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

[Mabbiez]

12 hours ago, rpclmc said:

I took a rolled up turf with holes in it for my cruise with Halo.  I had previously had my husband make a 4x4 box, filled it with dog litter and then the sod.  It seemed to take forever, but I trained Halo to use it.  He was not happy as he has an acre to use whenever he wanted, but I wouldn't let him out until after he relieved himself in the box.  

 

Every time he did, we made a party of it; he got amazing kudos and treats.  He didn't like it at all, but it was sure worth the relief for us that he knew how to use it.  And he did use it on the cruise.  But he would look off the balcony every morning to see if we were at a port and would hold it until we got to real grass on real land.  He is one smart boy.  

 

He is retiring in a few months and my next dog will be trained the same way.  

 

Linda and Halo

I may try to train her again doing this. I tried before but it was impossible with where I lived at the time. I have over a year and a half to work on it. Thanks!!

 

 

[shabob]

! Lot of good information for taking service dog on cruise.  I tried to get info of requirements for boarding and other countries from cruise lines.  They said they didn't have that info.  I checked travel agents, including vacations to go and they couldn't help with info either.  Tried to find info online but some was contradictory and incomplete.  A lot was info on bringing a dog into the country to stay and not for a couple hour visit.  Cruise lines said that you have to meet the countries requirements( for dogs)  the ship is visiting  even if you are not getting off the ship in that country.   When my husband was alive, we had been on 20 cruises and loved it !!  I am hearing impaired but he was my ears.  When he died, I got a service dog for hearing.  I would live to cruise with her but am really scared that I would end up in a mess.  

[FOPMan]

Service animals in many countries are treated differently than regular pets. In sone cases, they are the same as regular animals. This includes both that is necessary to bring an animal into any specific country as well as what are the rights of access for service animals in that country, such as a service dog in a hotel or restaurant. Unfortunately, understanding the requirements where you want to go does require research.

 

If you have a question about a specific country or port, you could post it here and, if someone has experience, they may be wiling to share information.

 

There are sone countries that are comparatively easy. Some are hard. A big concern for the country is what, if any, health risks does an animal pose? What country are you starting travels in and where you have gone revetly alao a big factor. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Caribbean Chris]

1 hour ago, shabob said:

! Lot of good information for taking service dog on cruise.  I tried to get info of requirements for boarding and other countries from cruise lines.  They said they didn't have that info.  I checked travel agents, including vacations to go and they couldn't help with info either.  Tried to find info online but some was contradictory and incomplete.  A lot was info on bringing a dog into the country to stay and not for a couple hour visit.  Cruise lines said that you have to meet the countries requirements( for dogs)  the ship is visiting  even if you are not getting off the ship in that country.   When my husband was alive, we had been on 20 cruises and loved it !!  I am hearing impaired but he was my ears.  When he died, I got a service dog for hearing.  I would live to cruise with her but am really scared that I would end up in a mess.  

The lack of accurate information is why this topic has been so long-lived on Cruise Critic. We’ve all been in your shoes. People here can answer your questions at least from their own experiences. Just let us know the ship name and ports of call.
 

The easiest cruises for paperwork are Alaska/Canada and New England/Canada. You will ALWAYS need to bring your dog’s most recent rabies certificate and a basic health certificate (APHIS form 7001] issued by your veterinarian after they examine the dog close to departure. Other countries have additional forms and requirements, too, https://www.aphis.usda.gov/library/forms/pdf/APHIS7001.pdf

 

A good basic source for countries’ requirements is found if you google “APHIS Pet Travel” which is the official US Dept of Agriculture information for exporting an animal. 

[shabob]

Thanks for replying and for information. I would love to do the 15 day round trip Hawaii but think I should try a 7 day with my SD (named Angel) to see how it goes before I try a longer one.  But plane fare from Michigan is so expensive it's kind of a waste to just go for one week.  

[Caribbean Chris]

25 minutes ago, shabob said:

Thanks for replying and for information. I would love to do the 15 day round trip Hawaii but think I should try a 7 day with my SD (named Angel) to see how it goes before I try a longer one.  But plane fare from Michigan is so expensive it's kind of a waste to just go for one week.  

