allies_daphne

Anyone have an example of the IHC that has to be filed for porting in Colombia?  Our vet is trying to do the VEHCS system for that certificate, and there is some confusion on what goes into certain request boxes. 
 

If live in one state, but are sailing out of another, do you put your home state as the State of Origin, or the state that you are sailing out of?  Also, the address for the cosignee - do you give your home address for that, or the address of the port you are arriving into?  I've seen it filled out different ways on online examples.

Any info anyone could provide if they have gotten Colombia's health certificate completed would be appreciated!

Denise

When we applied for a Bahamas permit, we were not aware there was no fee for service dogs.  No one, not the cruise line or the Bahamian Dept of Agriculture, shared that info.  We overnighted the permit request and payment, and had the permit faxed to me within 72 hours.  The hard copy came 2 months later....LOL!   I think with overnighting and everything, it was about $80. 

Roz, not really worried about the vet clearing him, as he is on all the preventives, and we are not getting off in Grand Cayman, so no titer or Prazaquantil.  The Mexico template is ready to go as well.  We don’t get off in Panama, only through the locks.  Colombia is the only port on our trip that participates in completely electronic heath certificate, so I’m wondering about the possibility of having the approved endorsement in hand, prior to flying to the port (2 business days after visit).  I know it’s not instantaneous when it’s submitted, was just hoping someone had some experience with turnaround time for the VEHCS. 

Appreciate your input, with all the experience you have!!

Denise

Just wondering if anyone has had experience with obtaining an IHC via completely electronic means (can be electronically endorsed by USDA vet and also the USDA Ag office).  If so, what was your turnaround time?    I can find alot of information about the VEHCS system, but none that says what the actual time for endorsement once everything is submitted.

We are 29 days away from our Panama Canal cruise, and will be doing this for Colombia.  We have a vet appt 7 days before we sail, but 4 days before we fly to the port (with 2 days being a weekend).  Just trying to anticipate if this could get endorsed prior to our flying out or not.  If not, I think the vet has to email us the endorsed original as an attachment for us to print from the hotel or something.

I miss the easy paperwork from the Bahamas...........LOL!

Denise

We are doing a Panama Canal Cruise this November.  We cannot disembark in Grand Cayman, as you are not allowed if you have been in Mexico within 10 days prior.  So we just plan to have our APHIS 7001 state we are not disembarking there.  Our other ports are in Mexico, which has a template letter you have your vet fill out, and Cartagena Colombia, which participates in the electronic database for the 7001 health form.  Of note, Cayman has very strict guidelines including a rabies titer which has to be run only at certain labs, as well as a prazaquantil containing worm prevention within a certain period of time.  Also, the signed health certificate for them is valid for 14 days.  If GC falls at the end of your cruise (ours is 14 nights), this presents an issue.  Would have been about $500 to get off in GC after meeting all their requirements - not worth it for us.  

I would be happy to come back after we’ve cruised and share my experiences with ports/permits.  We are cruising Disney btw....

Denise

Also wondering about any changes for Mexico.  Heading out in just under 70 days and was planning on Option B.  Was not planning on doing Prazequantil since we are not disembarking in Grand Cayman.  Any new info from anyone would be appreciated.

3 minutes ago, HenryKisor said:

I have, numerous times. Different zoos have different policies. Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago welcomes service dogs, but a monkey house (they throw poo, you know) and the Farm in the Zoo are off limits. The zoo gives you a map marked with the sites where service dogs are not permitted. Other zoos have kennel cages where a service dog can be stashed while you go inside an exhibit to see the animals. Often big cats in outdoor cages will go nuts when they see a dog so you should move away quickly when that happens. Best thing to do is call ahead and ask a zoo what its service dog policies are. 

 

This is great to know!  We are cruising out of San Diego in a couple of weeks, and had planned to go to the San Diego zoo.  I’m going to do some research and give their Guest Services Dept a call - the points you made in your post are all very valid!  Perfect timing for this post for me!

10 hours ago, HenryKisor said:

A number of folks have voiced concern about the visibility of their dogs in the theater seating areas of cruise ships. I am wondering if a little collar flasher, available in several kinds on Amazon.com, would be a good idea, especially if one's dog is black and hence almost invisible in dark areas. On the other hand, these flashers might be so bright they might annoy others in the audience. Presumably some of them can be turned down to limit the visibility. Anyone?

