Trial Run for Dogs in Resort Rooms

[Lewisc]

Almost every other hotel chain does this. All of the Universal hotels accept pets and even the new hotels they are building will accept pets. Clearly it's something that works over there.

I'm curious as to why people think that WDW won't be able to handle it and Universal/Loews can.

. I'll give some differences and speculated issues
Posters calling have been told a pet could be accommodated in any room.
Pet friendly hotels generally have specific rooms available for dogs building 1 ground floor example. Dog rooms sold oit, you're out of luck. Posters in this thread don't think Disney will turn down the money. Other hotels have breed and weight limits. Other hotels won't let you keep a uncrated fog unattended for 7 hours. Many of us think the 7 hour rule won't can't be enforced.

I agree posters are assuming the worst

 

[gwynne]

It's been addressed in this thread that Universal, and various other hotels, have a more strict policy limiting the types of dogs, size of dogs, and requiring the dog not be left alone in the rooms for more than very short periods of time.

Aside from that though if we know a hotel allows pets we always opt for another hotel. It's just not something we want to deal with.

That's exactly how we feel. I totally get that hotel reservation issues at WDW are a first world problem. That said, I sadly cancelled our reservation at Yacht Club for 2018 yesterday and instead reserved a pet-free resort.
We are huge fans of the Yacht Club and SAB. Hopefully this is just a test, and we will be able to stay at YC again in the future.
(This reservation was part of a split stay. The phone CM was wonderful helping us extend our first resort, so we are set.)

 

[ArwenMarie]

I have a feeling that b/c of the way these resorts - not so much YC, but the others - offer a more open outdoorsy vibe, that it will attract more dog owners than Uni where you have a more indoor hotel feel.

From what I’ve read Universal limits dogs to 75lbs & under & requires dogs left in rooms to be crated & owners to return frequently to check on their pet. It’s easy there. You can walk back in no time. How well this is enforced....

This does NOT feel well thought out. It feels thrown together like many other things WDW does. Like someone at the top said « this went over well during Irma, let’s capitalize on this! ». & the poor damn frontline CMs are going to be dealing with irrate guests who can’t nap because of barking, or have stepped in dog feces & on & on. And they don’t want a negative guest interaction with the owner of the barker or the guest who’s been disturbed. Damned if they do... & they ultimately won’t enforce the rules & who can blame them really?

I could be off base completely, but that’s my feeling.

The Universal hotels are more sprawling than people think. Like it can take a while to walk from one end to the other. I see your point though about hotels like POR.

I agree with your last paragraph, I do think Hurricane Irma was the catalyst for this.

I guess I just wonder if all of these other hotels, including Universal/Loews, can pull this off without people abandoning the hotels, why can't WDW. They may add more restrictions as time goes on, that is something I could see

 

[Kay123456]

And the poop stations indicate these dogs will be spread throughout the resort. There is ZERO reason to have poop stations far away from dog rooms because Disney says they can't be on the public walkways. The rate is very reasonable! They have too lax rules, more lax than any other hotels so that they will appeal to a wide base. Disney is lining up it's ducks to make dogs very welcome resort wide, whether adding resorts or expanding to full resorts. A YEAR LONG trial forces it on everyone, hopes we let it go and they can keep claiming it's just a test until they are over the hump. It's their canned answer, just a test.

No breed restrictions, No size restrictions, Unattended allowed, 7 hours unattended, allowed on resort internal buses (it's a dog, they like to walk, why do they need a bus ride?) .... Common sense is when you try something new you start out strict and over time as you see how things work out you reduce restrictions. But Disney has started with virtually no rules and will have a very difficult time implementing them later when they see issues. But these lax rules will pull folks from neighboring resorts, most which won't allow unattended.

The funny thing is I have said for some time Disney is moving towards their adult base because honestly that is where the big bucks are for dining, drinking, spending, special events etc ............ This screams of adult base, many folks have dogs instead of children, many older guests have dogs that are like children and they want to travel with them, adults would tend to have less fears, or more able to stay aware of allergies etc. I know when we were shopping in St Augustine realtor told us dogs have had big influence there on changes for rules of condos and rentals, many restaurants adding patios for dogs etc. They realize the pet is going through a huge surge in this country.

