Cruising With A Service Dog....everything You Ever Wanted To Know!

[Caribbean Chris]

3 hours ago, Kaik9s said:

Decisions, decisions, which box should I use😆is how I’m reading the look on that cute face! 🐾

 

It was funny to watch her today walk back & forth, from the big box into the small one, and the reverse. The boxes are closer together now. Maybe she considers the small one to be her veranda. 

[Kaik9s]

Anyone been on round trip Hawaii Cruise from SF? We’re researching for our 35th Anniversary in 2022. And just want to know if it was fun experience with SD. We’ve been to Hawaii several times but that was when I was ok with flying and didn’t have SD. I can no longer go into airports and would have to be knocked out to get me on planes! So cruise ship is only option if we decide to go. I’ve already gotten the current SD information but would get updated info when we decide to book since it’s couple years away. Carnival Miracle goes and Princess. We’ve only been on NCL Sky and Carnival Imagination & Inspiration. We’re booked to Alaska May 2020 on NCL Sun and May 2021 Carnival Miracle (we have credit that has to be used by 2021from canceled trip) We figured another Alaska trip would be good since our friends said you never get to see everything in one trip anyway, they’ve been several times and are Platinum cruisers on Carnival. I tease them they’re planning their next one while on the cruise ship😆. Thanks for sharing any information or experience with Hawaii cruises. 

[Wendsong]

On 11/12/2019 at 11:36 AM, Caribbean Chris said:

Oakland lifts his leg sometimes. Unfortunately the other day he was close to the edge of the box and decided to lift his leg! Peed all over the floor. It was formal night and I had dress clothes on. Luckily they had cleaning products and paper towels right next to the box. Roz and John were waiting for me at dinner and I'm in a skirt cleaning pee!! Not good.

This is a concern. Do the ships provide doggie bags to pick up poo or do I need to bring them with me. Where do I dispose of it? If he does happen to "miss" will I be cleaning it up? You were in dress clothes, but I would have difficulty getting down to clean it up, and getting back up again with soiled implements would be almost impossible even with the dog's assistance. What is the proper and appropriate thing to do in this situation?

[Caribbean Chris]

I sailed out of San Diego for 15 days round trip on Celebrity (not with a dog back then) and loved it. Now booked for 40th anniversary in March 2020 on Holland America out of San Diego RT 18 days. Can’t wait! Already had the dog’s blood work done since it’s valid for three years.

 

I can report back after March  2020, but other people here like Roz (when she returns) can give you recent info if you have questions.

[Caribbean Chris]

4 hours ago, Wendsong said:

This is a concern. Do the ships provide doggie bags to pick up poo or do I need to bring them with me. Where do I dispose of it? If he does happen to "miss" will I be cleaning it up? You were in dress clothes, but I would have difficulty getting down to clean it up, and getting back up again with soiled implements would be almost impossible even with the dog's assistance. What is the proper and appropriate thing to do in this situation?

 

Yes, you should bring your own waste bags and pick up the solids. There is usually a foot-operated trash can next to the relief box, or it might be an empty plastic bucket. I always carry a few paper towels in the dog’s vest, and placed them on top of the puddle on the deck the day she missed the mulch (because she was too large for the small box).  Later my husband picked those up using a waste bag. There were no cleaning products around. The relief station is in a crew-only area.

 

If there was a major mess outside the box, or I needed fresh mulch, I’d report it to the to my room steward on Celebrity, because Housekeeping Dept. is in charge of the dog box on this line, and my steward knows all about the box. He arranged to have the trash can emptied yesterday, and followed up with me to be sure all was well. 

 

 

[rangeley]

8 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

 

Yes, you should bring your own waste bags and pick up the solids. There is usually a foot-operated trash can next to the relief box, or it might be an empty plastic bucket. I always carry a few paper towels in the dog’s vest, and placed them on top of the puddle on the deck the day she missed the mulch (because she was too large for the small box).  Later my husband picked those up using a waste bag. There were no cleaning products around. The relief station is in a crew-only area.

