If you plan to bring your service dog onboard a cruise ship, it is essential to check with the specific cruise line you are sailing with, as policies regarding service animals can vary significantly. Each cruise line has its own set of rules and requirements, which may include documentation, vaccination records, and advance notice before travel. Some cruise lines may also have restrictions on where service dogs are allowed onboard and provide designated relief areas for them. To ensure a smooth and hassle-free experience, it is highly recommended that you review your cruise line’s official policy in detail and contact their accessibility department for any specific accommodations or questions. Please refer to your specific cruise line’s policy below for more information.
Carnival
The only dogs Carnival permits aboard our ships are working service dogs, which are legally defined and individually trained to meet disability-related needs by performing tasks like guiding a blind person, alerting a deaf person, pulling wheelchairs, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, or performing other special tasks. Working service dogs are not pets.
Pets, or service dogs in training, are not allowed aboard. Emotional support dogs, which are not recognized by the Department of Justice, are also not permitted on Carnival ships.
If you are traveling with a working service dog that meets the requirements described above, please review the following policies and procedures:
Many of our ports of call have established strict entry requirements for animals. Therefore, guests traveling with working service dogs must visit the Department of Agriculture website Indicates external site which may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Opens in a new window., or their service animal’s veterinarian, to determine each destination country’s policy regarding admission of working service dogs.
Carnival is not responsible for limitations imposed on working service dogs by entities or shore excursion providers in foreign ports of call.
Note that many of the ports you may visit will only accept annual rabies vaccinations and do not recognize three-year rabies vaccination.
Mexican ports require service dogs to have received an ecto-parasite and endo-parasite treatment no more than 15 days prior to arrival at port and this information should be included in the dog’s health certificate. If you have any questions, please consult with your veterinarian.
You must hand-carry (not packed in your baggage) all required documents, along with your working service dog’s current vaccination records. You will be asked to submit these records once aboard.
So that we may provide you with the additional information you will need in order to sail with your working service dog, please contact our Guest Access Department at [email protected], or 1.800.438.6744 ext. 70025.
Costa
Suitably trained and certified guide dogs are allowed on board all ships, assuming that they are in a good state of health and possess all necessary documents for entering the foreign countries visited during the cruise.
The guest will be informed in advance about the accommodation made for the animal, the facilities available (if required), and the embarking and disembarking procedure.
The guest is personally responsible (with the aid of the caretaker if applicable) for the custody, feeding, and general care of the animal during the whole stay on board.
Guests must fill out a special needs information form and present it to Costa upon booking.
Holland America Line
With the exception of qualified service animals for guests with disabilities, animals or pets are not allowed on board our ships. If you plan to bring a service animal, you must call our Access & Compliance Department. You will need to provide health certificate documentation for the animal in your ports of call.
Please Note: Your itinerary may include ports of call that have very specific and strict requirements that need to be met prior to your service animal being allowed off the ship. Please be sure you understand the requirements for a service animal to disembark in each port of call. The best places to obtain specific information on required documentation and immunizations for your service animal are the U.S. Department of Agriculture, local customs offices in the specific ports, and your service animal’s veterinarian. All documentation and immunization requirements are established.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line accepts service dogs that are trained to perform a specific task. A service dog may be needed for many different conditions, which would be acceptable under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines.
In accordance with the ADA, Norwegian Cruise Line does NOT accept “Emotional Support” dogs as service dogs, they CANNOT sail.
- 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 sandbox will be provided.
- All guests traveling with service animals must book at least two weeks in advance to allow sufficient time to check with each port of call and provide Norwegian Cruise Line with all required documentation.
For additional information, call (866) 584-9756 (voice), fax (305) 468-2171, or send an e-mail to [email protected], or have your travel agent contact us.
MSC Cruises
Suitably trained and certified guide dogs are allowed on board all ships, assuming that they are in a good state of health and possess all necessary documents for entering the foreign countries visited during the cruise.
The guest will be informed in advance about the accommodation made for the animal, the facilities available (if required), and the embarking and disembarking procedure.
The guest is personally responsible (with the aid of the caretaker if applicable) for the custody, feeding, and general care of the animal during the whole stay on board.
Princess Cruises
Princess ships also welcome service animals and have hosted a variety of such special helpers, including seeing-eye dogs and hearing-assistance dogs. Emotional support animals are not recognized by the Department of Justice and therefore are not permitted on Princess's vessels or in our lodges.
Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean International welcomes service dogs on all ships.* Please note we do not accept pets. A service dog is defined as "any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability." Service dogs are not considered pets.
Evidence that a dog is a service dog is helpful but not required (such as identification cards, other written documentation, presence of harnesses and/or tags, or the credible verbal assurance of the person with a disability using the dog).
We provide 4 feet by 4 feet relief areas with cypress mulch to accommodate service dogs. Sod for sailings from the U.S. can be provided if ordered in advance and is available. Relief areas are provided on a shared basis with other service dogs onboard. Please note that Central Park on OasisSM class ships is not designated as a relief area.
Please notify our Access Department at the time of booking but no later than 30 days prior to sailing if a service dog relief area is needed.
Service dogs are permitted to accompany the person with a disability in all public areas, including dining venues. While in public areas, service dogs must be on a leash, harness, or other restraining device. Due to health regulations, service dogs are not permitted in pools, whirlpools, or spas.
Care and supervision of the service dog is the sole responsibility of the owner. The ships are not required to provide food or care for the dog.
Guests may bring a reasonable quantity of food and bowls for the dog onboard the ship at no additional charge. If refrigerated space is needed, notify our Access Department at the time of booking but no later than 30 days prior to sailing.
If the guest chooses to disembark the ship at a port at which the service dog must remain onboard, the guest must make arrangements to ensure that the dog is cared for. Note that the ship's staff is not required to care for the dog, nor can the dog be left in the stateroom unattended.
Guests are responsible for obtaining all required documents for the animal to depart the ship in ports of call and at the final destination. For document requirements, visit: U.S. Department of Agriculture
A copy of these permits must be carried on the ship, and a copy left with Guest Relations Desk upon boarding the ship.
Please note all documentation and immunization requirements are established by government authorities and not Royal Caribbean International. Please note requirements are subject to change without notice.
Guests are responsible for the behavior or damage caused by their service dog. A cleaning fee may be charged to the guest's shipboard account.
If the service dog's behavior creates a fundamental alteration or a direct threat to safety, the dog may be denied boarding or removed from the ship along with the owner at the guest's expense. Examples include: growling, barking excessively, initiating unsolicited contact, biting other guests and/or crewmembers, failing to use designated relief areas, sitting on furniture, eating from the table, etc.
If you have an animal that does not meet the definition of a service animal (i.e. a dog trained to perform a task) but must accompany you in order to assist you with your disability, please contact our Access Department at least 60 days prior to sailing.