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

[HenryKisor]

Just make sure the California certificate has a serial number on it. 

[Lady_Jag]

Hello, all!

We just got home from a 12-day air-land-sea vacation with my teen’s service dog, Charlie. He’s an 18-month-old white golden retriever, weighing in at 93 pounds. This vacation was his first flight, his first cruise, his first time in New York, first time in Bermuda, and his first train ride! I have to say things went even more smoothly than expected, although I was VERY disappointed in the lack of education and accommodations by Royal Caribbean’s personnel on board.

 

Here are my take aways from the experience. (Warning, it’s a long one!)

• Flight: Southwest from JAX to STL, then STL to LGA. Delays with the second leg of the trip made the first day nothing but a travel day. We made sure to complete the FSA service dog travel form, which we presented at check in. Southwest was AWESOME at letting me, hubs, and our teenager pre-board together with Charlie so that we could sit in the bulkhead seats and have plenty of space for Charlie. We brought along his blanket and a yogurt-filled bone (no more than 3 oz of filling for TSA!) so that he had something to lick and chew during takeoff and landing and also to keep him occupied during the flight.
  Speaking of TSA - I packed the kibble for each of Charlie’s meals into 24 separate zip top bags, then spread the food bags out across all our checked luggage and carry-ons so that we wouldn’t be pinged for overweight luggage, and wouldn’t be up a creek if any bag got lost. It worked out brilliantly, except TSA pinged the food bags in the carry-on luggage when they went through X-ray, and our carry-ons got searched. Also, my teenager was wanded instead of passing through the scanner, and Charlie was thoroughly patted down. However, it was a quick process, and my teen didn’t have to be touched, except for a check of their palms for residue.
   
• Airports: All the airports had “relief stations;” some way nicer than others. JAX had a full out lounge with hand washing stations, benches and rocking chairs for us hoo-mans, litter boxes for traveling kitties, and a huge span of artificial turf with fake fire hydrant, poo bags, and trash cans for the pups. The place also has a great drainage system and separate ventilation system so that no odors permeated to the main terminal area. STL had a way smaller version of the artificial turf and fake fire hydrant, hand washing station, and poo bags/trash can, but no place or room to sit. It was pretty much an open area tucked away off an inconspicuous hallway, but was well marked and kept clean. On the opposite end of the spectrum was the LGA relief area. Oooof! Hubs and I opened the door to follow our teen and Charlie inside, and quickly backed out of the room and closed the door! It was basically a closet converted to a doggie waste dump. It reeked horribly, and the smell permeated outside the closed door. Needless to say, Charlie and his handler did not want to stick around long enough to “go.”
   
• Car transportation/taxi: This was the biggest challenge of the entire trip, so I did as much preplanning as possible. We live over an hour from JAX airport, so I rented a small SUV from Budget rentals near our house the day before to turn in at the airport the next morning. Brilliant plan, if I do say so myself. Lol! We we’re able to load up all 10 of our bags the night before, and it was cheaper than an Uber or Lyft.
  I also prearranged a private car to pick us up at the airport in NYC and take us to our hotel. I booked through GoAirLink because the rate was all inclusive: fare, tax, and tip. I tried to prebook another private car company to take us to the cruise port from our hotel later that week, but the companies I contacted were either booked that day or, in the case of one company in particular, wanted to charge me a $35 “pet fee,” despite multiple arguments about Charlie being a service dog, not a pet. In the end, the brilliant concierge at our hotel arrange for a Cadillac Escalade to take us from Manhattan to the cruise port for only $95. We we’re so impressed, we got the driver’s card an called him when our ship returned to the cruise port so he could take us to our post-cruise hotel in the Chelsea area of NYC.
  As for Bermuda, Charlie stayed on board with hubs the first day (since dogs aren’t allowed on the beaches at this time), while the teenager and I attended a Girl Scout/Girl Guide international cultural exchange and beach cleanup. That was just as well, as the poor boy was very seasick from the rough seas the night before, and needed the day to recuperate. The second day in Bermuda, I hired the only Pet Taxi in Bermuda for the day. The owner/driver, Paul, was super nice and took us to BAMZ (Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo) on the other side of the island, telling us about Bermuda history and points of interest along the way. I would HIGHLY recommend contacting him for anyone traveling to Bermuda with a service dog!
   
