With a “Woof Woof” Here and a “Woof Woof” There

Should cruise lines be pet friendly ?

So, it’s almost time for your holiday, your rushing about mad making sure everything is packaged and in the meantime your little furry friend is watching you thinking where in the name are they going? Why do they need so much stuff?  do they usually need this much stuff to go to work?

Then the day comes, Bye little buddy see you in a week. I have read that animals have no concept of time but I think they do, this year when my Family and I went away to Turkey for 7 nights and left our little Dog Ollie at my mum and dads house we felt so bad, I was told every night he would sit by the door and wait for us to come and collect him. When we got back I have never seen him more excited to us.

So, what if cruise lines accepted pets, currently the only cruise line to accepts pets (cats and dogs only) is Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 on transatlantic crossings and this doesn’t come cheap. Prices range from $800 and cats pay double at $1600 as they need an extra kennel to store litter.

In an ideal world travelers with pets would all be booked into pet friendly cabins in a designated area on board with direct access to an outside area where pets can get some fresh air and do their business. Me I personally don’t think it would work and here is a few reasons why

1. Would it be fair to allow only certain dog breeds? this could cause uproar, for example here is Cunard’s Breed Restrictions
   Afghan, Bloodhound, Borzoi, Briard, Irish Wolfhound, Mastiff, New Foundland, Curly Coated Retriever, Gordon Setter, Great Dane, Greyhound, Irish Setter, Deerhound Doberman, Pyreneese, Saluki, Bull Mastiff, St. Bernard, Weimeraner, Malamute.

Also banned are breeds and their crosses that are not permitted to enter the UK: Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Braziliero.

2. The thought of having to get the correct documentation and health checks alone could be enough to put you off.
3. It probably wouldn’t be cheap, going by what Cunard charge you would be cheaper putting your dog into a local kennel, fair enough some travelers from the UK who use Cunard’s service are probably going to visit family or friends in the USA for a long period of time and feel they couldn’t leave their pets at home for this reason.
4. Many countries have strict health, quarantine, agriculture, wildlife, and customs requirements and prohibitions.
5. Pet Overboard!!! Some pets don’t have a sense of danger so the chance of a pet jumping overboard is highly likely.

The list could go on ……

What’s your thoughts on pet friendly cruising?