Cruising With A Service Dog....everything You Ever Wanted To Know!

[S.S. Cruisers]

Outstanding Karoz and Ms. Brenny! I want to see fabulous photo's of formal night! Ms. Brenny, I promise not to tell Denver you are stepping out on him! What does Nate look like?.............:D:):p;)

[DisneyKidsDad]

And here I thought it would be quiet around here with those two away. Go figure. :D

[rangeley]

And here I thought it would be quiet around here with those two away. Go figure. :D

 

 

You know the two of them can't shut up. ;)

[trudle]

I hope you have a wonderful cruise. I don't have a service animal but just wanted to tell you, a cruise that I was on, had a service dog, a german shep. and the poor thing was sea sick---maybe your vet could tell you what to do if this happens. It seemed to last for about 4 days. Hopefully you will have no problems. The ship was the Dream, so it was a big ship. I know I have to take meds for the movement, don't know if they have something for dogs.

[S.S. Cruisers]

Trudle, welcome to our little world. I do not have a service dog either, but these people still took me in! Not to worry, Ms. Brenny (Brenda) is on her 14th (I believe) cruise. She has it down! She is the one on Wizard-of-Roz's avatar. Adorable, big, shiny Black Lab. She's a beaut.

I am sure all 3 ladies are having a blast.

[Latitude 20]

We started with a sleepless night

Thought the next day Roz would look a fright

Karen needs but little rest

She starts out early and does her best.

Roz and Brenda do their own thing

They're stopped and stopped, that is no fling.

Karen became the one with the word

She explains Brenda, Roz, and the absurd

Karen has no chance to have a potty break

She is busy talking, walking, no time for steak.

It's all working out, our cabin is huge, the food is great

Karen's massage day made her a bit late.

We're sorry that all of you did'nt make it this time

Maybe again we'll cruise with Roz, Brenny and Sunshine!

 

We miss talking to all of you every day and seriously are having a fabulous time aboard the Sapphire Princess. Tonight is formal night and we're "putting on the dog"! Off to our meet and greet now. Next stop San Franciso and the Golden Gate Bridge.

 

By the way there is a guide dog on board. His name is Nate and tonight he will be Brenda's hot DATE!!:D

 

Love and Licks

 

Karoz and Miss Brenda

 

OMG--I leave for a month or so and look at what you two get into! I hope you have a wonderful week and I'm looking forward to a full report and pictures when you get back.

 

Kathi

[Latitude 20]

Outstanding Karoz and Ms. Brenny! I want to see fabulous photo's of formal night! Ms. Brenny, I promise not to tell Denver you are stepping out on him! What does Nate look like?.............:D:):p;)

 

LOL--you know what they say--if Denver "likes it then he better put a ring on it!" Ms. Brenny--you go girl!

 

(I now have the funniest picture in my head of dogs doing the "Single Ladies" dance.)

Edited September 27, 2011 by Latitude 20

[S.S. Cruisers]

I'm sure Ms. Brenny is strutting her stuff! Like she has too.

[sunshine426]

To address some of your personal issues and concerns:

 

1. It may be quiet when we are not around, Daddy Disney, but it is definently not as much fun.

2. Nancy is correct, Brenda is very used to cruising and it is her "15th" cruise. She has never been sea sick or car sick. Our recommendation for dog's that do get sea sick are ginger tablets or meclozine prior to cruising and driving in cars.

3. Denver has no worries about Miss Brenda: She follows cruising's golden rule; "what happens on Princess, STAYS on Princess!"

 

 

Our day it started with a meet & greet

The folks were lovely and really sweet

The cruise director and staff were there

To share the stories of Princess Fare.

Brenda met a guide dog named Nate

And before too long they made a date,

They played and romped and pushed and sniffed

Next thing we knew someone was miffed.

 

Sunshine layed out amongst the sun

She made new friends and had lot's of fun,

Before she knew it, she was in a coma,

She then awoke to pizza aroma.

 

On the other hand, let's talk of Roz,

She cried, she whimpered, just because,

Sunshine told her to just let it go

Her sadness and worries were like melting snow

Her fear of losing her best friend

Were soon too come to a happy end.

