Pet-Friendly Hotel

[2GOO-FEE]

I wish that Disney had a Pet-Friendly Hotel. Instead of having to put your family member in a kennel, they could stay in your hotel room with you where they would be more comfortable. Maybe Disney could, instead of building a separate hotel, could assign a section of the hotel, ie All Star or POP to allow your loving Pets.

I know that this is bad :blush: but I was looking on the Universal Studios in Orlando website and even though they have only three hotels all are pet-friendly.

If anyone knows who to contact about this it would greatly be appreciated.

[TammiMcMan]

I just don't see it happening at Disney ever. I think a majority of the people who vacation there, aren't spending a lot of time in their room. I've got to believe that this would lead to a number of doggie accidents during the day. Not to mention the excessive amount of allergies you see popping up lately. We have a dog, but she stays home with a house sitter while we're on vacation. I think she's much happier here than in a hotel room all by herself.

[Narawen]

We have a dog, but she stays home with a house sitter while we're on vacation. I think she's much happier here than in a hotel room all by herself.


That's what we do with our dog. Honestly, while I would love for him to be able to come, he has more fun with his "grandpeople" or other pet sitters than he would alone for 12+ hours a day.

[crazeedizneefinatic]

I agree it's probably is not the best place to take a pet. Unless, you were not visiting the parks that much. But just the argument that some people are cleaner than others, some pets hold it and some don't. I don't think I would want to stay after a careless pet owner. I am sure Disney if they ever would allow it, would make sure it's clean, but just the thought. We own a 7 month old Shih Tzu. I am meticulous with cleanliness. Although she does not shed I am vacuuming all the time. I see some owners who don't even bathe their dogs. Gross! My little one gets groomed every other week. I give her a bath on the off weeks. I just cannot stand a smelly or unkept dog. Disney does have a kennel at the park but I would never leave my little one there. It's just a kennel, no walking (you have to do that yourself), no playing, no exercise, just sitting in a cage all day. I would be worried sick and probably end up visiting the kennel the whole trip. Disney would make a killing if they came up with a pet resort. We have a pet resort here and it's looks like so much fun. I am fortunate enough to have a kind and generous neighbor to take her in when we need her to.

[DREAMADREAM93]

i think that is a great idea!

And i know that in my case, my dog is hypoallerginic [i have a bischon friese] and he doesn't shed etc... but i know that is only in my case. But i dont see how assaigning a section of the hotels like AS and POP would bother people even with allergies. If they are staying in that section, they should probably have a pet and allergies wouldnt be a problem. And trust me - little pet accidents are no mess for those supermaids at Disney resorts! :thumbsup:

JOrdan :]

[k_reile]

even if they had pet friendly hotels on disney property...I would then want to take my dog to the park with me, so he is not stuck in a hotel room while we are out in the parks...and taking them to the parks is not a good idea since they obviously would not be able to ride....so leaving them at home is the best option. Our "baby" is spending the week with Grandma and Grandpa, where he will definitely be spoiled:mickey:

[Tynkerbelle]

Hmmm - I'm on the fence on this one (I know my sister would be all for it - she hates travelling without her girls and misses them terribly)....

I agree that it would be cool to have a pet-friendly resort and probably no more of a problem to have than the smoking rooms when they had them.... On the other hand, knowing we'll be at the parks all day long and my Teddy Bear would be all alone anyway, it seems better that he be with his auntie & grandma who will dote on him all day....
Although, it would be nice to come back to the room and see him (and cuddle).....

On a side note - when we were kids, my dad decided to take our doxie with us - he stayed at the kennel at FW - it was cool to be able to see him everyday (only MK back then), but it was the only time in his life he got fleas.....

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . And i know that in my case, my dog is hypoallerginic [i have a bischon friese] and he doesn't shed etc . . .

1) Most animal allergies are not to hair.
2) They are to DANDER.
3) Dander occurs even in "clean" or "hypo-allergenic" animals.
4) I would not stay at WDW if they went "pet friendly".
5) I don't believe their is any dog or cat that can "hold it".
6) There are bound to be accidents.
7) I don't want to walk barefoot or sleep on dried "protein spills".

NOTE: "hypo-allergenic" does not mean allergy-free, it means the risk of allergic reactions is reduced -OR- it contains few allergic components. The only true allergy-free substance is water.

[AvonleaCF]

My kitty will be staying with the "grandparents." While I will miss her terribly while I'm away, it wouldn't be fair to her to leave her in a room all day. She'll be happier at my parent's house. Plus with cell phones it's quick and easy for me to call and check up on her.

There are so many good pet daycare places these days you can probably find a good place to leave your pet near you. I wouldn't want animals (other than seeing-eye dogs) to be allowed.

[2GOO-FEE]

I am not saying an entire resort as Pet Friendly but only a section. I think that the people that would bring their pet would be more responsible than the typical pet owner and not stay away for 12 hours at a time. Like when you put your pet in a kennel you have to go and walk him during the day. We would go back to the hotel and hang out with him and play. This would mean we would be spending more time at the hotel and more money at the hotel. I don't see a danger just having a pet around because pets are everywhere. After all Disney is considered as a family oriented resort and we consider our baby as family.

