Cruise Passenger readers always have plenty to say about what’s going on in Australian cruise, and in the broader cruise community. In Your Say, Cruise Passenger looks at the issues our readers are writing to us about on our blogs, posts and newsletters. This week: pets on cruise ships.
An adorable tea cup chihuahua named Blondie has found herself an overnight celebrity after going viral on social media for her cruise ship exploits.
The small emotional support animal found tiktok fame after sharing cuddles with seemingly half the ship on her Caribbean cruise with Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas.
Everyone from guests to crew members seemed to be getting in on greeting Blondie, who was surely the sensation of her ship.
Now, Blonde is not just any dog, technically, she was working onboard. She is a trained service dog that received a special exemption to be onboard.
It isn’t clear exactly what her service is, but Royal Caribbean generally doesn’t allow emotional support animals, so she likely is trained in a different type of canine service.
Generally, pets are not allowed on cruise ships.
However, should they be?
While no one’s idea is a fun time is a cruise ship with hundreds of dogs running wild, Blondie shows the occasional visitor can add a fun new dimension to a cruise.
This could mean anything from a quota of emotional support animals being allowed onboard up to having dedicated cruises that allow pets, but while Blondie has proved a star, what do cruisers really think of these ideas?
A Reddit user shared their experience of having a service dog onboard: “I have travelled on another cruise line with my sister and her service dog. We had to complete some forms with the (permitted) questions being asked. At the port during boarding we were met by a special services coordinator who did an informal (but obvious) screening of the situation.
“During the cruise her service dog has access to anyplace on the ship, except not permitted in the swimming pools or on public furniture. Eating from the buffet? Now that’s something else – no, we never ever fed her in public (the service dog that is – not my sister). Service animals are trained to behave a certain way in public and I cannot imagine a legitimate service animal eating from the buffet. Did we give her some small bites while in the cabin? Sure – but never, ever in public.
“There was no cost to us. We were on a transatlantic cruise so there was a LOT of documentation required and that took a considerable amount of coordination. There was suppose to be one other service dog on our cruise, but they did not secure the documents and were denied boarding.”
Others shared stories of less pleasant experiences.
“I saw two “service” dogs on a recent cruise. I saw one of them pissing on the promenade deck ~10 feet from the litter box set up there for its use. I challenged the owner, who claimed it was a “service dog” and said that “she didn’t need to it then.”
“I reported the issue to a crew member who said the same dog had also been caught doing its business on the deck. I saw the same dog jumping up on a passenger who was petting it with the encouragement of its owner.
” Legitimate service dogs undergo strict behavioral training similar to that of drug-sniffing dogs. The dog was a pet snuck on to the ship by lying about it being a service animal. It’s time to put an end to the trend of misrepresenting pets as service animals. People who exploit the laws that protect actual service animals are entitled assholes.”
Others are open to the idea but believe the reality wouldn’t be all that glamarous.
“I certainly don’t mind actual service dogs. I wouldn’t mind a few well-behaved dogs that aren’t service dogs. But if non-service dogs are allowed I know there would be way too many dogs and many of them would be poorly trained. If trained at all.
“So I’m glad I’ve never seen a non-service dog onboard.”
Even fans of dogs seem to be generally against it.
“I’m a dog lover but there are places I don’t think dogs should go. And a cruise is definitely one of them.”
However, others say they’ve had nice experiences with dogs onboard.
“Just got off Viking Mars and several dogs onboard, the mom brought a small bed into the dining room which the dog quietly sat on, never heard a single yip once. Love animals, particularly dogs, but just not a fan of them in restaurants. On our flight home from Ft Lauderdale, we had five dogs on board. They are everywhere!”
Elsewhere in cruise, some Cruise Passenger readers feel like Aussies keep getting the rough end of the stick with Carnival.
Geoff King wrote: “When Carnival announced the end of P&O Australia, they said they had big plans for Australia. Nope, just one Aussie inequity after another, as well as having two different brands within their brand here. Loyalty is a two way street, and we already felt disrepected enough to have put a line through them. As for the package price, the alcoholic version doesn’t compare favourably with Princess Plus.”
Cruisers also had plenty to say on the industry woes of New Zealand..
One cruiser pointed out the links between New Zealand’s cruise success and Sydney’s lack of a third cruise terminal.
“Interesting change of tack for the industry association in using the NZ angle. The problem in Australia is cruise lines want to port in Sydney. Its Sydney Sydney Sydney as far as theyre concerned, and even new facilities in Brisbane doesnt float their boat so much as one right in the heart of Sydney Harbour.
“Any expansion is not possible due to limited existing capacity and the increase in cruise ship size. Any new terminal in an already built out harbour would require the takeover and destruction of existing infrastructure, which the govt doesnt want to do. Alternative locations such as in Botany Bay have met with resident and environmental concerns, and the cruise lines aren’t keen on any location outside of Sydney anyway.”
Please keep those comments coming!
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