Pet transportation from US Mainland to Hawaii

[McKaye]

Hi, My husband & I have an opportunity to live in Maui for a couple of years.  I am trying to transport my older dog to Hawaii in early 2024. Unfortunately, she won't fit under the airplane seat and I refuse to put her in cargo. Stella is a 30 pound doxie mix. Is there a cruise line that allows dogs from mainland US to Hawaii? We are aware of the Rabies screening requirements Thank you. 

[Host Kat]

1 hour ago, McKaye said:

Hi, My husband & I have an opportunity to live in Maui for a couple of years.  I am trying to transport my older dog to Hawaii in early 2024. Unfortunately, she won't fit under the airplane seat and I refuse to put her in cargo. Stella is a 30 pound doxie mix. Is there a cruise line that allows dogs from mainland US to Hawaii? We are aware of the Rabies screening requirements Thank you. 

 

@McKaye

 

Thank you for your new topic on the Cruise Blogs & Websites forum! However, it is off-topic there since the forum is for our members to post links to their personal travelogue-type of cruise-related blogs or websites. To help you out, your thread has been moved to another forum where it will be on topic.

 

Host Kat

[chengkp75]

19 hours ago, McKaye said:

Hi, My husband & I have an opportunity to live in Maui for a couple of years.  I am trying to transport my older dog to Hawaii in early 2024. Unfortunately, she won't fit under the airplane seat and I refuse to put her in cargo. Stella is a 30 pound doxie mix. Is there a cruise line that allows dogs from mainland US to Hawaii? We are aware of the Rabies screening requirements Thank you. 

No.  The only dogs allowed on cruise ships are service animals.  The only cruise ship that allows pet transportation is the Queen Mary 2, which has kennels, but which does not do any West Coast to Hawaii cruises.  There are no freighter services that I am aware of that would ship your dog by sea.

[LHT28]

I would find her a nice loving home   while you are away

 

[GeezerCouple]

20 hours ago, McKaye said:

Hi, My husband & I have an opportunity to live in Maui for a couple of years.  I am trying to transport my older dog to Hawaii in early 2024. Unfortunately, she won't fit under the airplane seat and I refuse to put her in cargo. Stella is a 30 pound doxie mix. Is there a cruise line that allows dogs from mainland US to Hawaii? We are aware of the Rabies screening requirements Thank you. 

I have no idea about pricing, but do a search for:

 

air transportation for pets

 

and a few services will show up.

 

They have flights that I think usually combine a few pets (in carriers!) heading in similar directions.

 

It's probably not cheap, but it's also probably a lot less expensive than chartering a plane and just doing it yourself!

 

Hope this helps!

 

GC

[Ashland]

And once she's there she probably will be quarantined for a period of time right ???

[chengkp75]

39 minutes ago, Ashland said:

And once she's there she probably will be quarantined for a period of time right ???

Hawaii quarantine laws are very strict, but the quarantine period can be served on the mainland before transportation.

[Ashland]

49 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Hawaii quarantine laws are very strict, but the quarantine period can be served on the mainland before transportation.

Thanks...I just wanted to mention this for the OP to consider the policy as it may apply.

[DRS/NC]

I know of a Newfoundland breeder in Oregon who has used Air Alaska to transport her Newfies to dog shows.  Of course, the dogs must be crated, but she praised the way the airline handled the dogs.

I think Air Alaska flies to Hawaii & several airports in the "Mainland".  

Good luck!  I know this is difficult.

 

[navybankerteacher]

On 6/26/2023 at 6:14 PM, McKaye said:

Hi, My husband & I have an opportunity to live in Maui for a couple of years.  I am trying to transport my older dog to Hawaii in early 2024. Unfortunately, she won't fit under the airplane seat and I refuse to put her in cargo. Stella is a 30 pound doxie mix. Is there a cruise line that allows dogs from mainland US to Hawaii? We are aware of the Rabies screening requirements Thank you. 

If she won’t fit under the seat, she certainly won’t fit in the overhead — so just where, other than cargo (think crate), do you see as an option? I think you will find it difficult to identify a cruise line going from mainland US to Hawaii which welcomes dogs (unless, perhaps, you identify her as a service animal)  — and in any event it is tough to find one way passage on ships between U S ports.

Edited June 28, 2023 by navybankerteacher

[McKaye]

Thanks you 

 

[caribsun]

Look into a overseas freighter for all of you. 

[Essiesmom]

16 minutes ago, caribsun said:

Look into an overseas freighter for all of you. 
 

reread post #3

[Philob]

37 minutes ago, caribsun said:

Look into a overseas freighter for all of you. 

Unless the OP books passage on said freighter, who's gonna look after doggo?

[GeezerCouple]

 

2 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

reread post #3

 

1 hour ago, Philob said:

Unless the OP books passage on said freighter, who's gonna look after doggo?

 

This is what caribsun actually wrote:

2 hours ago, caribsun said:

Look into a overseas freighter for all of you. 

I have absolutely no idea if this would work, but this suggestion was NOT to "ship the dog by freighter" nor did it leave the question of who would look after the dog...

 

Unless I'm losing my reading skills, caribsun was indeed suggesting that they ALL go by freighter.

And there's a full subforum here on CC about freighter travel:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/378-freighter-and-other-non-traditional-cruise-travel/

 

OP might want to double check whether this might work, while also providing an interesting alternate holiday.

[When I was in grad school - yes, true, that was ages age! - a classmate's parents were retired and regularly traveled just about everywhere by freighter.  I thought that very odd at the time... until I landed here on CC decades later and started reading about some of the options for "cruising by freighter" and other "non-traditional" cruising. Some fascinating choices, for those interested...]

 

Who knows... some freighters might enjoy having a warm fuzzy on board for a time.

There's one passenger cruise ship whose Captain keeps her cat with her during her travels:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles/qa-with-bug-naked-cruisings-most-famous-and-least-furry-feline

(The cat is a hairless sphinx cat; they feel like warm suede. 🙂 )

 

My main concern with an elderly dog would be the lack of vet services for such a trip.

(OP could perhaps do what some of us older humans do:  keep a supply of "might be needed" meds on hand, with arrangements to contact doctor about when/how to use them, just in case...)

 

GC

Edited June 28, 2023 by GeezerCouple
typo

[mrgabriel]

There are airlines that have special charter flights for pets. Some planes only transport animals, others transport people and pets.

 

I looked into this a couple of years ago when we were moving from PA to western Canada. The fare for the pet-only charter was expensive but not exorbitant. Do a little search for private jet pet transport.