We have the clip on lights from Amazon.  They have an option of steady light, slow flashing or quick flashing light.  We typically use the steady function on them, especially walking places at night, where people may not be looking down at all.  If we are in a theater, we leave the light on while people are getting seated, but will turn it off when the show starts.  We always sit on the end, and if someone is coming out of the row, we say there is a service dog tucked behind my daughters legs to inform them.  He can have a pretty ‘in the way’ tail sometimes though.  Once the show is getting ready to end, we will turn the solid light back on again to exit the theater, until we are back into a lighted environment.  

We take a prescription of Cerenia with us just in case, but we were told by our vet it is not common at all for animals to experience seasickness.

1 hour ago, Caribbean Chris said:

 

To clarify, we did not take the dog off in Grand Cayman, so did not get ANY paperwork related to that island and therefore, the 14 days was not relevant, nor any of their other requirements such as praziquantel tapeworm treatment. 

 

We only got the generic USDA health certificate form 7001 we always get for any cruise. And in the box with “consignee,” listed my name. Under that was “cruise ship passenger, Holland America Line Nieuw Statendam, roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale to ports: (listed) . Then it said “animal will not disembark in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, or in Grand Cayman Island.”

 

We got the 7001 on a Friday before we sailed on a Sunday. Most of the time we get it a week or two before. It’s valid for 30 days.

 

And, as mentioned, we had the Mexico letterhead form. The port official looked that over along with the generic 7001. We also had the Bahamas permit since we got off in Half Moon Cay.

 

We do not plan to disembark in GC.  We can't anyway.  Their guidelines stipulate that if you pet has been in Mexico within 10 days of coming into Cayman waters you cannot disembark.  That really isn't a factor though, because we would not have gotten off in Cayman anyway - too many restrictions, and their guidelines state that they can detain or destroy the animal as they see fit.  Too much of a risk to get off there.  Since DCL Special Services was not all that helpful, and encouraged me to reach out to the Ag Depts of the places we would be porting, I reached out to GC and explained we did not plan to get off on the island, and wanted to clarify the 14 days prior to travel clearance (with hopes they would say we could get the clearance 14 days prior to sail date vs. 14 days prior to arrival in GC).  I received the following reply from a consulate at the Dept of Agriculture:

2 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

 

No, I have not sent/taken my 7001 to Gainesville to be endorsed when we stated on the form that the dog would not disembark in the Cayman Islands. No Cayman permit involved, so nothing for them to endorse - I had my accredited vet sign 7001 and that was the end of it. We’ve done this several times, most recently for our April 7 cruise. (None of our other ports required endorsement.)

 

I’m curious about why you would have to have praziquantel administered if you are not going ashore with the dog in Cayman? Maybe for Colombia?

 

My vet also issued and signed Mexico’s Option B (which as you know is their template text printed on the accredited vet’s letterhead, filled in by the vet). Mexico Option B does not require endorsement, but the issuing vet must be accredited by the USDA.

 

 

Chris,

Thank you for this information!  It helps tremendously!  The Prazaquantil is for Colombia (although GC requires it too, as you know, along with the titer).  If I may ask, how soon prior to embarkation day did you get your GC 7001 completed?  Did you stay with the 14 day window they require, even though you did not disembark there?  We are asking, because GC falls on Day 12 of our cruise, but we leave out of San Diego, and need to travel from Florida with a few days lead time, which essentially means we have to see the vet the morning we leave, and it ties us to have to fly to San Diego in this instance (our plan was to drive, as the cruise ends in Galveston, and I have family in Texas - we planned to spend a few days prior to cruise in Texas, leave our car there, fly to San Diego, and have familly bring our car to the port in Galveston on the day we arrive back).  We return the weekend before Thanksgiving, so airfare is insanely high at that time, and we can save $$ and have a little more flexibility if we drive, but the 14 day window for GC was leading us to believe this wasn't really an option, even if we were not going to get off there.  In hindsight, we would have been smarter doing a westbound cruise, where GC and Colombia fell at the beginning of the trip.  

Our vet is UDSA accredited, so we are good for the English/Spanish template letter for Mexico, which is 3 of our 5 port stops.

On 2/9/2019 at 6:08 AM, Caribbean Chris said:

 

I’ve been thinking the same thing - May try to use the titer more than once after the Hawaii cruise. My late brother had a house on the beach in Grand Cayman which we haven’t visited since getting my dog. His widow is always trying to get us to go again, and it’s just an hour’s flight for us.

