[Travelandtourism] Guide Dog Access Rights in the Bahamas
Peter Donahue
pdonahue2 at satx.rr.com
Fri Nov 18 17:13:17 UTC 2011
Hello Cheryl,
Even so it's a good idea to investigate access rights for persons
accompanied by service animals in the Bahamas particularly if our proposed
cruise will include Bahamian ports of call. Here's hoping you can find out
whether or not there are any laws concerning rights of access for those with
service animals in the Bahamas so we can be better prepared to address a
similar incident in the future. Please share what you find out. All the
best.
Peter Donahue
----- Original Message -----
From: "cheryl echevarria" <cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com>
To: "NFB Travel and Tourism Division List" <travelandtourism at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, November 18, 2011 10:24 AM
Subject: Re: [Travelandtourism] Traveling with a guide dog out
ofthecountryand on a cruise ship
Peter this is not a US destination, so they have different laws in the
Bahamas, and I am perusing it as we speak; as well as Norwegian Cruise Lines
themselves. They are educating their staff to investigate each and every
excursion that they offer, and not assume they are allowed.
Also, when we are in a country not of our own, not all places will allow
service animals, yes here in the US it is different. But at the same time I
am not it.
The Atlantis Resort and Casino would have allowed it, but I wasn't prepared
for it, but I did ask, this is a different location from them.
Also, when traveling a lot of times the excursions are cheaper not going
through the cruise lines, and a good travel agent will recommend some for
you.
I have done many of these for other people, but since I was getting these
from the ship at a discount we took them.
Again, Peter, the Bahamas is not part of the United States.
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>
For daily updates read our blog at
http://www.echevarriatravel.wordpress.com<http://www.echevarriatravel.wordpress.com/>
----- Original Message -----
From: Peter Donahue<mailto:pdonahue2 at satx.rr.com>
To: NFB Travel and Tourism Division
List<mailto:travelandtourism at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, November 18, 2011 11:10 AM
Subject: Re: [Travelandtourism] Traveling with a guide dog out of
thecountryand on a cruise ship
Hello Cheryl and everyone,
You should have persued a complaint with the dolphin park as what they
did is wrong. The issue of guide dogs in zoos and wild animal parks is a
veritable minefield where access is concerned. One establishment will give
you unlimited access to their facility while others restrict access for
those with guide dogs and still others attempt to ban your dog all
together.
This is something both NAGDU and our division need to address. I have a
real
problem with a zoo telling me I cannot take my dog in to their facility
yet
I can attend the San Antonio Stock Show and go anywhere in the facility
accompanied by my guide dog.----- I have visited a number of zoos,
livestock
shows, fairs and other animal facilities accompanied by my dog and never
had
a problem. This also includes keeping the dog with me while in a petting
zoo. I've also exhibited chickens at several fairs and other events and
kept
my dog with me at all times. A well-controlled dog whose vaccinations are
current and up-to-date should not cause a problem for other animals and is
protected from contracting diseases from other animals or transmitting
illnesses to them. That dolphin park obviously needs an education about
the
ADA and other applicable legislation where rights of access for those
accompanied by guide dogs is concerned. It's our responsibility as a
division and as the NFB to see to it that that happens.
Peter Donahue
Original Message -----
From: "cheryl echevarria"
<cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com<mailto:cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com>>
To: "nagdu" <nagdu at nfbnet.org<mailto:nagdu at nfbnet.org>>;
"travelandtourism"
<travelandtourism at nfbnet.org<mailto:travelandtourism at nfbnet.org>>
Sent: Friday, November 18, 2011 9:18 AM
Subject: [Travelandtourism] Traveling with a guide dog out of the
countryand
on a cruise ship
Good morning all:
Now that I have some time, I will be posting my reviews and experience of
my
recent cruise and excursions.
This particular post is in reference to cruising with a guide dog from the
prep work, to the onboard experience, this is also in reference to leaving
the main land of the US.
Before I start, yesterday, as I had posted, someone asked me about
traveling
with their guide dog to Puerto Rico. Well, since I have yet to take Maxx
to
PR with us, it was an awakening to the fact, that whenever you leave the
mainland of the US, which also includes Canada and Mexico (some people may
not have had this issue in the past, but these are the rules per the
USDA.)
that you must have in your possession a Certified USDA Veterinarian Health
Certificate, now when you call your vet and let them know you are going
out
of the country, you need to ask if he/she is one, if not they will know
where your closest one is, if not there is a listing on the United Stated
Department of Agriculture website.
Which I am willing to send to NAGDU/travel and tourism the information
so
that everyone has the link to the as well.