If Disney is getting rid of "value, moderate etc" and just creating an individual identity for resorts .......... this makes sense. POR is in need of renovations, is laid back woodsy and green ........ YC has never had lots of people stating they love it, folks always say stay at BC and it seems a more sedate adult resort, FW is already dog friendly and a perfect spot, AoA is confusing, maybe they are having problems selling those suites - they totally should have made ASMu all dog resort; perfect for it.

Disney seems to be personalizing resorts with it's own pros ... maybe it will expand to other resorts, maybe we will see these resorts spread among many rooms ... for sure this is just the beginning of what I think will be lots of changes in Disney's offering. There are simply way too many being built offsite that offer more amenities .... Disney has to rebrand to some degree what makes them special, right now their perks may not be enough anymore.

The dogs HAVE to go on the walkways, especially if you look at the mapmfor AOA. All the designated rooms seem to be towards the lake, which means they will be walking on the main areas to get to their rooms. I thought they would be positioned towards the parking lots instead to make it easy for people to get to their rooms with animals, but they have to walk across the resort instead. The walkways are narrow as well. You wont be able to avoid a dog on the walkway for those that are afraid, even if they are on leashes. Hopefully not too many people will be taking disney up on this offer.

 

[jarestel]

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.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

It's actually not strange at all. People report them because they want it to be known that a dog bit whether or not it broke the skin. They do this to make sure animal control is on notice that the dog is potentially dangerous. Sometimes they didn't do damage because it was a warning bite and other times because they weren't in a good position or thick clothing protected them, etc.

And yes most bites may likely be from the persons own dog but that makes sense because they spend the most time with the dog.

And even the bites that don't break the skin can be extremely terrifying. Especially for children.

As I'm fairly certain I've read that most dog bites are from dogs you know - or own - and 80% don't cause injury that doesn't really make sense.

I just searched further and found the 4.5 million number is purported to be from numbers the CDC went out somewhere and collected back in the early 2000's.

 

[Madame]

The Universal hotels are more sprawling than people think. Like it can take a while to walk from one end to the other. I see your point though about hotels like POR.

I agree with your last paragraph, I do think Hurricane Irma was the catalyst for this.

I guess I just wonder if all of these other hotels, including Universal/Loews, can pull this off without people abandoning the hotels, why can't WDW. They may add more restrictions as time goes on, that is something I could see

We’ve only ever stayed at HRH, so I was imagining the rest except maybe CB would be similar. HRH was BC/YC style to us. Indoor corridors etc.

If I had a dog I think the motel-style at POR & even seperate buildings at AoA (we’ve stayed at both), would appeal to me more.

 

[Kay123456]

Almost every other hotel chain does this. All of the Universal hotels accept pets and even the new hotels they are building will accept pets. Clearly it's something that works over there.

I'm curious as to why people think that WDW won't be able to handle it and Universal/Loews can.

From what I understand you are not allowed to leave the dogs in the rooms there while you are not there. You have to take them to a kennel.

 

[piccolopat]

People leave their dogs every day while they go to work, go to events and appointments, etc. Not sure how this is different. Every dog owner I know understands the impacts fireworks have on their pets. There won't be fireworks going off in the hallways all day of the 4 resorts listed as dog friendly.

One big difference is that the dogs won't in in their home territory. Also, some people who swear that their dogs are quiet while they are away at work would be surprised to find out that they bark throughout the day such as when people walk by or when the neighbor's kids are playing in their yard. Noises that the dog isn't used to hearing can be a problem. For example, if the dog's home is all hard floors, how will they react to hearing the halls vacuumed? How about when the gardeners are outside the room tending to the lawn or landscape with power equipment?

 

[Gryhndmom]

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.

LOVE THIS!

 

[vinotinto]

Yes I got a call too. I was pretty sure I would because I sent emails to George Kalogridis, Robert Chapek, and Bob Iger as well. (They don't like that... the "worker bees" are supposed to deal with this sort of issue. ) My call came almost as soon as I sent the emails. I purposely did not include my phone number just to see if they'd email or look me up... A young man from Guest Services tried to smooth things over. He sounded as though he was reading from a script and I told him so. They knew most people wouldn't like this change; that's the reason it was kept quiet until the last minute.

Kalogridis made this happen and he's the one who can reverse it. Send your opinions directly to him.

