Travelling to France on fast car ferry

[Morden1]

Hi we're taking our dog on the fastcat ferry from Portsmouth to Cherbourg in the next few weeks , for the first time and looking for any advice / tips for both dog and owners. Thanks

We travel abroad a lot with our dogs but do prefer the Eurotunnel as the dogs are with you at all times. It does of course increase the amount of time on the road.

Brittany ferries usually make you leave your dogs in the car and you are not allowed to visit them during the sailing. They say you can go into the area with a member of staff but that has never happened to anyone I have known - staff are never available.

Make sure your dog has been walked and weed etc before and hopefully they will sleep. Make sure they have access to water These bowls are good and will not spill in the car.

I do worry about the fumes, heat etc in the car deck .

Usually when travelling you will be given a dog sticker and will be boarded after your dog has been checked Obviously coming home you will need to have up to date vet documentation and evidence of vet. Dogs chips are scanned and then you are allowed onto the boat.

Last weekend I was on Brittany ferries to le havre and they had dog friendly cabins and allegedly an exercise area. I say allegedly cos i didn't see either, just got on and went to sleep, but did hear about them! Irrelevant for OP but others might want to look into it.