Taking Your Dog on a Cruise
Cunard Line is the Only Company Which Permits Dogs and Cats at Sea
May 25, 2007
Most passengers on board Cunard's Queen Mary 2 are unaware that on Deck 12, there's a luxury kennel with space for 12 dogs and cats.
The kennel is not used by rich dilettantes who can't bear to be parted from their precious pooches, but for more practical reasons, by the many passengers who are relocating, taking a long vacation or commuting between their various homes in the USA and Europe.
On this crossing, there are five dogs and three cats, all living in some style. Ben, a giant poodle with a diamante collar, is a regular on board, as his owners Kevin and Rich shuttle between their homes in Brighton, England and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. They wouldn't dream of flying, they claim, and simply drive with Ben from New York to Florida when they arrive on the QM2 after spending the summer in Britain.
Dani, a dancing pug, appears to be loving every minute of it, sticking her nose under the railing and sniffing the ocean, 12 decks down. A lot of pug owners choose to sail across the Atlantic, it transpires, as they can't fly with their dogs. Airlines don't like to carry pugs because of the breed's notorious breathing difficulty. The family is relocating to Europe with Dani and Stormy the tabby, who looks disdainfully down from her cage as Dani prances around, showing off.
Tesoro, a lively collie belonging to a dog agility trainer, is going home to Italy after an 18-month vacation travelling around the USA in a VW motorhome. The family car has been shipped separately.
Animals are only permitted on the ship's scheduled transatlantic crossings, not on the regular cruises around the Mediterranean or the Caribbean. They have to have all the necessary paperwork. During the voyage, they are cared for by Chris, a member of the housekeeping staff. "Of course, people want to feel they are on vacation and take the dogs to their cabins, but we can't permit it for hygiene reasons," he says. Life on Deck 12 is nonetheless pretty good. The kennel is fully climate-controlled and a chart on the wall lists each animal's dietary preferences, while doggie lifejackets are stored in a special cupboard and the floor is scattered with chews and toys.
The kennel is a genuinely useful service and there are animals on board for every voyage, Chris says, from Siberian huskies to English bulldogs, although only dogs and cats are allowed - no parrots or pot-bellied pigs. Do the animals get seasick? "No," he says. "Only the owners."
Owners can visit their pets four times a day, let them out of the cages and play with them on a sectioned-off area of the deck or in a special doggie playroom. There's a happy atmosphere as the dogs frolic and the humans chat. "The animals all make friends on the first day and so do we," says Jennifer, who is travelling with Duncan the cocker spaniel. Jennifer and her partner Howard are embarking on a long holiday in Europe. "We've left Duncan at home before but I couldn't bear it, not when we're away for several months at a time," she says. "I was practically grabbing at every dog I saw."
Those pets who do get left at home do not, however, have to miss out on the Cunard experience. One of the onboard shops sells branded leads, collars, doggie overcoats in three sizes and china dog bowls, emblazoned with the QM2 logo.