 

If there was a major mess outside the box, or I needed fresh mulch, I’d report it to the to my room steward on Celebrity, because Housekeeping Dept. is in charge of the dog box on this line, and my steward knows all about the box. He arranged to have the trash can emptied yesterday, and followed up with me to be sure all was well. 

 

 

We had a whole bucket of cleaning products next to the box. Lucky for me when Oakland lifted his leg and peed on the floor. 

 

Posting a pic of Oakland and Horty! 

[puppycanducruise]

22 minutes ago, rangeley said:

 

 

Posting a pic of Oakland and Horty! 

 

They're gorgeous.

Thanks for posting the picture.

[DUTRAVEL]

On 11/15/2019 at 8:46 AM, Caribbean Chris said:

Big box, little box.

 

We attended the Cruise Critic Meet & Greet this morning - lots of officers attended, introduced by the cruise director, and it was very nicely done, with coffee and pastries. 

Honestly, you really have to wonder what they are thinking with the tiny box they first gave you.

 

I had a discussion with the hotel director on the Edge regarding the non-accessibility of the relief box. I mentioned that I was surprised that on a new ship they had not planned on providing an accessible location. He said that there had been some discussions at the corporate level, but that there would be no changes with the Apex. This may be addressed on the future E class ships. We discussed that the box needs to be in a location close to the accessible cabins (although I realize not everyone with a service dog is in an accessible cabin) with no barriers (doors or floor lips) and that there should be a waste disposal container and ideally a hand washing station.

 

Hope you are enjoying the Silhouette.

 

Dianne

Edited November 17, 2019 by DUTRAVEL

[DUTRAVEL]

23 hours ago, Kaik9s said:

Anyone been on round trip Hawaii Cruise from SF? We’re researching for our 35th Anniversary in 2022. And just want to know if it was fun experience with SD. We’ve been to Hawaii several times but that was when I was ok with flying and didn’t have SD. I can no longer go into airports and would have to be knocked out to get me on planes! So cruise ship is only option if we decide to go. I’ve already gotten the current SD information but would get updated info when we decide to book since it’s couple years away. Carnival Miracle goes and Princess. We’ve only been on NCL Sky and Carnival Imagination & Inspiration. We’re booked to Alaska May 2020 on NCL Sun and May 2021 Carnival Miracle (we have credit that has to be used by 2021from canceled trip) We figured another Alaska trip would be good since our friends said you never get to see everything in one trip anyway, they’ve been several times and are Platinum cruisers on Carnival. I tease them they’re planning their next one while on the cruise ship😆. Thanks for sharing any information or experience with Hawaii cruises. 

 

I have not been on a round trip Hawaiian cruise, but did take my dog on a Hawaiian cruise last year. I would love to do a round trip from San Francisco, but unfortunately Princess uses an older ship out of San Francisco to both Hawaii and Alaska and the accessibility does not work for me. Hawaii and Alaska are both great places to cruise with your service dog since they are covered by the ADA.

 

Dianne

[DUTRAVEL]

1 hour ago, rangeley said:

Posting a pic of Oakland and Horty! 

How handsome are they? Great picture.

 

Dianne

[Caribbean Chris]

2 hours ago, rangeley said:

We had a whole bucket of cleaning products next to the box. Lucky for me when Oakland lifted his leg and peed on the floor. 

 

Posting a pic of Oakland and Horty! 

 

Oh my gosh! Look at these two proud boys who serve! 

I knew Horty was big, but he’s BIG! I wish we had had this for the book.

[rangeley]

Going to try to post the video of them. Let me know if it works. 

[Kaik9s]

43 minutes ago, DUTRAVEL said:

How handsome are they? Great picture.

 

Dianne

so CUTE together! Look like their having good cruise too!

[rangeley]

1 minute ago, Caribbean Chris said:

 

Oh my gosh! Look at these two proud boys who serve! 

I knew Horty was big, but he’s BIG! I wish we had had this for the book.

His tail is the size of your arm! Thickest tail I've ever seen. He is such a sweet boy. Took him a few days to warm up to Oakland. There was this lounge next to the casino that no one used. It had lots of ottomans so we blocked a section off and let them at it. They were so cute together. The last night an officer came by and Roz had him setting up the play area. Lol  People would come by and stop to pet the dogs. 

