Mabbiez

On 1/3/2022 at 3:29 PM, homedepot124 said:

John and Katrina Blair do lots of things that other CD's and AD's don't do.  Such as the Neil Diamond show or simply interacting with the passengers.  Too bad RCCL can't have a John and Katrina on every ship. 

Wait there is a Neil Diamond show?!? Which ship are these two amazing people currently on?

I emailed Royal Caribbean about this a long time ago. My brother insisted they were not allowed but I did not see anything specific about hair dryers on the "allowed" or "prohibited" lists. I got an email back saying hair dryers are in fact allowed.

I have brought my own on every cruise. 

On 10/4/2021 at 10:07 PM, KrystinasMom said:

Hello!  It's been years since I've been on any of the boards but so thankful for all of the service dog info I have found here. 

Will this be Mila's first cruise?  

Super nervous about my daughter taking her SD MinJee on our cruise in 3 weeks.  First cruise and not sure what to expect from her since we will be so far out of her element (no land for several days at a time).  We're trying to get her used to the pellet box but so far she is not having it.  😞   Will probably bring our own mulch to mix into the paper pellets.  Also a little nervous about negative comments from other cruises as my daughter has several "invisible" disabilities so she looks just fine to most people.  

Happy we got the Bahamas permits all taken care of and just need to have her Vet sign off on the paperwork 48 hrs before we set sail.  

Hi! I am sorry I am just now responding to this. I had ankle surgery a couple of weeks ago and I just haven't looked at cruise critic at all!

This will also be Mila's first cruise. I have an outdoor "potty box" at my apartment but I haven't had much luck getting her to use it. Part of that is my fault. I think once it gets colder outside we will try more and be more persistent with it. 

Try not to worry too much about what people are thinking. I've seen another service dog on a cruise before and everyone was super nice about it. My disability is also invisible and luckily so far I have not had any bad experiences in public. 

It has been pretty quiet in here... How is everyone doing? 

I'm trying my best to prepare Mila for our cruise in April. We have been working very hard on public access lately since it was kind of pushed to the side during Covid. She has been doing GREAT! I'm about to have ankle surgery on Oct 6 so we won't be able to do much work for a little bit.

Just wanted to say hi and I hope everyone is doing well!

59 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

I feel the same way you do about this.  I've basically stopped taking pictures at all on vacation.  I found that the people that I showed them to probably didn't care as much as they pretended to, and that I was never going back and looking at the pictures myself.  I prefer just enjoying the moment and not thinking about getting a picture.

 

I take some pictures when it's something really cool or interesting (to me), but there are some people I know who post pictures of every. single. detail. of their vacations. No one cares that much. 😂 I do like going back and seeing my memories of places I've been, but I don't need a picture of each French fry I eat.

I am someone who likes to stay connected. I like to share pictures of my adventures as they are happening, plus stay connected with my friends. My boyfriend cannot cruise due to a strong fear of being away from land, so this is how we are able to stay in touch. Also my other family members who cruise with us also get WiFi and we are able to connect with each other easily on the ship when we are apart. 

That all being said, I don't have my phone glued to my hand the entire cruise. I actually hate the idea of not seeing things as they are happening with my own eyes and instead seeing it all happen through a phone (example is when someone spends an entire concert watching it through their phone because of taking so many pictures and videos). 

I think it's just a personal choice for everyone. It's how I like to spend my time, and I understand others like to spend it without WiFi.  

47 minutes ago, batoryfirst said:

I hope that I get to meet her😍

She is super sweet and loves everyone! If you ever see us feel free to ask to pet her! I don't mind if people pet her as long as it's not too distracting for her (like if a ton of people were all trying to all pet her at the same time). 

15 hours ago, ToroAzul said:

 

What kind of service does your dog do? 

She is a medical alert dog. There are several things she can do. She can scent when I need to take as needed medication and will alert to me. She can bring me my medication and also a bottle of water. She can go get help if needed. Those are just some of the things she does.

I'm just here for the service dog!

I'm taking my service dog on a cruise for the first time in April. She's also a golden retriever! Now I realize I need to teach her to dance! 

Have a great cruise!!!!

