Lagniappe: Canines on Seabourn, Carry ons on international flights, bus etiquette, etc.

[lincslady]

Since this is not the first time an obviously non-service dog has been on board, it is a potentially serious problem if Seabourn do not manage to sort it out.  I can see the problem if these entitled owners are able to produce some supposed written proof that they are actually service dogs, but there must be some way of dealing with it.  Everyone on the ships who objects should complain to Seabourn when they get home - maybe saying they will never cruise Seabourn again?  Could just help?

[SLSD]

30 minutes ago, lincslady said:

Since this is not the first time an obviously non-service dog has been on board, it is a potentially serious problem if Seabourn do not manage to sort it out.  I can see the problem if these entitled owners are able to produce some supposed written proof that they are actually service dogs, but there must be some way of dealing with it.  Everyone on the ships who objects should complain to Seabourn when they get home - maybe saying they will never cruise Seabourn again?  Could just help?

We are not the kind of people who will threaten to never sail on Seabourn again because of an annoying non service dog.  I've learned by age 71 to never say never.  Surely, the powers that be at Seabourn are smart enough/savvy enough to get ahold of this issue and find out what the airlines already know about fake service dog credentials.  I WILL contact Seabourn about what I observed.  I expect only a pat reply if anything. 

 

There was a cat in a carrier on our flight back home from Copenhagen.  

Edited July 2, 2023 by SLSD

[Sunprince]

In reading through this, it seems that many are offended by the presence of the dog. I am not, after all, it is a dog and he was out having a good time with his owner.  It is the owner that is offensive. We have experienced these type of people, usually without dogs in tow and they all exhibit the same personality - entitled, self serving, disruptive, offensive (sometimes violently defensive if questioned), loud, disrespectful to others and the list could go on.  They never change and have perfected how to live in the world as they see it.  Often being trapped on a cruise ship, where you see them daily amplifies the problem. Just look at the recent post on the Regent board where a fight broke out between guests and a “luxury traveller” had to be restrained. Active avoidance is usually the only solution.

 

As for the presence of dogs in public establishments, I am of the view where it doesn’t bother me, as long as the owner is respectful. Many get so uptight when they see a dog in a hotel or restaurant patio. I do not.  Doesn’t matter whether it is a service dog or not. Having just spent 6 weeks in Portugal we saw many dogs out in many different establishments and it was not a problem.
 

The problem is often with the loud, obnoxious patrons who yell and scream at each other in normal conversation, shout on their mobile phones in the middle of dinner, crash into your dining chair when getting into/out of their seat. I could go on.   So I would take a well trained dog any day over these people….which seem to be more and more common every day.

 

 

[saminina]

1 hour ago, SLSD said:

 I WILL contact Seabourn about what I observed.  I expect only a pat reply if anything.

You might avoid a pat reply by delaying the contact.   It was after a company sent solicitation that I listed a few reasons a return to Seabourn was unlikely.   Their response was personalized and positively surprising.   How many times have you read/heard about pat response to letters written following a cruise?

[Mr Luxury]

2 hours ago, SLSD said:

We are not the kind of people who will threaten to never sail on Seabourn again because of an annoying non service dog.  I've learned by age 71 to never say never.  Surely, the powers that be at Seabourn are smart enough/savvy enough to get ahold of this issue and find out what the airlines already know about fake service dog credentials.  I WILL contact Seabourn about what I observed.  I expect only a pat reply if anything. 

 

There was a cat in a carrier on our flight back home from Copenhagen.  

Meow

[Ithikan]

First, as to Lagniappe, thank you to SLSD for this word!  It is new to my vocab and I love it - very apropos to your topics.

And, to the canine on board:  people utilizing service animals (in the U.S. per ADA) are not required to provide proof that the animal has been certified, trained, or licensed as a service animal.  The service animal is not required to wear an identifying vest or tag.

However, we may ask "Is the dog a service animal?" and "What task has the dog been trained to perform?"

From personal experience both in and out of the workplace, I've found the "task" question is best for separating the 'therapy' and 'ESA' animals from the legitimate service dogs.  Folks with licensed service animals are well aware of the training required by both owner and dog.

Dollars to donuts the fluffy, white, table-browsing, toe-sniffing dog on your voyage was not a licensed service animal.  The owners should have been required by Seabourn to provide the registration paperwork.  It's on Seabourn admin to vet the documentation and if they did not, the subsequent discomfort of Seabourn's guests is also on them.

[lincslady]

It is one thing to take a dog into a restaurant or hotel etc. on land, but quite another for it to be on a ship, with no access to outdoors  for  'walkies' for it to perform its ablutions.  I prefer not to think about how everything gets cleaned up and dealt with - and no doubt the staff do not enjoy looking after the suites either.  

