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

[rangeley]

Last pic I will post. It's our formal night picture that John scanned.

[wizard-of-roz]

Last pic I will post. It's our formal night picture that John scanned.

 

What a nice picture! Some of my most very favorite people!

[cjborne2]

Cari, it's funny you mention the issues on the Wonder. The first time we sailed on it we had the pool with sod on the veranda off the room. This past June we were on the Wonder again and had to go to an area off deck 6 or 7 that was locked during certain times of the day. It took a while to get it set up and they gave me a key without trouble. I am pretty sure the box was still there the day we got off. I did notice, however, that the bags did pile up during the trip and were not removed as they were on the previous cruise. It would be very easy to leave a bucket out for disposal. I have one in front of our house.

[wizard-of-roz]

Cari, it's funny you mention the issues on the Wonder. The first time we sailed on it we had the pool with sod on the veranda off the room. This past June we were on the Wonder again and had to go to an area off deck 6 or 7 that was locked during certain times of the day. It took a while to get it set up and they gave me a key without trouble. I am pretty sure the box was still there the day we got off. I did notice, however, that the bags did pile up during the trip and were not removed as they were on the previous cruise. It would be very easy to leave a bucket out for disposal. I have one in front of our house.

 

Wouldn't that be funny.......we all carry our own 30 gallon trash cans, lug them through TSA and Immigration and when they ask what they're for, we tell them it's to dispose of our dogs waste. Let's see that go through the scanner!!!! :rolleyes: :eek:

Princess supplies rubber gloves, plastic bags, a lined waste basket that is emptied by "pixies" during the night because every morning when she would use the box the can was always empty.

I always bring my own litter bags have never had a problem with the litter piling-up!!!!!!

The pottybox and the litter control is really your room steward's job to keep a handle on. So, if it's not being taken care of or you need something ask him/her. If you're not getting the service you need than go directly to the Hotel Manager! [This is why I ALWAYS tip our Room Steward extra.....at the beginning and again, at the end of the cruise.] Hey, the extra work he/she is doing for my dog is beyond what is expected!!!!!!

Also, the "litter", no matter what the ship is using, should have an extra full bag of litter for you to refill as you wish. If you don't have an extra bag, ask for one. I like the litterbox to be halfway filled......it's easier on the dog.

[denversees4me]

Roz

LOL you crack me up ! I think after all of our years of friendship I just figured out the button that you push and Roz goes from -0 to 100 LOL :p and Craig you can thank ME for sitting outside that stinkin door for an hour and a letter from my lawyer for that KEY they gave you LOL :mad: I had to fight Disney on that - it was a JOKE and I didnt get it till my second sailing with them and then we went through some hoop la about there being a 200 dollar deposit so I had to fight again LOL - I love Disney but boy is it crazy ! And to think they have a lady who works for them whos in a wheelchair and has a SD who cruises a lot ! Wonder if the same thing happens to her - nevermind the fact HOW does she relieve her dog with that incredibly heavy door to Deck 7 and how does she get her chair over the thresh hold ? Im glad its not me in that chair because you saw Roz get boiled over the box - watch what would happen to me :eek:

All joking aside - I wish Disney would go back to the pools - the box is lame and is SO not wide - I think it is only about 2 1/2 x 4 at the most - what would you say Craig ? I complained but I just suggested really - I am going to write a letter but I think it will have to get to the right person and Im not sure special needs dept is it .... Im thinking more like the VP of Disney cruise line would be the right place - I will tackle this ! I will i will i will - but I dont think they owe me any compensation for it ... sorry roz just my opinion --- it was bad but not terrible - yup thats your Cari LOL

 

Princess is AMAZING I wish Disney would take notes ! also a little story about my friends at Disney - they tried to charde me MORE money for a HA cabin with a verandah than the lowest catagory with the verandah because they dont make a room thats HA in a 7a cat only a 5 e - so again I had to fight them and tell them HELLO YOU CANT CHARGE ME MORE FOR A HIGHER CATAGORY JUST BECAUSE YOU DIDNT MAKE A HA ROOM IN THE LOWER CATAGORY !!! DUHHHhhhh equal goods and services people ! read the ADA ! grrrrr anyways I do love Disney though and aside from the 2 major minor glitches I will sail with them again and again if I have the choice - NOW with that said If I were to do canada new england the panama canal or alaska I would sail Princess again in a HEARTBEAT ! And Roz I may even join you and papa and horty some day !