 

Hawaii is one of the more complicated destinations for taking a service dog - it requires a blood draw well in advance of the cruise, sent from your vet to a labratory in Kansas to be analyzed to determine the dog's resistence to rabies. Your vet gets a report with the results which also goes to Hawaii - the state enters it into their database. Then the dog has to be inpected by Hawaiian officials on arrival into the first Hawaiian island in your itinerary (which of course you have to pre-arrange and make sure it is approved). If you don't go first to Oahu, you may have to pay for an approved vet to do the inspection. It can be done, but I'd recommend starting with something simpler.

[FOPMan]

The Bahamas has simplified their processes, but it is still helpful to have it explained.

 

btw/ the service animal will fly fir free at your feet on all flights landing in or departing from the US. You would need to check with each airline for particulars.

 

ESAs are a different animal.

[Mabbiez]

On 3/31/2023 at 10:07 AM, FOPMan said:

Service animals in many countries are treated differently than regular pets. In sone cases, they are the same as regular animals. This includes both that is necessary to bring an animal into any specific country as well as what are the rights of access for service animals in that country, such as a service dog in a hotel or restaurant. Unfortunately, understanding the requirements where you want to go does require research.

 

If you have a question about a specific country or port, you could post it here and, if someone has experience, they may be wiling to share information.

 

There are sone countries that are comparatively easy. Some are hard. A big concern for the country is what, if any, health risks does an animal pose? What country are you starting travels in and where you have gone revetly alao a big factor. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have traveled to The Netherlands, Spain, and Italy with my service dog. Spain and Italy were on a cruise. For the most part I had zero issues with bringing her anywhere. There were a few things that we didn't bother trying to take her in (like the Vatican museum). I was able to take her in to see the Coliseum and she went with me to see The Pope speak. Basically I was asked to show proof of a service dog, which they seemed happy with a letter that I had from my doctor saying that I require her. We also did get a EU Pet Passport to make it easier to between EU Countries. 

 

Also note that while some countries do not recognize service dogs some companies still go by American rules, such as Airbnb and Uber. Really the only person we had a problem with was in Amsterdam an Uber driver refused us but wouldn't cancel the trip (I think if we cancel they still get paid and/or we still get charged). He FINALLY cancelled and we contacted Uber. The rest of the time I have zero problems with Uber.

 

If anyone has questions about The Netherlands, Spain, and Italy I can try my best to answer! We are taking another cruise next year that leaves from Spain as well.  

[momof3cruisers]

On 7/30/2022 at 9:38 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.

I know this is quite  an old post but I wanted to say how much I appreciated it! 
 

My son is now 23 but got his SD when he was 17. We love to fly Southwest because they are incredibly accommodating. My son is also 6’5” so that adds to the space issue. His brother of the same height can’t fit in a regular seat either so we usually get him in an exit row but you can’t sit there with a disability. Makes it complicated. Our Max also loves trains. He enjoys watching the scenery fly past. I attended a BMG performance in Vegas and while I know my son would love it, the first thing I thought of was that we couldn’t bring his dog. That’s a crazy lot of stimulation. I’m glad Charlie got over it quickly! 
 

im sorry you had such trouble with the potty station but am glad to hear they worked with you a tiny bit. We had trouble with other special needs services with Royal in the past that were very frustrating. At the time they were bragging about their Autism friendly recognition. Ha! That was a joke. They literally offered no accommodation regarding anything. If you are still reading here, I’m wondering if you had an option to ask if the box could be moved anywhere closer to your cabin? 
 

I’m glad to know that trip insurance covers service dogs. I will definitely make sure that is part of our coverage as well. 

[Lady_Jag]

5 hours ago, momof3cruisers said:

I know this is quite  an old post but I wanted to say how much I appreciated it! 
 

My son is now 23 but got his SD when he was 17. We love to fly Southwest because they are incredibly accommodating. My son is also 6’5” so that adds to the space issue. His brother of the same height can’t fit in a regular seat either so we usually get him in an exit row but you can’t sit there with a disability. Makes it complicated. Our Max also loves trains. He enjoys watching the scenery fly past. I attended a BMG performance in Vegas and while I know my son would love it, the first thing I thought of was that we couldn’t bring his dog. That’s a crazy lot of stimulation. I’m glad Charlie got over it quickly! 
 

im sorry you had such trouble with the potty station but am glad to hear they worked with you a tiny bit. We had trouble with other special needs services with Royal in the past that were very frustrating. At the time they were bragging about their Autism friendly recognition. Ha! That was a joke. They literally offered no accommodation regarding anything. If you are still reading here, I’m wondering if you had an option to ask if the box could be moved anywhere closer to your cabin? 
 

