There’s a K9 in My Cruise Ship Hallway: Security Dog on Carnival Ship Sparks Reaction

A Carnival cruiser on a recent sailing mentioned seeing what appeared to be a drug-sniffing dog walking the cabin corridors last month. According to the post on social media, “There was a K9 in our hallway almost every waking hour of the day.”

Although the main concern was taking a toddler on a future cruise and having to hold him back from wanting to pet the service dog, this got the whole cruise community talking about seeing these working canines on other cruises.

About 71 million households in the United States have a dog, according to a recent Forbes analyst.  But unless it’s a service dog, these pets aren’t allowed on most cruise ships.

Yet one parent kept seeing a service dog patrolling the hallways on a regular basis, wondering if this is normal.

What Dogs Are Actually Allowed on Carnival Ships?

Carnival’s policy on service dogs is clear. The only dogs permitted onboard are fully trained and vaccinated working service dogs.

Pets are not allowed. Service dogs in training are not allowed. Emotional support animals are not allowed.

However, it was not another cruise passenger’s dog that was the main concern in this discussion.

Those Hallway Dogs Are Often Security K9s

In spite of recent changes regarding the legality of drugs in the U.S., cruise ships are strict when it comes to any narcotics on board, including medical marijuana.

Carnival has stepped up its own use of drug-sniffing dogs in recent years. You’ll see them most often at the terminal during embarkation.

But sometimes those same dogs and their handlers sail with the ship as well.

The Carnival passenger posting on Reddit stated that seeing the dog so often felt “excessive”, stating:

“Everyday when we left for breakfast we would see the dog in our hallway. When we came back midday to relax we would see the dog still in our hallway. When we came back to change for dinner we would see the dog still in the hallways It was ALL DAY.”

One commenter on Reddit wrote, “I have seen canines on a number of cruises. Are they on all cruises? Probably not. But I would not be surprised if a high percentage of short cruises get canine patrols. The same with school break cruises.”

Another said, “I was on the Celebration the week of July 4th and there was a dog on board the entire time.”

This doesn’t mean every cruise ship has a K9 on patrol, though some have speculated that some ships might even have two K9s. If a K9 is walking a certain hallway repeatedly, it’s probably because someone reported the use of drugs or possibly smelled it from their balcony.

Another guest who has sailed Carnival 25 times said they rarely see service dogs: “I think there is a K9 on most or all cruises but they only come out when something has been reported and need to search.”

Keeping Little Hands Away from Service Dogs

The Carnival cruiser’s biggest worry was her almost-two-year-old. He’d already gotten to pet a “chief dog officer” on a previous Royal Caribbean sailing, so the idea of seeing a dog he couldn’t touch could easily turn into a meltdown.

Parents in the thread jumped in with practical advice. One wrote, “Many dogs have important jobs – drug dogs, seeing eye dogs, etc. It is probably a good idea as a parent to model how to behave around a working dog. Your child is going to see a lot of dogs that they can not pet.”

As a good rule of thumb, if a dog is wearing a vest, you probably should leave it alone and let it do its job. And it’s probably a good idea to teach a child not to be in the habit of walking right up to any dog he sees in the first place.

Bottom Line

Depending on your sailing, port of embarkation, and time of year, you may not ever see a service dog in action on your cruise. But if you do see one, it’s only meant to keep everyone safe and to keep the cruise line’s rules in check.

Carnival’s own policy states, “Carnival may deny boarding or disembark any Guest who brings or attempts to bring marijuana, cannabis or any cannabis derivative or any illegal substance on board.” This could lead to a ban from the cruise line, so don’t even flirt with the idea of breaking this rule.

And if you’re sailing with little ones who love dogs, a quick conversation about working animals before you leave home can save a lot of drama once on the ship. After all, the best kind of cruise is a drama-free cruise.