We’ve blogged about how you can fly with your fur children, travel with your pampered pooches and stay at pet-friendly hotels, but did you know you can take Fido on the high seas too?
Don’t fret - your canine companions and feline friends won’t be confined to the cargo hold for the entire duration of the cruise. Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 is the only cruise liner in the world to offer dedicated kennels for your pets, which prove so popular they are frequently sold out and have waitlists for available spots. As part of the ship refurbishment slated for June 2016, Queen Mary 2 will add 10 new kennels to accommodate more than the 12 dogs and cats that currently cruise on its transatlantic crossings between England and the US.
All (pups) aboard the Queen Mary 2!
Other amenities that your pampered pooch will appreciate on board the luxury liner include street furniture that approximates the dog-walking experience back home (a fire hydrant for all-American dogs and a lamp post for British-born pups) and a dedicated deck for canine exercise (downward dog, anyone?).
The real scoop on pet transport. Q&A With A Pet Transport Expert
Hotels that have gone to the dogs. Pampered Hotel Pets Of Instagram
Spot or Fluffy can also take advantage of a new inside pet play area in addition to the outside dog-walking zone, while pet owners have their own lounge. There’s set visiting hours per day, and each dog or cat receives its own name tag, fleece blankets, his or her own scoop and dish, premium food and healthy fresh-baked gourmet cookies (made daily!) for bedtime. There’s also a selection of chew toys for the canines and interactive toys for cats, and doggie couture for the daily constitutional (note: life jackets come in high-vis maritime orange only).
Shipshape with my Queen Mary 2 steward.
Kennel fees for a one-week transatlantic crossing start at US$800 (approximately AU$1,095) for dogs under 25 pounds (11 kilograms) up to US$1,000 (approximately AU$1,369) for larger pooches, while cat kennel fees are US$1,600 (around AU$2,191) for two kennel spaces (one for a litter tray). Kennels are housed at the back of Deck 12 and grouped into small upper kennels for dogs under 11 kilograms or cats, and larger lower kennels for bigger pups.
Australian cruisers can experience the revamped Queen Mary 2 on a variety of seven-night eastbound or westbound transatlantic cruises in 2016 and 2017, with departures from New York to Southampton and from Southampton to NYC.
Visit your local Flight Centre store or call 131 600 for more advice and the latest deals on cruising on Queen Mary 2.
