I don’t have a problem with Disney allowing dogs in a few resorts; however, my issue is the suddenness of the announcement. To say “effective next week, resorts X, Y, and Z will be pet friendly,” doesn’t give those who don’t want to stay in a pet friendly resort much, if any, time to change their plans. Many people have very severe allergies or have a fear (or just dislike) of dogs. While it wouldn’t bother me to walk around my resort and see others walking their dogs, it would bother many people and the announcement was so sudden, it didn’t allow for many people to change resorts. We went last week and as far as 3-4 months or more in advance, rooms (especially those in our budget) were extremely limited. I think this would’ve been a much better solution had they said “beginning in 6 months, the following resorts will be pet friendly.” Then, people booked in those resorts would’ve had time to change things around.
I posted quite a while back I guess but if you read it you may understand that you are overestimating exactly what Disney employees are willing to do. There are good one’s and there are not so good one’s. You read the new policies just like I did on the dog in the room. You must do this and your dog must do that. Of coarse your animal, who you love dearly will abide by the rules and so will you. Now let’s be honest. First off I don’t love your animal or know him like you do and I don’t want to. Disney employees are no different than any other employee who are there for pay. Yes their rules are strict but if you pick up a book on Disney Employment you might take a different view. What goes on is not always what you see and Disney try’s their best for you not to see it. No destroying the Magic. I am not saying that Disney employees for the most part don’t believe in the Magic like you do but they are human and get tired bored and just don’t always care to enforce the pet rule now laid down. My dog will not bite a child and you truly believe it. But we all know that this is not always the case. Disney mistakenly believed that there water was pretty much safe but we’ve read what happened not that long ago. Guests, such as myself, have a right to the Magic just like you and we have the right to stay where we wish to stay without having to consider the animal you wish to bring. Most of you have stated that you would rather leave your dog at home because of his feeling for having to abide by the policies at these resorts and being left alone. Your right. I live in ND and we have many Kennels that there animal just don’t sit in a cage all day. You pay them to make sure they do not. At the price Disney is going to charge you, you can afford a Kennel at home. Many of you assume that people will abide by these new rules set down by Disney but let’s be honest, you probably won’t. You want to have a good time in the parks and if you miss the window to come back and walk your pet, whose going to call you on it? The Disney animal Police? I think not. Now as a guest without a pet and one who doesn’t know or care about your animal, should I after spending what I have to spend for a Disney vacation, be acceptable to your animal that you just couldn’t leave behind. I think not. Now one person out here had a great idea. Have a totally separate Disney Hotel that excepts guests with animals. Kind of like the Animal Kingdom value resort. They have my vote for this. Enough said on my part. some will agree and others not so much. Time will tell on how this all works out, Unfortunately until that time comes some of us are going to have to bare a burden we did not contract for. DocHopper
Isn’t this what they are doing? Allowing them in 4 resorts?
As I said earlier, I won’t stay at one because the potential to bother me is there, and I don’t think it’s fair to the dogs. So I’d stay somewhere else. I’m not saying others can’t bring their dogs, I’m saying I am making a personal choice for my family to be at a different resort.
It doesn’t have to be a big deal.
I don’t think you understand the thinking here. Not part of a existing resort or resorts, but rather a entire resort for only those who want to bring their pets. That means a separate resort away from other resorts so those that don’t wish to meet an animal on the sidewalk or hear them in the nearby rooms won’t have to. Those that have pets can stay here with the understanding that others are there for the same reason. DocHopper
Why isn’t it true? What concrete evidence is there that a dog will not snap if the right set of circumstances present themselves? I didn’t say a Service Dog wouldn’t snap either, in fact I absolutely acknowledge Service Dogs will snap if pushed far enough, just like any other dog. I said they were exempt for, what I thought, was obvious reasons.
I say service dogs are OK though because of 2 main reasons:
-
They are rigorously trained to tolerate what would be extreme circumstances for a normal pet. Part of that training is being exposed to places like that of WDW and the people who would be there. While this would be considered foreign environments for a pet, it is not for a trained service dog. All service dogs are expected to have this training, would all common household pets be expected to be just as trained? I would hardly think so.
-
Service dogs enable people to go to WDW when otherwise they would not be able to. Which is a huge difference from a pet. If a pet can’t go to Disney, the family might be disappointed but they are still able. If someone like the diabetic’s dog(mentioned above) can’t go, now the diabetic can’t go because it becomes too dangerous.
So no, it’s not contradictory, but rather accepting/creating an exception due to established expectations of how a dog is trained when filling a role.
I don’t see that happening or even being on the table. That’d be a huge expense for Disney and I don’t foresee that much of a demand for it from either side of this debate. Unless maybe it’d be like another set of campgrounds.
people who are afraid of being bite by a dog at a resort that is loaded with kids that are throwing fits and throwing things your more likely to be sent to the hospital by a spoiled kid on a tirade. Working in retail I have seen kids hit, bite, throw strollers, dipper bags, toys, shoes, food, plates, ect…
Hahaha this!! I am a pediatric nurse and I have been sent to the hospital by kids… many of us have been honestly… it’s the biting and scratching that will get yah lol
Everyone chill. There is nothing to be afraid of. I will tell you - I used to work in P&C Insurance and you would NOT believe the amount of DOG BITE claims we had. Dogs are like people - there are great ones - and then there are the bitches (see how I used dog vernacular there)
Like dog (and kids) are great - but put in a new situation there may be issues.
The problem is how this was introduced. Many people book their Disney trip a year, or more, in advance. Those people who are booked for the dog-friendly resorts for the next 3 to 4 months or so, will find it hard to change their reservations - rooms aren’t readily available.
Some people have reported being moved by Disney, at no additional cost, but others have been told there’s nothing available. I suspect those that have been upgraded are those who have life-threatening allergy issues. But again, availability is crucial, I’ve seen a couple people had to cancel and book offsite.
Not only that but since people don’t have to pre-register their dog, if a family turned up with a dog and all those rooms in the designated dog-friendly rooms are full, they will be allocated an available room. Or if people have booked a club level room, they may well be given one. So they could end up next to the kid who has severe allergies or a severe phobia. That’s why they won’t guarantee a request.
I agree that it hasn’t been well thought out just yet, and that the lack of notice would be a huge issue for people who have already booked. I didn’t mean to imply otherwise. I was speaking in general terms.
Mmmhhhhmmmmmm. The Disney Way: Throw it against the wall and see if it sticks.
All the Lowes hotels accept dogs. There are three at Universal. This is just a case of Disney realizing they are losing dollars to Universal and trying to get them back. If I lived within a reasonable driving distance I would consider bringing my golden.
Have there been issues with this at any of the hotels? I was under the impression that they have designated “wings” or separate blocks of rooms that are dog-friendly, and that’s it. I would be very disappointed if they put dogs anywhere in the hotel.
Well that’s the big question. Some people have spoken to Disney CMs at Guest Services and are being told that although that’s the plan, if rooms are full, if someone turns up with a dog and had not pre-informed them, they could be put anywhere. And seemingly at YC, all garden rooms are considered to be dog-friendly, on every floor.
Here are some interesting statistics about dog bites: Dog Bite Statistics (How Likely Are You To Get Bit?) - Canine Journal
I knew that Chihuahuas were vicious little SOBs…