 

Today is San Franciso and family for Roz. Sunshine is off to walk the streets and do some shopping and have some chowder on the wharf.

 

We will talk to everyone tomorrow. And don't fret, we have over 150 more free minutes. FREE MINUTES!

 

Love and wags,

 

Karoz and Miss Brenda

[DisneyKidsDad]

To address some of your personal issues and concerns:

 

1. It may be quiet when we are not around, Daddy Disney, but it is definently not as much fun.

2. Nancy is correct, Brenda is very used to cruising and it is her "15th" cruise. She has never been sea sick or car sick. Our recommendation for dog's that do get sea sick are ginger tablets or meclozine prior to cruising and driving in cars.

3. Denver has no worries about Miss Brenda: She follows cruising's golden rule; "what happens on Princess, STAYS on Princess!"

 

 

Our day it started with a meet & greet

The folks were lovely and really sweet

The cruise director and staff were there

To share the stories of Princess Fare.

Brenda met a guide dog named Nate

And before too long they made a date,

They played and romped and pushed and sniffed

Next thing we knew someone was miffed.

 

Sunshine layed out amongst the sun

She made new friends and had lot's of fun,

Before she knew it, she was in a coma,

She then awoke to pizza aroma.

 

On the other hand, let's talk of Roz,

She cried, she whimpered, just because,

Sunshine told her to just let it go

Her sadness and worries were like melting snow

Her fear of losing her best friend

Were soon too come to a happy end.

 

Today is San Franciso and family for Roz. Sunshine is off to walk the streets and do some shopping and have some chowder on the wharf.

 

We will talk to everyone tomorrow. And don't fret, we have over 150 more free minutes. FREE MINUTES!

 

Love and wags,

 

Karoz and Miss Brenda

 

Sunshine,

You are right about #1. :D

Glad you guys are having a great time.

[S.S. Cruisers]

Mornin' all:

Well DKD knows how to kill a thread! LOL. All that talk about being quiet while the ladies are away. So blabber mouth me will just have to start talkin'!

I wonder what the ladies are doing? One is probably up for breakfast, the other still sleeping in? I wonder what is for breakfast. Makes a big difference when someone else is cooking it!

The cruise is already on the down side. :( They will be home before we know it. Then we will get all the updates and some photos, I hope. Can't wait.

[rangeley]

Mornin' all:

Well DKD knows how to kill a thread! LOL. All that talk about being quiet while the ladies are away. So blabber mouth me will just have to start talkin'!

 

I wonder what the ladies are doing? One is probably up for breakfast, the other still sleeping in? I wonder what is for breakfast. Makes a big difference when someone else is cooking it!

 

The cruise is already on the down side. :( They will be home before we know it. Then we will get all the updates and some photos, I hope. Can't wait.

 

I can't wait to hear all about it too Nancy. Unfortunately neither of them can post pics so we might not see any :( I went home to CT so thats why I haven't been around.

 

I will also be glad NOT to hear any more poem/rhyming/rapping!!!

 

I didn't know Roz was seeing family along the way. How wonderful.

 

Glad you girls are still having a good time and can't wait til you get back.

 

We have been hoping the flight for our cruise would go down. We were going to wait til Oct and see if the price dropped cuz the planes are pretty empty right now. John finally said to book it the other day and to our surprise, the flight back just went UP 62 dollars a person! Boy I guess we just got lucky.

Edited September 29, 2011 by rangeley

[DisneyKidsDad]

Mornin' all:

Well DKD knows how to kill a thread! LOL. All that talk about being quiet while the ladies are away. So blabber mouth me will just have to start talkin'!

 

I wonder what the ladies are doing? One is probably up for breakfast, the other still sleeping in? I wonder what is for breakfast. Makes a big difference when someone else is cooking it!

 

The cruise is already on the down side. :( They will be home before we know it. Then we will get all the updates and some photos, I hope. Can't wait.

 

WOW...I didn't know I had the power to make women stop talking.

Now if it would only work at home. :(

[S.S. Cruisers]

DKD: LOL, then you could patent your talent!

[sunshine426]

Unable to post yesterday because we were far out at SEA...According to some of you, not far enough!

