Trial Run for Dogs in Resort Rooms

[KAT4DISNEY]

Dogs do go into hospitals and rehab facilities. We brought my mom's dog into see her once. As for supermarkets, I am not sure if there are actual regulations banning non-service animals or if they simply make their own rules.

I would take my dog to visit my father at the nursing home. They also had a cat as others I've been to have had.

One more relatively recent thing is dogs at airports to help with travel related stress.

 

[jrmasm]

This. We can’t all bring our beloved animals with us wherever we go. It’s part of life.

But now we can bring them to WDW if we want.

 

[LSUmiss]

This. We can’t all bring our beloved animals with us wherever we go. It’s part of life.

I think it's just what's practical. WDW is doing this for $. I seriously doubt that there is a market for ppl to bring their cats. Most cats get freaked out if you move the furniture around in your own house much less if you put them in a carrier, travel however many miles by car or plane with them & then dump them in a strange hotel room. My cats would hide for a week! I wouldn't be able find them when it was time to check out!

 

[Sarahraegraham]

Why not? Why isn't the dog owner's emotional happiness and well-being just as valid as the non-dog owner? I don't see how you can say that one "side" deserves happiness and the other "side" does not.

Because their choice to have a dog and accept what comes with being a dog parent doesn’t mean that their emotional happiness come at the expense of the other. What I mean is, prior to this policy, the dog owner and non dog owner could coexist on resort. The dog owner missed their pet, but it was their choice to have a pet to miss and that is part of being a pet parent. Now, the emotional happiness of the pet parent will come at the expense of the non. As the system was first rolled out at least. Which is why I am against it and am FOR a completely separate pet friendly resort. WIN-WIN

 

[LSUmiss]

I would take my dog to visit my father at the nursing home. They also had a cat as others I've been to have had.

One more relatively recent thing is dogs at airports to help with travel related stress.

And many hospitals & nursing homes offer pet therapy so the dogs are trained & even temperament but not true service dogs either.

 

[Sarahraegraham]

I think it's just what's practical. WDW is doing this for $. I seriously doubt that there is a market for ppl to bring their cats. Most cats get freaked out if you move the furniture around in your own house much less if you put them in a carrier, travel however many miles by car or plane with them & then dump them in a strange hotel room. My cats would hide for a week! I wouldn't be able find them when it was time to check out!

Right. I’m debating from the principle side of whether or not it is right, because from a monetary standpoint I see why they would try this.

 

[amylevan]

I'm about ready to bow out of this thread, but some of my final thoughts...

Pet friendly hotels are a growing trend in the travel industry. WDW is not ground breaking here, they are joining what is already a pretty popular choice - and as a business, I can see that being a smart decision. (Especially when you can charge an upgrade!)

While I don't agree with the rapid roll out for those who already had trips planned, we are talking 4 resorts out of 20. Something like 65% of hotels are already pet-friendly, so at 25%, you actually have more choice to be at a non-pet hotel than you do outside of the WDW bubble.

And for those of you who are so sure that WDW is going to horribly mess this up with horribly smelling rooms and no ability to control their guests, why on earth do you stay on property???? If you are so convinced that WDW provides sub-par guest services, why do you continue to throw your money at them? I think that baffles me the most.

 

[LSUmiss]

Because their choice to have a dog and accept what comes with being a dog parent doesn’t mean that their emotional happiness come at the expense of the other. What I mean is, prior to this policy, the dog owner and non dog owner could coexist on resort. The dog owner missed their pet, but it was their choice to have a pet to miss and that is part of being a pet parent. Now, the emotional happiness of the pet parent will come at the expense of the non. As the system was first rolled out at least. Which is why I am against it and am FOR a completely separate pet friendly resort. WIN-WIN

So if I have a dog that has a chronic condition that makes boarding difficult or potentially fatal for him to board, I have to commit now that I will not go on vacation for 16 years or however long he lives? ....or I can take him & still stay at 1 of 4 (or less-I would be ok if they scaled back to one) resorts on property, leaving everyone else to enjoy the other non dog resorts.

