Harvey, a 70 lb black Labrador retriever is going on this third cruise and all three cruises are with Celebrity.
We found the crews to be most accommodating anywhere we went onboard the ship. The only negative comment I had to make was some of the crew were not aware of Service Dog Etiquette and either wanted to pet the dog or call him but that seemed to correct itself after the first cruise when I called it to the attention of the cruise line. The most common questions I got asked by other passengers were: 1. What is the dog's name and 2. Where does the dog go to the bathroom?
I never tell anyone the dog's real name for when they see him again they want to talk to him and call him by his name. By giving people a false name, the dog completely ignores them and I tell people he is trained to ignore other people making them think he really is a brilliant dog. (The truth of the matter is he is very bright.) With regards to the dog taking care of physiological needs, I usually tell people he is trained to hold it until he gets off the boat. Amazing that some people buy that but those that don't, I usually tell them there is a "poop deck."
We have yet to tender off the boat. This upcoming cruise does have a tender-in port. I'm not sure if I'm physically up for tendering but in case I decide to give it a shot, has anyone had any experiences with their service dog tendering that they would like to share? TIA.
