Attention Disney fans one and all: A day more magical than any that has come before it has arrived. Unfreeze your kingdoms, un-curse your islands, and wake up your princesses, y'all, because dogs are allowed to stay at Disney World hotels and resorts, starting on Oct. 15. In fact, the new pilot program at Disney is allowed guests to bring two dogs each to Disney World. I can already see headlines about future puppy parades through the park gracing our eyeballs and honestly the thought is too cute for my brain to fully process without exploding right here on the spot.
The resorts involved in the pilot program are Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, Disney Port Orleans Riverside Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, and the cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground, according to Disney's post. The program will cost $50 per night for the pet room cleaning and maintenance fee, with the exception of the Yacht Club, which will cost $75. In other words, there has been no more appropriate moment for the "SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY" meme than this specific one right now.
Not only will your pupperoonies finally be able to come to Disney World with you, but they, too, will clock in some major vacation relaxation time. Disney partners with Best Friends Pet Care, a pet service that will provide onsite pet daycare and pet services, so while you're out screaming your head off on Thunder Mountain, Fido can chill out with his doggy friends. Guests will also get a "Pluto’s Welcome Kit" at check-in, which includes, according to Disney's blog post, "a mat, bowls, a pet ID tag, courtesy plastic disposable bags, puppy pads and dog walking maps." Guests with dogs will also receive a special door sign with Pluto on it to indicate to staff that they've got a furry BFF inside.
The hotels involved in the pilot program are especially equipped with pet relief areas and easy access to outdoor spaces for dogs to play, so guests won't have to do too much crazy planning in advance. Perhaps the cutest part of this whole shebang, though, is that the participating resorts will also have adorable pet merchandise available for purchase onsite. Honestly, is there anything cuter than an Insta of a dog dressed up in Disney paraphernalia?
As memorable as all Disney trips are, nothing makes a vacation quite as satisfying as knowing that you don't have to check up on your pup every hour because they're already right there chilling with you the whole time. For now, only guide dogs are allowed in the park itself, but who knows? Maybe if the pilot program is successful it could take off in a big way. Heck, maybe we'll get our own dog theme park. (My personal pitch is the "Island of Dogs," but I pitch that at the risk of going to it and never, ever leaving.)
According to Disney, in order to qualify, dogs must be "well behaved, leashed in public resort areas and properly vaccinated". They encourage any guests with questions about the pilot program to contact Disney at 407-W-DISNEY, and for Disney Vacation Club members to contact them through Member Services at 800-800-9800.
Fingers crossed that the pilot program does well in these four resorts — with any luck, it'll get extended beyond Disney World and into Disneyland as well. And hopefully our Instagram feeds will all be universally blessed by more pictures of owners and dogs in matching Mickey Mouse ears, because if there's ever a time to flood Insta feeds with precious things, it's 2017.
