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Stop bringing non-service animals on ships


LMaxwell
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One of the best articles written about the scam of emotional support animals. I know that these can be legitmate, but unfortunately too many people abuse this who have no need whatsoever. In reality, you don't have to allow emotional support animals everywhere. You do, however, have to allow service animals. The trick is educating employees and dealing with the fallout.

 

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/10/20/pets-allowed

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Hmm. They can't discriminate against a person with a service animal.

 

Royal should simply add a $250 cleaning deposit to all guests, refundable after the trip. Tie that to a guest conduct and responsibility policy. If a pet does its business outside of provided areas you forfeit the cleaning deposit and if it continues to happen you could be put off the ship. For a genuine service animal that is trained to use provided relief areas this will not be any issue. But for the self-entitled who let their dogs crap anywhere and make the crew clean up, they'll forfeit their $250. May make them think again about bringing a pet onboard when they have no genuine need.

I am an animal lover. I own 3 german shepherds (and yes i vacum multiple times a day) I love your idea. But I feel the fee should be higher. A cruise ship is no place for a "pet" Pet is different than service animal!! I feel bad gor people with allergies. What does someone do if they have allergies and get a room after a dog. Its not the hair its the dander thats the problem. On land you can avoid a hotel chain that allows pets

 

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I agree, pets, regardless of what they are have no place on cruise ships unless it is a registered/licensed service dog. My daughter is paying more to have her 2 dogs kenneled while on this cruise than it cost her for the cruise for 2. Don't get me started on dining room dress codes NOT being enforced. To go along with that the fact that people when they fly don't want to pay a baggage fees hence they don't want to take dress cloths for the dining room so everyone is taking that all inclusive carry on on the airplane, trying to get it to fit in the overhead. Breath, Breath, oh I can't, having an allergy attack, from the dog dandruff left behind.

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I'm on board Oasis as we speak and they have listed a group on board, Paws with a Cause, there have been a lot of dogs on board but these are real service animals. All large dogs, most some kinda of lab or lab mix and very very well behaved with service vests. The blurb in the compass even says please don't interact with them or even pet them as it disrupts them.

 

I agree, other than a service dog, they do not belong on a ship.

 

 

 

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This is a huge hot button for me. I work in a Four Diamond Resort and the amount of dogs we are seeing is obnoxious! I am also the parent of a child who is eligible for a service animal if I had a spare $20,000.00 lying around! I believe they should have to be licensed and I (as a manager in a business) should be aloud to ask for said license. It is not my business what service the dog provides but I should be a loud to see a license. Last week there was a yappy dog lounged out on one of our lobby couches. I assure you a service dog would not be lounging on furniture while out in public!

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Since businesses are too afraid to do anything about this growing problem, I wish people would be respectful enough to STOP bringing their pets on ships. You do a major disservice to people who genuinely require the assistance of a trained support animal and already have enough struggle in life. Your "fur baby" that is not a trained service animal does not belong on the ship, period. If you are too cheap to pay for pet boarding, don't take a cruise. If you can't handle being apart from your pet, work out that issue. You may think it is cute to push your dog in a stroller or dress it in an outfit, but the rest of us laugh at you, not with you. The crew is there to provide services to guests, not to clean up after your pets. Please be considerate of those with genuine needs and other guests. It's okay to leave your dog home, they'll go plenty bonkers when you return anyways. Pets in restaurants is particularly disgusting. I am an animal lover but there is a time and place, and a cruise ship is wholly inappropriate for your pets.

Well said. Now if only people would do it...

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Great idea, make it more expensive to bring their pets than to board them in a kennel. There are a couple of these people who take their pets into eating areas, sit them on their laps and feed them from the table. Those people should be banned from cruising for life, they do not know how to behave in the company of HUMANS.

 

 

I would refuse to sit st a table with somebody with a dog on there lap and I can't believe the cruise company would allow this !!!!

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Until there is some kind of national licensing program, this will continue to happen. It's the same mentality people use when they say "I paid for this cruise so I should be able to have a chair reserved for me all the time". As for the "vests" that dogs wear, you can buy those on line. There is no official certification. There is training, and even that varies. There have been cases where "emotional support animals", have bitten people because they aren't trained to do anything. Most are just pets. There are some that are trained to deal with PTSD and are well trained. I've seen several dogs on cruises that obviously weren't trained at all-barking at others, pulling on leashes, and handled by two different people. Trained animals are for one individual and provide specific help and will lay quietly at their owner's feet. Also, if anyone lets you pet their service animal while they are "working", it's not a service animal.

 

Boarding kennels and pet sitters exist for a reason. Don't tell me that it's too expensive as it should just be part of the cost of your vacation.

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Also, if anyone lets you pet their service animal while they are "working", it's not a service animal.

 

.

 

THIS!!!! My youngest son is a swimmer. Imagine my surprise when at a State Meet, there was a swimmer with a service dog. She was fiercely protective of her dog. Everyone who had ever been around her knew not to even ask if they could pet her dog. I'm not sure what ailment she had that the dog was trained to sense, but if it happened while she was swimming, the dog was trained to go in after her. Thankfully, we never had to witness that. What was amazing is the people that ignored her request not to pet her dog and did it anyway! Just have to shake your head sometimes at peoples stupidity.