[SLSD]

2 hours ago, Sunprince said:

In reading through this, it seems that many are offended by the presence of the dog. I am not, after all, it is a dog and he was out having a good time with his owner.  It is the owner that is offensive. We have experienced these type of people, usually without dogs in tow and they all exhibit the same personality - entitled, self serving, disruptive, offensive (sometimes violently defensive if questioned), loud, disrespectful to others and the list could go on.  They never change and have perfected how to live in the world as they see it.  Often being trapped on a cruise ship, where you see them daily amplifies the problem. Just look at the recent post on the Regent board where a fight broke out between guests and a “luxury traveller” had to be restrained. Active avoidance is usually the only solution.

 

 

 

Almost everyone  tried to actively avoided these people on our recent cruise.  Unfortunately, they were everywhere!

[highplanesdrifters]

17 hours ago, SLSD said:

Meanwhile, I am looking for our next cruise and have not been inspired yet by an itinerary.  I'm up for suggestions.  We are avoiding the Caribbean and the seven day segment anywhere--looking for longer cruises up to 21 days.  Watching the news today, summer travel has become a nightmare--with over 100 flights cancelled at Chicago O'Hare--and that was early in the day.  We do have an international airport in Dallas--and we would love to fly somewhere nonstop.  Aren't we picky!

We love flying out of DFW. Our favorite domestic airport. Sadly not a direct for us. We usually pop in the night before and stay at the Grand Hyatt. The restaurant is quite good. We too are in the 21 day plus camp. One can barely unpack in 14. 😉

 

If you loved the fjords in Norway, you'll love Grenland, have you been? It's mostly a scenery trip with minimal critters, but oh what scenery. Important to go later, as in mid to late August. Ice can prevent you from going into fjords earlier in the season. Find an itinary with Scorsby sound.  Iceland is also amazing but can be crowded. Svalbard was interesting, but we had weather issues and I'm told that is common. 

We were crazy about our recent trip to Papaua New Guinea/South Pacific, we it felt changed us. It was right up there with Antarctica. B2B was followed by The Kimberlys/ Great Barrier Reef, which we loved.

Costa Rica to Santiago was interesting and easy. Direct AA DFW flights.

Forget the Carribean, I believe Silversea is now doing a French Polynesia circuit on Shadow. Heck just go and stay in an Overwater Bungalo.  I love French Polynesia. United has great flights out of SFO.

 

Upcoming:

 

Doing eastern med late fall while Turkey seems stable and avoiding crowds. Starting in Venice,  SB Encore

Cape to Cape, including Antarctica ( going back while we can 😀). SS Cloud

Guam to Santiago, SB Pursuit (we loved Venture, our favorite ship)

Circumnavigate Japan with a few extras,  SB Quest

Looking for:

Indonesia

Seychelles

Back to Greenland, ending in Churchill. 

Azores up to Western Europe

 

Would love to hear ideas from others.

 

Hope that wasn't TMI. 

Edited July 2, 2023 by highplanesdrifters

[SLSD]

38 minutes ago, highplanesdrifters said:

We love flying out of DFW. Our favorite domestic airport. Sadly not a direct for us. We usually pop in the night before and stay at the Grand Hyatt. The restaurant is quite good. We too are in the 21 day plus camp. One can barely unpack in 14. 😉

 

If you loved the fjords in Norway, you'll love Grenland, have you been? It's mostly a scenery trip with minimal critters, but oh what scenery. Important to go later, as in mid to late August. Ice can prevent you from going into fjords earlier in the season. Find an itinary with Scorsby sound.  Iceland is also amazing but can be crowded. Svalbard was interesting, but we had weather issues and I'm told that is common. 

We were crazy about our recent trip to Papaua New Guinea/South Pacific, we it felt changed us. It was right up there with Antarctica. B2B was followed by The Kimberlys/ Great Barrier Reef, which we loved.

Costa Rica to Santiago was interesting and easy. Direct AA DFW flights.

Forget the Carribean, I believe Silversea is now doing a French Polynesia circuit on Shadow. Heck just go and stay in an Overwater Bungalo.  I love French Polynesia. United has great flights out of SFO.

 

Upcoming:

 

Doing eastern med late fall while Turkey seems stable and avoiding crowds. Starting in Venice,  SB Encore

Cape to Cape, including Antarctica ( going back while we can 😀). SS Cloud

Guam to Santiago, SB Pursuit (we loved Venture, our favorite ship)

Circumnavigate Japan with a few extras,  SB Quest

Looking for:

Indonesia

Seychelles

Back to Greenland, ending in Churchill. 

