DUTRAVEL

On a similar trip, we flew from the US to France and then took a Transatlantic cruise from Southampton with a stop in the Bahama before arriving in Florida. I put the US as country of origin. This was in 2018 and the appliction form didn't ask your other two questions; the form only asked for date of arrival.

We asked for $200 from our refundable OBC on the last night of our Eclipse cruise a couple of weeks ago. The rest was refunded to our credit card since we didn't want to carry that much cash around.

Yes, booked a refundable fair last month on the Eclipse.

It looks like its going to be a mess to start - the relevant Canadian government agency doesn't yet know how the forms will be endorsed. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/us-border-dog-rules-disagreement-1.7262417

Oh no Chris, I am so sorry to see this. You must be heartbroken to lose your right-hand girl. Your travels with Raylene gave me the courage to travel with Henri and what a great service dog ambassador she was. I am giving Henri an extra hug tonight. We are headed to Iceland next month and we will definitely raise a glass to Raylene.

Yes Michelangelo is 5:00 and 7:20 (I don’t know about private vs shared). Botticelli we have a private table for five people every night at 6:00pm.

We don’t have status and haven’t paid in full, but were able to make reservations on the Ruby for April 2025.

Did you dock or was this a tender port?

From the San Francisco Port website: Metropolis offers long-term cruise parking at 80 Francisco Street. Contact rjeangilles@metropolis.io and anguyen@metropolis.io or call 415.398.4162 with questions about your reservation.

I now always print out the email from the cruise line approving my Service Dog jut in case. Our last Princess cruise had no record of my Service Dog even though I had at least two emails approving her. Its never stress free; I just try to bring copies of everything possible!

I don't know of any cruise line that will allow you to leave your service dog alone in your cabin.

It will be more comfortable to wait in Tuscan than Raw on 5. You will be in a crowd of wheelchairs and no food or drinks. They will take you off based on your luggage tag number (even if you get there at 7:00, you will be taken off only when your luggage tag is called). Bear in mind it can be very hard to get an elevator in a wheelchair on disembarktion day because of all the people with their lugggage.

Just a heads up that the CDC has issued new rules starting August 1, 2024 that will require that all dogs entering the US appear healthy upon arrival, be at least 6 months old, be microchipped and be accompanied by a “CDC Dog Import Form” receipt that was filled out online two to 10 days before arrival. These rules apply to all dogs, including service dogs and those who were born in the United States but are returning from another country. Unless I am reading the CDC checklist wrong, it looks like a dog vaccinated in the US will also need to have either a Certification of U.S.-Issued Rabies Vaccination form or the USDA APHIS health certificate (which in either case will need to be endorsed by the USDA). Hopefully, USDA endorsement of one of those forms will not be necessary every time you return to the US. Here's a link to a good explanation of the rules: https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/08/health/cdc-dog-import-rules/index.html?bt_ee=ZPVTkqTnMd0AyE5HlJ0kf3iKBdPsCrkLFvjwXYBK5Q8dyntljCQgX6cw%2F7p70WjU&bt_ts=1715251930296 Link to CDC Website: https://www.cdc.gov/importation/bringing-an-animal-into-the-united-states/dogs-entering-us-after-august-1.html

Welcome back to a beautiful day in the Bay Area. Thanks for taking the time out of your vacation to take us along. Dianne

You can try emailing Celebrity at accessibleexcursions@rccl.com. Just be prepared to wait several months for a reply and the excursions will generally be very expensive. For the Azores, try https://wheeltheworld.com/ (search Azores Portugal under things to do). We had a great accessible excursion to Lagoa do Fogo at a very reasonable price in November. For Bermuda, we have used Keith Simmons. His email is keithsimmons@logic.bm. He has a wheelchair accessible van and offers tours from the Dockyard. In Palma, we have taken the public bus which is accessible.

Not on the Royal Princess.

Also try bicycle repair - sometimes bike shops can make wheelchair repairs.

Thank you for taking time out of your holiday to take us along on your cruise. Your sense of humor is priceless! Have a safe trip home.

I will never forget October 17, 1989 either. I was working on the 22nd Floor of the Embarcadero Center when the earthquake hit and had no way of getting back to the East Bay as BART was completely shut down. Lucky for me, a colleague took me under her wing and took me on the ferry with her to Vallejo. It was so eerie to be crossing the Bay and seeing the Financial District in total darkness and the Marina on fire. I was finally able to reach my husband to come get me much later that night and we filled our mini van with complete strangers needing a ride home. I love hearing about your love story with Iain – its one for the ages.

My husband thought the Polaris Burger at IAD was one of the best burgers he has ever had. Totally agree, the food on the flight was barely passable. Definitly eat in the lounge.

We can keep her as a pet when she retires - she just wont have public access or be able to travel with us. Luckily our daughter will take care of her when we’re out of town. Luke was lucky to find a home with you with so much love and patience.

They are all irreplacable - such different personalties. I dread Henrietta's retirement next year since she is the perfect traveller. I'm sure my successor Service Dog will be a pro too, but it will be interesting to see the differences.

I have been away from Cruise Critic for a couple of days and I'm already six pages behind. Henrietta (your best girlfriend) has her reading glasses on and we are following along with your adventures! Hope you and Iain have a fantastic cruise! Dianne & Henrietta

Thanks for the update Chris. Sounds like a real catch-22 situation!

So sorry about Alf. Heartbreaking to lose a beloved family member. He was lucky to have had your parents rescue him even if only for a little while.