cadien

Well this is interesting.

Q37. Do commercial airlines have to comply with the ADA?

A. No. The Air Carrier Access Act is the Federal law that protects the rights of people with disabilities in air travel. For information or to file a complaint, contact the U.S. Department of Transportation, Aviation Consumer Protection Division, at 202-366-2220.

OK...that's it. I am taking my service alligator on board. He will be sure there is no chair hogging, no

over crowding of the elevator, and no push/shoving around me at the buffet in the WJ.

The law actually limits service animals to dogs and (really) miniature horses. Although there's a push to add monkeys because they really can be very useful.

Sky's the limit for support animals of course.

I have heard this several times and I must admit I find it almost impossible to believe.

 

Aren't most, if not all, true service animals trained and provided by organizations and normally at no cost to the individual? I know that was true of the 5 people I have known over the course of my life that had service animals. When the animal is trained, it would cost maybe a couple of dollars to print a certification page and have it signed by both the trainer and someone from the organization. Then that document is handed to the recipient when they receive the animal.

 

What am I missing? Not trying to be a smarta##...it's an honest question.

It's not the certification of the animal. It's the owner getting certification from a doctor that they are truly disabled. Which has to be regularly renewed.

I'm glad to see this ahead of our cruise, because we're used to NCL, where tipping the kids club staff is expected. But they also have 5-6 person teams for each age group. I can see where a much larger ages 3-11 staff wouldn't be practical.

Documentation is not required under the ADA because that puts an undue burden on the disabled. Documentation can be very expensive and otherwise difficult to get, and Congress can't require doctors to write notes free of charge.

Public spaces accepting emotional support animals when they are not required to do so by law is the real issue. It's rare someone claims they have a service animal instead, and have fake answers to the legal questions at the ready, because they don't have to.

It's illegal to charge for a service animal. But they can ban support animals.

Those cards aren't wrong though. They state that the animal CAN be kicked out if it misbehaves. And that it is not just for emotional support. So anyone falsely using the kit also has to lie about what the animal is for. Which they can do without a vest and card too. So it can actually backfire against the fakes.

In college, I spent six weeks in Europe with just a backpack that can fit under an airline seat. I still had multiple pairs of shoes and full makeup. It's kept me from overpacking ever since. We even stuck with a backpack each on our honeymoon. Europe is no place for roller bags, with the cobblestones.

Traveling with a child makes it more complicated, however. Especially until about age 4. Although now he can finally just have his own pack. We check a large suitcase instead, however, just because it's easier to be unencumbered while keeping him close, taking him to the restroom, etc. Boarding a plane with just a personal item now feels like a luxury. I love it.

Airlines and restaurants have every legal right to forbid emotional support animals. They're just afraid to.

There are very valuable service dogs beyond those for the blind. And they are well-trained and inconspicuous. Completely separate from support animals.

We try to go between the end of February and the end of March. We live in the northeast. We like the cold and snow but after 3 or 4 months, it's time to get away.

This is us too. We're not yet sick of winter in January. Early March is when we most need to get out.

Like a previous poster said, legally a service animal and a support animal are completely different things. But it's a rare business that wants the poor publicity of excluding support animals.

Then again, considering how restaurants that finally got brave enough to exclude children found themselves staying in business after all, even praised, the tide may shift on support animals as well. Especially if a few lawsuits involving allergies work their way through the system.

It really depends on what your kids ages are, their interests, and what they enjoyed most about the Disney cruise.

And what you mean about best for cruising with kids. Most fun for the kids or most convenient for the parents? All the major lines have clubs and activities. So unless you're dealing with bribing a reluctant teen, I wouldn't worry about making that your first priority. It's an exciting trip for them regardless.

Budget-wise, look at the kid fares. Whether a line charges less for children and what the age cut-off is varies considerably. Also how many people you can fit into a stateroom will make an impact.

Coming from North Dakota, we are in the same boat. Always budget flying in the day before. Regardless of flight times.

I wouldn't even limit that to winter, considering the summer storms.

Snacks are also normal on a cabin crawl on NCL. They have very active roll calls.

I've been looking into a roll call on behalf of my parents, who will be on a HAL cruise this fall. If you do a general internet search, HAL directs people to roll call groups somewhere else.

I think it would help if OP gives a little more detail on why he didn't like the 2 Carnival sailings. Did they go on an older Carnival ship? Was it too loud? Etc!!! For example I've seen people with completely different experience on different Carnival ships, so this might also apply to RCL.

Agreed. My husband prefers smaller quieter ships and he's 33. Our first Royal cruise will be Freedom because of the itinerary and that's a huge compromise for him.

Wow, that was incoherent. Let's try again. I have also booked a panoramic stateroom on a Freedom cruise to the Southern Caribbean. This will be our first Royal cruise, so I haven't tried this kind of stateroom before. However, we were in a very similar fully forward panoramic stateroom on the Norwegian Star and enjoyed it very much.

I've booked the same thing on a Southern Caribbean. We've cruised in the NCL equivalent and really liked it. No sea sickness.

The NCL kids club does sometimes require close toed shoes. When they take the kids up to the sports deck. So it may be worth posting this question on the RCI board.

Thanks!

Is there a way to take advantage of the sale without losing your exact cabin? Our class dropped about $400. Will calling work?

There already have been attacks at port cities. That's why no one is stopping in Istanbul these days. But the rest of the Med is as popular as ever.

What impact on the industry did the Achille Lauro have at the time?

How was it cruising with your 3 year old? We are going next year and my son will be 3.5. Did you leave them at the kids club and everything was taken care of?

We were on the Star with our 3.5 year old and he couldn't get enough of the kids club.

Based on the use of 'either,' I'm pretty sure OP meant to type they aren't booty shorts.