 

Good work by prevailing with sod instead of kitty litter! We had that once - on a 16-hour overnight ferry to Newfoundland last year - and Raylene refused it, just like  Henri did. Long night.

 

It’s like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates - you never know what you’re going to get.

Chris,

I know you've posted before about having a port in GC and not getting off, and having the vet write on the health certificate that you were not disembarking, but I can't find the actual post.  When you did this, did you still need to go to the APHIS office in Gainesville to get that certificate signed, or was that waived since you weren't disembarking?  We are doing the same, but GC comes as the next to the last stop on our 14 day cruise, and we are leaving from San Diego, so need some travel time on the front end.  I know we don't have to get the titer in this case, but still have the Prazaquantil administered.  We were just hoping if we didn't have to get it signed in Gainesville, we could leave out a day earlier than planned to San Diego.  Colombia is the only  other port that requires an APHIS signed certificate, but they allow it to be done electronically, so that one is not an issue.  I have the template for Mexico for the vet to fill out/sign, so that completes all our port stops.  Unfortunately, Special Services on DCL has been sub-par with information, basically telling me they will follow whatever GC's Dept of Ag states is the guideline.  

Any help/info would be appreciated :).

Denise

17 hours ago, mmarq1992 said:

 

On the Disney Dream, it was a large plastic box lined with absorbent potty pads and sod on top

We had the same on the Dream, and the potty pads were changed out daily, but not the sod.  We only did a 4 day, so probably not necessary.  We picked up our own solid waste and brought it back to our cabin verandah since there was no trash receptacle for it at the potty station.  Our stateroom host discarded it multiple times a day from the verandah.  We have a 'walking pooper' so he struggled with that in the potty box.  We have been working on this with him at home the last few months, and he's getting better, but till 'misses' the box at times because of this. We will have extra potty pads we will place around the box on our next cruise so the decking around the box does not get contaminated in any way.  We are doing a 14 night in November, so hopefully he is much  more comfortable with using the box.  Going to take a piece of turf as Roz has suggested, and cut the drainage holes in it and use it in case there are any ports where they can't get fresh sod.  Special Services says this can sometimes be an issue on longer cruises, but that they should have enough on board from San Diego to take us all the way through.

4 hours ago, HHFamily said:

Thanks so much for your reply!  How long ago was this?  If I am not mistaken this form that is supposed to be done within 48 hours is relatively new?  I am not completely sure, still trying to figure out how to navigate all of this.  Royal Caribbean is not much help, they just refer me to the Department of Ag. 

 

This was Sept 2018.  Special Services with Disney wanted this 7-10 days prior to sailing.  I pulled our documents and it also states 48 hours, but we had no issue, and we were not even asked for any paperwork disembarking in Nassau or Castaway.  We saw the vet on 9/11 and sailed on 9/16.   Remember that this is also a permit for people moving there with their pets, and also for those that sail/boat on a personal watercraft into the Bahamas, so many are traveling for more than 48 hours to arrive at there.

I can only speak to our experience, which was on Disney Cruise Line, but we got the Bahamas permit about 2 months in advance (it’s good for a year).  We were told by Special Services at DCL to have the vet see the dog and sign the permit 7-10 days prior to travel and fax to them (DCL).  We then presented everything at the port at check in, and again at Guest Services as soon as we boarded.  We ported in Nassau and Castaway Cay, and had no issues.  

I know now there are many other Caribbean ports that are much more strict (like Grand Cayman).  

8 minutes ago, Tinkertaylor said:

Thank you Denise that's all good information.

 

We will be embarking in the UK on one of the Magic sailings in August, what we need to do in terms of vets/ vaccinations etc is a whole different story as we don't know if and how regulations may change following Brexit on 29 March!

Tinkertaylor, please keep us all posted on those regulations.  Our next bucket list cruise will be a Mediterranean, Fjords or Transatlantic, so we will be interested in those guidelines!  I believe Chris should be the Special Services agent for the Magic, so send an email to them, and he is the one who will get back to you.  He's super helpful, although he obviously won't know about pet permit changes til the end of next month, just like you.  

51 minutes ago, Tinkertaylor said:

Hi,

 

Does anyone have any experience with Disney Cruise Line please?