• RCI Adventure of the Seas: Gotta say I was unimpressed with the available information and accommodations. I contacted RCI multiple times in the months leading up to our cruise, and had to piece together the little bits of information I received from each person I spoke to. Charlie is a spoiled country boy with a big 1.5 acre yard of grass to relieve himself in, so I requested a couple of times 3-4 months prior for sod to be provided in the relief box. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting such a miracle, but did have a small hope that maybe if I asked nicely way in advance, Charlie might get his wish. As a Plan B, I got a plastic baby pool, cut drain holes all through the bottom, and filled it with mulch so that we could get Charlie used to the concept at home. Nope. Dang dog will EAT the mulch, but no use the pool for its intended purpose. And why should he? I mean, there’s all that grass around the pool for his enjoyment, after all. Lol!
  Plan C - I brought puppy pads for those “just in case” moments. Nope. He eats those too!
  Plan D - I brought a large rubber backed mat of artificial grass along. Nope. Charlie loves to rub all over it, but would not “go” on it.
  As it turns out, though, the 3.5 days we spent in Manhattan was all he needed. Poor guy was so lost in this concrete jungle with not a blade of grass to be seen anywhere! It took about a day, but he learned to use the tiny areas around some of the trees when he had to pee, and just let it go on the concrete when nature called on line #2.
  So the folks at the pier were super nice when we checked in. I provided the RCI service dog form, the US APHIS health form, and the Bermuda Import Certificate, along with Charlie’s rabies vaccination certificate and shots records. I had these at the ready, along with the stack of other paperwork required to sail: For each of Charlie’s Hoo-mans, I needed to provide a Bermuda Visa, negative Covid test, passport, vaccination card, and RCI boarding pass.
  On the ship, the tiny relief box was located at the very back of the ship in deck 4. (Too bad our room was at the very front of the ship on deck 9.) When we got there, the box had just a tiny bit of mulch in it, which Charlie reluctantly agreed to pee in, but would never poo in. (Instead, he would go just outside the box.) By the end of the second day, Charlie was disgusted by the lack of mulch and would only put his front paws in the box to pee in it. Can’t say I blame him, as with such little filler, the pee started seeping through the joints and running out onto the deck.
  I went to guest services and ask that they refresh and refill the relief box. Try as they might, no one at the desk had any understanding of what I was asking. Finally, one of the reps put me on the phone with the person in charge of their special services/disabilities department so I could make my request, and there was a full box of new mulch by the next morning.
  So you’re probably wondering what was the problem with the relief accommodations, right? Well, both of our days at sea had some very choppy waves - 6’-10’ swells, in fact! That meant we were climbing and dropping 12’-20’ feet through the night! Add to it rain and high winds, and it makes for a very hazardous deck surface, especially for someone like my teenager who has mobility issues. Anyway, such weather caused the doors on deck 4 of one side of the ship to be locked and marked “closed due to weather,” so my teenager would use the doors on the opposite side in deck 4 and walk Charlie “the long way” to the relief box. Okay, not ideal, but still manageable. 
  Unfortunately, the crew decided that when the one side was closed due to weather, it was a great time to close the doors on the other side of deck 4 for maintenance! Which meant we had to walk Charlie to the relief box through the water, suds, and chemicals they were spraying all over the deck, creating a fall hazard for even the most balanced people! My teenager was enraged, and after sloshing back to the promenade inside, marched straight to the Guest Services desk to complain. Then it got even uglier. 
  When my teenager explained the issue to the clerk at the desk, the clerk couldn’t understand, and retrieved a manager. The manager heard the complaint, then walked my teenager down to the roped off maintenance area on deck 4 and said, “see, you just have to go around.” Ummm what?!? My child was furious and later told me, “I hope Charlie poops in front of the Guest Services desk so I can tell the manager to ‘just go around!’” 
   
• Amtrak: Charlie’s 2nd favorite mode of transportation! We took the train from Moynhain station in NYC to Jax, which turned out to be a 22-hour trip. Because it was a long overnight trip, I bought tickets for the sleeper car. Charlie, the teenager and I had a full bedroom with camper-style bathroom, and hubs had a Roomette, which was about half the size but still comfortable. When I booked, I asked for an accessible room, but Amtrak wouldn’t allow it unless one occupants needed a wheelchair or walker. The room was tight, especially when the couch was pulled out to be made into a bed, but we managed. The only problem we had was that unlike airports, train stations have no pet relief areas. Worse, there were only a few stops along the route that afforded us enough time to walk Charlie onto the platform for some relief. Given most of the platforms were nothing but concrete, though, Charlie didn’t get much relief. However, the Amtrak employees were great and made sure to give us a heads up for the available stops, and which had some grass for Charlie.
   
• Ports of Call: NYC
  So NYC wasn’t a port of call per se, but it’s worth mentioning that we saw a Broadway and an off Broadway show with Charlie during our pre- and post-cruise visit. For both shows, I purchased tickets at least a month prior through a discount site offered by my workplace. For both, I requested assistance seating, and for both, I was told none was available but we should be fine if we got aisle seats. So I got Beetlejuice tickets with aisle seats in the Mezzanine of the Marquis Theatre. Not a good fit. Literally.  Even though the theater is a bit more modern than most Broadway theaters and have bigger seats and leg room, Charlie just couldn’t fit in front of or under the seats. Instead, he sort of oozed into the aisle and onto the steps. Just after the show started, an usher, the theater manager, and someone from security approached my teenager and carted my kiddo and Charlie out of the theater. The manager apologized and said that Charlie could not be in the aisle because it posed a fire hazard, and asked what they could do to accommodate him and my teen. They wound up moving my kiddo and Charlie to accessible seats just behind the orchestra section downstairs, and the usher sought us out to make sure we knew they were taking good care of the SD team.
  The other show we saw was Blue Man Group at the much older Astor Palace Theatre. Being an older theater, there were absolutely no accessible seats. In fact, one guy arrived in a wheelchair and was carried up and down the theater stairs. Anyway, when we arrived, the usher noticed Charlie and asked where our seats were. I showed her our tickets, and she said “we’re not sold out, so let me check with the box office and see if I can get you better seats.” I thanked her and told her that even if we had to split up so that Charlie and his handler were accommodated, we would be okay with that. When she came back, she gave us 2 options: 4 seats together on an aisle mid orchestra section, or 2 seats just behind the poncho section near an exit door, so there was much more leg room. We agreed to the exit door seats for Charlie and my kiddo, and hubs and I went back to our original seats in the upper mezzanine. Well, before the show started, the usher returned and said, “I have good news - I convinced the people in the downstairs row to move down, so if you want, you can all sit together.” Wow! Yeah! Great seats and great view. Charlie did well throughout the show,  for the most part, although we had to snag a marshmallow thrown at us so that Charlie wouldn’t eat it. 
  The biggest challenge came at the end, when the perfect storm had Charlie jumping into my child’s lap and trying to climb over the seats. There was very loud bass and drums, heavy strobe lights, and paper ribbons being shot out throughout the audience from the BMG who were in various locations in the aisle. Taken individually, Charlie would have been able to handle it. But when all the stimuli came together at one time, Charlie freaked out. Poor boy! He was fine once the house lights came back on, but needless to say, Charlie was not a fan of the show.
   
