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

[DUTRAVEL]

The CDC has updated the rules on dogs entering the United States from “High Risk” rabies countries. While a permit is no longer needed for dogs that have been vaccinated in the United States, the ports of entry are still limited.

 

From the CDC website:

 

Effective December 1, 2021, dogs vaccinated in the United States by a US-licensed veterinarian may re-enter the United States from a high-risk country without a CDC Dog Import Permit if the dog:

1.     has a valid US-issued rabies vaccination certificate;

2.     has proof of a microchip;

3.     is at least 6 months old;

4.     is healthy upon arrival; and

5.     arrives at an approved port of entry

 

All dogs that have been in a high-risk country in the past 6 months may only enter the United States through an approved port of entry, which includes all 18 airports with a CDC quarantine station: Anchorage (ANC), Atlanta (ATL), Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Dallas (DFW), Detroit (DTW), Honolulu (HNL), Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), Minneapolis (MSP), New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), Philadelphia (PHL), San Francisco (SFO), San Juan (SJU), Seattle (SEA), and Washington DC (IAD).

 

Edited November 19, 2021 by DUTRAVEL

[Disneynerdcruising]

Ok so I know a lot of people have had a good experience with the Bahamas Pet Permits third party website and I wanted to share my experience because at the moment it’s the opposite. I will say I applied outside of their service and upon realizing I can’t call internationally on my phone reached out to the service to see if I could hire them to follow up on it for me or if I could apply again through them. They said they would follow up on it for me the next day. So the next day I did not hear anything from them. The day after that I sent an email checking in and received no response, I emailed again about 4 days later and also received no response. About a week  and a half after they said they would follow up I messaged through WhatsApp and they did read it but have yet to respond. At this point I’m fairly certain I’m not going to be able to bring my SD with me despite starting the paperwork about 6 weeks before my trip which I will take the fault for since I booked the cruise very last minute. I would have appreciated more communication from Bahamaspetpermits considering I was wanting to pay them for their assistance and use them in the future but at this time I’ve got nothing. I’m got slight hope that maybe I’ll get the permit in the next two weeks before my trip but I’m really doubting it 😭

[Caribbean Chris]

Six weeks is never enough time to begin the process with the Bahamas unfortunately and you didn’t say whether you sent in for the permit initially by overnight mail. And they are currently short staffed in their office as it says on the Pet Permit website. 

 

You are asking for help outside the scope of the company’s service routine which requires you to send them the documents, a photo of the dog, a copy of the rabies vaccination etc. You get a bill, you pay, then they work on your behalf.  If you want them to get the permit for you, do that tomorrow. 
 

Otherwise, you can fax or email the Bahamas officials and if your phone doesn’t work, maybe your veterinarian should be assisting you. Your vet will will need to provide you with a health certificate anyway for your dog to cruise, and inspect the dog just before you depart to fill out a second Bahamas form required. 

[rpclmc]

I have caught up with the posts since I was last on in January.  Wow, I didn't know I had been MIA for so long.

 

I am finally, mostly, recovered from shattering my knee and ankle back in August, 2019 and having to relearn to walk.  Of course, I had surgery, hardware and cadavar bones.  But then I opted to have the hardware taken out of my ankle in July.  It was causing a lot of problems.  We did make it to our home in Florida March 2020 for 2 weeks.  My husband had a bicep tendon rupture resulting in emergency surgery back in Idaho.

 

I did go on my annual, of course there was the break in 2019 from the "annual", girls cruise in September 2020.  I so wasn't ready for that kind of traveling on my own and it was not enjoyable.  The crew was wonderful, they were so happy to be back.

 

Then my husband, Rich, got me to my home in Florida the beginning of October and Halo and I were here alone until he was able to make it out the 3rd week in November.   Our business landed two jobs in Alaska and he had to be on site for those and hunting in Idaho in October.  We will be in Florida until April and then back to our home in Idaho for the summer.

 

Halo is slowing down and I have applied for a service dog through CCI.  I do have a phone interview with them next Tuesday.  We have move and are in the process of remodeling (complete gut) of a small home on our Idaho property.  Our daughter and her future husband will live in the small house and then when they have kids we will switch houses.  She always said she wanted to raise her kids in the home she was raised in.  I just thought that was something young kids say.  Now that she is an adult, I believed it to be true.  Halo will retire with her.  She, her finance and her dog love Halo, it is so perfect.

