Have you ever dreamed about bringing your ENTIRE family to Disney World?
Pluto at Epcot’s 2020 Flower and Garden Festival
You know, your grandparents, your spouse, the kiddos, and even the furriest members of your family?
That’s right — we’re talking about not just the human members of your family, but ALSO man’s best friend! Did you even know bringing your pet to Disney World was possible!? Well, IT TOTALLY IS!
Disney World Monorail
Let’s explore all the options you have for bringing your pets along on your next trip to Disney World — we can just see their little furry faces right now lighting up with the thought of coming on your next trip with you instead of waiting back at home! 😉
Ever wanted to wear a matching Spirit Jersey with your pet? Now you CAN!
Some Disney World Resorts Allow Dogs!
Currently, there are four pet-friendly resorts at Disney World that permit guests to room and board with their doggos only (sorry, no cats, reptiles, or other pocket pets are permitted at this time). They are:
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
- Disney Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
- Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
- Campsites or The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
These resorts have special floors, sections, and blocks of rooms that are pre-assigned for guests staying with pets.
Port Orleans — Riverside
You’ll find they’re located with easy access to the outdoor pet relief areas and designated walking trails!
If you’re a Disney dog-lover, you gotta see this Dooney and Bourke collection!
Pet Cleaning Fee
Each Disney World Resort that allows pets charges a nightly fee. If you are staying at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside, or The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, it’s a charge of $50 per night plus tax. If you’re staying at Fort Wilderness Resort’s Campsites, it’s only $5 per night (it IS a campsite in the woods, after all).
Welcome to Fort Wilderness!
Guests with dogs staying at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort will be charged $75 per night plus tax.
Check out these adorable Disney snack-themed accessories for your pet here!
What Rules Do We Need to Obey?
Now that you know which Disney World resorts you and your dog are welcome to book, there are some rules for pet owners to know before they go!
Must Provide Up-To-Date Vaccine Records
Your dog must be current on its shots in order to stay at Disney World. Make sure you bring all the necessary health records and documentation from your vet with you in case Disney needs to see it.
Hey There, Pluto!
You’ll also be required to sign a “Pet Agreement” stating you’ll follow the hotel’s pet policies.
Check out some of our favorite Nightmare Before Christmas-themed dog toys here!
Bring Your Own Dog Food
While dog-friendly Disney World Resorts will provide guests and their furry companions with Pluto’s Welcome Kit at check-in (which includes a feeding mat, bowls, plastic disposable bags, ID tag, puppy pads, dog walking mat, and a Pluto “Do Not Disturb” door hanger — contents may vary), pet owners are responsible for bringing their own dog food and treats.
DogEatz Treatz
Check out Disney’s newest line of dog and cat treats now available at the parks here!
We’ve seen a few places around Disney World where dog collars, accessories, toys, and treats are sold, but a Cast Member confirmed for us dog food isn’t available for sale on the property, to their knowledge. If you don’t want to pack your dog’s kibble in your suitcase, you can always have some delivered to your resort ahead of time instead!
Lady and the Tramp Dog Bowl
You can have packages delivered to your resort up to a week before you arrive. Many popular dog food brands are available on Amazon, or you can order them from any major pet supply retailer. If you want, you can also choose to have them brought to you using a delivery service such as Instacart.
Learn more about sending a package to your Disney World resort here!
Other Doggy Rules
Only two dogs are permitted per room, so if you’re rollin’ with more than that, some of your poochies might need to stay back at home. Another thing to keep in mind is that the majority of common areas at the resorts (even at the pet-friendly resorts we mentioned above) are off-limits to dogs except for service animals.
Art of Animation Lobby
Only service animals are allowed through lobbies, pool areas, restaurants, or guest hallways. Instead, each hotel has several designated areas for pets such as walking trails as well as green spaces for “pet relief.” These will be designated on your resort’s map.
Cars Building at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
Check out these adorable leggings for Disney dog and cat lovers here!
And with the exception of service animals, dogs aren’t allowed in any of the Disney theme parks, water parks, or Disney Springs. While pet dogs are allowed to use some Disney transportation services such as air-conditioned motorcoaches, only service animals are permitted to use Disney World’s monorails, and watercraft like the friendship boats.
Friendship Boat
Learn more about Disney World’s transportation systems here!
We inquired about Disney’s Skyliner and were told there isn’t an official policy on whether or not dogs are permitted onboard. If allowed, the Cast Member we spoke with thought only service animals may be able to ride.
Disney Skyliner
S0…what should you do with your Pluto while you’re out-and-about?
See how to spoil your fur babies with Monsters, Inc. accessories here!
Keep Your Dog at Your Resort
You know your dog’s temperament better than anyone so if you know your dog will be happiest (and quiet) back at the room while you’re out exploring the parks, this solution could work for you.
Fort Wilderness
But…if your dog can’t handle long stretches of being left alone (especially in an unfamiliar environment) you might receive a call from your hotel asking you to return to your room and calm your doggo down if he’s barking a lot. You’ll have 30 minutes to return to your room and quiet your dog down. Disney also recommends not leaving your dog unattended for more than seven hours at a time.
Mickey dog harness
Housekeeping will not come by while you’re away (you must schedule them to come when you’re back at your room and can manage your dog while they work). Don’t worry — there’s another option if you need your dog watched while you’re having fun!
Doggy Day Camp
If you don’t want to leave your dog back at the resort all day, you can choose to board him or her for the day at Best Friends Pet Care, a full-service animal care facility at Disney World. They also allow cats and other small animals to stay there, too!
