rnjmiller

Ok, got Naini's facebook page "liked". How do you pronounce her name? I'm a visual type of "person". She is beautiful.

Nancy, We call her Na-ni. But her real name in Na-e-ni. Which is Hungarian for one who takes care.

Thank you everyone Naini really did seem to enjoy her cruise. It was exhausting for her since she usually doesn't have to work as much during the day. But she loved the attention from the passengers and crew.

We did bring a piece of artificial turf and left it when we left. Our problem was we trained her with mulch and then the turf on top. She was missing the smell of the mulch. We took her down the wind tunnel several times the first day trying to convince her it was ok to go. She finally gave in after about 9 hours. It took her until the second evening before bed to finally go number 2. After that she figured she would wait til we went into port on real grass. So she only did that twice on the ship the whole trip. I am sure she will be more prepared next time.

Currently Naini is in Yellowstone, tomorrow we head to the Grand Tetons and then off to Mt Rushmore.

Hi all we just recently got back from our 1st cruise with our service dog Naini on board the Celebrity Solstice to Alaska. All went well. The crew treated her like a princess.

We were met at the gangway upon boarding and escorted to her potty box located starboard side forward in the crew passage way. The box was smaller then advertised, more like 3x3 then the advertised 4x4. The box was full of sand and grass clippings. Naini is a big girl and was having trouble with the smaller size and really didn't care for the grass clippings. There was a total of 3 dogs on board for this sailing. So the ship built 2 more boxes and placed them side by side, so this helped her with the size problem. She was still not happy about the grass clippings so the Guest relations Manager arranged for mulch to be picked up while we were in Juneau. All in all I would say our trip was a success and we cannot wait till we can afford our next cruise.

If you would like to see pictures from the cruise and other travels of Naini please like her page on FaceBook. Naini the Komondor service dog.

I did call and ask them to seat us by a wall or in a corner. The dining room is usually one of our first stops on the ship to make sure that we get an appropriate table, having Naini with us will make that stop even more important. Fortunately we are Elite with Celebrity so we are supposed to get priority dining placement. We have considered buying the dining package, it is $29 a day to eat every night in the specialty dining. I am sure they have much more room for our big fur baby. I think we will make that decision once we see the dining room to see how much room she will have.

I am really concerned with the potty box. We have built a 4x4 box and filled it with Cyprus mulch. So far she looks at us like we are crazy. We wanted to go to Belize in January but decided to wait until May to cruise so we have time to convince her to use the box and Alaska just seemed to be the easiest for our first. I am not sure going inside is going to work for her, she has never done that. Our cabin is on deck three at the front of the ship. Hoping they will put it somewhere close and outside.

I am also concerned about going near the lawn club, I think she might find that much more appealing then the box.:eek:

I will have to check out photobucket. I do most of my computer work on a mini IPAD which is sometimes a little more complicated then a real computer.

Like I said before our biggest problem with Naini is her attraction to people and when they give her attention she is even more tempted to forget all of her training and love everyone. So the cruise experience will be interesting. We have been taking her to a lot of places and she does seem to be improving each and everyday. Our trainer said they would never work with a Kom again they tend to be a bit stubborn. But she is the biggest love bug and she is non-shedding which was a requirement for my husbands allergies.

I am sure you will hear from us a lot before we head out on our adventure. And I like to take pictures of our baby, she is much more photogenic then we are :)

Ms. Roz, Thank you for the response that is some very helpful information. I am trying to figure out how to post a picture of Ms. Naini. I will post as soon as I figure it out. She's a really big, all white girl with a lot of hair, and believe me when I tell you she is almost always the center of attention anywhere we take her.

We did run into a person the other day who was terrified of dogs so I completely understand the part about elevators. I could not image being forced to be that close to something I was terified of.

I have already contacted the access department and have all of that worked out. I have contacted my vet and they tell me they have a USDA vet available. My biggest problem is we will traveling across country in our RV prior to boarding and we may not be around our vet 30 days before the trip. I wonder how that will work......

Anyway thanks again for all of your help.

Judy

P.s. Hopefully a picture will follow.

Hi all, My husband and I just booked a cruise on the Celebrity Solstice to Alaska in May of next year. This will be our first cruise with his service dog Naini. Naini was a rescue that we sent to training for Brace and Balance. We have not had her that long so this will be quit the adventure. She's a 100lb Komondor. So we have found the biggest problem we have is that she's a show stopper. Since they are a pretty rare bread everyone wants to pet and talk to her which has been very distracting for her (she loves people). I am sure being on the cruise will make this even more of a problem.

I tried to read threw this thread but there is no way I can get through 784 pages..wow can't believe you have kept this going for over 8 years 😀.

So if there is any advice you can give to us to help on our first big adventure with Naini I would appreciate it.

Thanks Judy

Thank you Everyone for the great information I really appreciate all of the help.

Judy

Judy

 

As has been said to you, a lot depends on where your ship docks on the day you will be in port. There is a site that tells you the specific place, if known now, but I forgot the web address, maybe some one else can supply it.

 

Most ships dock in the West harbor in Helsinki. If so, you will need some sort of transportation to get you to Market Square. That is usually the starting point for the tram or any of several places that are fairly close to Market Square. There is a bus that can take you there and there are taxi's. To walk it would be about 40 minutes or so.

