Dogs on the ship

[Travelingwithstyle]

We are currently on the Viking Star with 600+ passengers.  We are having a great time.  Our one concern is the 4 four dogs on board that get to sit in our chairs around the ship (living room, restaurants and in the theater).  A few bark too.

 

I wanted to start this topic to see if this is the new norm for cruising.  Are others seeing more "emotional support" dogs on board the ships?

[Hobson1754]

1 minute ago, Travelingwithstyle said:

We are currently on the Viking Star with 600+ passengers.  We are having a great time.  Our one concern is the 4 four dogs on board that get to sit in our chairs around the ship (living room, restaurants and in the theater).  A few bark too.

 

I wanted to start this topic to see if this is the new norm for cruising.  Are others seeing more "emotional support" dogs on board the ships?

Is this a wind up or for real - sitting in chairs in restaurants??

[florafun]

This is for real! We are currently on this cruise where there are 4 "support" dogs aboard and just last night saw a dog sitting on a chair outside the World Café. I have never before seen dogs aboard a cruise ship and am personally not very happy with the situation. 

[Vineyard View]

True support dogs should be well trained. That should include staying off the furniture. 

[Heidi13]

7 minutes ago, florafun said:

This is for real! We are currently on this cruise where there are 4 "support" dogs aboard and just last night saw a dog sitting on a chair outside the World Café. I have never before seen dogs aboard a cruise ship and am personally not very happy with the situation. 

 

There should be queues of pax at the Purser's Office and GM's office registering complaints. While well trained and certified service dogs and even emotional dogs can be approved by the cruise line, the owners should ensure their conduct is acceptable.

 

Our dogs do have a chair in the house, if nobody else is using it, that is not acceptable in public. If dogs are accepted onboard, the dogs should be on the deck.

 

For pax with dog allergies, having them on the furniture is not acceptable.

[downsmead]

Not unheard of on other cruise lines. I think the issue is the cruise lines cannot ask for proof of emotional support and so are almost ‘forced’ into accepting them. 
Unacceptable for them to sit on chairs etc. 

[TayanaLorna]

To prove this is not a bogus post to start controversy, please post a photo where we can clearly identify Viking ocean. 

 

I agree that service dogs should be well trained. That includes no furniture and no barking. We love and have 2 dogs that support us emotionally.  They are not trained to do so, it's just their inherent nature and our perceived need.  They are pets and our family as we have no children.  I would never consider taking them on a cruise with us.  I have friends who bought a support harness and took their dog on airplanes with them so the dog didn't have to go in cargo.  The dog was not certified or trained.  Airlines stopped that for the most part.  

Edited March 28, 2023 by TayanaLorna

[Iloveketo]

There was an emotional support dog on our French Polynesian cruise in January of 2022. I was very surprised. We saw it sitting on the woman’s lap in the front set of chairs in the Explorers Lounge and then with a group of around 8 people having their photo taken at the top of the atrium stairs. The dog was small, quiet and in an opened handbag at that time. On the 33 day cruise. I only saw it twice. 
So, I definitely believe the poster!

[Travelingwithstyle]

I dont feel the need to verify my question Tanyanalorna by taking a photo of someones dog on the ship.  Florafun has verified my post.  She is on the same ship and witnessed what I posted.  See her comments on this thread.

 

I do not know Florafun but am grateful she posted.  I would never jeopardize my reputation on cruise critic by posting something that is false.  I wanted to see if cruisers were seeing more and more dogs on board ships and the dogs sitting on the furniture. 

 

Your right soon we will probably have chickens, peacocks, etc on board like the airlines had in the past.   Thank you.

[Vineyard View]

1 hour ago, downsmead said:

Not unheard of on other cruise lines. I think the issue is the cruise lines cannot ask for proof of emotional support and so are almost ‘forced’ into accepting them. 
Unacceptable for them to sit on chairs etc. 

Why can’t they?  Airlines made changes and now are able to do so. It stopped the menagerie being brought on board. I think that is an unacceptable excuse that cruise lines need to change. 
True service dogs are one thing -  and they don’t sit on furniture. 

