Update: August 17: We have a quick update to share today about the new luxury pet resort at the Walt Disney World Resort. We’re putting the finishing touches on the Best Friends Pet Care center and its doors will still be opening soon…but not quite yet. Opening day is now scheduled for September 1. Check out our initial post below for more details about the resort.
Pet lovers … beginning today reservations are being accepted for a new luxury pet resort scheduled to open this summer at the Walt Disney World Resort. If you haven’t heard, the new Best Friends Pet Resort will be a “best-of-breed” facility with air-conditioned rooms,”VIP” suites and private outdoor yards for your pet.
And yes, bedtime stories with staff will be included as one of the special features at the 50,000-square-foot resort. You’ll also be able to choose from a list of la carte activities for your pet, including one-on-one play times and social playgroup with other dogs and ice cream time.
The resort’s exclusive dog park will have a fenced walking trail bordering natural wetlands around the park. Inside the trail, there will be different play areas, including a 3,300 square-foot area covered in artificial turf, a 4,500 square-foot area with shade trees, and a 1,300 square-foot “canines only” water park.
Feline guests will spend visits in a separate “Kitty City” pavilion – away from dogs – in two and four-room condos. And there will be a special facility for the boarding of “pocket pets,” such as hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits and ferrets.
The resort is located on property at 2510 Bonnet Creek Parkway, across from the Port Orleans Resort at the Walt Disney World Resort. Check out www.bestfriendspetcare.com to make a reservation for pet stays beginning August 27, 2010, or call 877-4-WDW-PETS.
Comments
I wish Disney was still operating the kennels. The fees have gone up like crazy! I have a 2 guinea pigs. When Disney owned the kennels, I paid $9 per night. Now, I am charged $16 per night (each one) and when the new resort opens, it will be even higher. Mind you, they just sit there. I feed them and tend to them. If the hotels inflated their rates like that, people wouldn’t be able to stay.
Will pictures be posted soon of the pet resort?
Adam, unless Disney has recently made an announcment that they will be keeping the other 5 kennels open, they will be closed. This topic has been all over the message boards for the past few months.
They aren’t closing the other kennels..this is just a full service kennel in addition to the other ones on property. Whenever my wife and I travel, we leave the dog with the vet. This just gives people a chanceto take their dog with them in the car, and then drop them off for their own Disney vacation! The website looks amazing, especially the fish tank for the cats, and the water park for the dogs!!
Such a wonderful idea! Though I do like the idea everyone mentioned of a place where people can take their pets to stay with them. Maybe you can add an animal friendly human pet resort to this so people have both options.
This is a great first step. A pet friendly resort would also be a wonderful addition, one that I would gladly support. Really, a resort themed to 101 Dalmations, Lady and the Tramp, Bambi, the Aristocats, the Rescuers – there’s no shortage of ideas in the Disney catalog to fill out a fantastic resort. And a great many pet owners would be happy to pay a little more to stay somewhere on property with their furry family members.
when i come i mite make a my pets stay there i can not wait!!!!
To address Peter. We stay at Fort Wilderness, which is pet friendly. We have NEVER had a problem with people picking up their dogs pooh. To most people, their pets are a family member not someone to be delecated to the backyard.
The problem with the new facility is the location. At Fort Wilderness, you would walk to the kennels if you needed to have your pet taken care of because you were going to be in the parks for an extended period of time. You will now have to unhook you MH, etc. in order to get to the kennels. I think they should have left the current kennels at Fort Wilderness.
I am really surprised that WDW doesn’t have a pet-friendly resort yet. I surely would have stayed there with my dog as opposed to paying a house sitter $100 a day (in 2003).
Those who don’t have pets shouldn’t stay there if they open one.
Will there be transportation to/from the facility from WDW resorts? Perhaps a shuttle-on-request like Golf does?
And will the other kennels at the parks be closing?
wow! i am scared to think how much this will cost. hubby and i saw it being built when we were in wdw may near port orleans french quarter. it looks amazing
I agree with Thomas, Peter don’t book your stay at the pet friendly resort. I was just at Disney World this past week and the kennel is right by my DVC home of Saratoga it would be great to take my dog to Disney with me since she stops eating for the first few days that I am away
Is she reading the dog the Poky Little Puppy book?
I also like the idea of a pet-friendly resort. I don’t think I’d like to leave my dog with strangers for a long period of time, however good they may be at pet care. She’s just really a one-family dog, and isn’t crazy about being put in the care of others. I think a pet-friendly resort would stay booked non-stop, and we’d definitely stay there!
@Vance, thanks so much for the information. Not that I don’t love to stay on-site, but it’s good to have options.
A pet friendly resort would be great. Universal does have one and I really expected Disney to have one by now.
@Debra You can use the kennels regardless if you’re staying on site or not. You do get a better rate as a resort guest, but we have used the current ones several times as locals for the day or one night if we stay off site.
I would love to have a Pet friendly resort as well. My animals are like my children and I don’t like to leave them while I’m away on vacation.
Peter- if you don’t like animals, don’t stay at the pet friendly resort. Not a difficult thing to comprehend my friend.
The main reason that most hotels don’t have pet-friendly rooms is because hotels (and theme parks) are for people. Backyards and kennels are for pets.
Do those of us who don’t have dogs a favor and leave them home (service animals excluded). None of us want to listen to a dog barking/yapping while we’re on vacation, especially in our hotel. We get enough of that at home from the neighbors who don’t properly train their dogs and let them poop all over the neighborhood.
I don’t hate dogs & I don’t love them.
Pet friendly resort and the daycare would be the ideal situation. That would make a stay at Disney PERFECT!
Would love, as others said, to have pet friendly rooms, but also offer pet daycare at this place if desired.
I would also love pet friendly rooms! We would love to have our dog join us! We take her on so many other trips, why not Disney?
Do you have to stay on-site to board your pet at Best Friends or is it only available for WDW Resort guests?
So how are we supposed to get our pet to this resort since we do not rent car? Are dogs going to be allowed on disney buses? You have literally made this only available to people that stay with their own cars. If I am at fort wilderness all hooked up in my RV and need the day kennel, how am I supposed to get there?
Wish Disney would make a pet friendly resort so we can stay at a Disney Resort with our pets! Universal has pet friendly rooms at The Hard Rock Resort, it would make it a MAGICAL experence if Disney would too!!!
I’m with Darlene, I would love to have a Disney run overnight kennel for the DLR & DCA. We are DVC members and are sad that we cannot have our pet come at stay at the resorts with us.
I know Disneyland has newly redone kennels, but I would love for my dog to be able to stay at something more accommodating while I’m having fun at DLR and DCA. Is something like this coming to DLR?
Comments are closed.