[rangeley]

I have to say besides the terrible placement of the box, Celebrity was great about it otherwise. They changed the sod every 2 days. They had a basket for the poop bags which was empty every morning. And Wex is a pooper. Instead of 2 nice size poops a day, he does 4 little ones, so we had alot of bags. Last time on HAL not only did they not have the box ready, they didn't even know a dog was going to be onboard. Great communication considering we filled out a ton of paperwork. The basket they put down was filled to the brim before they empitied it. And because they didn't know about the dog coming, they put sawdust in the box cuz they didn't have any sod ready. Sawdust? Really? on a windy ship? Brilliant!!! :rolleyes: On the 3rd day someone from one of the islands went and dug up some long grass somewhere, so they could bum a ride to the other side of the island.

[wizard-of-roz]

Roz

LOL you crack me up ! I think after all of our years of friendship I just figured out the button that you push and Roz goes from -0 to 100 LOL :p and Craig you can thank ME for sitting outside that stinkin door for an hour and a letter from my lawyer for that KEY they gave you LOL :mad: I had to fight Disney on that - it was a JOKE and I didnt get it till my second sailing with them and then we went through some hoop la about there being a 200 dollar deposit so I had to fight again LOL - I love Disney but boy is it crazy ! And to think they have a lady who works for them whos in a wheelchair and has a SD who cruises a lot ! Wonder if the same thing happens to her - nevermind the fact HOW does she relieve her dog with that incredibly heavy door to Deck 7 and how does she get her chair over the thresh hold ? Im glad its not me in that chair because you saw Roz get boiled over the box - watch what would happen to me :eek:

All joking aside - I wish Disney would go back to the pools - the box is lame and is SO not wide - I think it is only about 2 1/2 x 4 at the most - what would you say Craig ? I complained but I just suggested really - I am going to write a letter but I think it will have to get to the right person and Im not sure special needs dept is it .... Im thinking more like the VP of Disney cruise line would be the right place - I will tackle this ! I will i will i will - but I dont think they owe me any compensation for it ... sorry roz just my opinion --- it was bad but not terrible - yup thats your Cari LOL

 

Princess is AMAZING I wish Disney would take notes ! also a little story about my friends at Disney - they tried to charde me MORE money for a HA cabin with a verandah than the lowest catagory with the verandah because they dont make a room thats HA in a 7a cat only a 5 e - so again I had to fight them and tell them HELLO YOU CANT CHARGE ME MORE FOR A HIGHER CATAGORY JUST BECAUSE YOU DIDNT MAKE A HA ROOM IN THE LOWER CATAGORY !!! DUHHHhhhh equal goods and services people ! read the ADA ! grrrrr anyways I do love Disney though and aside from the 2 major minor glitches I will sail with them again and again if I have the choice - NOW with that said If I were to do canada new england the panama canal or alaska I would sail Princess again in a HEARTBEAT ! And Roz I may even join you and papa and horty some day !

 

Yep! Cari knows Roz! Cari, I'd love to cruise with you.......we'd set that place afire!!!!!! [only in the literal sense!]

Onboard the Carnival Pride [you guys would have been hysterical] I stayed at the Pursers Desk because no matter where they placed the potty box people used it as an "ashtray." It was always full of cigarette butts [some still blazing.] Imagine me having to walk through the litter box to pick-out the smoking butts. The morning I found candy wrappers in it......I was DONE! I went to Guest Services and asked to see the Hotel Manager and was told that he was, "away from his desk" and, on subsequent visits he was still "away", so, finally, I told the gal that I was not leaving the desk until he appeared!

Twenty minutes later he appeared and by then I was LIVID!!! He would have been better to deal with it immediately, instead of giving me time to seethe. I bet he thought if he never appeared I would go away.......He doesn't know me but, he soon would! And, after me ranting and raving about the ADA and the DOJ and the injuries that could have been brought upon my Service Dog.......he offered us a 50% off our next cruise.

