Trial Run for Dogs in Resort Rooms

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I always pack one pair of sneakers and two pairs of my Dansko flip flops for Disney - do I pack some extras in case I step in dog poop and I'm waiting for the front desk to pixie dust my soiled shoes?

I'm just responding to this aspect of your quote-there are plenty of gross stuff you can step on in the parks and elsewhere on Disney property. Food, drink, throw up, the bathroom floors can be gross at times, bird poop, etc

So if you weren't packing extras before to account for this you probably don't need to at this present moment.

 

[TheFloatingBear]

I'm just responding to this aspect of your quote-there are plenty of gross stuff you can step on in the parks and elsewhere on Disney property. Food, drink, throw up, the bathroom floors can be gross at times, bird poop, etc

So if you weren't packing extras before to account for this you probably don't need to at this present moment.

Of course, I agree - now there's just another to be concerned about that wasn't really an issue before. And generally, I've pretty good about avoiding Disney trash and vomit. Bathroom floors are a whole other thing - ugh! In theory, I won't have to worry about it if people follow the rules, can make it to designated areas, and clean up after their dogs. But in my experience, such as the playground one I mentioned, not everyone does - even when people have good intentions, so it's just another thing to account for - and in this instance, I don't have to opportunity to change resorts to deal with this new policy. Again, I have owned dogs most of my life and really don't understand when people don't pick up after their dogs. But like I mentioned, even at my kids' school playground that people know the kids use the field for outdoor gym, a lot of people just don't. We all especially look forward to spring, when the snow melts and all kinds of surprises are revealed!

ETA: just wanted to add, it actually feels really weird to me to be on this side of the fence on this issue, as I am a big dog fan and had enjoyed several vacations with our doggie!

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

I think this trial is going to fail massively. It opens Disney up to way too much liability. The idea of policing and enforcing the policies is laughable. How will they ensure that dogs aren't unattended in the rooms for more than 7 hours? What is the likelihood that the owners of a barking dog will be able to return from the park within 30 minutes of a noise complaint? What are the consequences for not complying with the rules? What happens if a guest has a massive allergic reaction? Who is responsible for any possible damage from accidents? Unattended animal that scratch doors, ruin soft goods on the beds and furniture? Don't get me wrong, I understand there are very well behaved dogs. But most pet friendly resorts in major cities have strict policies in regards to leaving animals unattended (namely that they don't allow it). That isn't feasible at Disney because the whole purpose is to attend the parks. The Resort has been pet free for 45 years. I don't think this trial is wise.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Of course, I agree - now there's just another to be concerned about that wasn't really an issue before. And generally, I've pretty good about avoiding Disney trash and vomit. Bathroom floors are a whole other thing - ugh! In theory, I won't have to worry about it if people follow the rules, can make it to designated areas, and clean up after their dogs. But in my experience, such as the playground one I mentioned, not everyone does - even when people have good intentions, so it's just another thing to account for - and in this instance, I don't have to opportunity to change resorts to deal with this new policy. Again, I have owned dogs most of my life and really don't understand when people don't pick up after their dogs. But like I mentioned, even at my kids' school playground that people know the kids use the field for outdoor gym, a lot of people just don't. We all especially look forward to spring, when the snow melts and all kinds of surprises are revealed!

ETA: just wanted to add, it actually feels really weird to me to be on this side of the fence on this issue, as I am a big dog fan and had enjoyed several vacations with our doggie!

I get ya but my point was lumping in this new policy into a "I'm waiting for the front desk to pixie dust my soiled shoes?"...IDK I'm just saying..your concern of 'soiled shoes', while valid, hasn't and will not change new policy or no new policy as this is already something you would worry about (or at least it would appear you worried about..but maybe not because you didn't pack extras before to account for the gross stuff that on a practical level we all know we can encounter). So again if you're not packing extras before I wouldn't think you need to now.

