Trial Run for Dogs in Resort Rooms

[Disneylover99]

Andre posted a list of rules on the POR thread and it said that housekeeping will only clean rooms when the guest is present.

Wow. Pets can't be left alone for more than 7 hours???? That's crazy!

At least at the Loews resorts, the agreement states that pets must be supervised in the hotel room at all times.
That is a huge difference!

 

[megs1313]

I'm gonna keep hoping that something else pops up with availability during our dates. This stinks.

 

[Sarahraegraham]

Wow. Pets can't be left alone for more than 7 hours???? That's crazy!

At least at the Loews resorts, the agreement states that pets must be supervised in the hotel room at all times.
That is a huge difference!

Agreed. And I don’t know about anyone else, but who stays in a Best Western for 5 nights+? Not me. They can keep them clean because they are small and rarely have a visiting pet for more than a night or two at a time. And there’s also a big difference in having a pet at a resort vs. a normal hotel.

 

[2Kds2K9]

Well, Disney has me as a customer again! Sorry, I'm in the minority here. As my name says, I have dogs and travel with them all over. We've stayed at the Lowes hotels at universal for the past 8 years because they take dogs, and have not visited Disney since they don't. Our vacations to Orlando are usually on our way to our second home in Florida, so my pups are with us. They are also with us and stay in hotels when I visit my college age kids.

My dogs are always put in a travel crate while alone in the room. I put the crates as far away from the hallway and turn the tv on for white noise. I have never had a complaint about them barking. And as we do at home, they are taken out for potty about every 3-4 hours. At universal it's nice and easy to come back to the hotel for a break and take the dogs out. We also elect to not have daily maid service so our dogs don't get upset with a stranger coming in the room. We just ask the housekeeper for clean towels.

There is a large market that travels with their dogs and Disney has finally decided to tap that market. As with most hotels that accept dogs, I'm sure Disney will have certain rooms/floors/sections specifically for them. I'm just upset about the daily fee. Most hotels we've stayed at charge a one time cleaning fee. Guess I'll call to comment about that.

So happy about this trial. Hope it becomes permanent.

 

[Silvermist999]

Wow, what prompted this to be introduced. Is this really necessary? Kind of extreme to have to bring your dog into your hotel room at a resort. I'm indifferent to this being allowed at Ft. Wilderness cabins. But I won't stay at any of the other resorts that will allow dogs. If this ever expands to all WDW on-site resorts, we will choose to stay off-site. So many issues as others have already mentioned. Ridiculous!

 

[HopperFan]

From my understanding, FW has always been dog friendly. You could have always stayed there.

Not in cabins.

I was in disbelief when I heard the news about dogs being allowed in certain WDW resorts. We are staying at AOA Lion King Suite March 2018.
After calling Disney today I have switched resorts and my family was very saddened by this since this was our 1st stay AOA.
I had many questions which the CM answered and was very understanding. Like others, I also love dogs but do not agree with this.
One of the questions I asked were, " Is there a weight limit on the dogs that are allowed to stay" CM checked with a supervisor and said as of right now there is no restriction on weight or breed of the dog.
I was also told that dogs (except service animals) would not be allowed in food courts and restricted to certain paths at resorts. I asked were there going to be dog Police to enforce these rules lol.
CM also told that WDW will work with anyone that has pet allergies, which my daughter has.

If rooms get destroyed by dogs that are not used to be confined for hours by themselves, so be it, WDW is asking for this.
My real concern is for the well being & safety of the guests that are staying at these resorts.

First thing I thought of was Lion King Suites .... inside the suites themselves are very jungle like and may look like outside to a dog ... and every dog will want to tinkle on the big broken tree in the boneyard play area.

How the heck is Mousekeeping expected to enter a room with an unattended dog? That's crazy!

They can't or that union will be all over Disney. I know of no dog friendly hotel that will allow this.

Just popping in to say thanks for keeping things (mostly) civil, and to remind everyone that if you don't like this policy, your quarrel is with Disney, not your fellow DISboards members.

