Dogs on the ship

[SantaFe1]

Ok, this is the sweetest dog in the world.  She loves ALL people.  She loves NO other dogs.  She is NOT hypoallergenic  Do you really want her aboard?  We pay big bucks  to have her well looked after at home.  If you can’t do that, then don’t cruise.  I am tired of this thread. ( sorry to be so grumpy!)

 

 

 

Edited April 3, 2023 by SantaFe1

[Camden lady]

25 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said:

Ok, this is the sweetest dog in the world.  She loves ALL people.  She loves NO other dogs.  She is NOT hypoallergenic  Do you really want her aboard?  We pay big bucks  to have her well looked after at home.  If you can’t do that, then don’t cruise.  I am tired of this thread. ( sorry to be so grumpy!)

 

 

 

Beautiful girl.  I have always had black labs....sweetest dogs ever.  Glad you have her well taken care of so you can cruise.

[millybess]

34 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said:

Ok, this is the sweetest dog in the world.  She loves ALL people.  She loves NO other dogs.  She is NOT hypoallergenic  Do you really want her aboard?  We pay big bucks  to have her well looked after at home.  If you can’t do that, then don’t cruise.  I am tired of this thread. ( sorry to be so grumpy!)

 

 

 

Same here. Loves people. Hates other dogs. We pay big bucks. Tired and grumpy. 👍

[SantaFe1]

5 minutes ago, Camden lady said:

Beautiful girl.  I have always had black labs....sweetest dogs ever.  Glad you have her well taken care of so you can cruise.

Thank you.  She is a Boxador, part boxer and part black lab.  We adopted her from the shelter two days after we got back from our WC in 2019.  She is now nine and going strong.  

[millybess]

3 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said:

Thank you.  She is a Boxador, part boxer and part black lab.  We adopted her from the shelter two days after we got back from our WC in 2019.  She is now nine and going strong.  

Our dogs have much in common. We rescued her from a shelter exactly 2 years ago. She’s half lab and half Doberman and smarter than us. 

[SantaFe1]

1 minute ago, millybess said:

Our dogs have much in common. We rescued her from a shelter exactly 2 years ago. She’s half lab and half Doberman and smarter than us. 

Oh dear, our dog is not.  She is the sweetest and dumbest dog we have ever had.  We say she got two hearts and no brain.  But we love her, as does everyone who knows her.  

[Camden lady]

8 minutes ago, millybess said:

Same here. Loves people. Hates other dogs. We pay big bucks. Tired and grumpy. 👍

That face!!!! Precious.

[millybess]

12 minutes ago, Camden lady said:

That face!!!! Precious.

And she’s allowed up on the furniture, so she’s a fit for Viking 😂. (Just kidding Viking!)

[Pushka]

If a dog had been in the cabin in the cruise before we embarked, due to severe asthma allergies my partner would know instantly if the carpet had not been properly cleaned, but additionally all bedding and soft furnishings would likewise need cleaning. The dog doesn't have to be in the room currently before he starts to wheeze and eyes start reacting. Past presence is enough. Is Viking prepared to accept those consequences? 
 

I love dogs. Until this, I have always had a dog in my life. But now I can't. 

Edited April 3, 2023 by Pushka

[Peregrina651]

Did you all see the e-mail from Cruise Critic with the link to their article "11 Bad Decisions That Could Ruin Your Cruise"? Would it surprise any of you to learn that "Packing All Your Clothes Before Disembarking" made the list but "Bring you pet animal" did not?

[TayanaLorna]

Who wants to go on a cruise?  Raise your paw.  Loves people, other dogs, cheese and sleeping at food of bed.

[Breckski]

FYI, here's the response I received from Viking:

 

Thank you for your inquiry.

In accordance with Americans with Disabilities act (ADA) and similar laws in destination we operate, Viking allows service animas. Guest who request a service animal must provide appropriate documentation to support the request. 

 

Request for pets or emotional support animals are denied, as per our policy. 

[Jim Avery]

Well then they are accepting junk as verification.  Toughen up Viking.  No dogs!