• Ports of Call: Bermuda
  I stressed a lot over all the paperwork required for bridging Charlie to Bermuda. But everything worked out okay, and I had everything I needed. The first day there, when my teen and I left the ship without Charlie, we were flagged on the way out when we scanned our cards. I pointed out that the dog was not with us, so security cleared the flag, and we were never pinged again, even when Charlie was with us the next day.
  As I mentioned, I arranged ahead of time for the Pet Taxi to transport us to BAMZ.The folks at BAMZ were incredibly nice and accommodating, and when we purchased admission said there was no charge for our disabled teenager. Charlie was great and really loved the fish and seals. The lemurs, on the other hand, despised him and congregated near us to glare and growl at him. I led Charlie out of the exhibit so that hubs and the teenager could see the lemurs when they were undisturbed and not so p*$$3d off. I later found out that Charlie was not allowed in the lemur exhibit for exactly that reason, but no one told us that until after the fact. (Oops!) So word of caution - don’t take a service dog into the lemurs exhibit, because it upsets the lemurs. (All other exhibits are fine.)
   
• Miscellaneous: Even though I didn’t need them, I was glad that I looked up and added to my phone the numbers of emergency vets in NYC and Bermuda. Charlie’s seasickness had me extremely concerned on the ship, and I considered calling the Bermuda vet and asking Paul to take us to their clinic that Sunday. Fortunately, though, once we were off the ship and Charlie was able to get to dry land and green grass, he perked up a lot and was back to his normal self almost immediately. I was also glad to have purchased trip insurance, even though we didn’t need it. Since Charlie is a service dog, our trip insurance would have reimbursed us for any emergency veterinary visits.

Edited July 31, 2022 by Lady_Jag

[DUTRAVEL]

1 hour ago, Lady_Jag said:

Thanks for your very thorough review Lady_Jag. I’m glad that in the end almost everything worked out for your son and his service dog. I have found with the cruise ships I just don’t take no for an answer and generally things are worked out to our satisfaction. 

[rpclmc]

I did accepted to receive a dog from Canine Companions for Independence (CCI).  12-20 months before I get invited to the team training.  My schedule is very flexible, but I did have to let them know that September 2023 will NOT work.  My only child, daughter, get married the end of next September and I kind of thought it would be important to be available for that.

 

Halo stayed with our daughter and fiance, they live with us right now, when I was in Hawaii for 3 weeks with my husband.  He was there for 2 months on a job.  Halo did not want to come back in, there is an apartment out back they are staying in, when I got back.  Confirming he is going to do great with them in retirement.

 

We are heading back to our home in Florida in November.  My husband and I have a 6 day cruise in November.  We are bringing friends with to our Florida house to watch Halo while we are gone.  Flying back and forth is just too hard on me, so we thought having the friends stay with Halo while we cruise, my husband does not like to cruise with Halo was a better option than leaving him in Idaho and coming back for him to fly back to Florida.  And then we will do some stuff with the friends, fishing, St Augustine, beaches, etc. before they fly back to Idaho.

 

Linda and Halo

[Algebralovr]

Greetings all!  I realized it was over a month since someone posted here so I wanted to see how everyone is doing.

Scooter is doing well.  He has his days when he doesn’t want to work, and other days when he is glued to my hip and incredibly helpful.  He does struggle a bit with the fact that far too many days I just don’t do anything but lay on the sofa.  He is still young enough (nearly 7) that he wants more activity than I often have the energy for.  Between the RA and the NETs, they suck out my energy.   He at least makes me get up and move every couple of hours to take him out in the daytime.  Good for both of us. 
 

I picked up a discount cruise on Celebrity Solstice for October.  Scooter will stay home.  While he travels fine by car, the planes are an issue, and the lawn on the Celebrity ships is totally forbidden, with good reason.  We managed to get an points booking on a non-stop flight in Southwest from STL to LAX to get to the cruise.  Hopefully I can walk when we get off the flight…. Since it will be a long one.  
 

I’ll think of Roz when we go to the Port of San Pedro,  I recall that was her favorite embarkation port, and an easy drive for her to get to. 

[Insuregal]

Best wishes for a pleasant journey!

 

Roz was such a special lady, always trying to help each one of us.  Sure do miss her...

[DUTRAVEL]

Just returned from our Alaskan cruise roundtrip on Celebrity out of Vancouver. We experienced the usual issue with the relief box being in a location inaccessible to wheelchairs. We were able to get that issue resolved and all went smoothly from there. My Vet provided a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection for Alaska and no one questioned our paperwork. I was asked for service dog identification at Customs at YVR upon entering Canada. It wasn’t a problem since I do have a Guide Dog and Service Dog ID issued by the Provence of British Columbia (I assume they would have also accepted my ID from Canine Companions).

 

Neither Canadian Customs or US Customs asked about the dog food I was carrying with us (even though I had checked the box on both customs forms). I was asked to show Henri’s rabies certificate at US Customs to embark at Canada place, but was not asked to show it at US Customs at YVR. So basically, I was asked for different things each time at Customs (or nothing at all).

[alexspepa]

On 10/4/2021 at 9:09 PM, Caribbean Chris said:

Thanks so much for posting those photos of Roz and Sunshine. It’s still unreal that Roz is gone.

Hey Chris it's Keith...I am so sorry to hear of Roz's passing but I have been reading your posts and oh boy would she have been so proud of you. 

For those of you who don't know me I'm a lurker...no Service Dog  I was Lucy's service human...

Anyway Chris I think you lived down where everything hit so I hope you are OK? 

[Caribbean Chris]

Hi Keith! So great to hear from you! We DO live in SW Florida and had a scary time in our “safe room” closet with Raylene curled up next to me on Wednesday. But we are so thankful to have been spared what happened further south of us. We have some minor property damage and it may take weeks to get repairs but our house itself is unscathed. Same us true throughout our neighborhood. We have water but no power, but we are alive and well.

