Anyone travelled on QM2? which chip did you have?

 we are travelling in May on Qm2 and my dogs both have avid chips. I cant find ANYWHERE if there will be a scanner for them so I was wondering if anyone else has done this?
 I emailed DEFRA and they gave me the specifications they generally have readers for but I cant find anywhere from AVID if their chips comply, and then i spoke to the woman in charge of kennels on the boat and she told me to speak with Defra!
 I think I am going to rent a scanner from here
http://www.pettravelstore.com/store-pet-friendly-scanner1.html

 better safe than sorry!

We came over on the QM2 when I entered the UK.  Unfortunately, my cat wasn't fully qualified for PETS yet (and won't be for another month).  I asked my vet (not the one who put the Avid chip in) if the chip met ISO regulations.  He said it didn't.  I have heard that Avid does make an ISO chip, so you might have that one.  However, we bought a scanner to be on the safe side.  That way, even in the future if we travel, we will have proof of his identity without risking if the airport or port has that scanner.

I so wish we could have taken our cat on the QM2.  It really is the way to go for your pets (and let's face it, you) if you have the time.  Have you been on her before?  PM me if you need advice on anything else.   

Hi! I came across on the QM2 in 2005. I used an AVID chip in my two dogs and cat. There were no problems. DEFRA had a scanner for most chips. We had a great time btw and the pets were fine. They were really good to them and let us visit much more than it said on the website. In fact we were able to visit them almost any time.

I'm pretty sure (don't quote me on this) that you'd just use the same chips you'd use if you were coming over by air. Ask DEFRA to be sure! But, if that's the case, then Avid and HomeAgain are both OK. 

Hi! I came across on the QM2 in 2005. I used an AVID chip in my two dogs and cat. There were no problems. DEFRA had a scanner for most chips. We had a great time btw and the pets were fine. They were really good to them and let us visit much more than it said on the website. In fact we were able to visit them almost any time.

I checked out the QM2 website but it doesn't give explicit information about how much it costs to bring your pets on board...do you recall about how much extra it was (I will be bringing three cats over in 2010)? It sounds *fabulous* especially for someone like me who is terrified of flying!!

Do you know if they go from anywhere other than New York? Like, Miami perhaps?

When we looked into it, it was like $500 more than the double occupancy cabin.  We ordered from the US and got significantly cheaper tickets than from the UK.  Call Cunard or have your TA do it for you.  They will be able to answer questions like that.  If you call Cunard yourself, however, you might have to wait on hold or ask for a supervisor if you don't get your question answered.

the cost for my dogs was $800 total, $500 for my big dog (this is for any that are over 25 pounds) and $300 for the smaller one.

 My advice if you are planning to do this, is book early, they dont have many kennels and i mistakenly thought that this wouldnt be a very popular thing. we were supposed to be home october 2007 and when i went to book the kennels in feb 07, they were sold out all the way until may 27th of this year which is when we had to postpone our move.

 We are doing it mainly for my dogs, they are both rescues and very skittish and have abandonment issues and i honestly dont think they would survive the flight.

My advice if you are planning to do this, is book early, they dont have many kennels and i mistakenly thought that this wouldnt be a very popular thing. we were supposed to be home october 2007 and when i went to book the kennels in feb 07, they were sold out all the way until may 27th of this year which is when we had to postpone our move.

Good to know for future reference.  The weird thing is, if you are talking about an eastern bound crossing in October, we might have ended up on the same voyage. 

the cost for my dogs was $800 total, $500 for my big dog (this is for any that are over 25 pounds) and $300 for the smaller one....

...We are doing it mainly for my dogs, they are both rescues and very skittish and have abandonment issues and i honestly dont think they would survive the flight.

@emilysenart- how big is your dog?  I read the QM's site just now for pet size restrictions.  My biggest is a German Shorthaired Pointer mix who's going on ten later this year.  Her breed isn't shown on the QM's (large dog) restriction list.  Yet, she measures larger than the limit from nose to tip of tail. 

I located a woman's blog that shows a group pic of all the pets on her crossing.  There were at least two rather large dogs.  They definitely look like they were bigger than the sizes cited on the QM site.  Also, the site states that "large breeds" such as Labs may require multi-kennels, which leads me to believe they may allow my dog (she's about 75#).

Like you, I couldn't possibly subject my girl to a cargo flight.  I will phone to find out additional info.  We won't be crossing until next year.  Thanks  

I'm pretty sure (don't quote me on this) that you'd just use the same chips you'd use if you were coming over by air. Ask DEFRA to be sure! But, if that's the case, then Avid and HomeAgain are both OK. 

Defra don't care what chip is used on what journey, so long as our readers can read the microchip!

"We do not specify a particular type or brand of microchip to be used but, in Europe, ISO (International Standards Organisation) Standard microchips meeting specifications 11784 or Annex A of ISO Standard 11785 are generally used.

If the microchip does not meet either of these ISO Standards, you must provide your own microchip reader (at your expense) to enable the microchip number to be read successfully when your animal enters the UK."

If it's on the ISO list, then you're fine :-)