Edited March 28, 2023 by Vineyard View

[CCWineLover]

We did see our first dog on a Viking Cruise this past Dec/Jan - coincidentally also on the Star on our FLL Panama Canal cruise.   It was I think a German Shephard.  It was a true support dog - very well trained. Quiet, obediant, NEVER on the chairs or seats.  Always at the foot of its owner.  The owner appeared to have extremely poor sight (near blind).

Perhaps as more and more older people are traveling on Viking, this will be more prevalent.  I personally have no problem with true support dogs, but the whole "emotional" support aspect is a bit too much for us.  Holding your dog on the Explorer's lounge chair?  That is going too far.

[Hobson1754]

21 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

We did see our first dog on a Viking Cruise this past Dec/Jan - coincidentally also on the Star on our FLL Panama Canal cruise.   It was I think a German Shephard.  It was a true support dog - very well trained. Quiet, obediant, NEVER on the chairs or seats.  Always at the foot of its owner.  The owner appeared to have extremely poor sight (near blind).

Perhaps as more and more older people are traveling on Viking, this will be more prevalent.  I personally have no problem with true support dogs, but the whole "emotional" support aspect is a bit too much for us.  Holding your dog on the Explorer's lounge chair?  That is going too far.

 I totally concur with this. I think if more reports showed this was becoming the norm I would be reassessing the 2 cruises we have for this September & next February 😤😤

[deec]

How are they cleaning staterooms after a DOG has been in it?  Even if you are not severely allergic to dogs the smell of dogs can be bothersome.  Where are they going to the bathroom?  I am not pleased if this is the new norm.  But then again we know Finse and how Karine loves him...maybe Viking wants to become a dog friendly line.

 

Personally I hope they add NO animals to their list of NO's that encourage many of us to travel with them.

 

I am not talking about true SERVICE dogs for the blind etc.

[sfocruiser]

Maybe Viking should take the lead from NCL.  Excerpt and link

 

"In accordance with the ADA, Norwegian Cruise Line does NOT accept “Emotional Support” dogs as service dogs, they CANNOT sail."

 

https://www.ncl.com/about/accessible-cruising

 

[Heidi13]

My other consideration is that I question whether a cruise, and the potential for an emergency, is an environment that is conducive to pax with emotional issues.

 

If they have to abandon the ship, what happens to the pax requiring the emotional dog, as evacuating a ship drives numerous emotions. Does the dog get a seat in the lifeboat??? I know my answer.

[florafun]

I just saw 2 of the dogs in the last hour. These are the smallest dogs, the other two are a bit larger.

Emotional support or regular service dogs.....I have no idea.

 

 

[Jim Avery]

I really hope Viking takes a good look at this issue.  In my experience traveling and witnessing some truly stupid "support' animals I would bet only 10% or less of them are more than pets in a vest.  Not talking about the blind guy with the guide dog, they are a long established aid with rigorous training.  This joke of "support" animals should not be tolerated on Viking.  And just like kids, the only one who thinks your pet is cute is you and the pet.  We will not be happy sailing on an animal farm...  Karine and Finse excepted.  And yes, that's discrimination.  Get over it.😎

[TayanaLorna]

World Cruise here we come!  The main reason we could not go on world cruise is we couldn't leave our dogs for very 4-5 months.  Now all we need to do is train and certify them as emotional support dogs!

 

Seriously, as deec asks, where DO they do their duty?  Who cleans up after them?  How are the staterooms cleaned?  What about their shedding?  The reindeer pelts are bad enough.  German Shephards are known service dogs for the blind and very smart but boy do they shed.  What about the rights of the allergic?  What about those who are afraid of dogs?

 

I know Finse has occasionally been aboard with Karine for a limited period of time but owners have their privledge and they know he is well behaved and trained.  I too personally hope guest animals are added to the NO list also.

[TayanaLorna]

18 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

My other consideration is that I question whether a cruise, and the potential for an emergency, is an environment that is conducive to pax with emotional issues.

 

If they have to abandon the ship, what happens to the pax requiring the emotional dog, as evacuating a ship drives numerous emotions. Does the dog get a seat in the lifeboat??? I know my answer.

