Trial Run for Dogs in Resort Rooms

[LovesTimone]

I think its a double edge sword...

Pro Dogs in the room - we have gone on long weekend with some friends that take their dogs everywhere with them. She normally picks the resort we stay at. Their room is normally at the very end of the resort, and on the bottom floor, no carpet, and no maid service, the rooms are designated for pet only. If you want maid service, I believe that there are special guide lines. Also normally there is some type of dog walk and potty path and/or play area. They are very responsible pet parents. It would be nice to take your furry baby with you, and it is money saving option considering what it cost to kennel them for a week or more, before our "Littleman" passed away, 3 years ago is was like 50.00 dollars a day (base price), plus we added in a couple of extra walks and play time, plus he was on a lot of medications (3x a day), but we did get a break here as he was a patient at the Vet's office so we were not charged for this service ( medication given)... all in all for a 8 night trip it was right under 600.00 dollars.

No-Dogs in the room - which I think is the way that it will end up going. Toooo many thing to go wrong. This is Florida and with all the hot and humid weather is fleas dream home setting, barking all day and night, dogs marking their territory in the room, and pet parents not properly caring or abiding by the rules. also Roaches love dog food... so another pest issue and what about the dog that get out of the room without a leash or that loves to chew on everything, and lets not forget about biting...It could be a hot mess.

The only way I see it working is like a Fort Wilderness setting, where the rooms are free standing, and created just for families and their furry family members. There would have to be a way to insure that shots record were current and flea protection would have to be a must. Mousekeeping in it's self is a nightmare, adding in pet parents that don't clean up after there pets... Haven't you every walked by a open resort room being cleaned and thought wow it looks like a tornado hit that room, and think about that room plus all the issue that could crop up, with accidents, smells and fleas on top of the already messy room. If this is going to happen, there are going to be a lot of issue that would have to be address.

 

[maxiesmom]

A year long test?

It reminds me of when fp+ and magicbands were first introduced. The "test" resorts are still going strong over 4 years later. Lol. I think the hope and the reason for the long testing period is so it will be eventually rolled out to all the resorts.

And I think, as is typical with many of Disney's changes, people panic and things end up being waaaaaaay less worrisome than they are made out to be.

I honestly wouldn't bring my dogs to a Disney resort. But I also don't like the whole The Sky Is Falling vibe.

 

[JerseyJanice]

That's what makes service animals different. Our partners are required to be freshly bathed with flea and tick preventative and UTD health certificates and vaccinations. Our dogs are also trained to only relieve themselves when we command them to and also to stay quiet and out of the way. Screaming kids running around or running up to them, stepping on them or pulling on them or any combo of that they are trained to deal with and remain calm and not react.

If a business secluded those with disabilities to a certain area that's not fair to us. We would be in the "handicapped" part of Disney? We try every day to live normal lives.

Those of us who have true service dogs that have been properly trained and are properly maintained you won't have issues with.

Like I said, it was a big discussion on another thread. IMO, nobody's disabilities trump those of someone else. I genuinely believe if a person is allergic to dog dander, they shouldn't have to be housed in the same room where a dog was, whether that dog was a pet or a service animal.

 

[fla4fun]

And then what happens when another dog shows up for the next bus, and the bus after that?

To be fair, they should alternate - dog friendly bus, allergy friendly bus, dog friendly bus, etc. Then there would be equal opportunity to wait, just based on your timing. But is anyone deep cleaning the buses between dog runs? If not, then it's a moot point, as the allergens would be constantly present anyway unless they kept bus routes completely separate as dog and non dog.

 

[mikejs78]

It is a test, not something that is permanent. If things go as horribly as some of you seem to think, it will never become permanent.

In the meantime, I'm stuck going to a resort that has this 'test' ongoing, and there's nothing I can do about it. As others have said, they should have announced it now to begin Jan 2019 if they wanted to test it.

 

[Disneylover99]

And I think, as is typical with many of Disney's changes, people panic and things end up being waaaaaaay less worrisome than they are made out to be.

I honestly wouldn't bring my dogs to a Disney resort. But I also don't like the whole The Sky Is Falling vibe.

This is one of the bigger changes and people have legitimate concerns, especially if they are already booked at these resorts.

 

[maxiesmom]

In the meantime, I'm stuck going to a resort that has this 'test' ongoing, and there's nothing I can do about it. As others have said, they should have announced it now to begin Jan 2019 if they wanted to test it.