Azores up to Western Europe

 

Would love to hear ideas from others.

 

Hope that wasn't TMI. 

Not too much information at all.  I appreciate all the suggestions.  Way back in 2005,  we sailed Silversea with a number of Turkish ports and we loved it.  Istanbul is one of my favorite cities in the world.  I often think of the Hagia Sophia--as its interior decoration told the story of early Christianity melding with older pagan religions in that area.  It was fascinating.  Also, the huge ramps for horses inside that building are like nothing else I've ever seen.  Our cruise ended in Istanbul and we had a private guide we were sharing with friends we were traveling with.  Truly memorable.  I'll look at the Encore voyage(s)

 

I've been looking at the Quest itineraries around Japan and they interest us.  My only concern is the Quest itself.  Last time we sailed on Sojourn (2019), I found it a bit down at the heels and wonder if I would see Quest in the same way.  

 

Keep the idea coming everyone.  

[SLSD]

2 hours ago, Ithikan said:

First, as to Lagniappe, thank you to SLSD for this word!  It is new to my vocab and I love it - very apropos to your topics.

And, to the canine on board:  people utilizing service animals (in the U.S. per ADA) are not required to provide proof that the animal has been certified, trained, or licensed as a service animal.  The service animal is not required to wear an identifying vest or tag.

However, we may ask "Is the dog a service animal?" and "What task has the dog been trained to perform?"

From personal experience both in and out of the workplace, I've found the "task" question is best for separating the 'therapy' and 'ESA' animals from the legitimate service dogs.  Folks with licensed service animals are well aware of the training required by both owner and dog.

Dollars to donuts the fluffy, white, table-browsing, toe-sniffing dog on your voyage was not a licensed service animal.  The owners should have been required by Seabourn to provide the registration paperwork.  It's on Seabourn admin to vet the documentation and if they did not, the subsequent discomfort of Seabourn's guests is also on them.

I first learned of the word lagniappe in a cookbook of all things.  It was one of Helen Corbitt's cookbooks (she was a well known chef for Neiman Marcus back in the 60s).  

[lincslady]

Recently Hagia Sophia has been turned back from a 'museum' into a mosque - I don't know if it has made a lot of difference in how it deals with tourists, but we certainly thought it was beautiful when we visited some years ago.  I fear it may not be as easy to visit.

[sfvoyage]

3 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

 

We were crazy about our recent trip to Papaua New Guinea/South Pacific, we it felt changed us. It was right up there with Antarctica.

 

Which company or cruise line did you visit PNG with?

[SLSD]

39 minutes ago, lincslady said:

Recently Hagia Sophia has been turned back from a 'museum' into a mosque - I don't know if it has made a lot of difference in how it deals with tourists, but we certainly thought it was beautiful when we visited some years ago.  I fear it may not be as easy to visit.

I think it was a museum back in 2005 when we visited.  I'll have to so some research to know for sure.  

[highplanesdrifters]

3 minutes ago, sfvoyage said:

Which company or cruise line did you visit PNG with?

We were on Silversea Explorer. A tad smaller than we like, but perfect for the trip. Sadly, Silversea sold her. The trip started in Fiji and also stopped in Solomans and Vanuatu.  I did a live on the Silversea forum.  Lots expedition ships covering PNG. Yell if you have any more questions.

 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

2 hours ago, SLSD said:

Not too much information at all.  I appreciate all the suggestions.  Way back in 2005,  we sailed Silversea with a number of Turkish ports and we loved it.  Istanbul is one of my favorite cities in the world.  I often think of the Hagia Sophia--as its interior decoration told the story of early Christianity melding with older pagan religions in that area.  It was fascinating.  Also, the huge ramps for horses inside that building are like nothing else I've ever seen.  Our cruise ended in Istanbul and we had a private guide we were sharing with friends we were traveling with.  Truly memorable.  I'll look at the Encore voyage(s)

 

I've been looking at the Quest itineraries around Japan and they interest us.  My only concern is the Quest itself.  Last time we sailed on Sojourn (2019), I found it a bit down at the heels and wonder if I would see Quest in the same way.  

 

Keep the idea coming everyone.  

Thanks for the tips.  We got a private guide for all the Turkey stops possible and a few of the others. That bus thing.🤣

 

I hear ya on the Quest.  Is she tired?  I dont know, but it's a great itinary so I'll try and overlook her warts.  Im more worried about service, food, and excursions.   Also, price is right. I'm shocked at how much more expensive Silversea us.