 

[robinb]

Because their choice to have a dog and accept what comes with being a dog parent doesn’t mean that their emotional happiness come at the expense of the other. What I mean is, prior to this policy, the dog owner and non dog owner could coexist on resort. The dog owner missed their pet, but it was their choice to have a pet to miss and that is part of being a pet parent. Now, the emotional happiness of the pet parent will come at the expense of the non. As the system was first rolled out at least. Which is why I am against it and am FOR a completely separate pet friendly resort. WIN-WIN

But prior to this policy some dog owners were not as happy without their dog because they were forced to leave their pets behind. The happiness of the the non-dog lovers came at the expense of the dog lovers. The knife cuts both ways which makes your argument fall apart.

 

[LSUmiss]

That really sucks . I'm sorry for your dog. My cat did die in a kennel while I was at WDW. He became sick right before we were to leave and we kenneled him at the vet's office while we were away. I was comforted that someone held him as he died but I wish it had been me.

I'm so sorry. That's so sad. My dog was in the hospital too & I hated that he died there & I wasn't there. Even though my dogs are young now & my cats are relatively healthy (as far as we know), I stress every time it's time to leave for WDW or any vacation. It's one of my biggest fears about leaving. If I could take the cats, I'd do that too, but that would be for me. They would HATE it!

 

[Ensusieasm]

Just got a second follow up call from Disney guest experiences. Chris called to tell me that the number of negative response emails coming into wdw regarding this policy change are both unexpected and overwhelming. Told me due to the admitted poor rollout, and guest feedback the policy is under microscope. He admitted to me that he knows full well CM’s are loathe to confront guests even when they see them breaking rules and acknowledges how that alone makes this change this problematic.

Said they didn’t limit size or breed because they are counting on owners to be responsible. Talked about how hotels that have allowed dogs for years have size restrictions so it is just bizarre Disney jumps in with both feet with zero restrictions including allowing dogs alone in strange hotel room all day while owners are out in parks.

Overall he did say they get it, acknowledged what an issue it is and said they will monitor carefully what happens and make changes accordingly.

Thanks for sharing. It is very helpful.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

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 liked your post moreso for the humor in it as it conjured up things in my mind

 

[BlueDog]

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.

 

[Wubar]

I liked your post moreso for the humor in it as it conjured up things in my mind

The bird was scared of the ferret and flew off, which atttracted the attention of the cat who chased the bird, only to be caught by the dog, which then got bit by the lurking snake. Meanwhile, the pot bellied pig and bunny looked on in amusement while enjoying a vegetarian feast provided by the Garden Grill.

 

[Sarahraegraham]

So if I have a dog that has a chronic condition that makes boarding difficult or potentially fatal for him to board, I have to commit now that I will not go on vacation for 16 years or however long he lives? ....or I can take him & still stay at 1 of 4 (or less-I would be ok if they scaled back to one) resorts on property, leaving everyone else to enjoy the other non dog resorts.

No, not all what I said. You would need to have a family member, friend or pet sitter care for him at home, or bring him to a pet-friendly hotel/resort, or not go on vacation. If I had a sick animals those would be my options as well. The difference now is that in the way WDW has done this, it’s great for someone like you at the expense of someone like me. Which is why I said and will repeat again, they should build a completely separate pet-friendly resort and EVERYONE wins.

 

[jrmasm]

The bird was scared of the ferret and flew off, which atttracted the attention of the cat who chased the bird, only to be caught by the dog, which then got bit by the lurking snake. Meanwhile, the pot bellied pig and bunny looked on in amusement while enjoying a vegetarian feast provided by the Garden Grill.

Sounds like a fun time!!

 

[Sarahraegraham]

But prior to this policy some dog owners were not as happy without their dog because they were forced to leave their pets behind. The happiness of the the non-dog lovers came at the expense of the dog lovers. The knife cuts both ways which makes your argument fall apart.

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.

 

[LSUmiss]

No, not all what I said. You would need to have a family member, friend or pet sitter care for him at home, or bring him to a pet-friendly hotel/resort, or not go on vacation. If I had a sick animals those would be my options as well. The difference now is that in the way WDW has done this, it’s great for someone like you at the expense of someone like me. Which is why I said and will repeat again, they should build a completely separate pet-friendly resort and EVERYONE wins.

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?

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

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.

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.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The bird was scared of the ferret and flew off, which atttracted the attention of the cat who chased the bird, only to be caught by the dog, which then got bit by the lurking snake. Meanwhile, the pot bellied pig and bunny looked on in amusement while enjoying a vegetarian feast provided by the Garden Grill.