[Caribbean Chris]

57 minutes ago, DUTRAVEL said:

I had a discussion with the hotel director on the Edge regarding the non-accessibility of the relief box. I mentioned that I was surprised that on a new ship they had not planned on providing an accessible location. He said that there had been some discussions at the corporate level, but that there would be no changes with the Apex. This may be addressed on the future E class ships. We discussed that the box needs to be in a location close to the accessible cabins (although I realize not everyone with a service dog is in an accessible cabin) with no barriers (doors or floor lips) and that there should be a waste disposal container and ideally a hand washing station.

 

Hope you are enjoying the Silhouette.

 

Dianne

 

Dianne, it’s great that you had that talk with the hotel director - high on the food chain. Excellent suggestions that you made to him!

 

We really are enjoying this ship. I love the officers and crew. It has a double set of fully-automatic doors close to the deck nearest the relief box “tunnel,” at least. And we’ve had good weather so no taped-off doors this trip. Ray has been great about the box use.

 

Very old friends from DC are traveling with us, and two newer friends from Sarasota are on board, too - she’s deaf like me. So we’re all having dinner together Tuesday, with a little champagne beforehand in our room. 

[Caribbean Chris]

Cindy, thanks for posting the video! It won’t play on the ship wifi right now, so I may have to wait until I get home to see it. 

[Wendsong]

33 minutes ago, rangeley said:

Going to try to post the video of them. Let me know if it works. 

Loved it! They are playing "You can't bite my face!" just like puppies. What a good time they are having.

 

Our (Jazz and I) first cruise together is on the Island Princess out of Ft. Lauderdale on March 29 thru the Panama Canal to LA. We live in So CA and will be flying to Florida. It's two weeks, but he is such a good traveler, I think (hope) he can handle it. I wonder if any other SDs will be on the ship?

 

Also, who/what is the hotel director? Are they on the ship? If so, is that their title on every ship? What are their duties?

[rangeley]

Anyone been to Amber cove Dominican? Seems its only health certificate and their easy form? We are also going to Turks but won't bother with them. 

[Plant]

3 hours ago, Wendsong said:

Loved it! They are playing "You can't bite my face!" just like puppies. What a good time they are having.

 

Our (Jazz and I) first cruise together is on the Island Princess out of Ft. Lauderdale on March 29 thru the Panama Canal to LA. We live in So CA and will be flying to Florida. It's two weeks, but he is such a good traveler, I think (hope) he can handle it. I wonder if any other SDs will be on the ship?

 

Also, who/what is the hotel director? Are they on the ship? If so, is that their title on every ship? What are their duties?

Have you posted on your roll call yet?  You may find others with SDs there.

The Hotel Director is on every ship and they take care of many things.  Here's the link to a CC article: https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=3031

Hope you and Jazz have a wonderful cruise!

[Wendsong]

2 hours ago, Plant said:

Have you posted on your roll call yet?  You may find others with SDs there.

I am such a novice. Thank you for the information, but how does one go about posting on ones "roll call"?

[Mavis and Me]

On 11/13/2019 at 4:06 AM, Caribbean Chris said:

 

You are going to Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and U.S. virgin islands, right? So in this case, all you need is one Form 7001. Your vet must enter microchip number and complete inoculation information. Below the inoculation info, it’s a good idea to add the date & names of your most recent flea & tick treatment and same for heartworm treatment.

 

(Some countries have their own country-specific documents you can find on the APHIS website - examples are Aruba and Curaçao. You won’t need to have the form endorsed by a regional USDA office vet, fortunately, for your ports, but you would for many places in the Caribbean.)

 

Enter your name, address, USA, and phone number as consignor. For consignee, I tell my vet’s office to put my name and mobile phone number then: “cruise ship passenger, (company & ship name), departing and returning to Ft. Lauderdale, with stops in X Island (date), X island (date) and X island (date). 

 

So far, that consignee description has never been questioned by my vet, by the regional APHIS office vets (when they had to endorse the forms), by the ships I’ve been on, and by the ports we’ve visited. Your mileage may vary.