The link is:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/animals/animal_import/animal_imports_states.shtml<http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/animals/animal_import/animal_imports_states.shtml<http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/animals/animal_import/animal_imports_states.shtml%3Chttp://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/animals/animal_import/animal_imports_states.shtml>>
When traveling especially with a service animal, in this case, a cruise.
Planning ahead, if you know you want to cruise in April starting planning
as
early as possible. For those that have cruised before the staterooms are
sometimes smaller than a hotel room, and having the room for the dog might
be limited. In this case, even though I will not be doing this again, I
asked for an accessible stateroom, some of this might repeat when speaking
of traveling period for someone who is disabled. Because this was a
travel
agent graduation cruise with Norwegian Cruise Lines, all us travel agents
had balcony accommodations, and every level of the ships have an
accessible
stateroom and no they are not more or less money then those for everyone
else.
When planning your cruise with a guide dog, you need to call like I said
way
in advanced if you would like an accessible stateroom, there are many
people
I am glad to say that are traveling, and these rooms go very fast.
You need to let your travel agent, know you are bring your guide, they
will
accommodate you but if you don't tell them, they will not know to make a
box
for your dog to do his business. Also, they do not put the box in your
room, it is a health issue, and no they will not put the boxes on the
balconies if you have one.
On Norwegian Cruise Lines, what they do is they will ask you what kind of
stuffing you want in the box, it is a similar box to what we do at
convention only smaller. The placing of it is in a crew area only area.
Explanation here: On a cruise, there is an area every few staterooms in
between that the crew move between to take there carts or need to take an
elevator to get to the next floor, basically behind the scenes, so near
our
stateroom there was one of these doors and we were shown the box for the
dog.
Again, depending on the floor you are staying will determine where this
is.
Maxx was confused at first because it was inside and not outside the box,
and when Maxx is away anywhere, it takes him at least a day to go do his
business, but he finally liked it and all was good.
You also need to do your homework on where you are going in my case it was
Orlando, Great Stirrup Cay (which is Norwegian's own private island in the
Bahamas), all the cruise lines have them, and Nassau (Paradise Island) in
the Bahamas.
Orlando is a US State so there is no worry in that of where you want to go
on an excursion, we decided not to go anywhere in Orlando, and stay on the
ship, and check out the rest of what was available to do.
We didn't go to Great Stirrup Cay because at the island they bring ship
tenders to the ship and that day their was 9 and 10 foot swells and the
manager of the island said it was to dangerous to bring the boats out, so
we
had another day at sea. Also in the same area was Disney and Royal
Caribbean
and they couldn't get into there islands as well. These private islands
are
to shallow for the ships to have a pier to port to.
In the Bahamas, we did have an issue with one of the excursions we wanted
to
do. I did call the excursion department with the cruise lines prior to
what
we wanted to do, and they told me we never had a problem with services
animals and our excursions. Well, I did and the cruise line has been
informed, I did give a report back to the Access Department and management
upon my return, the good, the bad and the ugly. They are on it, so that
these issues never happen again.
Anyway the issue we had was, I wanted to go swimming with the dolphins, my
sister and brother-in-law, niece and nephew, were cruising with us, and
they
were going to this.
So when I registered for this on the ship they had no problem with it, but
the following day I was told that I couldn't bring my dog. This was not
from the cruise lines but the people who run the program. They were going
to allow it this once just for me, since I was a travel agent. I said no,
and that we were going to do something else. I have the e-mail from the
company themselves of the excuse of why they didn't want to dog there. I
mean Maxx was not going to go in the water with the dolphins, the supplier
was concerned, since afterwards that in the same area that they have sea
lions and that they have a less tolerance for illness and that they were
concerned that they would get sick from the dog.
In either case, I don't do anything that all of you cannot go and do.
We went to the Atlantis Resort and it was well worth it, had an awesome
time:
To read more go to:
http://www.echevarriatravel.wordpress.com<http://www.echevarriatravel.wordpress.com/<http://www.echevarriatravel.wordpress.com%3chttp//www.echevarriatravel.wordpress.com/>>
Leading the Way in Independent Travel!
Cheryl Echevarria
http://www.echevarriatravel.com<http://www.echevarriatravel.com/<http://www.echevarriatravel.com%3chttp//www.echevarriatravel.com/>>
631-456-5394
reservations at echevarriatravel.com<mailto:reservations at echevarriatravel.com<mailto:reservations at echevarriatravel.com%3Cmailto:reservations at echevarriatravel.com>>
For daily updates read our blog at
http://www.echevarriatravel.wordpress.com<http://www.echevarriatravel.wordpress.com/<http://www.echevarriatravel.wordpress.com%3chttp//www.echevarriatravel.wordpress.com/>>
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