Travel news: Explainer – Cruising with pets, dogs and cats, everything you should know

With airlines like Virgin Australia announcing that pets will be allowed on commercial flights, you might be wondering if you can bring your fur babies on your next cruise.

Traveling with pets raises a number of questions for the airline – or cruise line – accommodating them, such as pet size and weight, and concerns for passengers with allergies.

Read on to discover whether your pet can cruise with you, and where.

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Virgin Australia pet friendly flights — In March last year, Virgin Australia announced it would allow small pets on domestic flights. (Supplied)

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Which cruise lines allow pets on board?

Globally, only one cruise line allows passengers to bring a pet on board – Cunard Line.

On top of this, only dogs or cats are allowed, and only one Cunard cruise ship is equipped to accommodate them – the Queen Mary 2 liner.

Cunard is a British cruise line based in Southampton, England. It has a history of allowing pets on board, with cats originally let on board to catch the ship’s vermin.

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cruise ship deck dog — Only one cruise line allows passengers to bring a pet on board – Cunard Line. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

What are the conditions like for pets on board a cruise?

The Queen Mary 2 liner has 24 kennels available to pet owners for select transatlantic voyages, which are air-conditioned and contain an adjoining sea deck for pets to stretch their legs in the ocean air.

It also boasts lots of space for animals to play and a dedicated pet owner’s lounge.

This means that pets must stay in the kennel for the duration of the journey, not their owner’s accommodation quarters, however the ‘kennel master’ regularly walks the animals.

Pet owners are also contacted about their animals’ dietary requirements prior to the voyage, and have the opportunity to bring their own pet food if need be.

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Are pets safe on a cruise if there’s an emergency?

In the rare circumstance that the ship’s emergency alarm bells sound, each pet sailing the Queen Mary 2 is issued with its own lifejacket upon boarding, and owners will be able to collect their pet from the kennels.

Are service animals allowed on cruises?

Each cruise line has different rules regarding service animals on board.

For example, Royal Caribbean welcomes assistance dogs on ships when they have been pre-approved by the relevant government authorities to accompany guests.

This means the Australian Department of Agriculture must determine whether the animal is eligible to be on board.

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Carnival, another major cruise line, permits service dogs on board, where “service dog is legally defined and individually trained to meet the specific needs of a person with a disability”, according to US law.

However, service animal travel on cruises is also heavily controlled by government biosecurity regulations, so make sure to research the laws in the region you are travelling to.

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