42 minutes ago, Namelocg said:

I can answer that as I found out for you. I believe we are on the TA together. I was on the 8/8 sailing and will also be on the 8/28. So here goes. Guset services told me that the potty station will be located on deck 5 but did not know whether it would be port or starboard, forward or aft. They will not know until it actually happens. I know this is not what you wanted to hear but was the only answer I could get. If there are other questions i'll be happy to try to answer them.

Yes we are! I had asked but I am really shy and didn't want to bother you to see if you had asked for me. 

Thank you so much for asking! I might not really fully be able to map it out until we are on board anyway. This is my first time taking her on a cruise so I'm a little on the nervous side. I'm trying to do everything I possibly can to be prepared!

Hi Jessy! 

I am really enjoying reading your thread! 

I do have one question, and it's not a normal one. If you are around guest services at all can you ask them where the service dog potty station is? I am going on Odyssey in April with my service dog. I want to be able to map out the best way to get there from our cabin. 

Enjoy your trip and I look forward to hearing/seeing more!

I was able to get my birth certificate in a couple of days. I used VitalCheck. It was a little more expensive but it was very fast.

On 8/4/2021 at 2:42 PM, DUTRAVEL said:

 

If you have an EU health certificate issued by an accredited USDA Vet and endorsed by the USDA Aphis office in your area that's all you need. You will need a microchip and the requisite rabies vaccination and you must enter the first EU country within 10 days of the date your vet signs the health certificate. As long as you meet those requirements, the EU health certificate is valid for travel to any EU country for four months.

 

I have taken my service dog to Europe three times and have been able to travel to several countries with just the EU health certificate and proof of rabies.

 

Here's the link to the requirements for Italy. The requirements are the same for all EU countries except that you will need a tapeworm treatment to enter Ireland, Malta, Finland or Norway.

 

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet-travel/by-country/eu/pettravel-italy

Thank you so much! This has been the most helpful information. I kept trying to look online but I was getting all sorts of confused. I already have her microchipped and of course updated on her vaccines. I will talk to my vet to make sure all of the paperwork is in order and to see if I need to go to someone else who is accredited. 

Hi everyone!

I'm confused a little on the rules in Europe as far as Mila getting off the ship.

Next April we are taking a transatlantic cruise that leaves from the US and ends in Italy. We have stops in Portugal and Spain. 

I plan on getting her European passport but I don't think I will be able to do that until we get to Italy. Will she be able to get off the ship at the other ports with her health certificate at the other ports? If not it will be okay. My dad doesn't like to get off the ship and I think he is kind of looking forward to staying with her if he needs to.

Thanks everyone for all the help! This board it amazing. 

I bought a "potty box" to try to get Mila used to using it before we cruise. I'm going to get it all set up on my patio tonight. I live in an apartment but I checked with them to make sure they were okay with me having it.

Does anyone have any tips on getting her to use it? We have a pretty set routine. Our routine is when I get home from work I feed her and also eat dinner myself, then we go outside to go potty. I'm hoping she will recognize quickly that it's the same routine but just a new place to potty. (Note: She does not go to work with me because I work in a hospital lab and it would be too dangerous for her.)

Any advice will be appreciated! 

I can't wait to get my luggage all unpacked and sit on the balcony with a glass of Moscato waiting for the ship to move!

My next cruise will also be the first one with my service dog. I can't wait to see what she thinks of the ocean.

Hi everyone! 

It has been so long. My family and I have a cruise planned for April 2022. We are hoping this one happens! We've all been vaccinated already and we are ready!!

Are we allowed to ask for product suggestions here? If so, does anyone have any summer dog booties they recommend? I want to get Mila used to them before next year.

Happy New Year everyone!!!!!

Let's hope this year can be a much better, safer year!

We have changed our cruise to April of 2022. Hopefully we will be able to sail by then.

My family and I are considering taking a trip to visit my brother in Amsterdam later this year, if it is safe. If we do this it will be Mila's first trip in an airplane. We would be able to get her European passport ahead of time and then we wouldn't have to stress about it for the cruise in April '22. I'm just excited at the possibility!

I hope everyone had a safe holiday!

Feel better Linda! I'm just getting caught up on posts. I hope you get to see the doggie!!!

I just found out I'm having foot surgery on Sept 11. It's nothing too invasive and I'll only be off work a week. I'm just ready to not be in pain! I'm also ready to burn this cast boot! 

I usually don't do formal night but instead eat at Windjammer. That being said, one of my favorite things to do on a cruise is to take a seat at Cafe Promenade and people watch. I love seeing all the sparkly dresses!

