Transporting cat into UK via ferry from Dublin

Has anyone brought their pet into the UK via the ferry from Dublin to Holyhead?

I know there’s an issue with the kids and I entering into the UK for the first time on our settlement visas via the ferry (pretty certain we can’t come in this way), however my husband has a UK passport.

We were thinking that the kids and I would fly on to Manchester, while hubby got off the plane in Dublin with our cat, visited a vet (there’s a vet that looks to be able to do pet passports about 10 min from the airport) to get her an EU pet passport later in the morning, then hopped on the ferry over to Holyhead in the afternoon.

Anyone done this? We are considering this option because a) it’s economical, b) would allow for a relatively short transport in the hold from Washington DC into Dublin with no transfers, and c) would get us close to our final destination outside of Manchester where we will be moving.

Thoughts?

Unfortunately you can't connect via Dublin for your first UK entry either since you go through customs there and its part of the CTA. You'd need to go to Manchester directly from the US or via another European port of entry. Your hubby as the UK citizen can do that as long as they arrive in the UK before you. (the border guards will ask where he is)

The hold is actually a lot better for animals than the body of the plane. Its quieter with just the hum of the plane, kept a set temperature and they dim the lights to keep them calm. I have a very anxious kitty and the hardest part of her trip was getting her to the airport, she was herself as soon as we let her out of the carrier at my husbands house.

As Margo said, your husband can take this route with the cat but not anyone entering in their initial visas.

Paris is a much more popular option on this board, as you can have your initial entry there.  Iceland Air is a popular choice for those who take this option.  Either to cut costs or due to having animals that airlines won’t transport (snubnosed, etc).

Unfortunately you can't connect via Dublin for your first UK entry either since you go through customs there and its part of the CTA. You'd need to go to the Manchester directly from the US or via another European port of entry. Your hubby as the UK citizen can do that as long as they arrive in the UK before you. (the border guards will ask where he is)

Can you clarify this further? I don’t know what CTA is....
Are you saying my children and I can’t take a connecting flight through Dublin with a final destination of Manchester? Or just that we can’t deplane in Dublin and enter the UK through other means?
Why would it matter if my husband arrived before or after us?

Can you clarify this further? I don’t know what CTA is....
Are you saying my children and I can’t take a connecting flight through Dublin with a final destination of Manchester? Or just that we can’t deplane in Dublin and enter the UK through other means?
Why would it matter if my husband arrived before or after us?

The CTA is the Common Travel Area.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/782299/common-travel-area-v3.0.pdf

When you enter the UK for the first time, you need to get your vignette stamped. This is really important as it's the date that all your visas for the next 5 years begin and end with.
If you enter the UK via the CTA, you will not be given this vital stamp in your passport. To get this stamp, you must enter via any other route, just not via the CTA.

The visa rules state that the UKC (UK citizen) must be either in the UK first or travelling with the visa holder, the visa holder can't arrive first.

These things only apply on the very first entry on the spouse visa, after that, you can come and go whichever way you please.

Can you clarify this further? I don’t know what CTA is....
Are you saying my children and I can’t take a connecting flight through Dublin with a final destination of Manchester? Or just that we can’t deplane in Dublin and enter the UK through other means?
Why would it matter if my husband arrived before or after us?

Exactly that.  You cannot travel through Dublin even if the UK is your final destination.  You can literally connect through any other airport in the world, so long as it's not in the Republic of Ireland (France, Netherlands, Iceland, etc.).  But Ireland is a no-go for the very first entry even if you are transferring flights in Dublin.

Too add, you *can*, but you would then need to make a trip to continental Europe and re-enter to get the vital stamp on your passports.  So it would be a decent extra expense to go to France and back for all 3 of you to get your visa vignettes stamped.