 

It is so nice to hear everyone is doing as well as can be expected through this crazy last 2 years.  

 

Linda and Halo

[Algebralovr]

Greetings!  

Scooter is going to be boarded for a couple of weeks while hubby and I spend 2 weeks on a ship.  Things are just so uncertain right now, plus my favorite Celebrity ships have the box in SUCH a difficult spot. That and the Lawn is such an issue for my dog.... grass is meant to be sniffed then marked!  Just ask my dog!

 

Anyone, hope you all are well.  

[Caribbean Chris]

Hope everyone had a good holiday. We have been booked on a January 16, 2022 Hawaii cruise for more than a year (replacing our cancelled 40th anniversary March 2020 cruise at the start of the shutdown). But it was not meant to be.

 

Sadly my brother, who had Alzheimer’s, died Monday after a fall & hip surgery. So we have cancelled the Hawaii cruise and await word on the memorial service (complicated by the blizzards in the DC area where they live, and the numerous flight cancellations.)
 

I booked the itinerary because the first stop was Oahu and I could have the dog inspected there (versus the hassle of another port).
 

The people at the Department of Agriculture Rabies-free Hawaii quarantine division ignored my December 2 fax and follow-up emails. I believe that was  because the state had not approved resumption of large ships until yesterday. Meanwhile the arrival date changed - and the itinerary is still changing, ports deleted.

 

On top of all of this, our friends of 40+ years who were going with us now are in quarantine separately for ten days at sea in Cunard’s Victoria which is currently a quarantine service ship, They were on the Queen Mary2 Christmas cruise which Cunard suddenly terminated early at Barbados due to Covid cases aboard. Jim tested positive when Cunard decided to fly New York-boarding passengers back. 

 

All of this upheaval made it a relief to cancel. The dog wasn’t yet approved, and I couldn’t imagine being quarantined with my ten year old girl, watching her dog food run out. Too much uncertainty.
 

We have a Caribbean cruise in April with the above friends and it’s out of Tampa (no flights to deal with), so will look forward to that. Raylene’s blood Titre expires in June but I don’t think we’ll try for Hawaii a third time.

 

 

[DUTRAVEL]

5 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

Hope everyone had a good holiday. We have been booked on a January 16, 2022 Hawaii cruise for more than a year (replacing our cancelled 40th anniversary March 2020 cruise at the start of the shutdown). But it was not meant to be.

 

Sadly my brother, who had Alzheimer’s, died Monday after a fall & hip surgery. So we have cancelled the Hawaii cruise and await word on the memorial service (complicated by the blizzards in the DC area where they live, and the numerous flight cancellations.)
 

Chris, I'm so sorry to hear about your brother and that your friend tested positive for Covid. I hope he has an uneventful recovery. That must be so disappointing to have to cancel your cruise to Hawaii again, but it makes sense not to go especially since you are traveling from the East Coast and don't have the preclearance yet for Raylene. It's really unbelievable that we are still dealing with cruise cancelations due to Covid almost two years later!

 

I hope your cruise in April is a go. We enjoyed our Pacific Coastal in October and it gave me a lot of confidence to go knowing that we could just drive home if we needed to. By April, we should be well past Omicron. Next up for us is Alaska in September, hopefully Canada will be open to cruise ships this summer.

[Caribbean Chris]

Thanks, Diane. Alaska sounds great! And as you know, the greatest thing is having no paperwork hassles, just the health certificate. I’d go back again if it weren’t for the flights. It’s been a few, maybe five years now since our last Alaska cruise.
 

We’ve got a New England/Canada cruise booked for October, and I love that there will be minimal papers to arrange for there, too. Life’s complicated enough these days without all the red tape.

Edited January 5, 2022 by Caribbean Chris

[Mabbiez]

I decided to fly to Amsterdam from the US in March ahead of our April cruise. I am so nervous but let me explain.

 

My brother lives in Amsterdam. His boyfriend works with the vet there who can issues Mila her EU passport. I checked flights and they are super cheap to fly in March so my dad and I decided lets just go. That way we have Mila's EU passport before the cruise and we will be smooth sailing (pun intended). 

 

Our cruise is a transatlantic leaving from US and stopping in Portugal (maybe), Spain, and ends in Italy. The rules are very confusing. Knowing she will be prepared ahead of time will be such a relief!

