Psychiatric Service Dogs On Board

[grammysgram]

We are sailing on the Sky in May, 2023, and my furbaby will have completed his PSA course, which certifies him as a legal Psychiatric Service Animal.  My question is how do we go about reserving space for him on the ship, and are there problems  getting off the ship at the ports of call?  Also, he need to be quarantined coming back into the US?

Thank you!

[kefthecruiser]

Maybe you should CALL THE CRUISE LINE

[grammysgram]

I just wanted to check in here first!

[3Sisters]

@grammysgram This is a good space to ask those questions because many cruisers choose to bring their dogs along on vacation. 

First of all, I hope you have an amazing sailing on Norwegian Sky. This ship has a smaller, more intimate feeling, and hopefully the ship is more accommodating for a service animal. Norwegian Sky weighs 77,104 tons.

Secondly, I don't have experience cruising with a service animal, but I would say checking in with Norwegian Cruise Line is a good first step. I'm not sure if your service animal will be granted its own space, but I'm sure the pet will be able to stay in your stateroom with you with proper documentation. The cruise line will likely want to see shot records and additional documentation prior to embarkation. 

Thirdly, I think every port of call is different in terms of what they allow. If you need to skip a port of call to stay back with your service animal, I'm sure you will still have a nice time. It could possibly even be a better time because usually the ship is less crowded when others are off-ship.

[Woody14]

Not sure about NCL but it seems that Royal has a pretty loose set of rules when it comes to service animals.  On my last Royal Caribbean cruise there were several and many I would have had a difficult time identifying as a service dog.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@grammysgram Please let us know what Norwegian Cruise Line says about protocols for bringing a service animal onboard. Hopefully, the cruise line is very accommodating, and you get all of your questions answered. Will this be your first time cruising with a service animal? 

https://www.ncl.com/about/accessible-cruising This webpage has some really good information for bringing a service animal along on your cruise vacation. 

@Woody14 I would have to agree with you. Royal Caribbean does have pretty relaxed regulations for bringing pets onboard. I don't think Royal Caribbean asks many questions, and occasionally turns a blind eye to service animals onboard. To me, the most important thing is safety and security. I would hope RCL at least checks out the shot records! To be fair, most guests bringing a pet onboard have pretty well behaved animals.

[Erindaly143]

Big article regarding january seventeenth cruise is completely false. It was january twentieth new york city to Dominican Republic  12 days. We skipped st lucia and went to Dominica instead- so what.. The cruise was amazing, Service was outstanding, Food was delicious entertainment was great, We had perfect seas We had perfect sea's perfect weather, perfect weather And we met the most amazing people. I don't know where you guys got the date for january seventeenth but it was january twentieth., We were aboard the ship and we went to every destination Except St lucia.. Of course there are reasons that destinations get changed.. Things happen.. But we had the best time ever and we thank Norwegian for an amazing Job. 12 days Jan 20 to Feb 1.. So I don't know what they're talking about january seventeenth and the Getaway. That wasn't even a sail date..

[Cruising Caribbean]

@Erindaly143 I appreciate you sharing your experience from New York to Dominican Republic. Sometimes guests make a big deal when itineraries shift, but if its for the safety of guests, it's not that big of a deal. This is especially true if the cruise line is able to take guests to another amazing cruise destination as a surprise instead.

I have heard so many negative comments about Norwegian Cruise Line so this review is especially refreshing! Was this you first 12-day cruise? I have only cruised for a maximum of eight days, and I love longer cruises! Was that your first time in St. Lucia? It's a great trade off for Dominica! 

[Bobh002]

On 2/19/2023 at 3:56 PM, grammysgram said:

We are sailing on the Sky in May, 2023, and my furbaby will have completed his PSA course, which certifies him as a legal Psychiatric Service Animal.  My question is how do we go about reserving space for him on the ship, and are there problems  getting off the ship at the ports of call?  Also, he need to be quarantined coming back into the US?

Thank you!

Did you get an answer for this and a resolution? Just an fyi there is no certification required to be a service animal and hope you didnt get ripped off even though most dogs do need some formal training. All requirements can be found on the ada.gov website.  This is from NCL web site and hopefully you found out by now. 

• Guests must provide copies of the dog’s current vaccination records that show all shots are up-to-date (including Rabies), as well as a USDA or International Health certificate
• Guests are responsible for checking with all ports of call for any special requirements they may have. Guests are responsible for bringing all food, medication and life jacket for the dog
• A relief sand box will be provided

All guests traveling with service animals must book at least two weeks in advance to allow enough time to check with each port of call and provide Norwegian Cruise Line with all required documentation.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@Bobh002 Thanks for providing this information! It seems that NCL has a pretty relaxed protocol for service animals onboard. Norwegian Cruise Line even provides a relief sandbox for the animal! The cruise line doesn't even require any sort of "service animal" documentation. As long as the dog's up to date on its shots, pretty much any dog can hop aboard as a companion. I was unaware that there truly isn't a service animal certification process. That's new info to me!