Trial Run for Dogs in Resort Rooms

[markman04]

People. There are 25+ Walt Disney World hotels. Pick the one that fits your needs.

 

[BK2014]

I am amazed at the number of people who think this policy is going to be a financial or legal problem for WDW. As if they just slapped together this idea without doing any research or consulting experts about this. Disney would be no more liable if my dog attacked another dog, guest etc. than they would be if you or your child attacked another dog or guest while on property. Same with people who suffer allergic or other medical or psychological reactions from the presence of dogs. You have been given notice of the new risk. Don't get me wrong, I do not like this policy, nor do I think it was rolled out with sufficient notice to guests. But the predictions that Disney is going to suffer legal or financial harm are largely without merit.

 

[HopperFan]

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.

The pee spot map has four locations throughout the resort. Looks like they expect to be putting dogs all over the resort ....... if you "aren't allowed to walk your dogs in the public areas" then how would you get to these spots unless you are staying around those places.

 

[Sarahraegraham]

I am amazed at the number of people who think this policy is going to be a financial or legal problem for WDW. As if they just slapped together this idea without doing any research or consulting experts about this. Disney would be no more liable if my dog attacked another dog, guest etc. than they would be if you or your child attacked another dog or guest while on property. Same with people who suffer allergic or other medical or psychological reactions from the presence of dogs. You have been given notice of the new risk. Don't get me wrong, I do not like this policy, nor do I think it was rolled out with sufficient notice to guests. But the predictions that Disney is going to suffer legal or financial harm are largely without merit.

I get what you're saying. But consider this: Disney is, in the general public's mind anyway, a place for children. A magical, real life fairy tale place where you can go together as a family and have fun. Now add a dog attack in the news. Guess where those people won't be taking their child to stay?

And I would not consider 48 hours notice when you have to book your resort room months in advance to secure it and with no option to change.
Not trying to argue with others on this board. We are all obviously Disney lovers! This is a problem for many and I don't see it becoming a non-issue anytime soon unless they do away with the policy entirely.

 

[Elle23]

People. There are 25+ Walt Disney World hotels. Pick the one that fits your needs.

If they were given more than 48 hours notice, I’m sure they would have.

 

[HopperFan]

People. There are 25+ Walt Disney World hotels. Pick the one that fits your needs.

If only it were that easy ...

Especially for folks who have smaller budgets ........ their options are much smaller and this eliminated 3.

Especially for the folks that are booked many months in advance now being told they can't move.

Especially for the folks who need a moderate 5 person room, with CBR having lost a good portion of their rooms.

Especially for folks who have dreamed of staying at a particular special resort like AoA, especially in a suite.

NOW folks can make a decision for future visits .............. and that may include offsite. Looks like Disney is perfectly okay with losing customers because I guess they think they will make more money with the dog fees.

 

[BK2014]

At the resort, the owners can walk about with their dog anywhere they want unless there are constant CMs policing the walkways. What's to stop them? That is a genuine concern for me.

I only have experience at the Boardwalk, but I was never able to get very far walking through the resort without running into some type of castmember. Granted, I was not usually walking around between midnight an 6am. Also, I suspect that monitoring security cameras would also help with this concern.

 

[nicko]

For those who say "This worked out fine during the hurricane when guests could stay with their dogs so it will be fine now." I say there were two significant differences:

• For most of the time during the hurricane, the parks were closed so guests were in the room with their pets. During normal operation, I content that 99% of Disney Resort guests spend most of their waking ours in the parks or at the pools, not in their room. That means Fido will be alone in the room bored and scared. Who is going to take Fido out to do his duty when the family is at the park? Who is going to quiet Fido when he starts barking? Sure, everyone plans to get back to the room to do this, but we all know what Disney transportation is like.
• During the hurricane, Disney didn't charge $50-$75 per day to have your pet in the room. During the hurricane, keeping pets in your room was a privilege not a purchased right so pet owners were on their best behavior. Human nature as it is, some percentage of guests will feel less inclined to care if Fido is urinating (or worse) in the room. After all, they are paying big bucks for that right. Same goes for barking or, sleeping in the bed, sitting on the couch etc. If only 25% of guests have this attitude and if we assume the average stay is 5 days, then we can expect a dog to be urinating on the carpet/furniture every 20 days. I can imagine what that room will be like after a couple of months.

I have severe pet dander allergies. I have zero confidence in the "deep cleaning" abilities of Disney housekeeping. They won't be swapping out mattresses and couches, will they? I don't have a dog at home because of my allergies and I won't be paying bug bucks to stay in a Disney room that has had a dog in it (and yes, I never stay at other hotels that are pet friendly).

