***Help us gather information on Disney's policies on dogs at resorts***

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I am wondering if anyone has heard anything about a cleaning policy in terms of a way to note on ones reservations that a person is very allergic to dogs and needs to have a room very very well cleaned with all bedding and pillows swapped out if a dog has been in it and to not be placed in a room near guests staying with furry friends.

I stayed at Pop Century 10/1-10/7 and had a severe asthma attack that required treatment at Centra Care urgent care and was even sent on to Celebration Hospital for additional treatment. I had never had an asthma attack in my life that I could remember. When I got home I told my mom about it and she said that I had had asthma when I was very young until they got rid of our dog when the realized I was severely allergic. After that I never had a problem again, and I didn't even remember ever having asthma. This is making me believe that my asthma attack was caused by there possibly being a dog in my room before me or in a near by room and dander got in through the air vents. I dont know this for sure but I suspect thought I will never know for sure. I also opted in on the Gift Card offer to forgo housekeeping for the week which, had I known that there was a possibility of dog dander in the room I would not have done. I saw a lot of pictures of people staying at Pop with the pets during hurricane Irma and afterward but it didn't occur to me that this might happen. I guess I assumed that anywhere a dog had been would automatically deep clean-yeah yeah I know what they about assuming.

So what is their policy for cleaning up dog dander and allergens? What is their policy for keeping guests informed about coming into contact with pet dander and allergen contaminates so they can keep themselves healthy and safe. I know they are great about food allergies and have well stated policies in place for that so how about for those of us with dog allergies now that they are opening their doors for dogs all the time? I think it may have been different if I had been informed from the onset that a dog had been in my room or was right next door.
These are very good questions for Disney Management. Let us know if you get an answer.
 
I asked a YC CL concierge if dogs are allowed on the floor and she said yes but they can't go in the lounge or any food areas. They can stay unattended in the room for 7 hours. They haven't had any check in yet so they don't know what to expect. She also said dogs are welcome in any YC room. They have a grassy area near the quiet pool for them.
 
Since the other thread was locked I hope BaronLaw doesn't mind if I share his post here.

I finally received a call back from Sarah at Disney World with the answers to my emailed questions. I need to emphasize that she was very respectful and seemed to at least convey concern on the phone.

She advised that she was not able to provide the answers in writing, as she had promised. She could only relay verbal answers.

At each and every answer, I sought clarification but, with few exceptions, she only repeated answers. She seemed to be reading from a prepared list of written answers.

I had asked why Disney World used to cite health and safety as their rational against non-service dogs in their resorts but now do not not have those concerns. Specifically, I asked what changed in the interim to cause Disney to now allow non-service dogs in some of their resorts. Sarah advised that Disney World takes the health and safety of their guests very seriously. This didn't answer the question.


I had asked about the lack of size and breed restrictions and the potential danger that could ensue. Sarah advised that Disney is ready for dangerous contingencies -- onsite Security and Animal Control.

I had asked what well-behaved meant. Sarah did not have a specific answer aside from stating that owners are expected to control their dogs. She stated that consequences would be removal of the dog. If there are no facilities for removing the dog, the guests would be expected to leave. She did not advise on what particular infractions would lead to these penalties.

I had asked about prevention of fleas and ticks. Sarah advised that rooms would be deep-cleaned. I told her that a deep-clean may not remove all fleas/ticks. She advised again that Disney would conduct deep-cleans of the rooms.

I had asked about the enforcement of the unattended seven hour limit on dogs in the rooms. I specifically noted that there doesn't seem to be a realistic method for enforcing this rule. Sarah advised that Disney is able to track time on unattended dogs but was unable to reveal exactly how Disney will track guests that leave dogs in their rooms unattended.

I asked about the enforcement of the 30 minute rule on addressing loud dogs. When speaking with Sarah, I told her that it was simply very unrealistic to expect anybody to come back if they are off-site within 30 minutes. She advised that if transportation was preventing a guest from coming back to a resort within the time limit, Disney will allow room for error and not strictly enforce a 30 minute time limit. If a guest proceeds to enjoy additional attractions after being asked to return to address a loud dog, then the 30 minute time limit will be strictly enforced.

She did advise that the 30 minute timer starts from the time a Guest is informed of the situation. She wasn't able to provide specifics of what the penalties were.

I had asked about Dogs not being allowed in public spaces and the ability of Disney World to enforce this. She advised that Cast Members will be available and proactive in preventing dogs from being taken into food courts, public paths, etc. She could not answer whether this meant an increase in Cast Members, their redeployment, etc.

She advised that most of the feedback has been opposition to the policy and said there was no guarantee that the trial period would last a full year.

Those were the answers. Unfortunately, they were mostly vague and did little to inspire confidence. The only alternative is just to avoid these resorts and cross our fingers that that additional resorts are not added later.
 
I just heard back a second time after sending a second email. Management has been excellent about following up, and both phone conversations were very good.

Bottom line is they feel the contract that guests have to sign when they check in with their dog(s) is very clear, and that will be no reason for a guest to not understand what the policies are.