[vamaggie]

I love animals too and know it is tough to leave them when you go away. That said, if they made a section of a resort "pet friendly" (not a term I like as I don't really see it as friendly to leave an animal unattended for hours on end--in a strange place no less) I see a few problems: 1) they would have to guarantee folks with pets those rooms and guaranteeing anything at Disney is not likely. If all those rooms are not filled by pet owners Disney would be losing money--not something they like to do 2) what is a pet? a cat? a dog? a really big dog? a ferret? a lizard? If they allow some kinds would they would have to allow all? How many per room? 3) what about noise? barking? meowing? While folks can usually control themselves, their children & music etc it can be very difficult to control animals barking etc. I think it is not a good thing and hope Disney does not go to it.

[TammiMcMan]

If Disney were to set aside even a portion of the resort, I honestly think that they will lose business overall. Not to mention the liability insurance I'm sure they'd have to carry. Even being a pet owner myself, I choose not to stay in hotels that have a pet policy.

[Narawen]

I am not saying an entire resort as Pet Friendly but only a section. I think that the people that would bring their pet would be more responsible than the typical pet owner and not stay away for 12 hours at a time.


Having a section of a resort as pet friendly would be logistically much more of a problem than a whole resort. Room requests are already hard to handle, imagine someone bringing a beloved pooch only to find out that that section of the hotel is full. What then?

And there is no gurauntee that the people who brought their pets would be more responsible. There is no screening test to make sure of that. There would be some families who left their dog alone for more than 12 hours (sometimes in summer on emh nights, MK is open for 17 hours), and there would be "Accidents" in rooms. There would be barking or howling at night. It's jkust too much of a hassle.

While I don't object to pet friendly hotels in general, it would be too much trouble for Disney and they would lose too much business. I would rahter leave my baby at a doggie day care where he can play and interact with other dogs and people, or with close friends or family.

[emmingo]

There are a lot of resorts that are pet-friendly, but they limit the size of the dogs, segregate to a certain part of the hotel, etc.; many even require that you board your dog with the "kennel" at the hotel during the day when you are not in your room. There are a LOT of specifications if you decide to take your pet to a hotel. Personally, I see Disney deciding to make at least one of their hotels small-dog friendly, particularly at some of the higher end resorts. Nearly all of the more expensive destinations have this option as more and more people are traveling with small dogs as accessories--especially higher-status guests, which have to be, at least in some respect, a concern to Disney.

I do know, personally, a few people who have specifically NOT chosen Disney for a vacation because they refused to accommodate their small dogs. Guess it depends on how attached you are to your pooch!

[rnin02]

In theory, I love the idea of being able to bring my dog! He's really a people dog, so boarding him when we are out of town is just miserable for him (and me). When we've gone to disney in the past, we have been able to find someone for him to stay with thankfully, and this year **hopefully** my brother and sister-in-law will stay here with him and our cats (they've said yes, but when we contacted them with our dates 3 weeks ago they never responded...i'm scared to ask again!). The reality of taking him to Disney with us would be hard...not worth flying, so we'd have to drive, and that's a fairly long drive for a dog. He did 9 hours okay, one time, and did well staying overnight in a Motel 6, but we never left him alone. We spend fairly long days outside the hotel room, and while of course we would come back to walk him and stuff, he would still be stuck in a strange room, lonely, wondering where his mommy and daddy are. But my dog is also a little anxious, with a little separation anxiety, so that doesn't help. I think if Disney wanted to become "pet friendly" they'd do better to change to laminate wood flooring, not carpet, easier to clean. I don't really see them doing this though...and wouldn't it be difficult for housekeeping to clean those rooms with pets in them? It would be neat for the cabins at Fort Wilderness to be pet friendly...that I think would be a nicer place to take a dog...more homey, more room, possibly easier to make your dog comfortable. Still getting him there would be a problem!

[TammiMcMan]

It would be neat for the cabins at Fort Wilderness to be pet friendly...that I think would be a nicer place to take a dog...more homey, more room, possibly easier to make your dog comfortable.You bring up a good point, because pets are allowed in some of the loops at Fort Wilderness. Not the cabins, as they're Disney property, but if you want to keep a pet in your own camper or tent, that's okay. I understand there is an additional charge and the animal cannot be taken out of that loop. Other than that, I don't know if there are any restrictions on size or weight of a dog.