Cari, I'm not sure who the person would be to complain to through a letter or on the phone but I'm a firm believer that the time to make someone aware of a problem is while it's fresh and when you can actually show them and take them to it!!!!

Our lives are complicated enough we don't need others to get in our way to live it!

[cjborne2]

I liked the pool but the box suited our purpose and Ollie is not a little dog either. We just bagged up the business and either left it in the corner of the box or just outside. I can't remember.

 

Did you need to leave a deposit on the key this trip? I think ours was 50 or 75. It wasn't 200. That I know.

 

And you are so right about that door. It weighed a ton and was not easy to lock or unlock either. The first time we cruised with disney were were in a handicapped accessible room (although we don't really need to be) and had the pool on that veranda. This time I asked and even had the room number but there were a lot of people that needed it more than we did so we had a regular room.

 

Keep fighting to make our next trip cruise easier. It'll probably be in 2-3 years when my yet to be born niece or nephew is a little older.

[wizard-of-roz]

I liked the pool but the box suited our purpose and Ollie is not a little dog either. We just bagged up the business and either left it in the corner of the box or just outside. I can't remember.

 

Did you need to leave a deposit on the key this trip? I think ours was 50 or 75. It wasn't 200. That I know.

 

And you are so right about that door. It weighed a ton and was not easy to lock or unlock either. The first time we cruised with disney were were in a handicapped accessible room (although we don't really need to be) and had the pool on that veranda. This time I asked and even had the room number but there were a lot of people that needed it more than we did so we had a regular room.

Keep fighting to make our next trip cruise easier. It'll probably be in 2-3 years when my yet to be born niece or nephew is a little older.

 

I truly prefer a "non-confrontational" existence [i know it doesn't appear that way but it's true!] After receiving a Service Dog in 2002, all that changed. I find that walking with an SD, on a daily basis, means being "confronted" by all sorts of people: Those that want to pet; those that want to tease; those that want to avoid; those that want to talk about their pets and my very favorite are those that want to know, "why someone who's not blind would even have a Service Dog!!!"

Ahhhhhh! Aint life grand!

I promise to fight for the rights of us and our dogs in every venue I enter. You can always recognize me......I'm the one with the big target on her face! I know you think it's a growl [sometimes], but it's really not! ;) :p

[Quampapetet]

Hey, all! I figured I'd pop in and see the photos of Horton and see if you guys were talking about the Italian ship (and how you would get your dog off such a tilted, sinking ship). It has been over a month since I've been on here last because life has been crazy - my family member who has been ill was hospitalized for ten days, thankfully coming home on Christmas Eve, including two surgeries (one which saved a leg - it had an internal bleed [hematoma]) and has had a couple other complications since then, plus the doctors haven't seen someone's body react like this before (fun times); my service dog worked up several thousands of dollars in vet bills in a month's time; we had to cancel our annual Bahamas trip (family member is barred from travelling); etc. But other than that, we're okay! ;)

 

Roz, Horton is a beautiful dog! Sometimes food can cause ear infections in dogs, so you might want to try switching to another type of food (different ingredients, different brand, etc.). A good one is Nature's Variety Instinct Limited Ingredients, as it doesn't have a lot of stuff in it for dogs to be allergic or react to. I feed Nature's Variety Instinct and Nature's Variety Prarie (I alternate varieties, which is the best way to feed dogs from a nutritional and allergy standpoint ... and boredom standpoint, of course!) kibble for dinner, sometimes adding the freeze-dried raw patties for fun, sometimes adding a veggie (and other stuff) mix from Dr. Harvey's (you rehydrate it in warm water for eight minutes).

 

As for the dog coming to you, that's a command that should be constantly enforced. I use it every time I feed my dog her breakfast or dinner, as well as at other times. That command can save a dog's life, so along with "stop" it is one of the most important commands a dog needs to know.

