traveling with a service dog on a long cruise

[muffyn]

need help ASAP. anyone take a service dog on a longer cruise? after all the hoops a family member went thru already & stuff was AOK, now last minute she is told she cant board the ship because she doesn't have health certificate for mexico, ( this is the last day on a 15 day cruise) & is not even getting off at that port. the health certificates are not good for that length of time.

... so is this new person wrong? I need some real experience with this.  I seem to recall when she originally talked to Princess special needs people they told her the certificate has to be issued with in 10 days of boarding.. ( someone jogged my memory by suggesting this), So why do they now say the certificate has to be good for the entire trip? yes, she is going to call again, but I wanted to know if anyone here has had experience with this. thanks

[Algebralovr]

Mexico has special requirements, as does Bahamas and a few other.  You have to have to follow the rules at the USDA site for importing a dog into Mexico.  There are two options, and you can use either.

 

The most accepted version is the USDA signed APHIS 7001 document, which requires the Vet and the USDA Vet to sign it.  

Option B does not need the USDA Vet to sign it.  Just your local accredited vet.

They waive the 10 day rule - it is interpreted as within 10 days of the sailing date of the cruise.

 

You always have to check the USDA site for the rules for each country you will stop in, and follow all of them. 

[muffyn]

Just now, Algebralovr said:

Mexico has special requirements, as does Bahamas and a few other.  You have to have to follow the rules at the USDA site for importing a dog into Mexico.  There are two options, and you can use either.

 

The most accepted version is the USDA signed APHIS 7001 document, which requires the Vet and the USDA Vet to sign it.  

Option B does not need the USDA Vet to sign it.  Just your local accredited vet.

They waive the 10 day rule - it is interpreted as within 10 days of the sailing date of the cruise.

 

You always have to check the USDA site for the rules for each country you will stop in, and follow all of them. 

thank you for the reply, can't figure out why the princess rep said she would be refused to board.  for my info, you mention option B,, how do you do that when the 1st option requires 2 vets to sign? where do you get the USDA vet to sign? ( I know when we went to hawaii, a vet met us at airport, another cruise to caribbean, we were not asked for anything in particular)

 

[Caribbean Chris]

5 hours ago, muffyn said:

thank you for the reply, can't figure out why the princess rep said she would be refused to board.  for my info, you mention option B,, how do you do that when the 1st option requires 2 vets to sign? where do you get the USDA vet to sign? ( I know when we went to hawaii, a vet met us at airport, another cruise to caribbean, we were not asked for anything in particular)

 

 

You have two choices for a Mexico port. I always have my vet do Option B. I get it as close as possibly to my ship’s departure date.

 

See the USDA site (link in Algebralvr’s post) for EXACT Option B wording which Mexico requires. Your vet can paste that wording into a blank document at their office, type in the blanks with your name, dog’s microchip, etc. with no abbreviations, and then print it ON THEIR LETTERHEAD. The vet should sign in blue ink. The form indicates where they sign it.

 

There is no second USDA office vet signature needed for Option B.

 

Take that to the ship along with a standard Form 7001 health certificate, plus any other destination country-specific forms on your itinerary.

 

You will have done what is humanly possible to meet the requirement.

[Caribbean Chris]

6 hours ago, muffyn said:

thank you for the reply, can't figure out why the princess rep said she would be refused to board. 

 

I have never sailed Princess. But I have been given incorrect information from other cruise lines.

 

Always work with a USDA-accredited veterinarian, and have them check with a regional USDA APHIS Service Center if there are any questions. They are our government’s export governing authority.

 

With complete respect to people ashore who work for cruise lines (I was one for many years), they are not experts trained in animal export laws. You and your accredited vet will encounter many date-conflicting situations, and you have to just do the best you can to comply.

[Coral]

I should add that that when we would cruise, I always had my Vet fill out and sign the International Health Certificate and then immediately went to the USDA office (which in my situation was in my home town) and had them sign it also.

 

Are you working with the Accessible Office at Princess?

 

Sorry - I used to do this all the time when my Mom was alive and we cruised with her Seeing Eye dog. My Mom died 7 years ago so I haven't done this recently.