 

We have cruised with them before but this year we are taking my father-in-law who is blind and has a guide dog. We are from the UK and will be sailing from Dover to Norway.

 

I'm getting married onboard so my wedding co-ordinator has been in touch with the special assistance department on my behalf, I recall seeing assistance dogs onboard before and have booked them an accessible stateroom. We will help with exercising on Deck 4 and pottying, does anyone know what type of potty area they offer on Disney? I was thinking of setting up a similar one at home to get him used to it.

 

My father-in-law also has quite poor mobility so I am particularly worried about how he and his guide dog will handle boarding. Does anyone know how Disney handles things and if there is a step-free boarding option or if we can use a wheelchair to help him? 

 

Thank you and I hope to share our adventure and travels with you all 🙂

 

 

Tinkertaylor,  we have a single experience with DCL and our service dog (my daughter is on the Autism Spectrum), although we have cruised many times with them prior to getting our SD.  We cruised on the Dream last September on a short 4 night cruise  and we had the option of having the potty box on our verandah or on Deck 4 Aft, close to crew service areas and along the jogging track.  We started out with it on verandah, and our pup wanted no part of it there, so we had it moved.  It was tucked under a stairwell, in an area that had some metal rail and a small gate to go inside the actual area.  There was real sod in the box, lined with puppy pads underneath the sod.  The pads were changed out daily.  Ours had no problem urinating there but struggled with pooping.  He is a 'walking pooper' so the edges of the box challenged him, and it took him a long time to go on most days.  We did ALOT of walking on Deck 4....lol.   We brought extra puppy pads that we laid around the outside of the box, so if he 'missed' we could just wrap up the pad and bag it.  We did go through Special Services on Disney, although I did not feel they were great help, but I think it depends on which agent you get, and the accommodations you need.  Our assigned agent was Lee, and we were originally told we could get our Bahamas pet import permit  up to a year in advance.  We obtained it, and took our dog in to get health cleared by the vet about a month in advance, to make sure there were no issues.  Once everything was sent in, we were then told that he needed to be seen again, within 10 days of travel, so we had to have him seen and cleared again (and pay another fee).  During our time on board, we spoke with Chris, who is the other Special Services agent - he was actually traveling on this cruise, and we chatted for awhile.  I much prefer him. but they are assigned ships.  Chris has the Magic and Fantasy and Lee has the Dream and Wonder.

We have just started potty box training ours for our November trip.  Our trainer has recommended either getting a plastic baby pool, or we can use a rabbit pan (which is like a crate tray) or a crate tray from a dog crate.  Our dog is not really big (52 pound) so we are using an XL dog crate tray.  We were told to start with sod, since that is what he is used to going on, and get him comfortable going in the box with sod.  Then, we were told to slowly lower the size of the sod, and add in other things he may be required to go on, such as bark, mulch or pellets.   We will also plan to get a small piece of artificial turf grass, which can roll up, and get him comfy going on that too, at the recommendation of folks on this board.  That way, if he won't go on whatever surface is in the box on the ship, the piece of turf can be placed over the top of whatever is in the box, and he will be used to going on the turf.  

In November of this year we are taking a 14 day Panama Canal cruise with DCL on the Wonder, and I have essentially been told i need to contact all the Departments of Agriculture where we will be porting and get all the information for pet import/travel myself.  I've been told DCL does not have any of their own requirements, they follow whatever the specific port countries guidelines are.  We have alot of time restrictions on the permits for places we are visiting, so it has been intense and stressful.  This message board has been really, really helpful though.  

Some of the other accommodations we have been given on DCL are our own table, closer to a wall, so there is corner for the dog to be isolated in, and more out of the way, and we boarded with the first group, to avoid too much chaos.  This gives an opportunity to go straight to Guest Services to give them copies of all your paperwork and for them to show you were the relief area is.  One of the things i would recommend in regards to taking elevators,  is to use the Aft or Forward elevators, as they are much less crowded than mid-ship elevators.   Not sure where you are embarking from, but if it's Port Canaveral, DCL has it's own terminal there, and you would take the elevators up to the check in area, and that entire floor has a permanent gangway onto the ship, so no need to worry about ramps or anything for that.  However, at some ports, there will be ramp access on and off.

I know there are a few other DCL cruisers with SD's on here, so hopefully they will chime in as well!  Congrats on the wedding, and hope you have a wonderful time!