I’m glad to know that trip insurance covers service dogs. I will definitely make sure that is part of our coverage as well. 

I am glad you commented. This NYC/Bermuda trip last year has to be our #1 favorite, if not one of our top 5 trips ever! 
To answer your question, moving the box was not an option. I had puppy pads and a roll of fake grass as a [failed] “Plan B,” and I think if Charlie was a little older, wiser, and less  diva-like, it would have been a great backup.
I also think Royal could stand to learn a little more about how to be accommodating to guests with special circumstances. I don’t know how other lines compare, but I lost count of the number of staff who would whistle for Charlie whenever they saw him or try to pet him without even asking permission. 

[momof3cruisers]

On 5/12/2023 at 11:11 PM, Lady_Jag said:

I am glad you commented. This NYC/Bermuda trip last year has to be our #1 favorite, if not one of our top 5 trips ever! 
To answer your question, moving the box was not an option. I had puppy pads and a roll of fake grass as a [failed] “Plan B,” and I think if Charlie was a little older, wiser, and less  diva-like, it would have been a great backup.
I also think Royal could stand to learn a little more about how to be accommodating to guests with special circumstances. I don’t know how other lines compare, but I lost count of the number of staff who would whistle for Charlie whenever they saw him or try to pet him without even asking permission. 

Our experience with how Royal (didn’t) handle special needs was a shock to us as we had sailed Carnival twice and they had been amazing with our son. From whisking us through check in to an area off to the side where it was quiet and then right on to the ship, to letting him and me do muster in the cabin watching the video and then being escorted later to our muster station. Then Royal told us, we had no options for anything to help him cope better. Never tried to take him on Royal again. I’d imagine in the various countries the crew are from they don’t see many service dogs. But you would think that would be part of their training. Before we got Max, we had no idea how much public education we would be doing. 

[Algebralovr]

Off topic, but wanted to share:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/service-dog-receives-diploma-college-graduation-new-jersey-seton-hall/

 

[Rudi-Cruiser]

I am taking a 15 day Transatlantic Cruise October 7th from Amsterdam to Fort Lauderdale on HAL MS Rotterdam. I am been working on all that I need to do to take my service dog with me on this trip. Was at the vest yesterday and they are working on all the health certificate we will need. My SD shots are all do in November so we have decide to get her shot early. Then we need to do the 10day check up and just before we leave the de-worming. To try not take everything we need from the USA I have found a pet store will make a deliver to the hotel. So the pet food and pee pads etc will be waiting for me.

Any suggestion please let me know.

 

I have been following some post under Viking Cruises - Dogs on Ship. There is some strong words being said about having dog on cruise ships. 

[Rudi-Cruiser]

On 3/31/2023 at 11:05 AM, Caribbean Chris said:

The lack of accurate information is why this topic has been so long-lived on Cruise Critic. We’ve all been in your shoes. People here can answer your questions at least from their own experiences. Just let us know the ship name and ports of call.
 

The easiest cruises for paperwork are Alaska/Canada and New England/Canada. You will ALWAYS need to bring your dog’s most recent rabies certificate and a basic health certificate (APHIS form 7001] issued by your veterinarian after they examine the dog close to departure. Other countries have additional forms and requirements, too, https://www.aphis.usda.gov/library/forms/pdf/APHIS7001.pdf

 

A good basic source for countries’ requirements is found if you google “APHIS Pet Travel” which is the official US Dept of Agriculture information for exporting an animal. 

Its a lot of leg work traveling with your service dog. I sometimes think about doing a website regarding Cruising with your Service Dog. I am going a 15 day transatlantic from Amsterdam to Fort Lauderdale. The Netherlands is not hard to get into with a do and they great about service animals. They will call them Assistance Dogs.

[StorageGuy]

I’m looking for some wisdom/advice. My family of two adults and two kids is traveling on Princess in August to Spain, France, and Italy. We have a service dog coming later this month and were not planning on taking him on the trip but after subsequent conversations with the service dog organization we are going to take him. 