 

[Shanti]

Volunteer in a pet shelter. You might just change your mind.

Dog lover here. We have two rescue dogs (one had been abused & has taken years to rehabilitate). We also foster dogs with issues to help them become adoptable, and help friends train their dogs.

That said, this is a terrible idea. I would be fine with it for Fort Wilderness only, because Fort Wilderness has the space for them, and it's more of a resort where many people tend to spend some time hanging out doing outdoor activities rather than just being at the parks all day.

But the Disney hotels, please, no...

1. Many dog owners are irresponsible, and will leave dogs unattended all day while they tour the theme parks. That isn't good for the dogs or the other guests who'll have to listen to the barking & whining.
2. There will be "accidents" in the rooms leaving residual odors, and there will be wear & tear on the furnishings.
3. There will be poorly-trained dogs on the property, lunging and barking at other dogs, getting loose, etc.
4. I don't believe for a second that Disney will turn away guests who arrive with their dogs but who "forgot" their vaccination paperwork. They aren't going to want to deal with the arguments or lose the money.

Disney isn't a good place for pets. It's not a camping trip or any other outdoorsy vacation where your dog can enjoy the trip, too. The parks & resorts are people playgrounds, and dogs will just be relegated to the hotel room.

Unless they're at Disney to do a job (trained & documented service dog), leave them at home. That's the best thing for both the dogs and for the other guests.

 

[BK2014]

Now add a dog attack in the news. Guess where those people won't be taking their child to stay?

WDW has survived worse from both a public relations and legal standpoint. The aligator attack, deaths on rides, a hostage taker at a resort back in 2000 etc.

And I would not consider 48 hours notice when you have to book your resort room months in advance to secure it and with no option to change.

I completely agree, and said that I do not think it was sufficient notice, but it still is notice.

 

[Ensusieasm]

These were posted by @rteetz on the YC/BC FAQ Thread. Hopefully this will dispel some of the misinformation surrounding this. That is if anyone actually reads it.

View attachment 276913 View attachment 276914

Oh, how perfectly wonderful! According to this map I will have an extra treat while enjoying the pool area! While relaxing in the hot tub I can enjoy watching dogs relieving themselves, terrific! Just what I always wished for at my Disney Deluxe Resort with its deluxe pricetag!

 

[ArwenMarie]

Agreed. The difference in my mind is that we pay a substantial premium to stay on property because things like this don't happen at Disney. I'm not ok with paying $200, $300, $400, $500 a night and being around animals.

I don't think it's about how much you pay, although I see your POV. The Four Seasons allows dogs as someone mentioned, and their rate is quite high

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Why can't they? There is a new precedence. Is there a law?

Of course there is a law. That would be discrimination. Their service animal is required. Think about blind people; people in wheelchairs. Or anyone else who needs a service animal for all the various reasons out there. And no this is not a new precedence. Disney, as imaginative as they can be, are far from the first hotel/resort company out there to allow pets in their hotels (though yes policies vary from hotel to hotel) and they are def. not different in the service animal department.

Please see https://www.ada.gov/archive/qasrvc.htm

1. Q: What are the laws that apply to my business?

A: Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), privately owned businesses that serve the public, such as restaurants, hotels, retail stores, taxicabs, theaters, concert halls, and sports facilities, are prohibited from discriminating against individuals with disabilities. The ADA requires these businesses to allow people with disabilities to bring their service animals onto business premises in whatever areas customers are generally allowed.


For those wondering about service animals being sequested to a specific area the answer is no-that is against the law:
4. Q: What must I do when an individual with a service animal comes to my business?

A: The service animal must be permitted to accompany the individual with a disability to all areas of the facility where customers are normally allowed to go. An individual with a service animal may not be segregated from other customers.

You are however able to deny a person with a service animal if "animal's behavior poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others." But, "You may not make assumptions, however, about how a particular animal is likely to behave based on your past experience with other animals. Each situation must be considered individually."

 

[disneydreamer781]

I have no problem with it in theory but there are always the irresponsible people. Like the ones who let their children run around a restaurant when others are trying to enjoy their meal but that's a story for another day. I mean I absolutely LOVE dogs! All kinds of dogs! Stayed in hotels that allowed pets and never had a problem but these hotels weren't in Disney where owners will leave for the parks for most of the day. Such potential for a huge problem. I don't see it as good for the dog to be unattended in unfamiliar surroundings for hours on end. There will also be some knuckleheads who abuse the system. It's not totally a bad idea and I think there could a market for this if they tweaked it a bit and invested in it. I can kind of understand Fort Wilderness and they could also have an area for people to leave their dogs with someone. If they want to do this going forward, maybe Disney should consider a doggie hotel or a Doggie DVC?

