Hawaiian Holiday 🎄🍾 LIVE from Koningsdam Dec 21-Jan 6: join me for my 1st solo cruise & 1st inside cabin!

[0106]

8 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

So, after dinner guess who's making a pit stop to GS?

Instead of standing in line at Guest services, I would tell my room stewards and use the “let us know” feature on the Navigator app.  You deserve a shower that doesn’t flood the floor.  (You also deserve an experience that does not include barking dogs.)

 

I hope you have a Merry Christmas Day.

[pmjnh]

16 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

No way they're service dogs - I have not encountered service dogs that bark when people simply pass by like these do. They bark apparently when the cabin steward or whomever visits the cabin (a lot of "sh, be quiet" coming from there). I'm no expert, but my experience is barking is not an alert service dogs do.

 

Sadly, anyone can get a "service dog certificate" online. True service dogs wont bark like that. People now call them "comfort" dogs. I would go straight to the hotel manager if that continues. Our last cruise, a "service dog" (very doubtful) peed on the promenade deck. Grrr

 

Enjoying your report so far. Have a wonderful cruise.

[horseymike]

8 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

 

I'm afraid I would be bringing this up with customer service, frankly I would escalate it to a meeting with the Hotel manager. I'm afraid I would also be knocking on the door of the offending cabin at random times day and night. I would also make a point of calling out the fact that pets are not acceptable in a dining room. It's just not on. It would by my mission to make the clueless pet owners feel like the knobs they are. I have extreme respect for actual service animals and welcome them everywhere. I don't buy the "emotional support" story line. If you need the "support" of your untrained critter then stay home. I respect you and all the other cruisers who love their pets but are aware that there is no place for them on a cruise ship.

The squeaking wheel gets the grease.

[Cruisercl]

@Haljo1935, a blessed Christmas Eve and a joyous and peaceful Christmas day to you.

Christmas at sea is a wonderful time, enjoy. 😊🌴

[Chris-n-Shawn]

Thank you for taking us along and sharing your experiences @Haljo1935.

Question: if you find yourself on Deck 11/Sun Deck, would you please check if the aft is still closed to passengers?

Although we fully support having a space for the crew outside, we were hoping to make use of the Sun Bar (and could not when we were on the Kdam in April). HAL deck plan still shows it as a working bar…?

A very happy holiday to you!

[rafinmd]

By the way there is one ship where dogs are welcomed and may bark as much as they choose.  It's Queen Mary 2 for transatlantics where dogs have their own quarters at the back of the topmost deck in a kennel with attendants and frequent visits with their 2 legged family members.

 

There is an  outdoor area where dogs get to walk and space is at a premium, selling out quickly.

 

Roy

[Seasick Sailor]

We are on Rotterdam and on12-22 a dog embarked. I sent a Navigator note at 9:30 ladt night and the barking stopped, so they must know who's cabin it was.

[notscb]

11 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

I'm afraid I would be bringing this up with customer service, frankly I would escalate it to a meeting with the Hotel manager.

Your post is giving r/thathappened energy. The first sentence (quoted above) is the appropriate response. The rest of it sounds like you'd be going out of your way to ruin your own cruise by targeting these other guests.

 

 

[notscb]

16 hours ago, Cruisercl said:

if they aren't service dogs why are they on the ship?

That's the question. HAL's policy only allows service dogs, and they have the right to ask what service the dog is performing before being allowed on the ship.

[Haljo1935]

3 hours ago, 0106 said:

Instead of standing in line at Guest services, I would tell my room stewards and use the “let us know” feature on the Navigator app.  You deserve a shower that doesn’t flood the floor.  (You also deserve an experience that does not include barking dogs.)

 

I hope you have a Merry Christmas Day.

I decided to go to GS so I could show them the picture. There was no line; I would have shifted to the Navigator App if there had been a line.

Merry Christmas!

[Haljo1935]

3 hours ago, carol louise said:

Greetings, Haljo1935. I wandered over from my usual hangout on the Carnival board and am pleased to see you are enjoying a holiday cruise. The HAL San Diego/Hawaii itinerary is one I’ve daydreamed about since I did a number of HAL cruises some years ago. So sorry you endured a difficult journey to embarkation, especially after that stormy end to your Venezia cruise in September.

 

Wishing you a wonderful cruise and happy holidays.

 

P.S. re the dogs, I wonder if the owners are related to an officer or high-level staff member, and that’s why the rules were relaxed.

Hey @carol louise so glad you're here. Oh my, that was quite an ending in NYC 🫣 I thought I'd never dry out and never get home.

I hope they're not tied to a crew member, but I suppose they could be. Ugh

Now that we're on our way, the seas have calmed, the ship is all decked out, pax wearing holiday headgear, and it really feels and looks like Christmas!

[BetsyS.]

Haljo1935 - I'm so glad you went to GS!  I hope the flooding problem has been fixed and that the dogs have stopped barking. 