[alexspepa]

12 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

Hi Keith! So great to hear from you! We DO live in SW Florida and had a scary time in our “safe room” closet with Raylene curled up next to me on Wednesday. But we are so thankful to have been spared what happened further south of us. We have some minor property damage and it may take weeks to get repairs but our house itself is unscathed. Same us true throughout our neighborhood. We have water but no power, but we are alive and well.

Chris - so happy that you and your husband and Raylene are OK...please give Raylene a hug for me (and your husband too).

I just read through all the posts about Roz passing and also the obits and stories her grand-kids posted. What a great lady beyond what we knew here! I'm pretty sure this is still the longest thread on CC and that's just a minor part of her life story. 

BTW - if anyone has not read it...look up and find her post about the bank robbery with Brenda (i'm pretty sure it was Brenda)?

Also she included all us non-Service Dog peoples when she talked to us; because of her I am a huge Service Dog advocate and I try in my own inadequate way to educate people as much as I can to what these wonderful animals do, and also what our responsibilities are when we encounter them and their owners.

Chris remembers how devoted I was to our first dog Lucy( after 20 years of saying we were not Dog People). I would always tell people we were Lucy's Service People not the other way around. I put the caps in on purpose when talking about these great creatures. 

Thanks to all of you who continue to keep this thread going.

Keith

[Caribbean Chris]

On 9/26/2022 at 6:43 PM, DUTRAVEL said:

Just returned from our Alaskan cruise roundtrip on Celebrity out of Vancouver. We experienced the usual issue with the relief box being in a location inaccessible to wheelchairs. We were able to get that issue resolved and all went smoothly from there. My Vet provided a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection for Alaska and no one questioned our paperwork. I was asked for service dog identification at Customs at YVR upon entering Canada. It wasn’t a problem since I do have a Guide Dog and Service Dog ID issued by the Provence of British Columbia (I assume they would have also accepted my ID from Canine Companions).

 

Neither Canadian Customs or US Customs asked about the dog food I was carrying with us (even though I had checked the box on both customs forms). I was asked to show Henri’s rabies certificate at US Customs to embark at Canada place, but was not asked to show it at US Customs at YVR. So basically, I was asked for different things each time at Customs (or nothing at all).

Diane, I’m so glad your trip went well! For me, Alaska was such a great trip for service dogs since the tour operators are used to  US laws regarding disability accommodations. And the paperwork was less hassle than usual. Where to next?

[Caribbean Chris]

On 7/30/2022 at 10:38 PM, Lady_Jag said:

Hello, all!

We just got home from a 12-day air-land-sea vacation with my teen’s service dog, Charlie. He’s an 18-month-old white golden retriever, weighing in at 93 pounds. This vacation was his first flight, his first cruise, his first time in New York, first time in Bermuda, and his first train ride! I have to say things went even more smoothly than expected, although I was VERY disappointed in the lack of education and accommodations by Royal Caribbean’s personnel on board.

 

Here are my take aways from the experience. (Warning, it’s a long one!)

• Flight: Southwest from JAX to STL, then STL to LGA. Delays with the second leg of the trip made the first day nothing but a travel day. We made sure to complete the FSA service dog travel form, which we presented at check in. Southwest was AWESOME at letting me, hubs, and our teenager pre-board together with Charlie so that we could sit in the bulkhead seats and have plenty of space for Charlie. We brought along his blanket and a yogurt-filled bone (no more than 3 oz of filling for TSA!) so that he had something to lick and chew during takeoff and landing and also to keep him occupied during the flight.
  Speaking of TSA - I packed the kibble for each of Charlie’s meals into 24 separate zip top bags, then spread the food bags out across all our checked luggage and carry-ons so that we wouldn’t be pinged for overweight luggage, and wouldn’t be up a creek if any bag got lost. It worked out brilliantly, except TSA pinged the food bags in the carry-on luggage when they went through X-ray, and our carry-ons got searched. Also, my teenager was wanded instead of passing through the scanner, and Charlie was thoroughly patted down. However, it was a quick process, and my teen didn’t have to be touched, except for a check of their palms for residue.
   
• Airports: All the airports had “relief stations;” some way nicer than others. JAX had a full out lounge with hand washing stations, benches and rocking chairs for us hoo-mans, litter boxes for traveling kitties, and a huge span of artificial turf with fake fire hydrant, poo bags, and trash cans for the pups. The place also has a great drainage system and separate ventilation system so that no odors permeated to the main terminal area. STL had a way smaller version of the artificial turf and fake fire hydrant, hand washing station, and poo bags/trash can, but no place or room to sit. It was pretty much an open area tucked away off an inconspicuous hallway, but was well marked and kept clean. On the opposite end of the spectrum was the LGA relief area. Oooof! Hubs and I opened the door to follow our teen and Charlie inside, and quickly backed out of the room and closed the door! It was basically a closet converted to a doggie waste dump. It reeked horribly, and the smell permeated outside the closed door. Needless to say, Charlie and his handler did not want to stick around long enough to “go.”
   
• Car transportation/taxi: This was the biggest challenge of the entire trip, so I did as much preplanning as possible. We live over an hour from JAX airport, so I rented a small SUV from Budget rentals near our house the day before to turn in at the airport the next morning. Brilliant plan, if I do say so myself. Lol! We we’re able to load up all 10 of our bags the night before, and it was cheaper than an Uber or Lyft.
  I also prearranged a private car to pick us up at the airport in NYC and take us to our hotel. I booked through GoAirLink because the rate was all inclusive: fare, tax, and tip. I tried to prebook another private car company to take us to the cruise port from our hotel later that week, but the companies I contacted were either booked that day or, in the case of one company in particular, wanted to charge me a $35 “pet fee,” despite multiple arguments about Charlie being a service dog, not a pet. In the end, the brilliant concierge at our hotel arrange for a Cadillac Escalade to take us from Manhattan to the cruise port for only $95. We we’re so impressed, we got the driver’s card an called him when our ship returned to the cruise port so he could take us to our post-cruise hotel in the Chelsea area of NYC.
  As for Bermuda, Charlie stayed on board with hubs the first day (since dogs aren’t allowed on the beaches at this time), while the teenager and I attended a Girl Scout/Girl Guide international cultural exchange and beach cleanup. That was just as well, as the poor boy was very seasick from the rough seas the night before, and needed the day to recuperate. The second day in Bermuda, I hired the only Pet Taxi in Bermuda for the day. The owner/driver, Paul, was super nice and took us to BAMZ (Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo) on the other side of the island, telling us about Bermuda history and points of interest along the way. I would HIGHLY recommend contacting him for anyone traveling to Bermuda with a service dog!
   