©Best Friends Pet Hotel
Their services include everything from playtime for a couple of hours while you’re out at the parks to full overnight retreats with LOTS of Disney-style pampering! Doggie Daycare starts at $30 per day and gets slightly cheaper the longer you book. Boarding starts at $47 per night and goes up to $109. For more information about Best Friends Pet Care including, prices, call (877) 4 WDW-PETS or (877) 493-9738 or visit their website here to take a virtual tour!
Should I Bring My Dog to Disney World?
Even though bringing Fido to Disney World sounds like a really neat idea, it will present some new challenges. We think it would certainly make for a memorable trip if your dog is well-behaved — and the worst part of going to Disney World for you is leaving your furry friend behind each day! 😉
Disney Dogs Loungefly backpack
You will, however, have to factor in how you’ll get them there (which might change whether you’ll be flying or driving to Disney World) as well as how much it will cost you to bring them along since you might incur additional costs than if you’d boarded them back home.
Check out the deets onTHIS adorable new Disney Dog Loungefly Backpack (there’s one for Cat peeps too!)
Either way, it IS possible to have your Disney World vacation AND have your dog, too! We hope we’ve given you and your best pal something to chew on for your next trip to Florida!
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Have you ever traveled to Disney World with your dog before? Tell us about your experience in the comments below!
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We have stayed in the Cabins at Fort Wilderness several times with our mini schnauzer. It was wonderful! We didn’t have to leave her at home and she enjoyed the trip as much as we did.
We now only stay at the cabins with our two dogs and it has made our Disney vacations the most relaxing and enjoyable. We aren’t worried about our dogs back at home anymore and who is taking care of them because they are with us. We love Fort Wilderness because there’s plenty of room in the cabins for their crates, we don’t feel like we are invading on anyone’s space since the cabins are all separated and there’s plenty of walking trails for us to take them on. They love it and we love having them with us.
I don’t agree with this. I am deathly allergic to dogs- if I’m on vacation I don’t want to deal with an allergic reaction. I don’t think it’s right on planes, hotels or restaurants. The intentions are good but people are out there, like me that are allergic. My daughter is also allergic, she turns red, blisters on skin and her throat closes. I really wish pets were left at home.
Why is it so difficult to find a simple list of the vaccines my dog needs in order to come with us? You would think someone would have put this in a place that was easy to access. I’ve been looking at different sites for over 45 minutes now. Not the happiest site on earth…..
@ the person complaining about allergies… people are allergic to perfumes and other scented items, do you also suggest no one wears that in public too? The public DOESNT need to cater to you, if you’re going out in public you need to cater to that. Take an allergy pill. I am extremely allergic to dogs and cats and I have two dogs and a cat. Lol… please.
People should also realize that service dogs have ALWAYS been allowed at EVERY resort on property, so the allergy complaint is really quite bogus.
Why are cats excluded when there are actually park cats for rodent control?
I will not be coming back after coming for over 30 years.
Leave the animals at home.
What’s bogus is (now) every pet is a “service animal”.
Hello. I have a service dog. I’ve looked up some info about brining her to the park (in 3-5 years, waiting for Tron and Splash Mountain’s Update.) I’ve found some information about bringing her with me to the parks on Disney’s website. But some of it is a little confusing. For instance, if I’m reading correctly, I could take her on the Haunted Mansion?? But for rides like Space Mountain-those absolutely require the Ride Switch system-but there’s a way to d that with portable kennels?
Your website and videos are great, so I was wondering if you (or anyone else) knew anything about how guests with disabilities can enjoy the parks? Or who could at least point me in the right direction :3
Regulus, I’d suggest gathering all the specific questions you have and emailing Disney at [email protected]. My hope is they can give you the official word, rather than what we might get from Cast Members on the ground who don’t always have consistent answers and information. Have a wonderful trip!
Thank you so much!! I had no idea there was an email I could use to contact instead of a phone!! (Phone calls can be difficult for me.)
Happy to help, Regulus!
Kim, that sounds like a great solution!
Regarding allergies to pets, please note that Disney has set floors and blocks of room set aside for pets. If you have an allergy, you can request a non-pet floor, most hotels have one or two floors dedicated to pets and most guests never get booked into those rooms unless they have a pet.
I am allergic to cigarette smoke , yet I still have to put up with it. I wear a N95 mask at times, when I can’t escape it, even before COVID. For me, it causes me to become short of breath. Imagine breathing through one of those coffee stirrers straws. Try it if you have not for 30 seconds and now you know what an asthmatic goes through when they have an attack, not to mention, many carry an Epi-Pen with them in case their rescue meds don’t work.
My end point being, there are a lot of triggers for many medical conditions. However, it is called reasonable accommodation. Set aside rooms, allowance for ride swapping with service animals, the accommodation of Emotional Support Animals and the like allow people who would originally be sequestered at home to get out and about. If it is not impacting you greatly, then you should be respectful of the conditions that medically challenged people have. By the same token, those who are medically challenged should not expect everyone to accommodate every whim. What is the minimum a proprietor must do to allow you to access their facilities. It is a balance, and we all need to remember that.
One of the best and my favorite blog ever.
I made reservations for Ft Wilderness in the camping are. We are in a 40 ft motorhome with our dogs. Unfortunately, I just read that you can only have 2 dogs. We have 3 chihuahuas. I guess I will have to call & cancel. Bummer.
Would it be possible to hire a dog sitter to come to the resort to watch our dogs while we are in the parks. I’m traveling by air, so they won’t be in crates and carrying cases are too small to be in for hours.