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

[HenryKisor]

Trooper and I (and Debby) are scheduled for back-to-back Vancouver-Whittier-Vancouver cruises on the Nieuw Amsterdam June 19-July 3, and I'm hoping mightily the new Omigod variant (as Omicron is known in my house) behaves itself sufficiently. We just made appointments (CAN$135 each, nonrefundable) for rapid antigen tests in Vancouver the day before, and will be crossing our fingers. Trooper just had his rabies vaxx and we'll take him back to the vet for the APHIS 7001 before leaving home. 

[Caribbean Chris]

It’s exciting that so many of our dogs are emerging from pandemic days, headed for the high seas again!
 

Roz & her first dog, Brenda, must be smiling down from heaven.

 

We sail on Celebrity very soon. Went to the groomer yesterday and will go to the vet  early next week. Last week my husband called Celebrity to reconfirm with a human being that the ship will be prepared with the box for a SD on board.
 

(I’ll ever forget the time Celebrity had no record at the pier of the dog’s existence! The check-in people kept us waiting until an officer on board finally made a decision allowing us to  board the ship.)

[DUTRAVEL]

6 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

(I’ll ever forget the time Celebrity had no record at the pier of the dog’s existence! The check-in people kept us waiting until an officer on board finally made a decision allowing us to  board the ship.)

Have a great time on your  cruise Chris! 

 

When we were on our Celebrity Pacific Coastal cruise in October the relief box was only 2 x 2. Of course, when Henri tried to use it, her rear end was hanging over the edge of the box (it was in the usual location on deck 4 forward in an inaccessible location).  They did make a bigger box and move it to a more accessible location, but once again we had to spend our first day dealing with box issues. Hopefully everything goes smoothly for you.

 

[DUTRAVEL]

20 hours ago, HenryKisor said:

Trooper and I (and Debby) are scheduled for back-to-back Vancouver-Whittier-Vancouver cruises on the Nieuw Amsterdam June 19-July 3, and I'm hoping mightily the new Omigod variant (as Omicron is known in my house) behaves itself sufficiently. We just made appointments (CAN$135 each, nonrefundable) for rapid antigen tests in Vancouver the day before, and will be crossing our fingers. Trooper just had his rabies vaxx and we'll take him back to the vet for the APHIS 7001 before leaving home. 

Henry, where are you getting your antigen test? We are going on an Alaskan cruise roundtrip out of Vancouver in September and will also need to test in Vancouver (at least as things stand now).

[HenryKisor]

We're getting our tests at the first site on this list:

[Mabbiez]

On 3/31/2022 at 6:05 AM, Caribbean Chris said:

It’s exciting that so many of our dogs are emerging from pandemic days, headed for the high seas again!
 

 

I am excited too! Mila and I are headed on her first cruise three weeks from tomorrow! We recently flew to Amsterdam and got her EU Pet Passport. It was her first time flying and she did amazing! I can't wait for the cruise!!

[DUTRAVEL]

5 hours ago, HenryKisor said:

We're getting our tests at the first site on this list:

Thanks!

[rpclmc]

Long time no check in.  Halo will be retiring in 6 months -1.5 years.  Depending on the successor dog and his hips.  My daughter will take him in retirement.  We are in the process of redoing a farmhouse we moved onto our Idaho property.  So, my daughter and her, soon to be, husband will start in the small farmhouse and then once kids come we will switch houses.  Halo will stay on the property, and some in the home, that he knows.  Riki absolutely loves Halo and Halo and her dog are a bonded pair and get along so great.

 

I have been accepted for the final interview with Canine Companions.  I am just waiting on them scheduling me for the interview.  I am so excited.

 

I have been on two cruises, both Carnival Magic, since the start up.  Both with my daughter, no Halo.  If I have a service person, I don't take him with.

 

I just booked our 35th anniversary cruise for November 27th on the Magic.  I love that ship.  But I don't keep rebooking it because of that.  I have just been finding incredible deals and it is so convenient to our Florida home.

