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2. Best Friends Pet Care at Walt Disney World

Woman reading 101 Dalmatians to English Bulldog

Image: Disney

If the dog-friendly room options don’t work for your family, your best option will probably be Best Friends Pet Care at Walt Disney World. Best Friends is a world-class pet resort that replaced the kennels scattered throughout the property in 2010. They take just about every variety of standard pet you can imagine (no venomous pets or primates), and generally have very good reviews among frequent visitors.  The facilities are colorful, very clean, and definitely have a proper feel of Disney magic to them.

Our family loves Best Friends Pet Care. We have a cockatiel who occasionally accompanies us on visits to Walt Disney World when family and friends aren’t available to watch him. For owners of exotic pets, Best Friends is awesome. Their pocket pets room has a glass wall looking out partially on the lobby, meaning that particularly social pets feel like they’re always getting attention. We’ve seen other birds in there, rabbits, and even an adorable pink pig straight out of Charlotte’s Web. Our bird loves it so much, he usually doesn’t want to leave.

For owners of dogs and cats, Best Friends generally has excellent reviews. The facility definitely has more options for small to mid-sized dogs than any other pets, including grooming, play time, special boarding areas, and more. Cats are housed away from the barking of dogs in either two or four room windowed kennels (they call them condos) vented to the outdoors with a private relief area. Dogs can be housed in either basic windowed kennels with an outdoor or indoor patio (depending on their size) or can stay in luxury doggy villas or suites that even have flat screened TV’s. You can find out more about specific sizes of the accommodations at Best Friends website. Research carefully to ensure you are comfortable with the kennel size before booking—owners of big dogs should be extra-cognizant of this and the resort can run out of kennels for big dogs. The Doggie Day Camp is particularly loved by locals but isn’t always available to visiting guests. You can also visit your pet any time during regular business hours to check on them.

Doggie Play Room at Best Friends Pet Care

Image: Zannaland, Flickr (license)

The biggest negative of Best Friends Pet Care is their wait times. Getting ahold of them on the phone to make a reservation can be challenging, and it’s not always possible to make an online reservation. The staff are nice but can also be a little slow sometimes when you are checking in, so be prepared for a potential wait. Prices can be either on par with a standard pet resort or can run high if you need to add extras. Research carefully to ensure everything you will want for your pet is included. You can request extra walks, treats, play times, and grooming but these all cost extra and the costs can add up.

Make absolutely sure you are comfortable with kennel size as some owners mentioned they didn’t realize how small some of the basic kennels are. Be specific about when you want your pet fed, request extra care for water if they tend to get dehydrated when nervous, and more. For some visitors, the two relief walks included in boarding weren’t enough for their pet, so take this into account before you arrive. This place gets really busy, so despite their excellent reputation, I would think twice before boarding a pet here during peak season. It’s just more likely something will get missed or your pet will be stressed.

Despite these cautions, we personally have always been very happy with Best Friends Pet Care, and a majority of reviewers online seem to be very happy with them as well. As a bonus, they offer discounts to Annual Passholders, Disney Vacation Club members, and any guests staying at a Walt Disney World resort.

3. Options outside of Walt Disney World

Adorable dog with flowers on head

Image: Alinne Santos, Flickr (license)

If you expand your scope beyond Disney, pet owners have dozens of options to bring their furry family with them on a Walt Disney World vacation. Pet friendly hotels in the Lake Buena Vista area include La Quinta, the Doubletree, Holiday Inn, all Loews resorts (including those at Universal Studios) and more. The website Bring Fido is a great resource for exploring pet-friendly choices in the area. There are also pet-friendly AirBnb rentals near Walt Disney World, which can easily prove the most pet friendly option of all since you get to essentially “live” with your pet during your vacation.

There are also other pet boarding facilities near Walt Disney World including Animal Hospitals, V.I.Pet Resort, and more. In all of these cases, research carefully to ensure you find the best option possible for your pet.

Have you ever brought a pet to Walt Disney World? What was your experience like? We’d especially love to hear from guests who have tried the Disney’s dog-friendly room program!

 
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