd party contracted company say something or another employee (there were 3 sites in the U.S. too) and so then an agent or an insured would call us up expecting us to comply with what the other person said we could do. Sometimes that stuff was against policy, sometimes it was against Department of Insurance Compliance thus we were subject to a fine if we went with what the person was told and sometimes on a much more serious note it was against the law including privacy laws.

I don't even want to get into the mess I had with my bank all on just the simple question of can my hyphenated legally married name be on my debit card and my credit card and allow me to have mobile banking.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

I assume you called for the rules? Is that what they told you? I expect that will be one of the first rules changed or at least they will allow only crated pets to be in the room unattended. That is a serious departure from the regulations of most pet-friendly hotels.

It has been posted here, many times. And so far, it has not been changed.

And yes, that is why some people are so upset. Disney is departing from all standard regulations that most hotels and resorts have.

At this point, a dog owner can leave their dog and go to a park. If the dog is reported as barking, the resort will attempt to locate the owner. Then the owner will be required to return to calm the dog. Of course if the owner doesn't want to answer the phone call, they can ignore it. But even if they don't, how long do you think it will take for the owner to return? Disney says to give 90 minutes. If they are called as the bus pulls away from the resort and they have to catch another bus to return, it could reasonably be 3 hours, or 90 minutes each way.

That means that the dog is alone, possibly barking or afraid or whatever, for 3 hours.

Edit to add:
And that doesn't touch that if the dog is quiet, they can be left alone for 7 hours.

 

[Ensusieasm]

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. Does it happen? Probably, but only with the dogs which are so quiet that the guest is confident their violation won't be discovered. I've never left my dog unattended and I ALWAYS clean up after my dogs.

I truly am surprised at the vocal posts against pet rooms, particularly as so many hotels do allow pets (I even saw a pet pig being walked at one hotel!). Do you guys not stay in hotels much? Or do you seek out only those hotels which ban pets? I'm not sure how anyone can travel nowadays without being exposed to pets, particularly with the abundance of emotional support pets.

Believe me, I understand how exposure to pet dander can be dangerous. My grandson has severe allergies which are aggravated by dogs and my husband, who is dependent on a high-tech CPAP to breathe, is highly allergic to cats. But having pets in a few rooms of one building should be no more of an issue to those in other areas of the resort than my neighbor's cats are to my husband.

Most likely, my dogs will stay home the next time we go to Disney but it is nice knowing I could board them at the kennel next to Port Orleans Riverside and choose to take them to my room at night. It seems like a perfect situation.

Disney, in their official list of rules, states that dogs are allowed to be alone in the room for seven hours.

 

[mikejs78]

To be honest that is part of the problem is assuming that because you are for or neutral that you cannot possibly understand that lack of consistent information sucks. I know I've mentioned it multiple times and I know other posters have mentioned it multiple times that Disney didn't do it all the right way in how they chose to implement this. But TBH we don't have the whole "I bet a bus driver told you that" inside joke here on the DIS for no reason. I think just about everyone can agree lack of consistent information creates stress and I doubt anyone here has said anything opposite of that. Regardless of whatever policy or rule generally speaking people would like to be told the same thing as the next person and they would like the rules enforced on them as the next person. You don't have to be for or against something to understand that.

I wasn't assuming either way. There have been messages in this thread (not you, but others) that haven't even had sympathy for those with allergies and trips in two weeks. So I was asking a legitimate question. In retrospect, I probably could have phrased it a little better.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I wasn't assuming either way. There have been messages in this thread (not you, but others) that haven't even had sympathy for those with allergies and trips in two weeks. So I was asking a legitimate question. In retrospect, I probably could have phrased it a little better.

I hear you; apologies if my comment came off a way I didn't intend for it to

 

[Ensusieasm]

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" !!!!

For goodness sake! Ouch, Disney!

 

[mikejs78]

I hear you; apologies if my comment came off a way I didn't intend for it to

Likewise.

 

[mikejs78]

Double post

 

[Mome Rath]

Some thoughts FWTW;

1) It's Disney's job to make rules, distribute the rules, and reinforce them. Disney now allows dogs at these particular resorts. Therefore, it is perfectly good (legally speaking) and acceptable for people to take their dogs to those resorts and abide by the rules. I'm perfectly happy that some people will now take advantage of this to make memories and hopefully have fun. It's Disney's job to clean the rooms. It's Disney's job to pick up after owners who don't abide by the rules. The health and safety of their guests is in their hands as far as they are liable.