Denise

1 hour ago, Caribbean Chris said:

 

It’s increasingly the case that different countries have their own health forms you may need along with the basic 7001. But check the Mexico page on the APHIS Pet Travel website for “Option B.” It is the choice for a USDA-accredited vet to use Mexico’s provided template language (in English and Spanish) copied onto the vet’s letterhead with a few details typed in, and signed. It does NOT need to be endorsed by the regional USDA APHIS service center. My vet has prepared this twice, including a few weeks ago, and it has been readily accepted by Mexican authorities.

 

if you aren’t getting off with the dog in Grand Cayman, in my experience (January 2019], no endorsement of the basic all purpose Form 7001 from your vet was required. We went to Key West, Grand Cayman, and Mexico (2 ports). No endorsement, just the form 7001 and Mexico letterhead document, both signed by my USDA accredited vet. 

 

You mentioned a fee by the USDA office. Service dog partners who include proof of their dog’s status (copy of ID cards from training organization and IAADP,  for example) can request a fee waiver. I have sent forms (overnight UPS with overnight return envelope) to Gainesville for endorsement with a cover letter and proof and never been required to pay a USDA fee.

 

I’m glad Colombia now accepts the electronic form from your vet. Let us know if that works out smoothly. 

Chris,

Thanks for the excellent info - I already have the Option B template for Mexico, and have forwarded to my vet for her to look over it, and be aware it has to be copy/pasted onto office letterhead for final signature when we come for the health clearance visit.  Grand Cayman Dept of Ag stated no import permit needed if not disembarking there, and the cruise line doesn't require us to get an import permit (which they don't).  I have their specific IHC form from the APHIS website.  So it looks like only Colombia requires it.  We will be cutting it close on the 10 day window for Colombia since it falls in the middle of the 14 day cruise, and we are sailing out of San Diego but live in Florida.  We may not have the the final electronic OK from Gainesville before we head to San Diego, but should have it before we board, and it can be accessed electronically by the Colombian officials as well, upon arrival there.

Really helps to have the fee waiver info.  If by chance all of that is sent to Gainesville, but it ISN'T accepted without the fee being paid, would they reach out and allow me to pay over the phone since this would be for Colombia and it can all be accomplished electronically, without having to appear in person?  It's actually my local vet that would submit everything electronically to them I believe, as she told me this previously, but so far on our travels, we haven't been able to do this method yet, as we have only traveled to the Bahamas and secured the import permit ourselves, ahead of time.

Denise

3 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

allies_daphne, I think it’s always a good idea to try to obtain the permits. However, I have been to Grand Cayman twice in the past year (on Celebrity Cruises) and chose not obtain their permit due to the lengthy time and costs involved for obtaining the blood titer etc. I had my vet enter in capital letters on the form 7001 “Animal will not disembark in Grand Cayman.” I had no problem.

 

Getting their permit takes a lot of effort for a few hours’ port call, as you probably already know from the USDA APHIS Pet travel website info. I love Cayman from visiting via flights during my pre-service dog days, but cruise ship arrivals there often are problematic due to seas that become too rough for tendering. (And tendering is the only option, no Cruise Ship Pier.) I just read on Cruise Critic about a recent sailing where the first 400 people were able (barely) to tender in until conditions became so bad, with four foot rises & drops for people trying to step ashore, that tenders ceased operating that day for the rest of the passengers. 

 

 

Chris,

Do you know if you can use a single APHIS 7001 form for multiple ports?  I am hearing conflicting information about that - that you must have a form for each port.  Of all the ports we will enter (Mexico, Grand Cayman and Colombia) only Colombia actually requires it, and they allow digital signatures, so you don't have to go to the USDA office to get the signature/seal.  We do not plan to get off in Grand Cayman, for all the reasons you mentioned in your post, and per the Ag Dept in Cayman, if you do not plan on disembarking, it only requires the IHC signed by USDA vet, proof of rabies, and proof of heartworm/flea/tick treatment within 14 days of entering their waters.   Cayman has been on our itinerary before (before our SD) and we couldn't tender due to winds and swells.  We ended up with an extra sea day.   I'm not heartbroken about not getting off there.

I know that each APHIS form from the signed/sealed by the USDA office is $38 (at least here in Florida) if it does not require reviewing any test results.  IF I have to have an individual one for each port, then I'll have to go to the office, since Mexico and GC do not accept digital signatures.