Remember that pet-friendly hotels are not new, and not uncommon. I think everyone's aware that all of the Universal resorts are pet-friendly, but so is the rest of the Loews chain, along with W Hotels, the Four Seasons, Best Western, La Quinta, and many others. Even more chains are pet-friendly in certain hotels. So, Disney's not inventing the concept, and other hotels have managed just fine for many years without having guests mauled in the hallways, housekeepers mauled in the rooms, and smelly, flea-ridden rooms.

I'm not saying that everyone will or should be happy about it, of course it's a major problem for guests with allergies, or those who just don't want to be around other people's pets on vacation. Make your feelings known to Disney, by all means. But I don't think a lot of the catastrophes being predicted here are going to be happening.

But it seems that Disney has thrown all rules out the window that many of the other hotels have ...

- MANY have a size limit, 30/40 lb is probably about average. Loews is generous at 75 lbs.
- MANY will not let you leave the dog longer than 30 minutes, some not at all at night and LOEWS (Universal) along with others state the dog can NEVER be left alone in the room. "Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando welcomes two pets of any size for an additional fee of $50 per night. Pets may not be left unattended at any time."

This is Universal Pet agreement ... you can't leave pets in room alone, they offer a sitter service if you want or a kennel with daycare.
https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/files/Documents/LoewsPetAgreement.pdf

 

[Disneylover99]

Agreed. And I don’t know about anyone else, but who stays in a Best Western for 5 nights+? Not me. They can keep them clean because they are small and rarely have a visiting pet for more than a night or two at a time. And there’s also a big difference in having a pet at a resort vs. a normal hotel.

Totally. I can't imagine the potential for room damage, poop/pee, and barking with dogs being left alone so long.

 

[focusondisney]

Since there are no size restrictions ............ aka my 70lb dog is a very large child so should count towards occupancy ........ especially since if I brought her she would be sleeping in a bed.

And that is exactly why I would not want to stay in a pet friendly hotel.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Well, Disney has me as a customer again! Sorry, I'm in the minority here. As my name says, I have dogs and travel with them all over. We've stayed at the Lowes hotels at universal for the past 8 years because they take dogs, and have not visited Disney since they don't. Our vacations to Orlando are usually on our way to our second home in Florida, so my pups are with us. They are also with us and stay in hotels when I visit my college age kids.

My dogs are always put in a travel crate while alone in the room. I put the crates as far away from the hallway and turn the tv on for white noise. I have never had a complaint about them barking. And as we do at home, they are taken out for potty about every 3-4 hours. At universal it's nice and easy to come back to the hotel for a break and take the dogs out. We also elect to not have daily maid service so our dogs don't get upset with a stranger coming in the room. We just ask the housekeeper for clean towels.

There is a large market that travels with their dogs and Disney has finally decided to tap that market. As with most hotels that accept dogs, I'm sure Disney will have certain rooms/floors/sections specifically for them. I'm just upset about the daily fee. Most hotels we've stayed at charge a one time cleaning fee. Guess I'll call to comment about that.

So happy about this trial. Hope it becomes permanent.

I think I fall on the opposite side of the topic than you, but just wanted to say thank you for posting your real-world experience and perspective on the issue. I think it’s very helpful in this discussion.

 

[DisneyRunner2009]

I think $ grab, too. If it rains, you have wet dogs that shake off or crawl on the bedding. Increase in occupancy with dog owners or decrease in occupancy, because of possible issues. Where will the chips fall?

 

[momtosam]

If they would set aside non-dog rooms like there were non-smoking rooms in the past (now everything is non-smoking) I'd be okay with it. I would want to be in a room where no dogs were before. But to make every room dog friendly is nuts. Make only some buildings dog friendly so those of us who want to can request buildings away from them.
ETA I'm aware of the map Andre posted for POR but everything else I've read tonight has said that Disney is reporting ALL rooms wI'll be dog friendly at these resorts.

 

[DVCPAT]

How the heck is Mousekeeping expected to enter a room with an unattended dog? That's crazy!

Maybe housekeeping wont need to enter the room. Disney can profit from the pet surcharge and profit from the guest forgoing housekeeping. We stayed in one hotel that allowed pets and it was nasty. They designated the top floor for pet rooms and you could smell the odor as soon as the elevator door opened. We love our dogs but we'll never stay in a resort that allows them.

