Caribbean Chris

Here’s your Delft warrior (sort of) from Captain Albert’s Blog in 2018:

The ADA doesn’t go into detail, it just says the dog has to be allowed to be with you in areas where the public is permitted. https://www.ada.gov/resources/service-animals-2010-requirements/ Ships are unique, of course, because you can’t take the dog elsewhere for relief when you are at sea! Customarily cruiselines have provided a box with various fillers. Sometimes grass or mulch, other times less satisfactory stuff such as sawdust or paper pellets.

Thanks for posting - interesting site. Browsed briefly - I don’t think they showed the round plates HAL also has produced for inaugural seasons (see attached Rotterdam plate photo). There was a display of interesting historical plates at the entrance to the main dining room when we were on Rotterdam in 2021 for its inaugural year first Caribbean sailing out of Ft. Lauderdale. Wish I’d taken photos of them.

Rotterdam has the nicest of the three Pinnacle ships for Club Orange, with carpeted quiet atmosphere, decor and comfortable seating.

I've never sailed on MSC and never talked to a service dog partner who had. One question I have is whether the cruise is sailing from/to any U.S. ports of call (versus an entirely international itinerary.) It can make a difference in whether some companies even permit dogs on board... Successful lawsuits have resulted in rulings requiring foreign flag ships sailing from/to or dock at any US port to comply with most provisions of the ADA. If I were in that position I would escalate to a higher level of management by phone, email, and written letter and state exactly what I need in detail (rather than ask what THEY think is a reasonable accomodation. Puppy pads aren't it.) For me, that would be the cruise line providing a 4X4 foot leakproof wooden box filled with grass sod or, if grass not available, with garden mulch. It should be placed either on the passenger's verandah if space permits or in an ACCESSIBLE area, preferably on deck under cover away from high wind and rain.

Thanks for the clarification of what you were asking the TA. Deep apologies for misunderstanding your post. Since CO came into being, I’ve arranged for Club Orange either by booking a Neptune suite or by adding it to an existing booking by calling the toll free HAL number. It was a very easy process. But only recently we learned from Cruise Critic that the magic toll free number no longer is offered on the Club Orange PDF, instead, it’s “call your travel planner”... and apparently the travel planners don’t know anything about it.

You always need at minimum two documents - a rabies certificate and a health certificate (form 7001) filled out by a veterinarian who has examined the dog, preferably a vet accredited by APHIS since some countries require that. It’s a good idea to try and comply with various country’s regulations if possible in case you have an emergency and must get off the ship mid-cruise. Google APHIS Pet Travel for details on taking your service dog to a foreign country -see the drop-down menu listing countries. Here’s a sample blank health form: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/library/forms/pdf/APHIS7001.pdf Even if you don’t plan to take the dog off the ship, bring that signed certificate to the pier with the dog’s up to date original rabies certificate. I make multiple copies since it speeds things up at embarkation. If your ship is going to the Bahamas, you should get that country’s permit, even for a cruise line “private island” such as Half Moon Cay, and even if you don’t plan for the dog to get off.

After a 2018 drydock, at least some Zaandam category D outside staterooms on Lower Prom Deck had the shower installed. We chose one for upcoming New England/Newfoundland cruise in September. Photos here on HALFacts if the link works: https://halfacts.com/r-class/3339-zaandam/

We were given an on board credit once when there was no upgrade stateroom available in our category. Seems like it was $100 per person but I can’t remember for sure.

Thanks for recent real-world report! Sounds good - glad you only paid one CO add-on fare and got the upgrade you wanted. Have a great cruise. We’ll be on NS just before you in early April.

Sorry, at appears they’ve revised the PDF and deleted it. Now it says to contact your travel advisor. As I said in a previous post, things change from year to year. I should have known a dedicated phone line with someone handling Club Orange bookings was working too well and was too simple to last.

Things change from one year to the next. But last year we added ClubOrange to existing bookings by making a simple phone call to the HAL number on the Club Orange PDF (on the HAL website). (We use a TA and were already booked but HAL CO agent on the phone did not require us to go through our agent to add it.) The HAL agent asked if we had a preference for our upgraded cabin location, and we already had one in mind to suggest, which they moved us to while on the phone. We did not have to pay up front - Club Orange charge was added to our balance due at final payment. TA got changes in fare & cabin # immediately from HAL automatically. We had to cancel before final payment, received our full deposit back. No penalty for Club Orange since we had not yet paid for it.