 

So our work, we own a commercial construction company is going crazy.  We will work nationwide/worldwide, but our jobs have mostly been in Idaho, Utah, Missouri and Washington.  No particular reason, just the jobs we get.  Well we have a job in Hawaii and will be going there for a month starting in May.  We have two jobs in Alaska.  I am not fond of Alaska, been there a couple times.  It is beautiful but not my kind of place.  So my husband will be there for 2 months.  Then might have a job in Guam.  As well as a few jobs in Idaho and Utah.  Just crazy.  As we usually have 2-4 jobs a year.

 

And, I scheduled and all inclusive to Jamacia for my husband's 60th bday.

 

We are not taking Halo on all these trips.  He will stay with Riki and Brodie (and Bolin, her dog).

 

So I hope everyone is doing well.

[schelercamus]

Dear Friends, I have lurked on this thread off and on for a while, and I'm glad I'm getting close to needing it!

I have been waiting years for a mobility service dog, and we're close to making a match. Assuming all goes well, I will be doing team training in June.

 

We are also giving serious consideration to cruising in December 2022. Oceania Riviera from Rome to Miami:

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/transatlantic-cruises/rome-to-miami-RVA221207/?sr=%2Fspecial-offers%2Folife-ultimate%2F

I know it might not be realistic to take my new service animal on a 16 day TA cruise when we're still bonding. 

 

Say, we do decide to give it a try-- Am I nuts?!?. I KNOW there is a ton of paperwork to be filled out, I've heard people mention APHIS. Could someone give my the quick version of the websites I need to go to, and an overview of the process? So, that if not this year, then next.

 

Thanks, and keep your fingers, toes, tails, and ears crossed!

[springredheadsdd]

Back to thinking about cruising again. There is an 8 day cruise on Carnival Dream out of Galveston (which is 1 hr from our house) that would work with everyone in my households schedule and wants. If we book it we will probably book in late June or July of this year for a sailing in April of 2023. Before we get into hardly any planning my mom wants Bella my service dog to be potty box trained. So tomorrow I am setting up an old kiddy pool, putting a 40lb bag of pine pellets in for absorbency and am going to top with astroturf that I will be getting tomorrow from home depot. I will also put a piece of sod from our yard in it to help her realize that she is supposed to potty in it. I have nothing planned for this week and will be home all week so it is the perfect time to train. I am going to take her to the potty box every few hours and see if she will go potty. If not she will come back into my house and then repeat every few hours. She has a proven history of refusing to use the bathroom for up to 48 hrs in the past with no issues health wise. I am thinking I should be able to get her to use it for the first time within 3-4 days. When she does go potty in it I am going to reward like crazy with treats, attention etc... If anyone has any advice or tips on potty box training please let me know.

 

My brother is a big hold up to cruising with Covid going on. I am hoping it will be much better well before the trip. We are going to Orlando in May with the whole family and Bella. We will be flying. Bella has flown but it has been a year and a half since. We are staying on property at Universal Studios but will be going to Animal Kingdom, Seaworld and a few other non Universal destinations. 

[DUTRAVEL]

On 4/8/2022 at 2:48 PM, schelercamus said:

Dear Friends, I have lurked on this thread off and on for a while, and I'm glad I'm getting close to needing it!

I have been waiting years for a mobility service dog, and we're close to making a match. Assuming all goes well, I will be doing team training in June.

 

We are also giving serious consideration to cruising in December 2022. Oceania Riviera from Rome to Miami:

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/transatlantic-cruises/rome-to-miami-RVA221207/?sr=%2Fspecial-offers%2Folife-ultimate%2F

 

 

Congratulations on being accepted to team training! I'm so grateful for my service dog; she's a real game changer.

 

Before my first cruise, I tried to do some things with my service dog that would simulate a cruise. For example, I took her on a ferry ride on San Francisco Bay (which can get quite choppy) and stayed over night in a hotel. Trying your service dog out with some different travel experiences will give you an idea how he/she would do on a longer trip. As far as the cruise itself goes, the biggest thing for me was making sure that my dog was comfortable going on command in a relief box (cruise ships generally provide a 4 x 4 relief box).