2) It's the job of the pet owners to know themselves, know their dogs, and to know the rules. It is their job, if they choose to stay at these resorts, to abide by the rules which means they have to make sure their dogs are properly trained. They now have the freedom to bring their pooches to Disney. The health and safety of those coming in contact with their dog(s) (including other dogs) is in their hands as far as they are liable. There is nothing wrong (legally speaking) with people utilizing this new feature of the resorts. And I want people to come to the boards and tell about their experience when they stay with their dogs, I want that info to help me make decisions about my future stays and resort picks.

3) It is perfectly acceptable that people are upset and mad at the sudden change, and the now higher chance of an allergic reaction. It is perfectly acceptable that people are happy at the sudden ability to take their dogs to Disney. Nobody is doing anything wrong by being upset, and no one is doing anything wrong by being happy. And, as I'm sure we can all agree on; wherever there is an issue that can be debated you'll have humans alllllll along the continuum from overly dramatic on one side to overly dramatic on the other. We're human, that's what always happens.

4) In my opinion Disney dropped the ball on the roll out of this. Disney dropped it. So far other members of this site have not dropped the ball, and as far as the members of this board know, no dog owners have dropped the ball under this new policy at Disney. So, it makes logical sense that people are calling/emailing Disney and letting them know in what ways Disney dropped the ball, and how this change affects them even in the long run... after all, that is how Disney claims they work (surveys, feedback, balance sheet, etc...) and this is a "trial." Well, now it's on trial. Some people it's gonna have a huge effect on, some people it's not. We all have a right to give feedback to Disney whatever our opinion is.

5) Disney is also dropping the ball with all the conflicting info. That's on Disney as well, so that should be included in feedback to them, rightfully so. It isn't fair to those trying to avoid dogs at Dis and those trying to take their dogs to Dis.

We just need to make sure we are comporting ourselves according to the rules of this board when we are interacting on this issue here (I've found it's also a good idea to remember the Golden Rule when interacting too, and try to find empathy even if you don't wanna find sympathy).

Finally, and seriously, for anyone on here that has a phobia (of any type) or their children have phobias please consider going to therapy to work on it (if you haven't yet) and I say that as someone who offers counseling and who is married to a clinical psychologist. You and/or your children don't have to live with the fear and anxiety associated with a phobia, so if you haven't tried counseling yet, give it a go, even if you've tried meds. I say that also as someone who suffered with a phobia (of flying stinging insects) which was triggered by an actual wasp attack when I was a child. A professional can help you figure out if it is something that needs addressed for quality of life, or not.

 

[DisneyFive]

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.

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" !!!!

This is just priceless.

Dan

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Likewise.

You can edit your second comment to me and just delete the whole quote part and in its place leave a "double post" or something similar if you want to but you can't actually fully delete the second comment to me;only admins and moderators can do that.

 

[Ensusieasm]

I assume you called for the rules? Is that what they told you? I expect that will be one of the first rules changed or at least they will allow only crated pets to be in the room unattended. That is a serious departure from the regulations of most pet-friendly hotels.

Crates are only required on the Magical Express bus from the airport. They are not required in the room. These rules are actually printed in official Disney resort information. No phone call is needed to find out that a dog is allowed uncrated and alone in a resort room for 7 hours. Of course there is no way for Disney World resort officials to know if it's been alone for longer than that.

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

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" !!!!

I was not going to post in this thread anymore because I feel I'm wasting my time ...BUT...

This is what really irks me about the whole dog issue. It appears the rules, etc were thrown together on short notice and nobody, including Mr. K, knows what the *bleep* they are doing. Short notice and short sighted! They are giving out conflicting info so no one knows what rooms, what relief areas, etc. You can't make decent plans based on the info given! They have taken away choices for people that already booked and it's like "sorry, too bad". This should have been given more time to implement, people notified well in advance and all the CM's given GOOD, FACTUAL info. And I agree that the 7 hour rule is BAD. "dogs are considered beloved members of the family" (their words in an email) how many people would leave a "beloved member of the family" locked up alone, in a strange environment for up to 7 hours? Not to mention food left out on ground floors is inviting critters to come in. And considering other hotels, like Universal, state you cannot leave your pet unattended, and Disney stated that service dogs cannot be unattended either...why make a ridiculous rule of 7 hours? That seems cruel to me and I'm not a dog person. This is all the PPP rule. I would spell out all the P's but the mod might not like it. Ok, done for now.