If my next cruise in April2021 happens we will be flying into Orlando and staying a couple of nights. I decided I want to go to Disney Springs since Disney World will be a little out of the budget right before going on a transatlantic cruise. Anyway it got me to thinking...I wanted to see service dogs at Disney.

I suggest to everyone, Google "Service dogs at Disney" and click on images! I was pleasantly surprised at how good the pictures were!

19 hours ago, wizard-of-roz said:

It can be very daunting to come face-to-face with folks who are deathly afraid of dogs.  You have to reach deep within yourself; stay calm, and assertive and remember you are your dogs leader and the public is expecting your reaction to be absolutely "spot-on!"  You might be shaking and even a bit scared yourself.........but, no one has to see or know this but you!  Reassure your dog that he's doing a "good job" as he sits and watches the fearful folks walk on by.  

 

You can have your own personal "break-down" when you get to your car or home.

So far I have only had two people scared. I work at a hospital lab and I've brought her in a couple of times (just in the hallway, I think the actual lab would be dangerous for her). One coworker is very scared of dogs but I didn't push my coworker, and we just stayed far from each other. Another time we were outside of the hospital and a worker asked if she bites. I assured her that she doesn't but also said I will make sure she doesn't go too close to her. She seemed okay with that and walked by us. I just hope I can handle these situations in public. 

21 hours ago, Algebralovr said:

@Mabbiez it will go well!    

My experience has been the difficulty with the public where I live - because I live in a rural area that is, as the city planner put it, "Dog Country".  Everyone wants to be friends with my dog.  Especially all the kids.

 

These days, Scooter gets less interaction since I'm working from home.   I have to make an effort to get him out in public at some point.   He has also been very energetic and playful, which is great in a pet, but not so great in a SD.  So, more doodling and remediation training.  

Luckily, I own my dog, so I don't have to worry about an org saying I didn't keep him on task. 🙂

Mila still has a lot of puppy in her, and she loves EVERYONE! She's usually pretty good if she's on her leash but sometimes she will see someone that she so badly wants to play with, she ends up wiggling around all excited. I also own her though so no one is taking her from me! I also just found out the first public access class on Saturday is meeting at a mall. I'm excited to get these experiences with her! 

20 hours ago, wizard-of-roz said:

My experience at Target yesterday:  I was walking down an aisle and a woman was walking towards me, until she saw Horton.......You would have thought she had just seen a four headed, giant, prickly-furred MONSTER!  She let out a scream and started walking backwards.  I said, "are you afraid of dogs?"  She shook her head, so hard it almost flew off her shoulders.  I said, in a very calm voice, "please keep walking forward and past us,  I promise my dog will sit and only watch you!"  She moved forward, very slowly and literally shaking so hard, she was rattling the cart.  Horton sat and watched her, as did the rest of the folks in the aisle.  I think she went directly to check-out because we didn't see her again.   

 

Sometimes training the public can be more difficult than the dog!   That said, I have deep respect for people who have horrible fears of dogs and certainly do not expect to see one walking in their supermarket.  Horton is big and, unfortunately, the black dog can be very feared by many.  

Mila starts her public access class next weekend. For 5 weeks we will be meeting at different places that are not pet friendly, so we can learn how to handle being places with our service dogs. I have severe anxiety and I think this class will help me more than Mila! They are going to teach us how to handle different situations with people (like rude comments, people afraid of dogs). That being said, it's very helpful for me to hear how other people with service dogs handle situations like the one you were in at Target. Thank you for always sharing your experiences! 

34 minutes ago, Algebralovr said:

You are welcome!  
Don't forget to take any emergency meds you might need, along with shoes for your dog.  The deck can get quite hot under paws in the sun.  Since you'll be at sea, check ahead of time about an anti-nausea, benedryl, and take vet wrap and a bleed-stop stick.  If your dog is like mine you'll need to take nail clippers along as well.

I'm already looking at suit cases for her! Also that's a great idea to bring the medication and things. I usually keep Benedryl handy. Mila loves to try to catch bugs including bees! So far she hasn't gotten stung, but I know her mom has been and had an allergic reaction. She's okay! Her owner had Benedryl handy as well.

This group is seriously the best. I know I'll have more questions and I know you are all amazing at answering them. Thank you!!