[Caribbean Chris]

6 hours ago, Coral said:

I should add that that when we would cruise, I always had my Vet fill out and sign the International Health Certificate and then immediately went to the USDA office (which in my situation was in my home town) and had them sign it also.

 

Yes, some, but not all, countries in some cases want the US governing authority (APHIS) to endorse and stamp a health certificate.

 

(Very handy to have had it in your town. I have to send mine by overnight service with a pre-paid return overnight envelope to another city or else drive 4 hours each way.)

 

If it has to be endorsed,  the health certificate MUST by issued by a USDA-accredited vet.

 

The USDA APHIS office vet will NOT endorse a certificate unless the other country requires it. 

[Algebralovr]

From what I understand,  if the only country you are stopping in is Mexico, then you'd want the Option B.  It is easier.

If your ship is stopping other places, such as Columbia, Peru, etc, you'd definitely want the USDA 7001, which should provide you with coverage to Mexico as well.

 

You can always call your USDA Service Center, and ask for their advice what to get.  I've done that, when going to Canada, since the cruise line person said I needed it countersigned and the USDA Website did not.  I spoke to the USDA Service Center vet for my region, and she told me that they would NOT sign the document since we were only going to Canada, and Canada didn't require it.  She told me to print out the requirements for going to Canada (basically a Rabies license) and take that and my documentation, but that the cruise line would likely still require a USDA 7001 that was not signed by the USDA vet.  

That was easy for me, and no trips out of town to get it signed.

[Coral]

6 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

 

Yes, some, but not all, countries in some cases want the US governing authority (APHIS) to endorse and stamp a health certificate.

 

(Very handy to have had it in your town. I have to send mine by overnight service with a pre-paid return overnight envelope to another city or else drive 4 hours each way.)

 

If it has to be endorsed,  the health certificate MUST by issued by a USDA-accredited vet.

 

The USDA APHIS office vet will NOT endorse a certificate unless the other country requires it. 

I have taken over 40 cruises with my Mom and her Service dog. So I have been through this. We took the dog all over and were traveling with them in the 90's when this was pretty rare. Unfortunately my Mom died probably 6 or 7 years ago so I have not done this recently. I suggested the poster who posted on Princess's page come over here as I haven't done this recently. She/he had a question about Mexico.

[Miki_moto]

What are the requirements if you don’t live in the US?

 

[muffyn]

On 11/22/2019 at 7:30 PM, Coral said:

I have taken over 40 cruises with my Mom and her Service dog. So I have been through this. We took the dog all over and were traveling with them in the 90's when this was pretty rare. Unfortunately my Mom died probably 6 or 7 years ago so I have not done this recently. I suggested the poster who posted on Princess's page come over here as I haven't done this recently. She/he had a question about Mexico.

yea that was me

[Algebralovr]

I would call the USDA service center and speak to the vet.  Seriously.  Have the list of all the countries you'll touch, and discuss what you need.  

[wizard-of-roz]

I just came back from a Mexican Riviera cruise [Back to Back-First week was Calif. Coastal, second was Mexico.]  The immigration met with me and my dog on the morning we were to go to Cabo and NEVER looked at my paperwork.  They asked me some simple questions and examined my dog; they ran their hands back and forth over his back, they picked up his paws and checked between his toes, looked in his ears and then cleared us.

 

My paperwork was the Aphis 7001 form with all necessary information in regard to immunizations, HeartGuard, NexGuard usage, MicroChip Info., signed by my Vet.

 

The examination took 10 minutes, they left and we were cleared.

 

It is NEVER the same from cruise to cruise, and with different Immigration Officials.  There is no consistency.

 

Just be prepared with a well behaved, clean, dog.  I believe your dogs behavior plays a huge roll in how well the meeting goes.

 

 

[Coral]

On 11/26/2019 at 12:13 PM, muffyn said:

yea that was me

Correct - someone was telling me what forms I needed. I no longer travel with a Service dog, thus my post was saying "It is not for me".

Edited November 30, 2019 by Coral