Had a really rough experience with my service dog at Disney Springs… looking for advice
Hey everyone, I’m just looking for some advice and to see if anyone else has experienced something like this.
I was at Disney recently and had some general issues in the parks with disability accommodations, but things really escalated later at Disney Springs.
At security, I was stopped about my service dog, which I expected, and I answered the two ADA questions, explaining that she’s a medical alert dog. Even after that, the cast member kept pushing for more information and told me multiple times that if she were a “real” service dog, I would have done proper ESA training and would know how to answer correctly.
When I explained that she is owner trained and that there is no certification required for service dogs, he responded by saying that if she wasn’t professionally trained, then she “wasn’t trained,” which felt really dismissive and honestly pretty upsetting.
The whole situation got really stressful and ended up triggering an episode for me right there. There wasn’t anywhere for me to sit, so I ended up on the ground while my dog was tasking, with people walking by. It was honestly really overwhelming and embarrassing.
When a supervisor came, it felt like it was brushed off as them just trying to keep pets out, which I understand in general, but it didn’t feel like my situation was actually being heard or handled correctly.
What really confused me is that once I got inside, I saw multiple pets, including one that lunged at my service dog, which made the whole situation feel even more frustrating and inconsistent.
I’ve already filed a complaint, but I just wanted to ask:
Has anyone else had issues at Disney Springs specifically?
Have you ever been pushed for more info even after answering the ADA questions?
Any advice on how Disney usually handles situations like this?
I’m just feeling really shaken and disappointed. I’ve never had something like this happen before.
Thanks in advance.