        Merry Christmas Eve!😊

[Haljo1935]

2 hours ago, Cruisercl said:

@Haljo1935, a blessed Christmas Eve and a joyous and peaceful Christmas day to you.

Christmas at sea is a wonderful time, enjoy. 😊🌴

Thank you - a Christmas cruise does feel different. The ship looks great 

[Haljo1935]

2 hours ago, Chris-n-Shawn said:

Thank you for taking us along and sharing your experiences @Haljo1935.

Question: if you find yourself on Deck 11/Sun Deck, would you please check if the aft is still closed to passengers?

Although we fully support having a space for the crew outside, we were hoping to make use of the Sun Bar (and could not when we were on the Kdam in April). HAL deck plan still shows it as a working bar…?

A very happy holiday to you!

Thanks for joining! Yes, I will stop up there. I was in that vicinity on Friday, but it was too windy and wobbly to go outside. Much calmer now, so I should be able to take a peek.

Edited December 24, 2023 by Haljo1935
Typo

[Haljo1935]

21 minutes ago, notscb said:

That's the question. HAL's policy only allows service dogs, and they have the right to ask what service the dog is performing before being allowed on the ship.

Interesting discussion - I have read numerous times in several places that they cannot ask what service the dog is performing. I've not fact checked, though.

And true service animals display certain behaviors and not others. I believe if these were legit service dogs, they would not be negatively impacting my (or anyone's) cruise.

[quilty964]

Hope you get your shower fixed.  A few years back, don't remember which ship, but 1 of the entertainers had 2 small dogs as part of his show.  I did see the "potty break" spot, but never saw or heard them.  I hope you get some answers about the barking.

Enjoy the rest of your cruise!  Karen

 

[Sea42]

6 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

I have read numerous times in several places that they cannot ask what service the dog is performing. I've not fact checked, though.

For the US, this is from the ADA website:

https://www.ada.gov/resources/service-animals-2010-requirements/

 

"When it is not obvious what service an animal provides, only limited inquiries are allowed. Staff may ask two questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability, and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform. Staff cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task"

[js1357]

13 minutes ago, Sea42 said:

For the US, this is from the ADA website:

https://www.ada.gov/resources/service-animals-2010-requirements/

 

"When it is not obvious what service an animal provides, only limited inquiries are allowed. Staff may ask two questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability, and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform. Staff cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task"

But would this apply to a foreign-flagged ship?

[notscb]

27 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

I believe if these were legit service dogs, they would not be negatively impacting my (or anyone's) cruise.

That's the kicker. True service dog training is intense and specific, and negative behaviors common to dogs are generally trained out through reinforcement.

 

Companies definitely aren't allowed to ask about the person's disability, but they are allowed to ask about the task the dog is performing.

[durangoscots]

31 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

Interesting discussion - I have read numerous times in several places that they cannot ask what service the dog is performing. I've not fact checked, though.

And true service animals display certain behaviors and not others. I believe if these were legit service dogs, they would not be negatively impacting my (or anyone's) cruise.

In the past I have worked with people who are training dogs to become service dogs (my participation was the teaching of basic commands). HAL can not as what someone's disability is, can ask what function the dog performs. I wondered about a "service dog" years ago on the Grand South America. Owner had the dog with him in Crow's Nest and at meals and sometimes on tours BUT he seemed able to do a full day tour at least once and left the dog in his room. And there were several places where the dog could not go ashore but the man went anyway (like the Falklands). He let the dog off leash often and the dog really liked me.... would come and sit on my feet quite a way from the owner. Nice dog.... but......

 

Susan

[Destiny0315]

Now the what if question. What is the protocol if a dog goes overboard on a ship?🤔

[albingirl]

1 minute ago, Destiny0315 said:

Now the what if question. What is the protocol if a dog goes overboard on a ship?🤔

I never brought my comfort parrot onboard since I was terrified he would fly off in the wild blue yonder.

[durangoscots]

So supposedly you know what service the dog is trained for. What you don't know, and can't ask, is does the person with the dog have that condition. Frankly, traveling with a dog is real hassle and would cut down on one's ability to do certain things. I have seen the kennel areas on the QM2 and also traveled on the QE2 when her kennels were operational. Met a lovely Scottish Deerhound that way.

[carol louise]

6 minutes ago, Destiny0315 said:

Now the what if question. What is the protocol if a dog goes overboard on a ship?🤔

There is a trip report on the Carnival board by a poster who traveled with her two grown sons, one of which has a service dog. She wondered about the dog in an emergency situation, only to find upon arrival in their cabin a dog-sized life jacket! (She realized that’s why the line had asked pre-cruise about the dog’s weight.) 

Edited December 24, 2023 by carol louise

[Destiny0315]

2 minutes ago, albingirl said:

I never brought my comfort parrot onboard since I was terrified he would fly off in the wild blue yonder.

They are not much comfort I've heard. They always tend to talk back to their owner.