• RCI Adventure of the Seas: Gotta say I was unimpressed with the available information and accommodations. I contacted RCI multiple times in the months leading up to our cruise, and had to piece together the little bits of information I received from each person I spoke to. Charlie is a spoiled country boy with a big 1.5 acre yard of grass to relieve himself in, so I requested a couple of times 3-4 months prior for sod to be provided in the relief box. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting such a miracle, but did have a small hope that maybe if I asked nicely way in advance, Charlie might get his wish. As a Plan B, I got a plastic baby pool, cut drain holes all through the bottom, and filled it with mulch so that we could get Charlie used to the concept at home. Nope. Dang dog will EAT the mulch, but no use the pool for its intended purpose. And why should he? I mean, there’s all that grass around the pool for his enjoyment, after all. Lol!
  Plan C - I brought puppy pads for those “just in case” moments. Nope. He eats those too!
  Plan D - I brought a large rubber backed mat of artificial grass along. Nope. Charlie loves to rub all over it, but would not “go” on it.
  As it turns out, though, the 3.5 days we spent in Manhattan was all he needed. Poor guy was so lost in this concrete jungle with not a blade of grass to be seen anywhere! It took about a day, but he learned to use the tiny areas around some of the trees when he had to pee, and just let it go on the concrete when nature called on line #2.
  So the folks at the pier were super nice when we checked in. I provided the RCI service dog form, the US APHIS health form, and the Bermuda Import Certificate, along with Charlie’s rabies vaccination certificate and shots records. I had these at the ready, along with the stack of other paperwork required to sail: For each of Charlie’s Hoo-mans, I needed to provide a Bermuda Visa, negative Covid test, passport, vaccination card, and RCI boarding pass.
  On the ship, the tiny relief box was located at the very back of the ship in deck 4. (Too bad our room was at the very front of the ship on deck 9.) When we got there, the box had just a tiny bit of mulch in it, which Charlie reluctantly agreed to pee in, but would never poo in. (Instead, he would go just outside the box.) By the end of the second day, Charlie was disgusted by the lack of mulch and would only put his front paws in the box to pee in it. Can’t say I blame him, as with such little filler, the pee started seeping through the joints and running out onto the deck.
  I went to guest services and ask that they refresh and refill the relief box. Try as they might, no one at the desk had any understanding of what I was asking. Finally, one of the reps put me on the phone with the person in charge of their special services/disabilities department so I could make my request, and there was a full box of new mulch by the next morning.
  So you’re probably wondering what was the problem with the relief accommodations, right? Well, both of our days at sea had some very choppy waves - 6’-10’ swells, in fact! That meant we were climbing and dropping 12’-20’ feet through the night! Add to it rain and high winds, and it makes for a very hazardous deck surface, especially for someone like my teenager who has mobility issues. Anyway, such weather caused the doors on deck 4 of one side of the ship to be locked and marked “closed due to weather,” so my teenager would use the doors on the opposite side in deck 4 and walk Charlie “the long way” to the relief box. Okay, not ideal, but still manageable. 
  Unfortunately, the crew decided that when the one side was closed due to weather, it was a great time to close the doors on the other side of deck 4 for maintenance! Which meant we had to walk Charlie to the relief box through the water, suds, and chemicals they were spraying all over the deck, creating a fall hazard for even the most balanced people! My teenager was enraged, and after sloshing back to the promenade inside, marched straight to the Guest Services desk to complain. Then it got even uglier. 
  When my teenager explained the issue to the clerk at the desk, the clerk couldn’t understand, and retrieved a manager. The manager heard the complaint, then walked my teenager down to the roped off maintenance area on deck 4 and said, “see, you just have to go around.” Ummm what?!? My child was furious and later told me, “I hope Charlie poops in front of the Guest Services desk so I can tell the manager to ‘just go around!’” 
   
• Amtrak: Charlie’s 2nd favorite mode of transportation! We took the train from Moynhain station in NYC to Jax, which turned out to be a 22-hour trip. Because it was a long overnight trip, I bought tickets for the sleeper car. Charlie, the teenager and I had a full bedroom with camper-style bathroom, and hubs had a Roomette, which was about half the size but still comfortable. When I booked, I asked for an accessible room, but Amtrak wouldn’t allow it unless one occupants needed a wheelchair or walker. The room was tight, especially when the couch was pulled out to be made into a bed, but we managed. The only problem we had was that unlike airports, train stations have no pet relief areas. Worse, there were only a few stops along the route that afforded us enough time to walk Charlie onto the platform for some relief. Given most of the platforms were nothing but concrete, though, Charlie didn’t get much relief. However, the Amtrak employees were great and made sure to give us a heads up for the available stops, and which had some grass for Charlie.
   