The person I spoke with stated again, that cast members and their leads are aware of policies and will enforce and support the policies.

Also said that guests that check in with dogs are given a map of where they can go with their(pet) dog.

I wish I felt more confident that this dog friendly will not negatively impact guests.
We are visiting WDW ( without our two dogs) over Xmas, then again for a couple of weeks in Jan, and in March.
It will be interesting to see how many dogs we see while we're out and about doing our favorite thing; resort hopping.
 
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How long before guest communications contacted you? Anyone been or there now to shed some light on the subject. Thanks
 
I emailed them last week, got a phone call from guest services. Regarding AOA- pets will be allowed in Little Mermaid and the Cars suites. No specific rooms or floors there. Walking areas are behind these locations and no pets in the common area. I also got the information about the waiver guests with pets sign and that any guest who wants to see that waiver may request at the desk to see it. The general information I got matches what others have posted here. Disney seems to be very consistent in what they are telling guests.

The information they release is so conflicting---I just asked via the online chat with a CM about the pet policy because we are thinking of adding a night to our August trip and staying at AOA. They said pets would be only allowed in the end buildings. When I asked what that meant, they said Nemo and Cars not Little Mermaid which was where we were thinking of staying.
 
The information they release is so conflicting---I just asked via the online chat with a CM about the pet policy because we are thinking of adding a night to our August trip and staying at AOA. They said pets would be only allowed in the end buildings. When I asked what that meant, they said Nemo and Cars not Little Mermaid which was where we were thinking of staying.

The end buildings would be Cars and Little Mermaid, not Nemo. They're not going to use both suite sections. I'd call back and not rely on chat. I wasn't talking to the regular guest services. This was a return call for a letter I had written.
 


I just received a phone call in response to email on pet policy. The results of that conversation are: few animals have checked in so far, cast members have been given more training, and one guest in AOA was asked to leave in response to barking dog. The Magical Express will require crates to be on the floor. If too many crates at one time presents a safety issue, the guests will have to wait for next bus.
 
Just completed a 1 night stay at Art of Animation with two dogs last week. We were in the Little Mermaid rooms in building 7 on the first floor. During our visit we noticed 3 other families with dogs, and two of them we were also able to identify as also being located in building 7 on the first floor.

During the check-in process, the cast member had a laminated list which he referred to for the procedures, but I noticed that he forgot to ask for the proof of vaccinations for the dogs. I was required to sign the pet policy document acknowledging that if the dogs caused disruption or were left alone for too long we would be required to leave. During the check-in process I was asked what breeds of dog we had, so they may be collecting this information for future policy making purposes.

I was given a map with the pet relief areas, but there were no specific areas that we needed to keep the dogs during walks as long as they were not in the pool, food or laundry areas. We were also given a sign to hang on the door to indicate whenever pets were present in the room, irrespective of whether or not owners were present as well. Did not like this signs construction, as it kept flying off the door handle, but wedging it on top of a "privacy please" sign seemed to resolve the problem.

Finally, we were given a care gift bag for the dogs which contained food and water bowels, a place mat for the bowls, a bandana and a potty bag carrier with a full roll of potty bags to pick-up after the dogs.
 
Does anyone know if Boardwalk is accepting dogs? My husband is very allergic (much to the dismay of our kids) and we have a trip next Aug, just need to know if I need to make sure to request a non-dog room. We would like to avoid a trip to the ER if we can. Thank you!!
 
Does anyone know if Boardwalk is accepting dogs? My husband is very allergic (much to the dismay of our kids) and we have a trip next Aug, just need to know if I need to make sure to request a non-dog room. We would like to avoid a trip to the ER if we can. Thank you!!
Currently, the only Epcot resort that accepts pet dogs is the YC. Of course, service dogs are accepted at all of the resorts. During the hurricane, guests were allowed to bring pet dogs with them to all resorts. You can request a "deep cleaning," of the room, if you have any concerns.
 
It seems to work well in Universal, and now WDW is allowing pets, that's awesome and good info to know! Right now I understand it's YC and Port Orleans?
 
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It seems to work well in Universal, and now WDW is allowing pets, that's awesome to know! Wow, I can't tell you how many times over the yrs we didn't do WDW bc we had our little yorkie and couldn't find care for her, boarded her once or twice with bad results. We also have allergies to "non-hypoallergenic" dogs, my husband asthma, and had stayed in pet friendly SPG hotels while in WDW, and never had a problem in the rooms. Have stayed at Universal hotels and never allergy problems in their rooms, so I think WDW will clean as well as those other hotels. This is really good news. Right now I understand it's YC and Port Orleans? I do think they should be in certain areas tho for those that don't want to be near pets, but good news.
If you end up staying with your pet at WDW please report back actual experiences and first hand accounts, as that is the purpose of this thread rather than opinions in favor or against. :)
 
If you end up staying with your pet at WDW please report back actual experiences and first hand accounts, as that is the purpose of this thread rather than opinions in favor or against. :)

There actually is a question in there, I asked if this was Only YC and Port Orleans? I see some others putting other resorts also? Great to know all this! Woohoo
 
Just chatted with a cast member about which resorts allow pet dogs at this time. Our children have severe dog/cat allergies so I wanted to avoid those locations if possible. (Service animals are allowed anywhere I believe). She said..