And odds are you won't have any issues. And if you do, I would hope they would address them and make things right for you. I just don't believe in panicking ahead of time about something that may not happen. I highly doubt Disney will be flooded with dogs, as it is simply too much hassle to travel with them.

I hope none of you who are worried end up having problems. I truly do. And that is the last I'm going to say on this, as nothing can come from the back and forth except for hard feelings. Best of luck to you who are stressed about it.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I just read the pet friendly FAQ and I'm just blown away by Disney's bad form.

So they announced yesterday that they are starting this experiment tomorrow and will run it for an entire year? Wow! That is so unfair to people booked at these resorts who either can't or don't want to deal with other people's dogs. No notice whatsoever.

Very bad form. Very, very bad form.

 

[KarenP64]

That's what makes service animals different. Our partners are required to be freshly bathed with flea and tick preventative and UTD health certificates and vaccinations. Our dogs are also trained to only relieve themselves when we command them to and also to stay quiet and out of the way. Screaming kids running around or running up to them, stepping on them or pulling on them or any combo of that they are trained to deal with and remain calm and not react.

If a business secluded those with disabilities to a certain area that's not fair to us. We would be in the "handicapped" part of Disney? We try every day to live normal lives.

Those of us who have true service dogs that have been properly trained and are properly maintained you won't have issues with.

Except that those with dog allergies are still affected when they stay in a room where a dog has been, right?

 

[mikejs78]

And odds are you won't have any issues. And if you do, I would hope they would address them and make things right for you. I just don't believe in panicking ahead of time about something that may not happen. I highly doubt Disney will be flooded with dogs, as it is simply too much hassle to travel with them.

I hope none of you who are worried end up having problems. I truly do. And that is the last I'm going to say on this, as nothing can come from the back and forth except for hard feelings. Best of luck to you who are stressed about it.

Honestly I hope not. I'm just concerned about the general quality of the resort going down. I stayed at a pet friendly resort once before, and while I didn't encounter any particular problems with dogs, all around the grounds of the resort was a strong urine smell.. And that bothered mex but really bothered my wife who has a strong sense of smell... I just hope everything is self contained and kept clean, and that everyone involved is a good actor. But I suspect that won't be the case.

 

[Michiel]

Terrible idea! Have a stay booked at YC late November / early December, usually we stay offsite, but wanted to try onsite. If this is how Disney handles their hotel business, I will never come back and will always stay offsite again. Why didn’t they announce this a year ago, so people would have a choice? Horrible!

 

[Kay123456]

I'm not sure how they would manage this. Unless they were certain they could keep x number of rooms with dogs full at all times. Considering they are used to running close to capacity most of the time they aren't about to let rooms sit empty because they are only for people booking with dogs.

This is my concern. We have our upcoming trip booked, and have had it for over a year. All rooms are booked at this time. There isnt anything at any other resort that we can afford anyway since they are all booke as well. With the rooms already booked to capacity, how can they possibly guarantee that there will be enough people bringing animals to fill the “animal” rooms and not have to stick a nonanimal person in one. My daughter is severely allergic and I’m worried. I called to request a hypoallergenic room yesterday, and she told me they don’t need to take those requests because there are only certain rooms set aside for animals, and people without don’t have to worry about being put in one where there was a dog. Honestly though it dosnt make sense to me unless its a very minimal number of rooms.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I’m very curious to see how this pans out from a “room assignment” perspective.

So do guests need to notify Disney in advance they are traveling with a pet? How does this work at Universal and other pet-friendly hotels.... part of your reservation? Just show up with your pooch?

We all know how room assignments go at Disney... assigned several days ahead of time, people often have very specific requests, etc. And we all know how full most Disney resorts run 365 days a year.

At Yacht Club, for example, there are over 7 different room/view categories, with some of those rooms located on different floors/different parts of the resort. If I book a CL room and show up with my pet, will my room be on the CL floor (which is the top floor at YC)?

I know we’ll need more time/direct experiences to know how this will work in practice, but interesting to think about.

 

[anniemae]

I also think this is a terrible idea. My kids are terrified of dogs. My son was bit years ago and has been scared ever since. DH is allergic to pet dander and I am a lyme survivor terrified of ticks. I worry the dogs will bring ticks into the room then we will have the room next. Will they totally strip and change the blankets and pillows? I saw a photo of FB of someone at Disney during the hurricane, when they allowed dogs, and the dog was curled up on a pillow on the bed. All I could think was that I would not want to put my head on that pillow.