 

 

I've got a friend that has trained a lab from a puppy to be a service animal. She could only do the socializing part of his training and after a couple years (maybe shorter) she had to turn the dog over to the school that would do the final training for its future owner. I've also been at a swim meet where a family was socializing a dog in preparation for the same thing - the dog had a service vest on and sat with them in the stands. We asked if we could pet him (Walden) and he was the sweetest dog. The family said they were going to be so sad when they had to take him to Florida (I live in Georgia) and turn him over to the ones that would be doing the final training. So there are times when service dogs can be petted - of course they aren't full blown service dogs yet.

 

 

I agree with charging a "pet deposit", but it has to be substantially more than $250. That is about what I would pay to board my dog for 10 days and I have a lab so I'm charged more because she's a big dog. Small dogs that can fit in a stroller or purse would be about half that. I would charge the deposit as $1000 to cover the clean up of "accidents" and the extra cleaning that a stateroom would need for any "accidents" in the room as well as the hair and pet dander.

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If a dog is part of the family, than they need to be treated as such. Now, an infant is charged full fare, or 3rd person fare. I see no reason that your "kids" should be charged the same full fare. Just like if you are "sharing" your food off the plate at a restaurant, the common practice of charging extra for sharing should be invoked also with pets. Plus, I think all pets on the ship, must have a diaper on. If I can't run around naked, than I don't see why your kids can run around naked.

 

Although I don't dislike pets, I think, most pets are dirty and are not appropriate around where food is being served, or sitting on chairs or grocery carts where a human will sit, or touch.

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I love my dog and take her many places that allow pets. As much as I love her and miss her very much when she isn't around I would not take her on a cruise even if I could. It wouldn't be fair to the dog. locked up in the cabin most of the time. Not allowed off the boat. Have to go in a little astroturf box. Its not fair to the dog and selfish of the owner.

I would like to know though. Is this really that much of an issue? I know I'm not anywhere near the cruiser that many on here are but I have been on nine cruises. Of those times i have only seen a couple dogs. I'm sure it does happen but I don't think it is enough of an issue to cause a problem. It does seem to be more of an issue with people bringing their pets on planes.

Also as of now you are allowed to ask if they are a service animal but do not have to show proof. You cannot ask what service they perform. I don't necessarily agree with this but I don't know what to do about that. As for charging for the animal, If they are a legitimate service animal that would be like charging someone to bring their wheelchair on a cruise.

Keep the pets a home and let them enjoy their vacation from you. If its a service animal that is their job to be there.

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As an owner of a service dog, it is illegal to charge more for a hotel. They are not allowed to treat us less favorably than a person without a service animal. Even apartments that are dog friendly are not allowed to charge an extra fee for a service animal.

I agree that I see people that say the dog is a service animal and it doesn't act like a service animal should. Please remember that a medical alert dog doesn't have to be a large dog. Since my dog smells for changes in my blood sugar, it is sometimes hard to stop her from sniffing other people. She has alerted on other people(neighbors) when she detects a high level or low level of blood sugar.

I do not bring her on a cruise do to her comfort on a boat and others reactions to her. I always have someone with me on a cruise to help me if I have an episode, and they are aware what to do. At home that is not always the case. I am unstable due to 6 major surgeries in the last 7 years. The pain management also effects my levels.

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You've obviously never been to Europe where having dogs in restaurants and pubs is perfectly acceptable.

My local pub is quite happy to allow dogs in the bar (where you can also get bar food like sandwiches) but not in the restaurant part of the pub - I think that is quite common in pubs in the UK

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We just got off Majesty today and there was a small dog in the Diamond Event/Lounge every night. The dog was a small Pomeranian mix and was dressed in a different outfit each night. The owner usually had her in her lap but sometimes would have her in a small carrier. I really don’t believe she was a service dog.

 

Sherri:)

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You've obviously never been to Europe where having dogs in restaurants and pubs is perfectly acceptable.

 

But they do not hold them in their laps and feed then from their plate.

 

The dogs sit or lie quietly.

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We just got off Majesty today and there was a small dog in the Diamond Event/Lounge every night. The dog was a small Pomeranian mix and was dressed in a different outfit each night. The owner usually had her in her lap but sometimes would have her in a small carrier. I really don’t believe she was a service dog.

 

Sherri:)

 

How precious. :rolleyes:

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I agree with charging a "pet deposit", but it has to be substantially more than $250. That is about what I would pay to board my dog for 10 days and I have a lab so I'm charged more because she's a big dog. Small dogs that can fit in a stroller or purse would be about half that. I would charge the deposit as $1000 to cover the clean up of "accidents" and the extra cleaning that a stateroom would need for any "accidents" in the room as well as the hair and pet dander.

 

Why stop at a "pet deposit", how about a "people depost" too. A grand each would deter unsavory things our fellow passengers do. Caught smoking in a non-smoking area, there goes $500 of the grand. Hog a lounge chair - $150 loonies, save a seat in the theatre - $100 smackeroos, butt in line at the buffet - $200 bucks, bang your door - 50 Benjamins! :)

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