Traveling with pets--any suggestions?

[jewelergirl]

We are taking a vacation to Disney World next April with friends who have dogs(Chihuahas) and will be bringing them. They'll be day-boarding them as Disney World so no worries there, but we need pet friendly accommodations and I'd like to have as nice accommodations as possible at the lowest rate (as usual).

We usually just go with priceline and have stayed in some really nice places very cheaply, but I don't see a way to do that this time. There are 4 adults and one child. We can do individual rooms or a suite or condo of some kind.

Any suggestions?

[AaronJB]

PRICELINE recently started "guaranteed amenities" that show on the zone screen when you are choosing star rating and which zone to bid upon. In some areas, one of the amenities that has occasionally appeared is "pet friendly". When searching for your dates, if you select the zone you are intending and the star rating, do you see a pet friendly amenity? Otherwise, unfortunately, there is no way to guarantee a pet friendly property with either service.

Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[Gallus50]

Orlando is not especially expensive when it's not a peak time. Since you have 5, you would probably benefit from having a two-bedroom. Why not do some investigating and see if you can find an affordable condo in Lake Buena Vist,a, Kissimmee or Orlando that will allow you to have dogs? Start digging online under pet friendly Orlando accommodations, or something like that. Then also check Endless Vacations or Condo-Direct - their prices are often good.

If that doesn't work, check out dogfriendly.com. It has many pet friendly listings. Of particular interest might be the Residence Inns in the area - they look nice and should have one and two bedroom units.

You may not be able to go as cheap as PL NYOP, but I'm sure that with two couples, you can find something affordable.......

[Gallus50]

Also - if you find a place that really interests you, check out semi-opaque listing services like LMT - you can ID the hotels using thread here, or join their club - and you may find a cheaper listing than you thought. Or look for a clear ID on HW using the lists here.

[nsxtasy]

As Aaron notes above, with few if any exceptions, there is no way to guarantee a property that accepts pets when reserving through Hotwire or Priceline.

Another hazard is that many hotels charge pet fees in addition to their normal room fees. Sometimes these are minimal ($5-10, sometimes applied per pet per night) and sometimes they are more substantial ($25-50, again sometimes applied per pet per night). Such fees are not always disclosed when making a reservation, either. Even if you reserve a hotel with Priceline or Hotwire, they may try to ding you for their pet fee on top of the amount of your bid. And whatever it is, you're stuck with the reservation, since they're non-refundable and non-cancellable on Priceline and Hotwire.

Also - in addition to the website Gallus mentions above, you can often identify pet-friendly properties at the website petswelcome.com Some travel websites allow you to do an advanced search on hotels for the amenity "pets accepted", but others don't - and their information isn't always up to date, either. Your best bet when reserving a hotel where you want to stay with a pet is to use such websites to identify potential properties, and then phone them in advance to ask about their policies regarding pets, including any associated fees.

Oh, and a few low-end chains, including Motel 6 and Red Roof Inn, market themselves as "pet friendly" with no extra charge for pets.

[mystical traveler]

We are taking a vacation to Disney World next April with friends who have dogs(Chihuahas) and will be bringing them. They'll be day-boarding them as Disney World so no worries there, but we need pet friendly accommodations and I'd like to have as nice accommodations as possible at the lowest rate (as usual).

We usually just go with priceline and have stayed in some really nice places very cheaply, but I don't see a way to do that this time. There are 4 adults and one child. We can do individual rooms or a suite or condo of some kind.

Any suggestions?

As Aaron said I now see that Priceline has where you can see "pet friendly" in their amenities. I have been traveling with my lab/rott for some years now and this is what I have found out. Most 2 star as well as 2 1/2 star hotels are pet friendly.It's when you dabble with the 3 and 4 stars that you knock yourself out of pet friendly especially when bidding blind. There are a few 3 star properties like the Staybridge and Residence inn that are pet friendly, you may be able to see these on Priceline's express deals now. But I usually look or bid two star even if i'm offered a free upgraded to stay in the pet friendly. With Hotwire these usually are Extended Stay America properties, with the Deluxe being 2 1/2 star. The Candlewood comes up a lot with priceline. The only PROBLEM IS read the amenities look for laundry facilities, because EVERY BLUE MOON a 2 1/2 star will be a Holiday Inn Express and they dont take pets. Motel 6 and Red Roof Inn are free. The Extended Stays charge 25.00 a night up to 150.00, the Staybridge charges a one time fee of 75.00, no matter how many nights as well as the Candlewood. This is in Illinois of course things may different in Disney World.Hope this helps.