 

This ship is so crowded and full of seniors it makes Holland America look like Carnival. Apparently, this is a very popular venue and is so new that the "rest home" set couldn't resist it. That doesn't mean that we didn't have a screaming family of toddlers sitting right next to us. So guess which one never notices them and which one is not going to dinner tonight?

 

The following is for Cindy (because we know you would be soooooo sad if you didn't hear another ditty from us).

 

Through the fog our ship did go

Under the Bridge that seemed so low

The crowd did cheer, the bucket list was met

Talk to later lot's of food to get...

 

We've got to go, we're off to dinner, Sunshine toured the zoo today. Roz and Brenny continue to entertain all the passengers on board. They really should pay us as entertainers! San Diego was sunny and warm and we both had a great day. We are in the middle of two Holland America Ships and the Sapphire was the prettiest.

 

Talk to you soon. Tomorow is Ensenada. Might be a sea day for both of us! Sunshine is thinking of taking a wine tour, but her liver might say no.

Roz needs to complete her silver jewelry collection. Shopping for her.

 

Love and Wags,

Brenda and her two favorite women, Karoz

[rangeley]

Thanks for that last ditty Sunshine :D I hope Roz enjoyed going under the bridge cuz I remember how excited she was to do that.

 

Our last HAL cruise was the worst for seniors. There was maybe 3 couples younger than us and the rest older. I have never seen so many on one cruise. The guys didn't get any eye candy that trip!

 

I can't believe the week is almost over, that went by so fast. We miss you both.

 

I'm sure Brenny is loving her last cruise and enjoying all the love I'm sure she is getting from the passengers.

 

Be safe.:D

[sunshine426]

Buenos Dias Mi Amigos and Hello from Ensenada.

 

Sea Day for both of us. Sunshine found some sunshine and basked by the pool. Had a slice of pizza and rehydrated with water. Think my liver has recuperated enough for wine with dinner...

 

Roz and Brenda went out on the promenade deck and watched the sea lions bark at each other. Brenda loved watching them. On the way back to the internet cafe, Brenny spotted Nate the Great and they romped until their leashes tangled. Wild I say, just wild!

 

Tonight is our last night and although it is bittersweet we're both missing our men. We leave early tomorow morning. Roz is providing Sunshine with airport transportation...(do I have to tip her???) and then on home to Morey. Who will he kiss first:D Hope all is well with all of our cyber friends. Who get's to cruise with Roz and "Successor" in March? Let the bidding begin. Cash only or maybe milk bones.

 

Adios and talk to you soon.

 

Karoz and Brenda the Best Dog in the World (except for Sandy, Cooler and Mackey)

[S.S. Cruisers]

The cruise will be over soon.

It will be done for Karoz

and Ms. Brenny out under the moon.

Then we will have to just wait,

to hear the stories of the 3 cabinmates!

One is black and hairy,

Something tells me her's will be scary.

Two are blonde and strong,

I am sure they will break into song.

Monday will bring back the old grind,

Two life long friends they will find.

Hubby's, families and other "kids"

will want to here all about what they did.

I can't wait until we get the full reports............Thank you, Mrs. Sunshine for given us trailers while you were gone!

 

[wizard-of-roz]

Hi Everyone, I'm home after dropping Sunshine off at LAX, this morning. She'll arrive home around 10:00pm Georgia time.

 

It was such a fun cruising experience for me. Meeting Sunshine and her daughter's friend in Santa Monica for the "pick-up" was an introduction for the week that followed. We didn't know each other except for our writings through Cruise Critic and we both just knew that it was going to be okay. You know, one of those gut instinct things.

 

Sunshine's one of those people that you meet and are comfortable with right away. And, she makes friends wherever she goes, making everyone feel welcome and involving all. Having a Service Dog and walking into the public arena has made me a bit more shy and, unfortunately, "skiddish" to other people's reactions to me & my dog.....where Sunshine goes into public with a very cheery and bright outlook drawing everyone around her to her! She would "field" all the Brenda questions and made walking with a Service Dog so much easier for me!!!!!!

 

We had really great table mates for dinner. The husband was a retired fireman and his wife a charming, witty and chatty, younger version of "Sunshine!" I was surrounded by lots of talk of family, friends and good wine. Although I wasn't having any.......I got the great vibes from all of them as the vino was being poured with gusto!!!!!