[Vineyard View]

I’ve been thinking about this and pondering how much detail to post here regarding the call I received from Viking in response to my two emails on this topic. It was a call with good intent, so I want to honor the fact that Viking is in fact a line that listens and responds to concerns of their passengers. 
The response, however,  was a bit concerning.  I will share in brief, as it was a lengthy dialogue. 
I was reminded that I shouldn’t always believe what I see and read on the internet, and that pictures can even be altered. I pushed back fairly strongly on this - in no uncertain words - that was not the case here. 
I was told that Viking is aware that there are currently concerns on CC that the dog was not fully vetted, and informed that it was in fact a service dog, as they do not allow emotional support animals. I pushed back that being fed from the table, on furniture, pool incident, etc. was not how true service dogs, and their humans are trained. 

I was told that only one dog per ship is allowed on board. Huh? I said that there were multiple dogs on board the Star headed to Barcelona. Again - not everything on the internet is accurate. I explained that pictures prove otherwise. 
I honored that while someone at Viking obviously had to have looked at and approved papers, that there are people who will take advantage of a loophole, basically not fully disclosing the truth, and that I felt that  owners on board could be somewhere in that category. Further, I hoped Viking would take this as an opportunity to button up their Service Dog requirements to insure this situation does not repeat. I also said that I felt that Viking owns this one, and it would be best to just do so and act upon it moving forward. It was confirmed that Viking will only allow true vetted service dogs on their ships. 
I sincerely appreciated the call. I truly do not believe that many cruise lines would be doing this.  I shared that with the Viking representative. I also stated that we have always enjoyed our cruises on and hope to again with Viking - but to please get this under control for the future. It ended on a positive note. 

[Hobson1754]

28 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

I was reminded that I shouldn’t always believe what I see and read on the internet, and that pictures can even be altered. I pushed back fairly strongly on this - in no uncertain words - that was not the case here. 
I was told that Viking is aware that there are currently concerns on CC that the dog was not fully vetted, and informed that it was in fact a service dog, as they do not allow emotional support animals. I pushed back that being fed from the table, on furniture, pool incident, etc. was not how true service dogs, and their humans are trained. 

I was told that only one dog per ship is allowed on board. Huh? I said that there were multiple dogs on board the Star headed to Barcelona. Again - not everything on the internet is accurate. I explained that pictures prove otherwise. 

So basically am I correct in saying that they are implying that the passengers on that cruise who reported various instances on CC which occurred on Viking Star were at best exaggerating - at worst lying/hallucinating and/or doctoring photographs?  

[donaldsc]

Some people are very allergic to dogs.  Some people are deathly afraid of dogs for either rational or irrational reasons.  Another thing.  If you have these medical issues with dogs dander etc and you are placed in a cabin that was occupied by a dog you may suffer with allergy issues for the rest of the cruise.  If there are no available cabins or if the only available cabin is a downgrade your entire cruise will be ruined by a selfish individual who insisted that they had to bring their dog with them.  I have never seen the option of selecting a dog free cabin on a cruise ship.  You can select a dog fee room in any hotel. 

 

What right do the dog owners who can't bear to be separated from their dogs have to impose their animals on people who have serious reasons for not wanting to be near a dog.  If the people have a case of dog separation anxiety they should either board the dog or stay home.  

 

DON

[KBs mum]

Viking told Vineyard View that only one dog is allowed onboard at a time, the obvious solution is for one of the ADA rooms to be the 'dog' room. After all, the owner of a service dog would have a disability of some sort. 

This room could be held back from general booking allocation in case needed. If not required for a dog perspective occupants can be warned about the possibility of dander. The carpet can be taken up and washable flooring fitted (which is better for wheelchairs and walkers) to make cleaning easier. 

All other rooms would then be allergen free

[FireEMT978]

My daughter is on a lot of immunosupressants and infusions. She is highly allergic to dogs and cats. As stated by others. Even by an animal previously being in the cabin, she will have bad reactions. There is an expectation, that we will not have to be in contact with these things while on our cruise. While we don't sail Viking, we have experienced these first hand on Royal.

[donaldsc]

1 hour ago, KBs mum said:

Viking told Vineyard View that only one dog is allowed onboard at a time, the obvious solution is for one of the ADA rooms to be the 'dog' room. After all, the owner of a service dog would have a disability of some sort. 

