DisneyKidsDad

Thanks.  It's been a while since I've sailed RCCL and I couldn't remember if they had that amenity.

Does Vision Of The Seas have the cards you can fill out at night to have breakfast delivered the next morning?

On 11/23/2019 at 9:21 PM, wizard-of-roz said:

Hi Honey's I'm Home,  I'm over the moon exhausted.  The first leg of my 2 week cruise was filled with daily fun with Cindy, John and Oakland.  Horton and Oakland absolutely loved each other.  It was so cute to watch them sniff, play and drool all over each another.  I've been exchanging ideas and fun words with Cindy since 2007 and finally we got to meet, thanks to her and John's hard work.  I loved every minute with Cindy.  She's warm, caring, funny and such a joy to be with.  John is a great guy and Oakland is a beautiful example of a true hero.  We sat in the Allegro Dining Room at a table for four.   The dogs did really well.  I was so proud of both of them, who behaved like true gentlemen in the dining room.

 

I had a mini-suite cabin, hoping they'd place the box on my veranda.  The potty box was set-up at the end of a very long hallway, behind a really heavy door.  I met with the housekeeping manager and my cabin steward in an effort to have them move the box closer or on my veranda.  Their solution was to have my cabin steward come to my cabin and walk Horton for me.....he even practiced, while his manager and I watched.  NO WAY!  There was no way that I was going to turn Horton's leash over to a stranger to walk for me.  It was definitely an effort  to toilet Horty and extremely tiring but it has to be done and my 11 year old boy shined through and never made a mistake in spite of Princess.

 

I tried to set-up a meeting with the Hotel Manager but he was NEVER available to me and, quite frankly, it get pretty tiring to have to always fight a battle with Princess Cruise lines when it comes to the potty box.

 

I was on a Back/Back cruise and what Princess put me and about 30 other passengers, including Horton through to start the second leg of our cruise was ridiculous and totally unnecessary, to say the least.  We were asked to debark the ship, walk through the cruise terminal inside, past the luggage area and then outside, past arriving guests, over uneven ground, through TSA and Immigration.  When I was asked to remove all the objects from Horton's Vest and hand him over to a TSA agent, I simply refused and complained that I was going to write about this on Cruise Critic.  What a terrible way to treat repeat customers, let alone someone who is handicapped with a Service Dog.

 

There is a much more efficient and less stressful way to treat Passengers In Transit, without making them march like prisoners for such a long distance.  I will NEVER be led or told to do such an inane thing again.  I'm ashamed of Princess for putting passengers through this disgraceful act.  And angry at myself for letting them do this to me and Horty!!!!!!  Not to mention the other passengers.

 

Cabo San Lucas had to be cancelled because of the rough seas.......Don't mess with Auntie Roz!!!!

 

The Royal Princess is not one of my favorite Princess ships and I doubt I will be on her again!

 

Thank you Cindy, John and Oakland for making the first leg of my two week journey so much fun!!!!!!  I hope that one day we can do it again!

 

Welcome back DKD and congratulations on turning in another wonderful dog to assist someone in becoming a more independent person.

 

 

Welcome back Roz.  Winchester has a long road ahead of him to become a service dog.  We should be getting his first progress report tomorrow.  He has a few quirks that hopefully the trainers will be able to work out.  Fingers crossed.

23 hours ago, S.S. Cruisers said:

Wow DKD, I have thought of you often in the last 5 months!  We got a Silver lab pup that was born on June12.  We have determined a.) we are too old for a puppy b.) You puppy raisers are the BEST and I want one c.) Will Rockford ever behave and settle down?  d.)  You puppy raisers are the BEST, or did I say that already?  Good to see you back and Winchester II is very handsome! 

 

Cindy, I can't believe you guys are already back!  I am sure you are saying the same thing. I am sure when you get a moment you will fill us in on the shenanigans that went on, on your cruise!  

Yes he will settle down.  The one thing I would suggest is using a "Gentle Leader" on him instead of a flat collar or harness for walks and training.  The other thing is being consistent with the training.  Train for about ten minutes, three or four times a day.  Always end training on a positive note.  If you get frustrated, it will travel down the leash to the pup.

Hello folks.  Sorry I've been away so long.  Work and life seem to get in the way sometimes.  We went through the long process of getting my daughter a new manual wheelchair.  Then in August, my wife had a hip replacement.

