Carnival Cruise Line rejects beloved Royal Caribbean offering

Dogs are not allowed on cruise ships, with very few exceptions.

Of course, dogs assisting disabled passengers are welcome in many cases, but for the most part, you can’t bring your pet on your cruise. In fact, one company recently announced a chartered cruise aboard Margaritaville at Sea’s Islander that was specifically created to allow people to finally cruise with their pets.

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Royal Caribbean doesn’t allow dogs on its ships (aside from service animals), but that changed slightly on its new and massive Icon class ships. When Icon of the Sea launched in early 2024, the first permanent resident dog at sea came with it.

The ship’s “Chief Dog Officer” is a golden retriever named Rover and has been described as the family dog of the ship and an official crew member. Around the time of the ship’s launch, Rover’s duties were described as “to bring joy and happiness to her fellow crew and guests onboard.”

It was recently revealed that Royal Caribbean plans to introduce another full-time resident canine named Sailor when Icon’s sister ship, Star of the Seas, launches later this year.

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Will Carnival bring dogs on board?

Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald recently conducted an informal poll on his Facebook page, and a couple of the poll options were intended to gauge how interested cruisers would be to see dogs on its ships. The two dog-related choices were:

“Royal Caribbean have lovely golden retriever dogs on their ships. They allow the passengers to play with them and pet them. I think Carnival should have a dog like this on every ship, especially for those of us that have autistic children” Note that this quote likely came from someone who sent Heald a message.

While I realize it would be nice for some guests, it certainly would not enhance my crew (cruise?) to have a dog on board for this kind of thing.

Considering how much positive attention Royal Caribbean’s dogs have received, it might surprise you to learn that Carnival cruisers overwhelmingly don’t want to see the same on the cruise line’s ships. The second option was the most-voted by a margin of nearly 9-to-1.

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Why don’t Carnival cruisers want dogs on board?

There were many reasons why cruisers voted the way they did, but there were a few common recurring themes.

Allergy reasons were a common concern. Heald follower Amanda Lyons said, “I would love dogs on the ship to play with, but others are severely allergic, and it would ruin their vacation, so service dogs only.”

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Similarly, Tyleen Winterbower II-Caffrey said “While I can appreciate and I LOVE animals/pets, I’m HIGHLY allergic so not sure I would enjoy my entire vacation dealing with a sinus and asthma because a few children/adults on the spectrum might enjoy strangers pets.”

Others said that while some passengers might like it, having a dog on the ship full-time might not be in the best interest of the dog. Cynthia Henderson Flores said “As for dogs on ships, if they’re service animals, fine. If it’s just to have a dog there? I love dogs, but is that really fair to the dog? Let them be at home with a yard to run in, not held captive on a ship.”

A few other commenters had sanitary concerns, such as dog hair finding its way into food service areas, and some simply commented that dogs – especially those that are specifically there to play and interact with guests – aren’t conducive to a relaxing cruise atmosphere. 

As an owner of two larger and energetic dogs myself, I can certainly understand where this commenter is coming from. 

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