......The following resorts & room types allow for dogs at this time:
Port Orleans Riverside; Standard & Garden Rooms
Art of Animation; Cars & Little Mermaid Rooms
Yacht Club; Garden & Lagoon Rooms and
Fort Wilderness Cabins Loops 2200 & 2300.
 
Since the other thread was locked I hope BaronLaw doesn't mind if I share his post here.

I finally received a call back from Sarah at Disney World with the answers to my emailed questions. I need to emphasize that she was very respectful and seemed to at least convey concern on the phone.

She advised that she was not able to provide the answers in writing, as she had promised. She could only relay verbal answers.

At each and every answer, I sought clarification but, with few exceptions, she only repeated answers. She seemed to be reading from a prepared list of written answers.

I had asked why Disney World used to cite health and safety as their rational against non-service dogs in their resorts but now do not not have those concerns. Specifically, I asked what changed in the interim to cause Disney to now allow non-service dogs in some of their resorts. Sarah advised that Disney World takes the health and safety of their guests very seriously. This didn't answer the question.

I'm sure they will do the same as any other place that allows pets, like Universal who has allowed pets in their 3 main resorts for as long as I can remember and seems to be working fine for them. My husband and I in the past before we got our RV, traveled with our little Yorkie into Universal hotels and SPG hotels regularly for many years (did not have anyone to watch her and bad boarding experience), throughout Florida. Both of us have allergies to dogs. We never had any issues with allergies, as hotels that allow dogs in our experience, deep clean the rooms, or dogs causing issues, etc. I'm sure bc those issues were immediately addressed. We ourselves always kept our dog away from people as much as possible, walked her in quieter areas, usually there are areas specified to walk your pets, etc. I'm sure Disney will do the same.


I had asked about the lack of size and breed restrictions and the potential danger that could ensue. Sarah advised that Disney is ready for dangerous contingencies -- onsite Security and Animal Control.

I had asked what well-behaved meant. Sarah did not have a specific answer aside from stating that owners are expected to control their dogs. She stated that consequences would be removal of the dog. If there are no facilities for removing the dog, the guests would be expected to leave. She did not advise on what particular infractions would lead to these penalties.

I had asked about prevention of fleas and ticks. Sarah advised that rooms would be deep-cleaned. I told her that a deep-clean may not remove all fleas/ticks. She advised again that Disney would conduct deep-cleans of the rooms.

I had asked about the enforcement of the unattended seven hour limit on dogs in the rooms. I specifically noted that there doesn't seem to be a realistic method for enforcing this rule. Sarah advised that Disney is able to track time on unattended dogs but was unable to reveal exactly how Disney will track guests that leave dogs in their rooms unattended.

I asked about the enforcement of the 30 minute rule on addressing loud dogs. When speaking with Sarah, I told her that it was simply very unrealistic to expect anybody to come back if they are off-site within 30 minutes. She advised that if transportation was preventing a guest from coming back to a resort within the time limit, Disney will allow room for error and not strictly enforce a 30 minute time limit. If a guest proceeds to enjoy additional attractions after being asked to return to address a loud dog, then the 30 minute time limit will be strictly enforced.

She did advise that the 30 minute timer starts from the time a Guest is informed of the situation. She wasn't able to provide specifics of what the penalties were.

I had asked about Dogs not being allowed in public spaces and the ability of Disney World to enforce this. She advised that Cast Members will be available and proactive in preventing dogs from being taken into food courts, public paths, etc. She could not answer whether this meant an increase in Cast Members, their redeployment, etc.

She advised that most of the feedback has been opposition to the policy and said there was no guarantee that the trial period would last a full year.

Those were the answers. Unfortunately, they were mostly vague and did little to inspire confidence. The only alternative is just to avoid these resorts and cross our fingers that that additional resorts are not added later.

I'm sure they will do the same as any other place that allows pets, like Universal who has allowed pets in their 3 main resorts for as long as I can remember. My husband and I in the past before we got our RV, traveled regularly with our little Yorkie into hotels including Universal resorts, (did not have anyone to watch her and bad boarding experience). Both of us have allergies to "nonhypoallergenic" dogs with my DH getting asthma. We never had any issues with allergies, as hotels that allow dogs in our experience deep clean the rooms. Never had or saw any problems in hotels with pets as far as safety issues, etc. We also used many SPG hotels, Westins, Sheratons, etc., which allow pets all throughout Florida and have always had great experiences, never issues with allergies, smells, dogs all over, loud dogs, barking, etc. We ourselves always kept our dog away from people as much as possible, walked her in quieter areas, usually there are areas specified to walk your pets, etc. I'm sure Disney will do the same.
 
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And is it still just the 4 resorts allowing pets?
Port Orleans
Wilderness
AoA
Yacht

I have severe allergies so best to avoid. And about to book a trip!
 
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