Many people regularly travel with their pets, and I’m certainly not an exception. When my family and I go on vacation, we bring our two dogs with us whenever it’s practical to do so. We even bought a vacation home in our favorite destination, and a big reason was that we could bring our dogs on every trip and not feel crammed into a hotel room.
However, as avid cruisers, there’s obviously one type of vacation we can’t take our dogs on. With very limited exceptions, dogs and other animals are generally not welcome on cruise ships.
There is Capt. Kate McCue’s social media-famous cat that lives in her cabin on Celebrity Beyond, one resident dog (the Chief Dog Officer) named Rover on Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, and cruise lines generally allow service dogs that assist disabled guests. But if you want to bring your dog on a cruise and it isn’t a service animal, that hasn’t been an option.
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That is changing in 2025 – at least on one specific voyage. Dog owners who have wanted to cruise with their canine companions could finally have their wishes come true.
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Image source: Margaritaville at Sea
The world’s first dog-friendly cruise
In November 2025, the first-ever dog friendly cruise will take place. Guests can bring their dogs on Margaritaville at Sea’s Islander, which will welcome as many as 250 dogs, their owners, and friends for a unique vacation experience.
To be perfectly clear, this is a chartered sailing, meaning that a third party has essentially rented the entire ship for a specific group. It is not a standard Margaritaville at Sea sailing. So, if you don’t want to cruise with hundreds of dogs, there’s no need to figure out which MAS Islander sailings to book or to avoid – you still can’t bring your pets on any sailings offered directly through the cruise line.
In this case, Cruise Tails and Expedia Cruises of West Orlando are partnering to make this cruise happen.
Obviously, having 250 dogs on a cruise ship creates some unique challenges when it comes to cleanliness, safety, sanitation, and more. So, Cruise Tails is taking steps to make sure the trip goes smoothly and safely for all aboard.
For one thing, there will specific protocols for where dogs can and cannot go on the ship , and all dogs must apply and be approved to sail. Each family will have a “pet butler,” who will make sure the cabin is just as clean at the end of the sailing as it was at the beginning.
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Furthermore, all dogs will have a private relief area on their cabin’s balcony. Even in the case of bringing service animals on a cruise, there are generally a handful (at most) of shared pet relief areas, so this is a nice upgrade. And last but certainly not least, all dogs must have up-to-date vaccinations and pass health checks.
Finally, a cruise for the whole family
The cruise will have special activities for both dogs and humans. These include things like grooming appointments, dog-friendly splash areas, and more. And much of the ship will still be dog-free and geared towards human entertainment, including the casino and several other popular spaces.
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If you’re interested in taking your dog on a cruise, visit www.cruisetails.com for more details on this unique vacation opportunity. I sailed the MAS Islander a few months ago and was pleasantly surprised at how excellent a job Margaritaville at Sea did with its renovation of the ship. But by the end of the trip, we were definitely ready to get home to our dogs!
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