I also agree with a PP that it will bring the quality down. We stayed at a pet friendly hotel once and it was a nice hotel, but there were dogs in the lobby and around the resort. I do not like dogs at all and did not appreciate them all over the place. There was dog poop outside and just the smell in the hotel was gross. I think we had a room that was previously occupied by a dog because it smelled of urine and strong disinfectant. We asked to be moved.

It sounds like Disney will put the dogs all over the hotels, not just in a pet friendly area.

 

[NH-to-FL]

I am a dog lover and shared my life with dogs for almost 40 years but, with the exception of service dogs, do not feel they belong in general hotel rooms.

That said, I do think there should be pet friendly hotels. Or perhaps pet friendly sections of hotels. Where you could comfortably have your dog and where other guests would expect to be exposed to dogs and all of the occasional challenges that come with them.

EDITED one hour later to add:

I just saw the announcement that Disney has named four of its resorts to be dog friendly. Wonderful!

 

[Kay123456]

Since it’s only certain resorts, I don’t see the big deal. If you don’t like dogs or are allergic or whatever the issue is, don’t stay there. I will not bring my dog every trip, but I like the option. I have had tough choices to make about going on trips when I had elderly dogs or dogs with chronic conditions that would not do well boarding. I always said wdw should have at least one pet friendly hotel & that they could charge a good bit b/c there are ppl willing to pay that for that privilege.

The big deal is, this is starting this weekend. I have an upcoming trip that has been booked for over a year. The only two options I have to switch resorts are $900 and $1500 a night more (or go off site) since there is nothing available now. Or I could cancel my trip which isn’t exactly fair to me. Yes for those booking trips in the future they can pick a resort that doesn’t take dogs, but people with existing reservations are pretty much stuck.

 

[Wubar]

If the owner forgets to put the "do not disturb" sign on the door, hopefully the dog will bark when the housekeeper knocks and says, "housekeeping", before they enter. It should alert them that there is a dog in the room so they won't enter.

If the dogs aren't crated, I can't imagine housekeepers would be obligated to enter and clean the room. After all, is it their responsibility to ensure the dogs also don't escape through
the open door? I wouldn't think so.

 

[3DisneyBuggs]

Has Disney said how long this trial will last? The resort I may book for summer is POR. I do not want to stay in a dog friendly resort. I have allergies and the meds only buffer the reaction, I still end up stuffy and sneezy. Deciding between our timeshare or onsite- dogs might decide for me. LOL Hoping for a special discount for allergy sufferers at a non dog friendly resort- like the Poly - same price as POR. Debate that one- yeah it's early and Im trying to be funny.

 

[Ensusieasm]

Has Disney said how long this trial will last? The resort I may book for summer is POR. I do not want to stay in a dog friendly resort. I have allergies and the meds only buffer the reaction, I still end up stuffy and sneezy. Deciding between our timeshare or onsite- dogs might decide for me. LOL Hoping for a special discount for allergy sufferers at a non dog friendly resort- like the Poly - same price as POR. Debate that one- yeah it's early and Im trying to be funny.

Exactly one full year, until October 15, 2018

 

[Disneylover99]

I’m very curious to see how this pans out from a “room assignment” perspective.

So do guests need to notify Disney in advance they are traveling with a pet? How does this work at Universal and other pet-friendly hotels.... part of your reservation? Just show up with your pooch?

We all know how room assignments go at Disney... assigned several days ahead of time, people often have very specific requests, etc. And we all know how full most Disney resorts run 365 days a year.

At Yacht Club, for example, there are over 7 different room/view categories, with some of those rooms located on different floors/different parts of the resort. If I book a CL room and show up with my pet, will my room be on the CL floor (which is the top floor at YC)?

I know we’ll need more time/direct experiences to know how this will work in practice, but interesting to think about.

I wonder about this too.

This is from the Universal site.....

"Pets are permitted for a $50 fee per night††† in a pet-friendly room category (if you book a non-pet room, you’ll be re-assigned one upon arrival) with no more than two pets in any one guest room. Please make arrangements with housekeeping for daily room cleaning during your stay. Dogs may be walked in designated places, and are not allowed at pool, lounge or restaurant areas. Should your pet’s behavior result in guest complaints, you may be asked to board your pet in an outside shelter. You must bring proof of your pet’s up-to-date vaccinations, as well as current records from a licensed veterinarian. Pet-friendly rooms include:

Standard Rooms

Please note that Club level rooms do not participate in this program."

If Disney follows this, it sounds like certain rooms/areas may just be for pets. My concern would be, being put in one of these rooms/areas if the resort is booked to capacity and there are not too many dogs.