 

We are scheduled with our vet to get her health certificate and everything. 

 

Are there any tips before we fly? I am trying to decide when to stop giving her food and limiting her water. I have read about 10000 tips but I like to be extra prepared. 

[DUTRAVEL]

On 1/22/2022 at 1:53 PM, Mabbiez said:

Are there any tips before we fly? I am trying to decide when to stop giving her food and limiting her water. I have read about 10000 tips but I like to be extra prepared. 

I think it all really depends on your particular dog and her habits. I have flown on several 11-hour flights to Europe with my Service Dog without any problems. It really depends on the timing of the flight and whether there is an indoor relief area nearby at the airport. Since I know her daily elimination habits; I know pretty much when she will need to use the relief area. I generally feed her breakfast as long as we have a couple of hours before the flight and she has a chance to "go." Since she is trained to go on command I have her use the relief area right before we board the airplane. I never feed her on the flight (but always first thing when we land). I give her ice chips towards the end of the flight.

[happygoldens85]

Has anyone cruised to Bonaire before? I have tried every Avenue to see what paperwork is *actually* needed. I guess the paperwork found on a tourism website isn’t the correct paperwork and there is none on the USDA website. I am having a hard time finding any contact info for their country either. 

[momof3cruisers]

On 1/29/2022 at 6:34 PM, DUTRAVEL said:

I think it all really depends on your particular dog and her habits. I have flown on several 11-hour flights to Europe with my Service Dog without any problems. It really depends on the timing of the flight and whether there is an indoor relief area nearby at the airport. Since I know her daily elimination habits; I know pretty much when she will need to use the relief area. I generally feed her breakfast as long as we have a couple of hours before the flight and she has a chance to "go." Since she is trained to go on command I have her use the relief area right before we board the airplane. I never feed her on the flight (but always first thing when we land). I give her ice chips towards the end of the flight.

May I ask you a few questions about the airport relief areas? We are still semi new to flying with my son’s SD. Thankfully most flights have been direct so we have him go at a quick stop right before arriving at the airport and he is fine. But we had a layover on our first flight and then a delay so we tried getting him to use the relief area but he wouldn’t do it. Part of the issue was the smell I know. Part of the issue was that there was a woman in there with a “service dog” who stayed in there the whole time and her dog kept distracting ours. He was approaching Max as he started to sniff around, whining etc.  He can hold it a long time and has never had an accident but the etiquette of it had me wondering. Would others have asked this woman to leave for a few minutes? At this point, we are all more confident in dealing with other dogs in public, and would definitely tell her that her dog needed to leave ours alone. 

[Caribbean Chris]

On 1/30/2022 at 5:40 PM, happygoldens85 said:

Has anyone cruised to Bonaire before? I have tried every Avenue to see what paperwork is *actually* needed. I guess the paperwork found on a tourism website isn’t the correct paperwork and there is none on the USDA website. I am having a hard time finding any contact info for their country either. 

I just saw your post so apology for delay. We cruised to Bonaire in November 2019 and I had the same concern. Our cruise went to Aruba and Curaçao as well, so I followed their requirements, including emailing their health certificate to the Aruba Director as shown on the APHIS pet travel website - they stamped and returned it very quickly. That paperwork all apparently satisfied Bonaire, as I had no issues going ashore. 

[Caribbean Chris]

On 2/15/2022 at 3:27 AM, momof3cruisers said:

May I ask you a few questions about the airport relief areas? We are still semi new to flying with my son’s SD. Thankfully most flights have been direct so we have him go at a quick stop right before arriving at the airport and he is fine. But we had a layover on our first flight and then a delay so we tried getting him to use the relief area but he wouldn’t do it. Part of the issue was the smell I know. Part of the issue was that there was a woman in there with a “service dog” who stayed in there the whole time and her dog kept distracting ours. He was approaching Max as he started to sniff around, whining etc.  He can hold it a long time and has never had an accident but the etiquette of it had me wondering. Would others have asked this woman to leave for a few minutes? At this point, we are all more confident in dealing with other dogs in public, and would definitely tell her that her dog needed to leave ours alone. 

My dog does not like the relief areas at airports and has refused to use any of them. I think it’s the chemical smell of cleaning products. What I do instead now is to purposely book longer times between connecting flights and leave the building to an outside patch of grass. My dog will go on scrubby dirt and just about any surface outside. Note that it is important to have TSA Pre-check to get back in through security faster to your next departure gate.
 