 

[Disneylover99]

My dogs are always put in a travel crate while alone in the room. I put the crates as far away from the hallway and turn the tv on for white noise. I have never had a complaint about them barking. And as we do at home, they are taken out for potty about every 3-4 hours. At universal it's nice and easy to come back to the hotel for a break and take the dogs out. We also elect to not have daily maid service so our dogs don't get upset with a stranger coming in the room. We just ask the housekeeper for clean towels.

True. But not so easy at Disney. I doubt people will be travelling back and forth to take their dogs out to do their business if they are at the parks. Especially if they're staying at AofA or POR.

 

[Helen Gregson]

So, if a guest with allergies has a room booked in a dog-friendly resort, and there is no other availability, what should that guest do?

 

[HopperFan]

I think I fall on the opposite side of the topic than you, but just wanted to say thank you for posting your real-world experience and perspective on the issue. I think it’s very helpful in this discussion.

While I appreciate the input the comments that they leave their pets alone in room, in crates or not, is against Loews policy. If they catch you they remove the pets and charge you per hour to babysit them. This is what we are going to find with Disney ... folks not following the rules.


Here it is straight from Loew's Pet Policy .... wonder why Disney opted to be so lax with their rules compared to other hotels.

- Pets should be supervised at all times while in the hotel or on the property. You have been provided with a list of local pet sitting services which can be arranged for you through the hotel’s concierge. Since these services are not provided by Loews Hotels we cannot be held responsible for any pet service engaged by you.
- A $10 per hour “time out” fee is assessed by Loews Hotels if a pet is left unattended and needs to be removed from a guestroom.

 

[Wubar]

I am bringing my wok. Free dining plan!!

Seriously? Yeah, this attempt at humor wasn't offensive or anything.

If they would set aside non-dog rooms like there were non-smoking rooms in the past (now everything is non-smoking) I'd be okay with it. I would want to be in a room where no dogs were before. But to make every room dog friendly is nuts. Make only some buildings dog friendly so those of us who want to can request buildings away from them.
ETA I'm aware of the map Andre posted for POR but everything else I've read tonight has said that Disney is reporting ALL rooms wI'll be dog friendly at these resorts.

THIS. Block off a section, and keep other sections dog-free, and I'm ok with it. But to rely on housekeeping to clean a room well enough that any allergy sensitive guests wouldn't be susceptible to an attack after the room was recently vacated by a dog? I don't know if I have enough faith....

 

[TheFloatingBear]

My DD and I have an upcoming stay at POR in January with her dance company. It's going to be a fairly big group. So far I've read conflicting posts about whether there will be specific areas for dog friendly rooms or if it will expand as needed, so I guess time will tell. But I imagine if there are any members of our group with severe dog allergies or a fear of dogs, we could be in a real pickle, since I doubt they could accommodate moving us at this point.

 

[mikejs78]

True. But not so easy at Disney. I doubt people will be travelling back and forth to take their dogs out to do their business if they are at the parks. Especially if they're staying at AofA or POR.

And especially if they are at the Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom...

 

[reylas]

So, if a guest with allergies has a room booked in a dog-friendly resort, and there is no other availability, what should that guest do?

I am in the same boat, I fly down in 15 days and cannot get my flight money back or we would cancel. I called Disney myself and was told nothing they could do. No rooms available anywhere else. All they would do is put a note in my reservation saying I wanted as far away from dogs as I could get.

It stinks that they only gave 48 hour notice for those people coming down on Sunday.

 

[LSUmiss]

FW is the campsites. Unless I’m misunderstanding your post.

Where was the big demand for this? Everyone I spoke with about this (and all of them are dog owners) thinks this is a terrible idea. For about the same cost, I can send my dog to a boarding kennel where she gets to play all day with other dogs and is very well taken care of. One thing I look forward to on vacation is not having to get up super early every day to take the pooch for a walk.

Funny b/c a lot of ppl I talked to do like it (clearly not here tho). Think it depends on your situation. I know ppl with small or elderly dogs that don’t do well boarding. I have an aunt who’s Yorkie ends up in ICU if boards it b/c it doesn’t eat & vomits from anxiety but does fine going to hotels with her. I used to have an elderly dachshund with a bad back that absolutely could not jump or have a leash around his neck so I didn’t trust anyone else to care for him. I would have loved this option when I had him.