• Ports of Call: NYC
  So NYC wasn’t a port of call per se, but it’s worth mentioning that we saw a Broadway and an off Broadway show with Charlie during our pre- and post-cruise visit. For both shows, I purchased tickets at least a month prior through a discount site offered by my workplace. For both, I requested assistance seating, and for both, I was told none was available but we should be fine if we got aisle seats. So I got Beetlejuice tickets with aisle seats in the Mezzanine of the Marquis Theatre. Not a good fit. Literally.  Even though the theater is a bit more modern than most Broadway theaters and have bigger seats and leg room, Charlie just couldn’t fit in front of or under the seats. Instead, he sort of oozed into the aisle and onto the steps. Just after the show started, an usher, the theater manager, and someone from security approached my teenager and carted my kiddo and Charlie out of the theater. The manager apologized and said that Charlie could not be in the aisle because it posed a fire hazard, and asked what they could do to accommodate him and my teen. They wound up moving my kiddo and Charlie to accessible seats just behind the orchestra section downstairs, and the usher sought us out to make sure we knew they were taking good care of the SD team.
  The other show we saw was Blue Man Group at the much older Astor Palace Theatre. Being an older theater, there were absolutely no accessible seats. In fact, one guy arrived in a wheelchair and was carried up and down the theater stairs. Anyway, when we arrived, the usher noticed Charlie and asked where our seats were. I showed her our tickets, and she said “we’re not sold out, so let me check with the box office and see if I can get you better seats.” I thanked her and told her that even if we had to split up so that Charlie and his handler were accommodated, we would be okay with that. When she came back, she gave us 2 options: 4 seats together on an aisle mid orchestra section, or 2 seats just behind the poncho section near an exit door, so there was much more leg room. We agreed to the exit door seats for Charlie and my kiddo, and hubs and I went back to our original seats in the upper mezzanine. Well, before the show started, the usher returned and said, “I have good news - I convinced the people in the downstairs row to move down, so if you want, you can all sit together.” Wow! Yeah! Great seats and great view. Charlie did well throughout the show,  for the most part, although we had to snag a marshmallow thrown at us so that Charlie wouldn’t eat it. 
  The biggest challenge came at the end, when the perfect storm had Charlie jumping into my child’s lap and trying to climb over the seats. There was very loud bass and drums, heavy strobe lights, and paper ribbons being shot out throughout the audience from the BMG who were in various locations in the aisle. Taken individually, Charlie would have been able to handle it. But when all the stimuli came together at one time, Charlie freaked out. Poor boy! He was fine once the house lights came back on, but needless to say, Charlie was not a fan of the show.
   
• Ports of Call: Bermuda
  I stressed a lot over all the paperwork required for bridging Charlie to Bermuda. But everything worked out okay, and I had everything I needed. The first day there, when my teen and I left the ship without Charlie, we were flagged on the way out when we scanned our cards. I pointed out that the dog was not with us, so security cleared the flag, and we were never pinged again, even when Charlie was with us the next day.
  As I mentioned, I arranged ahead of time for the Pet Taxi to transport us to BAMZ.The folks at BAMZ were incredibly nice and accommodating, and when we purchased admission said there was no charge for our disabled teenager. Charlie was great and really loved the fish and seals. The lemurs, on the other hand, despised him and congregated near us to glare and growl at him. I led Charlie out of the exhibit so that hubs and the teenager could see the lemurs when they were undisturbed and not so p*$$3d off. I later found out that Charlie was not allowed in the lemur exhibit for exactly that reason, but no one told us that until after the fact. (Oops!) So word of caution - don’t take a service dog into the lemurs exhibit, because it upsets the lemurs. (All other exhibits are fine.)
   
• Miscellaneous: Even though I didn’t need them, I was glad that I looked up and added to my phone the numbers of emergency vets in NYC and Bermuda. Charlie’s seasickness had me extremely concerned on the ship, and I considered calling the Bermuda vet and asking Paul to take us to their clinic that Sunday. Fortunately, though, once we were off the ship and Charlie was able to get to dry land and green grass, he perked up a lot and was back to his normal self almost immediately. I was also glad to have purchased trip insurance, even though we didn’t need it. Since Charlie is a service dog, our trip insurance would have reimbursed us for any emergency veterinary visits.

What an amazing report! It was so full of good insights. Thank you so much for posting. It all came back to me from our visit to Manhattan to tour the 911 Museum for a magazine article. I thought I had a park visually staked out through Google for a relief area. Alas, no! In NYC parks are either behind locked gates or they are concrete with, as you said, little wisps of crab grass. Not very inspiring for a service dog. I had to stop Raylene from making a beeline to the much-revered “Survivor Tree” on the museum grounds, a burnt twig from ground zero that was brought back to life. 

Edited October 2, 2022 by Caribbean Chris

[Caribbean Chris]

Linda, great news about the Canine Companions approval. Very exciting! Also it must be very comforting to know Halo will be happy with your retirement plans for him.

Edited October 2, 2022 by Caribbean Chris

[Caribbean Chris]

We decided yesterday to cancel pur cruise to New England & Canada due to begin next Saturday October 8. It was just too soon after the Hurricane and all the ongoing cleanup/repair, and we may not have power by then. (Our area is still being analyzed by the utility company with no target date for electricity restoration.) We hadn’t even thought yet about packing and flights have been scrambled from our area. It’s stressful enough traveling with s SD in more  normal situations.

Further complicating life is that our house was due to go on the market next weekend. We have moved from three years on the waitlist to having a beautiful apartment confirmed nearby in a Continuing Care Retirement Community. We’ll be moving in two months and need to downsize our stuff.

 

I want to commend my travel agent and Holland America for working out a new cruise for us for next spring and extending the future cruise credits (from January’s cancelled Hawaii cruise) which we had used to book New England. They had no obligation to do anything this close to departure, but were 100% cooperative.

[Algebralovr]

@Caribbean Chris I’m so glad you and yours are safe.  Moving sounds like a nightmare.

