Icon of
the Seas – Rover
Rover is an adorable female golden
retriever who lives onboard full-time with her handler Alison Hubble,
whose job title is "Rover's
Chief of Staff." She was born on June 10th, 2023 and had a
wonderful 1st birthday
party with the crew. Believe it or
not, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley
thought having a dog onboard would
be great for guests and crew.
Hubble began working with Royal Caribbean six years ago. After putting her application
together, Hubble
began the rather long interview
process in which she spent a lot of time talking about her first dog, an
Australian Shepherd. When she told
her mom about the position, who then relayed the information to
her sister, she said that Hubble had
found her dream job. Her sister, however, replied that she already
had one since she was working
onboard a cruise ship. Her mother then explained the position and how
she'd be responsible for a dog on a
ship, and her sister quickly changed her mind, stating that the new
position was, in fact, her dream
job. Icon of the Seas wasn't the first ship Rover stepped foot on. They
began their journey together on
Freedom of the Seas. Hubble recalled a day when Rover had a rough
time gaining her sea legs!
One of the most rewarding parts of
her job is seeing how guests and crew react when they spot Rover.
Whenever Hubble and Rover have
somewhere to be, she tries to leave a few minutes earlier than she
would otherwise have to because
everyone stops to pet and love on Rover. It's not hard
to be obsessed
with her, as she has such a great
personality. Hubble said that she loves people and toys. She also loves
to chase her tail, which is
something Hubble hadn't actually seen before. To her,
it is hilarious! Some
crew members haven't seen their dogs
in months, with most guests having been separated for only a
few days;
however, everyone's reaction is always the same: everyone lights up when they
see Rover.
While walking through guest areas is
important, Hubble does try to spend time with Rover in crew-only
areas. She said that it's beautiful
to see how crew members interact with her. Whenever Hubble is
asked about when Rover will be
available for meet and greets (and rubs), she cannot give a definitive
answer. Why? Rover's schedule is up
to her! It's not uncommon for her to take naps ranging from two
to four hours! Speaking of sleeping,
Rover sleeps with Hubble in her cabin. She is crate-trained and has
a second crate in The Bridge, where
she can hang out with the Captain, who happens to
adore her!
Guests may be able to spot Rover
while relaxing at Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal
Caribbean's private
resort-like destination in The
Bahamas. It is quickly becoming one of Rover's favorite places. Here, she
can dig all the holes that she
wants, as well as blow bubbles in the crystal clear
Bahamian waters.
While she's still a bit hesitant
about actually swimming in the ocean, Hubble said
she's getting closer
with each visit.
While Bayley thinks that every Royal
Caribbean ship should have a dog onboard, for now, Icon of the
Seas is the only ship in the fleet
where you can meet a new furry friend. If you're interested in following
along with Rover's adventures, you
can follow @chiefdogrover on Instagram. It's the official account of
the Chief Dog Officer that's run by
Hubble!