 

Sunshine is filled with tons of energy and we both enjoyed trying to inspire Brenda to play. Brenda was definitely more tired than I had ever seen her before on a cruise. But, she remains a wonderful friend and partner to travel with.

The Sapphire Princess is a fantastic ship. I can't wait to get right back on her and go under the Golden Gate Bridge, again, in March, 2012.

 

I'm hoping that Sunshine's journey home to her hubby is a safe one.....I love her and I want to thank her for being such a wonderful cruising buddy!!!!!

 

Roz

Edited October 1, 2011 by wizard-of-roz

[rangeley]

Hi Everyone, I'm home after dropping Sunshine off at LAX, this morning. She'll arrive home around 10:00pm Georgia time.

 

It was such a fun cruising experience for me. Meeting Sunshine and her daughter's friend in Santa Monica for the "pick-up" was an introduction for the week that followed. We didn't know each other except for our writings through Cruise Critic and we both just knew that it was going to be okay. You know, one of those gut instinct things.

 

Sunshine's one of those people that you meet and are comfortable with right away. And, she makes friends wherever she goes, making everyone feel welcome and involving all. Having a Service Dog and walking into the public arena has made me a bit more shy and, unfortunately, "skiddish" to other people's reactions to me & my dog.....where Sunshine goes into public with a very cheery and bright outlook drawing everyone around her to her! She would "field" all the Brenda questions and made walking with a Service Dog so much easier for me!!!!!!

 

We had really great table mates for dinner. The husband was a retired fireman and his wife a charming, witty and chatty, younger version of "Sunshine!" I was surrounded by lots of talk of family, friends and good wine. Although I wasn't having any.......I got the great vibes from all of them as the vino was being poured with gusto!!!!!

 

Sunshine is filled with tons of energy and we both enjoyed trying to inspire Brenda to play. Brenda was definitely more tired than I had ever seen her before on a cruise. But, she remains a wonderful friend and partner to travel with.

 

The Sapphire Princess is a fantastic ship. I can't wait to get right back on her and go under the Golden Gate Bridge, again, in March, 2012.

 

I'm hoping that Sunshine's journey home to her hubby is a safe one.....I love her and I want to thank her for being such a wonderful cruising buddy!!!!!

 

Roz

 

 

Welcome Back Roz! :D

 

We missed you and Sunshine. I'm so glad you had a great time, and we all knew Sunshine and you are sweethearts and are not surprised to hear that. I'm sure she will be saying the same of you.

 

I was surprised to hear that you are shy in public with Brenda. I think it has made John the opposite. He is very outgoing and will talk to anyone and everyone. :rolleyes: My son always says he can find John by seeing a crowd gathered around him and Wex. Wow what fun it would be to cruise with 2 dogs. :eek:

 

I don't know how Brenny is but we have to go back to our cabin around 2 or 3 so Wex can take a nap. If we don't he will be bug us to death. Since Brenny is older I imagine she likes her naps too. Does she just sleep anywhere? Cuz Wex won't.

 

Im sure Morey is thrilled to have you two home! Hope he didn't mess up the house.:eek:

 

Glad you're back safe and sound!

 

Cindy

[S.S. Cruisers]

Welcome home 1/2 of Karoz! I am so glad you guys had a great time. It sure is good to know that neither of you were the sister to the hillside strangler! Well, one of you anyway, the other isn't home yet to substantiate it! :D Well I hope Mrs. Sunshine gave you back some of that confidence of being in public with Ms. Brenny. I bet she sleeps for a good long nap.

So, how was it going under the Golden Gate bridge? I can only imagine and dream of sailing under it! Perhaps, one never knows.

I will sit on my hands and wait for the stories to begin or continue I should say! Let em roll.

[wizard-of-roz]

Cindy, I don't know if "shy" is the appropriate word......I just get a bit "leary" of the folks who make bizarre comments [afterall, I'm not in a wheelchair, and Brenda's not a "seeing eye dog"....] so, the questions can be overwhelming, at times......"where does your dog go to the bathroom?", "what does your dog do?", "what's wrong with you?, "how'd you get your dog onboard?" and, on and on!!!!! When the reason I have Brenda is not so obvious....the public can't handle not knowing the answers.

