How To Travel With Dogs On The Alaska Marine Highway (Ferry)
I’ll just get to the point here - taking the ferry to Alaska with your dog is not entirely pleasant. Read on to see why. We’ll explain what you need for your pet before boarding the ferry and tips to make the multi-day trip as smooth as possible.
Ferry loading dock in Juneau, AK
Sunset on the MV Matanuska
WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW?
A health certificate is required for all dogs
While at sea, your pet must stay in your vehicle and cannot leave the car deck.
Individuals are not allowed in the car deck outside of deck calls and port calls.
15 minute deck calls are roughly every 6 hours starting at 8:30 am (exact times can fluctuate based on weather). This is when doggy potty breaks are permitted.
During port calls you are allowed to take your dogs on land for the entire duration of the port call (usually a couple hours).
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Health Certificate - No more than 30 days before departure, you’ll need to get a health certificate signed by a veterinarian. They will perform a general check up and confirm your pet’s rabies vaccine is up to date. You’ll need to bring the certificate with you for check-in at the port in Bellingham, WA. The certificate is not required when traveling between ports in Alaska.
TIP: The vet will also need the rabies vaccine Type and Serial Number. We didn’t have this information in the paper records our regular vet provides and had to call them before getting final sign off on the health certificate. Total cost for the health certificate at Martha Lake Vet Clinic was $80. Shop around to other clinics in Washington for better prices.
Rabies Vaccination Documents - You won’t be required to show this but it’s always good to have on hand when traveling.
FERRY BOARDING DAY
Arriving early doesn’t mean you’ll be among the first to board. With vehicles of all sizes, all with varying destinations, it’s a game of Tetris for crew to get every vehicle where it needs to go. We were one of the first vehicles to arrive and one of the last to be loaded solely because that’s how the puzzle worked out. So if you’ll be staying in a stateroom and don’t need to be there early to snag a tent spot or a coveted chaise lounge on the solarium, spend a little more time with your pup before having to leave them behind in your car. If you do need a tent spot or chaise lounge, one person in your group can walk onboard with the tent(s) and get set up while the driver waits behind until it’s their time to drive onto the car deck. You can walk your dog around the parking lot waiting area as much as you want.
AT SEA
I should call this “The unpleasant part.” While the ship is at sea, your dog must remain in your vehicle in the car deck. You’re not allowed to sleep in your vehicle or remain on the car deck outside of deck calls. Potty breaks (deck calls) are roughly at 8:30am, 2:30pm, 8:30pm, and 12:30am (exact times dependent on weather) and last only 15 minutes. They are very strict about the 15 minutes!
There is also no designated pet relief area. Pets must do their thing on the same concrete deck where the cars are parked. To make matters more interesting, vehicles are packed in very tightly and with many travelers also adventuring with their pets, it makes the 15 minutes of navigating narrow walkways while begging your pet to pee on concrete with one million distractions quite the whirlwind. Which is probably why I only snagged one photo from inside the car deck.
TIPS
#1: Think about bringing doggy pee pads or even a small piece of artificial turf - something familiar that your dog already knows is acceptable to pee on. We didn’t see anyone doing this but we’ll definitely be trying it out next time!
#2: There are dog clean up stations on the far ends of the car deck for pee and poop clean up. The pee spreads quickly with the ship swaying so have the paper towels handy!
#3: Bring some sort of fan or cooling option just in case. It was very warm when we departed from Bellingham in June making the car deck stuffy and hot. Before leaving Penelope in the van we left the front windows cracked and put our MaxxAir fan on high for optimal air circulation. Those traveling in regular vehicles cracked all of their windows.
#4: If you’re stressing about your dog holding their pee for too long, trust me you are not alone! It’s not advisable over long periods of time but it also didn’t seem to be uncommon on our trip north. We saw several dogs hold it for the entire 37+ hour stretch from Bellingham to Ketchikan.
Melanny squeezing her way between cars in the car deck of the MV Kennicott
AT PORT
Once you’re in Alaska, port calls come more frequently and give you the chance to disembark the ship with your dog for several hours. Take advantage of this! There are usually good patches of grass and areas to walk near the ferry docks.
OTHER HELPFUL TIPS
Your dog will receive their own boarding pass. Remember to bring theirs (and your own) to re-board the ship when you’re at a port call.
If you have any questions on deck call hours or delays - go to the Pursers Counter. It’s essentially the front desk and is located on the same floor as the staterooms. Exact floor number depends on what ship you’re on.
Deck Calls are announced over the intercom but if you’re outside, it’s very hard to hear what they’re saying. Set an alarm on your phone and again check in with the pursers counter to confirm any changes in the schedule.
We found potty breaks to be more successful when we walked Penelope around at the far ends of the car deck. Rather than wiggling our way around cars in the “parking lot”, the far ends generally have no cars and Penelope could walk more freely and thus get more comfortable and down to potty business.