 

Market Square section of Helsinki

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europemaster1150.jpg

 

The Lutheran Cathedral in Senate Square

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe1062.jpg

 

 

In Copenhagen, again, many ships dock near most of the attractions. If you dock at Langeline Pier, you are minutes away from the Little Mermaid, and from there most of the things you would want to see and do, Nyhavn, the Canal Cruise, The Stroget, Tivoli Gardens, Town Hall Square and Rosenborg

Castle are all within walking distance, usually around a 2 mile radius.

 

The Nyhavn section. A great place to wander about a bit

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe248_zps07b56845.jpg

 

Copenhagen from the Canal Boat Cruise

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe284_zpscc7bc696.jpg

 

Stockholm has several venues to dock, some right in the heart of the city, others a bit outside and then some dock at a town about an hour away. Even if you dock in the heart of the city, several of the attractions like Vasa and Gamal Stan and the Royal Palace are not next to each other so you will need some sort of transportation to get from one to the other.

 

A picturesque Bridge over the river to the Vasa Museum

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europemaster1235.jpg

 

Gamla Stan

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe1265.jpg

 

Obviously Berlin you need a 3 hour trip to get you to from Warnemunde. This town itself is OK, not that much to do except wander about for a bit or hit the beach there. Many opt to go to Rostock, or several other cities inh the surrounding around via the train that is right there. You would be hard pressed to find things to do in Warnemunde for an entire day. It is a quaint town, but just not much there.

 

Along the Canal in Warnemunde

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe363.jpg

 

Town Square in Rostock

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe407.jpg

 

Tallinn, all ships dock in the same place and it is about a 10 minute, easy walk to the entrance to the Old City. Once inside, there are several great walking tours you can download to be sure and see what there is to see. A lot of the fun of Tallinn is also to just wander about on your own, discovering many others likable things to see and do. There is a hill to walk up, some opt to take some sort of transportation up the hill and then walk down, but it isn't a steep walk and easily done if you are mobile.

 

Fat Margret Tower where you enter the old city

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe509.jpg

 

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe566.jpg

 

Hope this helps a bit

 

Cheers

 

Len

Thank you so very much. This was very helpful.

My husband has a medical issue that causes him to have good days and bad days, walking long distances can be dificult but if we are able to go slow should be ok. I do not want to plan a bunch of tours that he may or may not be able to go on.

So I really just wanted to be able to wander at our own pace. But I have been to ports that have nothing around them so I wanted to know if I should look at tours in those locations.

I have been able to find that we should be

At Hernesaari port in Helsinki, so we should be able to take bus 16 to Market Square. Should be doable.

We will be at S167 Stadsgarden in Stockholm so I am thinking Ho Ho Boat.

still researching the other ports to see where we will be.

Thanks again for your help.

Judy

Thank you!

My husband and I are taking the Scandinavia & Russia Cruise on the Celebrity Constellation in May. I have already booked a private tour in St. Petersburg, Russia. But what I would really like to do in all the other ports is just get off the ship and wonder around. Can someone tell me if there are things you can walk to in each of the ports or if I will need to take a bus or taxi to get to anything?

The Itinerary is:

Amsterdam, Holland

Berlin (Warnemunde), Germany

Tallinn, Estonia

St. Petersburg, Russia

Helsinki, Finland

Stockholm, Sweden

Copenhagen, Denmark

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Judy

On the M class ships the whole area that makes up both the wine bar (Cellarmasters) and the Bistro on 5 used to be the Martini Bar and Champagne Bar. It was my favorite place on the ship where one could enjoy Martinis and good conversation. While the new M class Martini Bars look newer and more contemporary we frequently head elsewhere as the noise level often makes conversation difficult. The Martini Bar waiters used to all make fantastic martinis now they specialize in fancy pouring and bartender acrobatics while some of them make awful martinis. On our last two cruises we've had to find a waiter than knew how to make good martinis to remake some of the ones the Martini bartenders made for us. BTW - this complaint of mine is an excellent example of a frequent cruiser (me) complaining about something that a first time Celebrity cruiser would think was just wonderful. I discussed this in post #2 to this thread.

Yes we sailed on the Millennium a couple of times when Cellarmasters was still the Martini bar, it was our favorite place to go before and after dinner.

Now you can't get a seat at the Martini bar and if you do the music is so loud you can't even order your drink. And I agree with the quality of the drinks, I also get really annoyed when I finally get my drink and it is only half full becasue they spilled half of it while they were trying to pour it all fancy.

So I have had to resort to standing in line at the bar to get my drink then going up stairs to the Cafe to enjoy it.

I have no problem with them keeping the party bar I just want a quiet place where I can get a good Martini and have a conversation.

We have yet to sail on a Solstice class, we really prefer the smaller ships but perhaps I will have to give in and try it.

We Love Celebrity, But there is always room for improvement.

In addition to some of the great suggestions already expressed, I would add the following.

My first suggestion would be to have some sort of lunch option available starting at 11. If I am going to eat dinner at 6pm I do not want to wait until 12 or 12:30 to eat lunch. I like to eat early so I will be hungry for dinner. It seems that they really cater their meal hours around late seating.

My second suggestion would be to have another bar on the ship that sells Martinis where we can go and have a Martini in a quieter atmosphere. I know Celebrity is moving toward a younger party atmosphere and that is fine, the Ice bar works well for that. Perhaps if they made the wine bar a Wine/Martini bar where those of us who prefer to have a conversation with our drink have an alternative. That way they can please both types of people and I think it would be an easy fix.