 

[BigAlsGal]

This makes me so happy! I don't know if I'll ever be able to partake but I'm glad to see the resorts becoming pet friendly. We come and go so much during a Disney vacation I would worry about him constantly. I wouldn't mind taking him to a Ft Wilderness Cabin though! That's got room to move and seems more house-like.

I really don't understand all the heavy drama though. I don't think it's going to be the travesty people make it out to be. Most people who take their dogs on vacation with them are good owners who keep up on flea prevention and are good at socializing their animals. Everyone is acting like the Beverly Hillbillies are bringing Cujo that's been tied up in the backyard. Typically these animal owners treat their pets better than most people treat their own children and a majority of these pets act 10 times better than children. I know my dog acts better than my kids!

As far as allergies go I'm sure there will be plenty of dog free room options available. Why can't we just give it an open minded chance?

 

[paradesintherain]

This makes me so happy! I don't know if I'll ever be able to partake but I'm glad to see the resorts becoming pet friendly. We come and go so much during a Disney vacation I would worry about him constantly. I wouldn't mind taking him to a Ft Wilderness Cabin though! That's got room to move and seems more house-like.

I really don't understand all the heavy drama though. I don't think it's going to be the travesty people make it out to be. Most people who take their dogs on vacation with them are good owners who keep up on flea prevention and are good at socializing their animals. Everyone is acting like the Beverly Hillbillies are bringing Cujo that's been tied up in the backyard. Typically these animal owners treat their pets better than most people treat their own children and a majority of these pets act 10 times better than children. I know my dog acts better than my kids!

As far as allergies go I'm sure there will be plenty of dog free room options available. Why can't we just give it an open minded chance?

Well said.

 

[ShadeDK]

Year long, four resorts, free for all rules .... this isn't a little let's test it out for two weeks. For reasons they have really committed to this. Question is ... will it pay off.

I agree with this and the other posts along the same lines. This thread has moved fast - but many pages ago I included a comment I'll repeat: the trial period isn't about the policy but its profitability. I suspect that there will always be at least a handful of dog-friendly resorts here to stay. But if the trial is successful (i.e. profitable), it'll expand. If someone is truly against the policy, don't just cancel or move resorts. Contact Disney and tell them that you canceled or moved because of the policy. It's one thing to give Disney an earful about a policy you don't like - quite another to deny them a sale and let them know because of that policy.

Since today is the first day that dogs are welcomed at WDW, nobody who has posted on this thread has any first hand knowledge/experience of what will happen. I would urge everyone not to over-react (changing resorts, stay off site, cancel trips, sell their DVCs etc) since nobody knows what the (it's real, it's actual) affect of dogs at disney will be at this point in time. WDW does know a thing or two about managing hotels so a little trust might go a long way towards alleviating the doom of all the apocalyptic predictions. If it doesn't work out, Disney will change it. And since many people have posted they are dog lovers but wouldn't bring their dogs with them to WDW, it looks like a very small percentage of visitors would do this anyway. One good test (trial) is significantly better than a thousand theories about what will happen. So I'm waiting for the pudding before I look for the proof.

Reasonable and fair points in a thread that has some rather ... hyperbolic reactions. That being said, there are some posts about prior experiences with dog friendly hotels and justified skepticism. I'm not for the policy mostly due to reservations about cleanliness. I had a stay in an upscale hotel that allowed dogs and, as I was going out the door for a business appointment, found that half my dark suit was covered in dog hair. Housecleaning had not cleaned the chair I'd just sat in - it was both gross and aggravating (luckily I had a travel lint roller - otherwise I was unpresentable). Given the choice, I will always choose pet-free now. Will Disney do a better job? Maybe. I'll applaud them if they do. But I have no desire to be the guinea pig testing out how well it works. One final point - if Disney wanted to appeal to the good will and trust of its guests on this trial, it would've given a lot more than 2 days notice to address their concerns. That they didn't suggests, at best, that they badly misjudged their guests' concerns, or, at worst, that they deliberately disregarded them.

 

[Designed4dis]

Can I ask why you are dreading your trip?