 

I haven’t sailed with Oceania so I don’t know what kind of paperwork or pre-clearance they require.

 

To fly to the EU, you will most likely need to fill out the DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form. Foreign airlines and/or airports can have some additional requirements especially if you are flying on a connecting flight (when I have flown with Lufthansa, they ask for training paperwork (something that cannot be asking for when flying in the US)).

 

When traveling to a foreign country, I do some research on the applicable service dog laws for the countries we will be visiting. For example, Italy only officially recognizes guide dogs as service dogs, but I have not had any trouble traveling with my service dog there. I always correspond in advance with any hotels where we will be staying and with any transportation providers to make sure there will be no issues with me bringing my service dog.

 

If the first country you will be visiting is Italy, you can find the required EU Health Certificate on the USDA website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet-travel/take-pet-to-foreign-country (use the dropdown menu and select Italy). The good news is that the USDA is now accepting electronic health certificates (which cuts out a step), but you will still need to get the endorsed hard copy back from the USDA. Once the USDA endorses the health certificate, you have ten days to enter the EU and then the health certificate will be good for travel within the EU for four months. You will also need to check the requirements on the dropdown menu for any non-EU or Caribbean countries you will be visiting.

 

It sounds a little daunting, but it can be done if you stay organized and plan well in advance. Roz (who started Cruising with a Service Dog) gave me the courage to travel with my dog and we have been on several transatlantic cruises.

 

All of the USDA information is assuming that you are traveling from the United States. If you are traveling from Canada or another country, the requirements will be different.

[schelercamus]

Thank you, DUTravel! I'll keep you updated. 

[Caribbean Chris]

We’re on board Celebrity Constellation for ten days in the Caribbean. The usual cruising experiences (which can drive you nuts until it all works out). 
 

(Google “APHIS Pet Travel” to get a country-by-country  drop-down menu of the assorted requirements. The basic document is the APHIS Heath Certificate issued by your veterinarian, ideally a USDA certified vet, and the dog’s most recent rabies certificate. Various countries may have their own forms, too.)

 

We got to the ship and there was no box in place yet despite our reconfirming three times. But they did eventually produce a small one - and filled it with cat litter - on deck 4, the promenade, just inside a crew area. Cat litter??? On the phone, my husband got the litter changed to mulch. At the end of the first evening, winds were too high to even pry open the doors to get outside for access to the box - all the doors were roped off with “deck closed.”

Guest services had a man assist my spouse in forcing it open, and the dog relieved herself. The next day they provided a second box, as I requested, on my balcony which we’ll have easier access to if more high winds etc... Dog refused to use it, but eventually pooped in the other box at 5 am on day three today, after two no poop days. Whew! She has yet to use the balcony box but is doing fine with the other one despite rain and wind and my aggravation getting there.
 

Ship staff today said we can’t go ashore on St. Kitts (no surprise since I had no intention of getting two pricey blood titer tests and did not bother to get the paperwork) but can everywhere else. San Juan & St Thomas are US so no problem. I also didn’t bother with the forms for St Maarten or Dominican Republic. I have no intention of going ashore in the DR anyway because of current CDC restrictions for dogs entering the US from certain countries due to rabies. And we’ve been to St.Maarten plenty of times.
 

So all’s well. The dining room manager offered us a long table big enough for six for just the four of us + dog. So she has room under one end of the table to snooze while we eat, safely tucked away from traffic. This is I think cruise #14 for Raylene. She’s snoring away on the towel-covered couch before lights are out for day three.

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by Caribbean Chris

[Algebralovr]

Glad that Constellation is working out for you!  

I was VERY pleased that we didn't take Scooter on our February cruise in Celebrity Sillhouette.  We had a couple of days where the wind was so bad they closed all the outside doors. Even the pool deck was closed one evening and part of the next day.  Not having access to the box would have been a NIGHTMARE.  

