Pets On Board RCC Cruise

[sjh422]

My friend noticed 4 small dogs on her recent cruise. One wore the harness of a service dog but the 3 others did not. Is there a new policy which allows small, non-service dog to be brought on board for the cruise?

[Clarea]

My friend noticed 4 small dogs on her recent cruise. One wore the harness of a service dog but the 3 others did not. Is there a new policy which allows small, non-service dog to be brought on board for the cruise?

Basically, all you have to do is declare the dog a "service dog":

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contentWithHero.do?pagename=service_animals

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

Basically, all you have to do is declare the dog a "service dog":

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contentWithHero.do?pagename=service_animals

 

And I believe its against the law for anyone to ask for further paper work to prove that the animal is a service dog.

 

Honestly, I think its absolutely terrible (if its not really a service dog).

Edited December 17, 2015 by OfTheSeasCruiser

[Retired LEO]

You can go online and for a fee of $75.00 you can certify any dog to be a service dog.

[puppylove966]

There was a Pomeranian on my cruise a few weeks ago. He/she didn't have any sort of thing that said service or therapy dog on it. The people working in the promenade were going all crazy over the dog. (In a happy way). It's probably been awhile that some have seen a dog

[riclop]

We had several non service dogs on our cruise in Nov. on the Allure.

[Havingfun2010]

Not all service dogs will have a special collar or jacket or ID. Those items are designed to help the person, to identify that their dog is a service animal. Once on the ship, it no longer is a point to prove it.

 

Ships aren't exactly the best place for animals.

[CaribSailor]

Keep you ankle bitters at home.. Nobody wants to see your precious rags or fufu on a cruise ship.

[gerif]

We had several non service dogs on our cruise in Nov. on the Allure.

 

How do you know that? While a seeing eye dog may be quite obvious, a small dog who is trained to detect seizures or diabetic issues, maybe not so much. An acquaintance has been in a hospital in Germany for a couple of months as she left her little dog home due to difficulties traveling through Europe with him. She went into a diabetic coma in the hotel and wasn't found for hours. Our grandson suffers frequent seizures. The dog will wake his parents if one is coming on so they can both get some sleep at night.

 

Don't judge if you don't have the facts.

[Sascol]

Several years ago there was a couple on our cruise that had a small dog with them. It came up in conversation that it was a 'service dog' that was used to detect oncoming seizures. Cool, no problem. We noticed though that throughout the cruise we saw the dog with a differing member of the couple each time we saw it so unless the dog can detect the seizures of the other person from 1000 feet away through metal barriers, I call BS. This was nothing more that taking Fluffy on vacation.

Edited December 17, 2015 by Sascol

[cruisevv]

Not all service dogs will have a special collar or jacket or ID.

 

Good point, I've also noticed a surge of therapy dogs recently. Dogs that help an owner with PTSD or psychosis. Not that the woman with four dogs is a case of that.

 

....also were do these dogs go pee? Like seriously.

[cruisevv]

The ship sets up a 4' x 4' pee space with some natural plants or something -- you request it 30 days out or more.

 

In your room? Or is there like a convening dog park or something? Thanks!

[Clarea]

In your room? Or is there like a convening dog park or something? Thanks!

I usually see the dog space on the outside promenade deck.

[Charger2008]

We cruise to get AWAY from our pets, no rescue, no emails begging us to save this dog/cat, no vet visits, no cleaning, scooping, medicating, no being woken up at 3 am because two of them decide to try to kill each other, etc. I am happy to be away from the little ingrates for 8-9 days :D

 

We love our furbabies but we also love leaving them behind for those much needed, once a year cruises :p

[chengkp75]

Good point, I've also noticed a surge of therapy dogs recently. Dogs that help an owner with PTSD or psychosis. Not that the woman with four dogs is a case of that.

 

....also were do these dogs go pee? Like seriously.

 

However, therapy dogs are not covered under the ADA, and are not supposed to be allowed onboard, though again the lines don't want the hassle of an ADA lawsuit.

 

Generally, the litter box is placed in an out of the way spot on the promenade deck, and gets serviced a couple of times a day. The "product" has to go into red biohazard bags and get burned in the incinerator. Sometimes, service dogs are trained only to go on specific materials, and we had one dog that would only go on cat litter, when we normally provided shredded newsprint. Home office didn't tell us of the need until embarkation day, so we scrambled out to Walmart to get some litter.