My wife is allergic to dogs, she comes out in a full body rash, that is in side her mouth, eye lids and private parts. Making her extremely uncomfortable.

As we are from Europe we have been to dog friendly hotels in the past, they have promised a deep clean and twice she has got sick there and she also got sick saying in one of the universal hotels 5 years ago. Which the pro dog team will keep saying are fine. Well they are not always fine.

She isn't allergic to dog hair she is allergic to the oils in there skin, this sinks into soft furnature, like seats, mattresses, pillows ect. You can't get rid of it.

We never would have booked a dog friendly hotel, which should be the end of the conversation. It wasn't dog friendly when we paid £2500 for the trip and now 14 days before we arrive it is. My wife is in tears she has been crying since Friday and simply doesn't want to go. She is shacking with fear that she is going to get that sick again.

We are going to celebrate her 30th birthday and celebrate me getting out of hospital after 4 months in a coma. This was meant to be our magical rest bite. I have sold guitars to afford to go and it's been 4 years since our last wdw trip.

This has been emotionally devistating to my wife who is going to the doctors this morning to have allergies jabs, which means she will miss 3 days of work and have here depression meds re-prescribed. She had come off of those meds recently due to planning and getting excited for this trip.

This decision has effected our plans

 

[Jason2015]

My wife is allergic to dogs, she comes out in a full body rash, that is in side her mouth, eye lids and private parts. Making her extremely uncomfortable.

As we are from Europe we have been to dog friendly hotels in the past, they have promised a deep clean and twice she has got sick there and she also got sick saying in one of the universal hotels 5 years ago. Which the pro dog team will keep saying are fine. Well they are not always fine.

She isn't allergic to dog hair she is allergic to the oils in there skin, this sinks into soft furnature, like seats, mattresses, pillows ect. You can't get rid of it.

We never would have booked a dog friendly hotel, which should be the end of the conversation. It wasn't dog friendly when we paid £2500 for the trip and now 14 days before we arrive it is. My wife is in tears she has been crying since Friday and simply doesn't want to go. She is shacking with fear that she is going to get that sick again.

We are going to celebrate her 30th birthday and celebrate me getting out of hospital after 4 months in a coma. This was meant to be our magical rest bite. I have sold guitars to afford to go and it's been 4 years since our last wdw trip.

This has been emotionally devistating to my wife who is going to the doctors this morning to have allergies jabs, which means she will miss 3 days of work and have here depression meds re-prescribed. She had come off of those meds recently due to planning and getting excited for this trip.

This decision has effected our plans

Are you booked into one of the four pet friendly resorts? If not no problem. Also, it seems like your trip is very soon, I doubt many rooms, even in the pet friendly area, will have had pets in them in the next month or two (people are acting as if dogs are going to be over running the resorts-I'd bet there will be less then a couple dozen on property at any given time) Also, service dogs have always been, and will always be, allowed in any resort room at anytime. Not to be Debbie Downer but how can you avoid being in a room that had be previously occupied by a service animal (and they bring all the hair and oil of a "normal" dog)?

 

[DaisyDuck001]

As a DVC member, I can tell you if Disney allows dogs in DVC rooms (would they even be allowed to do that?) we are ready to make a huge stink!

Unfortunately, so are some of the dogs.

Not sure how it is in other countries, but nowadays in the United States, it's rare for as many as 85% of the people to agree on any issue, yet currently this poll indicates that about 85% of us prefer no dogs in WDW resort rooms. This is an overwhelming majority, and I find it odd and sad that Disney would disregard our strong preferences and concerns on this matter. Many of their communications display a lack of understanding of the extent to which being around dogs can trigger medical and/or anxiety problems for much of the human population. For example, the form letter they sent to many of us on this forum, mentioned that "dogs are beloved members of the family". While this is true for many people, it is also true for lots of other people that dogs trigger allergies, phobias, etc. to the point where encountering a lot of dogs or their dander on vacation can be worse than skipping the whole vacation and staying home.

