[nagdu] Princess Cruise Lines Welcomes Guide Dogs for theBlindGroup

Sun May 29 19:16:24 UTC 2011

Hi,
It's not that I really object to going on a cruise with other blind people. 
It is just that I don't think in those terms.  I'll be sixty five years old 
tomorrow and have been blind since thirteen.  IN all those years I have 
known probably at most a dozen people who are blind.  Therefore when I think 
of travel or anything else I think in terms of my sighted friends and 
relatives.  I'm actually looking forward to going to the Seeing Eye next 
month and being a part of a community of blind individuals who are there 
fore a shared experience.  It should be interesting and challenging and I 
suspect I'll learn a great deal from those who have gotten dogs before since 
I'm there for my first one.  That observation I made to my friend was in no 
way intended to reflect prejudice, just a difference in experience.

Regards,

Bob

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cindy Ray" <cindyray at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, May 29, 2011 1:41 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Princess Cruise Lines Welcomes Guide Dogs for 
theBlindGroup

> Bob, why wouldn't you want to go on a cruise with other blind people. You 
> wouldn't be the only people on that cruise, nor would you necessarily 
> spend all of your time together.
>
>
> On May 29, 2011, at 11:31 AM, Robert Martin wrote:
>
>> Em,
>>
>> Here's the other item I thought you might be interested in.  Schools have 
>> problems taking service animals but cruise lines have gotten the message. 
>> I don't think I'm particularly interested in taking a cruise with a group 
>> of other blind folks (it's not prejudice but I just don't think in those 
>> terms) but I do think it good that cruise lines have thought about  this. 
>> I did wonder though how the dogs would like the cruise.
>>
>> Bob
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "cheryl echevarria" 
>> <cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com>
>> To: <cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com>
>> Sent: Friday, May 27, 2011 7:08 PM
>> Subject: [nagdu] Princess Cruise Lines Welcomes Guide Dogs for the 
>> BlindGroup
>>
>>
>>> Potential Passengers and Their Canine Companions Tour Sea Princess
>>>
>>> SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (May 27, 2011) -- Sea Princess recently hosted a 
>>> group of 25 new graduates from Guide Dogs for the Blind and their owners 
>>> for the day in San Francisco, to familiarize them with how Princess 
>>> Cruises<http://www.princess.com/> can accommodate visually impaired 
>>> travelers and their canine companions.
>>> The group was able to enjoy a tour of the ship and lunch in the dining 
>>> room, while learning how Princess can provide for their needs and those 
>>> of their dogs. The event was hosted in association with Dimensions in 
>>> Travel, a travel agency that regularly organizes travel for Guide Dogs 
>>> for the Blind clients, to give new guide dog users a feel for what to 
>>> expect if they join one of the agency's group cruises, or travel 
>>> independently. Since 2004, Princess has hosted 11 Guide Dogs for the 
>>> Blind groups on cruises to destinations such as Mexico and Alaska.
>>>
>>> "Working with these clients has changed the way we travel," said Diana 
>>> Saint James, owner of Dimensions in Travel. "It's not all about what we 
>>> see when we travel anymore -- it's all of our senses. That's what our 
>>> relationship with our blind travelers has taught us. It's a different 
>>> way to see the world."
>>>
>>> Aboard Sea Princess guests were able to test out many of the special 
>>> features offered for visually impaired travelers and their dogs. For the 
>>> dogs, the ships provide special life jackets, bowls of water in the 
>>> dining room, and relieving boxes with favored cedar chips. Passengers 
>>> also have specially translated menus and can enjoy reserved seating in 
>>> the Princess Theater with room for their dogs. During a cruise, 
>>> passengers and crew are also invited to meet the dogs during a 
>>> designated play time.
>>>
>>> "These dogs are canine heroes," said Brian Rademacher, Princess Cruises 
>>> district sales manager. "It's truly a labor of love for us to work with 
>>> this wonderful organization."
>>>
>>>
>>> http://www.princess.com/news/article.jsp?newsArticleId=na1160<http://www.princess.com/news/article.jsp?newsArticleId=na1160>
>>>
>>>
>>> Leading the Way in Independent Travel
>>>
>>> Cheryl Echevarria
>>> http://www.Echevarriatravel.com<http://www.echevarriatravel.com/>
>>> 631-456-5394
>>> reservations at echevarriatravel.com<mailto:reservations at echevarriatravel.com>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Affiliated as an Independent Contractor with Montrose Travel 
>>> CST-1018299-10
>>> Affiliated as an Independent Contractor with Absolute Cruise and Travel, 
>>> Inc.
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>>
>>
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>
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