Cruising with a service animal

Our family will be cruising for the first time this Spring with a service dog. She is certified and we have done all the research about documentation. However, we don't know what to expect about excursion options. Does anyone have experience with this?

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

There is a board called Disable Traveler Board and you may want to post on that board.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=190

Keith

Perhaps you would gain some knowledge by reading this web site dedicated to international travel with service dogs.

http://www.miusa.org/resource/tipsheet/serviceanimal

With regard to excursions, cruise line excursions are provided (under contract) by various local tour providers and each will have their own rules (as will their country). Many cruisers do not routinely book cruise line excursions, preferring to either book private tours (usually arranged online) or simply Doing things on their own (DIY).

Hank

check the requirements of the Countries you are visiting most do not allow service animals off the ship

check the requirements of the Countries you are visiting most do not allow service animals off the ship

According the the very long thread on the Disabled forum, I do not believe this is true, but the documentation requirements can be combersome. EM

According the the very long thread on the Disabled forum, I do not believe this is true, but the documentation requirements can be combersome. EM

That is why people should check with the Country they are visiting

A lady with a service dog was not allowed to take the dog ashore in Jamaica

Better to check the official policy

YMMV

That is why people should check with the Country they are visiting

 

A lady with a service dog was not allowed to take the dog ashore in Jamaica

 

Better to check the official policy

 

YMMV

Actually in the US under the ADA no documentation is necessary to get on the ship. Getting off on foreign countries, each one may be different.

Actually in the US under the ADA no documentation is necessary to get on the ship. Getting off on foreign countries, each one may be different.

Exactly my point

Yes, even with proper paperwork, there are ports that still will not allow service dogs off the ship. Jamaica comes to mind. I thought I read that they don't even want to see them on the outside decks of the ship.

OK, on one of our first cruises we hooked up with a couple who had a "service" dog. Half way through the trip she admitted it was just there pet and the "vest" was bought on line. She further stated the 15+ cruises they had taken, all the other "service" animals on the ships were pets as well. I AM NOT SAYING THE ACTUAL NEED OF SERVICE ANIMALS DOES NOT EXIST. Like the cruise withe the 13 seeing eye dogs on board. That being said, the policy has been abused so much any animal seen is automaticly suspect and you will be watched.

OK, on one of our first cruises we hooked up with a couple who had a "service" dog. Half way through the trip she admitted it was just there pet and the "vest" was bought on line. She further stated the 15+ cruises they had taken, all the other "service" animals on the ships were pets as well. I AM NOT SAYING THE ACTUAL NEED OF SERVICE ANIMALS DOES NOT EXIST. Like the cruise withe the 13 seeing eye dogs on board. That being said, the policy has been abused so much any animal seen is automaticly suspect and you will be watched.

We were on a cruise once with a bunch of seeing eye dogs. Maybe the one with 13 dogs. They were told they couldn't take their dogs off in any port. This was a few years back though, maybe things have changed.

Actually in the US under the ADA no documentation is necessary to get on the ship.

This is not true. Your dog will be denied boarding if you don’t have the correct documentation for all ports.

This is not true.

Actually it is true, it is illegal for any establishment to ask for documentation for a Service Animal. It is a violation of the ADA, the only two questions they are allowed to ask are "is it a service animal and what service does it provide." You may be confusing support animals which have certain rules on airplanes, etc but they are not considered Service Animals which the OP was speaking of in the original post. Below is a link to a simple explanation put out by the US Justice Department.

https://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm

The ADA is a US law. With the exception of POA, cruise ships are foreign flagged carriers. Please read Supreme Court case, Spector v NCL, which details aspects of ADA that these cruise ships must apply. Service animals are not included. A cruise line will certainly require documentation and any necessary forms for you to bring an animal onboard that are required for each port.

If you read the thread under Disability Cruising (or whatever exact term CC uses) where the lady was denied boarding with her certified service dog because she did not have the paperwork for all the ports the ship was visiting. She had thought if she did not have the paperwork and did not get off the ship in that port she could sail. She found out otherwise. So cruise lines can most certainly deny boarding to a certified service dog if the appropriate paperwork for all the ports is not done. The ADA has nothing to do with this.

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This is not true. Your dog will be denied boarding if you don’t have the correct documentation for all ports.

And your post changed after I wrote it, when I wrote my post you only had “this is not true” you added the section about ports after mine was posted. I was only referring to US. Not fair to change the meaning of your post just because your wrong.