The only person at WDW that can reverse this horrible new policy is: George Kalogridis. His email is: george.kalogridis@disney.com

Thank you for the name and email. Let's get to work on those polite, but firm emails letting him know why this is such a bad idea. And for those that have had to change their reservation, please include that. I will be mentioning how relieved I am that my upcoming vacation in 2018 is not at one of these resorts because otherwise, I would need to change it.

 

[fla4fun]

.

I agree posters are assuming the worst

I think that is in large part due to our prior experience with how well Disney enforces the policies it already has. Smoking is a good example. Every trip I see people in the parks smoking outside of the designated areas, in full view of cast members. I have yet to see ONE of those cast members even gently remind the smoker that they should only smoke in a designated area. They could approach the person in a diplomatic manner with a friendly reminder. After all, there is a slim chance the guest isn’t aware of the designated smoking areas if they’re a newbie. It wouldn’t have to be addressed in a confrontational way. But they don’t even try.

Seeing this, it’s easy to picture the same thing happening with the dogs, especially with so many people on this thread being given very little consideration by Disney regarding changing resorts, and the conflicting information between what is written (only allowed in designated area/rooms) and what is communicated verbally (sorry, can’t guarantee a pet free room, they could be in any room). I can picture some guests crossing the line and taking their pets where they should not be, and not being told that what they are doing is wrong.

Between the miscommunication and Disney’s past history, many of us are concerned, for various reasons. My issue is cleanliness and pest control. Others are concerned about health or noise. Disney is really going to have to knock this one out of the park before I would feel confident staying at one of the four resorts. Considering those resorts were on my short list of favorites, it’s very disappointing.

I really hope Disney does do it right, and both sides can be happy. I’m just not sure they have their act together yet to do it.

 

[Madame]

I think that is in large part due to our prior experience with how well Disney enforces the policies it already has. Smoking is a good example. Every trip I see people in the parks smoking outside of the designated areas, in full view of cast members. I have yet to see ONE of those cast members even gently remind the smoker that they should only smoke in a designated area. They could approach the person in a diplomatic manner with a friendly reminder. After all, there is a slim chance the guest isn’t aware of the designated smoking areas if they’re a newbie. It wouldn’t have to be addressed in a confrontational way. But they don’t even try.

Seeing this, it’s easy to picture the same thing happening with the dogs, especially with so many people on this thread being given very little consideration by Disney regarding changing resorts, and the conflicting information between what is written (only allowed in designated area/rooms) and what is communicated verbally (sorry, can’t guarantee a pet free room, they could be in any room). I can picture some guests crossing the line and taking their pets where they should not be, and not being told that what they are doing is wrong.

Between the miscommunication and Disney’s past history, many of us are concerned, for various reasons. My issue is cleanliness and pest control. Others are concerned about health or noise. Disney is really going to have to knock this one out of the park before I would feel confident staying at one of the four resorts. Considering those resorts were on my short list of favorites, it’s very disappointing.

I really hope Disney does do it right, and both sides can be happy. I’m just not sure they have their act together yet to do it.

I wish I could like this more than once. I sadly do not trust Disney to do this right.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I think that is in large part due to our prior experience with how well Disney enforces the policies it already has. Smoking is a good example. Every trip I see people in the parks smoking outside of the designated areas, in full view of cast members. I have yet to see ONE of those cast members even gently remind the smoker that they should only smoke in a designated area. They could approach the person in a diplomatic manner with a friendly reminder. After all, there is a slim chance the guest isn’t aware of the designated smoking areas if they’re a newbie. It wouldn’t have to be addressed in a confrontational way. But they don’t even try.

Seeing this, it’s easy to picture the same thing happening with the dogs, especially with so many people on this thread being given very little consideration by Disney regarding changing resorts, and the conflicting information between what is written (only allowed in designated area/rooms) and what is communicated verbally (sorry, can’t guarantee a pet free room, they could be in any room). I can picture some guests crossing the line and taking their pets where they should not be, and not being told that what they are doing is wrong.

Between the miscommunication and Disney’s past history, many of us are concerned, for various reasons. My issue is cleanliness and pest control. Others are concerned about health or noise. Disney is really going to have to knock this one out of the park before I would feel confident staying at one of the four resorts. Considering those resorts were on my short list of favorites, it’s very disappointing.