This lack of care for guests concerns me even more than the policy itself. Guests spending thousands of dollars on their vacations may not be comfortable to encounter dogs, dog waste, pet dander, etc. at their resort. It does appear that dogs will be on the resort walking paths, maybe in the lobby for check-in, and will probably end up all over the property, just as the "dog relief" areas are all around the maps. During the hurricane, dogs were officially not allowed in the food courts, yet there were reports on these boards that people saw dogs at the food court and nothing was done about it.

I can only imagine how much effort it would take to restore the resort rooms to pre-dog condition if Disney ever decides to end this policy. To remove all the pet dander, pet smells, pet stains, scratches on the floors and furniture, etc. would require a complete refurb of the rooms -- and since YC was recently refurbed, it seems unlikely this would be done again soon. So in some sense this decision seems irreversible. For the most part from my experiences at moderate resorts it looked to me like mousekeeping was not doing a thorough job even cleaning up after previous human occupants. Some of the times I requested an allergy cleaning, the room I received did not appear to have been cleaned even to what I would consider minimum standards, let alone allergy standards. Adding dogs into this only creates more issues for those with allergies.

This thread has gotten so long that I'd like to repeat for anyone who missed it: if your trip is coming up soon and you are feeling stressed and trapped because the resort you booked at is now dog-friendly, and all the other on-property resorts are sold out (as happened to me), then maybe you still have the option to cancel and switch to an offsite hotel. I feel so much better having done this. Sure it is disappointing not to be able to stay on property, but for those whose idea of a fun and relaxing vacation does not include the risk of encountering dogs, dander, dog waste, etc. at your resort, why subject yourself to this stress that you didn't sign up for? There are lots of offsite, no-dogs hotels with available rooms even when the on-property resorts are sold out. You might even find a new favorite hotel.

 

[Jason2015]

This whole thread reminds me of lasts years dangerous animals threads. The sky was falling, kids were going to be dragged into open water and any minute snakes were going to rain from the trees to attack passing guests. Instead Disney put in place sensible precautions and everyone was, and is, fine. Disney is doing the same thing with this new dog policy, they have put in place rules, will tweak them and make a policy that works. Also, the "quick" roll out of the policy works in favor of Disney. Since people didn't have months to plan there will be far less dogs in the first few days (imagine if they introduced the policy and said the first "dog" days will be in May-every available dog room would be full-a few hundred dogs at once instead of maybe a dozen). People didn't have time to readjust plans and bring Fido (unless they were already planning on driving). Fewer dogs in the first days of the policy means fewer problems and the ability to troubleshoot unforeseen problems before the "packs" come in a few months. The end of Disney was we know it is not being ushered in by this dog policy.

 

[Jason2015]

Unfortunately, so are some of the dogs.

Not sure how it is in other countries, but nowadays in the United States, it's rare for as many as 85% of the people to agree on any issue, yet currently this poll indicates that about 85% of us prefer no dogs in WDW resort rooms. This is an overwhelming majority, and I find it odd and sad that Disney would disregard our strong preferences and concerns on this matter. Many of their communications display a lack of understanding of the extent to which being around dogs can trigger medical and/or anxiety problems for much of the human population. For example, the form letter they sent to many of us on this forum, mentioned that "dogs are beloved members of the family". While this is true for many people, it is also true for lots of other people that dogs trigger allergies, phobias, etc. to the point where encountering a lot of dogs or their dander on vacation can be worse than skipping the whole vacation and staying home.

This lack of care for guests concerns me even more than the policy itself. Guests spending thousands of dollars on their vacations may not be comfortable to encounter dogs, dog waste, pet dander, etc. at their resort. It does appear that dogs will be on the resort walking paths, maybe in the lobby for check-in, and will probably end up all over the property, just as the "dog relief" areas are all around the maps. During the hurricane, dogs were officially not allowed in the food courts, yet there were reports on these boards that people saw dogs at the food court and nothing was done about it.