And your post changed after I wrote it, when I wrote my post you only had “this is not true” you added the section about ports after mine was posted. I was only referring to US. Not fair to change the meaning of your post just because your wrong.

You cannot board in a US port if you don't have the proper documentation to bring the service animal into any of the ports of call during the cruise. Even if you don't/can't take the animal off the ship in those ports.

Just like a cruise that stops at ports that require passports. If you don't have the proper documentation to get off a ship in a port, you cannot board the ship in the first place.

And your post changed after I wrote it, when I wrote my post you only had “this is not true” you added the section about ports after mine was posted. I was only referring to US. Not fair to change the meaning of your post just because your wrong.

I added a sentence which did not change the meaning of "this is not true" or of the erroneous statement you posted.

You wrote:

In the US, under the ADA, no documentation is necessary to get on the ship.

I added a sentence which did not change the meaning of "this is not true" or of the erroneous statement you posted.

You wrote:

This still isn't true. In terms of service animals, the ADA does not apply to foreign flagged carriers, as already explained. It's a US law. You must have all required documentation for a service animal when boarding a ship in the US. See Helen Haywood and Schmoo here's posts, which are absolutely correct.

You are absolutely not correct, this has been the practice for years. I read the thread and if you actually read it you will see what I said originally is true. You do not need papers to get on the ship, its getting off at ports that's the problem. Also, ADA has applied on cruise ships for years because the cruise lines have voluntary decided to follow it. Why do you think all these people are bringing these phony little dogs in their strollers, eating at the table, sitting on chairs and peeing where they want. They are because they know all they have to do is say its a service dog and the cruise line can't do anything.

You are absolutely not correct, this has been the practice for years. I read the thread and if you actually read it you will see what I said originally is true. You do not need papers to get on the ship, its getting off at ports that's the problem. Also, ADA has applied on cruise ships for years because the cruise lines have voluntary decided to follow it. Why do you think all these people are bringing these phony little dogs in their strollers, eating at the table, sitting on chairs and peeing where they want. They are because they know all they have to do is say its a service dog and the cruise line can't do anything.

If the animal doesn't have the proper documentation to get off in ports (even if the port doesn't allow it, they need the documentation to prove that they can), they cannot get on the ship, regardless if the embarkation port is a US port or not.

The documentation is necessary, even if the port doesn't allow animals off the ship while in port, because if there's a reason that the ship has to be evacuated while in port, the animal must have been cleared to get off.

It’s a long read, but this is the thread I mentioned. You DO need papers to get on the ship with your dog. Not service dog papers, but the authorizations from the countries you will visit. And “visit” does not mean physically set foot on the country. It means being in their territory even on a cruise ship. I suppose the people with the dogs in strollers had gotten the appropriate paperwork from the ports of call.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=55547031

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It’s a long read, but this is the thread I mentioned. You DO need papers to get on the ship with your dog. Not service dog papers, but the authorizations from the countries you will visit. And “visit” does not mean physically set foot on the country. It means being in their territory even on a cruise ship. I suppose the people with the dogs in strollers had gotten the appropriate paperwork from the ports of call.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=55547031

 

 

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Wow, that person just isn't getting it.....

All the cruise lines can do regarding a service dog is ask what function it performs. As long as they get a satisfactory answer, the dog sails.

However, since the ship will be entering other countries where the ADA doesn't mean a thing, it is up to the cruiser to satisfy the requirements of every country the ship is stopping at to make sure the dog is ok to go. This usually includes a wellness check, plus a vaccination check, usually within a couple of weeks of the cruise. Even then, the country may not allow the dog off the ship, but won't have an issue with it being on the ship. But, it is up to the cruiser to have this paperwork when they check in. If not, they can be denied boarding. Not for having a service dog, but for not having proper paperwork. You can't just show up to cruise with a service dog and expect to be let on.

Wow, that person just isn't getting it.....

I do get it but people need to read what I originally said, it is illegal for cruise lines to ask for documentation. The person who disputed that changed his response before the expiration period of the edit and after I posted to mean something else. I stand behind what I said and only that because there are other threads on these boards that agree with me. I also stand behind it because I have seen it. ;Again, I stand behind what I said and only that not something changed by a poster.

A poster changed what you wrote?

Getting specific, the cruise line is not requesting doc's about the service aspect of the dog. The documents are requested in order to prove to countries on the itinerary that the dog is healthy and not a danger. It's just like a human needing a visa for a country even if they don't plan to go ashore.