 

I’ve figured out flight seating and getting an EU health certificate. Princess has been hard to get information out of aside from an automatic email acknowledging they received my notification of traveling with a service dog. Does anyone know if you can bring a service dog on excursions that are mainly bus/walking tours purchased thru Princess? We can cancel for another two weeks and be out our deposit so really on the fence here if the trip is even just too much too soon. Thanks!

[Rudi-Cruiser]

8 hours ago, StorageGuy said:

I’m looking for some wisdom/advice. My family of two adults and two kids is traveling on Princess in August to Spain, France, and Italy. We have a service dog coming later this month and were not planning on taking him on the trip but after subsequent conversations with the service dog organization we are going to take him. 

 

I’ve figured out flight seating and getting an EU health certificate. Princess has been hard to get information out of aside from an automatic email acknowledging they received my notification of traveling with a service dog. Does anyone know if you can bring a service dog on excursions that are mainly bus/walking tours purchased thru Princess? We can cancel for another two weeks and be out our deposit so really on the fence here if the trip is even just too much too soon. Thanks!

I am on a Holland American Line cruise in October from Amsterdam. I gave the cruise special needs desk a list of the tours I wanted to take. So far the ones I selected are fine. The ship has port calls in Belgium, France, UK and Portugal Island of the Azores. Check with Princess special needs desk or talk with supervisor. This is not the first time they have dealt with a SD on a cruise and shore excursions.

[Rudi-Cruiser]

Has anyone used pee pad for there SD to relive them self. I will bring one of the washable pads with me in her suite case. Yes I SD will have her own suite case and it is checked free. My SD is trained to use them. I check yesterday with Amazon for the Netherlands and they have Pee Pads in the size I want. I am going to order through them and have it delivered in advance to the hotel. I have a pet shop in Amsterdam that is going deliver the food I will order to the Hotel. I will just bring food for the first part of the trip tell I get on the ship.

[DUTRAVEL]

16 hours ago, StorageGuy said:

I’m looking for some wisdom/advice. My family of two adults and two kids is traveling on Princess in August to Spain, France, and Italy. We have a service dog coming later this month and were not planning on taking him on the trip but after subsequent conversations with the service dog organization we are going to take him. 

 

I’ve figured out flight seating and getting an EU health certificate. Princess has been hard to get information out of aside from an automatic email acknowledging they received my notification of traveling with a service dog. Does anyone know if you can bring a service dog on excursions that are mainly bus/walking tours purchased thru Princess? We can cancel for another two weeks and be out our deposit so really on the fence here if the trip is even just too much too soon. Thanks!

I don't know specifically about Princess, but I have sailed with Celebrity and have taken my Service Dog on both Celebrity and private excursions. I just let them know when I sign up for an excursion that I am bringing her. I woud try following up again with the Access Department at Princess.

[DUTRAVEL]

On 6/1/2023 at 11:48 AM, Rudi-Cruiser said:

I am taking a 15 day Transatlantic Cruise October 7th from Amsterdam to Fort Lauderdale on HAL MS Rotterdam. I am been working on all that I need to do to take my service dog with me on this trip. Was at the vest yesterday and they are working on all the health certificate we will need. My SD shots are all do in November so we have decide to get her shot early. Then we need to do the 10day check up and just before we leave the de-worming. To try not take everything we need from the USA I have found a pet store will make a deliver to the hotel. So the pet food and pee pads etc will be waiting for me.

Any suggestion please let me know.

 

I have been following some post under Viking Cruises - Dogs on Ship. There is some strong words being said about having dog on cruise ships. 

I have taken several Transatlantic cruises with my Service Dog. It sounds lke you have most everything covered. One thing that I do is to contact any hotels or prvate transportation companies to let them know I will have a Service Dog with me.

[Mabbiez]

On 6/2/2023 at 8:28 AM, Rudi-Cruiser said:

Has anyone used pee pad for there SD to relive them self. I will bring one of the washable pads with me in her suite case. Yes I SD will have her own suite case and it is checked free. My SD is trained to use them. I check yesterday with Amazon for the Netherlands and they have Pee Pads in the size I want. I am going to order through them and have it delivered in advance to the hotel. I have a pet shop in Amsterdam that is going deliver the food I will order to the Hotel. I will just bring food for the first part of the trip tell I get on the ship.

