ESAs in CP Housing

There are several reasons a person may have an Emotional Support Animal (ESA), but bringing one to Disney can prove difficult for some. Here is my experience bringing my ESA, Violet, down to Orlando. In order to bring your support pet with you on your Disney College Program, first they must be approved by Disney’s Health Services. Fill out the Medical Accommodation Form with your doctor, send it in by fax or snail mail, and make sure you call to check that they received the form. I had to fax mine twice because they didn’t get it the first time. Then a representative from health services called me to confirm the information about my ESA. After that everything was set for our arrival!

Once you get down to Disney College Program housing, there are a few rules about ESAs:

1. They must be crated while in the apartment alone.
2. They are not allowed at housing events.
3. They are not allowed in other DCP apartments.
4. They must be quiet while in the apartment, especially during quiet hours (this mostly applies to dogs).
5. You must pick up after them outside (again this is mostly for dogs).
6. They must not cause any damage to the apartment or furniture.

For liability reasons, DCP participants with an ESA will live in a 1 bedroom apartment without any roommates and pay for the same rent as if you did have a roommate. I was placed in the Commons which has a washer and dryer in the apartment and wood floors. I pay a little more than I would at the other complexes, but I think it’s totally worth it.

Every ESA also gets their own housing ID with a picture. You can take the picture before and email it to the service center, or they can take the picture on your arrival day at check-in. Each time you and your ESA enter any of the complexes you will have to present both housing IDs.

When I came down for my program, there was not a lot of information to be found on ESAs in the Disney College Program. Hopefully this helps, and please ask me any questions you may have that I didn’t address.