Dog at Dining Table & Skunk Pot on Balcony common issues?

[Jasukkie]

I look forward to the day cruise ships offer the Ultimate Weed Package. I can't partake due to my job but there's obviously consumer demand and big money to be made. I'd much rather people have a place to go rather than smoking on balconies which effects my enjoyment of space I've paid for. 

 

As for the dog, why not ask to be re-seated? You did that yourself by going to the buffet, but surely they could have found another spot in the MDR since capacity is still not full. I'm not unsympathetic though. I've witnessed enough bad owner behavior, including walking away from soiled carpets. Just disgusting. 

[Merion_Mom]

6 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

From the RC website, about service animals:

"If the service dog's behavior creates a fundamental alteration or a direct threat to safety, the dog may be denied boarding or removed from the ship along with the owner at the guest's expense. Examples include: growling, barking excessively, initiating unsolicited contact, biting other guests and/or crewmembers, failure to use designated relief areas, sitting on furniture, eating from the table, etc."

 

 

 

[brillohead]

If you don't want to be in the vicinity of a service animal, ask to be moved to another table.  Easy peasy. No need to go to the buffet, no need to piss and moan about it on CC.  Just ask for a different table.

If you witness "non service animal behavior" then you are within your rights to complain about it to Guest Services and even ask to talk to the Food/Beverage Director if the problem isn't rectified, and also to bring it up with post-cruise Customer Service.  

However, there ARE valid reasons to have a service animal in the MDR (although on the floor, not on the chairs and/or eating from the table), and you not liking dogs isn't justification for pissing and moaning about them being there.  Dogs are trained to detect seizures, panic attacks, and food allergens, in addition to guiding the blind, notifying the deaf, or providing mobility assistance. 

If Royal is continuing to allow "fake" service dogs, they must have their reasons, which are likely tied to revenue.  Until they hear from more people who will stop booking cruises because of fake service animals who will offset the income from the fakers who are booking multiple cruises, they'll assume that there's a financial incentive for them to continue to allow the fakers on their ships.  A well-written letter emailed to Bayley's office is going to do a lot more to get rid of the fakers than pissing and moaning on CC ever will.  


 

[LorraineP]

6 hours ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

Was it a tea cup yorkie in a dress?  That dog is on Anthem a bunch.  Can be seen in a stroller with a blanket over it like you would for a little baby.  Can also be seen sitting on a lounge chair in the Solarium.

Not in a dress, small dog longer shaggy hair. To me needed to be groomed. 

[LorraineP]

22 minutes ago, brillohead said:

If you don't want to be in the vicinity of a service animal, ask to be moved to another table.  Easy peasy. No need to go to the buffet, no need to piss and moan about it on CC.  Just ask for a different table.

Only if another table was available which there wasn’t. So not so easy peasy. 

[brillohead]

35 minutes ago, LorraineP said:

Only if another table was available which there wasn’t. So not so easy peasy. 

Sorry, but I gotta call BS.  There hasn't been a totally sold out ship since COVID, so there definitely WAS another table available. 

Nice try, but I'm not buying it. 

 

 

EDIT:
Went back and realized you were talking about Izumi, not the MDR like the OP.  But you could still bring Guest Services / Food and Beverage Director into the conversation.

 

Edited March 12, 2022 by brillohead

[LorraineP]

3 minutes ago, brillohead said:

Sorry, but I gotta call BS.  There hasn't been a totally sold out ship since COVID, so there definitely WAS another table available. 

Nice try, but I'm not buying it. 

 

 

EDIT:
Went back and realized you were talking about Izumi, not the MDR like the OP.  But you could still bring Guest Services / Food and Beverage Director into the conversation.

 

Should have but didn’t. Next time definitely will. 

[chengkp75]

7 hours ago, riekl said:

You can't put restrictions on service dogs.  Emotional support animals you can ban or do whatever you want to there is no legal protection but a service dog and its owner can NOT be restricted on any ship or flight leaving or landing in the USA.  

 

If you have a service dog you can go to anywhere the public is allowed, a movie theater, a 4* restaurant anywhere.  Of course with all things there are limits, the dog can not be barking, growling or baring its teeth in a threating manner.  

 

You can not ask the owner what their disability is, nor can you ask for the dog to demonstrate its training.  Yes this can, and is often abused.  

