allies_daphne

I’m not sure a ‘canine cruise’ would work. Animals cannot be left unattended in the state room so anytime you are not there, they must be with you. That means pool, meals, shows, excursions, ports. Cruise ship space is limited. Most service dog relief areas are under a small stairwell unless you have a balcony and choose to have the relief station there. Would be difficult to accommodate many dogs in a community relief area. Thirdly, who would vouch for the temperament and behavior of all these dogs together? Every time we travel with our SD we must provide proof of his Canine Good Citizenship status and also sign a waiver that he will not be disruptive, potty where he shouldn’t etc… and if so, they have the right to remove us. While I do understand people miss their pets while on vacation, I don’t think cruising is the best vacation option with pets - no vet service available either, and maybe not even in port (and that’s saying you have appropriate permits to get off, which isn’t likely, because if your dog isn’t a SD, they would not be allowed off).

On our last cruise through the Panama Canal there was another ‘service dog’ on board. It was a smaller terrier type and several times walking the deck or out at the pool it lunged and barked at our SD. This was to the point we had to report it, because if my daughters dog becomes incapacitated, she’s lost her medical device. This guest was also feeding him under the table every night at dinner. On formal night, right by Guest Services, we were walked past the Photography backdrop to the elevators and this dog lunged after ours again, just walking past. Probably 50 people saw this happen. Our SD never reacted at all, but these type of people make those of us with true service animals completely scrutinized all the time. At the end of the day, animals are animals and they aren’t perfect, and ours will certainly on occasion grab a crumb off the floor if he thinks he can get away with it, and if he’s separated from my daughter multiple times in a short period (say at Disney, if she’s riding rides), he will voice his displeasure of the separation with one bark. He’ll be 7 in July and he’s barked 6 times since have had him - that’s it. We prepare long ahead of time for cruising, using a potty box at home for 3 months pre cruise so it becomes very normal for him to go in a small box. He is in a strict food/water schedule so we know when he pees/poops - after breakfast and dinner and pees mid day and bedtime. This allows us to plan activities/excursions based on his schedule and knowing when his breaks are. He does not get any food in between because the potty schedule is set. it is a lot of work to travel with a SD, but without him, there are so many things we would never be able to do.

Happy to help if I can! We’ve come a long way since this post. Our boy has 32 sea days under his vest now and another 14 night coming up in October. Things are ever changing regarding traveling with SD’s and I will tell you that most cruise lines will help with onboard things but anything off board (Like excursions, or even the port requirements/restrictions in general they will leave to the cruiser.