29 minutes ago, erdoran said:

I'm curious about how your dog was trained.  As per my last post, I find it truly amazing how wonderful and skilled a true service animal is!

Erdoran,

We initially met with a trainer to discuss my daughters needs, and decide what breed might be best served for her.  She is on the Autism Spectrum, and can be quite impulsive, and has a tendency to wander or elope (run away).  We wanted a service dog that could be scent trained, to be able to find her if she were to get away.   We have also used this scent training much like diabetic or epilepsy/seizure service animals are trained – our service dog can pick up on my daughters scent when she is heading towards a meltdown.  This scent training was done by providing pieces of clothing and saliva swabs and skin swabs that the trainer used in scent boxes and also in random locations in the training center while being trained.  He comes from a line of search and rescue and cadaver dogs, so his specialty is scent training.   He also provides deep pressure to her during meltdowns, by sitting in her lap, and leaning against her chest, or laying on top of her.  Her meltdowns and elopements are way down since we got him a year ago, and he is tethered to her with a jogging leash all the time.  Since this does not happen frequently anymore, we have to simulate the scent training often, with saliva and skin swabs that we collect when she does have a meltdown, or pieces of her clothing, just for scent tracking.  We keep these in the freezer, and he gets ‘tested’ every week to make sure he stays sharp at picking up on her scent, and what his job is, kind of like police K-9’s are kept sharp.  Prior to permanently taking him home, we did many sessions with the trainer and my daughter (the handler) at the training center and our home.  Then we started bringing him home on weekends, and then stretching that out to longer periods of time until he was permanently with us. 

We are lucky enough to live in the same town as our trainer, and also received essentially a lifetime assistance contract with him, so if we have to approach a new task for him at any time, or are having trouble with him mastering a task, we can reach out, and he will work with us at his training center, or come to our home if necessary.  We did this with our first cruise, having him help us teach him to potty in a confined space.  He is what we call a “walking pooper”, so staying in the kiddie pool or the box is hard for him, and he was a little intimidated by it.  He prefers the tray to the pool.  We usually bring puppy pads to put around the tray, so if he steps out of it, the pad catches the poop.  We have a tray at home, and when we move it to different locations with different things in it (sod, mulch, gravel, bark).  He doesn’t use it all the time for potty, but frequently, so he is still used to going in one when necessary.

On 2/11/2019 at 10:28 AM, mmarq1992 said:

Hello All!

My service dog and I are going on an Alaskan cruise with Disney in May, for which we are all set. Due to a family friend battling cancer, we just decided to do another cruise even sooner in April. I definitely wasn't prepared for this to pop up so quickly and I'm hoping you wonderful people can answer a couple questions for me!

 

The cruise will be going to the Bahamas, both Nassau and Castaway Cay. Do I need to submit for 2 permits or will just 1 cover the 2 stops? And what is the fastest way to submit for the permit? Am I able to fax it to them and how do you suggest sending the payment? 

 

Thanks in advance!

Melissa & Bentley

Melissa,

We were kind of in this same situation when we booked the same cruise on the Dream at the last minute.  We actually paid the Overnight FedEx fee to send the application to them, but requested that the actual permit be faxed back.  I think I paid $60 to overnight the application, and I sent an international money order for the permit fee, that I purchased at the Post Office.  I had the permit in less than 10 days, and it arrived via fax, just like requested.  There is  great post from a blog site called The Boat Galley, that has alot of posts about permits for animals going into other countries.  Most of them are referring to personal watercraft and family pets, but the permit process and applications are the same.  The step by step process from their site was very helpful, and I know they mentioned in the post that some of the contact information on the Bahamas website is incorrect, so I would confirm before you send/fax anything.

On 2/11/2019 at 11:02 PM, thephantomsgirl said:

 

Disney is WONDERFUL with service dogs.  I've been on 11 cruises, 3 of them with Jagger.  I LOVE how they do the relief box area.   Be sure to call or email Special Services.  I deal with Chris often and he's just the best.  

 

Jagger loves Disney cruises.   If you look him up on FB under:  Jagger the Service Dog  there are many photos of him on Disney Cruises.  We just did one in January.