 

 

 

To the person who asked about the Eastern Caribbean: It depends on the countries you're going to. Some only require the health certificate, some require a rabies titer with a six-month wait, some require two rabies titers, some require the dog to have been wormed within 48 hours of landing in the country (your vet can give you the particular type of pills they require for this and you can feed them to your dog on the ship - the ones I got were actually really cute, as they were shaped like dog bones!), etc.

 

 

 

DenverSeesForMe: Oh my goodness! I can't believe that lady gave your guide dog an ice cream!!! That is horrible! I would have found out who she was and reported her to the ship, as she could have made your dog very ill - and, of course, the stick still could make him ill! How could anyone think it is okay to feed somebody else's dog without asking, much less somebody's guide dog?!?! That is maddening!

 

 

 

 

As for the potty box situation, this is why I bring my own potty materials when cruising. As I've said before in this thread, I bring a 3'x6' area worth of faux grass (the kind that has been antibacterially treated for dog use - "K9Grass" or some brand name like that), which is cut into six squares which are the size of the six potty pads I put under the grass. I work out with the room steward to leave trash bags out by the potty area (since I put it on my balcony) for used potty pads and used poop bags and he takes that trash away every day. The only issue is wind, especially the wind that comes under the balcony divider. Sometimes it works to put a piece of cardboard against the divider with a chair (worked on one ship) and sometimes it doesn't (neither packing tape or a chair could hold the cardboard to the divider on another ship). Next time I might bring a piece of wood!

[guitarest]

[/color]

 

"why someone who's not blind would even have a Service Dog!!!"

 

 

 

I love it when I pull up to a store, get out of the car and Blitz gets out and these people see me pull up and say; wow you have a seeing eye dog....

[guitarest]

Who saw the 20/20 special tonight? Wow it really turned me off on going on that first cruise from the fighting, all the drunks and the cruise ships being unable to protect their passengers if a fight breaks out.

 

Did any one else see the show? How true or was that a media version of the truth?

[Quampapetet]

I love it when I pull up to a store, get out of the car and Blitz gets out and these people see me pull up and say; wow you have a seeing eye dog....

 

The dog barks once for turn left, twice for turn right - duh!! :p

[Quampapetet]

Who saw the 20/20 special tonight? Wow it really turned me off on going on that first cruise from the fighting, all the drunks and the cruise ships being unable to protect their passengers if a fight breaks out.

 

Did any one else see the show? How true or was that a media version of the truth?

 

It was complete sensationalism, like reading the supermarket tabloids. Fights happen in bars on land, too, and the ones that happen on ships aren't as often as the show made them out to be. The ppl who are dumb enough to fall off the ship were drunk, save for those who may have been murdered.

 

The show didn't even mention the brig, which is the on-ship jail that the ships put offenders into. They do also do the in-cabin jail if there is no room in the brig, with officers standing outside the cabin to make sure the person doesn't leave.

 

Norovirus does happen sometimes on ships, but it also happens in plenty of other places. Be sure to wash your hands often and use hand sanitizer after you touch the buffet tongs and such.

 

You'll have fun on your cruise, don't worry! :)

[sunshine426]

Potty Wars!! Nothing like Saturday Morning on Cruise Critic! I love everyone and all the furry friends. Cindy, great pictures. So glad that you had fun and Wex just get's better looking every year. Cari, I am also an optimist and usually find the fun to remember...but your potty box stories. Pretty discouraging. Bad Disney:eek:

We are too busy with wedding plans to plan a cruise at this time. Three months away and so far the planning has been fun and not stressful at all. But, I will be looking at cruising as soon as the wedding bells finish ringing.

Cooler and Mackey continue to do very well. Cooler is such a lab. She just needs to mature a bit more. She and I had a great time doing some theraputic reading with first graders. The kids totally got that I said sometimes she has trouble staying in her "chair" and get's distracted. Also, we might need to remind her to keep her listening ears on. These kids all have learning disabilities and liked that dogs aren't perfect either. Coral finally got that if she layed her head on the child's knee and stayed quiet her ears got rubbed and then she got lot's of hugs after the book was finished. The teacher said that each child's face was "full of light" as they returned to their class after reading with the doggy. And they all were so excited to go read aloud, which isn't always their favorite thing to do.

Next I'll take Mackey. He'lll stay quiet and focused forever...a different dog altogether.

