Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 248 days

 

Both World Voyages on Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria are progressing well and it’s exciting to hear that so many readers are following us on the ships’ Webcams. As I write this, Queen Victoria is in the southern hemisphere heading towards New Zealand and Queen Mary 2 is enjoying the stunning city of Hong Kong. We will of course keep you posted on both voyages, and thanks again for all your feedback and comments on what you’ve seen so far. In this Blog we decided to feature something a little different; Cunard’s “Pets At Sea” programme, but that’s after Cunard’s history, for the week 12 to 18 February:

 

12 February 1949	Caronia begins her first Caribbean voyage
14 February 1978	QE2 makes her maiden call at Auckland, New Zealand
15 February 2007	Queen Mary 2 crosses the International Dateline for the first time
16 February 2006	Cunard announces the first details of Queen Victoria including her maiden voyage
17 February 1954	Saxonia II is launched by Lady Churchill at John Brown Shipyard, Clydebank and goes in to service on the Canadian emigrant run
17 February 2007	Queen Mary 2 makes her maiden call to Auckland, New Zealand
17 February 2009	Queen Victoria makes her maiden call at Hobart, Tasmania

 

There are many traditions that Cunard likes to maintain and some things are unique to Cunard like offering a regular transatlantic service. However did you know that you can even travel with your cat or dog when you take a Transatlantic Crossing on Queen Mary 2? It’s a unique service that has been enjoyed by numerous guests for many years on QE2 and now Queen Mary 2. In fact by the time Queen Mary 2 had completed her 100th Transatlantic Crossing in 2008, over 450 pets had crossed the North Atlantic on the liner.

 

Queen Mary 2’s Kennel Programme is available on all crossings between New York and Southampton in either direction, and is overseen by a full-time Kennel Master, whose responsibilities include feeding and walking guests’ pets as well as cleaning the 12 kennels. Travelling dogs and cats also receive a complimentary gift pack and other animal amenities. The kennels and adjacent indoor and outdoor walking areas are open throughout the day, enabling guests to spend significant time with their pet. Reservations for the kennels may be made at the time of booking, and are based on space availability. Food is provided for all of the animals, but if a guest has a special request for a particular brand, or would prefer to bring their own, they only have to ask.

 

The Kennel Master currently on Queen Mary 2 is 32 year old Dayle Mercado. From Pampanga in the Philippines, Dayle is married with one son, Kenneth. I recently chatted to him and asked him about his special role on board. He told me; “Since I love pets, my supervisor asked me if I wanted to be a Kennel Master. I was really excited to be given the opportunity so I accepted and spent two months training in kennels, where I learned about how to care for the animals and how to understand their behaviours.”  Here he is at work:

 

 

 

 

 

I asked him what the job was like. “Taking care of the animals is not easy, especially during the first and second day of the crossing”, he said. “During this time the animals are still adjusting to being at sea, much in the same way that guests do.  However the animals become settled very quickly and are happy for the remainder of their crossing”.

 

Dayle said that every day for him is fun but nothing beats the moment when he opens the kennel door first thing in the morning, and all the animals are excited to go out and play. During his time as Kennel Master, Dayle has looked after a wide range of different breeds of dog including, Chihuahuas, Westies, Poodles, German Shepherds, Cocker Spaniels, Terriers and many more. 

 

After a recent crossing, a guest enjoyed the whole experience so much she wrote a Blog about it. Nikki Moustaki, MA, MFA, is a well-known dog trainer, TV and radio personality, and animal expert who splits her time between New York City and Miami Beach with her two rescued Schnauzers, Pepper and Ozzie, her rescued Schnoodle, Pearl, and three parrots. She is the author of 9 books on dogs and 24 books on birds as well as books on topics other than pets. She writes for Dog Fancy Magazine as well as for many national pet websites. Nikki has also been featured on national television and radio shows including the BBC.

 

Nikki said taking the Transatlantic Crossing on Queen Mary 2 was the voyage of a lifetime especially as neither she nor Pepper were keen to fly. After her initial enquiry, Cunard sent her all the paperwork she needed including details of the international rules of pet travel, as every dog and cat on board must have all of the paperwork for the Pet Passport Travel Scheme.

 

When Nikki and Pepper arrived at the terminal building at Brooklyn, New York, Chantal Mooiman, Queen Mary 2’s Chief Purser, met them and checked Pepper’s paperwork, and Nikki said they felt like VIP’s as they were escorted onto the ship. As this is the only time the pets are in the guest areas, apart from the Kennels, it was the perfect time for a photo opportunity.

 

 

 

At the kennel on Deck 12 they met Dayle for the first time. “Dayle, was the sweetest guy. He clearly loved the dogs and cats on board and I immediately trusted him. And I don’t trust a lot of people with Pepper”, said Nikki.

 

 

 

She was intrigued to find out that each pet has a life jacket and a staff member assigned to him or her in case of an emergency

 

Nikki added that; “One night on each of my voyages, Cunard put a “Dog Lovers Meeting” in the Daily Programme. All of the dog lovers on board got together to talk about their dogs on board and their dogs at home. It was very nice.”

 

Nikki said that she and Pepper enjoyed the photo session for people with their pets. One of the ship’s photographers takes photos of guests with their pets wearing the complimentary Queen Mary 2 coat which she said looked “very cute”.

 

She offered some advice to guests thinking of travelling with their pets; “The kennel is a great place to spend part of the day if your pet is on board. The view is spectacular. We saw whales one day! Only people who have pets are allowed inside the deck run or the kennel, so your pet is safe, and the kennel is locked tight when the kennel master isn’t there. The kennel is quite a curiosity on board, so be prepared to answer some questions from people stopping by to say hello to the dogs.”

 

 

 

In wrapping up Nikki said; “All in all, we had a spectacular time and I would take this voyage again in a heartbeat. Pepper thinks so too”

 

If you would like to read Nikki’s full story with more pictures you can use this link to get to her account of the voyage:  http://betterwords.typepad.com/pepperinparis/taking-a-dog-on-the-queen-mary-2.html. She also made a great video which you can see by clicking on this link: –

 

 

 

 

Thank you Nikki for sharing your story with us and thanks to Harald Franzen for the wonderful pictures of Pepper enjoying his Transatlantic Crossing. I would also like to thank Dayle for taking the time to chat to us.

 

That’s it for this post but I’ll be back again on Monday with more news from around the Cunard World! Thank you as always for logging on and please do keep those comments and questions coming. Cheers for now, Alastair