I brought some with me just in case, but my dog did not use them. I would suggest taking the pee pad to the box provided on the ship since that is what your dog is trained to do. I also brought one in my backpack in the plane just in case of an emergency but she didn’t need it.

 

I read that you are getting your health certificate ready and such. I highly suggest getting a EU Pet Passport. I got mine in Amsterdam for my dog at DOA. If you look them up it says it’s an animal shelter but they also do pet care. If you have any questions please reach out to me! My brother also lives in Amsterdam and his partner is almost finished with veterinarian school, so if I don’t have the answer I can easily find out for you!

[Rudi-Cruiser]

1 hour ago, Mabbiez said:

I brought some with me just in case, but my dog did not use them. I would suggest taking the pee pad to the box provided on the ship since that is what your dog is trained to do. I also brought one in my backpack in the plane just in case of an emergency but she didn’t need it.

 

I read that you are getting your health certificate ready and such. I highly suggest getting a EU Pet Passport. I got mine in Amsterdam for my dog at DOA. If you look them up it says it’s an animal shelter but they also do pet care. If you have any questions please reach out to me! My brother also lives in Amsterdam and his partner is almost finished with veterinarian school, so if I don’t have the answer I can easily find out for you!

I contacted a vet in Amsterdam and they told me because I don’t have a permanent Amsterdam address that I couldn’t get an EU passport for my SD. That would be great if your brother could help out with getting her one. I’m sure will be back in Europe.

[Rudi-Cruiser]

On 6/2/2023 at 4:18 PM, DUTRAVEL said:

I have taken several Transatlantic cruises with my Service Dog. It sounds lke you have most everything covered. One thing that I do is to contact any hotels or prvate transportation companies to let them know I will have a Service Dog with me.

I’m staying at a Hilton hotel and Hilton has it in my profile that I travel with a service dog. I also sent them an email letting them know. Amsterdam seems to be very dog friendly.
I have a car service from the airport to the hotel, and I let them know I would have a service dog with me. They didn’t have any problem.

 

On 6/2/2023 at 4:18 PM, DUTRAVEL said:

I have taken several Transatlantic cruises with my Service Dog. It sounds lke you have most everything covered. One thing that I do is to contact any hotels or prvate transportation companies to let them know I will have a Service Dog with me.

Thanks for letting me know.

this will be her first cruise ship experience, but my brother has a nice size yacht, and she’s been at seas for a few days at a time and didn’t have any problem with her. We’ve traveled from Virginia to Florida on his boat and she was a real trooper. we we use disposable pee pads and laid them on top of a washable one to make sure.

[Mabbiez]

5 hours ago, Rudi-Cruiser said:

I contacted a vet in Amsterdam and they told me because I don’t have a permanent Amsterdam address that I couldn’t get an EU passport for my SD. That would be great if your brother could help out with getting her one. I’m sure will be back in Europe.

That is strange because I am a US citizen and I had no problem getting one. I’ll get ahold of my brother’s partner to see what he says about it. I will ask him of vets to contact.

[Rudi-Cruiser]

9 hours ago, Mabbiez said:

That is strange because I am a US citizen and I had no problem getting one. I’ll get ahold of my brother’s partner to see what he says about it. I will ask him of vets to contact.

Thank your for your help. I was in Ind last November for a company meeting. Great airport and they were great with Bella get both me and her through security. Most of the time I need to get into the machine as I have both knees replaced. Because of that I need to get a TSA agent to take Bella's leash. She is very protective of me in a good way. She does not want to be separated from me in a strange place.

I was going to give my my contact information but could not send you a message.

It would nice to meet up with your brother and his partner during the short period of time I will be in Amsterdam.

[Mabbiez]

33 minutes ago, Rudi-Cruiser said:

Thank your for your help. I was in Ind last November for a company meeting. Great airport and they were great with Bella get both me and her through security. Most of the time I need to get into the machine as I have both knees replaced. Because of that I need to get a TSA agent to take Bella's leash. She is very protective of me in a good way. She does not want to be separated from me in a strange place.

I was going to give my my contact information but could not send you a message.

It would nice to meet up with your brother and his partner during the short period of time I will be 

Also I remember when I got off the plane and going through customs the agent suggested to me to get a EU passport, and I told him I already had plans to do that.

 

If you have FB feel free to look me up. Lisa Blice is my name and I should probably be the only one, but if not my profile pic is of me and my dog.