Moving Our Dogs to the UK on the Queen Mary II: Part I
One of the first things people ask us when they find out about our plans is, “What are you going to do with the dogs?!”
Well, these hellhounds of ours are family so we couldn’t embark on a new adventure without them. In fact, a large part of the timing of what we’re doing is because of them. But let me back up.
In July 2022, we were in Scotland with some friends when this dream began to take root. Blake and I looked at each other and said, “Wouldn’t it be amazing to live in a place like this?” By the end of the trip, with our friends as our witnesses, we shook hands and said, “Let’s do it.”
It felt a lot like a pipe dream at that point, the kind of thing you say when you’re on vacation, but with just enough spine behind it to begin researching.
Transporting Animals on the Queen Mary II
Our biggest hesitation was the dogs. We didn’t love the idea of flying them and researched alternative options.
That’s when I discovered Cunard’s Queen Mary II. The Queen Mary II contains the only dog kennel on a cruise ship in the world. It’s the creme de la creme way for global travelers to make a transatlantic crossing. In my research, I learned that the waitlist for the 24 onboard kennels typically books out as soon as voyage dates are announced, often a year or more in advance.
Meet: Atticus
Five years old
Catahoula mix
Loves ball more than anything else in life
It took a few months of discussions before Blake and I were ready to fully commit to chasing this dream, so I didn’t reach out to a Cunard travel agent until late 2022. For this process, you book cruise tickets and then they’ll add you to the kennel waitlist. The prices are fully refundable until the final payment is due.
We talked with a travel agent about a July crossing, but we were so far down the kennel waitlist that the travel agent didn’t think it was likely that we would have a spot on the ship. But since there was no risk in trying, we went ahead and got on the waitlist.
At this point, we decided to hinge our next steps on the cruise. If it didn’t work out we would figure out our plan B. If it worked out, we would leave in July. I periodically checked in on the waitlist but we rarely moved positions. Then, in March, I got an email, “Congrats! You’re in!”
We were SHOCKED. The odds were so slim that we would make it off the waitlist that we had not mentally prepared for the chance that we would. We had one week before payment was due so we spent the next few days seriously debating the pros, cons, risks, and rewards of making such a massive leap.
After five days we said, in essence, “Screw it. We’re in.”
Meet Finn
Six years old
Blue heeler/terrier mix
A villain but his heart is good
In summary, if you’re looking into moving your dog across the pond, here are the steps we took:
Visit the Cunard website and find the transatlantic voyages on the Queen Mary II that you are interested in
Reach out to a Cunard travel agent and provide them with the cruises you are interested in (you have to go through one to get on the kennel waitlist.) We used the general contact form and they put us in touch with a woman named Nicole. I’m happy to share her information if anyone is interested.
Book your cruise. You will have to pay a fully refundable deposit.
At final payment, typically 120 days before departing, if a spot hasn’t opened up for the kennels, you can cancel. If you made it into the kennels, congrats!
Next Steps: Getting Paperwork in order
One of the biggest stressors for this adventure is getting the dogs ready to go and making sure we have our paperwork in order. We ended up hiring a consultant at Pawsitive Pet Health Certificates to help make sure our paperwork is in order. (Ironically, this company is co-founded by a lovely woman named Nicole. Our trip has been guided by Nicoles every step of the way!)
At the highest level, as of May 2023, this is what the UK requires for dogs to come into the country:
Dogs must be microchipped with an ISO-compliant microchip
Rabies vaccine (there’s some tricky timing with this one, no gaps in treatments, etc)
Recommended vaccines (For dogs: DHPP, Lepo, Bordatella)
Parasite treatment within 24-120 hours of departure
Export Exam and USDA Health Certificate within 10 days of departure
Hiring Nicole has relieved a lot of our stress around getting the dogs ready to go. We will do most of the dogs’ exams and treatments in the Washington DC area as we’re going to stay with my sister there before we leave from NYC.
I’ll write more as we continue to work through this process. The dogs definitely add a layer of complexity to our plans, but I have a feeling they’re about to live their best doggy lives exploring a whole new world.