 

Give the ship at check-in one copy of your 7001 and Bahamas paperwork plus rabies certificate, and write a note attached telling them you have retained the originals if they need them - with your stateroom number to call. The ship’s port paper officer will take care of copying what you gave them to provide to port officials on arrival.  I make one other copy to take ashore with me (I was stopped for papers once getting off a tender in Central America - it can’t hurt.)

 

Keep your original papers handy in your tote bag or purse when you disembark, just in case. I was once asked to produce them in Miami when we were pulled over and the dog was inspected by a USDA official as we got off.

Hi Chris!  

Thank you for this very thorough reply!!!  Your help over the last few weeks has really made a huge difference in my mental health while I have prepared for this trip!  The good news - - I received the import permit from the Bahamas!!  Now all I need (I think) is the 7001 health certificate and we’re good to go!!  I’m feeling so much more enthusiastic now! Question: Does that health certificate HAVE to be done 48 hours before departure, or is there some leeway?  My vet friend only works out of her clinic on Mondays, but we are flying to FL on a Saturday.  Can I make the appointment for that Monday with her, or will I have to use a different vet and make the appointment on that Thursday or Friday? Thanks!

[Mavis and Me]

New question!!  How do you all do buffet lines with your large service dogs?  I rarely eat at buffets here at home because it feels weird having my dog scoot 6 inches at a time as I ‘graze’ down a buffet, not to mention she takes up a lot of space next to me, but I just don’t feel like putting her on a down-stay under the table is ok either. When I’m forced to go to one, my hubby usually brings me a plate of food, but on the cruise I’d like to select my own items!  What is the correct etiquette for buffet dining with a service dog on a cruise ship?!?  Thanks!

[Caribbean Chris]

50 minutes ago, Mavis and Me said:

Hi Chris!  

Thank you for this very thorough reply!!!  Your help over the last few weeks has really made a huge difference in my mental health while I have prepared for this trip!  The good news - - I received the import permit from the Bahamas!!  Now all I need (I think) is the 7001 health certificate and we’re good to go!!  I’m feeling so much more enthusiastic now! Question: Does that health certificate HAVE to be done 48 hours before departure, or is there some leeway?  My vet friend only works out of her clinic on Mondays, but we are flying to FL on a Saturday.  Can I make the appointment for that Monday with her, or will I have to use a different vet and make the appointment on that Thursday or Friday? Thanks!

 

So glad you got your Bahamas permit. That’s always a happy dance moment for me, too, Other people here posted a while back that they made the “48 hours prior” appointment as close as they could, not able to meet the exact requirement, and had no problem on arrival.

[Caribbean Chris]

52 minutes ago, Mavis and Me said:

New question!!  How do you all do buffet lines with your large service dogs?  I rarely eat at buffets here at home because it feels weird having my dog scoot 6 inches at a time as I ‘graze’ down a buffet, not to mention she takes up a lot of space next to me, but I just don’t feel like putting her on a down-stay under the table is ok either. When I’m forced to go to one, my hubby usually brings me a plate of food, but on the cruise I’d like to select my own items!  What is the correct etiquette for buffet dining with a service dog on a cruise ship?!?  Thanks!

 

I used to get the dog settled while my husband went to the buffet and gave him the leash to hold, just in case, when he returned and I went to the line. That was back in my dog’s younger years. Now she is so used to the drill she always just stays put. We had a perfect corner table yesterday against a wall at the buffet. Hard to find when it’s crowded.

 

Roz helped me (as always!) when she recommended the down-stay command, with leash attached to the chair, if you are positive the dog will hold the stay. She suggested turning back, giving the dog “the look” and repeating the “stay” hand signal a second time. I always visualize her “Marley & Me” story about very young Horton dragging the chair to follow her to the buffet, and I start laughing.

 

Roz, we missed you!!

 

 

[Caribbean Chris]

On 11/11/2019 at 9:19 PM, Algebralovr said:

I've been there with the seat belt coming out.  We finally got a different type that clips into the car seat bar rather than the seat belt.  It works much better.

 

Been meaning to ask if you happen to remember the brand name of that car seat belt.

 

On car trips, Raylene keeps stepping on the seat belt button and releasing the belt I bought that attaches to her regular harness.