 

As I say that, I’m actually sitting with DH starting to make a plan for us to eventually move.  The home we are in was built in 1923.  It is TOTALLY not accessible.  We can see that at some point I’ll need a lot more accessibility than I do now, and trying to determine how to handle it.  I really don’t believe there is any way to adapt our current home.  I’d be able to get into the home with some easy work, but getting around it is a different story.  Since we know that I’ll eventually need a lot of accessible features, it makes sense to plan now, while I’m able.  One issue, however, is the location.  While I’m not working any longer due to disability, hubby will likely keep working another 10-15 years.  We currently live within WiFi distance of the university where DH has worked for so long.  It means he can run home to help me, or check on me, any time.  
 

We own a house that we rent out about 4 blocks away, however, and are considering tearing it down and building a house that would meet accessibility needs, then moving there, and renting out the home we currently live in.  Of course, the house we currently live in is where we’ve raised our kids, and we FINALLY have it most of the way we want it…and we dread the thought of moving.  
 

plus, the funds we would need to spend would interfere with cruising!

[DUTRAVEL]

11 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

Diane, I’m so glad your trip went well! For me, Alaska was such a great trip for service dogs since the tour operators are used to  US laws regarding disability accommodations. And the paperwork was less hassle than usual. Where to next?

Next up is a Mexican Riviera cruise in January to celebrate a big birthday. We are going to try Princess this time so that we can sail roundtrip out of San Francisco (only a 30 minute drive from where we live). We might start doing more Princess cruises so that we don't have to fly to the departure port. We also have a Transatlantic scheduled for October 2023 out of Barcelona. I will think long and hard about taking Henri with us though. She did well on the Alaska trip, but she is slowing down some and it will be a long day of travel to get to Barcelona. When we go to Europe we are usually on the go all day when in port. I just applied for a successor dog through Canine Companions; I expect the process to take about 18 months and Henri will be 11 by then. She is not ready to retire yet, but they encourage you to file the application ahead of time. 

 

That's great that HAL extended your credits. Good luck with the house sale and fingers crossed that you get your power back on ASAP.

[45gunner]

Harvey, a 70 lb black Labrador retriever is going on this third cruise and all three cruises are with Celebrity.

We found the crews to be most accommodating anywhere we went onboard the ship.  The only negative comment I had to make was some of the crew were not aware of Service Dog Etiquette and either wanted to pet the dog or call him but that seemed to correct itself after the first cruise when I called it to the attention of the cruise line.  The most common questions I got asked by other passengers were: 1. What is the dog's name and 2. Where does the dog go to the bathroom?

 

I never tell anyone the dog's real name for when they see him again they want to talk to him and call him by his name.  By giving people a false name, the dog completely ignores them and I tell people he is trained to ignore other people making them think he really is a brilliant dog. (The truth of the matter is he is very bright.)  With regards to the dog taking care of physiological needs, I usually tell people he is trained to hold it until he gets off the boat.  Amazing that some people buy that but those that don't, I usually tell them there is a "poop deck."

 

We have yet to tender off the boat.  This upcoming cruise does have a tender-in port.  I'm not sure if I'm physically up for tendering but in case I decide to give it a shot, has anyone had any experiences with their service dog tendering that they would like to share?  TIA.

 

 

[Caribbean Chris]

5 hours ago, 45gunner said:

Harvey, a 70 lb black Labrador retriever is going on this third cruise and all three cruises are with Celebrity.

We found the crews to be most accommodating anywhere we went onboard the ship.  The only negative comment I had to make was some of the crew were not aware of Service Dog Etiquette and either wanted to pet the dog or call him but that seemed to correct itself after the first cruise when I called it to the attention of the cruise line.  The most common questions I got asked by other passengers were: 1. What is the dog's name and 2. Where does the dog go to the bathroom?

 

I never tell anyone the dog's real name for when they see him again they want to talk to him and call him by his name.  By giving people a false name, the dog completely ignores them and I tell people he is trained to ignore other people making them think he really is a brilliant dog. (The truth of the matter is he is very bright.)  With regards to the dog taking care of physiological needs, I usually tell people he is trained to hold it until he gets off the boat.  Amazing that some people buy that but those that don't, I usually tell them there is a "poop deck."

 

We have yet to tender off the boat.  This upcoming cruise does have a tender-in port.  I'm not sure if I'm physically up for tendering but in case I decide to give it a shot, has anyone had any experiences with their service dog tendering that they would like to share?  TIA.

 

 

Hi 45gunner!
 

My dog Raylene hasn’t had any problems tendering in the past but I won’t do it when I reach the front of the line and discover there is a lot of ocean swell causing motion between ship & tender boat. 

 

I draft another person (my husband) to assist. He boards the tender first, then turns to face me and the dog. The crew will be hovering around ready to help but they will be a little nervous about the dog.
 

On the ship-side tender platform, holding her leash close, I pause for a few seconds while both of us stop walking. I  turn and look her in the eye to be sure she’s paying attention and say, “ready?”  Then I start walking forward while saying,  “hop-up!” or “Let’s go!”  She steps/hops onto the tender and I hand her leash to my husband. Then I can grasp both rails with my hands, finish boarding myself, and re-take the leash.
 

Then of course you have to find a good place to sit where the dog’s tail won’t get stepped on. I look for some kind of bulkhead, sometimes at the front or back. I give her praise and a treat after she’s settled. I wear a backpack or cross-body bag so both hands are free to grasp railings and the leash.

When the dog’s already used to waiting for permission before going out a door, or before jumping down from the back seat of a car, it’s a very similar maneuver. The environment is distracting but the dog’s training kicks in.

 

Raylene, also 70 lbs, has made about a dozen cruises, roughly 50-50 between Celebrity and Holland America Line. She’ll be 11 in December and we have a couple more cruises scheduled for 2023.
 

Hope you and Harvey have another great cruise!

 

[rpclmc]

On 10/2/2022 at 12:51 PM, Algebralovr said:

@Caribbean Chris I’m so glad you and yours are safe.  Moving sounds like a nightmare.