In your scenario, I might suggest to the other dog handler that it will be best if you take turns to give each dog time alone to try and use the relief station, and say so if you have a short connection to make. 
 

As you say, though, dogs can hold it for much longer than we expect, so it probably won’t be an issue.

Edited February 16, 2022 by Caribbean Chris

[DUTRAVEL]

On 2/15/2022 at 12:27 AM, momof3cruisers said:

 Would others have asked this woman to leave for a few minutes? At this point, we are all more confident in dealing with other dogs in public, and would definitely tell her that her dog needed to leave ours alone. 

Yes, if another dog was distracting my dog I would definitely politely ask if they would mind leaving for just a few minutes. 

 

My service dog has used the airport indoor areas with no problem; some of the outdoor areas can be unpleasant too. The outdoor relief area in Miami is terrible - lava rock and dog poop all over! I agree with Chris that it's good to have TSA Precheck because we have had TSA agents refuse to let us come to the front of the line after taking my dog to the relief area outside security.

[momof3cruisers]

Thank you for your answers! I appreciate it. Thankfully, we have mainly flown into and out of Orlando and they have an area like 3 minutes from the terminal. We stop there and have him go, then hop back in the car and are on our way. I travel a lot more than my son does and always make it a point to check out the relief areas. Some are definitely worse than others. 
 

Last winter, my boys and I went mini-golfing and Max (the dog) was not behaving very well. It was the day after we had arrived in FL after driving from MN. My son figured he was just off his game from being tired. He kept pulling on the leash and sniffing everything which is totally out of character. But they have a signal for when he needs to potty and he wasn’t giving it. However, once we got done, the first patch of REAL grass saw him going. Finally figured out that he was confused by the astroturf. LOL Pretty sure that was part of the problem with the indoor area. 

[denversees4me]

Hi guys been a while

going to Bahamas via cruise in sept . Applying for import permit now but it’s been a while since I’ve been and done the process so does anyone know if 

1- import permit fees are still waived if you write service dog on the top and attach a copy of your photo ID from the school where your dog was trained

2- I know Bahamas has a health certificate but do you need another health certificate on top of that or is it just the one that the Bahamas sends you back

my guy at Disney tells me the health certificate that they send back when you get your permit but I’m not sure if I need that or another health certificate on top of that. The APHIS website doesn’t make it super clear thought I’d ask her before I gave them a call

 

[Caribbean Chris]

14 hours ago, denversees4me said:

Hi guys been a while

going to Bahamas via cruise in sept . Applying for import permit now but it’s been a while since I’ve been and done the process so does anyone know if 

1- import permit fees are still waived if you write service dog on the top and attach a copy of your photo ID from the school where your dog was trained

2- I know Bahamas has a health certificate but do you need another health certificate on top of that or is it just the one that the Bahamas sends you back

my guy at Disney tells me the health certificate that they send back when you get your permit but I’m not sure if I need that or another health certificate on top of that. The APHIS website doesn’t make it super clear thought I’d ask her before I gave them a call

 

Yes they will waive the fee. However after past hassles, I’ve used “Bahamas Pet Permit” three times now and no longer dread the paperwork of going to the Bahamas. Wellington Saunders is efficient & responsive, and is worth his $57 fee to me because he reduces all the stress. He walks you through the process very helpfully and emails the approved permit to you to print.
 

https://www.bahamaspetpermit.com/
 

Get the APHIS Health Certifucate from your vet in addition. Bahamas may not need it but airlines and cruise lines do expect it.
 

You’ll need to see your vet anyway a couple of days before departure for the final simple Bahamas form IMP(1)b which your vet will sign, to accompany the permit.

 

 

 

 

[Mabbiez]

Mila is currently at the vet to get her health certificate! We are flying to Amsterdam in March ahead of our April cruise. I'm doing this to get her EU Pet passport so when we cruise in April we are all set. I am lucky that my brother lives in Amsterdam and his SO works for the vet who can issue the EU passport. Our cruise leaves from Florida and goes to Portugal, Spain, and Italy. I was freaking out about the EU passport until I saw some really cheap flights to Amsterdam! Now I will just be all set ahead of time! 

 

Thank you all for the great advice given on this forum!! I was so lost before finding everyone on here.

 

It's getting real now! I cannot wait to get back on a ship!!