[mrsgaribaldi]

I would love to have my kitties with me. I really miss them when we go away. That's why we take short trips. As much as I love them though, I think it would be too much of a hassle to take them on the plane with us. I guess it might work out for people driving or close by Disney:mickey:

[Tinkerfreak]

As much as as I love dogs (I had four at one time) I just would never think of taking them on a plane and to Disney. It is just too stressful for them. The thought of them being put in the bottom of the plane with the luggage is bad enough but I can't imagine leaving them in a strange hotel room for hours at a time. That is why when all of our dogs were gone we decided not to get another one until we have stopped traveling so much. When we do get another dog I will leave it with Grammy and Grampa. I know that it is hard to be away from your babies and that you will miss them but you have to do what is best for your pet not what is best for you. Some dogs can handle travel really well but my dogs would have been miserable.

[MickeyMousse]

I have often thought about this too. I have 2 dogs and even though we are diligent about cleaning up after them and giving them many potty/exercise breaks, I am sure that many owners are not. So to possibly listen to a howling pet :bang: that hasn't been out to do it's biz or stretch their legs in hours and the probable aftermath of such has soured me on the "dream of taking Dakota and Melody to Disney". Instead, they will be vacationing at Grandma and Grandpa's!!:cloud9:

[DisneyDog]

What about the point that the original poster made -- that ALL of Universal's resort hotels are pet-friendly. I've have stayed at two of those hotels, one of them twice, and I can attest to the fact that they are clean -- in fact, they are cleaner than WDW hotels. They are gorgeous, upscale, comfortable hotels.

The hotels at Universal treat pets like they are royalty. My dogs were given special bowls and deluxe cookies. They have a large area for pet walking and plenty of garbage cans around the area for cleanup.

Now, living out of state, I probably wouldn't think of bringing my pets on a trip like that with me. But, remember, not everyone lives out of state, and not everyone goes in an airplane to get to WDW. Many people drive to get there, and many people, who live in Florida, only have an hour or so to drive to get there. We used to live in SW Florida, and it took us 3 hours to drive there. Sometimes we would board the dogs at the kennel at home. Sometimes we would bring them with us (and stay at Universal instead of WDW). Sometimes we stayed at WDW and sometimes we stayed offsite. It all depended on our finances that month. But, it was always nice to know we could bring the dogs with us if we wanted to (and, in the case of hurricane season, NEEDED TO).

I think Disney should have a special pet-friendly section of certain hotels. I think they are missing out on a large number of customers who would appreciate that.

[TammiMcMan]

What about the point that the original poster made -- that ALL of Universal's resort hotels are pet-friendly.Technically, Disney does offer pet friendly accommodations in Fort Wilderness. Plus logistically, I think it's much easier to get back and forth from the Universal parks to the hotel to take care of pets throughout the day. The longest time it took us to go from the park to Portofino, was about 20 minutes. Most cases at Disney, we plan at least an hour to get from one point to the other. I still think that a majority of guests who decide to stay at Disney, are there for the parks and not to spend time in their rooms. I'm sure there are exceptions, but probably not enough to make it a good business decision for Disney.

[BethieTink]

i am the furmom to 3 fantastic 3 feline sons (DH and I adopted an entire litter 4 years ago) and I would never take them WDW.

I would be terrified of the idea. While my boys are good and use a litter box faithfully, so that is my not my issue, but to leave them for hours in a strange place while I went off to have "fun" would be awful for them and for me. I wouldn't be able to leave the room until the maid had been there, otherwise I would keep them in the bathroom all day, so they didn't escape. I would be a nervous wreck, if I left them out, that someone would come in, not know they were there and they would get out the door. Then I am searching all over Disney for my babies (with them possibly being out there for hours, until I discovered it). Beating myself up that it was my fault for bringing them there. No way, much safer and more relaxed for the boys and for mom and dad, if they stay home with the pet sitter checking on them once or twice a day. My sitter calls me everytime she is at the house to tell me how they are and she is on call if the alarm at the house goes off for some reason.

I shudder at the mere thought that I would ever take them from their house like this.

[MNNHFLTX]

In theory, if a person bringing their dogs to Disney was willing to go back to their room several times a day to walk them, I think it might be okay. But I'm sure there are other pet policies that would have to be in place. Such as the need to keep them crated during the day (so that housekeeping could safely enter the room and do their thing) and what recourse the hotel would have for a dog that was barking continuously when their owners were gone. I'm sure that the Universal hotels' pet policies address these issues. I also don't think that every resort should have a pet-friendly section, perhaps just one resort at each category level.

From a personal standpoint, I would not bring my two black labs (or two cats, for that matter) on a Disney World vacation. While I know that they miss us when we are gone, I also know they are much more comfortable in their own environment, especially if they would be left alone for long periods of time. So we utilize a very reliable pet sitter who comes to our house several times a day. We have brought our dogs with us on a couple of vacations where it was appropriate for them to spend most of the day with us, such as spending a week at a cabin in the woods (and doing a lot of hiking), or a long weekend at a beach house where they can romp on the sand with us. But a Disney World vacation is just not that type of vacation. :dog:

[tink2006]

We have a dog, but she stays home with a house sitter while we're on vacation. I think she's much happier here than in a hotel room all by herself.

Same here. Except we have two labs that stay with Grandma :mickey: