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

[Algebralovr]

A good solution to a potty box for home use is a very small child’s wading pool.  We now have one in the basement with puppy pads in case the weather is really bad.  

[wizard-of-roz]

On 12/22/2019 at 11:40 AM, dobiemom said:

Happy Chanukah! 🙂

Happy everything to you.  You have definitely been missed.  I hope all is well for you and that you've been able to enjoy some cruising along the way.

 

I, just this week, had to cut some of the stem on the plant that you sent my Morey many years ago!

 

Take care and please stop by more often to give us your very welcomed feed back.

[wizard-of-roz]

2 hours ago, Algebralovr said:

A good solution to a potty box for home use is a very small child’s wading pool.  We now have one in the basement with puppy pads in case the weather is really bad.  

Such a great idea.  Disney used to use the child's wading pool filled with mulch.  I don't know if they still do.

[wizard-of-roz]

On 12/22/2019 at 3:47 PM, Kaik9s said:

its My understanding that the USDA APHIS health certificate is required by Cruise ships to board, at least Carnival & NCL have required them from us, both email prior to cruise and upon boarding. I’d have it just in case, I like to be over prepared when traveling with my SD. 

It is required by Princess as well.  

[wizard-of-roz]

9 hours ago, rangeley said:

 

Get out your skiis!!! 

Let's see........Roz on a pair of skis!  Gives me shivers! 😕

Edited December 29, 2019 by wizard-of-roz

[wizard-of-roz]

7 hours ago, maddieking said:

Has anyone traveled to Mexico since December 16?! Apparently they are not requiring any health documentation and are only doing physical examinations before arriving. I'm very confused and Carnival had no idea this changed so they were unhelpful. 
The APHIS website says:

Effective 12/16/2019: A health certificate for dogs and cats is no longer needed to enter Mexico. Dogs and cats may be taken to the border without health certificate documentation, they will be inspected by SENASICA upon arrival. Please follow the guidance on this page.

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet-travel/by-country/pettravel-mexico

I'm just not sure how this will work for a cruise and if everyone is going to be aware or if I need to get a health certificate printed out anyway... I've cruised four other times, but this is my first trip with a service dog and I'm just getting more worried as our debarkation date approaches (January 13th!).

I think I mentioned this on our last cruise.  The Immigration officials in Mexico wanted to inspect Horton but didn't even look at the paperwork.  They ran their hands back and forth over his fur,  looked at the condition of his skin, looked in his ears, inspected his paws and looked at his teeth.  That was it.  Although it was still very early, and we had to wait in a lounge for them to arrive [we were given a phone call the night before alerting me to the meeting in the morning.]  The Passenger Services Desk also called my cabin at 7:00am the morning of the meeting, to remind me.

 

Honestly, if the ships don't expect some kind of paperwork for our Service Dogs there's going to be a deluge of folks trying to get their pets on board more and more.  The untrained pet will be a huge problem in all areas of a cruise ship.  Can you just see the dog fights in the crowded elevators, the dining room will be a mess and can you imagine the barking, growling, sniffing and peeing and pooping everywhere!  What a mess!

 

 

 

 

[wizard-of-roz]

On 12/22/2019 at 5:10 PM, rangeley said:

 

The health certificate is the main document you need. They will not let you board without it. 

True!

[rangeley]

15 minutes ago, wizard-of-roz said:

Let's see........Roz on a pair of skis!  Gives me shivers! 😕

 

I'd pay big money to see that!!!

 

Just one other thing. On our way home from LA, they had an indoor potty area at LAX. We were very excited to have a spot for Oak to go inside of security. Well forget that! It was a shower stall. ☹️ Thats it, a tiled stall and a sink. Really? Now I know these dogs are suppose to go anywhere, but no way was he going to go in a shower. Throw some fake grass or mulch. Something! 

[rangeley]

3 minutes ago, wizard-of-roz said:

I think I mentioned this on our last cruise.  The Immigration officials in Mexico wanted to inspect Horton but didn't even look at the paperwork.  They ran their hands back and forth over his fur,  looked at the condition of his skin, looked in his ears, inspected his paws and looked at his teeth.  That was it.  Although it was still very early, and we had to wait in a lounge for them to arrive [we were given a phone call the night before alerting me to the meeting in the morning.]  The Passenger Services Desk also called my cabin at 7:00am the morning of the meeting, to remind me.

 

Honestly, if the ships don't expect some kind of paperwork for our Service Dogs there's going to be a deluge of folks trying to get their pets on board more and more.  The untrained pet will be a huge problem in all areas of a cruise ship.  Can you just see the dog fights in the crowded elevators, the dining room will be a mess and can you imagine the barking, growling, sniffing and peeing and pooping everywhere!  What a mess!

 

 

 

 

 

And on our cruise they didn't even inspect the dogs at all. I thought that was strange. 

[wizard-of-roz]

6 hours ago, Kaik9s said:

Potty Boxes: MurphySD is a “potty holder” when we travel. Car, camping, Cruise ship, he KNOWS he’s going somewhere. He loves to travel, but will hold pooping to once a day or every two days, for the first couple days and won’t drink as much water as normally,  till he knows the “routine”. He’s offered water regularly but refuses to drink very much while in the car, once we arrive and settle into hotel room he drinks normally and picks his potty spot outside.  He’s gotten better the more we’ve travelled, once we arrive at our destination, campgrounds or cruise ship, he gets used to where his potty area is and feels more comfortable going there, he even leads me to it once were on that deck. I always take him from each direction so he knows where potty box is and the exits on each deck since that’s one of his tasks. I also bring artificial turf but we haven’t used it yet, it’s peace of mind for me to have options for his comfort. I also bring his blankets, toys and life vest (NCL is requiring us to bring one). I have a photo of him sitting next to potty box on Carnival Inspiration but I don’t know how to load it here. I don’t use online photo companies. 

You sound like such a concerned and caring dog handler.  Thank you for sharing with us.

 

P.S.  I still don't know how to do the photo attachment thing very well and I've been here a long time!  You'll get it, I promise!

[wizard-of-roz]

7 minutes ago, rangeley said:

 

I'd pay big money to see that!!!

 

Just one other thing. On our way home from LA, they had an indoor potty area at LAX. We were very excited to have a spot for Oak to go inside of security. Well forget that! It was a shower stall. ☹️ Thats it, a tiled stall and a sink. Really? Now I know these dogs are suppose to go anywhere, but no way was he going to go in a shower. Throw some fake grass or mulch. Something! 

Do you think that the drug and bomb sniffing dogs at the airport actually go potty on tile, where it runs into all their paws and they walk away splashing urine everywhere?  YUCK!  I swear, whoever the planners and bean counters are had better rethink what they're doing!

 

These dogs have already proven their value and worth, I wish the public entities in charge of taking care of providing proper areas for our dogs to go to the bathroom would treat them with more respect!

 

 

[wizard-of-roz]

4 hours ago, Wendsong said:

Great idea! My Jazz is all legs and for some (standard Poodle) reason likes to lay down in the middle of the door way or the isle. He is all legs and more than once I have had to physically pull him out of the way by his jacket, even tho' he knows the command to "move over".  Sometimes getting it across to him that he should do more than stand up and go down in the same spot is difficult!

Horton also has long, long legs and finds himself stretching them out occasionally, for comfort reasons and I can find him laying in an aisle where he's not easily seen against the carpeting.  I am forever moving him or calling him to me because as he stretches his body shifts.  I try to be patient with him because I know as he gets older the joints don't move as easily as they used to.

 

I try to start off placing him as far away from walking areas as I can when we're out in public, it doesn't always end up that way.

[Cruisefanatic71]

19 hours ago, wizard-of-roz said:

Such a handsome dog.  I have found Carnival to be very helpful when it comes to our dogs.  They will allow the pottybox on your veranda.  You just have to insist on it.  

 

The more Teddy uses a potty box at home the more used to using a potty box he will become.  And, going in one onboard a cruise ship will be no problem.   Carnival uses the best boxes; pre-made and purchased online.  They're made of metal, lined with plastic and filled with mulch. 

 

For your home box you can buy whatever filler you like best.  Lowe's sells [wood shavings], in bulk, you can cover whatever you choose with artificial turf, or, if the mulch is easy to walk on, use it straight from the container.  And, practice, practice, practice.  My dogs ONLY USE A POTTY BOX AT HOME.  It makes them to be the best travelers when cruising.

 

My suggestion is to check on the filler that is being used by the ship, before you ask the dog to use it, if it hurts the dog's paws they will refuse to step on it, because it hurts.  I ALWAYS bring rolled-up artificial turf to cover whatever the cruiselines use.  I buy it at Lowe's in 4x4 sections, I cut drainage holes in it, fold it up and bring a fresh sheet in my suitcase. 

 

The first thing I do is lay the plastic turf over whatever the ship is using as filler and then ask my dog to go potty.  It travels very easily and my dogs NEVER refuse to step on it. 

 

Traveling with our dogs is really up to us to make it fun for them too!!!!

Thank you for the info. We did contact the cruise line prior to leaving and actually bought the litter they use in the potty box. We also took the green grass pad for.him . I think one of his issues was our pottybox at home does not make Teddy step up.higher than usual. I am going.to build one that has the same dimensions of the one on the ship. We have 6 months to work.on him till.our next cruise. 

[wizard-of-roz]

3 minutes ago, Cruisefanatic71 said:

Thank you for the info. We did contact the cruise line prior to leaving and actually bought the litter they use in the potty box. We also took the green grass pad for.him . I think one of his issues was our pottybox at home does not make Teddy step up.higher than usual. I am going.to build one that has the same dimensions of the one on the ship. We have 6 months to work.on him till.our next cruise. 

Teddy's going to do really well.  Your concerns for his welfare will make a huge difference in his success's.

[allies_daphne]

6 hours ago, wizard-of-roz said:

Such a great idea.  Disney used to use the child's wading pool filled with mulch.  I don't know if they still do.

Disney uses sod, at least on the 4 cruises we have done.  They make a shallow potty box out of a thick tray.  It’s probably 36x24 or so. 

[wizard-of-roz]

3 hours ago, allies_daphne said:

Disney uses sod, at least on the 4 cruises we have done.  They make a shallow potty box out of a thick tray.  It’s probably 36x24 or so. 

It was a long time ago when they used the kids plastic pool.  Thanks for the recent info.

[Caribbean Chris]

On 12/28/2019 at 5:20 PM, Cruisefanatic71 said:

Happy Holidays to everyone. We just returned from our family Christmas Cruise on the Carnival Liberty. So I will start with the good from the trip. This was the first cruise we took with my daughters service dog...

...So the one part of the cruise that was stressful was that Teddy out of 4 days on a ship only used the potty area 2 times. He held until he got off the ship and then he went to the bathroom 2 or 3 times. The only complaint we had was the area they had placed the potty on the 3rd deck where people could be at. All in all we shall see about our future ceuise in July and hopefully we can go with us now. 

John

 

I'm so glad Teddy had a good trip overall. My dog drove me crazy on her first cruise five years ago by not wanting to use the relief area. Lots of trips from the stateroom to the box, with no results, trudging back and forth. She finally gave in, but it was stressful.

 

Since then she sometimes balks a little so I've gotten used to it and don't worry as much. On her last cruise in November (cruise #10, I think), she jumped right on the box just about every time I took her there, all like clockwork as if she was home in her back yard. I was so happy!

 

I am not sure about this, but the veterinary probiotic chews I gave her for a few days leading up to and during the cruise may have helped regulate her system.

