Taking your dogs on a transatlantic crossing

[Guest ccpm]

First question has anyone done this from the UK? How was it?

Is it possible to taken them on a return transatlantic?

How is boarding the ship done and when?

 

I need information to help me plan whether once things open up can I take my woofs with me? I know it is transatlantic crossings only.

 

If anyone can help that will be much appreciated. Oh and me I will travel whatever grade as long as the dachshunds can come too. 

 

 

[TheOldBear]

29 minutes ago, ccpm said:

First question has anyone done this from the UK? How was it?

Is it possible to taken them on a return transatlantic?

How is boarding the ship done and when?

 

I need information to help me plan whether once things open up can I take my woofs with me? I know it is transatlantic crossings only.

 

If anyone can help that will be much appreciated. Oh and me I will travel whatever grade as long as the dachshunds can come too. 

 

 

The kennels are the first QM2 accommodation  to sell out, so advance planning is a strong requirement.

 

You may want to reach this forum for 'kennel' to see what information is available in the community - and also check directly with Cunard for requirements & limitations.

 

A search found this Cunard forum thread - there may be others

[Guest ccpm]

Thank you for your reply it was helpful and what I understood. From reading here I had understood the kennels sell out quickly. I hoped to find someone who had done it to help me out. Sometimes you ring Cunard and they seem to know less than you do. I wanted to be prepared. I am fine with a wait but want to book a few trips if possible as my dachsies must come too now.

[tacticalbanjo]

I don't think you'll be able to do a round trip without spending time in New York - you'll need a vets visit for a GB health certificate and a wormer at least 24 hours but not more than 120 hours before check in. 

[majortom10]

9 hours ago, tacticalbanjo said:

I don't think you'll be able to do a round trip without spending time in New York - you'll need a vets visit for a GB health certificate and a wormer at least 24 hours but not more than 120 hours before check in. 0

I know having done many roundtrip TAs on QM2 that on arrival in Brooklyn (New York) you cannot stay on the ship you have to wait until everyone has disembarked then you get off go through security and then have to wait to get back onboard, silly system that have never had to do anywhere else not even in St Petersburg (Russia). But not sure what happens to your dog whether you can leave it onboard or you have to take it with you. Unless there has somebody that has done a roundtrip TA with a dog the only way you will get a definitive answer is to ring Cunard.

[Guest ccpm]

Rang and asked. Just won't work, bummer I thought it would be great. However all is not lost I have googled like mad and have found a national home/pet sitter agency. Not really what I wanted but worth en enquiry

[IB2]

On 3/18/2021 at 6:25 PM, ccpm said:

Thank you for your reply it was helpful and what I understood. From reading here I had understood the kennels sell out quickly. I hoped to find someone who had done it to help me out. Sometimes you ring Cunard and they seem to know less than you do. I wanted to be prepared. I am fine with a wait but want to book a few trips if possible as my dachsies must come too now.

Yes, I did it in 2019.  Mine was a round trip but with six weeks in the states between voyages.  The crossing is tough on most dogs and I really wouldn’t recommend taking a dog over and back on back-to-back crossings, which wouldn’t be fair.  The kennels sell out very quickly (2022 has, I believe, been all sold out for some time), although it is possible to go on a waitlist and, in previous years at least, last minute spaces from cancellations were quite common.

 

If you know the cruisemaven website, there are a couple of articles about taking dogs on the QM2 with a lot of good advice in the articles and user comments.

 

 

[Solent Richard]

On 3/18/2021 at 3:56 PM, ccpm said:

First question has anyone done this from the UK? How was it?

Is it possible to taken them on a return transatlantic?

How is boarding the ship done and when?

 

I need information to help me plan whether once things open up can I take my woofs with me? I know it is transatlantic crossings only.

 

If anyone can help that will be much appreciated. Oh and me I will travel whatever grade as long as the dachshunds can come too. 

 

 

 

Here's a link to my blog...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2017/01/02/queen-mary-2-remastered-trans-atlantic/

 

Scroll through to a short section with photographs of the kennels.

 

It's a dogs life. 😄

[IB2]

2 hours ago, Solent Richard said:

 

Here's a link to my blog...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2017/01/02/queen-mary-2-remastered-trans-atlantic/

 

Scroll through to a short section with photographs of the kennels.

 

It's a dogs life. 😄

Blogs from travellers who pop up for a quick look at and photo of the kennels are next to useless for anyone considering taking a dog across the Atlantic for a week, tbh.

[Solent Richard]

44 minutes ago, IB2 said:

Blogs from travellers who pop up for a quick look at and photo of the kennels are next to useless for anyone considering taking a dog across the Atlantic for a week, tbh.

Oh really? I'm all ears. 😅

Edited April 2, 2021 by Solent Richard

[IB2]

17 hours ago, Solent Richard said:

Oh really? I'm all ears. 😅

All I'm saying is that it's a bit like someone asking what it's like to travel Grills, and getting a reply from a regular passenger with a photo of the Grills dining room taken through door.

[Solent Richard]

23 hours ago, IB2 said:

All I'm saying is that it's a bit like someone asking what it's like to travel Grills, and getting a reply from a regular passenger with a photo of the Grills dining room taken through door.

Ah, but I take the view that 'any' insight into a Cunard experience is better than a 'blank' statement. Hence I added the statement...'Scroll through to a short section with photographs of the kennels.'

 

We did once share a 'Grills' table with a passenger who had a dog onboard. It was most enlightening to hear all about it. He invited us up to the kennels. On that occasion though it was prior to the ship's 're-mastering' when I believe the kennels were upgraded...

 

 

*****

 

 

 

[Ferretworld]

I think this is all moot now, but i've brought a cat across the atlantic (Immigration to the UK). As well as the requirements to take an animal to the USA, you would of course have to follow the Defra requirements to bring them back - which are quite demanding and you couldn't complete within an afternoon in Brooklyn.

 

You also would have to trade off spending time with your dog as you cannot remove them from the kennel area and deck - so while you can go and visit, you would not be making the most of the facilities on the ship.  I'm really not sure how much fun it is for the animals either - the staff are lovely but they are basically in cages most of the time (more so for the poor cat with 19 dogs!).

[IB2]

On 4/6/2021 at 8:35 PM, Ferretworld said:

I think this is all moot now, but i've brought a cat across the atlantic (Immigration to the UK). As well as the requirements to take an animal to the USA, you would of course have to follow the Defra requirements to bring them back - which are quite demanding and you couldn't complete within an afternoon in Brooklyn.

 

You also would have to trade off spending time with your dog as you cannot remove them from the kennel area and deck - so while you can go and visit, you would not be making the most of the facilities on the ship.  I'm really not sure how much fun it is for the animals either - the staff are lovely but they are basically in cages most of the time (more so for the poor cat with 19 dogs!).

It can be tough for the dogs, and for the owners.  It’s an experience but some potential passengers seem unaware that it will also be hard work.  Imagining wafting around the ship enjoying the activities, dropping in now and again to see how your dog is getting along, isn’t how it goes.  The kennels open for about eight hours a day, and owners (except the occasional irresponsible one) will be with their dogs in the kennels for all of that time.  For the rest of the time your dog will be locked in a cage.