I see the Star is on a TA.  Numerous days offshore can pose risks.  Interesting points.

[BlairsvilleCruiseGirl]

Keep in mind that (legit) service dogs aren't always big dogs.  My friend has a service dog for her epilepsy and he's a poodle!  He's such an amazing dog - I watched when he "alerted" one day and my friend sat right down on the ground, the dog came over to her to offer comfort, at the same time gave me a little bark (I'm guessing he was saying "HEY!  Help needed here!") and sat right with her while she had a seizure.   But whenever we're out in public, the dog is wearing his official "vest."

[kcpvwill]

 

 

 As a child I was attacked (not too seriously) by a dog and now am scared when a dog comes near.  They seem to sense this and go for me.  I have done or have booked 18 Viking cruises and would hate it if they are allowed on board.  
 

This is in FAQ on the Viking site.

 

Are pets allowed on board?

No pets or other animals are allowed on board the ship, other than service animals and certified therapy dogs as Viking may choose to permit at its sole discretion. Guests who require the aid of a service animal or certified therapy dog must advise Viking at the time of booking, and complete and submit the Service Animal Request Form to Viking before final payment is due. Failure to do so may result in a denial of boarding. Please contact Guest Services at 1-855-884-5464 (1-855-8-VIKING) for more information.

[CurlerRob]

38 minutes ago, TayanaLorna said:

Seriously, as deec asks, where DO they do their duty?  Who cleans up after them? 

 

Typically, the ship sets aside a small area, usually with artificial grass or similar for the use of service animals. The location will vary by cruise line. On HAL there was an out-of-the way spot on the promenade deck - complete with a fire hydrant!

 

[ Alternate answer: the poop deck (unable to resist!) ]

 

Cleaning was always immediate - I always guessed that it was assigned to crew at the low end of the performance evaluation scale. 😈

 

The few real service animals I've seen have not been an issue, but I don't envy the cruise lines this "third rail" item - trying to gate the inclusion of "emotional support" animals will make dress code angst look minor ... 🍺🥌 

Edited March 28, 2023 by CurlerRob
Addendum

[Kathy Kapaldo]

Service dogs have 4 on the floor - emotional support - not so much.  My question is what about getting off the ship in other countries?  I thought there were a lot of countries that pets needed to be quarantined? 

[Frenchberet]

Neither of the dogs pictured above are wearing a vest identifying them as an “emotional support” animal (not that it really matters, you can buy the vests on Amazon for less than $20).  So, they’re pets.  If I was separated from my pet and paid to have him in a kennel, I’d be really annoyed to see another person’s pet on the cruise.  Sitting in chairs and barking?  Dining in restaurants and sleeping in staterooms?  No way.  Viking, please stop.  

[TayanaLorna]

38 minutes ago, kcpvwill said:

 

 

 As a child I was attacked (not too seriously) by a dog and now am scared when a dog comes near.  They seem to sense this and go for me.  I have done or have booked 18 Viking cruises and would hate it if they are allowed on board.  
 

This is in FAQ on the Viking site.

 

Are pets allowed on board?

No pets or other animals are allowed on board the ship, other than service animals and certified therapy dogs as Viking may choose to permit at its sole discretion. Guests who require the aid of a service animal or certified therapy dog must advise Viking at the time of booking, and complete and submit the Service Animal Request Form to Viking before final payment is due. Failure to do so may result in a denial of boarding. Please contact Guest Services at 1-855-884-5464 (1-855-8-VIKING) for more information.

I understand this completely.  My dogs are the friendliest and will roll all squirmy at a new persons feet for belly rubs.  However i never know how they will react to a chance encounter with a new dog.  I know they sense my fear at these times and react accordingly.  I live in a remote area where i can walk them off leash most months.  However during season we may have tourists out for early morning walks too.  One I morning i had a gal screaming at the top of her lungs when she saw my dogs off leash.  I get it.  So will you have to grill Viking prior to each cruise you take now?  Should you have to cancel because there is a service or emotional support dog on board?