[kymmyk13]

I need help. My daughter gets her service dog next week and leave for an Alaskan cruise in July. We leave from Seward and disembark in Vancover. I am trying to find what I need to enter Canada but it is all very confusing and I am not sure I am looking in the right place. 

[DUTRAVEL]

2 hours ago, kymmyk13 said:

I need help. My daughter gets her service dog next week and leave for an Alaskan cruise in July. We leave from Seward and disembark in Vancover. I am trying to find what I need to enter Canada but it is all very confusing and I am not sure I am looking in the right place. 

Canada is an easy country to take your service dog. Assuming you are from the United States and that your dog is over eight months old, all you need is a current rabies certificate. I also have my Vet fill out an Aphis form 7001 health certificate (you should also need that for the cruise line).

 

I am also assuming that you have already contacted the cruise line about bringing a service dog and that you have looked at your airline’s website for any requirements to fly with your service dog (e.g., the Department of Transportation Service Animal Air Transportation form). Be aware that your airline may have some different requirements if you are flying from Vancouver back to the US.

 

Here are links to the USDA and Canadian website with the relevant information:

 

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet-travel/by-country/pettravel-canada

 

https://inspection.canada.ca/importing-food-plants-or-animals/pets/eng/1326600389775/1326600500578

 

[kymmyk13]

20 hours ago, DUTRAVEL said:

Canada is an easy country to take your service dog. Assuming you are from the United States and that your dog is over eight months old, all you need is a current rabies certificate. I also have my Vet fill out an Aphis form 7001 health certificate (you should also need that for the cruise line).

 

I am also assuming that you have already contacted the cruise line about bringing a service dog and that you have looked at your airline’s website for any requirements to fly with your service dog (e.g., the Department of Transportation Service Animal Air Transportation form). Be aware that your airline may have some different requirements if you are flying from Vancouver back to the US.

 

Here are links to the USDA and Canadian website with the relevant information:

 

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet-travel/by-country/pettravel-canada

 

https://inspection.canada.ca/importing-food-plants-or-animals/pets/eng/1326600389775/1326600500578

 

thank you. we are from USA and flying back from Seattle. 

[rangeley]

Hi All, 

We are really jonesing for a cruise. After 5 cancelled cruises we are finally going at the end of May to Bermuda. We also have one booked for Christmas time. At the point where if we have to spend the week on the balcony, we are good with that. Just need to get away. Oakland has been the best covid dog ever. We just got him comfortable with the box and had to stop cruising. I pray he remembers what to do. 

Glad everyone seems to be doing well and getting back to cruising. 

 

Cindy

[Caribbean Chris]

Cindy!! So great to see your name pop up on the forum again! Glad you and John finally have a cruise coming up soon. Oakland will have a ball with all that attention.
 

We sail next month on a Caribbean cruise. We originally booked it more than two years ago for 2021, but were able to do the “Lift & Shift” Celebrity offered, protecting the price for the identical 2022 sailing.

 

We’re celebrating our 42nd anniversary while on board and the birthday of one of our friends traveling with us. They’re our Mah Jong/pandemic buddies and we’ll have four sea days to get in some games.

 

We’ve also got a New England/Canada cruise coming up in October and a holiday cruise in December. Making up for lost time!! I think these will be cruises #14, 15, & 16 for Raylene.

[rangeley]

On 3/26/2022 at 5:53 AM, Caribbean Chris said:

Cindy!! So great to see your name pop up on the forum again! Glad you and John finally have a cruise coming up soon. Oakland will have a ball with all that attention.
 

We sail next month on a Caribbean cruise. We originally booked it more than two years ago for 2021, but were able to do the “Lift & Shift” Celebrity offered, protecting the price for the identical 2022 sailing.

 

We’re celebrating our 42nd anniversary while on board and the birthday of one of our friends traveling with us. They’re our Mah Jong/pandemic buddies and we’ll have four sea days to get in some games.

 

We’ve also got a New England/Canada cruise coming up in October and a holiday cruise in December. Making up for lost time!! I think these will be cruises #14, 15, & 16 for Raylene.

 

Well Happy anniversary! Hope you enjoy the cruise.

 

We also booked a holiday cruise for next year. A 10 day that we had to cancel last year. 

 

I'm so excited to go in May. It's been over 2 years since cruising. Just when Oakland got the hang of it, we couldn't go. Hoping he remembers what to do.