Off to the gym this morning. Iron Girl Triathalon in 4 months.

[guitarest]

It was complete sensationalism, like reading the supermarket tabloids.

 

Thats what I thought, still concerned. Been working with Blitz on the 4X4 box and it really isnt working. He does go potty on command its that damn box that freaks him out; mainly I believe because he is so large.

[wizard-of-roz]

Hey, all! I figured I'd pop in and see the photos of Horton and see if you guys were talking about the Italian ship (and how you would get your dog off such a tilted, sinking ship). It has been over a month since I've been on here last because life has been crazy - my family member who has been ill was hospitalized for ten days, thankfully coming home on Christmas Eve, including two surgeries (one which saved a leg - it had an internal bleed [hematoma]) and has had a couple other complications since then, plus the doctors haven't seen someone's body react like this before (fun times); my service dog worked up several thousands of dollars in vet bills in a month's time; we had to cancel our annual Bahamas trip (family member is barred from travelling); etc. But other than that, we're okay! ;)

 

Roz, Horton is a beautiful dog! Sometimes food can cause ear infections in dogs, so you might want to try switching to another type of food (different ingredients, different brand, etc.). A good one is Nature's Variety Instinct Limited Ingredients, as it doesn't have a lot of stuff in it for dogs to be allergic or react to. I feed Nature's Variety Instinct and Nature's Variety Prarie (I alternate varieties, which is the best way to feed dogs from a nutritional and allergy standpoint ... and boredom standpoint, of course!) kibble for dinner, sometimes adding the freeze-dried raw patties for fun, sometimes adding a veggie (and other stuff) mix from Dr. Harvey's (you rehydrate it in warm water for eight minutes).

 

As for the dog coming to you, that's a command that should be constantly enforced. I use it every time I feed my dog her breakfast or dinner, as well as at other times. That command can save a dog's life, so along with "stop" it is one of the most important commands a dog needs to know.

 

To the person who asked about the Eastern Caribbean: It depends on the countries you're going to. Some only require the health certificate, some require a rabies titer with a six-month wait, some require two rabies titers, some require the dog to have been wormed within 48 hours of landing in the country (your vet can give you the particular type of pills they require for this and you can feed them to your dog on the ship - the ones I got were actually really cute, as they were shaped like dog bones!), etc.

 

DenverSeesForMe: Oh my goodness! I can't believe that lady gave your guide dog an ice cream!!! That is horrible! I would have found out who she was and reported her to the ship, as she could have made your dog very ill - and, of course, the stick still could make him ill! How could anyone think it is okay to feed somebody else's dog without asking, much less somebody's guide dog?!?! That is maddening!

 

As for the potty box situation, this is why I bring my own potty materials when cruising. As I've said before in this thread, I bring a 3'x6' area worth of faux grass (the kind that has been antibacterially treated for dog use - "K9Grass" or some brand name like that), which is cut into six squares which are the size of the six potty pads I put under the grass. I work out with the room steward to leave trash bags out by the potty area (since I put it on my balcony) for used potty pads and used poop bags and he takes that trash away every day. The only issue is wind, especially the wind that comes under the balcony divider. Sometimes it works to put a piece of cardboard against the divider with a chair (worked on one ship) and sometimes it doesn't (neither packing tape or a chair could hold the cardboard to the divider on another ship). Next time I might bring a piece of wood!

 

Quam, so good to hear from you. I'm sorry about your family member and glad that it all worked out. What the heck happened to your dog that caused thousands of dollars? I hope that it also has a happy ending.

 

Thank goodness Horty's ears are doing really well now and it was not his food. Apparantly the ear wash I was using [Calm Ears] was causing all the problems. I'm NEVER using it again. It was remaining in the ear canal and causing yeast to form. I was creating more of a problem than a solution. His ears look really good now.

 

Wasn't that horrible about that idiot feeding ice cream to Denver? :mad:

 

Thanks for all your good information about the Caribbean and the pottybox.....as usual, you're a wonderful resource of information.

 

I hope you get to take that Bahama trip in the not too distant future and I hope your dog is okay.