I can only imagine how much effort it would take to restore the resort rooms to pre-dog condition if Disney ever decides to end this policy. To remove all the pet dander, pet smells, pet stains, scratches on the floors and furniture, etc. would require a complete refurb of the rooms -- and since YC was recently refurbed, it seems unlikely this would be done again soon. So in some sense this decision seems irreversible. For the most part from my experiences at moderate resorts it looked to me like mousekeeping was not doing a thorough job even cleaning up after previous human occupants. Some of the times I requested an allergy cleaning, the room I received did not appear to have been cleaned even to what I would consider minimum standards, let alone allergy standards. Adding dogs into this only creates more issues for those with allergies.

This thread has gotten so long that I'd like to repeat for anyone who missed it: if your trip is coming up soon and you are feeling stressed and trapped because the resort you booked at is now dog-friendly, and all the other on-property resorts are sold out (as happened to me), then maybe you still have the option to cancel and switch to an offsite hotel. I feel so much better having done this. Sure it is disappointing not to be able to stay on property, but for those whose idea of a fun and relaxing vacation does not include the risk of encountering dogs, dander, dog waste, etc. at your resort, why subject yourself to this stress that you didn't sign up for? There are lots of offsite, no-dogs hotels with available rooms even when the on-property resorts are sold out. You might even find a new favorite hotel.

An overwhelming majority of a vast, vast, vast minority. WDW averages over 50000 visitors a day. I doubt this board has 50000 members and the resort forum has only a small percentage of those visitors. Saying 85% agree that the policy is bad is like going to a college football game and surveying the student section about who their favorite team is and then making an assumption that 85% of college football fans favor that team as well. If you think Disney just rushed this decision out without doing cost calculations and other business due diligence then you are being foolish. My guess is they already know that the majority of their resort guest are in favor of/or neutral to having dogs at the resorts. The poll here is only being answered by those that have a HUGE interest in the policy.

 

[Designed4dis]

Are you booked into one of the four pet friendly resorts? If not no problem. Also, it seems like your trip is very soon, I doubt many rooms, even in the pet friendly area, will have had pets in them in the next month or two (people are acting as if dogs are going to be over running the resorts-I'd bet there will be less then a couple dozen on property at any given time) Also, service dogs have always been, and will always be, allowed in any resort room at anytime. Not to be Debbie Downer but how can you avoid being in a room that had be previously occupied by a service animal (and they bring all the hair and oil of a "normal" dog)?

we are staying in AoA, it was the best hotel we could afford at the time we booked it. We even brought the dinning plan as we weren't sure we would have any disposable income before we left. I understand your point with services animals and you are right but we would have requested a pet free room and in the past Disney have been able to guarantee it. now they can not.

 

[Miumiu4me]

And there are other choices if someone has those issues. It’s only ONE deluxe, ONE MODERATE, & ONE Value. I think it’s been argued that the cabins are spread out. Plus Ft. Wildermess always allowed dogs on its property. So, as for the family of 5 on a budget argument, those choices were ALWAYS limited & ppl have complained about that before. I do think it sucks that there was no notice & ppl can’t make a choice now.

Yeah, this. The lack of notice is a huge problem. But FW has allowed dogs as long as I can remember. I don't think a lot of families with severe dog allergies were booking it anyway (but I could certainly be wrong). The lack of notice is still absurd though, and it's a bigger problem for the other resorts that just announced the new policy.

But I don't have an issue with dogs at a few hotels if Disney takes the proper precautions. I don't think Irma is a good indicator of what hotels will be like with dogs either - the hotels down here have to take dogs when situations like Irma occur. There's no dog cap and Disney clearly wasn't prepared for their arrival. Irma didn't provide us Flordians with a lot of notice though.

Many Ritzes and high end hotels allow small dogs. I used to take my (now elderly) yorkie mix to nice hotels all the time and she behaved beautifully. In high end places, the pet rooms were confined to specific areas of the hotel and the soundproofing seemed better than it usually would be. I hope Disney takes and enforces similar precautions.

That was 7-8 years ago though. We've since added a child and an unruly rescue pug to the mix. The child is fine, but the pug isn't getting in anywhere nicer than a Days Inn, and we only travel with him out of necessity. He is sweet, but he's a barker.

