Earlier this week, crew members from Royal Caribbean’s brand new Icon of the Seas ship shared a fun announcement on Instagram:
Check out this Reel for more details on Rover.
Yes! I, for one, am excited about this development. I LOVE dogs! Rover appears to be a Golden Retriever dog. My family will be on Icon of the Seas in 2025, and I can’t wait!
Not Everyone is Happy…
Across blogs and social media, I’ve followed people’s reactions to a live mascot dog (or Chief Dog Officer, Rover’s official title) being on board Icon of the Seas. For the most part, people are thrilled.
“Rover will be a welcome addition to the crew, by all the crew and guests. Absolutely a wonderful idea”
“Literally the first thing im gonna do on the 27 is scoure the ship to find him and give him pets.”
“So0o cute!! I’d definitely book icon now just for Rover”.
But, not everyone is happy.
I showed my oldest son the Instagram photos, and he was actually sad for Rover. He’s worried the dog won’t ever get to run on land, dig in the dirt, and do “normal” dog stuff. I do understand that concern. However, I’m sure that Rover’s handler will let her experience that at port stops.
Other folks who aren’t thrilled about Rover:
“Worst idea ever for people with allergies. Cruises were a safe travel option.”
“Since just about everyone walking by will want to pet her, she’ll be a great way to spread illness.”
“While I support service dogs and the need they fulfill, I find this just weird. I do not think of animals when I think cruise ships. Do I need to watch my step on deck for ‘deposits’ and markings? Strange. Can do without animals onboard.”
“You’re not fooling me that’s a dope dog!”
Personally, I think Rover will cheer up the overworked crew and bring joy to passengers who choose to interact with her. What do you think? Yay or Nay on this new dog on Icon of the Seas? Sound off in the comments.
Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
Dog dander, especially when the dog is in an indoor space stays in the air for years. Royal Caribbean has basically excluded anybody with dander allergies from sailing. Yes, there may be service dogs on board, but everybody will be petting this dog and stirring up dander, and then not washing their hands, and touching surfaces that allergic people made touch, resulting in reaction. Many viruses can be spread from the surface of the dog as well. This is not fair to the dog, and many ports will not allow the dog to come on land due to vaccination and quarantine requirements.
Love it. And I’d love it even more if he’d join me for a swim in the pool!
However if I had an allergy and already made a booking, I wouldn’t be real thrilled with this news.
Otherwise, if you don’t like having a dog on board, then don’t book a cruise on Icon of the Seas. Simple.
@projectx I personally don’t think it would be a huge deal for folks with allergies because most cruises already have someone on board with a service animal anyway. Plus, with how gigantic this ship is, it should be easy to avoid Rover. But, of course, I’m speaking as someone who doesn’t have a serious allergy and I may be off base.
Nice post ✍️