This is not quite correct, when it comes to cruise ships.  In Spector v NCL, the SCOTUS ruled that since Congress did not specifically mention foreign flag cruise ships in the ADA, that while the cruise line could not discriminate against the disabled, and had to provide accessible spaces (to a reasonable extent), the internal policies and procedures of the ship do not fall under the jurisdiction of the ADA.  So, while they should not place unreasonable restrictions on service animals and their owners, they can set aside, for instance, an area where any service animals would be allowed in dining rooms.  Only US flag cruise ships are required to fully meet the requirements of the ADA.

 

Having said that, even a service dog that is for diabetes should not be eating from the table, or fed at the table (no indication from OP whether this was occurring), and a dog that is not properly housebroken, at the very least, should be disembarked when an "accident" occurs.

 

And, while you are correct that you cannot ask the animal to "demonstrate" their training, you are allowed to ask what service the animal is trained to provide, per the ADA and the DOJ guidelines.

[jean87510]

When I was on the Adventure in the fall, there was a number of children with Autism and there were 2 service dogs for 2 of the children.  They were very well behaved and sat under the table in the Windjammer where their owners were.  One woman saw the quiet dogs and actually got an officer to complain about her dog allergy.  The officer directed her to sit elsewhere.  I think people need to make sure their service/emotional support animal is actually that and on the other end, if the animal is quiet and behaved, mind your business and enjoy yourself.  You are on vacation.  

[S.A.M.J.R.]

14 hours ago, mrg0433 said:

I couldn't even get a guy working at the airport to lift my carryon at the scanner. 

I figured the dog and pot would get everyone's attention, but this jumped out at me also.  It's very possible the worker isn't allowed to help anyone lift their bags.  Flight attendants generally aren't allowed to lift bags into the overheads on the plane.  You need to pack bags that you can lift onto the scanner and put into the overhead.  

[smokeybandit]

A dog in your lap is not a service dog. That lady scammed RC.

[SRF]

12 hours ago, time4u2go said:

OK, here you go:

 

https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.pdf

 

And according to that, the dog  may not be left in the room.  So from the reports I have seen in CC, many of those dressed up/strollered dogs ARE being left at times.

 

[quote]Are hotel guests allowed to leave their service animals in their hotel room when they leave the hotel? A: No, the dog must be under the handler’s control at all times[/quote]

 

Also, requires leashed/controlled and housebroken.

 

And in a stroller is not held or on the ground. 

 

[quote]Are stores required to allow service animals to be placed in a shopping cart?
A: Generally, the dog must stay on the floor, or the person must carry the dog. For example, if a person with diabetes has a glucose alert dog, he may carry the dog in a chest pack so it can be close to his face to allow the dog to smell his breath to alert him of a change in glucose levels.[/quote]

 

Many ways this is being abused.

Edited March 12, 2022 by SRF

[foxgoodrich]

The ADA allows Service Dogs  - those dogs who have been trained to do very specific tasks to enable a person with a disability to to fully participate in everyday life.  A truly qualified , well trained, service dog would never eat at a dinner table, but rather would lie on the floor next to the person with the disability.   Specific disabilities served by service animals are the blind, the deaf, individuals who are physically disabled, and individuals who require a service animal to perform medical alerts.

 

Many people don't realize that "emotional support" (I call them purse dogs or stroller dog) or PTSD animals are NOT protected by ADA.  Royal has no legal obligation to allow them on  the ship, let alone in any eating area.  Too bad they've gone too far in their misunderstanding of what the ADA requires.  Maybe if enough pax complain, somebody at RC will actually read the law and the regulations!  

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

[time4u2go]

2 minutes ago, foxgoodrich said:

The ADA allows Service Dogs  - those dogs who have been trained to do very specific tasks to enable a person with a disability to to fully participate in everyday life.  A truly qualified , well trained, service dog would never eat at a dinner table, but rather would lie on the floor next to the person with the disability.   Specific disabilities served by service animals are the blind, the deaf, individuals who are physically disabled, and individuals who require a service animal to perform medical alerts.

 

Many people don't realize that "emotional support" (I call them purse dogs or stroller dog) or PTSD animals are NOT protected by ADA.  Royal has no legal obligation to allow them on  the ship, let alone in any eating area.  Too bad they've gone too far in their misunderstanding of what the ADA requires.  Maybe if enough pax complain, somebody at RC will actually read the law and the regulations!  

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

Foreign-flagged cruise ships do not fall under the jurisdiction of the ADA.  See post #63.

[King10Sooted]

10 hours ago, riekl said:

 

People smoking weed on their balcony will drive everyone around them from their balconies.  That is a 'big deal' and needs to be addressed.  You have the right to enjoy your balcony in a fashion that does not infringe upon the rest of the guests.  Not to mention its a fire hazard.  This isn't an argument about pot being legal or not, its not allowed on the balcony, ever.  