[monctonguy]

I would rather be on a ship with dogs than kids...but to each their own right.

 

For some people, their dogs are like kids to them or maybe the only companion they have in life.

 

Based on my experience I have seen with dogs on board, they are much quieter, well behaved and cuter than most kids.....actually compared to a lot of adults on board as well...lol

 

That should get some responses....but its my opinion just like those who don't like or think dogs should be on ships.....fair is fair!

[grouchomarx]

I'm sure this must happen on cruises too. Too bad for those with an actual need for a service animal.

 

http://nypost.com/2015/12/06/people-are-faking-disabilities-to-fly-with-their-pets/

[ksuds]

I really appreciate when I see a true service dog on the ship working and well behaved. However, when someone flat out tells you that their little dog is an emotional needs dog, that is wrong. They are using other people true disabilities, to take advantage and bring their dogs because they chose not to leave it at home.

 

I know there was a post a year or two back that a passenger brought a small dog. The dog barked at people, sat on the owners lap in the dining room and got fed food off the plate, got left unattended in the cabin while it's owners went out for the night. I don't see that dog being any type of service animal.

 

Under the ADA, the cruise lines are allowed to ask what type of service the animal performs. I think they should do this, and then disallow the comfort dogs as they are not recognized under the ADA.

[ryano]

You can go online and for a fee of $75.00 you can certify any dog to be a service dog.

 

That "certification" isnt worth the paper its written on :) Besides, no one can require any type of certification.

[ryano]

However, when someone flat out tells you that their little dog is an emotional needs dog, that is wrong. .

 

Not only is it wrong, "emotional support" dogs are not recognized by the ADA. The cruiselines could deny those dogs boarding.

[chengkp75]

Not only is it wrong, "emotional support" dogs are not recognized by the ADA. The cruiselines could deny those dogs boarding.

 

Yes, and I misspoke before, when I said therapy dogs were not covered by the ADA. It was before my morning coffee, and I meant emotional support dogs, not therapy dogs, which are covered by ADA.

[BillOh]

How do you know that? While a seeing eye dog may be quite obvious, a small dog who is trained to detect seizures or diabetic issues, maybe not so much. An acquaintance has been in a hospital in Germany for a couple of months as she left her little dog home due to difficulties traveling through Europe with him. She went into a diabetic coma in the hotel and wasn't found for hours. Our grandson suffers frequent seizures. The dog will wake his parents if one is coming on so they can both get some sleep at night.

 

Don't judge if you don't have the facts.

 

Don't judge people judging people if you don't know all their facts.

 

Part of the certification process is teaching the animals how to behave around humans in many environments and how to behave around other service animals. A leashed yorkie that runs between your legs on the stairs is not a properly trained service animal regardless of what the $50 vest says.

[chengkp75]

From the ADA's website:

 

Q4. If someone's dog calms them when having an anxiety attack, does this qualify it as a service animal?

A. It depends. The ADA makes a distinction between psychiatric service animals and emotional support animals. If the dog has been trained to sense that an anxiety attack is about to happen and take a specific action to help avoid the attack or lessen its impact, that would qualify as a service animal. However, if the dog's mere presence provides comfort, that would not be considered a service animal under the ADA.

 

Q5. Does the ADA require service animals to be professionally trained?

A. No. People with disabilities have the right to train the dog themselves and are not required to use a professional service dog training program.

 

Q6. Are service-animals-in-training considered service animals under the ADA?

A. No. Under the ADA, the dog must already be trained before it can be taken into public places. However, some State or local laws cover animals that are still in training.

 

And once the animal sets paw onboard, any state or local laws go out the window, and only the ADA applies, as the ship is foreign territory.

[Clarea]

I wonder if that applies in the Galveston, TX port. They control the liquor there using local laws.

With regard to liquor, I believe the ship has to be 12 miles offshore before they can be free of Texas liquor laws.

[xxoocruiser]

Yes, and I misspoke before, when I said therapy dogs were not covered by the ADA. It was before my morning coffee, and I meant emotional support dogs, not therapy dogs, which are covered by ADA.

 

For the record you did not miss-speak earlier regarding Therapy dogs not being covered by ADA.

 

The USA Department of Justice does NOT recognize Therapy Animals, Emotion Animals and Companion Animals under ADA Law. This is all clearly stated in this link http://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.html along with the actual definition of a Service Animal.