DUTRAVEL

It will be more comfortable to wait in Tuscan than Raw on 5. You will be in a crowd of wheelchairs and no food or drinks. They will take you off based on your luggage tag number (even if you get there at 7:00, you will be taken off only when your luggage tag is called). Bear in mind it can be very hard to get an elevator in a wheelchair on disembarktion day because of all the people with their lugggage.

Just a heads up that the CDC has issued new rules starting August 1, 2024 that will require that all dogs entering the US appear healthy upon arrival, be at least 6 months old, be microchipped and be accompanied by a “CDC Dog Import Form” receipt that was filled out online two to 10 days before arrival. These rules apply to all dogs, including service dogs and those who were born in the United States but are returning from another country. Unless I am reading the CDC checklist wrong, it looks like a dog vaccinated in the US will also need to have either a Certification of U.S.-Issued Rabies Vaccination form or the USDA APHIS health certificate (which in either case will need to be endorsed by the USDA). Hopefully, USDA endorsement of one of those forms will not be necessary every time you return to the US. Here's a link to a good explanation of the rules: https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/08/health/cdc-dog-import-rules/index.html?bt_ee=ZPVTkqTnMd0AyE5HlJ0kf3iKBdPsCrkLFvjwXYBK5Q8dyntljCQgX6cw%2F7p70WjU&bt_ts=1715251930296 Link to CDC Website: https://www.cdc.gov/importation/bringing-an-animal-into-the-united-states/dogs-entering-us-after-august-1.html

Welcome back to a beautiful day in the Bay Area. Thanks for taking the time out of your vacation to take us along. Dianne

You can try emailing Celebrity at accessibleexcursions@rccl.com. Just be prepared to wait several months for a reply and the excursions will generally be very expensive. For the Azores, try https://wheeltheworld.com/ (search Azores Portugal under things to do). We had a great accessible excursion to Lagoa do Fogo at a very reasonable price in November. For Bermuda, we have used Keith Simmons. His email is keithsimmons@logic.bm. He has a wheelchair accessible van and offers tours from the Dockyard. In Palma, we have taken the public bus which is accessible.

Not on the Royal Princess.

Also try bicycle repair - sometimes bike shops can make wheelchair repairs.

Thank you for taking time out of your holiday to take us along on your cruise. Your sense of humor is priceless! Have a safe trip home.

I will never forget October 17, 1989 either. I was working on the 22nd Floor of the Embarcadero Center when the earthquake hit and had no way of getting back to the East Bay as BART was completely shut down. Lucky for me, a colleague took me under her wing and took me on the ferry with her to Vallejo. It was so eerie to be crossing the Bay and seeing the Financial District in total darkness and the Marina on fire. I was finally able to reach my husband to come get me much later that night and we filled our mini van with complete strangers needing a ride home. I love hearing about your love story with Iain – its one for the ages.

My husband thought the Polaris Burger at IAD was one of the best burgers he has ever had. Totally agree, the food on the flight was barely passable. Definitly eat in the lounge.

We can keep her as a pet when she retires - she just wont have public access or be able to travel with us. Luckily our daughter will take care of her when we’re out of town. Luke was lucky to find a home with you with so much love and patience.

They are all irreplacable - such different personalties. I dread Henrietta's retirement next year since she is the perfect traveller. I'm sure my successor Service Dog will be a pro too, but it will be interesting to see the differences.

I have been away from Cruise Critic for a couple of days and I'm already six pages behind. Henrietta (your best girlfriend) has her reading glasses on and we are following along with your adventures! Hope you and Iain have a fantastic cruise! Dianne & Henrietta

Thanks for the update Chris. Sounds like a real catch-22 situation!

So sorry about Alf. Heartbreaking to lose a beloved family member. He was lucky to have had your parents rescue him even if only for a little while.

I also highly recommend Romecabs.com. You do need to be able to transfer into the vehicle as they do not have accessible vehicles. They will advise you on the size vehicle you will need (we had more than enough room for a manual wheelchair, luggage and a 65lb service dog). They are very easy to work with and extremely reliable.

Yes, I booked an upgrade at $12.99 and then when a better offer came along, I canceled and rebooked at $6.99.

Never heard of a "handivan" supplied by Celebrity. At embarkation / debarkation ports in the United States, Celebrity will provide an accessible transfer (which is just the large bus that everyone else is on with a lift at the back). Generally, in my experience, Celebrity may provide accessible shore excursions, but only at an increased cost which is usually quite expensive.

You can't rent a wheelchair from Celebrity. Try either: https://www.specialneedsatsea.com/ or https://scootaround.com/en

Yes definitely request an extension cord from Special Needs. However, we also bring our own as backup as we have had a couple of times where they have claimed they are out of extension cords even when we requested in advance. I carry the cord in the bag with my CPAP and have not had any issues.

No problem ordering from the other MDR restaurants on our November Apex TA.

Welcome back to the Bay Area Jim - you brought the good weather with you. Gorgeous blue skies today and mild temperatures.

My post was not at all intended to dissuade you. It has taken some persistence working with guest services, but I have always been able to get the relief box moved to an acceptable location and have no hesitation to cruise with my Service Dog.

Hope you feel better soon Jim! No Vitamin water or Gatorade on the Apex TA and they ran out of several of the premium wines so this seems to be a shipwide problem.

Sending birthday hugs and kisses from your girl Henrietta. Dianne

I have not sailed on Carnival with my Service Dog. I sailed on Carnival's sister line Princess in January and Princess was very welcoming (I feel as though Celebrity basically tolerates my Service Dog's presence). Princess places the relief box in a crew stairwell near your cabin. That may be what Carnival means by "an out of the way location." My Service Dog doesn't have any issue with the indoor area - she recognizes that the box is where she is supposed to go. If your Service Dog won't use an indoor relief box, I would think they would be able to accommodate you by moving it outside somewhere. I have found that it is basically useless to talk to the Access Department ahead of time as issues with the relief box have been decided on a case-by-case basis by ship management (and policies vary even on ships within the same cruise line). This is definitely the best place to get information on cruising with a service dog.