I really hope Disney does do it right, and both sides can be happy. I’m just not sure they have their act together yet to do it.

Yes, I agree with this. One of WDW's mantra's is, "we can't control guest behavior". Well, now I guess they can't control guest dog's behavior either. Housekeeping is spotty as it is and the right hand barely speaks to the left hand at WDW. I don't predict this will go well.

I think one of the reasons this may work in Uni or other resorts is because those resorts, in general, are much smaller operations than WDW. IMHO, WDW has a really hard time clarifying policy down the chain of command. I'll certainly wait and see, but I'm not planning on staying at any of the designated hotels any time soon. Except, perhaps, Ft. W which, IMHO, is the only resort that is even conducive to this idea.

 

[HopperFan]

The dogs HAVE to go on the walkways, especially if you look at the mapmfor AOA. All the designated rooms seem to be towards the lake, which means they will be walking on the main areas to get to their rooms. I thought they would be positioned towards the parking lots instead to make it easy for people to get to their rooms with animals, but they have to walk across the resort instead. The walkways are narrow as well. You wont be able to avoid a dog on the walkway for those that are afraid, even if they are on leashes. Hopefully not too many people will be taking disney up on this offer.

Oh I agree with you which is exactly why I think dogs will be all over the AoA and POR resorts, and that is how they will get to all those poop stations.

Some posts regarding Disney responses and their wording initially made it sound like the dogs must stay in your room or take the special "pet walkways" to their pet relief areas. WELL, that means those relief areas must have plenty of rooms near them in order for there to be pet designated walkways. That means dogs are all over the resort.

"Each guest room will have easy access to outdoor pet walkways for exercise and green spaces with pet relief areas"

Initial reports seemed to (I'd have to dig) that dogs would not be permitted in common/public areas.
"Food & Beverage, Club Lounge, Pool Areas, Fitness Centers and Other Public Areas."

Well to me that is walkways & paths to get around resort, playgrounds, lobby, gift shop etc. You can't use the common areas without using the common walkways. But now the wording coming out seems to be backtracking and looks like dogs will be all over the resort, which the number of potty stops supports.

"Please leash or restrain your dogs at all times while in public spaces on Resort property."

"Dogs must be well-behaved and are not allowed on furniture in public areas."

That sounds like they can walk all around the place and maybe only kept out of confined spaces like food court, pool, fitness center ............ so why the "pet walkways" ......... too much contradiction.

 

[Sarahraegraham]

It says that dogs will have to be in carriers to ride ME. Unless its a small carrier it will have to ride under the bus as there are no other areas for them. I hope. I can’t imagine too many people wanting to pay freight airfare to have their large dogs brought with them. Unless something has changed that I am unaware of.

I was literally just thinking about this. If they are allowed to place crated dogs under the bus with the luggage, what happens when that dog relieves itself and the urine runs down the floor and onto everyone’s luggage?

 

[amberpi]

So, I'm going to throw this at the wall. I've stayed at portofino a ton when it was singular even and at royal pacific a few times. I'm going to refrain from comparing them to wdw deluxes so I don't get lynched...but I don't see the number of service animals at uni that I do at wdw and have never seen an animal in or around one of their hotels (maybe 15 2 night stays). Am I missing something?

 

[wdwlver]

Well, I posted a very nice concern on the Disney park blog and they deleted it. Appeara they are letting only positive comments through at this time. Nice.

]

I commented on the blog today and sure enough, comment deleted.

 

[Kay123456]

I was literally just thinking about this. If they are allowed to place crated dogs under the bus with the luggage, what happens when that dog relieves itself and the urine runs down the floor and onto everyone’s luggage?

Awwww man I didnt even think about that!!! I really hope that they have this stuff planned out better than they are letting on. I really really do. Are there areas people can relieve their dogs at the airport before putting them on the bus?

 

[Madame]

So, I'm going to throw this at the wall. I've stayed at portofino a ton when it was singular even and at royal pacific a few times. I'm going to refrain from comparing them to wdw deluxes so I don't get lynched...but I don't see the number of service animals at uni that I do at wdw and have never seen an animal in or around one of their hotels (maybe 15 2 night stays). Am I missing something?

The clientele is different, some cross-over, but different. & some of those service dogs running around WDW resorts.... Aren’t.