 

We've pretty well decided that at this point, Scooter gets to stay home when we cruise.  He HATES flying.  It leaves him shaken enough that it just isn't worth it.  Since I do all travelling with my service human (husband), it works out.  

 

We are going to do Alaska in May, and then the Panama Canal in December.  I have approval from Princess to bring Scooter but given the locations we are going?  Plan is to leave him home.  Sometimes, that is best. 

[DUTRAVEL]

18 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

We’re on board Celebrity Constellation for ten days in the Caribbean. The usual cruising experiences (which can drive you nuts until it all works out). 
 

We got to the ship and there was no box in place yet despite our reconfirming three times. But they did eventually produce a small one - and filled it with cat litter - on deck 4, the promenade, just inside a crew area. Cat litter??? On the phone, my husband got the litter changed to mulch. At the end of the first evening, winds were too high to even pry open the doors to get outside for access to the box - all the doors were roped off with “deck closed.”

 

Enjoy your cruise Chris - hopefully its smooth sailing from here on out. At least you are over the inevitable issues with the relief box that always have to be dealt with on the first couple of days. How strange that Raylene won't use the box on the balcony.

 

On our last Transatlantic cruise in 2019, we had winds of more than 80 mph and some damage to the ship. The winds were so bad that they moved the smokers inside, but we still had to try to access the relief box outside. They did eventually move the box inside to a crew area on our deck, but not until I went to Guest Relations a couple of times.

 

 

[springredheadsdd]

Potty box training was a failure. After 48 hrs of trying to get Bella to use the potty box and her not using it 1 time we had to call the experiment a failure. At the 48hr mark she went poop in my parents bedroom so I rushed her outside to the grass and she peed like she has not peed in weeks. Her legs were shaking from holding the squat. My dad then took her for a walk in the woods behind our house and she pooped at least 3 more time, maybe more and peed even more. She now looks very relieved and is much happier. The conclusion of this is that cruising is not something we can do with Bella. There are many other vacation options where there is grass somewhere nearby for her to go. 

[DUTRAVEL]

18 hours ago, springredheadsdd said:

Potty box training was a failure. After 48 hrs of trying to get Bella to use the potty box and her not using it 1 time we had to call the experiment a failure. At the 48hr mark she went poop in my parents bedroom so I rushed her outside to the grass and she peed like she has not peed in weeks. Her legs were shaking from holding the squat. My dad then took her for a walk in the woods behind our house and she pooped at least 3 more time, maybe more and peed even more. She now looks very relieved and is much happier. The conclusion of this is that cruising is not something we can do with Bella. There are many other vacation options where there is grass somewhere nearby for her to go. 

I'm sorry that the box training did not go well. My service dog was trained to go on command when I got her and so I don't have much expertise in this area. It sounds like your dog may not be trained to go on command? If not, I would suggest starting with that (training her in the same way that she was trained to do the other tasks she does for you). Once she can go on command it will be easier to transition to a box. 

[Algebralovr]

I did a lot of my own puppy raise with Scooter.  One of the first things we worked on was potty in command.  We still work on that regularly.  
 

I would start by doing basic training to encourage your Bella to potty on command.  Start by saying the command word you choose every time you want her to go.  Praise her every time she goes when you say your chosen command word.  Once you have her trained reliably to go when you command, THEN move on to training her to go WHERE you want her to go.  

[laneii]

Hello everyone! 

I am hoping someone with experience can provide some guidance. I have read through a lot of this thread and spent much time googling but am finding that I am still unclear on the requirements for our upcoming cruise. Princess is not being very clear either using words like "recommended" instead of this is what you NEED to do.

I am an experienced cruiser but this will be my first with my service dog. He has already been approved to sail by Princess.

 

We chose a short, local cruise for our first one with my service dog: 2 sea days and only 1 port. Departs from Vancouver, port is in Alaska, debarks in Seattle.