 

[DisneyFive]

Exactly. I tend to go back to my room mid-day for a break.

It won't be much of a break with a barking dog that won't shut up.

If that happens I will be at the front desk in a flash. And I won't give up until they fix the problem.

If this were to happen, it would set me off. Our afternoon breaks are short, about 2 hours total. It's just enough to get our nap in to be ready for the evening. If a dog is barking in the room near you, it's not like children making noise (which would have parents there with them). With kids in rooms next to, or above you, you could talk kindly to the parents and immediately resolve the situation. In the case of the dog, like you said, YOU have to take time and effort to fix SOMEONE else's problems that are impacting YOU, and it's not a quick process. What is Disney going to do? If mousekeeping won't go into the room, will management? How will they stop a barking dog? Call or text the owners? By the time the situation is resolved, your afternoon is ruined.

Update: Just found this on portorleans.org:

• Guests are requested not to leave their animals unattended in rooms for longer than 7 hours at a time, and Disney requires that animals must be capable of being silent during their stay, stating "If noise is heard, you will be called to address the noise within 30 minutes".

This just proves my concern. If someone is in the parks, we all know that there is very little chance of them making it back to their room in 30 minutes. What if they are at lunch or dinner? Are they going to leave their meal? Realistically, if people are 60 minutes into a 90 minute wait for an attraction, are they going to immediately leave?

Of course, this will be a non-issue for us if they dedicate wings or entire buildings to dog rooms and only book guests who have a dog in those rooms. Only dedicating a floor of a building doesn't help since many dog's barks are loud enough to easily be heard between floors.

This thread is really sad to read through. So much hate and negativity. This is why I say I love animals more than some humans most days.

Volunteer in a pet shelter. You might just change your mind.

No offense, but I think these comments are off base. There is negativity, absolutely, but it's towards a policy that has significant potential to negatively impact guests. As should happen, people as voicing their concerns and frustration about it. How should people to react to something that they don't like? There are valid concerns here.

If Disney installed a policy that you couldn't stand, you wouldn't comment about your dislike of it? That's all that's happening here. So many of us here that don't like this policy are dog owners and lovers. (myself included)

Dan

 

[DebbieB]

The pee spot map has four locations throughout the resort. Looks like they expect to be putting dogs all over the resort ....... if you "aren't allowed to walk your dogs in the public areas" then how would you get to these spots unless you are staying around those places.

There has been an update:

I am disappointed in this, i dont want to be anywhere near dogs, i hope they establish this in certain areas of these resorts or they will be scratched from the list of places to stay.

Aaron on October 13, 2017 at 6:33 pm

• We will designate certain floors or sections of a hotel as dog-friendly, while the majority of areas will remain canine-free to accommodate Guests with allergies or other concerns.
  
  Thomas Smith on October 13, 2017 at 8:47 pm

One question I have is will there be a designated reservation category for these rooms or can you just show up with your dog.

 

[markman04]

Never seen so many people complaining about things that haven't happened. I've stayed with my dogs at many hotels, including the 4 Seasons in Orlando, and there are only a few designated rooms that allow pets. If you must stay at one of these 4 hotels, just request that it not be a designated pet friendly room.

 

[shoreward]

Corporate solution for getting rid of odors is to cover up with an air freshener, deodorizer, etc. - whether in hotel rooms or rental cars. Many people who are allergic to dogs are also allergic to those chemicals and cannot tolerate either, without having an asthma or allergy attack.

 

[Tink-osophy]

People. There are 25+ Walt Disney World hotels. Pick the one that fits your needs.

On the surface that seems fine, but it goes beyond that.

If you stay at BC or BW, dogs at YC are relevant. Same at POFQ for POR. Ruling out the whole of FW doesn't leave a similar choice anywhere else. And it's not always easy to book the resort category you'd like anyway, before removing even more choice. ...At the moment if you want a moderate, it's dogs or construction or... ?

Plus, dogs on ME and resort buses can affect Guests of any resorts.

This doesn't compare to the occasional service dog.

Also (in reply to one or two other posts), there are lots of reasons for not wanting to be around dogs that have nothing to do with hating dogs. You can love dogs, but still have very valid reasons for not wanting them at Disney resorts.

 

[Wood Nymph]

I fired off an email to complain about the short notice and lack of non-dog resorts to move to. I said that Disney gave longer notice for pool closings and restaurant closings than they did for a major change like this dog trial.