There are only two ways to transport your pets across the Atlantic: by plane, or on the Queen Mary 2. For our recent move to London, we chose the latter. After making the Transatlantic crossing on the QM2 twice in the past, we knew that it was a lovely way for people to travel.
What we learned this time around is that it’s even better when your furry friends come along. Not only are your companion animals well treated on the ship, but being part of the QM2 “kennel club” is actually fun, and a great way to meet like-minded travelers.
For those unfamiliar with the QM2, the ship is a transatlantic ocean liner – built for smooth ocean crossings. She is considered one of the world’s most luxurious ships, offering passengers all the traditional cruise ship activities, as well as unique amenities, such as: a 3D cinema, a planetarium, a modern spa, and the largest lending library at sea.
The ship offers both transatlantic crossings and around the world cruises, as well as shorter cruises to popular destinations. Despite the ship’s posh offerings, the crossing is actually quite reasonably-priced. Given that she also boasts the only kennel on a transatlantic crossing, it was easy to choose the QM2 for our move to the UK.
The ship has twelve kennels: six smaller upper kennels, and six larger lower kennels. The kennel dividers can also be removed, to make room for cat litter boxes or larger dogs. For our crossing, there were four cats and six dogs. Our cats (two Siamese mixes named Griffin and Little Kitty) shared two upper kennels, and our dog (a Goldendoodle named Beauregard) stayed in two of the lower kennels.
The upper kennels were $500 each, and the lowers were $700. All together, we paid $2400 to transport our pets on the ship, which seems expensive, but actually costs less than shipping them by plane.
Companion animals are very well cared for on the ship. The kennel master (or “kennel man”), Andy, is a friendly and energetic fellow who clearly enjoys caring for the animals in his charge. While there are several visiting periods for pet owners, there is no requirement that owners visit or care for their pets during the cruise.
Having said that, most of the owners, dubbed the “kennel club,” were on board largely for the safe and comfortable crossing it offered their pets. Therefore, we saw most everyone during each visiting time. (Visiting periods include: 8:00-11:00am, 1:00-2:00pm, 3:00-6:00pm, and 8:00-9:00pm.)
During visiting periods, the dogs generally hung out in an enclosed section outside the kennels on deck 12. In poor weather, they played in a room attached to the kennel. This room doubled as a play area for the cats for a half hour period in the mornings, in good or poor weather.
Owners visiting with their pets didn’t need to worry about cleaning up after their pets – Andy was always quick to take care of any messes, inside or on the deck. Other passengers on the ship would occasionally come by the kennels during visiting hours, which was always fun. The dogs were very popular with people who were missing their own pets at home.
Because we were with the other pet owners for so much of the crossing, the group developed a real camaraderie, and even had lunch together one day. It made it more fun, too, when one of the dogs had a birthday, and the chef surprised his owner with a special treat. Andy decorated the kennel and play room with “Happy Birthday” streamers. And on picture day, everyone seemed to have fun watching the others get their photos taken. (The kennel bookings include a photo for each pet.)
We had a wonderful time on this crossing, and I highly recommend that you try it sometime. If you want to transport your pets across the Atlantic, I cannot recommend the QM2 strongly enough. Not only does the ship offer the humans in your group a luxurious crossing, but the experience of transporting your companion animals on the ship is even more enjoyable. Your pets will arrive healthy and happy, and you will likely arrive with several new friends and some wonderful memories.
Read this post and other stories on Mary’s personal blog
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What breed is beau? Lovely dog.
Thank you! Beau is a Goldendoodle (a Golden retriever/poodle mix). 🙂
Nice Post…
I’m having very interesting information regarding Sphynx Cats for Adoption
How are Sphynx cats with other pets?
This is hard to answer. Generally, as a breed and given how affectionate they are I would say you have a better chance of a Sphynx cat getting along with other pets than a different breed of cat. But then each one is different and may or may not like any given pet or person.
They definitely do not like to be alone, that was one of the reasons we got two. So it is always good for them to have a buddy if you are going to be away at work all day.
http://sphynx.company.com/