 

We are Canadian and travel to and from the US frequently and have only ever been asked for my dog's rabies vaccine certificate. Do I require anything additional for this particular sailing? Princess is saying an international health certificate is "recommended" in case of an emergency disembarkation in an unscheduled port (not concerned about this as it would be the USA or Canada given the itinerary) but not required. And I keep reading things about an APHIS 7001 and my brain is starting to hurt! Then I also saw that Alaska requires something signed by a USDA vet (we do not have these in Canada) and I'm getting more confused as to whether any of this applies for our situation.

 

I don't have a lot of time to sort this out as it was a last minute booking (saw a good price and couldn't resist!) and I appreciate any insight from anyone that might be able to help me figure this out!

🙂

[Caribbean Chris]

I think you will want to get a health certificate (Canada’s version which has same basic info as APHIS form 7001) to carry along with the rabies certificate. Luckily, things are generally simple between the US and Canada. But you may find that check-in personnel for airlines and cruise lines expect a health certificate. If your dog is not already microchipped, have that done, too, as an identifier on that document. 
 

You will not need blood titer testing for job US or Canada travel.

 

Maybe you already have read the info in links below, but I pass it on. 
 

The USDA APHIS “Pet Travel” information on their website may be helpful later for a future trip if you have a more complex itinerary since that website tells what foreign countries’ requirements are if you “import” your dog, even just temporarily. Bear in mind that service dogs are almost always treated the same as pet dogs when it comes to entering other countries.

 

https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/health-safety/service-animal

 

https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/documents/animals-certificate

 

https://otc-cta.gc.ca/eng/publication/service-dogs-a-guide

Edited April 21, 2022 by Caribbean Chris

[Lady_Jag]

Hi everyone,

 

Life has kept me away from CC and cruising for some time, but now I'm back and in desperate need of assurance and/or advice.

 

Back in late 2018, before we even considered getting a service dog, we booked a cruise to Bermuda out of Cape Liberty port on Royal Caribbean for 2021. We incorporated the cruise into a 2-week land, air, and sea journey and planned to spend a few days before and after the cruise in NYC. Well, Covid threw a monkey wrench in the works, things got rescheduled multiple times, and now finally, we are booked to leave in July of this year!

 

Except now my teenager has a 90-pound golden retriever service dog who will be a little less than a year and a half old when we travel. Now I am really nervous about this trip! We've taken long road trips with the pup before and he's been fine in the car and at our destination, but he has not yet been on a plane, train, or ship. I want to be sure I've crossed all the T's and dotted the I's, so here's what I've done so far:

• Alerted Royal Caribbean of traveling with a SD and answered their questions/got cleared via email.
• Alerted the airline of our SD and completed the TSA form for air travel.
• Got the dog's vaccinations renewed yesterday. (Expires in 2025.)
• Printed out the Dog Import forms for Bermuda and scheduled a vet visit to occur 1 week prior to our arrival in Bermuda  so that the forms can be completed.
• Alerted Amtrak of our SD and answered their questions via phone.
• Alerted our pre- and post-cruise NYC hotels of our SD (as a courtesy to the hotels).
• Acquired travel insurance.
• Got "Mutt Muffs" for the 5-hour plane trip to NYC.

What am I missing? I was reading through this thread and took note of the potty box training. Now I plan on filling up a baby pool with mulch so my teen can start working on getting the dog used to doing his business there, but what else? I think I read on the RCI site that sod for the potty box is available if notified in advance, so do I contact the cruise line and ask if they'll provide sod to make it easier for the dog to go?

 

I feel so unprepared and am worried that I'm going to forget something important that will cancel our whole trip.

 

[Caribbean Chris]

It sounds as though you are covering all your bases.

 

Yes, call the cruise line and ask them to provide sod but don't be surprised at what you find when you board the ship, realistically speaking. Just got off a cruise where kitty litter was the filler on day one. Still laughing about that one.  I think it's always a good idea to email and call them anyway to reconfirm that the dog will be on board. (Once we arrived at embarkation and were told there was no record of the dog for that cruise.) 