[lincslady]

15 minutes ago, SLSD said:

I think it was a museum back in 2005 when we visited.  I'll have to so some research to know for sure.  

Yes - a chequered history.  Originally a Christian church, then a mosque, then a museum, and just a couple of years ago - no doubt because of  the present political system in Turkey - a mosque again.  Still the same basic beautiful building, though.

[SLSD]

24 minutes ago, highplanesdrifters said:

Thanks for the tips.  We got a private guide for all the Turkey stops possible and a few of the others. That bus thing.🤣

 

I hear ya on the Quest.  Is she tired?  I dont know, but it's a great itinary so I'll try and overlook her warts.  Im more worried about service, food, and excursions.   Also, price is right. I'm shocked at how much more expensive Silversea us.

We will continue to consider the Quest itinerary to Japan.  You are so right that its the other aspects that matter most to us.  

 

In Istanbul, We loved the Top Kapi Palace of course--and there was a more obscure Church of the Virgin Mary which had fabulous and interesting frescoes.  There was also a small market right outside.  I still have the embroidered items I bought there.  We had a fabulous lunch overlooking the Bosporus.  Our guide made the reservations and we had the best view.  We let her order for all of us.  It is memorable.  I'm sure I'll remember more.  The Blue Mosque is a must see.  There is another palace (wooden) that I would skip.  It felt like a fire trap to me and it is much later.  There is the bazaar to see as well.  

Edited July 2, 2023 by SLSD

[SLSD]

24 minutes ago, lincslady said:

Yes - a chequered history.  Originally a Christian church, then a mosque, then a museum, and just a couple of years ago - no doubt because of  the present political system in Turkey - a mosque again.  Still the same basic beautiful building, though.

I just did a bit of googling and found this.  Evidently, the Hagia Sophia is a mosque again,..https://theconversation.com/hagia-sophia-has-been-converted-back-into-a-mosque-but-the-veiling-of-its-figural-icons-is-not-a-muslim-tradition-144042

 

We had no difficulty seeing the Blue Mosque (with a private guide) so perhaps the Hagia Sophia is equally accessible. I hope so.  

Edited July 2, 2023 by SLSD

[SLSD]

Just a note about looking for Seabourn itineraries. I usually use Chrome as my browser but it doesn't work for the SB site. I have to switch to Safari.   I am looking as we would like to book our next cruise soon so that we can plan around it.  Any suggestions are welcome.  We are open to sailing on another cruiseline--but it would have to be because of itinerary.  

[labonnevie]

SLSD,

The Regent Explorer spends a lot of time in Japan, both spring and fall. 
We took it for a 14 day Tokyo to Tokyo with a 3 day precruise in Tokyo this April. Can highly recommend both the ship and the itinerary (port intensive, only two sea days). 

[Vineyard View]

11 hours ago, SLSD said:

I've been looking at the Quest itineraries around Japan and they interest us.  My only concern is the Quest itself.  Last time we sailed on Sojourn (2019), I found it a bit down at the heels and wonder if I would see Quest in the same way.  

 

Keep the idea coming everyone.  

We were on Quest last month. She was quite lovely. We looked prior to booking and she was in dry dock in 2021. We did not feel like there were areas of wear and tear visible. 

[Vineyard View]

20 hours ago, Mr Luxury said:

Have patience,you will find something to your liking.

Pretty sure all the itineraries that are going to be next Spring are out there. I’ve scrubbed them pretty thoroughly between a few lines. It’s down to looking port by port at those we haven’t been to, and those we have been to on each. Seabourn and another line are the final two.  It’s the itinerary vs the preferred line (SB) at this point. 
That or a land trip. Which isn’t our first choice. 

[lincslady]

Back to Istanbul - if you have not already seen them, the old cisterns is a fascinating visit.

 

 

[Isklaar]

18 hours ago, SLSD said:

 

 

I've been looking at the Quest itineraries around Japan and they interest us.  My only concern is the Quest itself.  Last time we sailed on Sojourn (2019), I found it a bit down at the heels and wonder if I would see Quest in the same way.  

 

 

 

SLSD, Sojourn had been due to go into dry dock a few months after your cruise. Unfortunately with older ships it's not surprising to see wear and tear in the months prior to dry dock. It can of course give a less than favourable impression.

We sailed on her in December 2019, 25 night cruise. They had to cancel the dry dock which had been scheduled for a few weeks earlier due to Hurricane Dorian had caused huge damages at Freeport where Sojourn was scheduled for dry dock. Then of course came Covid. Quest and Sojourn went into dry dock in Genoa (I believe). I can't recall when that happened, if it was 2021 I guess they both will be in need of another dry dock in about a year from now. Something to bear in mind!