Can I take my pet on a cruise?
The short answer to this question is no. Cruise ships aren’t set up to accommodate pets, either in your cabin or in the cargo hold (like you would on a plane). This might seem unreasonable, but we assure you there are good reasons for it.
1. Sanitation.
“But wait!” we hear you say. “My dog is small and neat and I’ll clean up after them.” That’s all well and good, but think about how many people there are on a cruise. What if all 4,000 or so wanted to bring their pets? You would have a serious issue with them going to the bathroom. Ships have strict sanitation codes they have to follow and, unfortunately, there’s no real way pets can be a part of that.
2. Other passengers.
You might love your dog or cat, but not everyone feels the same way. The problems with a ship – as opposed to a hotel – is that there’s nowhere else to go. A ship has limited space with a very clearly defined border, so non-pet lovers don’t have the option of finding a different pool or walking track.
3. Quarantine.
Ships generally travel around multiple countries, all of which will have different regulations. It is a complex procedure to register your pet when travelling between just two countries and it often involves and extended stay in quarantine to make sure they are disease free. There would be no way to organise this for different countries within the same trip.
There is one notable exception to the no pets rule. Cunard’s Queen Mary II does allow pets onboard some cruises, though there are very tight restrictions. They are only allowed on transatlantic cruises between the UK and USA. These cruises don’t stop at any other ports along the way, meaning the quarantine issue is resolved. The pets must stay in the kennels, not in your cabin with you, and can’t ever leave the restricted area. You can visit them during certain hours. There are around 20 air-conditioned kennels onboard with a dedicated kennel master who is responsible for feeding, walking and cleaning up after the animals. You’ll need to book well in advance and they aren’t cheap – dogs start from around $800 one way and cats require two kennels (one for their litter box), so you’re looking at $1,600 one way.