 

As I say that, I’m actually sitting with DH starting to make a plan for us to eventually move.  The home we are in was built in 1923.  It is TOTALLY not accessible.  We can see that at some point I’ll need a lot more accessibility than I do now, and trying to determine how to handle it.  I really don’t believe there is any way to adapt our current home.  I’d be able to get into the home with some easy work, but getting around it is a different story.  Since we know that I’ll eventually need a lot of accessible features, it makes sense to plan now, while I’m able.  One issue, however, is the location.  While I’m not working any longer due to disability, hubby will likely keep working another 10-15 years.  We currently live within WiFi distance of the university where DH has worked for so long.  It means he can run home to help me, or check on me, any time.  
 

We own a house that we rent out about 4 blocks away, however, and are considering tearing it down and building a house that would meet accessibility needs, then moving there, and renting out the home we currently live in.  Of course, the house we currently live in is where we’ve raised our kids, and we FINALLY have it most of the way we want it…and we dread the thought of moving.  
 

plus, the funds we would need to spend would interfere with cruising!

We moved a house in on our property, we are on 1 acre.  Small farmhouse, mother in law house.  Completely gutted it and making it accessible for my progression.  My, adult, daughter wants to raise her kids in the house she was raised in.  She gets married next September.  They will start out in the small house and then when they have kids we will switch.  My husband keeps saying what we are going to do to this house, replace carpet and other items.  I keep telling him no, the daughter can do all that when she moves in.  I am not planning on having a nicely redone house just to move.

 

The great thing about Halo retiring with her, he never moves from the house he knows.  He is so lucky.  And the future son in law thinks Halo is the best.  Even though they have a dog, he loves Halo so much.  So Halo gets to live out his life with his human sister, human brother in law and dog nephew.

 

Linda & Halo

[Cruisefanatic71]

Greerings everyone! We had a question on anyone's experience with cruising on Royal Carribbean with their service dog and the documents needed for the British Virgin Islands. We took our daughters Service Dog Teddy to the Bahamas in 2019 right before COVID started in 2020. That trip was on a Carnival 4 day Christmas cruise. Teddy did well on his first cruise but we did struggle with the location and size of the potty area for him since he is a 70 pound dog. We were looking at a 2023 cruise on Royal Carribbean that takes us to both St. Croix USVI and Tortola BVI as well as their private island in the Bahamas. Any and all info is greatly appreciated on your experience. Thank you in advance. 

[Caribbean Chris]

27 minutes ago, Cruisefanatic71 said:

Greerings everyone! We had a question on anyone's experience with cruising on Royal Carribbean with their service dog and the documents needed for the British Virgin Islands. We took our daughters Service Dog Teddy to the Bahamas in 2019 right before COVID started in 2020. That trip was on a Carnival 4 day Christmas cruise. Teddy did well on his first cruise but we did struggle with the location and size of the potty area for him since he is a 70 pound dog. We were looking at a 2023 cruise on Royal Carribbean that takes us to both St. Croix USVI and Tortola BVI as well as their private island in the Bahamas. Any and all info is greatly appreciated on your experience. Thank you in advance. 

St Croix only needs the current rabies certificate and standard APHIS form 7001 health certificate, which the cruise line expects regardless of itinerary anyway.

The British Virgin Islands however require a blood titer test (as do some other islands and Hawaii) which is do-able but an expensive hassle. See details:

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet-travel/by-country/pettravel-british-virgin-islands
 

If I recall correctly, it’s an expensive test which is done in very few places - primarily at Kansas State Veterinary Lab - plus your vet’s fee. So the vet must draw the blood, carefully labeling as directed, and send it off to Kansas. You have to allow plenty of time for results.

https://www.ksvdl.org/laboratories/rabies-laboratory/favn-test/

 

For a two week Hawaii cruise, the test is worth it to me. But for a few hours in one port, I won’t spend that much time and money.  Your options are to take turns going ashore and leave the dog with a member of your travel party (you can’t leave the dog unattended in the stateroom) … or find a different itinerary you like.

Edited October 29, 2022 by Caribbean Chris

[DUTRAVEL]

2 hours ago, Cruisefanatic71 said:

We were looking at a 2023 cruise on Royal Carribbean that takes us to both St. Croix USVI and Tortola BVI as well as their private island in the Bahamas. Any and all info is greatly appreciated on your experience. Thank you in advance. 

In addition to what Chris said, I believe you will need a permit for the Bahamas even if you are only going to Royal Carribbean's private island.

[Caribbean Chris]

1 hour ago, DUTRAVEL said:

In addition to what Chris said, I believe you will need a permit for the Bahamas even if you are only going to Royal Carribbean's private island.

I agree, even for the private islands such as Half Moon Cay, Coco Cay, etc.

[Mabbiez]

Does anyone happen to know where the service dog relief area is on Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas?

 

My family and I are planning a cruise, which will be Mila's second! I am hoping to get a cabin near the relief area. Previously it our cabin was on the opposite end of the ship and it was quite a walk to get her there. 

 

Thanks!

[Algebralovr]

Greetings all!  
We returned a couple of days ago from our first Princess cruise.  We sailed on Emerald Princess, which was built in 2006 or so.  
 

We did not take Scooter, as mentioned previously.  
We did observe a “Service Dog” on board, though.  The poor dog seemed like he was being dragged along, though.  Found out much of the way through, he was 14 years old.  Small dog, so I realize he potentially has a longer lifespan than my lab, but that poor dog just looked tired.  The day we passed through the Panama Canal, the dog was curled up in a chair on the observation deck above the bridge for quite some time, and the poor dog just looked old.  
 

We ended up in an elevator with the dog and person, and the dog didn’t seem to know where to stand.  Made me really wonder.  
 

And made me appreciate both Scooter’s training as well as that we left him home even if it was forever.