 

specialservices@disneycruise.com

 

Holly

Holly,

I would love to talk to you about your DCL experience and your service dog.  We are doing the Eastbound Panama Canal later this year with our SD, and would love to hear about your previous experiences.  We have done one DCL with our SD, but it was a short 4 night only going to the Bahamas.  I unfortunately did not have the pleasure of dealing with Chris, but i did speak to him once, and he actually ended up ON our cruise, so we spoke for a while onboard.   I have the same rep for this Panama cruise as I had for the Bahamas cruise, and my standard answer for everything is to contact all the ports and ask all the information myself.  I know that the Dept of Ag websites are the source of truth for what is needed to port in each place, but I also feel like the routes that the cruise lines take, they should have that information for you up front (at the very least, contact information) and provide it.  It's not like no one has ever traveled these routes before with an SA.  

I'm specifically looking for info on Grand Cayman, even though we cannot get off there, because we will have ported in Mexico within the previous 10 days, which is an exclusion.  I'm not overly broken up over not getting off, but I am wondering, since it is a tender port, and we don't plan to get off, if we still will be required to obtain the import permit as well the rabies titer that can only be run at UK.  Additionally, everything has to be obtained within 14 days of entering GC, and that port falls on Day 12 of our cruise.  We live in FL, and our cruise leaves out of San Diego, so we have to have a couple of days travel time to get there, so if there is any issue with the IHC and getting it signed by USDA office in Gainesville, we will be in trouble.    Waiting to hear back from the Dept of Ag now, to see if it truly is 14 days from entering GC, or 14 days prior to the start of your travel.  Sometimes the guidelines are difficult to interpret.

I'll start combing through the many pages of posts on this thread to find info on some other things I have questions about like safety of the SD in other ports (ie: exposure to roaming, loose animals anywhere) we are traveling to.

Denise

I am new to this board, but clicked on this post because I have been looking for up to date information on cruising with a service dog.  My adult daughter on the Autism Spectrum has a service dog, and we will be taking a lengthy cruise later this year.  We have cruised many times before, and once, on a short 5 night with her service dog this past year.  I was hoping to find more information on port entry documentation and requirements, but most of what is on these boards is pretty old (some from 2007).  We are doing a 14 day Panama Canal cruise, and the paperwork, lab titers, import permit fees, USDA veterinarian signature fees, expensive heartworm and flea and tick treatments etc... required for the ports we are visiting are pretty hefty.  I cannot imagine people want to go through all this and pay all this extra $$ to just bring a pet with them.  It blows my mind.  The Bahamas was just about $100 with the permit fee and the cost to Overnight the permit application to them, but other ports such as Grand Cayman have very stringent and expensive rules.

I wanted to say that for those of us who have a service dog in our household, we are just as angered and outraged at general pets being claimed as service animals, or even ESA's for that matter.  Many of you are correct in that ESA's do not have the same rights as SA's.  Nothing is more angering to us than being somewhere that someone is carrying a small dog in their arms that has a vest on, and it's growling at people, or shaking uncontrollably.  SA's are used to loud, unfamiliar environments, because they are trained in those settings.  They are also trained, for the most part, to do their job with their feet on the ground, not in a stroller or shopping cart.  

Although SA's should not be randomly jumping on furniture and such, I will say that my daughters service dog sleeps in the bed with her, on top of her, because one of his jobs is to keep her from wandering or eloping.   He is tethered to her with a jogging leash at all times.  However, when we are dining or at a show, or anything of that nature, he is under the table, or tucked behind her legs as best as he can be for the space he is given to do so.  He is a work in progress since he is young (not quite 3 years old), so he is not perfect, and will occasionally sniff something he shouldn't walking by, but he does not bark, growl, or try to follow it, we will just notice he may sniff someone walking by him.  My daughter is not always quick in correcting him if she does not see the behavior happening with him, so we have to do the correcting at times.  We are not at all offended if people ask us questions about our service dog, as long as it is respectful.  If you ask me "what's wrong with her that she needs a dog?" though, I will probably respond "what's wrong with you that your parents didn't teach you to be polite and respectful of others?"  

Also, we are from Florida, so although we have a vest on our SA at all times, it isn't required, and often in Florida, because of the heat, and the fact that many SA"s are of the shepherd or retriever breed, they may not wear a vest because it can contribute to overheating.  However, they should wear a wide collar which indicates they are a service dog or a working dog, so people know.  

So, if anyone has any questions about cruising with a service dog, I'm happy to answer what I know at this point, and I will probably have ALOT more information as we plan and embark on our Panama Canal cruise!