Comfort animals?

It's my understanding, that NCL has now banned "comfort," animals. NOT service dogs, they are something entirely different. I was wondering what Princess's stance is on the issue.

My step-daughter has a comfort animal as do all her friends. She said it's easy to get a certificate stating you need the dog/cat/whatever for comfort. On another forum, one of the Princess passengers said there was a number of comfort animals on board with a few coming into the dining room. I've been where there was a service dog and it was great and easy to identify, I'm not talking about them. Have any of you seen an uptick of people bringing what is basically no different then any other pet? BTW: I have asthma and the thought of being in a room after a cat has resided in it, is frightening. This is one of the reasons smoking was banned in the rooms. Thank you.

I believe it was Royal Caribbean that banned comfort animals.

It’s not easy to book and get permission to bring a service animal much less a comfort animal. You have to produce documentation, pay fees, book specific cabins, make arrangements for a “pet potty,” etc.

I have no doubt that some people go through these hoops to bring a comfort animal on a cruise but it’s not as easy as bringing them into a restaurant at home.

I looked into the policy for comfort animals since my sister has one.

https://www.princess.com/news/backgrounders_and_fact_sheets/factsheet/Princess-Access-Makes-Cruise-Vacations-Accessible-For-Passengers-With-Disabilities.html

Emotional support animals are not recognized by the Department of Justice and therefore are not permitted on Princess vessels or in our lodges.

And yes, I have seen "service animals" on board that are very well behaved and provide a great service to those who need them. I have also seen animals that behaved more like pets than trained service animals.

My sister's dog is also a therapy dog and extremely well behaved. She has all the certified paper work and vest that are authentic. But they will not be cruising with Princess.

The ADA was revised a couple years ago to cover only Service Animals ... and it specifically excludes Emotional Support Animals (ESAs). Would seem these so-called Comfort Animals are more ESA than anything else.

To my knowledge, the only legal protection for ESAs are the Fair Housing Act and the Air Csrrier Access Act of 1986. Airline groups are trying to get the Feds to amend the ACA because do many peeps are working the system and airline stafg is facing a lot of issues: dog fights, biting, defecaging in the aisles, ets.

Problem is companies either are not aware of or are afraid to ask the 2 questions they may pose legally ... You have a disability for which you need a service animal? And, what specific task has that animal been trained to perform to assist you?

As to the passenger with the barking and costumed ratdogs tied to the lounger ... I would have filmed.it and gone to Guest Svcs.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J320A using Forums mobile app