 

As for the Costa ship....That Captain should be severly punished and my heart goes out to the families who suffered a loss. My biggest fear is to be put in this situation with my dog. It makes me want to walk around the ship with his life preserver in my hand.

 

I so agree with you about the "here" and "stop" commands being so important....we're working very diligently on this with Horton. Brenda is very good at this......he's still learning me. Hopefully, he'll soon realize I accept no less than immediate responses. He's a big tease.....I'm not used to this and he's constantly testing me. He's much better than he was when he first came home. He's calmer and knows that he will get a "time out" for bad behavior. I love his spirit and his quirky personality!

Quam he's twice as tall as Brenda and looks like a black "Marmaduke!" I'm falling madly in love with this boy.

 

Stay in touch.

Edited January 22, 2012 by wizard-of-roz

[guitarest]

They found another body today and also searched the captains cabin for more evidence.

[guitarest]

This is also very sad, while our babies perform personal services for us and we lose so much when they pass on. This is a service for two K9's who passed saving their master from a IED not to sure about the IED since this

serviceman looks like IDF. Either way these dogs are trained to put themselves in harms way to protect their master.

 

Truly sad.

 

Edited January 22, 2012 by guitarest

[guitarest]

Here is something I support, hopefully most of not all of you will also support this cause.

 

http://www.k9veteransday.org/

[wizard-of-roz]

I love it when I pull up to a store, get out of the car and Blitz gets out and these people see me pull up and say; wow you have a seeing eye dog....

 

 

Or, "Wow! Look at the blind dog!!!!!!!"

[wizard-of-roz]

Who saw the 20/20 special tonight? Wow it really turned me off on going on that first cruise from the fighting, all the drunks and the cruise ships being unable to protect their passengers if a fight breaks out.

 

Did any one else see the show? How true or was that a media version of the truth?

 

While onboard the Carnival Elation a young boy wound-up with a broken arm when two other boys pushed him into an elevator and wouldn't allow anybody else to board. Morey, me and some other cruisers tended to the boy until a ship's officer came along and took him to the infirmary. We were told later that night that his arm was broken and the other boy's families were assigned to their cabins the rest of the cruise!!!!!

 

I have NEVER seen this kind of behavior again onboard Celebrity, HAL, Princess, on any other Carnival ship. We did make the decision not to cruise during spring vacation or major school holidays. The crowds are just more sedate during the other times.

We've seen poor behavior from over drinkers in San Diego, Las Vegas, New York, Malibu and other places. Cruise ships are not exclusive to bad behavior. You know that. And, yes I saw the program and although it did look pretty bad for the cruise industry.....I'm hoping it will guarantee some great discounts for my future cruising adventures. :):p;)

Edited January 22, 2012 by wizard-of-roz

[wizard-of-roz]

Thats what I thought, still concerned. Been working with Blitz on the 4X4 box and it really isnt working. He does go potty on command its that damn box that freaks him out; mainly I believe because he is so large.

 

You're starting too small. Start with a larger box, if you can. 6x6 would be good. Then a 4x6 and, by that time he's acclimated himself to using a box and the 4x4 will be no problem. Remember to use a "reward" when he just walks on the box and ask him to "sit" and "reward", use your leash when introducing it. Repeat, repeat, repeat. It's wonderful when your dog becomes so "mobile" that you can take him/her anywhere and he will use these boxes.

 

The boxes onboard the Sapphire are about a 4x5, which is great. HAL used a 3x4 - talk about a tight squeeze. Brenda's poop NEVER made it inside the box and the way Horton pees, he'd overflow it on one squat!!!! :rolleyes: Good luck!

[wizard-of-roz]

This is also very sad, while our babies perform personal services for us and we lose so much when they pass on. This is a service for two K9's who passed saving their master from a IED not to sure about the IED since this

serviceman looks like IDF. Either way these dogs are trained to put themselves in harms way to protect their master.

 

Truly sad.

 

 

I have a very hard time looking at this........These amazingly wonderful dog are true heroes.!!!!!

[wizard-of-roz]

Here is something I support, hopefully most of not all of you will also support this cause.

 

http://www.k9veteransday.org/

 

Of course!