DUTRAVEL

1 hour ago, Naples2018 said:

I have a question, we are traveling with a service dog that is trained to detect nocturnal seizures for my young son.  We are traveling on Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.  Since our service animal is only needed when our son sleeps, we were wondering if the dog can be left in our stateroom in a closed door play pen.  Wondering if anyone else had taken a service animal on RC and been able to leave the dog in the room safely in an enclosed plan pen when going on shore or when enjoying the ship.   Does the cruise line have a way to detect that the service animal is not with you when you exit the ship to go on shore?

I don't know of any cruise line that will allow you to leave your service dog alone in your cabin.

16 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

One last question re disembarkation.  Guest Services told me we have to be out of the cabins at 7 and to go to Raw on 5 where wheelchair assistance was first come first serve.  But the disembarkation letter said to go to Raw on 5 at your scheduled departure time…which is 8:15.  So if we leave the cabin at 7 and go to the Elite waiting area in Tuscan…my husband will have to wheel me there…then come back to the cabin to get our one carry on bag and my crutches.  Then at 8 or so when we go to Raw on 5 he’ll need to make two trips again.  Does this sound correct?

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.

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

We didn't last the 6 months due to an act of God.    The October 17, 1989 Loma Prierta Earthquake hit.   Iain just got on the train when it hit.  In those days there was no cell phones and communications was nil.    I had his car as mine was in the shop and I ended up waiting at the Train Station until 3 AM -   By that time I was hearing radio reports about the highway collapsing  and walls falling near the rail station killing people.  I was panicked until I finally saw the train - slowed to 15-20 miles an hour checking the rails, bridges and tunnels.  

 

The rest is history.   We count October 17, 1989 as our Anniversary - hard to forget the date.

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.

36 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We left a bit early because I wanted to have dinner at the Polaris Lounge before boarding.   Nice menu

 

 

Iain was going to wait and eat on board but finally agreed to have a cheese platter.   The waiter was like Luminae and said I brought you a Salmon so you can nibble.   It was incredible.     I had a the Polaris Burger --- Yum

 

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.

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

Do you have to give her up when she retires.

 

Luke had been a Police Dog flunk out and I had to go along for a forced removal as the officer was beating him --- Luke was terrified of gun shots and all bets were off when he saw a squirrel.   He was considered not adoptable as he became aggressive.. He really wasn't.   If you put out a hand he would snarl and lung but was a gentle boy and never put his teeth on anyone.   He was just saying dont' beat me.   

 

After a year work with an aggressive dog trainer --- he learned a hand coming toward his head meant Treat instead of a whack on the head. 

 

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. 

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

I've spent my morning catching up on all the posts.        This was my Luke with his readers on.   Boy do I miss him.   I got way too close to him training him as as service dog... he failed and I couldn't give him up.   After his death I've never been able to replace him.

 

 

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

4 hours ago, janetz said:

Perfect

thanks all 

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.

15 minutes ago, Demikmj said:

Thanks for the 

Your response and the other replies made me realize that I don’t think we’re ready for a case by case scenario. I am a planner and my husband was most stressed about the potty accommodations when booking our upcoming HAL cruise.
 

I think I’ll stick with the cruise lines that can give me definitive answers for now. Maybe after we get a few more cruises with the SD in we’ll be open to a cruise that is less set in stone in their SD procedures. For now, I’m subscribed to this thread and I’ll be checking out everyone’s posts.  If everyone wants to continue posting potty spot experiences that would be great!

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.

29 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

The ships doc confirmed and told me to stop my BP med for a couple days.  By sweating I had lost Sodium and Potassium so and had dropped my BP too low.  Orders  -  Drink Electrolyte enhanced drinks - eg Vitamin Water, eat lots of fruit with high water content for slow absorption  and don't do any exercise or long walking for a couple days.  He also gave me some magnesium / potassium vitamin tablets.  

 

I should have known better.   When I was working in Singapore I got really dehydrated and needed IV Fluids and then had to take salt tablets.

 

 

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