That sounds great, Diane!

On another topic, we sold our one-level house with fenced yard very quickly, and moved in late November to a high-rise retirement community. We are in an apartment on the 11th floor with a great view of the bay, Siesta Key, and the Gulf of Mexico. However, we now have to ride an elevator 11stories ten times a day (5 relief visits down & back up). It’s not ideal but 11 year-old Raylene quickly adapted to the new routine. Once downstairs, we have about a 30 second walk to grass in either direction, and the building is on 15 woodsy acres for longer walks, with very nice paved paths and trash cans for poop bags. I’m convinced our cruise & hotel travels (starting when Raylene was two) have helped her ability to take it in stride. When we enter an elevator, on ships or here, I’ve trained her to stand, usually against a wall to my left. If there’s space, I usually turn to face the elevator with her behind my legs. I don’t want her to sit or get in a down-stay because then her tail and paws are vulnerable to being stepped on. I give her a training treat or praise her as a reward for remaining in position. I use both the passenger elevators and a service elevator (available daytime only, but closer to my apartment) and they’re all fast, fortunately! But sometimes there’s a lot of traffic, people with walkers, people in wheelchairs, food staff wheeling in tall tray carts, and so on. And the building is in the final phase of a complete renovation so sometimes elevators are temporarily turned off, workmen with supplies enter & leave, and loud noises abound, for example as they drill, hammer, or remove old tile. Raylene has kept her cool through it all. I’m really proud of her. Of course many people want to touch her or talk to her but that’s another story. There are no pets allowed here and she is the first service dog ever (in almost 50 years!) according to staff members. So it’s somewhat like living on a cruise ship!

Hi Linda - glad the Hurricane didn’t affect you! We ended up getting our power back after five days, and were able to get the minor house issues fixed quickly, which was amazing since hundreds of thousands of people in SW Florida were simultaneously trying to get repair people to come. I’ve cruised with Raylene on Celebrity many times, but we book through Costco so I don’t have a vacation planner’s name at the line. I’ve found that Celebrity varies a lot by ship in the relief areas and willingness to help with the box issues. Which ship are you looking at? Our most recent cruise was last April on Constellation out of Tampa. The box location was outside on an open promenade deck with high wind and no shelter. They closed the deck access due to weather and when we explained the problem, they agreed to put a mulch filled box on our balcony. Ironically, Raylene then refused to use it (I couldn’t believe it!) so we continued to use the other box. My theory was that she regarded the balcony as part of the room (her den) after sitting outside on so many cruises, and she would not “go” in her den. At home and in other ship locations she has used mulch happily. Go figure. Dianne has had a lot more Celebrity interaction on the balcony box issues so maybe she will offer her insights.

I’m so glad you are headed home! I just looked at the general HAL forum only to learn that both Kathi and you have had medical debarks. What a shame to have your trip ruined, not to mention to endure a painful and scary situation. I’ve followed both of you via “live from” posts for years, and will be praying for your healing. Recently I was so pleased to read the 9/03/23 Newfoundland roll call and see you might be onboard. I know you were having doubts because of weather issues and were considering canceling. Selfishly I hope when the dust settles that you may be on that sailing. Sending good wishes from me and a doggie kiss from Hearing Dog Raylene. chris

The new Rotterdam Club Orange (pictured) has the best atmosphere, in my opinion, since it was purpose-designed as a private dining room rather than the more casual design scheme on Kdam and especially Nieuw Stat (formerly America’s Test Kitchen). But they are all good and quieter than the MDR.

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

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.

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!

Yes, it was great that they worked with us without any hesitation. So often people join Cruise Critic just to bash a cruise line and I wanted to give credit where due.

Called our TA on Friday and together we were on phone for about 90 minutes while she worked out the logistics with HAL. We were re-booked on a spring cruise using our same OBC which would have expired 12/31/22. Refunds for remaining cash paid and credit back to a gift card used for final payment. We were due to leave home next week for 2 week New England/Canada cruise. Can’t even think about packing much less being away from home while we are trying to get repair people, are cleaning up all the downed landscaping, and still waiting to get power. We are so very fortunate to have had only minor property damage and our home is intact. After we got cell service back and saw devastating damage and loss of life just south of us, we are extremely thankful just to have survived.

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.

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.

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.