 

[Disneylover99]

The end of Disney was we know it is not being ushered in by this dog policy.

But the end of staying at a Disney resort might be on the horizon for many people due to this dog policy.

I think it's hard for some people who don't suffer from allergies/phobias or have close family members who do to understand.

 

[nicko]

An overwhelming majority of a vast, vast, vast minority. WDW averages over 50000 visitors a day. I doubt this board has 50000 members and the resort forum has only a small percentage of those visitors. Saying 85% agree that the policy is bad is like going to a college football game and surveying the student section about who their favorite team is and then making an assumption that 85% of college football fans favor that team as well. If you think Disney just rushed this decision out without doing cost calculations and other business due diligence then you are being foolish. My guess is they already know that the majority of their resort guest are in favor of/or neutral to having dogs at the resorts. The poll here is only being answered by those that have a HUGE interest in the policy.

Why do you think this poll is NOT representative of the population as a whole? Being a Disney fan has no correlation as to whether you are allergic to dog, don't like the smell of animal urine/feces in your room, or conversely love your dog so much that you would want to travel to Disney with your dog. In other words, those who dislike this policy are voting negatively. Those who like it, are voting in the opposite direction.

If the focus of this Board was "People Who Dislike Animals", then I agree that this survey would be biased toward apposing this policy. This is a Disney board. I contend that the population on this Board (and it's opinion on this new dog policy) is representative of the population as a whole.

 

[ArwenMarie]

For those who have phobias, how do you deal with dogs in your community? I know on my street, 3 of the surrounding houses have dogs, dogs are always in their yards which are adjacent to mine. Dogs walk by my house all day. Wouldn't you just do the same thing at WDW that you do at home if necessary?

 

[Tink-osophy]

...I really don't understand all the heavy drama though. I don't think it's going to be the travesty people make it out to be. Most people who take their dogs on vacation with them are good owners who keep up on flea prevention and are good at socializing their animals. Everyone is acting like the Beverly Hillbillies are bringing Cujo that's been tied up in the backyard. Typically these animal owners treat their pets better than most people treat their own children and a majority of these pets act 10 times better than children. I know my dog acts better than my kids!

As far as allergies go I'm sure there will be plenty of dog free room options available. Why can't we just give it an open minded chance?

It's not about being open- or closed-minded, though. Those of us who have to deal with health and safety (allergies, phobias etc.) relating to dogs day-to-day have enough experience of the problems elsewhere to have a good idea of the problems this is creating for us at Disney. ...And we just don't want to have to deal with it at WDW, which was previously a sanctuary!

It's also not just about how conscientious the owners are (important as that is) the simple presence of the dogs creates many of the problems for us.

Disney was created for humans; dogs don't care about Mickey!

ETA: As people are pleased to be able to take their dogs to FW cabins as an added bonus, it leaves other humans unable to go at all. You only have to read the previous post about the situation in the camping loops there to know why.

 

[Miumiu4me]

Bonnet Creek is pet free.

The Four Seasons allows pets.

 

[Tink-osophy]

But the end of staying at a Disney resort might be on the horizon for many people due to this dog policy.

I think it's hard for some people who don't suffer from allergies/phobias or have close family members who do to understand.

Sadly, this is true.

I think it's also a major reason this thread is sooooo long. We keep having to repeat the same kinds of things! It's not just about how clean or fabulous the dogs or dog-owners are (and there are some fabulous dogs around) - that doesn't address the heart of the issue...

I think this is a wonderful idea. My dog is more well behaved and polite than most adults and kids I've encountered at Disney the 35 plus times I've been there. He wouldn't ever be noticed! And is definitely cleaner than the kid who decided to use SAB as a toilet this past week. The pool was closed for at least 30 min! I've seen some crazy things, and rude people over the years, and a dog couldn't possibly be any worse. I've actually come to a point where I like dogs more than most humans. I hope they add the Polynesian and the French Quarter!