[Caribbean Chris]

On 12/29/2019 at 11:22 AM, maddieking said:

Has anyone traveled to Mexico since December 16?! Apparently they are not requiring any health documentation and are only doing physical examinations before arriving. I'm very confused and Carnival had no idea this changed so they were unhelpful. 
The APHIS website says:

Effective 12/16/2019: A health certificate for dogs and cats is no longer needed to enter Mexico. Dogs and cats may be taken to the border without health certificate documentation, they will be inspected by SENASICA upon arrival. Please follow the guidance on this page.

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet-travel/by-country/pettravel-mexico

I'm just not sure how this will work for a cruise and if everyone is going to be aware or if I need to get a health certificate printed out anyway... I've cruised four other times, but this is my first trip with a service dog and I'm just getting more worried as our debarkation date approaches (January 13th!).

 

Thank you so much for posting this! It just goes to show you how often these country-specific regulations change. It is always good to not assume the old rule applies. Our last Mexico cruise was in November before this change.

 

I will continue to get a Form 7001 Health Certificate from my vet to take on all cruises along with the current rabies certificate.  The cruise lines and airlines expect to see "papers," and the health certificate is pretty basic.  But it is great that we all "officially" no longer have to get any extra documentation for Mexico. Our next cruise to Hawaii has a stop in Ensenada prior to returning to San Diego, so one less thing to do now.

 

On our cruises that stop in the Mexican-Caribbean ports, sometimes the Mexican officials who are on board inspect my dog very thoroughly, and sometimes they don't even ask us to show up in the lounge on a port day.

[Caribbean Chris]

On 12/29/2019 at 12:36 PM, Kaik9s said:

 I have a photo of him sitting next to potty box on Carnival Inspiration but I don’t know how to load it here. I don’t use online photo companies. 

 

It's pretty easy without using any online companies. You can now just move a photo from your desktop PC or smart phone directly into your reply.  

 

When you get a new reply window, down at the bottom of the box will be "Drag files here to attach, or choose files."  If you have a photo on your desktop computer's home screen, you can drag it right into the lower part of the message (I just did that for the attached photo).  Usually, I just click "choose files" for photos on my smart phone, and the photo options are shown on the phone's screen. Select the photo you want and click "done" at the top and it will be attached to your reply.)

 

(Photo: Hearing Dog Raylene was the Assistant Hostess when we invited four friends to have a glass of champagne before dinner one night in November on Celebrity Silhouette.)

[Kaik9s]

MurphySD on our first cruise two years ago. Carnival Inspiration 

Edited December 30, 2019 by Kaik9s

[Kaik9s]

Thanks Caribbean Chris! 

[Mavis and Me]

1 hour ago, Kaik9s said:

MurphySD on our first cruise two years ago. Carnival Inspiration 

That box is TINY for such a big boy!  Mavis was pretty gung-ho when it came to using the box on Allure of the Seas, but it was easily twice that size!  I brought huge pee-pads along with me just in case the potty box was inadequate - - I figured I could lay one along side the box if need be!

[rangeley]

23 hours ago, wizard-of-roz said:

Horton also has long, long legs and finds himself stretching them out occasionally, for comfort reasons and I can find him laying in an aisle where he's not easily seen against the carpeting.  I am forever moving him or calling him to me because as he stretches his body shifts.  I try to be patient with him because I know as he gets older the joints don't move as easily as they used to.

 

I try to start off placing him as far away from walking areas as I can when we're out in public, it doesn't always end up that way.

 

Love how Horty would inch his way into the aisle. He just wanted to be seen!! 

[rangeley]

Our boxes on Princess, they were huge with the biggest bark mulch ever! 

Sorry about Oakland peeing 😝

[kmg365suzyq]

I have traveled on Royal Caribbean with my service dog with no issue.  We are planning a cruise on Princess and one of the stops is Princess Cays.  This is what their access office is telling me.  I have no idea what they are talking about.  Do any of you?

1 form Excel Document you can find online- application needs to be filled out and sent to the Port Agent. This application will take 2 business days to be processed. Without this approved permit, the dog will not be allowed ashore