 

And, although Brenda does get some napping away from the cabin, she's really not getting quality sleep. When we go to the cabin to retire at the end of the evening, she's exhausted and really sleeps like a "log" through the night! Sometimes it feels like I'm literally dragging her wherever I want to go.

 

She definitely has to potty more now than before...we go for lots of potty breaks throughout the day!

 

Nancy, going under the Golden Gate Bridge was everything and more than I expected it to be......it was an absolute joy. San Francisco is all lit-up at night [like a Christmas tree] it's such a great city. Then the ship slowly goes underneath, as cars are driving over it.....it doesn't look real....the crowd onboard is cheering like a bunch of little kids as it slowly glides under the bridge, looking like it's going to hit.....you're sure it's going to hit the bridge.....it's magical, absolutely a ride at Disneyland!

 

People had placed themselves on the top deck, where it was windy and cold, with views of the the downtown area and the beautifully lit-up bridge.....it's a gorgeous sight and so worth seeing. It was worth the price of the cruise all by itself. Sunshine went downstairs and carried-up chairs for both of us. It was like waiting for fireworks on the fourth of July. I highly recommend this cruise to everyone!!!!

[sunshine426]

I'm home! It was so good to see Rich and have his arms around me! Then when we got home Sandy was so excited to see me I thought she might pee in her pants. Except she doesn't wear pants! Lot's of wiggling and tail wagging and trying sooooo hard to keep all four paws on the ground. I finally had to sit down on the floor and let her climb on my lap!

I had a wonderful cruise. Just what I needed. Plenty of time to rest, catch up on my sleep and just de-stress myself. Of course having Miss Brenda snuggle up to me every day helped a lot with the stress. Roz is great. She was like the big sister I never had. Kept me in line, but was unable to convince me to sleep late or keep my bed side table tidy. I'm not sure she was ready for such a tom boy as I wear minimal make up and am more of a shorts and T shirt kind of girl.

I'll post more later. It was very interesting to walk in the shoes of someone with a disability. Roz and Brenda can't walk five steps without people asking questions or wanting to pat Brenda. Since Brenda was on her retirement cruise, she got lot's of hugs and kisses from everyone!! I called my self her "publicist or manager" and would walk a few steps behind them and deflect as many questions as I could. Had fun making up all the places Brenda could potty: What is your room number? In the trashcan, or my personal favorite: In the shower....I could never keep up the joke though and would explain about the mulch filled potty box.

Off to bed...see y'all tomorow!

[wizard-of-roz]

Wow! Sunshine, you got home early. It's so funny how towards the end of our cruise we both started to miss our men so much. This ship definitely had the classic "couple's feel" to it and every once in a while I would get teary-eyed and miss my man!

 

Brenda didn't just walk into the house when I came home, she literally leaped [like a bunny] over to Morey, it was cute to see. They really love each other and desperately missed each other's company. Brenda just stares at Morey, as if he's going to disappear.....so sweet! It's going to be so easy to leave her home with him when I go to get Successor and, to watch Brenda play with the other dog onboard the ship was pure joy!!!!

 

FYI Everyone: Something occurred on this cruise that has NEVER happened before......I received a phone call on the day that we arrived in Ensenada, at about 7:00am. The Purser wanted me to bring Brenda and all her paperwork to a dining room where Immigration officials wanted to check Brenda for ticks. Weird....this was the first time in Brenda's 15 cruises that we've ever been asked to do this. And, when leaving the ship, at the end of the cruise, an Immigration official asked to see Brenda's paperwork...again, this has only happened once before.

 

In light of this, I can't stress enough how important it is to have copies of all your dogs immunizations/flea & tick abatement useage/city dog license and any other documention from the training org. It got Brenda and me through all questions and exams quickly and without further checking.

The officials are cracking-down on our dogs and we must be ready with the paperwork to back them up!!!!

Edited October 2, 2011 by wizard-of-roz

[S.S. Cruisers]

Pft! Ms. Brenny, fleas and ticks? Really? Don't they know who our own Ms. Pony Pants is? The indignity of it all. Glad you had the paperwork all ready for them. As if they couldn't tell how her Mama takes care of her by that silky satin fur!