Any of you guys with dogs take the ferry to Alaska?

My Sister has done it with her dogs in a car, and I think they had calls 3 x a day to walk your dogs. He did ok. It seems to me to be harder on the owners.

In 2014 We came down to Bellingham from Whittier on the Kennicott with our two dogs-a Red Bone and a Yorkie. On that year's trip we took a truck camper driving up from West Georgia to Anchorage. We opted to do the ferry back.

It was an awesome trip and one we would not have missed for the world.You have the option of caging the dogs on the car deck or leaving them in the RV. We opted for the RV. We set it up so if they absolutely had to relieve themselves they could without making a mess, and so they were kept off bed and upholstery.

As I recall we were allowed 4 -- 15 minutes at posted intervals spread out throughout the day and evening when we could access the vehicle deck, exercise the dogs on the deck and clean up any problems (packages etc) in the rig.

Generally on the Kennicott the dogs walked to the rear of the deck and the large opened vehicle turntable became the walking area. paper towels were provided to pick up any droppings. The activity was closely watched by ships crew and when the 15 minutes was up they wanted you off the deck and back up in the ship- animals back in the RV.Our visits to the deck were exciting time for the pooches!

At every port we were allowed to exit the ship with the dogs for a good bit of time- usually a few hours. Yakutat was the tough port as the dock space is small, on the side of a steep hill/mountain and there was virtually no grass for the hounds to visit-- and we arrived late in the evening well after dark (take a flashlight) The dogs enjoyed port visits and time off the ship.

In hindsight I would definitely do it only once, but with the understanding this is hard and stressful on the dogs. (This year we drove up and back) Our Redbone was very uncomfortable and insecure while on board, and refused to relieve herself anywhere on the ship which worried us about her health. The Yorkie went anywhere she felt like it whenever she wanted.

The first night at sea, crossing the Gulf to Yakutat was rough and we worried about the dogs. They survived and after Yakitat southbound it was smooth as silk.

There were about a dozen dogs on the voyage. The minute we arrived in Bellingham we hit the city dog park for a good long run for the dogs. (About 2 miles from the port). Finding a grassy spot in Whittier for the canines was a bit tough also. Juneau and Ketchikan were good dog ports with pretty good walking areas.

:) Hi, we considered taking a ferry until I heard the dog rules. They have to be left alone in your car, truck, or trailer for the entire trip. Your dog has 15 minutes to eat, drink, poop, and pee. If they don't get it all done in the 15 minute limit, they might suffer for hours. To me this is torture. How would you like to be told that you had 15 minutes to take care of all of your daily needs?


At the time, my dog was 13 1/2 years old. ( now 18 years old) I would never make a poor dog do that. I chose to drive, besides the ferry was quite costly.

ROBERTSUNRUS wrote:
:) Hi, we considered taking a ferry until I heard the dog rules. They have to be left alone in your car, truck, or trailer for the entire trip. Your dog has 15 minutes to eat, drink, poop, and pee. If they don't get it all done in the 15 minute limit, they might suffer for hours. To me this is torture. How would you like to be told that you had 15 minutes to take care of all of your daily needs?


At the time, my dog was 13 1/2 years old. ( now 18 years old) I would never make a poor dog do that. I chose to drive, besides the ferry was quite costly.

I'm with you on this. I would like the cruise but will drive.

I can't comprehend leash walking, feeding & watering all our dogs in 15min unless we can just open the door and let them all out at once.