This room could be held back from general booking allocation in case needed. If not required for a dog perspective occupants can be warned about the possibility of dander. The carpet can be taken up and washable flooring fitted (which is better for wheelchairs and walkers) to make cleaning easier. 

All other rooms would then be allergen free

 

We are not talking about true service dogs here.  We are talking about "service" chihuahuas.

 

DON

[tobique33040]

2 hours ago, Hobson1754 said:

So basically am I correct in saying that they are implying that the passengers on that cruise who reported various instances on CC which occurred on Viking Star were at best exaggerating - at worst lying/hallucinating and/or doctoring photographs?  

I got the same impression! That Viking was implying that the OP was lying or exaggerating. I think that is offensive. And there was obviously more than one dog on the cruise originally discussed. I won’t blame Viking for the individual representative this time. But someone who speaks for Viking should have the correct information and not disparage people without the facts. I can take my business elsewhere, as can many others. And if we continue to see dogs sitting in chairs, I’m gone…

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

Thank you Vineyard View for sharing the information you received. It is good to hear Viking is responding, I am waiting to see if I will hear from them. I would have liked to hear that they are working on a solution rather than blaming inaccurate reporting on CC. I feel bad for those who have done a great service to all of us by bringing their dog experiences onboard, to our attention. Clearly we do not think you are lying and spending your time onboard photoshopping dogs into your photos. 

 

KBs mum, you are exactly right. It would be very easy to dedicate one room for service dog owners. Easy solution. 

 

I am very interested to see what happens on future cruises.....

[KBs mum]

24 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

 

We are not talking about true service dogs here.  We are talking about "service" chihuahuas.

 

DON

Agreed, but a strict policy would likely deter the yappy trip hazards. Also genuine service dogs will affect  allergies, so a dedicated cabin will make things easier for all. Dog has to go on furniture on occasion to alert/wake up person? Not a problem, room fabrics can be a different colour and washed separately. The person can be a bit more relaxed about shed knowing that those who are allergic won't be in the room next. 

Housekeeping will have one easy clean room rather than dealing with several carpeted rooms that a dog may have suffered an involuntary lack of control in

[Vineyard View]

I was hesitant to post because of that. Deleted it a couple times. Then determined that it is what occurred. My intent was not to throw anyone under the bus so to speak because I genuinely think that Viking is doing more in responsiveness than any other line, and I would not want that to cease. Oceania board had a dog on board last week - sounded similar though no pictures, and no communication from Oceania. 

 

I pushed back very strongly that I was certain this was not the case here, even though we all know it happens frequently in various situation on the internet.  When it was approached the second time, I abruptly stopped that path from going forward. 
 

I agree with KBMum that a designated cabin makes a whole lot of sense. In thinking it through, I do not know how they could actually enforce a one dog rule…..

 

I do know that if this issue continues, we will move on from looking to book Viking in the future. 

[chengkp75]

I wasn't going to return to this thread, but some "solutions" mentioned are just not right.  My comments, again, are in regard to service animals, not fake ones, and again I reiterate my belief that if a "code of conduct" was adopted, and enforced, via disembarkation, that most of the fake dogs would be eliminated.

33 minutes ago, Sunflower & The Scientist said:

KBs mum, you are exactly right. It would be very easy to dedicate one room for service dog owners. Easy solution.

What stateroom category would this one cabin be in?  What if the person with a service animal did not want to sail in that category, but wanted a better one?  What if the cabin was in an upper category, and the person could not afford that category?

 

Just like how most cruise ships have more berths than they can sell, based on lifeboat capacity, that is done so that those who wish to book more than two people in a cabin, can have a choice of category.  So, at the very least there should be one "dog" cabin in each category.

 

While, as I have mentioned that the ship's "internal policies and procedures" are not subject to the ADA, I don't believe that a "one dog at a time" policy would be found to be legal under the ADA, or based on Spector v NCL, as they would be denying accommodation based on the disability, since the presence of one dog does not "substantially interfere with the nature of the business", then how do two dogs?

[Vineyard View]

I was thinking the same with the one dog allowed statement made to me. How that could legally be accomplished. 
 

I had not thought of the cabin categories/ designated cabins though, and that of course makes sense. It would be a sticky wicket if only one cabin in one category was made available for all the reasons you point out.