 

It isn't like the smell lingers forever. You are outside. There are plenty of fire hazards. Not too many potheads accidentally start a fire smoking pot though. 

 

I don't smoke pot either. But I've never been trapped outside where I can't escape someone who is. 

[kruzerci]

2 hours ago, jean87510 said:

or skunk pot

Why does she keep calling it skunk pot 🤣? This whole thread has to be a joke, right?!

[jean87510]

22 minutes ago, kruzerci said:

Why does she keep calling it skunk pot 🤣? This whole thread has to be a joke, right?!

In English, 'skunk' has become slang for any potent, high-THC strain of cannabis. The media often uses 'skunk' to define 'street weed', usually in a derogatory fashion. In fact, Skunk #1 is the official name of one of the oldest and most popular strains of cannabis, and there is a 'Skunk family' of its descendants.

 

This was from Google.  I just call it mother's helper.

[chengkp75]

46 minutes ago, foxgoodrich said:

A truly qualified , well trained, service dog would never eat at a dinner table, but rather would lie on the floor next to the person with the disability.

The ADA allows a service animal to be in two places;  either on the floor or in the owner's arms.

46 minutes ago, foxgoodrich said:

PTSD animals are NOT protected by ADA.

PTSD animals are protected by the ADA, if they perform a service like nudging the owner, or licking, or whimpering when it detects a situation that could trigger a PTSD episode.  A dog that merely by its presence calms the person, is not. 

[chengkp75]

47 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

Foreign-flagged cruise ships do not fall under the jurisdiction of the ADA.  See post #63.

Foreign flag cruise ships do not fall completely under the jurisdiction of the ADA.

[foxgoodrich]

23 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

The ADA allows a service animal to be in two places;  either on the floor or in the owner's arms.

PTSD animals are protected by the ADA, if they perform a service like nudging the owner, or licking, or whimpering when it detects a situation that could trigger a PTSD episode.  A dog that merely by its presence calms the person, is not. 

Yes, there is a designation for psychiatric service dogs, similar to medical alert dogs, that can cover PTSD.  It depends on the disability diagnosis of the individual and the training of the animal.  From the Q&A in the ADA regs:

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.

 

 

Edited March 12, 2022 by foxgoodrich

[livingonthebeach]

In the MDR asking to change tables would have been my approach if the dog really bothered me. Having to smell someone's pot smoke on my balcony would really irk me. It's happened to me on several cruises where people have smoked pot, cigars, and cigarettes on the balcony and there's not much you can do about it. You report it and nothing happens. It's really disgusting when you want to relax on the balcony with a glass of wine and smell the fresh air only to be faced with having to take in secondary smoke and nasty smells. 

[lovesthebeach2]

We have been on cruises that included service dogs and honestly if I didn’t see them under the table I never would have known they were there. 
But if I was seated next to someone that had their dog on their lap facing the table or even worse feeding them off the table, I wouldn’t hesitate to ask to be moved. I love dogs, but they’re not people. 

[jerseygirl3]

15 hours ago, fredmdcruisers said:

Yes, if at my table.

In your original post you said the dog was at the table next to you.  Now you imply they were at your table.  Which is it? BTW, some dogs are better behaved than kids.  I'll take a dog sitting in a person's lap before a screaming kid running around the dining room bumping into waiters (yes, that did happen on one of our cruises).  

[jean87510]

I am trying to fathom why people have to be SJWs about a dog.  Move to another table or eat in the Windjammer.  I had a meowing cat behind me on my flight back from Miami and a screaming baby.  I forgot about it when I got off the plane.  

With the whole Covid ".....", just be happy you are healthy enough and able to cruise.  Be happy you don't have the mental anguish that person perhaps has or the illness such as a seizure diagnosis that would cause them to need a service animal. 

[S.A.M.J.R.]

30 minutes ago, jerseygirl3 said:

In your original post you said the dog was at the table next to you.  Now you imply they were at your table.  Which is it? BTW, some dogs are better behaved than kids.  I'll take a dog sitting in a person's lap before a screaming kid running around the dining room bumping into waiters (yes, that did happen on one of our cruises).  

You might want to go back and read the thread again.  The poster you quoted is NOT the OP.  The OP said the dog was at the next table.  @fredmdcruisers, in the post you quoted, was responding that they feel they have the right to question someone's medical condition if they're at the same table.