 

You may want to ask in advance for a dining room table assignment against the wall, ideally in a corner, and reconfirm with the dining room manager as soon as you get on board. That way a big dog can be tucked against the wall with paws & tail out of the traffic pattern for waiters and passengers. 

 

Did Royal Caribbean send you a form to sign and bring to the pier? You'll need that but - again - don't be surprised if people on the ship  (of ashore) ask for your paperwork again, as if the pier staff never got it to the right place. So make several extra copies of everything (Royal Caribbean's form, Bermuda paperwork, Form 7001 health certificate, rabies certificate at minimum). 

 

Are your train rides going to be long ones? You'll want to talk to the conductor about relief stop locations and how long you'll be in the station. On shorter rides, the dog will probably be fine waiting until you get to your final stop.

 

I always have a collapsible water/food bowl and the dog's food in one-meal baggies and pack some of it in checked luggage, with lots of food also in a tote with wheels to take on board the plane & ship in case luggage gets lost or delayed. 

 

Check with the hotels to ask about a green space nearby for dog relief. When we stayed in downtown Seattle, I also looked at Google maps for green spaces and found a large park a couple of blocks away. But for quick pees at bedtime, the dog had to go in a tree box area in front of the hotel, basically dirt & weeds. It worked out OK because I didn't want to go walking away from the hotel late at night in the dark. 

 

As advance notice, be mentally prepared for New York City to be loud and crowded, with a lot of distractions for the dog, and be especially on the lookout for other, possibly agressive dogs suddenly coming toward you on the sidewalk. We took our dog on the subway, toured the 9/11 museum, and had lunch in a nice restaurant nearby with no problem. But the city streets were crazy and I had a lot of trouble finding any grass or even weeds for the dog. She eventually just had to pee on concrete near a tree. 

 

All that said, relax and have fun! It will all work out. 

[DUTRAVEL]

20 hours ago, Lady_Jag said:

Hi everyone,

 

Life has kept me away from CC and cruising for some time, but now I'm back and in desperate need of assurance and/or advice.

 

Back in late 2018, before we even considered getting a service dog, we booked a cruise to Bermuda out of Cape Liberty port on Royal Caribbean for 2021. We incorporated the cruise into a 2-week land, air, and sea journey and planned to spend a few days before and after the cruise in NYC. Well, Covid threw a monkey wrench in the works, things got rescheduled multiple times, and now finally, we are booked to leave in July of this year!

 

 

As Chris said, you can request sod, but don't count on getting it even if the Access Department says they will send a request to the ship. We have only had sod one time in the relief box (and we have also had the dreaded kitty litter). For me, the relief box issues are the most stressful part of the cruise so practicing ahead of time to make sure your dog can go on command in the box (and on various surfaces) will go a long way to making your cruise experience more pleasant. We built a box in our backyard and that's where my service dog goes even when we are home (it works out really nicely since we don't have to search around the yard for cleanup).

 

If possible, I would recommend taking your daughter's service dog on loud crowded public transportation and a ferry or some other water conveyance ahead of time to see how the dog does. I don't think it’s particularly common for dogs to get sea sick, but you can ask your Vet for the appropriate dose of Bonine to have with you just in case.

 

It sounds like you have already looked at the requirements to bring a dog to Bermuda (microchipping, timing of the rabies, breed, etc.) and that you know that you will need to fax or e-mail the health certificate and application to Bermuda to obtain the required import permit. Bermuda is one of the places where the local authorities have come on to the cruise ship to inspect my service dog and her paperwork.

 

Have fun on your cruise.

 

[Lady_Jag]

Thank you both for the helpful tips! I really appreciate it!

☺️

[rpclmc]

Lady Jag, you can always take your own sod.  Just roll it and put it in a plastic garbage bag and then leave it on the ship.  I trained my dog to the fake stuff, took some and then left it.  Worked great and, even though training him to it was a pain, having familiar really helped once on the ship.  I get it is a hassle to carry extra stuff, but it was so worth it.

 

I bet you could buy some once in NY in the hotel area.

 

Linda and Halo