How to Bring Your Dog With You to Disney World | the disney food blog (2024)

So you’re planning a trip to Disney World and you aren’t sure what your options are for your four-legged bestest Disney friend? You’d love to take your dog to Disney World, but is that possible?

Disney World actually DOES have dog-friendly resorts as well as pet boarding options that could fit any family’s needs! Let’s go over where you CAN take your dog in Disney World — as well as where you can’t.

As of October 2017, Disney World began allowing guests to bring dogs to select Disney World hotels and there are some important things you need to know if you’d like to bring your doggo with you on your next Disney trip! Note that none of these policies apply to Service Dogs.

Dog-Friendly Resorts

There are four Disney World Resort hotels that allow dogs with a maximum of two dogs per guest room. All pup guests must be fully up-to-date on vaccinations and owners must provide proof. The dog-friendly rooms have easy access to outdoor walkways and green spaces so your doggo can get plenty of exercise and potty break time. Dogs must always be on a leash or in a pet carrier when not in their guest room.

All visiting dogs get a special gift of Pluto’s Welcome Kit, which contains dog-friendly items like an ID tag, puppy pads, plastic potty bags, a mat, bowls, and dog walking maps. Dog food is not sold at Disney World, so you need to bring or have dog food delivered.

You must sign a “pet agreement” with your hotel and each hotel charges a nightly pet fee. There are some important things to note, like that dogs must be fully trained and are not allowed on ANY furniture in the hotel. Housekeeping is only available when your dog is not in the room, and you’ll need to schedule a cleaning time when your dog is outside the room.

Dogs are allowed to be left unattended in your room for a maximum of seven hours.If your dog is barking when you’re not in the room, Disney may ask you to return to your room, and you’ll need to get to your room as soon as possible to calm your dog. If there are any issues with your dog disturbing other guests or exhibiting aggressive behavior, Disney may ask you to make other arrangements.

To make a Disney World Resort reservation with your dog, you need to call Disney at(407) 939-7539.

Read more about bringing pets to Disney World here!

So what are the four Disney World hotels that allow dogs? Let’s go over them!

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is a Value Resort, which means it’s usually on the less pricey side of Disney hotels. Art of Animation requires a $50 nightly fee for your furry family member.

All the dog-friendly hotels have designated sections or floors for dogs and, when you check-in to your hotel, you will receive a map of dog relief and walking areas.

Art of Animation has several different locations for dog-friendly spaces! Remember that dogs are not allowed in public spaces such as pool areas and any food and beverage locations.

Click here for a ranking of Disney World’s Value Resorts!

Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort

Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort is a Moderate Resort, which is priced a bit higher than a Value Resort with some additional amenities and larger room options. They charge a nightly pet fee of $50.

Because Moderate Resorts are often quite spread out, there’s a big range of locations for dog spaces at Riverside.

If you prefer to stay in a resort with more amenities than the Value Resorts, this is a great option especially considering the pet fee costs the same at Art of Animation!

Here are the BIG problems with Disney’s Moderate Resorts!

Disney’s Yacht Club Resort

Disney’s Yacht Club Resort is a Deluxe Resort, so it’s on the pricier side for both room cost and pet fees. Yacht Club requires a $75 nightly fee for visiting dogs.

Yacht Club has one location for dog relief, so you may not have quite as much space for your doggo to explore as the other resorts.

If having more options for your dog is important to you, Yacht Club may not be worth the splurge for your furry friend, but the location could be quite convenient for mid-day checks on your pup.

Here’s a ranking of Disney World’s Deluxe Resorts!

Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort

Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort may be the most dog-friendly option out of all four hotels. At Fort Wilderness, there are two location options for dogs, both at the Fort Wilderness Cabins and the Campsites!

Cabins

The Fort Wilderness Resort Cabins are considered a Moderate Resort, and they require a $50 nightly fee for visiting dogs.

The advantage of both the Cabins and the Campsites is the amount of space for dogs. As the map states, dog relief areas are available in all Campsite and Cabin loops!

There is also a dog park, which we’ll talk more about in a second!

Check out this ranking of all Disney’s Moderate Resorts!

Campsites

The Fort Wilderness Campsites are generally the cheapest option both in terms of nightly rate and pet fees, charging a $5 nightly fee for pets. Dogs are not allowed in pop-up trailers or tents, so you need an RV. You must also reserve a campsite that has water, electricity, and sewer hook-ups.

Fort Wilderness Campgrounds also has the Waggin’ Tails Dog Park, which is an off-leash park and a chance for your doggo to get to meet other pups visiting Disney World! You must stay with your pets whenever they are outside your camper and they must be on a leash at all times.

Take a look at all the fall decorations at Fort Wilderness Campgrounds!

Best Friends Pet Hotel

Those of us a bit older might remember the days of Pet Care Centers located around Disney World. Kennels were on-site for guests choosing to pay to board their animals for their stay and guests could visit the kennels, like at the entrance to EPCOT or the Transportation and Ticket Center near Magic Kingdom, to walk their pets and visit each day.

The times have changed and since 2010, Disney World has partnered with Best Friends Pet Hotel, which is a full-service animal care facility that offers daycare services for pets from a few hours to full overnight visits. If you need to leave your dog for longer than seven hours or would prefer not to leave them unattended in your room, this is a great option for Disney World guests. This pet hotel is located near Disney’s Port Orleans Resorts.

Hourly rates (under 6 hours) begin at $28 and overnights begin at $47, all the way up to $109 for a VIP Luxury Suite if you REALLY want to pamper your pup! And while Disney does not allow cats on any Disney World property, Best Friends Pet Hotel does!

Click here to read more about Best Friends Pet Hotel!

Where Are Dogs NOT Allowed?

Other than Service Animals, dogs are not allowed in the theme parks, water parks, Disney Springs, or common public areas such as restaurants, pools, fitness centers, or lounges. Dogs are also not allowed on most transportation, such as ferry boats, the Skyliner, the Monorail, or buses. If you bring your dog to Disney World, they will pretty much have to stay at your resort hotel the whole time.

Dogs have been allowed on the Magical Express bus when traveling in a dog carrier that fits safely on a seat. However, now that theMagical Express will be discontinued in 2022, it’s unclear yet if Mears Connect will apply the same policy. Considering Mears Connect operated the Magical Express, we can guess that the pet policy will be carried over, but that is not yet confirmed.

Click here to read more about Mears Connect!

So that’s pretty much everything you need to know about bringing your furry friend to Disney World! Between the four resorts and the Best Friends Pet Hotel, you don’t have to leave your dog at home during your visit to Disney World. Keep reading DFB for all your Disney World tips and tricks!

Here are Disney treats you can buy for your pets!

Have you brought your dog to Disney World? Tell us in the comments!