She is doing great but still has some issues.  We still have our seven day Disney cruise booked for May. We just turned in our fourth CCI puppy in training two weeks ago (Winchester II).  Now we wait for his progress reports.  I'll try not to be a stranger.

16 hours ago, wizard-of-roz said:

Fairbourne, DisneyKidsDad,  I'm sending you some warm hugs and loving good thoughts.   I miss you!  💖

Sorry for being away so long.  Work and home have been crazy for a while now.  We still have our cruise booked for May 2020.  As of now we will not be able to take Gretel.  We can't find a USDA Vet in our area.  The one we had has been out on disability for two years with a back problem.  And no one else in the practice wants to step up and get the certification required.  But in a way it's OK.  We went to Tortola with Orson and it wasn't good.  We were chased out of many shops and we got dirty looks by the locals on the streets.

Our puppy in training, Winchester just turned a year old.  He is by far the most challenging puppy yet.  But we just keep working with him and hoping for the best.

15 hours ago, DUTRAVEL said:

 

If you are on a computer, click the star or dot in front of the topic thread and it will take you to first unread post. I can't see a star or dot on my iPhone and so I haven't figured that out yet.

 

Dianne

Thanks...that makes things easier!!

Am I the only one that wants the "first unread" button back? 

1 hour ago, Saiayoko said:

We had this form. We are from Florida, so I'm not sure if that makes a difference. 

APHIS7001.pdf

Thanks!  Did you have any issues with stray dogs while you were walking around?

13 hours ago, Saiayoko said:

Yes, I was able to take her off the ship. They had a veterinarian, I believe, with the ambassadors and he looked over her paperwork, gave her a once over, and said she could go off the ship. It was stressful, because that was the first time we had traveled with her, but it was quite painless. 

 

We are going to Dominican Republic next month, and I'm worried all anew. 

What permits did you need to get for Cuba?

What happened to the "first unread" button?

Well we just got back from a week in Disney World.  We went with friends and had two service dogs and one hearing dog.

Needless to say we tended to draw a crowd every time we stopped to take pictures.  But before we left, I did manage to book a cruise for April 2020.  We are taking another Disney cruise.  Unfortunately Gretel will not be going.  One of the ports is Tortola and I do not want to go through the hassle and expense again.  Plus the fact that we were not allowed into many of the stores with the dog.  She will most likely be staying with her puppy raiser.  Here is a picture of Gretel in Disney World.

Yes, yes I know, it's been too long since I checked in here. Sorry but life has been very busy.

Work has been crazy and there have been some health issues to address. But things are looking up.

I have been lurking here and there. Gretel had been doing great with my daughter. She is very attentive to her and does what she is asked to do. Most of the time. Our puppy in training, Winchester, is a handful.

He is a very smart and loving dog with a mind of his own. He just turned seven months old and is now a

rebellious teenager! He loves to dig holes and eat everything in sight in the back yard. Part of the

problem is that CCI will not let them be neutered until eight months instead of six months like it used

to be. The extra two months are a battle! But this too shall pass. We have no cruises planned at the moment. We are going to Disney World next month for a week. We are thinking about doing another

Disney cruise in 2020. That's all for now. I'll try not to be a stranger.

We've been on Carnival, Royal Caribbean & Disney with our wheelchair bound adult daughter. Disney is by far the best in my opinion.

If you exchange money at the airport you will be hit with massive service fees. The best thing to do is always use a credit card. The exchange is always done. There are alot of shops in Vancouver that will not give you the exchange rate if you use US money.

I hadn’t even thought about Canadian money. How silly of me! Is there somewhere to exchange money at the airport? Or maybe there’s an ATM there where I can withdraw Canadian funds?

 

Or can we just use a credit card?

 

I’m afraid I’ve gotten spoiled the last couple of decades. Whenever I’ve been out of the country, my husband has always been with me and handled all these details!

Tides in Alaska can change as much as 20 feet during the day. There were times when we got off the ship in the morning and the gangway was almost level. Coming back in the afternoon the gangway was very, very steep. A couple of times I needed help pushing my daughter's wheelchair up the ramp.

I too have a problem with people cheating the system, but to be honest have as much of a problem with anyone deciding who is cheating, I’ve been abused for using a handicapped parking permit, because someone thinks I “don’t look” disabled, but I guess unless they have xRay vision they can’t see the fractures.

