You’ve thought of taking a cruise, but taking all that time, albeit leisure, away from your furry loved ones just hasn’t seemed fathomable. After all, you can’t take the dog, the cat, or bird with you…or can you?
On any other cruise ship than Queen Elizabeth 2, the answer is a resounding, “no.” But if you’ve booked a transatlantic crossing on the world’s most prestigious ship, your pets are welcome to accompany you and travel on the liner’s unique “doggie deck,” one of the highest on the ship, located under the funnel on the starboard side of Cunard’s 70,000+-ton vessel.
Launched in 1967 and re-engineered in 1987, the famed lady of British registry underwent a major interior redesign in 1994, plus refurbishing in 1996, 1999 and 2001. After all, humans aren’t the only ones who need a little “lift” now and then.
With an aura characteristically her own, QE2 is renowned for her teak decks. Not to be left out, the doggie deck is comprised of the same elegant material, and features a lamppost in hopes that the fixture will elicit a response of familiarity from an onboard guest of the furry kind.
The ship’s kennel keeper is always a member of the housekeeping staff who exhibits a fondness for animals. Roz Price-Evans has spent much of her ten-year tenancy aboard the liner overseeing those doing duty on the doggie deck. This insignia-bearing pet-lover admits that when an animal first boards, “it’s a bit unsettled due to the new environment, but once it becomes accustomed to the movement and noise-just like our human guests-it acclimates just fine.”
Floating pet accommodations aren’t dissimilar from those found in a boarding or veterinary kennel: lower berths are 32″ wide X 39″ high X 35″ deep, good for larger dogs. On the top tier, upper berths are sized at 32” wide X 27″ tall X 35″ deep, for smaller dogs, birds, and yes, that prototypical British favourite (sic), the hedgehog. Even a rabbit has been a pampered guest in the kennel, but overall, dogs do tend to be the most frequent inhabitants. Kennel bedding of QE2 choice is a cozy sheepskin blanket, or the pet’s own linen may be used.
Animal guests are gifted with balls, bones (when appropriate) and pet toys throughout their voyage to keep them happy and content, just as they would be at home. Pets are exercised three times a day. And, according to Price-Evans, “one kennel keeper developed a penchant for singing to the pets,” who must have deemed it an appropriate accompaniment to the humming of the nine turbo-charged diesel engines and the lapping of the waves against the ship’s side. Wait: isn’t that barking we hear, too?
Food is paramount aboard any cruise liner, so one might well wonder whether pets are feted with a midnight buffet replete with ice sculptures. Actually, while human passengers may indulge in six meals within any 24-hour period, kennel guests receive their familiar fare: canned foods, plus dry biscuits for dogs, since a radical change in pet diet is never recommended. Just as on an airplane, the ship’s kitchen can provide “special request” menus, including chicken-with rice as an accompaniment-or nourishing vegetarian meals.
Since the objective of the kennel is to keep pet owners with pets, the ship affords frequent visiting hours, from 7:30 – 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. to 12 noon, and 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Price-Evans recalls seeing a passenger-who couldn’t bear the separation from her pal-“camped out on a deck chair, burrowed in a fleecy blanket, and reading to her dog.” When even a guest’s brief, overnight hiatus from a pet was unacceptable, QE2’s Night Hotel Officer has been summoned to open kennel doors and allow “Red Eye” visitation. Other visitors are not allowed in the kennels without an owner’s permission.
Not all sailings can accommodate pets. If you’re contemplating bringing a pet on your QE2 sojourn, there will be an additional charge. Contact Cunard reservations at 1-800-7-CUNARD (1-800-728-6273) far in advance of your passage to determine kennel availability, and to learn what, if any, quarantine restrictions may be imposed. With advance planning, you and your pet will enjoy smooth sailing on this dream vacation across the balmy seas.
QE2: from the Golden Age of ocean travel, true, you can’t live in the past, but it’s a great place to visit!
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