 

Same as I’ve been abused onboard because “I saw you use a wheelchair to board, now you’re walking around”. Yep because some days are diamonds some days are stones, I do and intend to go on, using the minimum I can, some days that’s a chair, some a walking frame, some day’s sticks, somedays nothing, one great thing about cruising is that there is almost always a rail to hold onto if I need to.

We are going to have the same type of situation in October. My wife is having some issues with her hip that may require somewhere down the road a replacement. She has good days and bad days. We are going to Disney World in October. I am renting her a scooter. I can't wait for people to see her hop off the scooter and help me get our handicapped daughter on a ride. But A. I'm never gonna see those people again and B. I don't give a #*&% what they say or think!!

Boy! This retirement thing is not for Sissie's!!!!!!! I'm exhausted, I've never worked so hard!

 

First, I've been keeping medical appointments, tests that I've been putting off because they didn't fit into my working schedule. Also, been taking care of my car and house, again stuff that was put off and now is getting done.

 

Check, check, check and check writing. It's expensive not to work. I'm slowly getting into a somewhat good and lasting routine. Not easy to realize that I'm going to be spending this time without my Morey and I need to find a good schedule and plan for a meaningful and fulfilling life. Serious stuff! All good suggestions are welcome.

 

First, having this remarkable and stable Service Dog in my life has kept my heart and soul together!!!! Thank you Horton Jeffrey for ALWAYS being there for me!

 

SUGGESTION: I found an amazing vacuum cleaner, Bissell Powerglide Pet......It made my carpets and floors look like new. It was easy to push, not too heavy and really did a good job. My other vacuum was just pushing the hair and dust around and not really picking up the stuff. I emptied the containers 4 times before I was done.

 

Happy weekend everyone!

Become a CCI puppy raiser!! :>)

Congrats Roz!! Someday I too will know the joys of no more commuting. Now you have more time to bug your son about the money. You could always threaten to move in with him! ;p

OK...one more for now.

OK folks...meet Winchester. He is an 8 week old Lab Golden cross who we hope will be a service dog

one day!! We picked him up at the airport yesterday. He is fearless. Let the learning begin!!

Amen to that.

 

I have a special needs kiddo myself and I've looked into getting a service dog for him (he's autistic) but the prices most companies that provide these kinds of dogs charge is way, WAY out of what we could ever afford. It would take us years to be able to save up the 20-25 grand I saw listed on more than one website for a single service dog. And I get it, I get why they're so expensive--you have to breed them from parents with the right disposition, you have to provide food, shelter, vet services, training which takes at least two years in some cases, have a facility where the new owners and the dogs can spend time training together before they go home. All that costs $$$ and while I understand the WHYS of why somebody would just go "Screw that. Imma buy me a vest and papers online and claim Fluffykins as a service animal." that doesn't mean I agree with them doing so.

Go to www.cci.org They give service dogs to people free of charge. You can go to the web site and apply on-line.

My daughter got her second dog last May. We are also puppy raisers for the organization. I can surly vouch for the

organization. At least have a look at the web-site.

My family and I have been on at least three Disney cruises with our daughters' service dog. The first thing I did was research taking a service dog on a cruise. That research included this forum. The first thing I found out is that when you dock at a port, you are in that country and subject to their laws. I always obtained all the necessary permits. If you read this forum like you said you did, then you would have known this. And your dog was not almost killed. Just my two cents.

We will be disembarking in Vancouver from ruby princess. I will be on a scooter. We will be going to the airport. Will there be any cabs available that can take my folded-up scooter? If not, any idea of how to get to the airport from the port? Thank you for any advice.

Vancouver has many cabs that have wheelchair ramps in them. You should not have a problem finding one.

You should be able to find one outside of the Pan Pacific Hotel next to the port.

We flew Jetblue, the only airline we fly. And we went on NCL.

 

Sent from my Pixel XL using Forums mobile app

We flew Jet Blue for the first time last December. They were great! Once you explain to them

that you are traveling with someone in a wheelchair with a large service dog, they will work with you.

We are flying with them in October. We got row 5, one of their extra leg room rows. No extra charge.

With the extra leg room row you also get TSA Pre-check. They also have free drinks and snacks.

I was all ready to book a cruise for 2020 but we decided to re-do our bathroom instead. The cruise

will have to wait another year. But we are on the short list to get another CCI puppy to raise!! Hopefully

within the next couple of months. Gretel continues to be great!